Chronicle AM: New SBA Rules Hurts Pot Industry, Aghan Opium Harvest Underway, More... (5/1/18)

The Trump administration gets creative in coming up with a new way to mess with legal marijuana-related businesses, a pair of Oklahoma marijuana initiatives get approved for signature gathering, Arkansas drug testing results are in -- and they're not impressive -- and more.

It's harvest time for Afghan opium poppies. (unodc.org)

Trump Administration Finds New Way to Hurt Marijuana-Related Businesses. Under new rules issued last month by the Small Business Administration, companies doing business with the marijuana industry will find it more difficult to obtain SBA loans. Under the new rule, banks are prohibited from using SBA-backed loans to finance any business that works directly with the marijuana industry. The rule impacts not only marijuana businesses, but could extend to web designers, gardening suppliers, consultants, and others who derive even a small portion of their income from marijuana businesses.

Oklahoma Legalization and Medical Initiatives Can Start Collecting Signatures. The state is set to vote on one medical marijuana initiative next month, but a group called Green the Vote has now received approval from the state to start collecting signatures for a pair of initiatives that would legalize medical marijuana and recreational marijuana via a constitutional amendment. The medical marijuana initiative is Proposed SQ 796; the legalization initiative is Proposed SQ 797. The group will start collecting signatures on May 11 and will need 125,000 valid voter signatures by August 8 to qualify for the November ballot.

Medical Marijuana

Missouri House Passes Smokeless Medical Marijuana Bill. The House on Tuesday approved House Bill 1554, which would allow terminal patients and patients suffering from debilitating conditions to use a smokeless form of medical marijuana. The bill now heads to the Senate.

Hemp

Illinois Senate Approves Hemp Bill. The Senate has approved Senate Bill 2298, which would allow farmers to apply for permits to grow industrial hemp. The measure passed the Senate on a 50-0 vote and is now before the House.

Drug Testing

Arkansas Welfare Drug Testing Achieves Little. After two years of requiring people seeking Transitional Employment Assistance and/or food stamps to submit to drug screens and possible drug tests, the results are in: Out of 7,000 applicants, only 31 were considered to be likely to be using drugs and thus subject to a drug test. Of those, only 12 submitted drug tests, and of those, only four actually tested positive for drugs. That's four out of 7,000 people subjected to the demeaning and strigmatizing process.

International

Afghan Opium Harvest Gets Underway. Afghan farmers are out in the fields as the country's opium poppy harvest gets underway. The country produced a record crop of 9,000 tons of opium last year. Much of the poppy production takes place in areas outside central government control.