Bipartisan PA cannabis decrim push (Newsletter: December 11, 2023)

Senator presses bankers on SAFER; FBI marijuana & guns memo; CO gov pushes fed reform; SD legalization; CA psychedelics; Psilocybin as painkiller

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/ TOP THINGS TO KNOW

A little-noticed Federal Bureau of Investigation memo details how the federal government administers a ban on gun possession by people who use illegal drugs—specifying that simply having a medical marijuana patient card makes someone ineligible but being a cannabis grower doesn’t.

Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA) pressed top bankers about concerns a marijuana banking bill could undermine equity—saying he supports the legislation but wants to ensure that “powerful voices” aren’t “missing in action” about the “broader harms of the war on drugs.”

A bipartisan pair of Pennsylvania senators are circulating a memo seeking more cosponsors for a marijuana decriminalization bill they plan to introduce.

• “We still criminalize recreational cannabis… This seems injudicious and, frankly, inappropriate.”

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) said marijuana prohibition has created a “chicken and the egg” situation by blocking research that could demonstrate cannabis’s medical value and thus the need for rescheduling.

• He also called out “stodgy nanny state Republicans who want to control it.”

South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley (R) issued a final ballot explanation for a marijuana legalization initiative—but its chief backer says he has no plans to collect signatures and compete with a different cannabis measure that’s also being pursued.

California activists submitted the final version of a proposed ballot measure to legalize psychedelics, making several changes from an initial draft version that was filed. They will be able to begin collecting signatures once the attorney general issues a title and summary.

A new study found that psychedelics like LSD and psilocybin have therapeutic potential to treat chronic pain “on a mechanistic and experiential level” and that their effects seem to increase over time—unlike opioids, which display “decreased therapeutic effect” with continued use.

A Montana judge heard oral arguments in a lawsuit challenging Gov. Greg Gianforte’s (R) veto of a bill to revise how marijuana tax revenue is allocated.

Rhode Island marijuana reform activists are pushing for several changes to the state’s legalization law—including narrowing social equity qualifications, expanding  social equity funds, activating fee waivers and offering provisional licenses.

Massachusetts marijuana retailer Tree House Craft Cannabis is encouraging recycling by offering discounted $4 joints for every piece of packaging that consumers return to its dispensaries.

/ FEDERAL

The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, Department of Health and Human Services and Department of Housing and Urban Development are urging public health departments and health care systems to partner with housing providers and community development organizations to expand access to naloxone and other overdose reversal medications.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission terminated the license of a reactor operator who tested positive for marijuana metabolites.

/ STATES

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) signed a bill to waive cannabis transporting business licensing fees.

Maryland’s House minority whip is pushing to overturn a law that prevents police from conducting searches based on the smell of marijuana.

An Arkansas judge is considering a lawsuit challenging the state’s limits on medical cannabis advertising.

New York regulators approved recreational marijuana licenses for existing medical cannabis businesses. Separately, Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) announced the opening of two new dispensaries.

California regulators sent a notice about a recall of marijuana products containing chlorfenapyr.

New Jersey awarded additional marijuana business licenses.

U.S. Virgin Islands cannabis regulators will meet on Wednesday.

/ LOCAL

San Diego, California officials sent a warning letter about sales of intoxicating hemp-derived products.

/ INTERNATIONAL

Germany’s commissioner for addiction and drug issues visited The Netherlands to learn about trials on regulated marijuana supply.

Israeli regulators are delaying implementation of new medical cannabis rules.

/ SCIENCE & HEALTH

A study found that “an association between [cannabis-based medicinal products] treatment and improvements in anxiety, sleep quality, and general [health-related quality of life] was observed in patients with ADHD.”

A study found that “most surveyed Swiss psychiatrists favor the regulation of [cannabis for nonmedical use] and the conduct of pilot trials” on legal access.

/ ADVOCACY, OPINION & ANALYSIS

The New York Post editorial board again criticized the state’s rollout of marijuana legalization.

/ BUSINESS

Curaleaf Holdings, Inc. announced an internal reorganization in connection with its conditional approval to list on the Toronto Stock Exchange.

Puma is testing a compostable hemp-based sneaker.

/ CULTURE

Ozzy Osbourne discussed his support for legalizing marijuana.

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