CCMA Political greenBrief
Friday, March 1, 2019
www.cannabismanufacturers.org
Senator Cory Booker (D-New Jersey) Introduced The Marijuana Justice Act Alongside Representatives Barbara Lee (D-CA) & Ro Khanna (D-CA). The Goal Of The Bill Is To Counteract The Harmful Effects That Stringent Drug Laws Have Had On People Of Color And Other Marginalized Communities.
“The War on Drugs has not been a war on drugs, it’s been a war on people, and disproportionately people of color and low-income individualsThe Marijuana Justice Act seeks to reverse decades of this unfair, unjust, and failed policy.”Senator Cory Booker (D-New Jersey) On Legalizing Cannabis On The Federal Level
“Without passage of this bill, there will be dire consequences, such as the imminent market collapse of hundreds of businesses.”Terra Carver, Executive Director Of The Humboldt County Growers Alliance, On California Senate Bill 67 Which Would Prevent Legal Cannabusinesses Getting Thrown Out Of The Market
Marijuana Legalization Law Reintroduced In Congress (USA – Legalization)
Rolling Stone (February 28, 2019) In his latest bid to win over the hearts and minds of the left leading up to his 2020 presidential campaign, Senator Cory Booker (D-New Jersey) has rolled out a new federal marijuana legalization bill. In addition to federal legalization, the bill would retroactively expunge the criminal records of those who had been charged with marijuana possession and allow those currently serving time for the offense to petition for re-sentencing, as well as provide job training and other resources to those convicted under marijuana possession laws.
California Bill Would Legalize Crypto For Tax Payments From Cannabis-Related Businesses (CA – Cannabusiness)
Coin Telegraph (February 28, 2019) Lawmakers in the United States state of California have introduced a bill to allow cannabis-related business to pay fees and taxes in stablecoins. The bill was introduced by the California State Assembly on Feb. 21. Assembly Bill 953 would allow the state, city and county tax offices in California to accept stablecoins — cryptocurrency pegged to a physical asset or a fiat currency — from cannabis-related companies seeking to pay their excise or cultivation taxes, with effect from Jan. 1, 2020. The bill further reads:
California Cannabis Licensing Backlog Could Spur Collapse Of Supply Chain, ‘Hundreds Of Businesses’ (CA – Cannabis Licensing)
Marijuana Business Daily (February 27, 2019) A California Senate panel on Wednesday advanced a bill – dubbed a “Band-Aid” by one sponsor – in a last-minute bid to prevent thousands of marijuana companies from being temporarily forced out of the legal market and causing chaos in the state’s marijuana supply chain. The measure, Senate Bill 67, would give more leeway to the three state agencies responsible for licensing marijuana companies.
SF May Override Local No-Smoking Laws To Allow Cannabis Consumption At Events (CA – Cannabis Consumption)
San Francisco Examiner (February 28, 2019) San Francisco plans to grant waivers to its no-smoking laws when permitting cannabis events. Recreation and Park Department spokesperson Sarah Madland said in a statement that “we are supportive of the concept of legal sales and consumption at temporary events as it likely to make events safer, however, there are many details that still need to be worked out to ensure safe, thoughtful implementation that includes community feedback.”
http://www.sfexaminer.com/sf-may-override-local-no-smoking-laws-allow-cannabis-consumption-events/
Encinitas Authorizes Marijuana Deliveries In Compliance With State Law (CA – Local Ordinances)
The Coast News Group (February 28, 2019) In order to demonstrate consistency with state law, the Encinitas City Council voted unanimously on Feb. 20 to amend the municipal code to allow cannabis deliveries to the city. According to regulations recently put forward by the California Bureau of Cannabis Control and approved by the California Office of Administrative Law, cities can no longer ban the delivery of recreational marijuana products to their residents — as long as those deliveries are made by licensed operators.
https://www.thecoastnews.com/encinitas-authorizes-marijuana-deliveries-in-compliance-with-state-law/
Cory Booker Wants To Legalize Marijuana In The United States (USA – Legalization)
Fortune (February 28, 2019) New Jersey Senator Cory Booker, one of several Democratic candidates running in the 2020 presidential election, has reintroduced a new version of the Marijuana Justice Act. The bill was introduced with California Representatives Ro Khanna and Barbara Lee, who is co-chair of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus. Booker’s marijuana bill returns at an interesting time, when cannabis has been legalized in a number of states, including the District of Columbia, fueling the growing recreational cannabis industry.
http://fortune.com/2019/02/28/cory-booker-legalization-marijuana-justice-act-2019/
Federal Legalization Of Marijuana Could Be Back On The Table (USA – Legalization)
The Root (February 28, 2019) Presidential hopeful Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) will reintroduce legislation Thursday that could end the federal prohibition on cannabis. Another goal of the bill is to reinvest in the communities that have experienced the most negative impacts of the “War on Drugs.”
https://www.theroot.com/federal-legalization-of-marijuana-could-be-back-on-the-1832957044
Barbara Lee Files Three Pieces Of Social Justice Marijuana Legislation In One Day (USA – Cannabis Politics)
Marijuana Moment (February 28, 2019) The congresswoman, who was named as a co-chair of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus last month, re-filed legislation to end federal cannabis prohibition, bar the federal government from using funds to interfere in state-legal marijuana programs and encourage reform policies to help communities of color participate in the legal market.
GOP Congressman Files Bill To Protect Native American Tribes That Legalize Marijuana (USA – Tribal Cannabis)
Marijuana Moment (March 1, 2019) Native American tribes that choose to legalize marijuana would be protected from federal intervention under a bill introduced by Rep. Don Young (R-AK) on Thursday. The Tribal Marijuana Sovereignty Act stipulates that the federal government can’t withhold funds or render Indian tribes ineligible for benefits, contracts or grants simply because they end their own prohibitions on the possession, cultivation or sale of cannabis.
Veterans Urge Congress, VA To Catch Up On Expanding Access To Medical Marijuana (USA – Medicinal Cannabis)
CBD News (March 1, 2019) While VA doctors can discuss marijuana use with patients, they can’t recommend patients use it or help them obtain it. The VA also won’t reimburse veterans if they obtain marijuana through other means. On the federal level, there are signs that support for expanding access to medical marijuana for veterans is growing.
Senator Calls Out Big Pharma For Opposing Legal Marijuana (USA – Legalization)
Forbes (February 23, 2019) A prominent Democratic U.S. senator is slamming pharmaceutical companies for opposing marijuana legalization. Legalization advocates have long speculated that “Big Pharma” is working behind the scenes to maintain cannabis prohibition. And in 2016, Insys Therapeutics, which makes products containing fentanyl and other opioids, as well as a synthetic version of the cannabinoid THC, donated half a million dollars to help defeat a marijuana legalization measure that appeared on Arizona’s ballot that year.
USDA Gives Farmers A Status Update On Hemp Legalization Plans (USA – Hemp Industry)
Marijuana Moment (February 28, 2019) The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is giving prospective hemp farmers a status update on the Trump administration’s efforts to regulate the newly legal crop. The plans include a public listening session to be held next month. While the 2018 Farm Bill federally legalized hemp, USDA has to develop a regulatory process and approve individual state plans before farmers can cultivate it under the legislation’s provisions.
https://www.marijuanamoment.net/usda-gives-farmers-a-status-update-on-hemp-legalization-plans/
Forget Growing Weed – Make Yeast Spit Out CBD & THC Instead (USA – Cannabinoids)
Wired (February 27, 2019) Researchers have turned to yeast to do something more improbable: manufacturing the cannabis compounds CBD and THC. By loading brewer’s yeast with genes from the cannabis plant, they’ve turned the miracle microbes into cannabinoid factories. It’s a clever scheme in a larger movement to methodically pick apart and recreate marijuana’s many compounds, to better understand the plant’s true potential.
https://www.wired.com/story/yeast-cbd-and-thc/
Martha Stewart Teams Up With World’s Biggest Cannabis Company (USA – Cannabis Investments)
Los Angeles Times (February 28, 2019) Lifestyle guru Martha Stewart is teaming up with the world’s largest cannabis company, taking on an advisory role at Canopy Growth Corp. to help develop a “broad new line” of products for both humans and animals. Canopy announced in January that it will spend as much as $150 million to build a hemp facility in New York state, its first production plant in the United States.
https://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-martha-stewart-cannabis-canopy-growth-20190228-story.html
