Political greenBrief
Tuesday, November 28, 2017“For decades, the war on drugs has had consequential impacts on communities of color in San Francisco, the impacts of this disproportionality are acutely felt today: poverty, education gaps and criminal records are the vestiges of explicitly and implicitly racist drug enforcement policies.”
Report By The Office Of Cannabis In Partnership With The Human Rights Commission And The City Controller’s Office
“Part of it is we want to compete with, and/or eliminate the black market, and if you drive people to ground by excluding them or creating too many barriers to entry, you can actually hurt yourself as the state when it comes to that kind of policy decision.”
Hilary Bricken, Whose Los Angeles Legal Practice Centers Around The Pot Business
Marin Belies Laid-Back Image, Looks Down On Pot Shops (CA – Cannabis Industry)
SF Gate (November 26, 2017) There was a time when Marin County was a capital of cannabis hipsterism, a New Age outpost of ganja in a weed-hostile world, but when recreational sales of marijuana become legal Jan. 1, the county that rarely abstains will be sitting out. County officials recently rejected all 10 applications for licenses to operate medical marijuana dispensaries.
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Marin-belies-laid-back-image-looks-down-its-nose-12384960.php?t=3a809c7066#photo-14592155
California Asks Pot Dispensaries To Pay Taxes Before Getting Seller’s Permit (CA – Cannabis Dispensaries)
Capital Public Radio (November 27, 2017) Taxes on California’s cannabis industry could top a billion dollars a few years from now. But along the way, the state is looking to bring in gray-area operators who haven’t been paying taxes, and get them to square up. Whether your business is growing weed for adult use or running a storefront selling it, the Department of Tax and Fee Administration says you’ll need a seller’s permit. To get one, you can’t have years of unpaid taxes.
http://www.capradio.org/articles/2017/11/27/california-asks-pot-dispensaries-to-pay-taxes-before-getting-sellers-permit/
How California Is Leading The Way On Marijuana Criminal Justice Reform (CA – Cannabis Industry)
Pacific Standard (November 27, 2017) Eddy, a burly 65-year-old professional musician, walked into a free legal clinic in Los Angeles County one July morning hoping to clear his record. More than three decades ago, he served two years probation for attempting to sell a few gram bags of marijuana, a felony that put the immigrant, a legal United States resident with a green card, at greater risk of deportation.
https://psmag.com/social-justice/how-california-is-leading-the-way-on-marijuana-criminal-justice-reform
The Drug War Destroyed Black Neighborhoods. This Sacramento Weed Policy Could Help (CA – Cannabis Industry)
The Sacramento Bee (November 27, 2017) With sales of recreational cannabis becoming legal in a few weeks, many Californians have been asking questions about where they’ll be able to buy it, where they’ll be able to smoke it and why on God’s green, weed-filled Earth they still have to use cash to get it.
http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/opn-columns-blogs/erika-d-smith/article186423323.html
How About A ‘Cannibis Equity Program’ For Minorities, The Homeless And Ex-Cons? (CA – Cannabis Industry)
GOP USA (November 27, 2017) African Americans are nearly four times as likely to be arrested on marijuana charges as white people in Sacramento, a disparity black leaders cite as they argue that their community should receive special treatment when it comes to the city’s legal weed market next year.
http://www.gopusa.com/how-about-a-cannibis-equity-program-for-minorities-the-homeless-and-ex-cons/
SF Confronts ‘Disastrous Impacts’ Of War On Drugs (CA – Cannabis Industry)
San Francisco Examiner (November 27, 2017) The nation’s war on drugs has had “disastrous impacts” for residents of color even in cities with famously liberal reputations like San Francisco. As the era of legal cannabis begins in California on Jan. 1, The City has an opportunity to begin repairing some of the damage from decades of drug arrests by giving residents impacted by the drug war a priority to obtain a permit to sell cannabis through an equity program.
http://www.sfexaminer.com/sf-confronts-disastrous-impacts-war-drugs/
California Today: How Progressive Is The Golden State? (CA – Cannabis Industry)
The New York Times (November 27, 2017) Is the Golden State really a progressive utopia? Hardly, according to new research from the Advancement Project California, a Los Angeles-based civil rights group. In studying seven key quality of life issues: crime and justice, democracy, economic opportunity, education, healthy built environment, health care access and housing, researchers found significant markets of disparity in counties throughout the state.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/27/us/california-today-how-progressive-is-the-golden-state.html
How Do You Clear A Pot Conviction From Your Record? (CA – Cannabis Conviction)
The Marshall Project (November 27, 2017) Eddy, a burly 65-year-old professional musician, walked into a free legal clinic in Los Angeles County one July morning hoping to clear his record. More than three decades ago, he served two years probation for attempting to sell a few gram bags of marijuana, a felony that put the immigrant, a legal U.S. resident with a green card, at greater risk of deportation.
https://www.themarshallproject.org/2017/11/27/how-do-you-clear-a-pot-conviction-from-your-record
Nearly 65 Pounds Of Cannabis Found In Suitcases On Amtrak Train In Galesburg (CA – Cannabis Conviction)
WQAD (November 27, 2017) About 65 pounds of marijuana that was found inside suitcases on an Amtrak train has landed two men in jail facing drug charges. On Thanksgiving Day, the Knox County Sheriff’s Department got word that there was suspicious activity on a train coming into the station in Galesburg, according to a statement from the department. When the California Zephyr train arrived, deputies boarded and found three suitcases with no names attached.
http://wqad.com/2017/11/27/nearly-65-pounds-of-cannabis-found-in-suitcases-on-amtrak-train-in-galesburg/
Texas To Roll Out First CBD Sales By End Of Year (TX – Medical Cannabis)
Marijuana (November 27, 2017) In compliance with the Texas Compassionate Use Act, by Dec. 31, Knox Medical is expected to begin delivering its CBD oil throughout the Lone Star State. Considered overly restrictive by many, the passage of Senate Bill 339 opened the door for a limited medical marijuana program in the Lone Star State nearly two years ago.
https://www.marijuana.com/news/2017/11/texas-to-roll-out-first-cbd-sales-by-end-of-year/
Indiana Attorney General: CBD ‘Unlawful’ In The State (IN – Medical Cannabis)
Ganjapreneur (November 27, 2017) In an official opinion released last week, Indiana Attorney General Curtis T. Hill Jr. said that CBD products “remain unlawful in Indiana” citing cannabis’ Schedule I status under federal law.
https://www.ganjapreneur.com/indiana-attorney-general-cbd-unlawful-in-the-state/
Colorado Budget Committee Anticipating Less Cannabis Tax Money Following Sales Tax Changes (CO – Cannabis Money)
Ganjapreneur (November 27, 2017) According to a report by the Colorado Legislature’s Joint Budget Committee, cannabis tax revenues in Colorado are expected to be about $9 million less in the coming fiscal year, due partly to lawmakers eliminating the 2.9 percent sales tax on retail sales.
Colorado Budget Committee Anticipating Less Cannabis Tax Money Following Sales Tax Changes
