Schumer: ‘We Don’t Want the Big Boys’ in the Cannabis Industry

11/19/2021

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In an interview with New York’s top cannabis regulator, Tremaine Wright, on Black Enterprise’s “Green Enterprise,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said that the lawmakers behind his federal cannabis bill “don’t want the big boys to come in” to the cannabis industry once federal reforms are approved.

“We don’t want the big boys to come in. After all the pain that’s been occurring in communities like the one you represent in Brooklyn — where I’m from — to have the big boys come in and make all the money makes no sense. So, we want to make sure smaller businesses and businesses of color do it.” – Schumer via Green Enterprise

Schumer also said that he — along with New Jersey Sen. Corey Booker (D) and Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden — are “taking a page” from New York’s legalization law when it comes to social justice reforms included in their federal proposal.

“We’re gonna make it really incentive to have all states expunge their records for nonviolent marijuana crimes,” he said. “So, you never have a criminal record again; you never should’ve to begin with. You know? Low-level marijuana crimes because it was so over-classified it was so bad.”

The Majority Leader added that, under the Democratic legalization plan, cannabis-derived funds wouldn’t “just go into the federal Treasury” rather into “good kinds of activities in terms of restorative justice” such as community violence initiatives and community centers.

In addition to the Democratic proposal backed by Serns. Schumer, Booker, and Wyden, Republican Rep. Nancy Mace (SC) on Monday filed legislation to legalize cannabis federally.

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Black People in Vermont 14x More Likely to Be Defendants in Felony Drug Cases

11/19/2021

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Black people in Vermont were 14 times more likely to be defendants in felony drug cases than their white counterparts, according to a Council of State Governments Justice Center report outlined by VT Digger. Black defendants in the state are also more likely to be jailed for drugs despite national data showing that Black people and white people use and sell drugs at similar rates.

The report found that Black people in Vermont are more than six times more likely to be incarcerated than white people for all crimes, which is higher than the national average. Black people were also 3.5 times more likely to be defendants for misdemeanor cases and 5.9 times more likely to be defendants in felony cases, the report says. Post-conviction, Black people in the state are 18% more likely to be incarcerated for felony drug and property offenses; meaning they are less likely to receive non-prison options such as probation or split or suspended sentences, the report found.

Karen Tronsgard-Scott, executive director of the Vermont Network Against Domestic and Sexual Violence and a member of the working group, told VT Digger that the data shows “irrefutable” evidence for what “Black Vermonters have been saying for a really long time.”

The report notes that while state lawmakers are currently considering a classification structure for drug offenses, the analysis could be used to apply a racial equity lens to the classification process for drug offenses by “reclassifying lower-to-mid level felony drug possession offenses to misdemeanors” and “reevaluating the threshold of the highest level of possession and sales to better reflect significant amounts of drugs intended for distribution.”

The group plans to deliver a report to the Legislature on the findings in January.

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Utah Lawmakers Say Medical Cannabis Should Be Treated Like Any Other Medication

11/19/2021

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Utah medical cannabis activists and state legislators are concerned that cannabis is not being treated like other medicinal controlled substances despite the state’s successful medical cannabis voter initiative and a series of legislative actions to regulate the product, Fox 13 reports.

The problem involves a “small group of cities” that are “disallowing their employees to still use medical cannabis,” Utah Patients Coalition Executive Director Desiree Hennessy told Fox 13.

Police officers and firefighters who obtain medical cannabis cards have been removed from their jobs in some cities, the report says. Legislators heard testimony on the issue on Wednesday in a Government Operations Interim Committee hearing.

“The original intention of the legislature has always been that you do not punish someone for being sick or using medicine properly, as prescribed.” — Sen. Daniel Thatcher (R)

To begin to address the problem, lawmakers endorsed a proposal that would “double down” on Utah‘s commitment that medical cannabis should be treated like any other drug. However, the proposal would only cover government workers — not the private sector.

Senate Majority Leader Evan Vickers, who oversees medical cannabis legislation for the Republican caucus, told Fox 13 that he “would like to see private industry, if they have policies regarding controlled substances, then they follow that same law with cannabis.”

But, in a state where legislators prefer a hands-off approach when it comes to private business, “The only thing we can foresee that would fix the private employee’s issue is education and the experience of having employees use medical cannabis,” Hennessy said.

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U.S. Cannabis Council and Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Launch Cannabis Internship Program

11/19/2021

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The U.S. Cannabis Council and the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation this week launched the Pathways to the C-Suite Internship program, which partners Black college seniors and one-year post-bachelor degree graduates with some of the nation’s top executives in the private sector to experience how public policy is influenced and developed at every level of the process.

Tahir Johnson, director of Social Equity and Inclusion at the Cannabis Council, said on LinkedIn that students who sign up with the program will be placed “at some of the most prominent cannabis companies in the country to gain valuable career experience and building a diverse talent pipeline for the industry.”

“Through the Pathways to the C-Suite Internship Program, participants gain practical and meaningful work experience in a corporate setting and obtain first-hand experience working with organizations whose top priorities include diversity employment retention and internship-to-employment opportunities,” the description for the program says.

The program requires students to be U.S. citizens or a have permit to work in the U.S. for the duration of the program, which runs from January 10, 2022, to April 29, 2022. Applicants must be available to participate full-time upon acceptance, cannot be enrolled in classes, and must have not graduated more than a year from the internship program start date. Interns also cannot be enrolled in graduate studies. All interns must also receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

There will be two informational sessions held later this month for potential applicants — on November 23 and 29.

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The Blackbird by RollPros is Unlike Any Pre-Roll Machine on the Market

11/18/2021

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Using proprietary rolling technology versus traditional cone-fill, RollPros provides a more efficient, cost-saving machine for creating premium quality pre-rolls at scale.

VANCOUVER, November, 15, 2021 — RollPros, a cannabis-processing equipment company, has released their new Blackbird, a fully-automated system for cannabis dispensaries and brands, that is designed specifically to tackle the quality and consistency issues inherent with pre-rolls. A first of its kind, the patent-pending Blackbird uses TruRoll™ technology and is the only production-ready machine on the market that does not require pre-made cones.

“As a consumer, once cannabis was legalized, I was so excited to get a joint from a store. But it was awful. The joints were harsh; they canoed or clogged. It was just a terrible experience. Then I looked into it and found they were just filling it from the top, and that’s not how you create a good joint,” says Kyle Loucks, Founder and CEO of RollPros.

The traditional “cone-stuffing” method uses a combination of machines and employees to fill pre-made cones. This imprecise method usually incurs an average of 20% flower waste and doesn’t offer a premium user experience.

Loucks explains, “I started with trying to design a more efficient way to fill the cones. But I realized there was a fundamental problem; we were fighting physics. That’s when I decided to approach it differently and create a method that would roll like we would by hand.”

This realization led to the Blackbird, a low-impact, tabletop machine that can be operated by one person and will produce 750+ Premium PreRolls™ (0.35 – 1 gram) per hour, roughly 5,000 per 8-hour shift compared to the industry average of 4-6 people on a line that produces 1,500-2,200 pre-rolls.

The Blackbird is incredibly simple to use:

Step 1. Pour in the flower.
Step 2. Pour in the crutches.
Step 3. Load the paper.
Step 4. Press go.
Step 5. Watch as carbon-copy, perfect pre-rolls are made.

“The Blackbird has been an incredible addition to our pre-roll business. Our dispensary customers appreciate the diversity of product we can offer and patients love the old school look and feel.” explained Jordane Fairchild, Post Harvest Manager of Sunmed Growers, a Maryland-based vertically integrated operator. “As a company, we also appreciate the amazingly responsive customer service and technical assistance team Blackbird has standing by to ensure production never pauses.”

The Blackbird can be customized to your desired tension. And unlike the competition, it will allow you to explore larger grind sizes and doesn’t require over-dried flower to run.

Engineered to scale up with your business, the unit is completely modular so you can continue to add components as your needs change. The future RollPros’ product line will include more opportunities to customize and further automate your pre-roll to consumer process.

To learn more about RollPros or to schedule a demonstration, please reach out to:
Tyler Vaughan | Tyler@rollpros.com | (844) 759-1106

About RollPros:
RollPros makes creating high-quality pre-rolls at scale easy through elegantly designed technology.

About Kyle Loucks:
Kyle Loucks has built a career out of engineering elegant solutions to complex problems. Highlights include creating a collapsible and conformable bone fixation implant to give surgeons the flexibility they needed during surgery while at Acute Innovations and working with Oculus AR/VR labs to create innovative solutions for their future consumer electronics. Now Kyle has set his sights on innovations within the cannabis industry, starting with the patent-pending Blackbird that uses TruRoll™ technology.

 

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German Cannabis Legalization Estimated at €4.7 Billion

11/18/2021

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Cannabis legalization in Germany could be worth tax revenues and a cost-saving of about 4.7 billion euros ($5.34 billion) per year and create 27,000 new jobs, according to a survey conducted by the Heinrich Heine University’s Institute for Competition Economics (DICE) outlined by Reuters. The survey was commissioned by the German hemp association and comes as legislative leaders are considering a coalition to push forward with the reforms.

Chancellor-in-waiting Olaf Scholz and his center-left Social Democrats (SPD) are brokering a deal with the environmentalist, pro-spending Greens and the libertarian, business-friendly Free Democrats (FDP) to build a three-way coalition to bridge support for broad cannabis legalization in the nation, the report says, adding that negotiators for the SPD, Greens, and FDP are still working out details of the plan, including rules for the sale and adult use of cannabis.

Germany is Europe’s largest economy and medical cannabis had been legalized in the nation since 2017.

Cannabis legalization in Germany became more possible with the electoral victories of the SPD in September. The Free Democrats have estimated that were cannabis taxed similarly to cigarettes, Germany could raise up to 1 billion euros annually. The Greens have indicated that a cannabis control law would “drain the black market for cannabis and reduce organized crime,” while the Social Democrats have called for cannabis to be distributed to adults in so-called “field projects” to assess the impact of legalization for adults.

The reforms are opposed by German law enforcement leaders with Rainer Wendt, head of the German Police Union, saying that allowing legalized cannabis “would be the beginning of a stoned future instead of the launch of a modern Germany.”

Oliver Malchow, the head of Germany’s police union GdP, has said that he wouldn’t back the reforms as “legal but dangerous” alcohol is “already causing enough trouble,” adding that it doesn’t make sense to “open the door to another dangerous and often trivialized drug.”

The DICE survey suggests cannabis legalization could bring cost savings in the police and judicial system of up to 1.3 billion euros per year.

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Medical Cannabis Retailers to Follow HIPAA Guidelines in Illinois

11/18/2021

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New guidance in Illinois published by the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) requires medical and co-located dispensaries in the state to protect patient information in accordance with the privacy and security rules set out in the federal Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) statute and attendant regulations, JD Supra reports.

Under the guidance, dispensaries that sell medical cannabis — including those with adult-use licenses — must complete a HIPAA security risk assessment by December 1. That risk analysis includes identifying areas of high-security risk for Electronic Protected Health Information (ePHI); an evaluation of the likelihood and impact of the risks; implementation of security measures to address the risks; and documentation of the measures and their rationale.

Among other regulations, HIPAA requires that covered medical providers complete initial and then recurring assessments of risks to their IT infrastructure, and undertake certain physical, administrative, and technical safeguards to safeguard patient information, the report says.

Illinois required that patients were given notice of Privacy Practices for Protected Health Information by August 1, according to the guidance. The rules also require dispensaries that have had patient information breached notify the IDFPR of the breach within 60 days of discovery. The guidance notes that in the event of a theft of dispensary computers that are encrypted, businesses are not required to report the theft but are “strongly encouraged” to file a report with the agency.

Illinois is not the first state to protect medical cannabis patient information; Massachusetts also requires that dispensary workers are trained on patient privacy and confidentiality and have records systems that are configured to protect patient privacy.

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Arkansas Total Medical Cannabis Sales Hit $447M Since 2019

11/18/2021

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Arkansas medical cannabis dispensaries have sold nearly 67,000 pounds of cannabis since sales first launched in May 2019, according to a KUAR report. Worth $447 million and weighing 66,994 pounds, the haul has brought the state $45 million in tax revenue.

Using data from the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration, KUAR found the state’s 78,585 active patients bought 3,527 pounds of cannabis from 37 dispensaries in October. The Relief Center dispensary in Bentonville was the state’s first to surpass the 7,000 pounds mark and leads the pack with the most total sales. Natural Relief Dispensary in Sherwood sold the most in October with 332.27 pounds, the report says.

Here is a closer look at the top five dispensaries in Arkansas, according to KUAR.

  • Relief Center – Bentonville – 7,030.66 pounds; 332.17 pounds in October
  • Green Springs Medical – Hot Springs – 5,105.98 pounds; 166.87 pounds in October
  • Natural Relief Dispensary – Sherwood – 5,024.54 pounds; 332.27 pounds in October
  • Suite 443 – Hot Springs – 4,529.16 pounds; 273.54 pounds in October
  • Acanza – Fayetteville – 4,100.2 pounds; 157.23 pounds in October

Arkansas voters passed an initiative to establish a medical cannabis program in 2016 with 53% of the vote. The majority of the tax money collected from medical cannabis sales goes to the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences National Cancer Designation Trust Fund.

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Austin, Texas Emergency Services Stops Drug Screening for Cannabis

11/18/2021

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Austin-Travis County, Texas Emergency Services (ATCEMS) updated its hiring policies to not disqualify applicants for past cannabis use, according to a KXAN report. Prior to the change, applicants were disqualified for using “hemp, legalized forms of THC and legalized medicinal uses” within three years of applying.

The department said the policy was “antiquated” and was updated to reflect the changing landscape of legal cannabis across the country. City officials began working on the issue after a denied candidate revealed he was disqualified because he used cannabis in a state where it is legal for adult use. The change only removes the past cannabis use question and does not halt drug screens at the department, the report says.

“Given that THC is recreationally and medicinally legal in over half the states, we’re really reducing the number of people that can even apply to work for us. They still have to pass a drug screening, we still have randomized drug testing currently, and post-accident drug testing. So it hasn’t changed any of that.” — Selena Xie, president of the ATCEMS Association, via KXAN

She said the department has a history of hiring recruits from out of state, so the policy needed updating to stay competitive with other Texas EMS Departments, which may attract more in-state cadets.

Xie says between the outdated hiring practices and the COVID-19 pandemic, the department is facing a labor shortage, noting that only 13 cadets will begin training this December, despite a recruitment goal of 30.

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Curaleaf Partnering with World’s Largest Alcohol Distributor

11/17/2021

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Curaleaf Holdings Inc. is partnering with Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits to distribute its eponymous Hemp and Select CBD products. Glazer’s is the world’s largest alcohol distributor and will also distribute Curaleaf products via its Proof e-commerce platform.

David Chaplin, Chief Growth Officer of Southern Glazer’s, said in a statement that the company is “excited” to add Curaleaf to its distribution network as the companies are “aligned on the future growth potential of CBD in the U.S. and, as such, are both investing significantly in the category.”

“Southern Glazer’s best-in-class CBD sales and marketing capability is uniquely positioned to deliver the most effective route-to-market for Curaleaf and I am confident we can drive continued growth for their portfolio of products at retail locations across the U.S.” — Chaplin in a press release

Joseph Gennaro, Curaleaf vice president of CBD, Health & Wellness, noted that Southern Glazer’s shares the firm’s “values around responsible distribution and pioneering a well-regulated industry.”

“We value Southern Glazer’s expertise, efficiency, and extensive network,” he said in a statement, “particularly as we aim to open the consumer awareness funnel and fuel growth within our CBD business.”

The companies said they “look forward to introducing new innovations to both ancillary lines with confections and beverages that feature minor cannabinoids like CBN and CBG.”

Earlier this year, Glazer’s announced a distribution deal with Canopy Growth for its line of CBD beverages, including Quatreau, which Canopy launched in March.

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Weedmaps and Berner Launching Cannabis-Friendly Social Media Site

11/17/2021

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Cannabis technology company Weedmaps and rapper and cannabis entrepreneur Berner are planning to launch a social media platform on Marijuana.com, describing it as the “Instagram of Marijuana.”

Berner and Weedmaps recently re-announced the upcoming social media platform on Twitter. First announced in a 2014 press release, Weedmaps and Berner said that Meta-owned social media apps Facebook and Instagram have deleted cannabis-related accounts for policy violations. The network was supposed to launch in 2015 but that timeline was obviously delayed.

“Both social networks view cannabis as a ‘drug,’” the press release said, “and many marijuana businesses have lost valuable accounts and followers because of this crackdown.”

In a statement, Berner, the founder and owner of the Cookies cannabis brand, indicated his business accounts had been deleted from Instagram, which he cited as the impetus for the new cannabis-friendly social network.

“I was fortunate enough to get my account back but many other community members have not been so lucky,” he said in a statement. “This community is special to me and we believe in this plant and now Marijuana.com will unite and bring our people together.”

According to the release, Berner will serve as executive director for the new venture and as a brand ambassador for Weedmaps. The new social network will reportedly include a “Powered by Weedmaps.com” rating and review system for strains, shops, and dispensaries, and dispensaries, brands, artists, and consumers will be allowed to create free profiles and post cannabis-related content without fear of censorship.

Editor’s note 11/18/21: This article has been updated to improve clarity.

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Hemp Farm Owner Facing Grand Theft Charges

11/17/2021

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The operator of a now-defunct Half Moon Bay, California hemp farm has been charged with 33 counts of grand theft of labor for failing to pay his employees, the Bay Area News Group reports. In addition to the grand theft charges, David Wayne Jenkins faces misdemeanor petty theft of labor, and numerous unemployment and labor code violations.

If convicted on all counts, Jenkins faces more than a decade in prison, San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe told Bay Area News.

“His victims were very poor coastside residents who were really affected during the Christmas holiday season to have no income. But he has started restitution and the victims hopefully will all get fully paid for their work.” — Wagstaffe to Bay Area News

Jenkins owned Castle Management, also known as Castillo Seed, which operated a hemp farm in Half Moon Bay from January 2020 until March 2021, when the business shuttered after Jenkins ran out of money after failing to cultivate and sell crops profitably. Despite running out of funds, Jenkins repeatedly told his workers payments would be forthcoming; but they worked without pay from December 2020 to January 2021.

Prior to December 2020, Jenkins withheld taxes and other withholdings from employee paychecks, but failed to report or transmit any withholdings to state agencies, the report says. He lost the business’ workers compensation insurance on December 29, 2020, for failing to pay premiums but the employees continued working.

In all, the employees are owed about $138,000 and Jenkins has paid back about $107,000.

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Pennsylvania Plan Would Let Small Businesses Grow Medical Cannabis

11/17/2021

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A Pennsylvania lawmaker is planning to introduce legislation that would allow small businesses and farmers to cultivate cannabis for the state’s medical cannabis program, the Center Square reports. Democratic Rep. Melissa Shusterman’s bill would create cannabis industry licenses specifically for farmers and small businesses as the state currently only allows a limited number of licenses per regulatory zone.

The bill would open up 75 new permits for small businesses and farmers.

“Pennsylvanians shouldn’t have trouble accessing medication prescribed by a doctor for relief from pain and sickness. The restrictions placed on growers and processors hurts small businesses, farmers and patients alike. … Studies have repeatedly shown the benefits of medical marijuana for certain medical conditions. It’s unfair that only large companies dominate the market and hurt consumers and small businesses.” — Shusterman via the Center Square

Shusterman added that the legislation would also work to alleviate the supply chain situation in the state’s medical cannabis market.

During remarks on the House floor in May, Shusterman said that “all medical marijuana currently sold in Pennsylvania dispensaries comes from out-of-state” and the bill would “equip…small farmers with critical access to” the cannabis industry.

“Medical marijuana is here to stay and we need to give our small farmers every opportunity to succeed,” she said.

From February 2020 to August 2020 — amid the coronavirus pandemic — the number of weekly patient visits to Pennsylvania’s medical cannabis dispensaries rose more than 70% from 70,000 to 120,000.

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Republican Lawmakers File Bill to Federally Legalize Cannabis

11/16/2021

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U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) formally introduced the States Reform Act on Monday, which seeks to end the federal prohibition of cannabis in favor of a tax-and-regulate model similar to alcohol, The State reports.

“This bill supports veterans, law enforcement, farmers, businesses, those with serious illnesses, and it is good for criminal justice reform. The States Reform Act takes special care to keep Americans and their children safe while ending federal interference with state cannabis laws.” — Rep. Nancy Mace, in a statement

Specifically, the proposal seeks a 3% federal excise tax on all cannabis sales with proceeds reserved for law enforcement programs, assisting the federal Small Business Administration, and supporting mental health initiatives for veterans. The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau would be tasked with federally regulating sales of the plant while the U.S. Department of Agriculture would manage cannabis farming and cultivation; the FDA would maintain jurisdiction over medical cannabis regulations.

While the bill contains language addressing the expungement of nonviolent federal cannabis crimes, it stops short of the social equity clauses in other federal cannabis bills like the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act and the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act.

Mace’s bill was co-sponsored by other Republican lawmakers including U.S. Reps. Brian Mast (FL), Tom McClintock (CA), Peter Meijer (MI), and Don Young (AK). But while cannabis legalization is exceedingly popular with American voters — a recent Gallup poll found that 68% of voters legalization, including about 50% of Republicans — fellow GOP lawmakers in Mace’s home state of South Carolina were quick to distance themselves from her plan.

“Our Party platform is clear: ‘We support firm enforcement of existing laws against the abuse and distribution of controlled substances, and we oppose any effort to legalize the use of controlled substances,’ and that includes marijuana,” said Drew McKissick, Chairman of the South Carolina Republican Party, in the report.

But Mace said her bill only gives states the option of managing their own cannabis laws: “It’s not going to force cannabis on South Carolina if South Carolina does not want it,” she told The State.

 

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Biden FDA Nominee Has Positive Views on Medical Cannabis

11/16/2021

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President Joe Biden’s (D) pick for the new head of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has expressed positive views toward medical cannabis in the past and has prescribed cannabinoid therapy as a cardiac doctor, Marijuana Moment reports. Dr. Robert Califf previously served as FDA director from February to January 2017 under the Obama administration, for which Biden was vice president.

During remarks at a federally hosted cannabis research summit in 2016, Califf said the FDA was interested in promoting more cannabis research and development.

“We understand that people have identified a number of possible uses of marijuana and marijuana-derived products. For example, AIDS wasting, epilepsy, neuropathic pain, treatment of spasticity associated with multiple sclerosis, cancer and chemotherapy-induced nausea. I had the chance to prescribe some of this in my cardiology practice in people with extreme heart failure who get a wasting cachectic syndrome.” — Califf via Marijuana Moment

During his speech, Califf added that although cannabis has not been proven “safe and effective for any indication” it may still have potential as a medicine given more studies into the plant and its compound.

Califf added the FDA has not approved cannabis as medicine “not because [they’ve] had a ton of applications to look at” but because the agency “hasn’t gotten them into the pathway.”

“What this means is that no one has demonstrated to FDA that any such product is safe or effective for the treatment of any disease or condition,” he said at the 2016 summit. “To change that we need studies conducted using marijuana to rigorously assess the safety and effectiveness of marijuana for medical use.”

The doctor indicated that the FDA really wants studies into the efficacy of medical cannabis and “actively” encourages such research.

“To do this, we know we need to facilitate the work of companies interested in appropriately bringing safe, effective, and quality products to market, including scientifically based research concerning these medicinal uses,” he said.

If appointed as FDA head, Califf will have a number of cannabis-related issues to tackle, including regulations allowing marketing CBD as a food or dietary supplement, and the ongoing hemp-derived delta-8 crisis that is befuddling state and local officials around the country, the Moment notes.

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Colorado’s New Medical Cannabis Rules Include Stricter Purchase Limits

11/16/2021

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Colorado will impose stricter cannabis purchase limits, require retailers to provide a concentrates information pamphlet to customers who purchase the products, and impose a ban on medical cannabis marketing to people under 21-years-old, under new industry rules announced last week, the Denver Post reports. The new regulations take effect on January 1.

The policies limit daily purchases to two ounces of flower and eight grams of concentrate for medical cannabis patients, and the concentrate limit goes down to two grams per day for patients between 18- and 20-years-old. The previous daily concentrates purchase limit for patients was 40 grams, the report says.

Dispensaries must enforce the new limits by inputting patient ID numbers and are required to refuse a sale to anyone who seeks to exceed the limit. The collected data must be kept confidential.

Patients are able to receive exemptions from the rule from their physician indicating a physical or geographic hardship. The patient must also designate a store as the primary place to get their medicine, the report says.

The pamphlet will include a small black dot which will display Colorado’s recommended serving size for concentrates and feature information on how to safely consume the products, along with a list of potential negative outcomes the state claims can result from the use of concentrate, including psychotic symptoms, “uncontrolled and repetitive vomiting,” and “physical and psychological dependence,” according to the Post report. The pamphlet will include numbers to hotlines for people experiencing any of the negative outcomes.

The marketing ban is a change from the previous rules on advertising to people under 18. The state will now consider it a violation if an ad appears in a form of media estimated to have at least 28.4% of its audience under the age of 21. In concentrate advertising, medical and recreational businesses must include language approved by the state warning of the overconsumption risks.

Gov. Jared Polis (D) in June signed into law a bill package that included purchase limits by the state’s medical cannabis patients. It also included language requiring patients under 21 to receive a diagnosis of a “debilitating or disabling medical condition” by two physicians from different medical practices, and in-person follow-up appointments every six months unless the patient is homebound.

A patient has filed a lawsuit over provisions in the bill that require physicians to prescribe medical cannabis, instead of recommending it, which runs afoul of federal law.

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Beto O’Rourke Embraces Cannabis Legalization In Bid for Texas Governor

11/16/2021

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In a video announcement Monday declaring his bid for Texas governor, former U.S. Congressman Beto O’Rourke (D), included adult-use cannabis legalization in his platform. O’Rourke, who lost a Senate race to Republican Sen. Ted Cruz in 2018, will challenge Republican Gov. Greg Abbott. He also included cannabis reforms in his previous bids for U.S. Senate and the presidency.

The last time a Democrat held the Lonestar State’s highest office was in 1995.

“Those in positions of public trust have stopped listening to, serving, and paying attention to, and trusting the people of Texas, and so they’re not focused on the things that we really want them to do like making sure that we have a functioning electricity grid, or that we are creating the best jobs in America right here in Texas, or that we have world class schools, or that we make progress on the things that most of us actually agree on, like expanding Medicaid or legalizing marijuana.” — O’Rourke, “I am Running for Governor,” Nov. 15, 2021

During his 2020 campaign for president, O’Rourke had released a plan for federal cannabis legalization, which included clemency for all federal cannabis prisoners, according to the Texas Tribune. The plan also called for a federal tax on the cannabis industry with the proceeds earmarked for a “Drug War Justice Grant” for those formerly incarcerated for nonviolent cannabis crimes.

“We need to not only end the prohibition on marijuana,” O’Rourke said in a 2019 statement regarding his philosophy on cannabis legalization, “but also repair the damage done to the communities of color disproportionately locked up in our criminal justice system or locked out of opportunity because of the War on Drugs.”

A 2020 American Civil Liberties Union report found Black people in Texas are 2.6 times more likely than white people to be arrested for cannabis possession.

O’Rourke is also the co-author of Dealing Death and Drugs: The Big Business of Dope in the U.S. and Mexico­ which examines the illegal cannabis trade between the U.S. and Mexico, with a particular focus on El Paso and Ciudad Juárez. The book was released in 2011 and is co-authored by Susie Byrd, who served with O’Rourke on the El Paso City Council.

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Guam Chooses Metrc to Track Medical Cannabis Program

11/16/2021

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Guam has chosen Metrc as its seed-to-sale tracking system, bringing the U.S. territory one step closer to rolling out its medical cannabis program, the Governor’s Office announced on Monday. Department of Public Health and Social Services (DPHSS) Director Arthur San Agustin said with the selection of a seed-to-sale provider, officials “now can begin to build the framework of Guam’s cannabis regulatory system.”

Guam Governor Lou Leon Guerrero said, “the cannabis industry will benefit [the Guam] community by funding expanded public services in health and public safety, and providing alternative treatment and rehabilitation for people who need it.”

“Over the last decade, we have seen substantial evidence that cannabis has medicinal benefits. With the final review by our Cannabis Control Board on the rules and regulations for the industry, we can more efficiently control recreational use and ensure safe and regulated products.” — Gurrero in a statement

Metrc holds exclusive government contracts in states with medical and adult-use cannabis programs, including Alaska, California, Colorado, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Washington, D.C., and West Virginia.

Jeff Wells, CEO of Metrc, said the firm is “excited to rise to the challenge of this unique regulatory opportunity.”

“We look forward to working with both regulators and licensed business owners to implement the island’s first regulatory track-and-trace program,” he said. “We are proud to play a leading role in ensuring the safety and security of the nation’s legal cannabis market.”

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Husband of Trulieve CEO Sentenced to Three Years In Prison for Corruption

11/15/2021

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After being convicted in August on corruption charges, John “JT” Burnette was sentenced to three years in federal prison and fined $1.25 million last week, the Tallahassee Democrat reports.

The Florida businessman, who is married to Trulieve CEO Kim Rivers, was convicted of conducting a longtime bribery scheme with former Mayor and City Commissioner Scott Maddox and his business partner, Paige Carter-Smith. Additionally, prosecutors said Burnette used his “power and wealth to corrupt the political process.” During the investigation, Burnette told undercover agents that he had influenced Florida House Rep. Halsey Beshears (R) to insert language into Florida‘s medical cannabis bill containing a controversial barrier to entry “that would benefit both Burnette and the Beshears family,” federal prosecutors said.

That barrier to entry was a rule requiring nurseries to be in business for 30 years before they could apply for a medical cannabis license, which locked out many Black-owned and other small nurseries from participating in Florida’s lucrative medical cannabis market.

Prosecutors had asked for eight years due to the seriousness of the charges, according to the report.

On the witness stand, Burnette distanced himself from the comments, claiming he said what the agents wanted to hear and that they were pushing him to claim responsibility for the 30-year requirement, the Democrat reports.

Trulieve’s board released a statement after the sentencing: “Our thoughts are with [CEO Kim Rivers] at this time. She has done and is doing an outstanding job leading Trulieve and she continues to have our full support.”

Company spokesperson Steve Vancore also maintained that Burnette “had no formal involvement or participation in the formation of Trulieve, Inc.”

Burnette’s attorneys say they will appeal his conviction.

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13,000 Pounds of Outdoor Cannabis Destroyed In Washington

11/15/2021

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Washington regulators last week forced three licensed cannabis producers to destroy about 13,000 pounds of cannabis – valued at approximately $3 million – after accusing the growers of cultivating more than their licenses allowed, the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin reports. The owners of the sites argue that they are being unfairly targeted and penalized by regulators responding to complaints made by industry competitors.

Evergreen Nirvana and Black Diamond Cannabis, who are licensed to grow 30,000 square feet of canopy, and Green Volcano, which is licensed for 10,000 square feet of canopy, were notified by the Washington Liquor and Cannabis Board (LCB) that they were growing more than their licenses allow, the report says. The three farms are the only cultivators in Walla Walla County, which banned recreational cannabis farms in 2014 — after the companies had received their licenses as medical cannabis cultivators but had already established their operations as legal land use. The county would adopt a moratorium on medical cannabis operations by the end of June 2019, the report says.

Michael Rothwell, an attorney representing the growers, argues that the companies’ outdoor grow canopy does not exceed the limits because regulators should not be counting the empty space in between the plants as canopy. Rothwell contends that the state’s definition of “plant canopy” for cannabis growers limits the square footage calculation to live plant cultivation, but some areas on site are explicitly excluded from that calculation. He told the Union-Bulletin that his clients “were not given any warning of this new change in interpretation of canopy space.”

“It would be no different if you paid your taxes the exact same way since 2017 and then this year the same IRS agent who has been auditing you every year says what you’re doing now is illegal and you must forfeit your income.” — Rothwell to the Union-Bulletin

Cpt. Jeremy Wissing, who oversees cannabis production with the LCB, told the Union-Bulletin that the growers have “been operating in a non-compliant fashion in this entire time and it was a lack of understanding of the officer that previously looked at it.”

The LCB maintains that it has not recently changed its canopy definitions.

Editor’s note: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that the regulatory action took place in Oregon, not Washington. We regret the error and apologize for any confusion.

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Cannabis Legalization in Canada Not Linked to Increase in Traffic-Injury ER Visits

11/15/2021

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A study published this month in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence found that Canadian cannabis legalization “was not associated with evidence of significant post-legalization changes in traffic-injury [emergency department] visits in Ontario or Alberta among all drivers or youth drivers, in particular.” The study, a collaboration between the University of Northern British Columbia, the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, the University of Victoria, and Dalhousie University included data from hospitals in Alberta and Ontario, which record 100% of their emergency room admissions in a public database. The study included more than 250,000 reports of traffic-related injuries from adult drivers and youth drivers from 2015 to 2019.

In Alberta, youth drivers are classified as 14- to-17-years-old. In Ontario, youth drivers are classified as 16- to-18-years-old. Of the 52,752 reported injuries by adult drivers in Alberta, the researchers found an increase of 9.17 visits and of the 186,921 reported injuries by adult drivers. In Ontario, there was an increase of 28.93 visits.

Dr. Russ Callaghan, the lead researcher of the study, told CKPG Today that the results were “contrary” to his expectations.

“What we found that immediately after cannabis legalization, there was no change in these patterns … I thought those patterns would go up.” — Callaghan to CKPG Today

Callaghan did note that the study should not be taken to mean “that the legalization didn’t have an impact on traffic” and the study didn’t look at fatalities or collisions.

“Really what I wanted to do was assess some of the major indicators that could contribute to this parliamentary review and also help the public understand what the consequences of this legislation might be,” he said in the report.

The nation’s cannabis legalization bill includes strict driving-while-impaired laws, which Callaghan said may play a role in the lack of correlation.

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Oakland Plans to End Cannabis Testing for Most City Employees

11/15/2021

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The Oakland, California City Council Public Safety Committee last week unanimously approved a proposal to end cannabis drug testing for most city employees, The Oaklandside reports. City staff must first meet and confer with labor unions that represent city workers about the policy change before it moves to the full council for approval.

Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan, the ordinance sponsor, told Oaklandside that the city “shouldn’t be weeding out workers for something that is legal.”

“Oakland is the reason there is legalization in America. Why on Earth would we take a step in the wrong direction and punish workers for off the job legal conduct?” — Kaplan to Oaklandside

Under the proposal, the new rules would not apply to testing workers suspected of being under the influence at work, or under a so-called “last chance” agreement in which a worker with a documented substance abuse issue agrees to terms of employment that could include testing for cannabis. The ordinance would also not include protections for other positions, such as non-fire department commercial drivers, who are required to be tested under federal Department of Transportation guidelines, and positions where labor contracts require the screenings.

Councilmember Dan Kalb said he signed on as a co-sponsor of the proposal because he wants “to protect people’s rights.”

“If they are engaging in legal behavior and have fully recovered from that by the time they’ve come to work, great. That’s all the city needs to know,” he told Oaklandside. “We don’t need to know how many days ago you did this or that as long as you are not under the influence now.”

In July, the city council unanimously approved a resolution supporting a statewide bill to prevent employers from using evidence of prior marijuana use as justification for terminating an employee or denying a person a job. The bill, AB1256 sponsored by Democratic Assemblymember Bill Quirk, currently sits in the Assembly Committee on Labor and Employment.

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Democratic Senators Urge Biden to Pardon Federal Cannabis Criminals

11/12/2021

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Democratic U.S. senators are urging President Joe Biden (D) to use his executive authority to pardon all individuals convicted on federal non-violent cannabis-related offenses. In the November 9 letter, Senators Edward Markey (Mass.), Elizabeth Warren (Mass.) and Jeff Merkley (Ore.) – who each represent states where cannabis has been legalized for adult-use – say the move would fulfill the president’s campaign promises related to federal cannabis policies.

“As a candidate for President, you argued that ‘we should decriminalize marijuana’ and ‘everyone [with a marijuana record] should be let out of jail, their records expunged, be completely zeroed out.’ The first and simplest step in the process is a blanket pardon. The Constitution grants you the authority to pardon broad classes of Americans to correct widespread injustice, as previous Presidents have done.” – Markey, Warren, and Merkley in the November 9 letter

The senators described the U.S.’s cannabis policies as “failed and racist,” noting that the first anti-cannabis laws were created “specifically target Mexican immigrants and Mexican Americans” and that the War on Drugs launched in the 1970s by then-President Richard Nixon (R) spawned “mass incarceration policies with devastating effects on Black and Brown families.”

“…Such a pardon – combined with your leadership on an accessible expungement process to formally clear the criminal records of those affected – would mark the beginning of a reversal of decades of ineffective and discriminatory cannabis policies,” the senators wrote, “allowing Americans to return to their communities, find housing and jobs, and rebuild their lives without the burdens of an unjustly imposed criminal record.”

Last month, Warren and Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland urging the Department of Justice to decriminalize cannabis by removing it from the federal controlled substances list.

In that letter, the senators requested the attorney general to respond as to whether he would consider ordering a review by the Department of Health and Human Services review – the first step in the process – by October 20. Garland did not initiate such a review.

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Detroit Voters Decriminalize Psilocybin

11/12/2021

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Voters in Detroit, Michigan voted last week to decriminalize psychedelic mushrooms and therapeutic use of other entheogenic plants, CBS News reports. The approved initiative makes personal possession and therapeutic use of entheogenic plants by adults the city’s lowest law-enforcement priority.

The proposal passed with 61% of the vote.

The successful Detroit campaign – along with a similar initiative that passed in Ann Arbor last year – could be just the beginning of psychedelic reforms in the state, as Democratic senators have introduced a bill to decriminalize entheogenic plants and fungi statewide. That measure was introduced in September and is currently in the Judiciary and Public Safety Committee.

In 2019, voters in Washington, D.C. and in Denver, Colorado approved similar ballot initiatives. Last year, Oregon became the first state to legalize therapeutic use of psilocybin.

Earlier this year, New Jersey loosened penalties for possessing up to one ounce of psilocybin from a third-degree crime to a disorderly person offense. Under the reforms, those caught with psilocybin face up to six months in jail and up to $1,000 in fines instead of three to five years imprisonment.

A Denver Psilocybin Mushroom Policy Review Panel report issued earlier this year found that psilocybin decriminalization “has not since presented any significant public health or safety risk in the city,” according to the Denver Post.

Last month, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) called for increasing the production of research-grade psychedelics – and cannabis – for next year.

“There has been a significant increase in the use of schedule I hallucinogenic controlled substances for research and clinical trial purposes,” the agency said in the October 18 Federal Register notice. “DEA supports regulated research with schedule I controlled substances, as evidenced by increases proposed for 2022 as compared with aggregate production quotas for these substances in 2021.”

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