CCMA Political greenBrief
Thursday, December 13, 2018
www.cannabismanufacturers.org
The House Of Representatives Approved The 2018 Farm Bill, Which Will Allow The Hemp Industry To Grow In The U.S.; It Is Now On Its Way To President Trump’s Desk For A Signature
“The passing of the farm bill will most certainly open up the marketplace for hemp products, specifically hemp extracts that are high in CBD. It will provide a higher comfort level for retailers and consumers and will lead to more investment and opportunity in the industry as it will continue to see rapid expansion.”
Josh Hendrix, Director Of CV Sciences, On The Passage Of The Farm Bill In The House
“Lawmakers embracing legislation that would ensure cannabis businesses can legally operate in minority communities also offer an assurance that these communities are not left out of what will prove to be one of the greatest job growth opportunities of the 21st century.”
Cannabis Stock Investor Jeff Siegel On The Growing Cannabis Industry In The U.S
Farm Bill Headed To Trump After Landslide House Approval (USA – Hemp Industry)
Politico (D ecember 12, 2018) The House on Wednesday easily passed the compromise farm bill by a vote of 369-47, sending the sweeping agriculture and nutrition measure to President Donald Trump to sign. Despite the bipartisan ending the vote provided, the farm bill process this year was far from traditional. Congress tries to reauthorize the farm bill every five years, but the historically bipartisan process has become more contentious in recent cycles as conservatives have targeted the food-stamp program for deep cuts. The bill also legalizes industrial hemp, a provision championed by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/12/12/house-passes-farm-bill-1060916
Congress Just Voted To Legalize Hemp (USA – Hemp Industry)
Vox (December 12, 2018) With a push from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Congress just voted to legalize hemp. The bill passed by Congress won’t legalize pot for recreational or medical uses; it only deals with hemp. For McConnell, the hope is to make hemp a new source of jobs for his home state: He said earlier this year that he hopes hemp “can become sometime in the future what tobacco was in Kentucky’s past.”
Can The State Help Oakland’s Equity Program? (CA – Equity Programs)
East Bay Express (December 12, 2018) Since Californians voted to legalize cannabis in November 2016, a handful of California cities have created cannabis equity programs aimed at ensuring that people of color get a foothold in the industry, since communities of color disproportionately suffered from over-policing and profiling during the Drug War. But Oakland’s program has come under fire for not providing necessary financial support for equity participants.
Mitch McConnell Says Trump Can Borrow His Hemp Pen To Sign Farm Bill Into Law (USA – Hemp Industry)
Marijuana Moment (December 12, 2018) Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said President Donald Trump is free to borrow his hemp pen to sign the 2018 Farm Bill, which would legalize the crop, when it’s sent to his desk. The senator made the remark on the Senate floor on Wednesday—one day after the chamber overwhelmingly approved the legislation and sent it on to the House.
Congress Just Quietly Passed A Law That Could Spark A Boom For The $1 Billion Marijuana-Linked CBD Industry (USA – Hemp Industry)
Business Insider (December 12, 2018) This week, a plant that’s nearly identical to marijuana is set to become legal to grow in the US. Thanks to the US Farm Bill, which the House passed on Wednesday in a 369 to 47 vote, American farmers will be able to plant and harvest hemp, a strain of the same plant species from which marijuana originates. The bill passed the Senate Tuesday in an 87 to 13 vote, and President Donald Trump has indicated his support.
https://www.businessinsider.com/farm-bill-legalizes-hemp-boom-marijuana-cbd-industry-2018-12
Marijuana Industry Border Issues Would Be Solved Under New Congressional Bill (USA – Cannabis Legislation)
Marijuana Moment (December 12, 2018) Marijuana can really mess up border and immigration issues for people who partake in consumption or participate in the industry, but that would change if a new bill being introduced in Congress this week is enacted. The new legislation, the Maintaining Appropriate Protections For Legal Entry Act, would provide exceptions for conduct that “was lawful in the State, Indian Tribe, or foreign country in which the conduct occurred” or that was “subsequently made lawful under the law or regulation of such jurisdiction,” according to a draft.
Trump Threatens Government Shutdown, Raising Concern For Legal Marijuana Industry (USA – Cannabis Industry)
Marijuana Moment (December 12, 2018) If the president makes good on his promise to withhold his signature from essential appropriations bills this time, that could inadvertently leave the legal marijuana industry vulnerable to federal drug enforcement actions. A spending bill rider that has protected state medical cannabis programs from federal intervention since 2014 would expire, while the Justice Department and prosecutors would generally remain operational.
New Farm Bill Won’t Save Small Farmers (USA – Hemp Industry)
Huffington Post (December 12, 2018) The so-called farm bill that Congress is passing this week will mostly benefit big farms, and Sen. Chuck Grassley is mad about it. The farm bill reauthorizes federal programs that dole out about $17 billion annually to help farmers, including some $13 billion to cover price fluctuations and revenue loss. Though the vast majority of farms in the United States are small family operations ― and smaller farmers are sometimes praised by the farm bill’s proponents ― the big ones get most of that money.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/farm-bill-small-farmers_us_5c116676e4b0449012f64078
What Does The Latest Pot Legalization Wave Means For Jobs And Social Equality? (USA – Cannabis Opportunities)
Merry Jane (December 12, 2018) Karson Humiston, CEO of Vangst, often considered the cannabis industry’s largest staffing agency, believes recreational legalization in Michigan and medical legalization in Missouri and Utah will lead to a surge of pot jobs in all three states. How will the people who’ve been the most oppressed by the War on Drugs be integrated into the legal industry? But equality is not just about ownership. It’s also about employment. So, how can we ensure the cannabis industry remains a real equal opportunity employer?
When The Makers Of Marlboro And Corona Get Into Marijuana (USA – Cannabis Investments)
The New York Times (December 12, 2018) Proponents of legal marijuana spent decades fighting a slow battle for mainstream acceptance. Now, with recreational use legal in Canada and many states in the United States, big business is suddenly swooping in. As billions of dollars pour into product development, marketing and manufacturing, these companies will be looking to create big brands with the market share to match. Nonetheless, boosters say the cannabis industry will only attract more from big corporations from here.
South Korea Approves Medical Marijuana (South Korea – Medicinal Cannabis)
U.S. News (December 12, 2018) Until recently, UNTIL RECENTLY, South Korea made headlines as one of the most restrictive nations in its regulation of cannabis, and the country today still punishes its citizens not only for recreationally smoking marijuana within the borders of their homeland, but also abroad. In late November, however, South Korea’s National Assembly moved to ease laws and allow non-hallucinogenic doses of medical cannabis, making it the first East Asian nation to legalize marijuana for medical purposes.
