CCMA Political greenBrief
Tuesday, October 30, 2018
www.cannabismanufacturers.org
Several Big Name Politicians, Such As Former Speaker John Boehner (Above), Have Joined Fellow Canadian Politicians On Cannabis Boards
“Launching the nation’s largest commercial regulatory program is an extremely complex undertaking. We are dealing with the challenges of balancing the build-up of city infrastructure while implementing policies that are still evolving. Most importantly, we are taking the time that is needed to get this right.”Cat Packer, Executive Director Of The L.A. Department Of Cannabis Regulation, On The Issues Of Illicit Cannabis Shops
“Continuing to study the benefits of CBD would increase the number of practical uses for the compound.”Michael Brubeck, CEO Of Centuria Natural Foods, On The Benefits Of A CBD Market
The Eruption Of Illegal Weed Dispensaries In L.A. Is A Problem Of The Cities Own Making (CA – Illicit Market)
Pacific Standard (October 29, 2018) “We were being railroaded by kangaroo courts.” That’s how one dispensary owner in Los Angeles described the city’s process of licensing medical marijuana dispensaries to the Los Angeles Times in 2009. “They were just denying them out of hand. Obviously their intent was just to close everyone down,” he continued. Nine years later, the state of selling weed in L.A. is both radically different, and exactly the same. Even after the statewide legalization of recreational cannabis in January of 2018, dispensary owners still complain of an inhospitable regulatory environment—one that they say makes it nearly impossible for most shops to operate legally.
SF’s Prop. D Would Tax Recreational Cannabis Sales (CA – Local Ordinances)
San Francisco Chronicle (October 27, 2018) Top-of-the-line cannabis at BASA on Grove Street used to cost much less. But when the 15 percent state excise tax kicked in this year, Tariq Alazraie had to hike his prices and now an eighth-ounce of his premium product costs $62. If Proposition D, a San Francisco cannabis tax measure, passes in November, Alazraie said he’ll have to tinker with his prices again. But in a new industry still competing with a robust black market, Alazraie says there’s a fine line to how much he can charge his customers: Too little and he’ll hurt his profit margin. Too much and his customers will go somewhere else.
Another Big Election Year For Marijuana As Candidates Recognize Voters Want Legal Weed (USA – Cannabis Politics)
Forbes (October 28, 2018) The lucrative legal cannabis industry is again front and center this voting year as Americans head to the polls for midterm elections November 6. Ballots across the U.S. will include numerous cannabis-related measures — many at the county and municipal level — regarding laws for commercial cultivation in certain zones and how to spend abundant new cannabis taxes. In Colorado alone, legal cannabis revenues for 2018 crested a record $1 billion by August. The state is forecasting to gross over $1.5 billion by end of year, meaning more than $250 million into government coffers.
Why U.S. Cannabis Companies Are Packing Their Boards With Political And Corporate Heavyweights (USA – Cannabis Industry)
The Inquirer (October 29, 2018) As Big Marijuana reaches for legitimacy in the national marketplace, the cannabis industry’s top companies are packing their boards with stars. We’re not talking the likes of celebrity stoners, such as Willie Nelson or Snoop Dogg. Some of the world’s best-known — if not best-loved — politicians and corporate leaders now serve as paid advisers to major weed concerns. Brian Mulroney, former Prime Minister of Canada, earlier this month joined the board of Acreage Holdings which operates marijuana-growing facilities in several states, including Pennsylvania. Mulroney sits on the board with former U.S. Speaker of the House John Boehner, who along with former Massachusetts governor Bill Weld, was named to the Acreage board in April.
America’s Established Cannabis Industry Will Learn From Canada’s New One (USA – Cannabis Industry)
Forbes (October 30, 2018) U.S. cannabis laws have created a patchwork of medical, recreational and no-use states. Across the border, Canada recently legalized recreational adult use of cannabis across its entire country. The new law’s effects on banking, criminal justice, and industry efficiency will offer lessons for the United States. Legalization of cannabis in Canada will undoubtedly act as a litmus test for the U.S. said Terry Taouss. He is president of Tidal Royalty which connects investors with licensed cultivators, manufacturers, and dispensaries. “The Canadian experience has required co-ordination across all levels of government (federal, provincial, municipal) and it is going to provide a framework” for the U.S. and other countries to see what works and what doesn’t, he said.
Bud Briefing: The State Of Marijuana Legalization In North America (USA – Federal Legalization)
Forbes (October 29, 2018) When Canada began discussing the possibility of ending marijuana prohibition nationwide, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the move would be less about the economic benefits of legalization and more about bringing down organized crime. “Criminal organizations make billions of dollars a year in profits on the sale of marijuana,” Trudeau told the Canadian Press earlier this year. “We need to move forward on a system that controls and regulates while In protecting our kids and our communities.” But it is going to take some time before the nation’s taxed and regulated tactics start to whittle away at the black market. Cannabis shortages reported in the first week of legal sales are expected to keep cannabis consumers connected to their friendly, neighborhood drug dealers for a while.
FDA Endorsement Of CBD-Based Drug Signals Bright Future For Legal Cannabis Market (USA – CBD Market)
Innovation Enterprise (October 29, 2018) Cannabis, in general, has gained major approval, as evidenced by the latest studies by Pew Research Center showing that 62% of Americans approve legalization. The doubling of the 31% that supported legalization back in 2000 has been fueled by increasing studies that reveal the intricacies of cannabis and how it provides its therapeutic effects. Cannabidiol (CBD), in particular, has made major headway as a potent source of relief from everyday symptoms suffered by people worldwide such as anxiety, PTSD, depression, as well as helping people wean off substance addictions and dangerous prescription medication such as opioids. It incorporates several major benefits such as anti-inflammatory properties to treat pain and antimicrobial effects to fights off viruses by stimulating the body’s endocannabinoid system.
Should Cannabis Be Legal In The United States? Politicians And Pundits Weigh In (USA – Federal Legalization)
Civilized (October 26, 2018) For the fourth consecutive year, Politicon brought together some of the biggest names in politics and funniest voices in comedy to represent all sides of the political spectrum in this non-partisan event of the year. Politicon is the unconventional political convention fueled with debates, panels, films, comedy, podcasts, and more on the subject of politics. For a full weekend, political enthusiasts join thousands of people in asking these politicians and comedians the toughest questions. Civilized sent Brooke Burgstahler to Politicon to ask some of the most influential political figures, commentators, and comedians these tough questions, including the future of cannabis in the United States.
https://www.civilized.life/articles/should-cannabis-be-legal-in-the-united-states/
Alcohol Industry Sees Its Future In Marijuana (USA – Cannabis Market)
The Boston Globe (October 29, 2018) The national legalization of marijuana in the United States is inevitable — at least according to the alcohol industry. I caught up this week with Robert Mellion, who in February became the executive director of the Massachusetts Package Store Association, or MassPack. (For our out-of-state readers: package stores, or packies, are liquor stores.) He had just returned from a trip to Washington, D.C., where he met with the staff of Senator Elizabeth Warren. Mellion wasn’t there to lobby on federal alcohol policies. He was there to talk about the STATES Act, proposed legislation co-sponsored by Warren that would end the federal prohibition of marijuana (easing banking woes, sky-high tax burdens, and other anchors around the neck of the cannabis industry) and let states set their own policies on the drug.
Colorado Lawsuit Could Ripple Through U.S. Cannabis Industry (USA – Cannabis Lawsuit)
Chicago Sun Times (October 29, 2018) A federal trial in Colorado could have far-reaching effects on the United States’ budding marijuana industry if a jury sides with a couple who say having a cannabis business as a neighbor hurts their property’s value. The trial set to begin Monday in Denver is the first time a jury will consider a lawsuit using federal anti-racketeering law to target cannabis companies. But the marijuana industry has closely watched the case since 2015, when attorneys with a Washington, D.C.-based firm first filed their sweeping complaint on behalf of Hope and Michael Reilly.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/business/cannabis-marijuana-racketeering-lawsuit-colorado/
Southern Illinois University Starts Marijuana, Hemp Research (IL – Cannabis Research)
St. Louis Post-Dispatch (October 29, 2018) Southern Illinois University is creating new programs for students who want to know more about marijuana. The school announced last week that it’s creating programs at the Carbondale campus to study medical marijuana and industrial hemp. Officials hope the programs will give students and farmers a chance to earn a new certificate in the subject. Officials have been planning for the new programs for years, said Karen Midden, interim dean of agricultural sciences.
