Missouri NORML is threatening recalcitrant rural counties with court orders over their failure to get expungements done, a pair of senators file a bill to fight Mexican cartels by increasing southbound inspections near the border, and more.

Missouri NORML Threatens Court Order Against Counties for Failing to Meet Expungement Deadline. Last Thursday was the deadline for counties to expunge all misdemeanor marijuana cases, but several rural counties failed to meet that deadline, and now Missouri NORML is threatening to seek a court order to force them do so.

The expungement provision was part of last November's Amendment 3 marijuana legalization initiative, but some of those counties have made little or no effort to comply, said Missouri NORML spokesman Dan Viets. "Many rural counties did not have a majority in favor of Article 14. In some cases, I think we are seeing a reflection of that fact in the reluctance of county officials to follow the constitution. Once the deadline has passed, there certainly is a basis for seeking a court order that the lower courts comply with the constitution. This is not a discretionary matter. It's not a matter of choice. It's a matter of mandate."

Nevada Legislature Approves Omnibus Marijuana Reform Bill. Lawmakers last week gave final approval to an omnibus marijuana law reform bill, Senate Bill 277, and sent it to the desk of Gov. Joe Lombardo (R). The bill revises upward the amount of weed a person can buy or possess from one ounce to 2.5 ounces and doubles the amount of allowable concentrates from one-eighth ounce to one-quarter ounce. The bill also gives medical marijuana dispensaries new flexibility to serve adult use customers.

Drug Policy

Senators Hassan, Lankford Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Combat Drug Cartels by Increasing Southbound Border Inspections US Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and James Lankford (R-OK), both members of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, introduced bipartisan legislation to increase inspections of traffic going from the US to Mexico, which would help combat the flow of illicit firearms and money that fuel drug cartels.

"Shutting down drug cartels requires disrupting the supply chains that bring illicit guns and cartel profits from the US to Mexico," Senator Hassan said. "By significantly increasing inspections of southbound traffic at the Southern border, this bipartisan legislation will crack down on fentanyl and other drug trafficking and help save lives. I will continue working to address the opioid crisis that is devastating New Hampshire and urge my colleagues to join this important legislation."

Specifically, the bipartisan Enhancing Southbound Inspections to Combat Cartels Act would:

1. Require that at least 20 percent of southbound vehicles are inspected, to the extent practicable.

2. Authorize at least 500 additional Customs and Border Protection officers to assist with southbound inspections.

3. Authorize at least 100 additional Homeland Security Investigations agents.

4. Authorize 50 additional x-ray inspection systems for southbound inspections.

International

Peru Blows Up Clandestine Air Strips Used in Cocaine Trade. The government of embattled President Dina Boluarte continues to wage the war on drugs, proudly reporting that authorities have destroyed 18 clandestine air strips used to move coca leaf and cocaine from the Peruvian jungle into neighboring countries and Europe. The Peruvian National Police say their goal is destroy 30 air strips by year's end.

"The majority of these airstrips are located in very remote places and are guarded by heavily armed men. They generally extent more than 1 kilometer," said Pedro Yaranga, a Peruvian narcotrafficking and terrorism expert. "Most of the narco planes come from Bolivia. They also send drugs to Paraguay and some border areas of Brazil, with Europe as the final destination."

The strips were destroyed in the departments of Pasco, Huánuco, and Ucayali, where authorities also deployed monitoring and intelligence operations.

American truckers are fed up with marijuana prohibition and testing policies, Rhode Island expunges 23,000 pot possession records, and more.

Marijuana Policy

Amid Industry Labor Shortage Worsened by Marijuana Drug Testing, Truckers Say Legalize It. An analysis of marijuana testing policies in the trucking industry conducted by the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) finds that a strong majority of truckers say federal marijuana laws need to change and most say that current marijuana testing policies are driving truckers out of the industry.

"More than half of all positive trucking industry drug tests are for marijuana metabolite," which can stay in a person's systems for weeks after consuming, the report, published on Monday, says. Federal prohibition "has been highlighted as a potential disincentive for drivers to stay in the industry, and it has even been argued that loosening the restrictions on marijuana use would make the industry more attractive and widen the potential labor pool."

The report found that 72.4 percent of licensed drivers support "loosening" cannabis laws and testing policies, while another 66.5 percent said that marijuana should be federally legalized. Also, 65.4 percent of motor carriers believe that current marijuana testing procedures should be replaced with methods that measure active impairment -- not the presence of metabolites, which stay in the system long after any impairment has ceased.

New York Attempts Crackdown on Unlicensed Weed Sales. Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) announced Thursday the launch of a multi-agency initiative to stop the sale of marijuana at unlicensed storefronts. They have popped up by the hundreds in the interregnum between the state legalizing weed and the still extremely limited advent of licensed adult use marijuana sales.

The state Office of Cannabis Management and Department of Taxation and Finance conducted inspections of storefront businesses not licensed to sell marijuana and issued notices of violation and orders to cease unlicensed activity.

"New York is proud to have undertaken the most equitable legal cannabis roll-out in the nation and the State will not stand idle as unlicensed operators break the law and sell untested products to underage New Yorkers," Gov. Hochul said. "These enforcement actions are critical steps to protect and help those individuals who were promised a shot to start a legal business and be successful. Additionally, these unlicensed operators undermine the State's efforts to generate substantial funds for a social equity fund that will go into the communities that have been hardest hit by over-prosecution of the cannabis laws in the past."

Hochul signed legislation allowing for these expanded enforcement actions against unlicensed marijuana businesses to take place. The legislation allows the Office of Cannabis Management to give out civil penalties against unlicensed cannabis businesses with fines of up to $20,000 a day. It also makes it a crime to sell cannabis and cannabis products without a license.

Rhode Island Expunges 23,000 Pot Possession Charges. State court officials announced Thursday that they had complied with the state's new marijuana legalization law by expunging more than 23,000 pot possession cases. That law not only legalized marijuana, it provided for the automatic expungement of pot possession charges -- but not charges for growing or selling weed.

"The automatic expungement of marijuana charges has been an organizational feat," said State Court Administrator Julie P. Hamil. "There has been coordination at every level of the Judiciary to execute this process in a timely and holistic fashion."

International

Video of Mexican Army Executing Drug Suspects Sparks Investigation. After a video posted on social media showed a group of soldiers pulling five men from a vehicle in Nuevo Laredo, then beating them before fatally shooting them, and then staging an apparently fake shoot-out and placing weapons near the bodies of the slain men in a bid to cover their tracks, Mexican authorities are now investigating the extrajudicial execution.

The military has been accused in numerous cases of kidnapping, torturing, or killing drug suspects, especially as it plays an ever greater role in prosecuting the country's war against violent drug cartels. But it has also had an aura of impunity, with soldiers rarely facing any consequences for brutal and illegal actions.

Now, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has weighed in, saying: "Apparently, there was an execution, which cannot be allowed. We are not the same as the previous governments. So, when there is abuse, when there is an excess, when human rights are violated, those responsible must be punished. And the process to deepen the investigation has already begun. There is no cover-up because we do not tolerate the violation of human rights."

Time will tell about that.

A Louisiana pot poll shows strong support for legalization, a California bill to allow pot shops to sell food and drink as well is moving in the Assembly, and more.

Marijuana Policy

California Assembly Approves Bill to Allow Marijuana Cafes. The Assembly last week approved Assembly Bill 374, which would allow weed retailers to offer food and drinks if they receive local approval. Alcohol sales and tobacco smoking would continue to be prohibited. The bill from Assemblymember Matt Haney (D) passes overwhelmingly on a 59-9 vote and now heads to the Senate.

"The legal cannabis industry is struggling," Haney said on the floor. "Issues like an over-saturation, high taxes and thriving black market are hurting cannabis businesses who follow the rules and pay taxes. AB 374 allows local governments to authorize the preparation and sale of non-cannabis foods and soft drinks at licensed cannabis consumption lounges," he said. "To be clear this does not allow coffee shops to sell cannabis. It allows cannabis shops to sell coffee with pre-approval from local governments. It shouldn’t be illegal for an existing cannabis business to move away from only selling marijuana and instead have the opportunity to grow, thrive and create jobs by offering coffee or live jazz. Ironically, how the law is written now, we require cannabis shops to only sell drugs," Haney said. "We believe that if these businesses want to move away from that model and sell muffins and coffee, they should be able to do that. This will support our small businesses, with local government autonomy."

Louisiana Poll Has Strong Support for Marijuana Legalization. A new poll from Louisiana State University has 70 percent of respondents saying they support legalizing the possession of "small amounts" of marijuana and 90 percent saying they support medical marijuana. Pollsters said the poll revealed a "substantial increase over the past decade in support for legalizing marijuana for recreational use."

The state has a limited medical marijuana program and decriminalized the possession of up to a half ounce in 2021, but efforts to move forward with legalization have gone nowhere in the legislature so far.

Psychedelics

Nevada Assembly Committee Approves Psychedelic Working Group Bill. A bill to create a working group to study psychedelics and develop plans to allow for regulated access for therapeutic purposes that has already passed the Senate, Senate Bill 242, passed is first Assembly hurtle last Friday, winning approval from the Assembly Health and Human Services Committee. It now heads for an Assembly floor vote.

When introduced, the bill had language legalizing psilocybin and promoting research into the psychedelic, but it was amended in the Senate to now have only the working group, which would examine the use of psychedelics "in medicinal, therapeutic, and improved wellness."

Drug Policy

Pennsylvania Temporarily Makes "Tranq" Drug Xylazine a Controlled Substance. Responding to the spread of the veterinary tranquillizer xylazine into the illicit street drug market, along with the lesions it creates on users and its danger (it is often mixed with opioids but does not respond to naloxone), the Department of Health has moved to limit access to the drug by temporarily listing it as a Schedule III substance. Placing xylazine on Schedule III—as opposed to just banning it—preserves legitimate use by veterinarians and farmers.

"This action will protect veterinarians and other legitimate users and manufacturers of xylazine, which is an important medication for animal sedation, while also creating penalties for people who add illicit xylazine to the drug supply that is harming people in our communities," said Acting Secretary of Health Dr. Debra Bogen . "Our focus remains on developing strategies that help connect people with substance use disorder to treatment and other resources." 

International

Swiss Capital City Wants Pilot Program for Cocaine Sales. The city parliament has voted 43-18 to approve a motion from the Alternative Left to extend a pilot program with marijuana sales to include cocaine sales. The marijuana pilot program is set to begin this fall. City parliamentarians said supervised sales could lead to better control of the stimulant drug.

A similar proposal was narrowly rejected by the Bern parliament in 2019, but this year's version was more restrictive, winning enough support from the Social Democrats to get the measure passed—and send a strong signal to the federal government about where the capital city wants to go. 

Expungement moves are happening in Arizona and Louisiana, Mexico's president says he could get behind peace agreements with drug cartels, and more.

Marijuana Policy

Arizona Appeals Court Expands Scope of Marijuana Expungements. The state Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday that expungement can be applied to sale-related marijuana offenses as well as possession offenses. State law reads that "possessing, consuming, or transporting" up to 2.5 ounces of weed or up to six plants are offenses eligible for expungement. In the case before the court, a Maricopa County Superior Court judge ruled that an expungement request for the offense of solicitation to commit possession of marijuana for sale did not comply with the state law, but the appeals court held that the offenses of "possessing" or "transporting" marijuana included marijuana for sale and ordered the lower court to grant the expungement request.

California Senate Approves Bill Barring Employers from Asking About Past Marijuana Use. The state Senate has approved Senate Bill 700, which would bar employers from asking potential new hires about past marijuana use. The vote was 29-9. The bill builds on existing employment protections enacted last year barring employers from penalizing most workers for off-duty marijuana use. The bill now heads to the Assembly.

Louisiana Marijuana Expungement Streamlining Bill Advances. A bill to streamline expungements for first-time marijuana possession offenders, House Bill 286, has already passed the House and on Wednesday was approved by the Senate Judiciary C Committee. The next stop for the bill is a Senate floor vote. Under current law, people seeking expungement for possession of up to a half ounce of marijuana have to wait five years after conviction. This bill cuts the waiting period to 90 days. But people would have to pay up to $300 in fees for the privilege.

International

 

. Responding to an activist's open letter to drug cartels asking them to stop the practice of forced disappearances—where people are not just killed but completely erased, their bodies dissolved in acid or burned to ash, and their friends and family are left with no idea of what happened to them—President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO) said he would support an agreement with some of the country's most powerful and violent drug cartels  if he helped stop the violence that has wracked the country for nearly two decades.

"I agree and I hope we achieve peace – that’s what we all want," AMLO said when asked about the proposed pact. "Violence is irrational and we’re going to continue looking for peace, to achieve peace and that is what we’re doing. And if there is an initiative of this kind, of course we support it."

The number of people who have been forcibly disappeared in Mexico in the last 15 years number more than 50,000, with around 40,000 of them disappearing during AMLO's term of office. Another 30,000 a year have died in cartel violence during his term.