Chronicle AM: Dutch Move on Legal MJ Grows, Marijuana in TX Poll for Legalization, More... (2/21/17)

The Dutch are finally doing something to address their "back door" problem of lack of legal supply for the country's pot shops, a new Texas poll has majority support for legalization, a Vermont pot legalization bill gets a hearing later this week, and more.

California Bill Would Block Police, Local Officials From Helping Any Federal Crackdown on Weed. Assemblyman Reggie Jones (D-Los Angeles) and five cosponsors filed Assembly Bill 1578 last Friday in response to the election of Donald Trump. The bill would bar the use of state funds, property, or equipment to "investigate, detain, detect, report, or arrest" anyone who is acting in accordance with the state's medical and recreational marijuana laws.

Texas Poll Has Majority Support for Legalization. A new University of Texas/Texas Tribune poll has support for legalized marijuana at 53%, with another 30% saying it should be legal only for medical purposes. Meanwhile, the number of people who oppose any form of legalization has dropped to 16%. "The number of people who want to keep marijuana completely illegal decreased by seven points," said poll co-director Jim Henson. "The commensurate shift is in Republicans saying small amounts should be legal, and those who said any amount should be legal increased by six points. The other thing that may be going on here is the possible disappearance of the medium ground. It reminds me of what happened with gay marriage, where people often chose the civil union option. A similar thing is happening with medical marijuana as a kind of way station."

Vermont Legalization Bill Gets Hearing This Week. The House Judiciary Committee will hear testimony Thursday on House Bill 170, which would legalize the possession of up to two ounces of pot and the cultivation of two mature and seven immature pot plants, but does not allow for legal marijuana commerce. A broader legalization bill was defeated last year.

Medical Marijuana

Arkansas Poll Finds Support for Smoking Medical Marijuana, Not Waiting for Feds. A new Talk Business and Politics/Hendrix College poll had 50% in support of allowing medical marijuana to be consumed by smoking, with only 41.5% opposed. A bill to bar the use of smoked medical marijuana is before the legislature. Similarly, 51.5% opposed waiting for the federal government to legalizes medical marijuana, while 42% were in favor.

Iowa CBD Expansion Bill Filed. The state currently allows the possession of CBD cannabis oil for the treatment of epilepsy, but it's illegal to manufacture or distribute it there, rendering the current law unworkable. A bill filed Monday by Public Safety Committee Chair Rep. Clel Baudler (R-Greenfield), House Study Bill 132 seeks to begin to break that impasse by allowing the University of Iowa's Carver School of Medicine to recommend which conditions would qualify for use of CBD cannabis oil. But Baudler said another bill would be necessary to expand access.

North Dakota Senate Committee Approves Medical Marijuana Funding. The Senate Appropriations Committee has approved a funding measure that allocates a little over $1 million to oversee implementation of the state's new voter-approved medical marijuana law. The Health Department told legislators it does not expect any revenue from the program this year, but it should generate $1.3 million in revenues over the next two years and be self-supporting at that point.

West Virginia Medical Marijuana Bill Filed. Sen. Richard Ojeda (D-Logan) and a handful of cosponsors introduced Senate Bill 386 Tuesday. The measure would set up a commission to license medical marijuana growers and regulate distribution of the medicine through dispensaries. It's been sent to the Senate Health and Human Resources Committee.

Drug Testing

Kentucky Bill Would Require Welfare Drug Testing. Rep. C. Wesley Morgan (R-Richmond) filed House Bill 528 last Friday. The measure require people seeking public assistance to be screened for possible drug use, with those deemed suspect required to take and pass a drug test.

International

Dutch Parliament Lower Chamber Votes to Approve Legal Marijuana Cultivation. Three decades after the Dutch allowed for the operation of cannabis cafes, the government is finally moving to allow a legal supply for them. The lower chamber of parliament narrowly approved a bill to allow for legal commercial marijuana Tuesday, but it must still pass the Senate.