Connecticut top lawmakers roll out the governor's marijuana legalization bill, San Francisco moves to open a street meth treatment facility in the Tenderloin, and more. 

An all-female hemp field. South Dakota could be the next state to legalize industrial hemp production. (Creative Commons)

Connecticut Top Lawmakers File Governor's Marijuana Legalization Bill. Senate President Pro Tem Martin Looney (D) and House Speaker Joe Aresimowicz (D) on Thursday filed the "Governor's Bill" (SB 16) to legalize marijuana. The measure supported by Gov. Ned Lamont (D) would allow people 21 and over to possess and buy up to an ounce and a half of weed from a licensed retailer. The measure also includes several social equity provisions, including expungement, allowing those with past convictions to work in the industry, and language that would support businesses operated by people from communities most harmed by the drug war. The bill will now be heard by the Joint Judiciary Committee.

Hemp

South Dakota Hemp Bill Advances. A bill to legalize the growth and transportation of hemp in the state, HB1008B, passed out of the House Agriculture and Natural Resources committee Thursday morning. The bill was first heavily amended by a skeptical Gov. Kristi Noem (R), who vetoed a similar bill last year. The measure now heads for a House floor vote.

Harm Reduction

San Francisco to Open Street Meth Treatment Center. The city is set to open a center for people experiencing methamphetamine-induced psychosis in the Tenderloin neighborhood later this spring. The 24-hour center, to be located on a city-operated parking lot, is aimed at getting people off the streets and connecting them with treatment and other services. It will include two tents housing 15 beds each.

International

Philippines Drug War Enforcement Chief Says "Shock and Awe" Campaign Has Failed. Coloneal Romeo Caramat, head of drug enforcement for the Philippine National Police, has said the President Rodrigo Duterte's ultra-violent drug war has not been effective. "Shock and awe definitely did not work, he told Reuters. "Drug supply is still rampant. Crime has declined somewhat, he added, but drug users can still buy drugs "anytime, anywhere" in the country. A Duterte spokesman declined to comment on Caramat's remarks, but last month said "we are winning the war on drugs."

South Dakota lawmakers are moving toward trying again to legalize industrial hemp, New Zealand provides information on a coming marijuana legalization referendum, and more.

South Dakota Lawmakers Vote to Try Again on Hemp Legalization. Legislators voted 10-1 Monday to try again next year to legalize industrial hemp. This year, the legislature passed a hemp bill, only to see it vetoed by Gov. Kristi Noem (R), who warned it would open the way to marijuana legalization. Lawmakers in the Senate fell four votes short of overriding her veto. 

International

Brazil Approves Medical Marijuana Rules. The country's pharmaceutical regulator, Anvisa, on Tuesday approved regulations for medical marijuana-based products but blocked a proposal to allow it to be grown in-country. Brazilian companies that seek to manufacture marijuana-based products will have to import their inputs from abroad. The new rules will be published in the official gazette shortly and will go into effect 90 days after that.

New Zealand Releases Information on Looming Marijuana Legalization Referendum. A government website with information on a pending voter referendum to legalize marijuana has gone live. The government has promised a public vote on the Cannabis Legalization and Control Bill it drafted (the final draft will come early next year). Voters will be asked a straight Yes/No question: Do you support the proposed Cannabis Legalization and Control Bill? A firm election date hasn't been set yet, but it must happen by November 21, 2020 at the latest.

Hundreds of low-level Oklahoma drug prisoners walked free today after their sentences were commuted, Michigan advances on a couple of marijuana fronts, the USDA issues interim hemp rules, and more.

Michigan is moving forward on a couple of marijuana fronts. (Creative Commons)

Michigan Now Accepting Applications for Recreational Marijuana Businesses. Nearly a year after voters approved a marijuana legalization initiative, the state is now accepting applications for recreational marijuana businesses. Applications require a non-refundable $6,000 application fee, and businesses that are approved for licenses will have to pay fees of between $1,000 and $40,000 a year. Applicants must specify if they are growers, processors, or a microbusinesses.

Medical Marijuana

Iowa Medical Marijuana Board Recommends Removing THC Cap, PTSD as Qualifying Condition. The Iowa Medical Cannabidiol Board has approved a set of recommendations to the legislature including removing the 3% cap on THC in medical marijuana products and replacing it with a purchase limit of 4.5 grams of THC over 90 days. The board also recommended making PTSD a qualifying condition for medical marijuana.

Kentucky Lawmaker Prefiles Bill to Legalize Medical Marijuana. State Rep. Jason Nemes (R-Louisville) has prefiled a bill that would legalize medical marijuana. The measure would prohibit smoking of marijuana, but would allow all other forms of consumption. It would also have the industry regulated by the Department for Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Control. The state-run system would issue licenses for cultivators, dispensaries, safety facilities, processors, practitioners and patients. A similar bill last year never made it to the House floor despite winning a 16-1 vote in the House Judiciary Committee.

Michigan Reduces or Eliminates Fees for Medical Marijuana Users. The state Marijuana Regulatory Agency announced last week that it has reduced the fee for a two-year patient registry card from $60 to $40 and eliminated a $10 fee to update, replace, or add or remove a caregiver has been removed. The $25 background check processing fee for caregivers has also been eliminated.

Hemp

USDA Publishes Interim Regulations Governing the Production of Hemp. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) on Saturday published its final interim rule on rules and regulations for hemp production under the 2018 farm bill. The rules set forth a series of requirements for hemp producers and help clear the way for hemp production in all 46 states that have legalized it.

Sentencing

Oklahoma Commutes Sentences for Hundreds of Inmates. More than 500 state prisoners, most of them serving time for non-violent, low-level drug offenses, were granted commutations last Friday, with more than 400 of them walking out of prison today. Voters there approved a 2016 initiative that changed simple drug possession and low-level property crimes from felonies to misdemeanors, and the legislature this year approved a bill to make the changes retroactive, opening the door for a fast-track commutation for those prisoners.

International

Scottish MPs Call for Drug Decriminalization. Parliament's Scottish Affairs Committee has issued a report calling for the decriminalization of personal drug use and possession. The report also called for safe injection sites to help address Scotland's record-high drug overdose levels. But the British Home Office still says it has no plans to decriminalize drug possession.

Battle over voting on the SAFE Banking Act, South Dakota marijuana legalization initiative okayed for signature gathering, Dr. Bronner's kicks in for Oregon psilocybin initiative, and more.

Dr. Bronner's CEO David Bronner. The company has just donated $150,000 to the Oregon psilocybin initiative. (maps.org)

No Marijuana Banking Without Justice Reform, Three Democratic Presidential Candidates Say. In a sign of divisions within the marijuana legalization movement, three Democratic presidential contenders have joined Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY) and a coalition of civil rights and drug reform groups in calling for a delay in the passage of the SAFE Banking Act (HR 1595) until more progress is made in ending federal marijuana prohibition. The three candidates are Sens. Cory Booker (D-NJ), Kamala Harris (D-CA), and Bernie Sanders (I-VT). Those calling for a delay in the banking bill fear that its passage will undermine efforts to advance justice aspects in legalization, while those supporting an early vote say it is a first step that will bolster broaden marijuana reform. A House floor vote is set for Wednesday.

South Dakota Marijuana Legalization Initiative Cleared for Signature Gathering. A constitutional amendment initiative that would legalize marijuana has been cleared for signature gathering. The measure was introduced by a former federal prosecutor and is backed by the Marijuana Policy Project. Petitioners now have one year to come up with 33,921 valid voter signatures to get the measure on the November 2020 ballot. The measure would allow adults 21 and older to possess and distribute up to one ounce of marijuana. Individuals would also be allowed to cultivate up to three cannabis plants. The South Dakota Department of Revenue would be tasked with issuing licenses for manufacturers, testing facilities and retailers. Sales would be taxed at 15%. The measure would also instruct the legislature to pass legislation legalizing hemp and medical marijuana.

Psychedelics

Dr. Bronner's Kicks in $150,000 for Oregon Psilocybin Initiative Campaign. Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps, the natural soap company, has donated $150,000 for the Psilocybin Service Initiative, or Initiative Petition #34. The move came Friday night, as Dr. Bronner's CEO David Bronner joined chief petitioners Tom and Sheri Eckert at a kickoff event for the initiative in Portland Friday night. The initiative would allow Oregonians to access psilocybin in a therapeutic setting to treat a range of issues from depression to anxiety to addiction.Backers of the initiative have until July 2, 2020, to get 112,020 signatures to get the measure on the November 2020 ballot. "The Bronner family is no stranger to severe depression and anxiety," Bronner said. "We firmly believe that the integration of psilocybin therapy, to which the FDA recently granted a special 'breakthrough designation' is crucial to heal epidemic rates of depression, anxiety, and addiction that pharmaceutical drugs are completely inadequate for."

International

Mexican President Hints at Referendum on Drug Legalization. President Andres Lopez Manuel Obrador said Friday he was considering a public consultation or referendum on drug legalization: "I am not ruling out the possibility of calling a referendum or a collective reflection about legalizing certain drugs, especially those used for medicinal purposes," Lopez Obrador said. "I have also been considering how this is part of the chain for ensuring peace and tranquility," the president said. There are some people who do not want to legalize the use of drugs, not even for medicinal purposes, and there are people that support it (and insist) that the violence originates from the ban (on drugs),"he said.

(This article was prepared by StoptheDrugWar.org's 501(c)(4) lobbying nonprofit, the Drug Reform Coordination Network, which also pays the cost of maintaining this website. 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.)