CCMA Political greenBrief
Thursday, September 27, 2018
www.cannabismanufacturers.org
California Travelers Are Able To Fly With Cannabis Through Los Angeles International Airport, But Some Restrictions Still Loom
“We are pleased that the DEA has placed Epidiolex in the lowest restriction schedule, because it helps ensure that patients with LGS (Lennox-Gastaut syndrome) and Dravet syndrome, two of the most debilitating forms of epilepsy, can access this important new treatment option through their physicians.”GW Pharma Chief Executive Justin Grover On The DEA Reclassifying Epidiolex
“If the TSA calls us [about finding marijuana], we’d go up and make sure it is within the legal quantity. If it is, we’d just stand by while the passenger decides what to do with it. TSA may not want it to fly, but that doesn’t mean it is illegal in California.”Lt. Mark Gonzales Of The Orange County Sheriff’s Department On Flyers Being Able To Transport Cannabis Within Certain California Airports
Cannabis Is Now Free to Move About Los Angeles International Airport (CA – Cannabis Traveling)
Leafly (September 26, 2018) Traveling with cannabis just got a little less stressful at one major world transit hub. The Los Angeles International Airport updated its public marijuana policy on its website recently to green-light transporting legal amounts of cannabis through security checkpoints and onto planes. Using cannabis at the airport, of course, remains verboten. According to LAX’s new public Marijuana Policy: While federal law prohibits the possession of marijuana (inclusive of federal airspace), California’s passage of proposition 64, effective January 1, 2018, allows for individuals 21 years of age or older to possess up to 28.5 grams of marijuana and 8 grams of concentrated marijuana for personal consumption. In accordance with Proposition 64, the Los Angeles Airport Police Department will allow passengers to travel through LAX with up to 28.5 grams of marijuana and 8 grams of concentrated marijuana.
LAX Travelers Can Carry Marijuana — But First They Have To Get Past TSA, Police Say (CA – Cannabis Traveling)
Sacramento Bee (September 26, 2018) Los Angeles International Airport is allowing travelers to carry marijuana at the giant hub — news that sent a ripple of glee and surprise across Twitter and Reddit on Wednesday. In reality, the LAX marijuana policy isn’t new. Travelers there have been allowed to carry up to 28.5 grams of marijuana and 8 grams of concentrated marijuana for personal consumption since January 2018, when California law legalized recreational marijuana in the state, according to Los Angeles Airport Police spokesperson Alicia Hernandez. But travelers hoping to carry marijuana through LAX should still be aware that they have to get past U.S. Transportation Security Administration agents at LAX, Hernandez said — and at the federal level, marijuana is still very much illegal.
https://www.sacbee.com/news/st
OPINION: It’s Time For Washington To Help Veterans Access Cannabis (USA – Veteran Needs)
Forbes (September 26, 2018) America’s veterans have given their all to protect this country — putting their bodies on the line regardless of the cost. Too many are now dealing with the side effects of their service, problems such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and chronic pain. But increasingly, they are struggling to gain access to medication that could help them effectively cope with those side effects. Studies in Israel, Canada and the United States have shown that cannabis can make a real difference in this regard. An Israeli study found that 96% of patients saw improvement in their PTSD symptoms after just six months of cannabis use. A Canadian study found that the drug reduces pain and improves quality of life in cancer patients.
Industry Changes Have California Marijuana Businesses Lamenting The Good Ol’ Days (CA – State Regulations)
Marijuana Business Daily (September 27, 2018) A sentiment posted on Facebook in July by a worker at a California marijuana business very well could have been speaking for everyone in the state’s industry: “I miss Prop 215.” Proposition 215, you might recall, was the 1996 California ballot measure that legalized medical marijuana in the Golden State. Though the worker’s sentiment has become more widespread in California, many businesses may not be giving voice to it because they wanted full legalization of cannabis – and they got it, two decades after the after the passage of Prop 215 when California voters approved Prop 64. Now, more than half a year into the Golden State’s new regulated market, many are reminiscing about the good ol’ days, when cannabis could be grown and shared without having to worry about child-resistant packaging or testing-lab approvals.
Focusing On The Largest Cannabis Market In The World (CA – Cannabis Market)
Investor Intel (September 26, 2018) California is the largest cannabis market in North America, representing 27-30% of legal U.S. cannabis sales in 2016. US cannabis sales are forecast to surge from US$9 billion in 2017 to US$21 billion by 2021, with California being the sales leader both by volume and revenue. California is recognized as a global leader of the marijuana market. Medical cannabis is becoming legalized rapidly on a global scale, which in turn has driven research initiatives to further discover medicinal benefits.
After 45 Months Of Planning Second Cannabis Dispensary Opens In Santa Barbara (CA – Cannabusiness)
KEYT (September 25, 2018) A second medical marijuana dispensary has opened in Santa Barbara and the owner says it has taken him 45 months to go through the process. For the service he is providing, he says it will be worth it for him to help those with specific needs. “It’s good for cancer, muscle pain, back pain all of that,” said Ihab Ghannam, owner of the Santa Barbara Collective. The process took so long because his site in the 2600 block of De la Vina was secured at the same time local and state ordinances, laws and protocals were still being worked out. Now Ghannam is getting a supply coming from throughout California and locally from a company packaging the cannabis in Carpinteria. Under the approved operating permit the cannabis dispensary will be open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. It is closed on Sunday but security will still be present.
Marijuana Drug Cleared For Market By DEA (USA – Medicinal Cannabis)
The Inquirer (September 27, 2018) For the first time ever, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has classified a cannabis-derived drug as suitable for medicinal use. The DEA on Thursday morning gave a Schedule 5 classification to GW Pharmaceuticals’ Epidiolex, an anti-seizure drug for rare forms of pediatric epilepsy. Schedule 5 is the lowest of the classifications in which drugs are categorized. As such, the DEA believes Epidiolex has a low potential for abuse. GW Pharma, a U.K.-based biopharmaceutical company, said it expected to have the drug on the market in about six weeks. Epidiolex is a liquid formulation of highly-purified cannabis-derived cannabidiol (CBD). Clinical trials were conducted at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the drug in June for treatment of seizures.
Winds Of Change On Cannabis Strongly Favor GW Pharmaceuticals (USA – Medicinal Cannabis)
Seeking Alpha (September 25, 2018) GW Pharmaceuticals (GWPH) has been kind to its long-term investors. Taking some profits recently has been a natural course of action for early investors. It remains a good stock to buy and hold, however. This is partly for short-term reasons but more especially so in the long term. There are 3 good reasons for this. Following the approval by the FDA of “epidiolex” for two childhood epilepsy conditions, re-scheduling by the DEA is imminent. Presently, cannabis is absurdly a Schedule 1 drug. This puts it on a par with cocaine, ecstasy, and other dangerous addictive drugs. It also presumes it has “no accepted medical use”. The FDA approval shows this is patently untrue. A recent report by Morgan Stanley was very confident that cannabis will be re-scheduled as a Schedule 4 drug. This states that a drug has a “low potential for abuse and low risk of dependence”.
https://seekingalpha.com/artic
The Government’s Secret Anti-Cannabis Agency Can’t Be Real… Can It? (USA – Anti-Cannabis Policy)
The Stranger (September 26, 2018) Conspiracy theory time! Is there really a secret multiagency federal government committee that’s currently drafting prohibitionist anti-cannabis policy and generating reports to be spoon-fed to our mentally deteriorating dotard-in-chief? Wow… how high would you need to be to believe that? (Here, take this giant hit of hash off a bong—that’s how high.) Well, get ready to learn about our government’s Marijuana Policy Coordination Committee, which comprises 14 federal agencies and departments, including the Drug Enforcement Administration, which has always been a longtime advocate for super-sensible cannabis policy.
Are Cannabis Stocks Overhyped? (USA – Cannabis Investments)
MG Retailer (September 26, 2018) Show host, founder of The Street, seasoned trader, and author James Cramer is not risk-averse and, lately, he’s feeling bullish on cannabis–but cautiously bullish. He explained his take on marijuana markets, regulatory obstacles, and insider opinions on a recent segment of CNBC’s “Mad Money.” Affirming that the long-term outlook is undeniably optimistic, Cramer urged investors not to get carried away just yet, before putting all their green eggs (or ham) in the cannabis basket, so to speak. Pointing out the ongoing, obvious lack of change in drug policy by the U.S.–a glaring impediment for the U.S. cannabis industry’s participation in global trade–Cramer listed other more interesting, less apparent factors standing in the way of U.S. cannabis companies’ rise in legal markets.
https://mgretailer.com/busines
Tilray And Other Canadian Cannabis Stocks Are Jumping (Canada – Cannabis Investments)
Forbes (September 26, 2018) When Canadian cannabis company Tilray Inc., announced last week it had received permission from the United States Drug Enforcement Agency to export cannabis to California for a medical study, it’s stock price started rising so quickly that trading was halted multiple times. Tilray is one of the few cannabis companies publicly traded on the US Stock Exchange and it’s extremely difficult to legally bring cannabis into the United States, so the announcement set off a buying frenzy. The Tilray stock price was “absolutely crazy,” said Greg James, publisher of Marijuana Venture, “but it shows you how much interest there is in the Cannabis industry.”
Coalition Asks Congress To Address Regulatory Conflict In Medical Cannabis Banking (HI – Medicinal Cannabis)
Big Island Now (September 26, 2018) Questions have always loomed about how dispensaries here in Hawai‘i will be able to use banks locally to safeguard their cash reserve. Hawai‘i Commissioner of Financial Institutions Iris Ikeda joined a coalition of thirteen state banking regulators—lead by Pennsylvania’s Robin L. Wiessmann—asking Congressional leaders to consider legislation that creates a safe harbor for financial institutions to serve businesses operating legally under state law or to entrust states with the full oversight and jurisdiction of cannabis-related activity. Commissioner Ikeda and regulators from the other states sent a letter to Congress describing the well-documented conflict between federal and state law, which has created barriers for financial institutions desiring to serve businesses involved in state-licensed cannabis activities.
