CCMA Greenbrief June 21: Justin Trudeau Announces The Date Cannabis Will Be Legal In Canada…CA Manufacturers Comment On New Cannabis Regulations…Federal Legalization Still Has A Ways To Go In The States…

CCMA Political greenBrief

Thursday, June 21, 2018

www.cannabismanufacturers.org

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Confirms The Legalization Of Cannabis In Canada Beginning Oct. 17th

“Wholesale costs on products have increased across the board and we anticipate they will continue to rise, as more regulations and testing requirements kick in. Any continued increase in our pricing will hurt our business–especially when there is an illicit market of delivery services and dispensaries openly advertising on venues like Weedmaps and undercutting our pricing by 30-40 percent since they are not subject to the same taxes, costs, and rules.” 
Bryce Berryessa, President Of La Vida Verde & CEO Of Treehouse Dispensary, On The Raising Issue Of Illicit Market Cannabis Vendors
 
“It is our expectation that – even though we recognize legalization of marijuana is a process, not a single-day event – by giving the provinces more time to ensure that they are fully ready for the day of coming into force of this legislation, it will be a smooth success in all the ways that we can hope for. We know that it’s allowed to make your own wine, to make your own cigarettes, to grow your own tobacco. Very few people do this, but some do. They do it in a controlled way that is regulated by law.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau On The Legalization And Regulation Of Marijuana In Canada Starting October 17th
Manufacturers, Retailers Comment On New California Cannabis Regs (CA – Cannabis Manufacturing)
MG Retailer (June 20, 2018) With new California cannabis product testing and packaging regulations scheduled to take effect on July 1, legal cannabis manufacturers, distributors, and retailers are feeling increased growing pains as they struggle to fall into compliance.  As mandated in 2016, when cannabis was legalized in California under Proposition 64, after July 1, cannabis flower growers will have to meet nearly organic standards with seed-to-sale documentation. Cannabis products will be required to be lab-tested, compliantly labeled, and wholesaled through state-licensed distributors.
Marijuana Discounts, Possible Shortage With New Rules Coming (CA – Cannabusiness)
NBC Los Angeles (June 20, 2018) A big shake-up is coming in the marijuana business, and that means big discounts on weed here in the Bay Area. But it also might soon lead to a shortfall in product availability. Customers are already seeing discounts of 30-50 percent on some marijuana items in the Bay Area, and that’s likely to last a little while because dispensaries have to make room for newly regulated product.
Don’t Bet On Federal Marijuana Legalization Just Yet (USA – Federal Legalization)
Forbes (June 19, 2018) Ever since President Donald Trump said ahead of the G-7 summit in Canada that he would “probably” support a measure designed to legalize marijuana nationwide, the jibber-jabber pulsing through the American media has leaned toward the possibility of the United States ending federal pot prohibition… once and for all.
Church Integrates Faith With Education About Medical Cannabis (CA – Cannabis Education)
East Bay Express (June 19, 2018) All Saints Reverend Justin Cannon wants to erase the stigma around medical cannabis.  Thirty or so people gathered in the rec room of San Leandro’s All Saints Episcopal Church on the warm, sunny afternoon of June 10. A stack of brochures, more than a dozen dropper bottles, and a few transdermal patch packages — all of them empty — sat on a long table in front. Playing on a large TV was a short video: The Racist Origins of Cannabis Prohibition.
Long Beach Will Soon Allow Recreational Marijuana Sales, After City Council Votes In Favor Of Regulating Industry (CA – City Regulation)
Press Telegram (June 19, 2018) Recreational marijuana sales will soon be legal in Long Beach. The City Council on Tuesday evening, June 19, agreed to regulate the nascent industry, laying the framework for how dispensaries, distributors, cultivators and testing labs can open in Long Beach. The series of amendments to the zoning and municipal codes was also an attempt to reconcile the city’s laws with Proposition 64, which California voters approved in November 2016; that proposition allowed recreational marijuana in the state, but gave cities the power to decide whether to allow such businesses.
US Cannabis Companies Call On Canada To Cultivate Capital (USA – Cannabusiness)
Marijuana.com (June 19, 2018) Canna-Hub, a Sacramento, California-based cannabis real estate and property management company, has several large developments in early stages around California that are 80-plus percent occupied — with more projects planned. The company doesn’t need additional resources like marketing or a bigger sales force to fill up its cannabis-centric commercial properties, for which executives report receiving a dozen or more calls daily from interested prospective tenants.
New York Could Allow Marijuana as Opioid Addiction Treatment; California May Create Cannabis Banks (USA – Cannabis Updates)
Marijuana.com (June 19, 2018) Marijuana news out of New York and California started the week off on a high note as the New York State Senate unanimously passed legislation to add opioid abuse to the list of qualifying conditions for the state’s medical marijuana program. Meanwhile in California, the Assembly Banking Committee passed SB 930 by a 10-0 vote in support of state-chartered banks for licensed marijuana businesses.
Some Parents Worry FDA Approval of Epilepsy Drug Would Curtail Access to Marijuana (USA – Cannabis Pharmaceuticals)
Marijuana.com (June 19, 2018) Some American parents who for years have used cannabis to treat severe forms of epilepsy in their children are feeling more cautious than celebratory as US regulators near a decision on whether to approve the first drug derived from the marijuana plant. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is expected to issue a decision by the end of June on the drug Epidiolex, made by GW Pharmaceuticals. It’s a purified form of cannabidiol (CBD) — a component of cannabis that doesn’t get users high — to treat Dravet and Lennox-Gastaut syndromes in kids. Both forms of epilepsy are rare.
Canada’s Senate Votes To Legalize Recreational Use Of Marijuana (Canada – Recreational Cannabis Legalization)
The Washington Post (June 20, 2018) Canada’s Senate on Tuesday passed the federal government’s historic bill legalizing the recreational use of marijuana, clearing the way for the country to become the first advanced industrialized nation to legalize the drug nationwide and fulfilling a major campaign promise of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Justin Trudeau Just Announced The Date Cannabis Will Be Legal In Canada (Canada – Cannabis Legalization)
Civilized (June 20, 2018) Canada passed the bill to legalize cannabis nationwide last night. But consumers can’t spark a celebratory joints just yet. In fact, they won’t be able to have a legal puff of cannabis until October 17, according to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who announced the new start date earlier today during Question Period in the House of Commons.
Prime Minister Trudeau Delays Marijuana Legalization Until Oct. 17 (Canada – Cannabis Regulation)
The Globe And Mail (June 20, 2018) Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is delaying the legalizing of cannabis until Oct. 17 to give the provinces more time to prepare for a “smooth” transition once the new law comes into force. At a news conference on Wednesday to mark Parliament’s summer break, Mr. Trudeau said provinces asked for more time to prepare their retail cannabis outlets, online mail-delivery systems and production regimes before marijuana can be legalized in Canada.
Legal Marijuana Will Roll Out Differently In Canada Than In U.S. (Canada – Cannabis Legalization)
NBC News (June 20, 2018) Mail-order weed? You betcha! With marijuana legalization across Canada on the horizon, the industry is shaping up to look different from the way it does in nine U.S. states that have legalized adult recreational use of the drug. Age limits, government involvement in distribution and sales, and access to banking are some big discrepancies.
How Canada Is Following A Softening Of Cannabis Laws Across The World (World – Decriminalization)
Telegraph (June 20, 2018) Canada voted to legalise the recreational use of cannabis, coming good on a manifesto promise from 2015 and becoming just the second country in the world to do so. But cannabis laws across the world are changing, with many countries decriminalising or legalising possession, sale and cultivation in recent years.
After Canada, Will U.K. Be Next To Legalize Marijuana? (World – Recreational Legalization)
CBS News (June 20, 2018) The British government announced Tuesday it would move to lift its ban on cannabis-based medicines, amid mounting criticism over the denial of treatment to severely epileptic children. But it rejected calls to legalize marijuana for recreational use. Home Secretary Sajid Javid told lawmakers cases like that of a 12-year-old epileptic boy denied cannabis oil for his condition showed there is “a pressing need to allow those who might benefit from cannabis based medicines to access them.”