MA Pot Shops Beginning Curbside Delivery, LA House Advances MedMJ Expansion, More... (5/19/20)

The Louisiana House votes to expand the state's medical marijuana program, the Georgia Department of Revenue gets caught mishandled seized asset forfeiture funds, and more.

Seized drug money provides temptation to ethically impaired police departments and government offices. (Creative Commons)

Massachusetts Pot Shops Can Start Curbside Pickup Next Week. Gov. Charlie Baker (R) has announced that recreational marijuana stores can reopen on May 25 for curbside pickup only. The move is part of a comprehensive statewide plan for reopening after the coronavirus shutdown. Massachusetts was the only legal marijuana state to not designate pot shops as essential businesses.

Medical Marijuana

Louisiana House Votes to Expand Medical Marijuana Program. The House last Friday overwhelmingly approved a pair of bills that allow dispensaries to deliver medical marijuana products to patients' homes and expand the list of qualifying conditions for medical marijuana. The bills are House Bill 792 and House Bill 819. They now head to the Senate, which has less than two weeks to act before the session ends.

Asset Forfeiture

Georgia Department of Revenue Gets Caught Mishandling Seized Funds. The state Department of Revenue has ended its practice of keeping cash and assets seized in criminal investigations and returned $2.1 million to the state treasury after being outed in March for spending millions of dollars in seized cash on "engraved firearms, pricey gym equipment, clothing, personal items, even $130 sunglasses." The office spent $2.9 million of this money over the past four years. It only returned the $2.1 million after local media exposed the shenanigans.

Oklahoma City Police Department Can't Account for Some Seized Cash. An audit of the department office that handles seized cash and other assets was unable to account for some $27,000 and found the office failed to make timely deposits of currency and lacked adequate controls to prevent theft. The audit came in response to allegations of mishandled money. It found that two envelopes holding $10,775 had gone missing and that another $16,296 could not be accounted for. The department is instituting reforms, the audit said.