CCMA Political greenBrief
Monday, January 21, 2019
www.cannabismanufacturers.org
Many Of Oceanside’s Cannabis Cultivation Applicants Are Experienced California Farmers, Specializing In Avocados & Citrus
“Never in history has a Congress been comprised of a more favorable House of Representatives in regards to cannabis reform. However, given Senator Mitch McConnell’s longstanding support of the cruel practice of federal marijuana criminalization and his tendency to rule by fiat, it is unlikely that he would allow for even a debate on the Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol Act, let alone a vote.”NORML Political Director Justin Strekal On H.R. 420
“The spread of socially acceptable cannabis consumption will undoubtedly exert a kaleidoscope of influence on our decision-making, idea generation and business formation as pubs and coffee shops did in their respective eras. The collision of technology, globalization and the emerging wellness trend is undoubtedly having a profound impact on our employer relationships, politics, values and community.”Sumit Mehta, CEO Of Cannabis Banking Platform Mazakali, On The Global Acceptance Of Cannabis
Marijuana Is Legal In California. So Why Is The CHP Arresting Delivery Drivers? (CA – Delivery Services)
The Sacramento Bee (January 21, 2019) Cannabis may be legal in California, but the new rules of the road are so confusing that even former California Highway Patrol officers are struggling with them. The California Office of Administrative Law last week handed down a ruling that sought to clarify how distributors should move about the state. Its decision upheld a Bureau of Cannabis Control regulation that states “a delivery employee may deliver to any jurisdiction within the State of California provided that such delivery is conducted in compliance with all delivery provisions of this division.”
https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/the-state-worker/article224079655.html
FDA Enforcement Against Hemp-CBD Products Has Begun (USA – Hemp Industry)
Canna Law Blog (January 15, 2019) On January 3rd, according to the owner of a smoke shop in Yuma, Arizona, officials from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) seized a variety of CBD products from the store’s shelves. The officials took fewer than fifty items and told the owner to anticipate follow-up paperwork within seven to ten business days. It remains to be seen whether the FDA will introduce new regulations pertaining to the sale of hemp-derived CBD products intended for human consumption. For now, the agency has indicated that its position on CBD products is clear.
https://www.cannalawblog.com/fda-enforcement-against-hemp-cbd-products-has-begun/
Weedmap’s Grip On The High Flying California Pot Market (CA – Cannabis Industry)
Wired (January 21, 2019) The number of businesses listed on Weedmaps fluctuates as shops pop up and shut down, but by the beginning of August 2018, the site was listing about 2,000 total marijuana dispensaries and delivery services in Southern California. In February 2018, the Bureau of Cannabis Control sent Weedmaps a cease and desist letter asserting that the website contained ads for businesses that weren’t licensed to conduct commercial cannabis activity. The following week, the California State Assembly held a hearing on legalization, the second half of which was dominated by two concerns: What more could California do to shut down illegal operators, and how could it stop the advertising of unlicensed businesses?
https://www.wired.com/story/weedmaps-grip-california-legal-pot-market/
Dispute Over Rules Riles California’s Legal Marijuana Market (CA – State Regulations)
North Bay Business Journal (January 18, 2019) California has finalized its rules governing the nation’s largest legal marijuana market, a milestone coming more than a year after the state broadly legalized cannabis sales for adults. But a dispute over home deliveries into communities that ban pot sales could end up in court. And the hundreds of pages of dense regulations are unlikely to resolve other disputes, including how purity and potency tests are conducted for infused cookies and other products.
‘It’s Been A Rocky Road’: Local Cannabis Industry Struggles To Take Off (CA – Cannabis Cultivation)
Argus Courier (January 21, 2019) Sonoma County leaders had hoped to bring existing marijuana growers out of the shadows and into a regulated program as a way to root out illegal activity and the violence that follows. But one year after recreational sales of cannabis began in California, the prospect that marijuana’s legalization would fill tax coffers and tamp down the illegal drug market has not yet materialized. While many business leaders have praised Santa Rosa’s favorable tax rates and fair policies, Sonoma County’s rollout of its cannabis rules has been roundly criticized by pot companies and people worried about marijuana businesses opening nearby.
https://www.petaluma360.com/news/9195648-181/its-been-a-rocky-road
Cannabis Rush Is On In Oceanside (CA – Cannabis Cultivation)
The San Diego Union Tribune (Janaury 21, 2019) The push is on to begin legally growing, manufacturing and distributing medical cannabis in Oceanside under an ordinance the city approved last year. Some of Oceanside’s most experienced farming families, who have sought legalized cannabis for years, are among the applicants. Traditional North County crops such as avocados, citrus and cut flowers are being forced out of the region by development and the increasing costs of labor and water. Local farmers say marijuana is the logical next step for them.
Cannabis Retailers Can’t Bank Like Other Businesses, So They Are Sending Lobbyists To Capitol Hill (USA – Cannabis Banking)
Business Insider (January 21, 2019) Marijuana is one of the most rigorously overseen industries. Yet, it has no financial infrastructure. Imagine: Legal cannabis is a $10 billion industry doing every single transaction in cash. Any bank that does decide to take on marijuana business could be charged with “aiding and abetting” a federal crime. That’s where the STATES Act comes in — a bill that would require the federal government to honor decisions made by states that have legalized recreational and medical marijuana.
Lawmakers In Washington DC Are Desperately Falling Behind The State’s Cannabis Programs Which Makes Running A Business In The Cannabis Industry Very Risky (USA – Cannabis Politics)
Green Camp (January 21, 2019) Since so many US states decided to legalize either medical or recreational marijuana, the cannabis industry is quickly becoming a very good prospect for investment. The federal government had shut down the STATES (Strengthening the Tenth Amendment Through Entrusting States) Act just a few weeks ago, a piece of legislation which would protect the interests of states where marijuana use is legal. By not allowing banks to offer their services to canna-businesses, the federal government is directly endangering a certain portion of what is now a nation-wide industry.
https://greencamp.com/running-a-canna-business-in-the-us-is-risky-because-of-a-lack-of-banking/
Veterans Look To Congress For Legal Cannabis (USA – Medicinal Market)
The Herald Tribune (January 21, 2019) Sixty-two percent of Americans support legalization, according to a 2018 Pew Research Center poll. But if Mitch McConnell fails to act, national attention may pivot to federal court, where two Army veterans diagnosed for post-traumatic stress disorder continue to hound the Department of Justice and the Drug Enforcement Agency for upholding a law they claim is unconstitutional. Many former comrades in arms described how prescription drugs dispensed by the Department of Veterans Affairs weren’t nearly as effective as marijuana in relieving PTSD anxieties.
https://www.heraldtribune.com/news/20190121/veterans-look-to-congress-for-legal-cannabis
First Senate Marijuana Bill Of 2019 Would Force Study On Medical Cannabis For Veterans (USA – Cannabis Legislation)
Marijuana Moment (January 18, 2019) The first Senate marijuana bill of the new Congress focuses on increasing research on the medical benefits of cannabis for military veterans. The legislation, introduced by Sens. Jon Tester (D-MT) and Dan Sullivan (R-AK) on Thursday, would direct the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) to conduct clinical trials on the effectiveness of medical marijuana in the treatment of conditions common among military veterans. This latest version stipulates that the VA, which has been reluctant to engage in marijuana studies, “shall” begin conducting clinical trials on cannabis.
How Cannabis Legalization Became So Popular Amid Regressive Global Politics (World – Legalization)
Civilized (January 21, 2019) In just a few years, cannabis legalization has taken the world by storm. Long-time activists, advocates and enthusiasts are seeing their decades-long dream come to life, as today’s daily victories shape tomorrow’s global cannabis scene. Although cannabis activists have gallantly led the quest to legalize, there’s no way these results could have ever been achieved without the right socio-political context to give them a green light. One reason behind the global wave of cannabis decriminalization is that market pull is becoming stronger than the state’s power to regulate it.
https://www.civilized.life/articles/how-global-legalization-c/
Governor Signs Bill Legalizing Medical Marijuana In The U.S. Virgin Islands (Virgin Islands – Medicinal Market)
Marijuana Moment (January 19, 2019) Medical cannabis was legalized in another U.S. territory on Saturday after the governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands signed a long-awaited bill into law. The Virgin Islands Medical Cannabis Patient Care Act allows qualified patients to obtain, possess and consume marijuana for therapeutic purposes. It also establishes legal dispensaries and facilities to cultivate, test and manufacture cannabis products.
A Canadian Company Aims To Bring Cannabis Products To U.K. This Year (Canada – Cannabis Exports)
Bloomberg (January 21, 2019) Canopy Growth Corp. has joined forces with a U.K. researcher of cannabis-based therapies after the British government moved to liberalize the use of medical marijuana. The new company, formed with Beckley Canopy Therapeutics Ltd., aims to make products available in Britain from early this year. The government made it legal for specialist doctors to prescribe medical marijuana for patients with severe clinical need in November.
