CCMA Political greenBrief
Wednesday, August 22, 2018
www.cannabismanufacturers.org
State Regulators Have Prompted The California Department Of Food And Agriculture (CDFA) To Establish An Appellation Of Origin System For Cannabis Cultivators No Later Than January 1, 2021. Mendocino Cultivator Jerry Munn, Pictured Here, Supports Cannabis Appellation Designations
“I want to have the industry step up and be responsible. It’s not the easiest conversation to have, but people are getting hurt. So deal with it.”
CA State Controller Betty Yee, Who Was Injured In An Auto Accident Last Month Due To A Driver Suspected To Be Under The Influence Of Marijuana
“Our industry wants to be regulated. There is no desire within the industry to go back underground…The industry wants to be legitimized and regulated across the state, across the country, and around the world.”
Josh Drayton, Communications Director For The CA Cannabis Industry Association, Responds To Controller Yee’s Criticism Of Cannabis Industry
California Cannabis: The Path Forward, August 29th (CA – San Jose Event)
Join the CCMA, the California Cannabis Industry Association, Lori Ajax, Bureau of Cannabis Control and licensed operators from across the California cannabis industry two days after the end of the 45 day public comment period.Board member Gavin Kogan will be speaking. This is an opportunity for brands and manufacturers to voice their hopes and concerns to the regulators. August 29th from 6-9pm in San Jose. Event details below.
http://futurecannabisproject.o
Medical Pot On School Grounds: Parents, Bay Area Legislator Making The Push (CA – Medicinal Cannabis)
San Francisco Chronicle (August 21, 2018) Everyday at noon, Karina Garcia drives to her son’s South San Francisco high school to give him a dose of cannabis oil to prevent potentially life-threatening seizures. But she can’t do it on campus. She has to take Jojo, a 19-year-old with severe epilepsy, off school grounds to squirt the drug into his mouth, then bring him back for his special education classes. The California bill, SB 1127, has cleared the state Senate and is pending in the Assembly. It would require that parents or legal guardians administer the medical marijuana.
https://www.sfchronicle.com/ne
Betty Yee To Cannabis Industry: Grow Up And Deal With Stoned Drivers (CA – Traffic Incidents)
CALmatters (August 21, 2018) California Controller Betty Yee, injured last month in an auto collision suspected to have been caused by a 25-year-old driver under the influence of marijuana, used sharp language today to demand that the state’s nascent cannabis industry “step up” and address pot-related traffic accidents. In an interview with CALmatters, Yee said pot growers and retailers “grousing” about taxes and regulation need to accept that the legalization of recreational weed carries social obligations, including a need to do something about the increased risk to public safety.
https://calmatters.org/article
World Health Organization Recommends Descheduling CBD (World – Cannabis Industry)
Ganjapreneur (August 21, 2018) The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended that “preparations considered to be pure cannabidiol CBD should not be scheduled within the International Drug Control Conventions,” Hempsupporter reports. The statement was issued following the 40th meeting of the organization’s Expert Committee on Drug Dependence on June 7-8 in Geneva.
https://www.ganjapreneur.com/w
California Lawsuit Alleges Business Fraud In Cannabis Industry Partnership (CA – Cannabusiness)
Cannabis Business Times (August 22, 2018) A lawsuit filed in the Superior Court of the State of California describes a business partnership that sought to produce hemp-derived CBD products until a web of allegations brought the enterprise into the courtroom. H2 Partners, a distribution company with roots in the tobacco industry, is suing United Cannabis Corporation (UCANN), a biotech company that developments cannabis products. The two companies had entered into a partnership earlier this year to grow 600 acres of industrial hemp in Colorado for the purposes of CBD production.
http://www.cannabisbusinesstim
California: Teen Marijuana Use Declines Sharply Post-Legalization (CA – Teen Use)
NORML (August 22, 2018) Marijuana use by adolescents continues to decline in California, according to statewide data provided by the California Healthy Kids Survey, a biennial survey funded by the Departments of Health and Education. Among 7th graders, 4.2 percent reported ever having used cannabis during the years 2015 to 2017, as compared to 7.9 percent during the years 2013 to 2015 (-47 percent). Among 9thgraders, 17.4 percent reported ever having used cannabis during the years 2015 to 2017, as compared to 23.1 percent during the years 2013 to 2015 (-25 percent). Among 11th graders, 31.9 percent reported ever having used cannabis during the years 2015 to 2017, as compared to 37.9 percent during the years 2013 to 2015 (-16 percent).
http://blog.norml.org/2018/08/
California Cannabis Goes Luxury, Plans Appellations Just Like Wine (CA – Cannabis Cultivation)
Forbes (August 21, 2018) You might call Jerry Munn’s Lime Volt cannabis the champagne of marijuana country. The Northern California farmer, who’s cultivated pot for over 28 years, gets positively electric describing his new botanical creation. “It’s tingling to the senses and stimulates the sinuses,” says Munn. “People have told me it’s like smoking a margarita.” The Mendocino County farmer, who lives in the heart of the renowned Emerald Triangle, knows he’s created a winning weed varietal. For over half a century, that region of the state has been lauded the world over for producing some of the finest cannabis on the planet.
Cannabis Now CEO Says Beer And Marijuana Mergers Are Good For Business (USA – Cannabis Investments)
Forbes (August 21, 2018) Although there are those members of the cannabis industry who might view the latest $4 billion investment between beer giant Constellation Brands and marijuana company Canopy Growth as a signal that the evils of corporate America have infiltrated their precious space and are planning to take it over come hell or high water, business professionals with their fingers on the pulse of the ganja game argue that beer and marijuana mergers are actually a positive for the entire cannabis community.
DEA Proposes Beefed Up Marijuana Quota For 2019 (DC – Cannabis Cultivation)
Hemp Gazette (August 21, 2018) The U.S. Department of Justice and Drug Enforcement Administration have proposed a significant increase in the amount of marijuana that may be manufactured in the U.S. in 2019. Marijuana is still listed as a Schedule I substance in the USA, which means it is defined as a drug with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. Yes, the listing is way behind the times – and behind dozens of U.S. states that have legalized it or derivatives of cannabis for medical use.
https://www.hempgazette.com/ne
In Follow-Up Move, DEA Wants More Marijuana Grown In 2018 As Well (DC – Cannabis Research)
Marijuana Moment (August 22, 2018) The move by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) last week to dramatically increase the amount of marijuana that can be legally grown in the U.S. in 2019 for research purposes, combined with its decision to reduce opioid production levels, surprised longtime observers of the anti-narcotics agency. Now, in a new filing scheduled to be published in the Federal Register on Thursday, the agency is moving to also boost the cannabis quota for the current year.
https://www.marijuanamoment.ne
Legal Marijuana Could Be Worth $47 Billion In The US Alone, According To A Wall Street Analyst (USA – Cannabis Investments)
Markets Insider (August 22, 2018) Wall Street is catching the cannabis bug. In a lengthy note to clients on Wednesday, RBC Capital Markets estimates that legal sales of marijuana in the US are quickly catching up to beer and wine, and could be worth $47 billion within the next decade. The investment bank also sang the praises of Constellation Brands’ recent investment in Canopy Growth — the largest publicly traded marijuana company — as ahead of the curve. Constellation Brands is the $38 billion behemoth behind Corona, Modelo, Svedka, and more.
Medical Marijuana Can Treat A Variety Of Ailments — Here’s How It Works In The Body (USA – Cannabis Effects)
Yahoo! (August 20, 2018) Americans who doubt that marijuana has medicinal benefits are now — squarely — in the minority. According to a Healthday/Harris Poll released this July, nearly 9 in 10 Americans now support legalizing the drug for medicinal use (compared to just 57 percent for recreational). This sentiment is reflected in the nation’s legal landscape, where 31 states (plus D.C., Guam, and Puerto Rico) have legalized it for medical use. But with a Schedule I classification remaining from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the drug remains federally illegal — making it difficult to track down information about its benefits and dangers.
Ensuring Adequate Pain Relief Is Compassionate Policy (USA – Cannabis Cares)
Ladybud (August 20, 2018) For years, The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has obstinately insisted that cannabis is as dangerous as opioids and heroin. Those in the know, from activists to doctors, would bristle at the classification of cannabis as a Schedule 1 substance. The Schedule 1 classification means that the federal government does not recognize any medical benefits or uses for cannabis and also considers it at high risk for abuse and addiction.
http://www.ladybud.com/2018/08
WSDA Plans Organic Cannabis Certification Program (WA – State Program)
Ganjapreneur (August 21, 2018) Cannabis consumers in Washington will have access to state-certified organic cannabis products as early as next year. The plan is for the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) to establish an organic certification program that cannabis cultivators can use to exemplify their plants and growing process as safe, clean, and natural. The actual word “organic,” however, is controlled at the federal level and therefore cannot be used in conjunction with cannabis.
https://www.ganjapreneur.com/w
Wells Fargo Terminates Bank Account Of Pro-Medical Pot Candidate (FL – State Campaign)
Tampa Bay Times (August 22, 2018) Wells Fargo terminated the official campaign account of a Democratic candidate for Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Nicole “Nikki” Fried because of her campaign’s promotion of medical marijuana. Nikki Fried’s campaign received a letter on Aug. 3 that they had 30 days to close its official account, records show. Matt Gotha, a consultant for Fried’s campaign, said they closed the account Saturdayand transferred about $137,000 to BB&T.
