Chronicle AM: NH Panel Votes Down Legalization Bill, Kratom Battle Heats Up, More... (11/15/17)

Michigan Democratic gubernatorial candidates get behind legal weed, a New Hampshire House committee doesn't, Arizona gets sued over high medical marijuana permit fees, the kratom wars heat up, and more.

Kratom -- advocates call it a boon, the FDA and DEA call it a bane. (Wikimedia)

Michigan Democratic Gubernatorial Candidates Support Marijuana Legalization. Four leading Democratic contenders for the gubernatorial nomination are supporting marijuana legalization, and so is one little-known Republican candidate. "We've seen other states do it wrong. In Michigan, we've got a chance to do it right," said former state Senate Minority Leader Gretchen Whitmer on Tuesday night in a candidate forum hosted by MI Legalize. That is the group behind the legalization initiative campaign set to hand in signatures next week. Other Democratic contenders including Abdul El-Sayed and Bill Cobb are also embracing legalization. Republican front runner Attorney General Bill Schuette, who has been an ardent foe of medical marijuana, has so far avoided commenting on legalization.

New Hampshire House Committee Rejects Marijuana Legalization Bill. The House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee voted to kill House Bill 656, which would have legalized marijuana, after members expressed concerns about conflicts with federal law and the desirability of legalizing it in a state in the throes of an opioid crisis. But despite the committee vote, the bill is not necessarily dead: In recent years, the full House has repeatedly overturned the committee's recommendations and passed marijuana reform bills.

Vermont Marijuana Task Force Has Second Meeting. Gov. Phil Scott's Marijuana Advisory Commission met for the second time Wednesday, concentrating on the impact of legalization on highway safety. The commission heard a report from Department of Public Safety Commissioner Thomas Anderson. "When you have increased use of marijuana or legalization of marijuana, you're gonna see more fatalities on your roadways. I think the data does support that, and I know there are different views on that, but I would feel comfortable taking that to a jury and trying to convince them of that," said Anderson. The commission must finalize its recommendations by January 15.

Medical Marijuana

Arizona Sued Over Patient Fees. A Phoenix attorney has asked the state Court of Appeals to force health officials to cut the $150 fee patients need to get a state-issued permit to use medical marijuana. Attorney Sean Berberian said the fee is illegally high, is far more than needed to finance the administration of the medical marijuana law, and is designed to divert patients away from applying to use medical marijuana.

Kratom

FDA Issues Warning on Kratom, Advocates Reject It. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb issued a public health advisory on kratom Tuesday, saying the herb was linked to 36 deaths and calling its use as an opioid substitute "extremely concerning." But on Wednesday, the American Kratom Association pushed back, calling on the FDA to rescind the advisory because it relied on "discredited, incomplete, and mischaracterized scientific claims." The DEA moved to emergency ban kratom a year ago, but backed down in the face of loud opposition. The FDA alert could suggest that efforts to crackdown could be coming soon.

(This article was prepared by StoptheDrugWar.org's lobbying arm, the Drug Reform Coordination Network, which also pays the cost of maintaining this web site. DRCNet Foundation takes no positions on candidates for public office, in compliance with section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, and does not pay for reporting that could be interpreted or misinterpreted as doing so.)