CCMA Political greenBrief
Monday, December 10, 2018
www.cannabismanufacturers.org
This Chart By The Bureau Of Cannabis Control Clarifies That Cannabis Products Manufactured On/After January 1, 2019 Require Phase 3 Testing, While Products In Compliance With Phase 2 Testing Standards May Still Be Purchased And Sold After December 31, 2018
“Just as we need to look at criminal justice laws, rules and regulations, we need to look at health laws, rules and regulations, and that includes the scheduling system. I’ll take it somewhere else: marijuana. We need to look at the way we schedule different medications across the board, because one of the concerns that I have with marijuana is the difficulty that the folks have to do research on it, because of the scheduling system.”
U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams On Federally Rescheduling Cannabis
“The cannabis industry is closely watching the outcome of the Farm Bill. And while we are seeing a lot of startups try to move in, nobody is better suited to operate in this market than experienced licensed cannabis manufacturers.”
Nancy Whiteman, Founder & CEO Of Wana Brands, On The 2018 Farm Bill
Caity Maple, Lobbyist For Quintana, Watts & Hartmann, Testifies In Committee In Support Of SB 1302, Which Allowed Delivery Services In California
Regulators: Cannabis Deliveries OK Throughout California (CA – State Regulations)
Leafly (December 7, 2018) California regulators on Friday said cannabis deliveries can be made anywhere in the state, even in locales that ban the industry. Law enforcement groups and the California League of Cities opposed the move, arguing that deliveries to places that ban cannabis erodes local government control and will increase crime in those areas. Supporters of statewide deliveries argued that sick and frail people in those areas who depend on marijuana to relieve pain or anxiety cannot make a lengthy drive for a purchase, so they are being shut out of the legal market.
https://www.leafly.com/news/industry/regulators-cannabis-deliveries-ok-throughout-california
California Releases Drafts Of Final Marijuana Business Regulations (CA – State Regulations)
Marijuana Business Daily (December 7, 2018) The long-awaited final versions of California’s cannabis business regulations have been published online by the three agencies that oversee the industry. While the rules will not be completely finalized until approved by the Office of Administrative Law (OAL) – and therefore could undergo more changes – the agencies decided to release them before an OAL signoff, which may not be until sometime in January.
https://mjbizdaily.com/california-releases-drafts-of-final-marijuana-business-regulations/
Cannabis Industry And Unions Squabble In California (CA – Cannabusiness)
Inside Sources (December 10, 2018) In California, state labor laws are exposing tensions between progressives and the pot industry. State law requires business owners with more than 20 employees to allow union representatives to talk to their employees about forming a union. As cannabis businesses grow, more and more of them are falling into this category. And many aren’t happy about the idea of letting unions into their shops.
https://www.insidesources.com/cannabis-industry-and-unions-squabble-in-california/
Wellness Is Leading The Way For Many Californians To Embrace Legal Weed (CA – Cannabis Market)
LA Weekly (December 10, 2018) As legal cannabis becomes the new normal, and larger stigmas against consumption continue to erode, one fact shines abundantly bright: Californians love legal weed. Just this year, from January through the end of October, Californians spent north of $2 billion on legal cannabis. On the whole, consumers have started to grow accustomed to the idea that cannabis is a product that can be used for health and wellness, and not just for “getting stoned” or “high.”
This Is How Much In Taxes Marijuana Customers Will Pay In Modesto (CA – Local Taxation)
The Modesto Bee (December 9, 2018) Marijuana customers who buy cannabis from proposed Modesto retail shops can expect to pay more taxes than they have been at other dispensaries in Stanislaus County. The Modesto City Council has approved an 8 percent tax for cannabis retail businesses. The council at its Dec. 4 meeting also approved tax rates for other types of cannabis businesses in Modesto, including distribution, microbusiness, manufacturing, indoor cultivation and testing labs.
https://www.modbee.com/news/local/article222675510.html
A Struggling Desert Town Bets Its Future on Pot (CA – Cannabis Industry)
The New York Times (December 9, 2018) eff Williams, the incoming mayor of this small desert city near the Arizona border, arrested a lot of people for selling marijuana in his days as a county sheriff. He voted against legalizing the stuff in a 2016 statewide referendum. But several cities in economically struggling parts of the state have seized on the opportunity. Needles has competition from other small cities east of Los Angeles, like Desert Hot Springs and Adelanto.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/09/business/cannabis-business-needles-california.html
2018 Farm Bill To Legalize CBD, Give Hemp Farmers Crop Insurance (USA – Hemp Industry)
Green Market Report (December 10, 2018) The 2018 Farm Bill is scheduled for a vote on Monday, December 10 and it is expected to pass with language legalizing hemp farming. It seems a compromise has been reached between the politicians on issues that had been stalling the legislation. Hemp farmers and CBD-related companies will benefit the most from the passage of the Farm Bill. CBD or cannabidiol is derived from the cannabis plant but has none of the psychotropic effects of THC. In The Farm Bill, there is language that amends the Controlled Substances Act and legalizes CBD.
https://www.greenmarketreport.com/2018-farm-bill-to-legalize-cbd-give-hemp-farmers-crop-insurance/
Pot May Be Next For Tobacco Farmers Already Turning To Hemp (USA – Hemp Industry)
Bloomberg (December 10, 2018) For some tobacco farmers, the future may be in cannabis. Farmers in parts of the U.S. tobacco belt such as Kentucky have already been making the switch to hemp, a variety of cannabis that won’t get you high. That shift is expected to continue if the U.S. farm bill is passed this month, fully legalizing hemp and its extracts. Cannabis could also be an alternative for U.S. soybean farmers who have been hit by Chinese tariffs.
Surgeon General Says Marijuana’s Schedule I Status Hinders Research (USA – Federal Rescheduling)
Marijuana Moment (December 6, 2018) U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams said the federal government should rethink how it classifies drugs like marijuana on Thursday, voicing concern that the plant’s current status as a strictly controlled Schedule I substance inhibits research. That said, there’s growing, bipartisan support in Congress to either reschedule cannabis or amend the Controlled Substance Act to create a separate registration process for marijuana research.
https://www.marijuanamoment.net/surgeon-general-says-marijuanas-schedule-i-status-hinders-research/
Getting Educated Around The Cannabis Insurance Space Is A “Two-Way Street” (USA – Insurance Market)
Insurance Business America (December 10, 2018) While more states take a look at legalizing marijuana, the cannabis insurance market is expanding to meet the insurance needs of this growing sector, though Activity at the state level is nonetheless important since that means regulations are being established, which in turn entices insurance companies to enter the marketplace since it’s less of a Wild West – important, too, for cannabis businesses who need coverage just like any other business.
Step-By-Step Guide On How To Invest In Marijuana Stocks (USA – Cannabis Investments)
Profit Confidential (December 10, 2018) Marijuana stocks are hogging the spotlight, with many investors asking if they should invest in marijuana stocks and how to invest in marijuana stocks. And for good reason. On an individual basis, marijuana stocks have provided stellar returns and, more recently, losses. That said, some of the bigger marijuana plays continue to perform well and there are a number of smaller marijuana stocks that show a lot of promise.
https://www.profitconfidential.com/marijuana/step-by-step-guide-invest-in-marijuana-stocks/
What Is ‘Marijuana’? Name Game Limits Cannabis Entrepreneurs (USA – Cannabis Investments)
Marijuana Business Daily (December 7, 2018) The old debate about what to call the plant cannabis sativa L. is giving businesses real-world headaches in both new and established marijuana markets. Consider: Iowa allows medical marijuana but calls it something else. Texas restricts medical marijuana so severely that doctors must break the law to use the state’s program. California officials are struggling to draw a bright line between what products are allowed and which ones aren’t.
https://mjbizdaily.com/what-is-marijuana-name-game-limits-cannabis-entrepreneurs/
Public Banks Could Help Serve Marijuana Industry (ND – Cannabis Banking)
U.S. News (December 10, 2018) Nestled at the edge of Bismarck, North Dakota, where the city meets the Missouri River, is an inconspicuous brick building that houses a unique institution: The Bank of North Dakota, the only state-owned and state-run bank in the U.S. There are two central elements to the bank’s operation: its independence from the federal government and a conservative, partnership-driven approach to banking that focuses on what benefits the state and its residents.
