A Republican senator is calling on the banking industry to step up for a marijuana banking bill, the Oklahoma Senate moves to tighten up rules around medical marijuana grows, and more.

US Secretary of State Blinken agrees with Lindsay Graham that cartels control parts of Mexico. (state.gov)

GOP Marijuana Banking Bill Sponsors Calls on Bankers to "Unleash An Army" of Lobbyists to Get It Passed. Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT), the lead Republican sponsor of the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act, used a speech at the American Bankers Association Washington Summit Tuesday to call on the industry to "unleash an army" of lobbyists to push the bill through Congress. He said there "a chance" the bill could pass by going through the committee process. "This bill has been out there a long time," he said. "I think with each passing year, there’s a greater number of people who understand that the problem—forcing businesses to operate in all cash—is only getting worse. We need to be very clear: this is a public safety bill, and the longer we go without addressing this issue, the worse the situation on the ground becomes." He told the bankers he is "very thankful" for their support, adding that "we could unleash an army of you all in this room on Capitol Hill" to advocate for the passage of the cannabis banking bill.

Medical Marijuana

Oklahoma Senate Approves Bill Targeting Illegal Medical Marijuana Grows. The Senate on Tuesday voted 41-1 to approve Senate Bill 806, which seeks to crack down on illicit marijuana grows by limiting how many marijuana business licenses could use the same address for their applications. "Those who regulate our medical marijuana industry are running into problems when they raid a facility only to learn that there are numerous licensees who utilize that one address and all have product stored there," the bill’s author, Sen. Brent Howard, (R-Altus) said. "This makes it nearly impossible for law enforcement to know what product is actually illegal and to properly investigate the case. This measure would limit the number of licenses that can be listed under one address to help improve regulation and shut down illegal business activity." The bill was requested by Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority (OMMA), the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs (OBNDD) and the Attorney General’s Office. The bill now heads to the House.

Foreign Policy

Blinken Says Cartels Control Parts of Mexico. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said appeared before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Wednesday and was asked by ranking member Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-SC) whether there are places in Mexico the government does not control, and he answered in the affirmative. "I think that's fair to say, yes," he replied. He also agreed with Graham "that fentanyl coming from Mexico is killing Americans by the tens of thousands." Graham also asked if the cartels should be declared foreign terrorist organizations. A House bill to do that has been filed, while a Senate bill has been threatened. "Yes we’d certainly consider that," Blinken replied. The exchange came after Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador largely blamed the United States for its drug problems and denied that Mexico was a source of fentanyl.

International

. Two Mexican soldiers and five gunmen from La Familia Michoacana were killed when a military unit was ambushed in the state of Guerrero last Friday. The military unit "was the target of an attack by approximately 18 armed civilians aboard two vehicles," the Mexican military said. The attack came in the mountain town of El Pescado, which has seen frequent clashes between cartel members and the authorities. La Familia Michoacana, once powerful, had been decimated by the arrest or killing of its leaders, but has been trying to stage a comeback. It is currently locked in combat with the Los Tequileros gang for control of the area. 

Medical marijuana is killed in Kansas but survives in Kentucky, cocaine production hits an all-time high, and more.

The border "bomb" turned out to be a ball stuffed with sand wrapped in duct tape. (CBP)

Kansas GOP Lawmakers Kill Medical Marijuana Bill. Medical marijuana is dead for this session after Republicans in the Senate Federal and State Affairs Committee voted to "table" the medical marijuana bill, Senate Bill 135. Both Democrats on the committee voted to keep the bill alive. The vote came after two days of hearings on the bill, including a full opposition slate of Republican state leaders, health officials, and law enforcement on Thursday.

Kentucky Senate Passes Medical Marijuana Bill. On the last day to keep the bill alive, the Senate voted Thursday to approve a medical marijuana bill, Senate Bill 47. The bill allows for the use of medical marijuana for a list of specified medical conditions, but does not allow for smokeable marijuana. It does set up a system of taxed and regulated medical marijuana production and sales. The House could vote on the bill when the legislature returns for a one-day session at the end of the month.

Foreign Policy

Marjorie Taylor Greene Claims Cartels Left Bomb at Border; It Was a Ball of Sand. MAGA political arsonist Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) told her two million Twitter followers Wednesday that Mexican drug cartels had planted bombs on US soil at the border to terrorize Americans and kill or injure Border Patrol agents. She posted a picture of what turned out to be a ball stuffed with sand and covered with duct tape and claimed it was "explosive" and a "bomb," adding that "this changes everything" and calling on the US military to "take action" and "end this Cartel led war against America!" But Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz quickly shot down Greene's incendiary claim, tweeting that "During a Jan. briefing, leadership was notified that Agents found a duct-taped ball filled with sand that wasn't deemed a threat to agents/public." Greene has not deleted her post and instead doubled-down on her theory in response to the fact check. "That’s not what the border patrol agents are telling me," she retorted on Twitter. But the "bomb" is still just a bag of sand.

Harm Reduction

Mississippi Governor Signs Fentanyl Test Strip Decriminalization Bill into Law. Gov. Tate Reeves (R) has signed into law House Bill 722, which decriminalizes fentanyl test strips by removing them from the state's definition of drug paraphernalia. Use of the strips is aimed primarily at reducing drug overdoses by letting users know what is in their drug supply. As Reeves signed the bill into law, he could not resist taking a jab at the Biden administration: "I’ve signed HB 722 which decriminalizes fentanyl testing strips," he said. "It’s a sad reality that fentanyl overdoses are skyrocketing as a result of an open border." In reality, .fentanyl's role in fatal drug overdoses began about a decade ago and has increased steadily through both the Trump and the Biden administrations.

International

Cocaine Production at Highest Level Ever, UNODC Says. In a new report, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) finds that cocaine production is at its highest level ever as demand rebounded after the pandemic and new trafficking hubs emerged. Production rose a whopping 35 percent between 2021 and 2022, at least in part because of innovations in cultivating the coca plant and in converting coca leaf into cocaine. "The Covid-19 pandemic had a disruptive effect on drug markets. With international travel severely curtailed, producers struggled to get their product to market. Night clubs and bars were shut as officials ramped up their attempts to control the virus, causing demand to slump for drugs like cocaine," the report said. "However, the most recent data suggests this slump has had little impact on longer-term trends. The global supply of cocaine is at record levels," it said. UNODC said nearly 2,000 tons of cocaine were produced in 2020, a continuation of a "dramatic uptick in manufacture that began in 2014, when the total was less than half of today’s levels."

Last Year Saw a Surge in Drug Executions Worldwide. The number of people executed for drug offenses surged in 2022, according to a new report from drug policy reform group Harm Reduction International (HRI). The 1 cited at least 285 executions for drug offenses last year, more than double the 131 people executed in 2021. The number of people being handed out death sentences for drug offenses also grew, with at least 303 people in 18 countries facing the ultimate sanction. That is a 28 percent increase over 2021. The number of people currently on death row for drugs globally is now more than 3,700. HRI warned that the figures are low-balled because of the extreme secrecy surrounding the death penalty in countries that frequently resort to it, such as China, North Korea, and Vietnam.  

California legal marijuana sales revenues decrease for the first time ever, a fourth Michigan city endorses natural psychedelic decriminalization, and more.

Attorney General Merrick Garland says DOJ is "still working" on marijuana policy. (DOJ)

Attorney General Says DOJ Still Working on Federal Marijuana Policy Approach. In an appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, US Attorney General Merrick Garland (D) said the Justice Department is "still working on marijuana policy" and that a broader review of marijuana's scheduling status was being led by federal health officials. "I think that it’s fair to expect what I said at my confirmation hearing with respect to marijuana and policy, that it will be very close to what was done in the Cole Memorandum," he said, referring to an Obama-era policy that directed federal prosecutors to generally not interfere with state cannabis laws but which was later rescinded by Trump Attorney General Jeff Sessions. "We’re not quite done with that yet,"Garland said of the marijuana policy review. Garland added that the Justice Department had prioritized finalizing a memo of crack cocaine prosecutions, which has now been completed.

In Sign of Legal Industry's Woes, California Marijuana Sales Declined for First Time Since Legalization. According to the state Department of Tax and Fee Administration, legal marijuana sales totaled $5.3 billion last year, down 8.2 percent from the $5.77 billion in 2021. That marks the first time sales have decreased since the state launched its recreational marijuana market five years ago. Industry observers point to high taxes and the limited number of pot shops for the decrease. As one Emerald Triangle pot farmer, Johnny Casali of Huckleberry Hill Farms explained: "Most of us farmers have been trying to tell the state [regulators] that the marketplace is imploding,"says Casali. "The drop in retail sales means the customer is tired of paying the exorbitant taxes and are now buying it from a friend of a friend or the guy on the corner."

Medical Marijuana

Tennessee Medical Marijuana Bill Killed in Committee. No medical marijuana for you, Tennesseans! At least not yet. The Senate Judiciary Committee voted on a near party-line vote Wednesday to kill Senate Bill 1104, which would have set up a system of medical marijuana access in the state. Meanwhile another medical marijuana bill, House Bill 172,was "taken off notice" last week, meaning it is effectively dead for this session. Maybe next time.

Psychedelics

Fourth Michigan City Decriminalizes Natural Psychedelics. Move over, Ann Arbor, Detroit, and Hazel Park—Ferndale has now joined the group of Michigan cities to embrace psychedelic reform. On Monday night, the city council voted unanimously to approve a resolution decriminalizing "entheogenic plants and fungi," such as psilocybin mushrooms, ayahuasca, and its chemical compound, DMT. The resolution makes the "investigation and arrest of persons for planting, cultivating, purchasing, transporting, distributing, engaging in practices with, or possessing Entheogenic Plants or plant compounds which are on the Federal Schedule 1 list" the lowest law enforcement priority for the city The ordinance was pushed by the local Decriminalize Nature affiliate, Decriminalize Nature Ferndale. 

A Pennsylvania GOP state senator is pushing for gun rights for medical marijuana patients, an Italian court clarifies that hemp is not a narcotic, and more.

Kansas does not have any medical marijuana dispensaries. Patients are growing impatient. (Creative Commons)

White House Approval Sought for Changes to Marijuana Questions in Federal Hiring Process. The Office of Personnel Management is seeking White House approval for a shift in federal hiring practices that would treat marijuana use by job applicants much more leniently than is the case now. Under current policy, applicants are asked about use within the past one, five, or seven years, depending on the position's security level. That would change to inquiring only about use within the past 90 days under the proposal. Marijuana would not be included in questions about broader illegal drug use but would be asked about separately. The proposed changes are expected to expand the pool of candidates eligible for federal jobs.

Medical Marijuana                  

Kansas Senate Committee Will Hold Informational Hearing on Medical Marijuana This Week. The Senate Committee on Federal and State Affairs will hold informational hearings Wednesday and Thursday on the legalization of medical marijuana. No bill has been filed yet this session, but pressure is mounting with neighboring Missouri having legalized recreational marijuana last November and neighboring Oklahoma set to vote on recreational legalization next month. "You know, Kansas, sometimes we're kind of behind on things and, you know, we hear about it all the time where people are going across the state line to purchase those items," said medical marijuana supporter Sen. Oletha Faust-Goudeau, the ranking Democrat on the committee.

Pennsylvania GOP State Senator Pushes State to Reconsider Gun Restrictions on Medical Marijuana Patients. In the wake of a federal judge's recent ruling that the federal government's ban on gun ownership for marijuana users is unconstitutional, state Sen. Dan Laughlin (R) is calling on state law enforcement to protect the rights of medical marijuana patients by bringing state policy in line with that ruling Currently, the state bars people from obtaining a gun license if they acknowledge being "an unlawful user" of marijuana, and even medical marijuana use in states where it is legal remains technically illegal under federal law. "I believe Pennsylvania can take a measured approach to lifting the prohibition on otherwise qualified medical cannabis users from obtaining their license to carry," Laughlin wrote. Since the federal court ruling, it is time for "reconsideration of the question on these forms."

International

Italian Court Rules Hemp Flower and Leaves Are Not Narcotics. An Italian court, the Lazio Regional Administrative Court, has thrown out a section of national law that defined hemp leaves and flowers as narcotics, bringing Italy in line with the European Court of Justice. That court ruled in 2020 that hemp, which does not contain more than traces of psychoactive THC, should not be regulated as an illicit drug. The Italian court ruling came after four industry associations filed an appeal against a January 2022 Ministerial Decree that put the cultivation, processing, and marketing of hemp products under the control of narcotics regulators. "Today we have definitive confirmation that without valid scientific evidence it is not possible to limit this agricultural supply chain. The THC-free hemp plant is not part of the international conventions on narcotics and for this reason its market and industrial and medicinal applications cannot be limited," the plaintiffs said in a statement after the ruling.