CCMA Political greenBrief
Wednesday, October 24, 2018
www.cannabismanufacturers.org
New Gallup Poll Shows 2 In 3 Americans Favor The Legalization Of Cannabis
“The link between the cannabinoid pathway and anti-inflammatory effects is unprecedented, and we are beginning to understand more fully just how the body regulates itself. The goal is to ultimately develop a whole new class of compounds that target several disorders with anti-inflammatory indications.”Jonathan Rothbard, CEO Of Katexco Pharmaceuticals, On Medicinal Cannabis For Inflammatory Diseases
“The fact that it’s more accessible because it’s a little bit more legalized is good, but it’s taking place inside of an overall system where a handful of big corporations are going to totally dominate the business. The only way their business model is going to work is if the government criminalizes their competition.”Blair Longley, Leader Of The Marijuana Party Of Canada, On Big Corporations Taking Over The Cannabis Industry
Sonoma Patient Group Seminar – October 26 (Santa Rosa – Event Announcement)
Sonoma County’s longest permitted dispensary, is hosting an educational seminar regarding Prop 65 warnings and labeling requirements for the Cannabis industry. This will take place on Friday, October 26, 2018 starting at 10am with a 2-hour seminar followed by lunch and networking opportunities until 2pm, taking place at the Hyatt Regency in Santa Rosa. We are excited for attendees to have the opportunity to meet other licensed cannabis entities and professionals throughout the cannabis industry.
https://spg606.wixsite.com/prop65
California Regs 2.0 Update – October 25th (Los Angeles – Event Announcement)
This Thursday night, join the CCMA and a group of lawyers, compliance and legislative experts to break down the recently released draft permanent cannabis regulations by the BCC, CDPH and CDFA.
https://www.facebook.com/events/727067374320727/
California Pot Delivery Businesses Face Digital Disruption (CA – Delivery Services)
WUWM Milwaukee (October 22, 2018) California is now the largest state to legalize recreational marijuana. The Los Angeles area alone is expected to become the largest legal cannabis market in the world, bigger than Northern California, Oregon, Colorado and Washington state combined. That’s opened the door to businesses that provide door-to-door delivery. But a tech platform that makes it easy to order the drug from a smartphone wants in on the action. Since recreational pot became legal Jan. 1, pot delivery has jumped. On a recent Friday night, a woman who goes by the name Geisha was circling a luxury hotel in downtown Los Angeles. She was looking for a middle-aged woman with long gray hair, capri pants and a pink-and-white checkered top.
http://www.wuwm.com/post/california-pot-delivery-businesses-face-digital-disruption#stream/0
Stanford University Researchers Form Biotech to Develop Cannabis-Based Therapeutics (CA – Cannabis Research)
BioSpace (October 24, 2018) Researchers with Stanford University Jonathan Rothbard and Lawrence Steinman, formed Katexco Pharmaceuticals. Katexco will focus on developing oral therapies for inflammatory diseases based on cannabis and nicotine receptors. Katexco will work to develop the first drug to focus on a key receptor on immune cells in the brain. The first primary target indications include gastrointestinal disorders like Crohn’s disease, gout and multiple sclerosis. The startup has exclusive licenses from Stanford University on key technology needed for the development of the drug.
Supervisors Establish Cannabis Committee, Approve Pay Raises For Caregivers (CA – Cannabis Industry)
SFGate (October 23, 2018) San Francisco Supervisors today voted unanimously to create a committee to oversee the city’s growing cannabis industry. The Cannabis Oversight Committee will advise the Board of Supervisors and Mayor London Breed on issues relating to cannabis, such as implementation and enforcement. The committee will work with the city’s Office of Cannabis, but will not have the authority to fire, hire or evaluate personnel at the city’s cannabis office, nor will it have the authority to issue, deny or modify permits for cannabis businesses. The committee will be made up of stakeholders in the city’s cannabis industry, but if none apply for the committee, supervisors could then appoint a committee member.
Ascent Industries Boosts US Footprint, Launches California Location (CA – Cannabusiness)
Proactive Investors (October 22, 2018) The California calling is strong, as Ascent Industries Corp announced bright news Monday that it is establishing its third location in the United States in Oakland, California. As one of the most important cannabis markets in the world, nearly 40 million people and a sophisticated cannabis culture, the company said California presents a “compelling opportunity” for Ascent. Last week, Ascent signed a 10-year lease for approximately 67,750 square feet of space within a building, the Oakland Tinnery, located in Oakland, California, which is owned and managed by Ascent’s strategic partner, Green Sage, LLC.
Two in Three Americans Now Support Legalizing Marijuana (USA – Federal Legalization)
Gallup (October 22, 2018) Sixty-six percent of Americans now support legalizing marijuana, another new high in Gallup’s trend over nearly half a century. The latest figure marks the third consecutive year that support on the measure has increased and established a new record. Legalizing the use of pot was an unpopular idea when Gallup first asked Americans about it in 1969 — just 12% at that time said it should be made legal. Support grew in the 1970s but stagnated in the 20% range until the new millennium, when momentum for legalization picked up again. Since 2000, support for legalizing marijuana has trended steeply upward, reaching majority support for the first time in 2013.
https://news.gallup.com/poll/243908/two-three-americans-support-legalizing-marijuana.aspx
Three New Studies Reveal How Legal Marijuana Can Help Curb Opioids (USA – Medicinal Cannabis)
Marijuana Moment (October 23, 2018) A trio of recent studies seem to bolster the argument that legal marijuana can help combat the opioid epidemic. Though it might sound counterintuitive to some, researchers have turned up strong evidence that providing access to cannabis can curb opioid prescriptions and prevent overdoses. These latest studies explore the issue from different perspectives, adding to an already growing body of research that’s demonstrated how marijuana is being used as a substitute to pharmaceuticals—particularly prescription painkillers.
https://www.marijuanamoment.net/three-new-studies-reveal-how-legal-marijuana-can-help-curb-opioids/
These 2 Marijuana Stocks Are Now Legally Exporting Cannabis To The U.S. (USA – Cannabis Imports)
The Motley Fool (October 24, 2018) This has been a big year for “marijuana firsts.” We’ve witnessed a number of cannabis stocks move to reputable U.S. exchanges; stood back and watched the first cannabis-derived drug get approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA); and, of course, eagerly observed as Canada lifted the curtain on nine decades of recreational marijuana prohibition last week. Perhaps the best thing of all about the legal pot industry is that the history-making never ceases. In fact, with adult-use weed now legal in our neighbor to the north, and numerous other countries considering legalization, it’s arguable that history could be made on a regular basis moving forward.
https://www.fool.com/investing/2018/10/24/these-2-marijuana-stocks-are-now-legally-exporting.aspx
4 Things Aurora Cannabis Did Right Before Its NYSE Debut (USA – Cannabis Investments)
The Motley Fool (October 22, 2018) Investors have done their best to capitalize on cannabis by looking closely at marijuana stocks. Aurora Cannabis has sought to make it even easier for U.S. investors to buy its shares by arranging to have its shares listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Beginning tomorrow, Oct. 23, Aurora will join the elite group of cannabis companies whose shares trade on major U.S. exchanges. Getting ready for the increased exposure that a NYSE listing brings takes time and effort, and Aurora Cannabis hasn’t wasted any time. In the past week, the Canadian marijuana company has made a number of interesting moves, and each of them says something about Aurora’s future plans.
https://www.fool.com/investing/2018/10/22/4-things-aurora-cannabis-did-right-before-its-nyse.aspx
Medical Marijuana Research To Begin In Pennsylvania (PA – Cannabis Research)
Leafly (October 23, 2018) In recent years, we’ve seen medical breakthroughs in cannabis come from all over the country—even the hinterlands of pot policy like Pennsylvania, where Gov. Tom Wolf signed the Medical Marijuana Act in April 2016. “This is a great, great day for Pennsylvania,” he exclaimed at the time in the state’s Capitol Building, surrounded by an overflowing crowd of lawmakers and medical marijuana patients and their families. The bill yielded OK results so far: Pennsylvania has certified 44,000 cannabis patients, as well as over 800 practitioners.
https://www.leafly.com/news/health/medical-marijuana-research-beginning-pennsylvania
Mississippi Sentences Man To 8 Years In Prison For Medical Marijuana He Purchased Legally In Another State (MS – Cannabis Convictions)
ACLU (October 22, 2018) Patrick Beadle, a 46-year-old father and musician, received an eight-year prison sentence in Mississippi for possessing 2.89 pounds of marijuana. If his sentence stands, he would spend nearly a decade behind bars for possessing a substance that is legal in nine states and now all of Canada. Such a severe, inhumane sentence speaks volumes about the inanity and heartlessness of our criminal justice system. But this story gets worse. Mr. Beadle says he bought the marijuana legally in Oregon, where he is a resident and a medical marijuana patient. Oregon is one of 30 states that have legalized medical marijuana and one of the nine states in which recreational use is also legal.
State College’s First Medical Marijuana Dispensary Aims To Ease Pain (PA – Cannabusiness)
State College (October 24, 2018) When patients come into Nature’s Medicines, Angel Rodriguez feels their pain. He knows what they are going through and what they are looking for. After all, it wasn’t that long ago that Rodriguez, the co-manager of Centre County’s first medical marijuana dispensary, was struggling with his own personal darkness. It is still something that he deals with every day, but he does deal with it, thanks to medical marijuana. It is still hard for him to even talk about the tough times. He says he will never forget hiding underneath his bed, afraid to come out and deal with the pain that he was feeling. This was years ago, after he had traveled and served his country in the Army and Coast Guard, and started a family with his wife, Nia.
Party’s Over? Legalization Could Spell The End Of The Marijuana Party (Canada – Cannabis Advocacy)
CBC (October 22, 2018) The arrival of a legal recreational marijuana market in Canada could end up killing the political party that has campaigned on the issue for nearly two decades. But the Marijuana Party is not claiming victory after last week’s historic drug policy shift. Blair Longley, who has led the party since 2004, said changes to campaign financing have dramatically undermined the party’s ability to field candidates and run campaigns since he took the helm. Now that the party’s only policy plank has come to pass (though not in the way Longley wanted), the odds against the party’s survival look more daunting than ever.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/marijuana-party-legalization-1.4870048
South Korea Vows To Arrest Citizens Who Smoke Cannabis In Canada (South Korea – Cannabis Convictions)
Independent (October 23, 2018) South Korean residents who smoke cannabis in Canada will be “punished” on their return home, the country’s authorities have warned. The North American nation became the second country in the world after Uruguay to legalize recreational marijuana last week, a move that has triggered global debate around decriminalization of the drug. But South Koreans living in there were told earlier this week to stay away from the drug. Those found guilty could face up to five years in prison. Korean police also said they plan to hold workshops in Canada and Uruguay to make clear the risks of smoking cannabis in the two countries, The Korea Times reported.
