CCMA Political greenBrief
Tuesday, February 26, 2019
www.cannabismanufacturers.org
San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón Announced The Expungement Of Over 8,000 Cannabis Offenses Dating Back To 1975 In The County. He Teamed Up With Code For America Founder Jennifer Pahlka (Right) To Find Marijuana Cases Eligible For Expungement Or Resentencing Under Marijuana Legalization.
“CBD might be available at the local 7-11 in Pennsylvania, but any product you get on the market is not federally regulated by the FDA, so the purity and safety and quality are questionable.”Dr. Dustin Lee, Assistant Professor In Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences At Johns Hopkins University Who Is Planning A Human Trial Of CBD For Use In Quitting Smoking
“There is certainly data that CBD has a variety of anti-inflammatory effects, but whether that translates into improving human health is unknown. Does it help people with eczema, rheumatoid arthritis or ulcerative colitis? We don’t know.”Dr. Orrin Devinsky, Director Of The NYU Langone Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, Who Led Epidiolex Studie
Over 8,000 Marijuana Convictions In San Francisco Dismissed With Help From A Computer Algorithm (CA – Cannabis Convictions)
CNN (February 25, 2019) Technology meets law and order to help dismiss thousands of marijuana-related convictions dating back to 1975 in San Francisco. The San Francisco District Attorney’s office announced on Monday that 8,132 convictions will be dismissed thanks to a computer algorithm that automatically scanned court records.
https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/25/us/san-francisco-marijuana-convictions-cleared-trnd/index.html
S.F. Set To Clear All Eligible Marijuana Convictions Dating Back To 1975 (CA – Cannabis Convictions)
SFWeekly (February 25, 2019) In San Francisco, District Attorney George Gascón teamed up with Code for America last year to expedite the clearance of convictions. It was no small task do it in without the use of technology; reviewing each case manually can take up to 15 minutes to just determine if a conviction is eligible. From January to May 2018, Gascón’s office had only cleared 428.
California Officials Fine Three Cannabis Growers $233K For Water Violations (CA – Cannabusiness)
Marijuana Business Daily (February 25, 2019) In what is perhaps a potential teaching moment for other marijuana entrepreneurs as they attempt to navigate a plethora of environmental rules, three California cannabis farmers were recently hit with nearly a quarter million dollars in fines related to water-regulation infractions.
https://mjbizdaily.com/california-officials-fine-cannabis-growers-water-violations/
Poisonous Pot Found In Some Los Angeles-Area Stores (CA – Cannabis Products)
NBC 7 San Diego (February 26, 2019) Some of the marijuana products sold by Southern California stores and delivery services are loaded with banned toxic chemicals that could make you sick. Seven of the 24 samples purchased by NBC4, or nearly 30 percent, tested positive for pesticides. That means they fail to comply with state regulations for safe pot.
California’s ‘Cannabis Landlord,’ Targeted In Police Raid, Alleges San Bernardino ‘Pay-For-Play’ Corruption (CA – Cannabis Convictions)
The Sun (February 25, 2019) A Pacific Palisades woman who heads a company that was blocked last week from setting up legitimate commercial cannabis operations in San Bernardino sued the city on Monday, Feb. 25 alleging corrupt practices involving a “pay for play” scheme. Washington LLC, headed by Calfornia’s self-proclaimed “cannabis landlord” Stephanie Smith, filed a lawsuit in San Bernardino Superior Court seeking to halt the licensing of 16 commercial cannabis businesses approved by the city on Feb. 21.
Despite Rough 2018, California’s Cannabis Industry Might Have Reason For Optimism (CA – Cannabis Industry)
Marijuana Business Daily (February 26, 2019) The first full year of California’s regulated marijuana market was as much about survival as anything else – especially for existing companies that were transitioning into new modes of operation, with hundreds of pages of new rules (and multiple drafts of those rules) to comply with and comprehend.
https://mjbizdaily.com/california-cannabis-industry-might-have-reason-for-optimism-in-2019/
CBD Is Everywhere, But Scientists Still Don’t Know Much About It (USA – CBD Industry)
The New York Times (February 25, 2019) Unlike THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, the “psychoactive” component of the cannabis plant, CBD won’t get you “high.” But scientists know little about what it can do: Most of the information about CBD’s effects in humans is anecdotal or extrapolated from animal studies, and few rigorous trials have been conducted.
CBD Market Could Reach $16 Billion By 2025, New Analysis Finds (USA – CBD Market)
Fortune (February 25, 2019) Nearly 7 percent of Americans are already using cannabidiol (CBD), placing the potential market opportunity for the much-hyped cannabis compound at $16 billion by 2025, according to a new analysis by Cowen & Co. Although CBD is promoted as an effective treatment for everything from arthritis to insomnia, the only clinically proven remedy is as a treatment for two rare forms of childhood epilepsy.
http://fortune.com/2019/02/25/cbd-cannabinoids-market/
Behind The Scenes With Cannabis Charities (USA 0 Cannabis Industry)
Forbes (February 26, 2019) Cannabis is the new gold rush. It’s an industry with an almost comical level of rapid growth, with cannabis spending estimated to hit $57 billion worldwide by 2027. While there are ostensibly several imposing obstacles for cannabis nonprofits to overcome—lack of funding, education and fluctuating laws—there’s a whole lot of hope on the horizon, too. Many cannabis nonprofits are extremely eager to find ways to give back to their communities.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/janellelassalle/2019/02/26/cannabis-charities/#3b7f8d5e3045
As Expected The UN Delays Voting On Cannabis (World – Cannabis Scheduling)
Forbes (February 26, 2019) Predictably, the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) will not vote on the World Health Organization’s cannabis recommendations at its upcoming meeting on March 7, in Vienna. This announcement comes as no surprise considering the release of the recommendations, on January 24, which were expected in December, were also held up.
Denver Just Made A Big Change On Social-Use Cannabis: It Will Be Permanent (CO – Cannabis Use)
The Denver Post (February 25, 2019) On Monday night, the Denver City Council decided in a 10-1 vote that the city should permanently allow “social” cannabis use at certain businesses in the city. Until now, the city’s social-use laws were scheduled to expire at the end of 2020. Social-use businesses must be at least 1,000 feet from schools, day care centers, city recreation centers and pools, and addiction treatment centers.
https://www.denverpost.com/2019/02/25/denver-council-social-use-cannabis-permanent/
