Chronicle AM: Dutch to Pilot Legal Marijuana Grows, OR Marijuana Tax $$$, More... (10/10/17)

The Dutch finally begin to address their marijuana "back door problem," Canadian Mounties and tribal members clash over a pot shop, California's governor vetoes an opioid task force bill as redundant, and more.

The coffee shops of Amsterdam have no legal source of supply, but that is about to change. (Wikmedia)

Arkansas Attorney General Again Rejects Legalization Initiative. State Attorney General Leah Rutledge has again rejected a proposed marijuana legalization initiative from Mary Berry of Summit. The initiative would have allowed people to grow up to 25 mature pot plants, but Rutledge expressed concern about that provision and several others, sending it back to Berry for a rewrite. This is the second time this year for Berry, who is recent years has been a prolific filer of legalization initiatives.

Oregon Distributes Marijuana Tax Funds. The state Department of Revenue announced last Friday that it is disbursing some $85 million in marijuana tax revenues. The taxes, from sales between January 2016 and August 2017, will go to schools, public health, police, and local government.

Medical Marijuana

Colorado Edibles Must Be Tested for Potency Beginning Next Month. As of November 1, all medical marijuana edibles and other infused pot products will be subject to mandatory potency testing by state testing laboratories, the Marijuana Enforcement Division announced last week. The move is a result of bill passed last by the state legislature. Products manufactured before November 1 will be grandfathered in.

Heroin and Prescription Opioids

California Governor Vetoes Bill Creating Prescription Opioid Task Force, Says It's Redundant. Gov. Jerry Brown (D) has vetoed Assembly Bill 715, which would have creating a new state working group to determine best practices for opioid prescribing. In his veto message, Brown acknowledged the opioid crisis, but said the bill was "unnecessary" because the state public health department had established such a group three years ago.

International

Seeking Finally to Solve Back Door Problem, Dutch Give Nod to Pilot Regulated Marijuana Production Projects. The new Dutch cabinet will approve pilot projects for regulated marijuana production to supply the country's cannabis cafes, a belated move to end the country's chronic "back door problem," where sales and possession of marijuana is legal, but there is no legal source of supply for the cafes. Between six and 10 local councils will be given permission to license producers in their communities.

Canadian Mounties Battle First Nations Tribe in Medical Marijuana Shop Raid. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police raided a new medical marijuana shop on the Tobique First Nations reservation last week, leading to a blockade by tribe members that could have turned into "full-out conflict," according to Tobique Chief Ross Penley. Nearly a hundred tribe members and several vehicles blocked officers from leaving for several hours before tribal officials negotiated their release. The RCMP say the shop is illegal and subject to a cease and desist order, but it reopened within hours of the raid.

Scottish Nationalists Call for Drug Policy to Be Devolved, So They Can Decriminalize Drugs. The ruling Scottish National Party has approved a motion at its Glasgow conference calling for drug law-making powers to be passed from London to Edinburgh. The motion called for the devolution of the policy-making power so the Scottish parliament can consider "all options for harm reduction, including drug declassification, decriminalization, and regulation."