Chronicle AM -- August 15, 2014

The California legislature acts on harm reduction, but kills medical marijuana regulation, Jeb Bush takes a stand on medical marijuana, New Hampshire bans a kind of synthetic cannabinoid, and more. Let's get to it:

Jeb Bush comes out against Florida's medical marijuana initiative. (wikipedia/gage skidmore)

California Medical Marijuana Statewide Regulation Bill Dies. A controversial bill that would have imposed statewide regulations on California's multi-billion dollar medical marijuana industry died yesterday in Sacramento. The bill, Senate Bill 1262, was blocked by the Assembly Appropriations Committee, and the effort to impose some order on the industry is now dead for another year. The bill sponsored by Sen. Lou Correa (D-Santa Ana) was supported by law enforcement and the state's municipalities, as well as by some elements of the state's medical marijuana community. But it was also strongly opposed by other elements of the medical marijuana and drug reform communities.

Jeb Bush Joins Opposition to Florida Medical Marijuana Initiative. Former Republican state governor and potential 2016 presidential candidate Jeb Bush has come out against Amendment 2, the state's medical marijuana initiative. "Florida leaders and citizens have worked for years to make the Sunshine State a world-class location to start or run a business, a family-friendly destination for tourism and a desirable place to raise a family or retire," Bush said. "Allowing large-scale, marijuana operations to take root across Florida, under the guise of using it for medicinal purposes, runs counter to all of these efforts," he added. Bush appears to be out of step with Florida voters, who are supporting the measure in the 85-90% range, according to recent polls.

Harm Reduction

Overdose Prevention, Syringe Access Bills Pass in California. Two harm reduction bills, one allowing pharmacists to dispense unlimited numbers of syringes without a prescription and the other allowing them to dispense the overdose drug naloxone, have passed the California legislature. The bills are Assembly Bill 1535 (syringes) and Assembly Bill 1743 (naloxone). They now go to the desk of Gov. Jerry Brown.

New Synthetic Drugs

New Hampshire Declares State of Emergency Over "Smacked" Synthetic Marijuana. Gov. Maggie Hassan (D) yesterday declared a state of emergency to quarantine a synthetic cannabinoid product marketed under the name "Smacked." Her action comes after 44 people reported overdosing on the stuff after smoking or ingesting it. No deaths have been reported. Officials have revoked the business licenses of three Manchester stores where the stuff has been found.

International

BC Court Rules Ban on Medical Marijuana Edibles Unconstitutional. The BC Court of Appeals ruled yesterday that it is unconstitutional to ban licensed medical marijuana users from possessing medical marijuana edibles or other products, such as creams or salves. The court ordered parliament to redraft the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act to allow for such uses of medical marijuana. The case is Regina v. Owen Smith.

Colombian President Endorses Medical Marijuana Bill. President Juan Manuel Santos said Thursday he was endorsing newly introduced legislation to allow for the medicinal use of marijuana. The bill was introduced last month by a member of the governing coalition.

WOLA Brief on Ecuador Drug Policy. The Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) has released an issue brief, "Reforms and Contradictions in Ecuador's Drug Policy." The brief comes as a sweeping new penal code reflecting some drug reforms goes into effect and examines the complexities and contradictions of implementing the new law.