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Marijuana -- Personal Use

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Minneapolis Enacts Psychedelic Reform, Albania Legalizes Medical Marijuana, More... (7/24/23)

New York GOP politicos want to ban public pot smoking, California is paying meth users who test negative, and more.

Magic mushrooms are among the natural psychedelics that are now the lowest law enforcement priority in Minneapolis. (CC)
Marijuana Policy

New York Republicans Want to Ban Public Marijuana Use. Republican state lawmakers are calling for a ban on public marijuana smoking and have proposed a bill, Assembly Bill 7612, that seeks to achieve that end by allowing local governments to put bans in place at the county or municipal level. The bill also would require local governments to affirmatively act to allow public marijuana use.

"State residents, including children, are now regularly assailed with the pungent odor of marijuana on public sidewalks, in parking lots and other public spaces," said Sen. George Borrello (R), sponsor of the Senate version of the bill (Senate Bill 7604). "Many New Yorkers don't want to be exposed to either the effects of marijuana smoke or its smell and don't want their children subjected to it."

The Republican bills seek fines of up to $125 for public marijuana consumption.

Drug Treatment

California Fights Meth Addiction with Gift Cards. After receiving a waiver from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the state is beginning a pilot program in 24 counties to treat methamphetamine dependency by contingency management, a non-pharmaceutical intervention that reduces use by paying program participants who stay off the drug. Successful participants get gift cards for not testing positive for meth.

Without the federal waiver, the program had been blocked because the state could not cover the costs of the program. California is the first state in the nation to obtain such a waiver.

Among the localities participating in the pilot program are Los Angeles, Sacramento, and San Francisco. In the latter city, Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital opened enrollment for the pilot program last week and ultimately seeks to serve 50 participants. They will be tested once or twice a week and will receive a $10 gift card each time they test negative, up to $599. That's the limit because payments of $600 or more need to be reported to the Internal Revenue Service.

A similar program in the Department of Veterans Affairs has been ongoing since 2011 and has proven successful.

Psychedelics

Minneapolis Mayor Makes Psychedelics Lowest Law Enforcement Priority. Mayor Jacob Frey (DFL) last Friday issued an executive order making the use and possession of certain psychedelic drugs the lowest law enforcement priority. That makes the city the latest major city after Denver, Detroit, and Washington, DC, to adopt a more permissive stance toward psychedelics. A number of smaller cities have also enacted psychedelic reforms.

Frey said he hoped the move would contribute to national rethinking of prohibitionist drug laws and that it would draw attention to the role plant-based psychedelics can play for people dealing with depression, trauma and addiction.

"We have a mass proliferation of deaths of despair," he said, citing the nation's high rates of suicide and opioid abuse. "This is something that is known to help."

International

Albania Parliament Approves Medical Marijuana. The parliament last Friday voted 69-23 to legalize marijuana for medical purposes. It is not clear how it will be regulated, but the government believes legalizing it can boost tax revenues.

The country had been a leading illegal marijuana producing country in Europe, but after a police officer was killed raiding a marijuana operation in 2014, the government instituted a crackdown on the black market, which at the time accounted for more than two-thirds of the country's gross national product.

DC Law Protecting Pot-Smoking Workers Now in Effect, Ghana Okay Hemp & MedMJ Production, More... (7/14/23)

A Minnesota Native American reservation will have marijuana for sale on the first day of legalization (unlike most of the rest of the state), the US government quietly quits monitoring coca cultivation in Colombia, and more.

The US has suspended its satellite monitoring of Colombian coca leaf cultivation. (Creative Commons)
Marijuana Policy

Minnesota Tribe Will Have Pot Shop Open on Day One of Legalization. The Red Lake Reservation already has an existing medical marijuana dispensary, and when marijuana legalization goes into effect on August 1, it will switch to adult-use recreational marijuana sales. For the vast majority of the state that is not sovereign Native American territory, adult-use sales are not expected until 2025, when the fledgling Office of Cannabis Management sets up a regulatory framework.

Under the state's new marijuana law, adults will be able to buy and possess up to two ounces in public. They will also be able to grow up to eight plants, with up to four of them in flowering state, and possess up to two pounds from their harvest.

DC Law Barring Employers from Punishing Most Workers for Marijuana Use Is Now in Effect. A Washington, DC, law that bans most private employers from firing or otherwise punishing workers for off-duty marijuana use went into effect Thursday. Mayor Muriel Bowser signed the bill into law exactly a year ago, and it survived a 60-day congressional review period. The new expands employment protections enjoyed by government workers who use medical marijuana by covering workers of private businesses. Some categories of workers are excluded, such as those safety-sensitive positions in construction, police officers, and people whose jobs require a commercial drivers license or work with childcare and patients.

The law will "prohibit employers from firing, failing to hire, or taking other personnel actions against an individual for use of cannabis, participating in the medical cannabis program, or failure to pass an employer-required or requested cannabis drug test, unless the position is designated safety sensitive or for other enumerated reasons."

Foreign Policy

Biden Administration Halts Satellite Monitoring of Colombian Coca Crops. Without explanation, the Biden administration has suspended satellite monitoring of coca crops in Colombia, a program the US has maintained for years. According to the State Department, the suspension is "temporary," but no timeline for resumption was given, nor was any reason for it articulated.

"We are constantly assessing the effectiveness of various counternarcotics efforts and make changes to our efforts as needed," a State Department spokesperson said. "We continue to work with the Government of Colombia on the monitoring of illicit coca crops."

The government of President Gustavo Petro has deemphasized coca crop eradication even as cocaine production in the country remains at record levels and is instead seeking to refocus law enforcement efforts away from the countryside and instead go after large scale traffickers and money launderers.

Congressional Republicans, some of whom have been calling for Colombia to be decertified for failing to cooperate in US anti-drug efforts, have said they are outraged by the move. "This is a gift to the Petro Administration," Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, the vice chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and a senior member of the Committee on Foreign Relations, said in a statement to The Associated Press. "It's another example of the Biden Administration giving concessions to far-left governments in the region."

President Petro has pushed back, saying the US would be best served by dealing with the fentanyl crisis, as well as noting that nothing is forever. "Things change. The structure of drug consumption is changing for the worse, reducing [US] demand for cocaine, which is starting to flow to other parts of the planet."

International

Ghana Parliament Approves Medical Marijuana, Hemp Production. The parliament has approved amending the Narcotics Control Commission law, clearing the way for cannabis cultivation for medicinal and industrial purposes. The Ministry of the Interior has been given the responsibility for regulating the nascent industry.

Federal Drug Prisoner Population Declines, CA Psychedelic Legalization Bill Advances, More... (7/13/23)

A GOP-led House committee has killed marijuana and psychedelic reform amendments to the defense spending bill, a Mexican drug cartel uses roadside bombs against the police, and more.

There has been a remarkable drop in federal drug prisoners in recent years. (Creative Commons)
Marijuana Policy

House Committee Kills Every Marijuana and Psychedelic Amendment to Must-Pass Defense Spending Bill. The GOP-led House Rules Committee has killed more than a dozen bipartisan marijuana and psychedelic policy amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act. The Republican leadership of the committee declined to accept any of them for floor votes. Among the proposed amendments killed was one to end marijuana testing for people trying to join the armed forces, one protecting federal workers from losing security clearances because of marijuana, one allowing servicemembers to use CBD and other hemp-derived products, and one investigating the therapeutic potential of certain psychedelics.

Michigan Ends Pre-Employment Marijuana Screening for Most State Jobs. Following months of public comment, the Michigan Civil Service Commission has voted unanimously to adopt new rules ending the practice of pre-employment marijuana screening for most state workers. Under the new policy, most public employees will no longer be required to undergo pre-employment marijuana testing. (Exceptions to the new rules will remain for those in certain safety sensitive positions, like law enforcement personnel.) Those previously denied positions because of a failed marijuana test are also now eligible to immediately reapply for employment.

Psychedelics

California Psychedelic Legalization Bill Wins Another Committee Vote. A bill that would legalize the possession and use of certain psychedelics, Senate Bill 58, which has already been approved by the Senate, has now won a second committee vote in the Assembly. The measure passed the Assembly Health Committee on a 9-2 vote Tuesday. It must now pass only one more committee, the Assembly Appropriations Committee, before heading for an Assembly floor vote. The bill would legalize the "possession, preparation, obtaining, transfer, as specified, or transportation of" specific amounts of psilocybin, psilocyn, DMT, ibogaine and mescaline for personal or facilitated use. Notably, "synthetic" psychedelics like LSD and MDMA would not be legalized, unlike the provisions of the previous version of legislation from Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco).

Berkeley City Council Effectively Legalizes Some Psychedelics. The city council of the East Bay city voted Tuesday to effectively legalize a range of psychedelics by voting unanimously to make the enforcement of state and federal laws against psychedelic plants and fungi the lowest law enforcement priority. The resolution passed, however, bars the "giving away, sharing, distributing, transferring, dispensing, or administering" of psychedelics.

Sentencing

Nearly a Quarter Fewer Persons Were in Federal Prison for Drug Offenses in 2018 Than in 2013. The number of people held in Federal Bureau of Prisons' facilities on a drug offense fell 24% from fiscal yearend 2013 (94,613) to fiscal yearend 2018 (71,555), according to Sentencing Decisions for Persons in Federal Prison for Drug Offenses, 2013-2018, a new report from the Bureau of Justice Statistics. These persons accounted for 51% of the federal prison population in 2013 and 47% in 2018.

Between 2013 and 2018, there were large decreases in persons serving time in federal prison for marijuana (down 61%), crack cocaine (down 45%) and powder cocaine (down 35%), with a smaller (4%) decline in persons imprisoned for opioids. These reductions were partly offset by growth in the number of persons serving time for heroin (up 13%) and methamphetamine (up 12%).

During the 5-year period, there was also a 33% decrease in the number of people in federal prison who, because of the type and amount of drugs involved in their offense, faced the possibility of mandatory minimum penalties at sentencing. A similar decline trend was observed in the number who ultimately received penalties (down 26%) and received relief from penalties (down 52%).

About 60% of all people in BOP custody for drug offenses at fiscal yearend 2018 had received mandatory minimum penalties: 22% for methamphetamine, 15% for powder cocaine, 14% for crack cocaine, 5% for heroin, 4% for marijuana and less than 1% for opioids. When the federal prison population was analyzed by persons who could have received penalties for their drug offense, those serving time for crack cocaine were more likely to receive penalties (94%) than those held for marijuana (82%), powder cocaine (81%), heroin (80%), methamphetamine (79%) or opioids (70%).

International

Montreal Police Raid Illegal Magic Mushroom Shop on Opening Day. FunGuyz, a chain of shops selling illegal magic mushrooms, has already had several of its stores raided in Ontario, and on Tuesday, it could add one in Montreal to the list. Montreal police raided the shop hours after it opened offering a menu of pills, dried mushrooms, and chocolate bars laced with psilocybin.

A FunGuyz spokesman called the raid a "simple" product seizure and a "waste of taxpayers' money." He said opening FunGuyz was a form of protest to challenge the illegality of psychedelic drugs. "We do expect the police to come in and raid us because obviously what we're doing, it's illegal," he said on Tuesday. "The idea behind everything is, are the police willing to… use the taxpayers' money for mushroom stuff?"

Mexican Drug Cartel Use Roadside Bomb to Kill Cops. Four police officers and two civilians were killed by a series of roadside bombs in the western state of Jalisco on Tuesday. Authorities said an anonymous caller reported a tip about a supposed clandestine burial site, and when police went to investigate, seven roadside bombs went off simultaneously. The blasts were so powerful they left craters in the road, destroyed at least four vehicles, and wounded 14 more people. The state prosecutor blamed an unnamed drug cartel. The Jalisco New Generation Cartel has significant experience with improvised explosive devices, as well as bomb-dropping drones.

Ukraine Parliament Gives Initial Approval to Medical Marijuana Bill. The parliament has given initial approval to a bill to legalize medical marijuana in the country. It must still be approved in a second reading and then sent to President Volodymyr Zelensky for his signature. Zelensky has already said he supports the bill.

RI Pot Shop Sues over Labor Agreement Requirement, Trouble in Chilpancingo, More... (7/12/23)

North Carolina will go another year without approving medical marijuana, San Francisco gets $1 million in state funding to do mobile drug checking, and more.

San Francisco is getting $1 million in state funds to support mobile drug checking services in a bid to reduce overdoses. (CC)
Marijuana Policy

Rhode Island Marijuana Shop Sues State over Labor Union Requirement. Greenleaf Compassionate Care Center in Portsmouth, which has operated as a medical marijuana dispensary since 2013, has filed a lawsuit against the state, charging that its adult-use legalization law's requirement that pot retailers sign labor agreements with "bona fide labor organizations" is unfair and "oppressive."

Greenleaf's CEO, Seth Bock, said once the law was passed, he lost leverage in labor negotiations: "You either meet their demands and obtain a peace agreement or you go out of business under Rhode Island law," he said.

The lawsuit seeks to have the labor agreement requirement declared unconstitutional and for a collective bargaining agreement he was negotiating that included a $1,000 bonus for employees to be nullified. Greenleaf employees had voted to join the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 328 in 2021 but had not completed the agreement when the adult-use law came into effect.

Advocacy group Reclaim Rhode Island, which was among groups lobbying for the union requirement, called the lawsuit "absurd."

"It seems absurd to me that the owner of a cannabis dispensary benefiting from a highly regulated, limited-supply cannabis license is objecting to a law simply because it ensures that their workers receive good wages, dignity on the job and the protection of the union," Reclaim Rhode Island organizer Daniel Denvir said.

Medical Marijuana

North Carolina Medical Marijuana Bill Probably Dead for This Year. Legislation that would legalize medical marijuana in the state is probably dead for the rest of this year's legislative session, House Speaker Tim Moore (R) said Tuesday. The Senate had passed a medical marijuana bill, Senate Bill 3, four months ago, but other than a single committee hearing, it has languished in the House.

Moore said he agreed with the assessment of House Majority Leader John Bell (R) that there was not enough support in the Republican caucus for the bill to advance further. The GOP caucus has a rule that a majority of its members must be willing to vote for a bill on the House floor for it to get heard, even if the measure could pass with support from Democrats.

Complying with the rule "would require a number of House members who've taken a position of 'no' to literally switch their position to want to vote for it, and I just don't see that happening," Moore said.

Harm Reduction

San Francisco Gets $1 Million in State Funding to Expand Drug Checking Program. Gov. Gavin Newsome (D) has approved $1 million in new state funding to expand San Francisco's drug checking program, which aims to reduce drug overdoses from illicit drugs. This comes after the state granted the city $60 million to buy and stock the opioid overdose reversal drug naloxone, another harm reduction move to cut the state's overdose toll. The new money will go to the city Department of Public Health to fund four mobile drug checking units.

"This generous grant will enable San Francisco to significantly expand access to no-questions-asked drug checking services for recreational users of all drugs -- and it will save lives," said San Francisco Supervisor Matt Dorsey.

International

Mexican State Capital Besieged by Thousands of Protestors After Arrests of Two Cartel Leaders. Supporters of a local cartel in Chilpancingo, the capital of the south-central state of Guerrero besieged government buildings, battled with police and national guard troops, took government employees hostage, and crashed an armored vehicle through the gates of the state legislature.

The unrest came after state police arrested two leaders of the criminal gang Los Ardillos (the Squirrels) and indicted them Monday on drugs and weapons charges. That triggered a massive march by residents of villages on the outskirts of the city of 300,000. It took more than 24 hours for the state government to defuse the violence by promising future public works. Protestors then released 13 state police officers, national guard soldiers, and civilian government employees and ended their blockade of the toll road from Mexico City to Acapulco, which sits on Guerrero's Pacific Coast.

"Today criminals don't benefit only from a frightening arsenal, but a terrifying capacity to bring people into the streets and confront security forces," said the left-wing daily La Jornada in an editorial. The Mexico City newspaper said state and federal authorities had ignored the problems of the impoverished state, allowing crime groups to "create a social base."

"What was different about this was the scope of the whole thing," said Falko Ernst, Mexico analyst for the International Crisis Group. The protesters "took over not just a whole city, government installations and a major highway in Mexico, but they also took public officials hostage."

New Qualifying Conditions for MN MedMJ, PA Pot Poll Shows Declining Support, More... (7/10/23)

Virginia's GOP governor indicates he is not interested in legal marijuana sales, a New York city has to pay for firing a medical marijuana patient, and more.

Marijuana Policy

Pennsylvania Poll Has Declining but Still Majority Support for Marijuana Legalization. A new poll from the Muhlenberg College Public Health Program has support for marijuana legalization at 50 percent, but that number also marks the a decline in support for legalization. Support peaked at 58 percent in 2021 and dropped to 56 percent in 2022. But the survey also has a relatively high margin of error, +/- 6 percentage points, meaning the drop could be a polling artifact instead of revealing a true decline.

The poll comes on the heels of the announcement last week that a bipartisan pair of state senators have introduced a marijuana legalization bill, Senate Bill 846.

Virginia's GOP Governor Says No to Legal Marijuana Sales. In 2021, Democratic lawmakers approved marijuana legalization but failed to reach an agreement on a legal marketplace, deferring resolution of the issue to the next legislative session. But that session flipped control of the legislature and the governorship to Republicans, who are much less interested in legalizing sales.

Now, the administration of Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) has given its clearest indication yet that he is not interested in getting a retail market up and running. "Governor Youngkin has stated that he is not interested in any further moves towards legalization of adult recreational use marijuana," Joseph Guthrie, Youngkin's commissioner of the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Safety, said during a recent state meeting on marijuana.

Medical Marijuana

Minnesota Adds 19 New Qualifying Conditions, Waives Fees for Patients. Irritable bowel syndrome and obsessive-compulsive disorder are among the 19 different medical conditions just added to the state's very lengthy list of qualifying conditions for medical marijuana. That went into effect July 1.

Also in effect as of July 1 is the waiving of registration fees for patients. Until now, it cost $200 a year. And patients can now be certified by a health practitioner, expanding the number of medical personnel who can make recommendations.

"They will enter that into our patient registry and then you are sent a link to go ahead and register for the medical cannabis program," said Office of Medical Cannabis Director Chris Tholkes. "As of July 1st, there is no longer an annual fee of 200 dollars. It's now zero to participate in our program."

New York Town Must Pay $200,000 After Firing Medical Marijuana Patient. The city of Amsterdam must pay almost $200,000 to a city worker fired after failing a drug screening for marijuana. A jury found that the city discriminated against Thomas Apholz, a wastewater treatment plant worker who was first suspended and then fired after the drug test.

The state legalized medical marijuana in 2014. State law grants registered medical marijuana patients disability status, which gives protection from employment discrimination for using medical marijuana.

After he was fired, he filed suit in state Supreme Court in Montgomery County, alleging unlawful employment discrimination and failure to accommodate his disability as required by the New York Humans Rights Law. And now he has won.

Scotland Calls for Drug Decrim, Germany Unveils Draft Legalization Bill, More... (7/7/23)

Florida's governor signs a bill allowing medical marijuana patients to use telehealth, a trio of Pennyslvania medical marijuana bills is heading for a Senate floor vote, and more.

Florida medical marijuana patients will be able to re-up using telehealth once a new law goes into effect. (Pixabay)
Medical Marijuana

Florida Governor Signs Bill Okaying Telehealth for Medical Marijuana. Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has quietly signed into law a measure allowing the use of telehealth to renew medical marijuana recommendations, House Bill 387. To obtain a medical marijuana patient card, however, an in-patient examination by a physician is still required.

Pennsylvania Bill to Allow Medical Marijuana for Any Condition AdvancesA bill that would loosen up the state's medical marijuana program, most notably by eliminating the requirement that a patient have a specified medical condition to qualify for its use, has passed the Senate Law & Justice Committee on a 10-1 vote.

Senate Bill 835 would also eliminate the expiration date on medical marijuana cards, allow medical marijuana to be sold in edible form, and give independent medical marijuana growers and processors additional retail dispensary permits.

The committee also passed Senate Bill 538, which also allows for medical marijuana edibles, as well as vaping, and Senate Bill 773, which also allows new licenses for growers and processors. All three bills now head for a Senate floor vote.

International

Germany Unveils Draft Marijuana Legalization Bill. The Health Ministry has released a draft of its proposed marijuana legalization bill, providing it to state officials and the public for review. The bill would allow people over 18 to possess up to 25 grams of marijuana and grow up to three plants for personal use, but they would not be allowed to extract oils or more concentrates from their harvests. It would also set rules for the creation of social clubs where members could purchase marijuana.

Officials are also planning to introduce a complementary second measure that would establish pilot programs for commercial sales in cities throughout the country.While the first pillar of the draft law is expected to be taken up by the cabinet next month, the pilot program for commercial sales is set for later this year after consultations with European Union officials.

Scottish Government Calls for Drug Decriminalization, British Home Office Says No Way. Scotland's Drugs Policy Minister Elena Whitman has announced that the government is calling for drug possession to be decriminalized, saying people should be "treated and supported rather than criminalized and excluded." It is also calling for British law to be changed to allow for safe injection sites, as well as for more drug checking and more access to emergency treatment for drug overdoses.

"The war on drugs has failed," she said. "That's a fact. I don't think we can dispute that. Our current drug law does not stop people from using drugs, it does not stop people from experiencing the harm associated and, critically, it does not stop people from dying. "In fact, I would say today here, that criminalization increases the harms people experience. Criminalization kills."

The Tory Home Office in London, which controls drug policy across Britain, was having none of it: "Illegal drugs destroy lives and devastate communities," a Home Office spokesman said. "We are committed to preventing drug use by supporting people through treatment and recovery and tackling the supply of illegal drugs, as set out in our 10-year drugs strategy. We have no plans to decriminalize drugs given the associated harms, including the risks posed by organized criminals, who will use any opportunity to operate an exploitative and violent business model."

Delaware Fentanyl/Xylazine Test Strip Pilot, SAFE Banking Act Could Get Committee Vote, More... (7/6/23)

A bipartisan marijuana legalization bill is filed in Pennsylvania, New York puts legal weed sales at farmers markets on hold, and more.

A farmers market. There is no weed for sale at New York farmers markets -- at least not yet. (Pixabay)
Marijuana Policy

Senate SAFE Banking Act Committee Vote Could Come This Month. Key senators have said they want to hold a vote on the long-awaited Safe and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act (S. 1323) this month as the Senate reconvenes after the 4th of July holiday. Senate Banking Committee Chairman Sherrod Brown (D-OH) said he would "like" to hold a vote this month but that "it depends" on whether unrelated bills the committee has already passed make it to a Senate floor vote.

Similarly, bill sponsor Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) said legislators were "going to do a deep plunge now and try to set the stage, hopefully, for a markup when we return from break."

The bill, which repeatedly passed the House in previous years only to die in the Senate, would provide state-legal marijuana businesses with access to the financial system. Currently, the industry must deal almost exclusively with cash, leaving workers and owners vulnerable to theft and robbery.

New York Governor Delays Plan to Allow Legal Weed Sales at Farmers Markets. Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) is pausing a program to allow licensed marijuana growers and retailers to sell marijuana at farmers markets before it even got started. The Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) had announced the plan last month as part of an effort to help legal growers sitting on a mountain of weed -- more than 300,000 pounds -- because of the extreme slowness of opening up state-licensed retail outlets. Only 16 retailers and delivery services are open across the state.

But the Hochul administration made clear Wednesday that farmers market sales were not happening yet. "We are committed to the success of New York's equitable cannabis industry, and are always open to considering opportunities to strengthen the program. No final decisions have been made with respect to farmers markets," said Office of Cannabis Management spokesman Aaron Ghitelman.

The industry isn't happy: "The failure to roll out the farmer's market program is just the latest in OCM's long list of broken promises," said Rev. Kirsten John Foy, spokesman for the Coalition for Access to Regulated & Safe Cannabis. OCM has been ineffective at every turn; growers, CAURD licensees, disabled veterans, workers, consumers, medical cannabis patients and individuals harmed by cannabis prohibition are paying the price for its ineptitude -- all while the illicit market booms."

Pennsylvania State Senators File Bipartisan Marijuana Legalization Bill. Sens. Dan Laughlin (R-49) and Sharif Street (D-3) have introduced bipartisan legislation, Senate Bill 846, to legalize adult use of marijuana in Pennsylvania.

"Legalized adult use of marijuana is supported by an overwhelming majority of Pennsylvanians and this legislation accomplishes that while also ensuring safety and social equity," said Laughlin. "With neighboring states New Jersey and New York implementing adult use, we have a duty to Pennsylvania taxpayers to legalize adult-use marijuana to avoid losing out on hundreds of millions of dollars of new tax revenue and thousands of new jobs."

The legislation would grant licenses to sell marijuana to social and economic equity applicants while providing room for new and existing licensees to ensure demand in Pennsylvania is met. Moreover, it expunges non-violent marijuana convictions for medical marijuana patients, which has also been championed in a bipartisan fashion, and goes further to expunge all nonviolent marijuana convictions.

Harm Reduction

Delaware Begins Pilot Program to Test for Both Fentanyl and Xylazine. State health officials have launched a pilot program to test substances for the presence of both fentanyl and xylazine, the veterinary tranquilizer known as "tranq" that has now made its way into unregulated drug markets. The testing strips used detect the presence of either drug.

The test strip is the new HARMGuard FX test strip and cost about $3 each -- although the price could go down with bulk orders. The state initially ordered 500 of the test strips.

Ohio Legalization Initiative Hands in Signatures, Mexico Violence Flares in Morelos, More... (7/5/23)

Maryland saw a big opening weekend for legal marijuana sales, Oklahoma medical marijuana operators are suing regulators over a new fee schedule, and more.

Buckeye voters could finally vote on freeing the weed in November. (Creative Commons)
Marijuana Policy

Maryland Celebrates 4th of July Weekend with More Than $10 Million in Marijuana Sales. With legal weed going into effect on July 1, Marylanders embraced it enthusiastically over the holiday weekend, generating more than $10 million in sales over the 4th of July weekend. Adult use sales accounted for about 85 percent of that figure. Adult use sales are estimated to reach $275 million this year and $2.1 billion by 2027.

Ohio Marijuana Legalization Campaign Hands in Signatures. The Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol handed in more than 222,000 signatures Wednesday for its proposed marijuana legalization initiative. If the signatures are verified by state officials, legalization will appear on the November ballot.

This is the second round of signature gathering for the effort. A successful first round put the issue before the state legislature, which had four months to approve legalization but failed to do so. That provided the opening for the campaign to move to phase two: putting the issue directly before the voters -- provided they came up with enough signatures to qualify. It looks like they did: The campaign only needed 124,000 valid voter signatures and now has a cushion of 98,000 signatures. State officials will make that determination by July 20.

The initiative would legalization the possession of up to 2.5 ounces by people 21 and over, as well as allowing for the home cultivation of up to six plants, with a maximum of 12 per household. There would be a 10 percent tax on retail sales. Some licenses will be reserved for people who qualify under social equity provisions.

Medical Marijuana

Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Regulators Sued over New Fees. Several medical marijuana businesses have filed a lawsuit against the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority (OMMA) over a new law that will increase fees for marijuana businesses. Legislators passed a package of bills designed to reign in the state's Wild West medical marijuana scene and eliminate "bad actors," including House Bill2179, which it broadens licensing requirements for medical marijuana dispensaries, commercial growers, and processors. In effect since last month, the bill mandated new fees ranging from $2,500 to $50,000, based on a tiered fee schedule.

Plaintiffs argue that while lawmakers aimed to weed out illegal grow operations, the new fees will only hurt legitimate businesses. "The state is hitting the good guys and it's only helping the bad guys," said plaintiff Jed Green.

The lawsuit charges that the fee increases are unconstitutional under state law because it passed with less than three-quarters majority support, which is required for any tax increases. It also notes that the bill passed during the last five days of the legislative session, even though the state constitution says revenue-related bills cannot be passed during that period.

International

Mexico's Morelos Sees Violence Flare After Anti-Cartel Vigilante Leader Killed. Morelos anti-cartel vigilante leader Hipolito Mora and two of his men were gunned down last Thursday, sparking a new round of violence in and around the city of Apatzingan, which has been embroiled in a long-running conflict between rival drug trafficking organizations, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and the Viagras. Roads in and out of the city were blocked over the weekend as cartel gunmen pulled trucks and buses across roads. Shoot-outs also took place in and around the city, leaving at least one more person dead.

The Mexican government has tolerated Viagras control of Apatzingan as a means of keeping the Jalisco cartel out, but residents of the agricultural hub are left paying higher prices for goods than anywhere else in Mexico because Viagras extortion drives prices up. The Jalisco cartel is now battling the Viagras along the banks of river just 15 miles south of the city.

Mora was one of the last leaders of the citizens' anti-cartel armed movement that emerged in the area a decade ago. His death is likely the death knell of any hope of reviving armed civilian resistance to the cartels in the area.

Luxembourg Passes Limited Legal Weed Bill, FL Decriminalizes Fentanyl Test Strips, More... (6/29/23)

Amsterdam wants a city district to be part of a national regulated marijuana supply experiment, Florida's attorney general challenges a marijuana legalization initiative, and more.

Florida becomes the latest state to decriminalize fentanyl test strips. (Creative Commons)
Marijuana Policy

Florida Attorney General Files Challenge to Marijuana Legalization Initiative. Attorney General Ashley Moody (R) this week filed a challenge to the Smart & Safe Florida marijuana legalization initiative with the state Supreme Court, arguing that it should not appear on the November ballot.

In her brief filed with the court, Moody argued that the measure misleads voters because it fails to make plain that marijuana is and would remain illegal under federal law. Moody also told the court that although it had approved similar language in other marijuana legalization initiatives, it was wrong to do so: "In previously approving similarly worded ballot summaries, the court erred," she wrote.

The ballot summary does say that the initiative does not change federal law, but that statement is "inadequate to resolve the confusion," Moody wrote.

Supreme Court approval is the last step for the initiative before it can appear on the November ballot. If it does, it will need 60 percent of the vote to be approved.

Harm Reduction

Florida Governor Signs Fentanyl Test Strip Bill into Law. Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has signed into law Senate Bill 164, which decriminalizes fentanyl test strips by removing them from the state's definition of drug paraphernalia. Some 6,000 Floridians died of fentanyl overdoses in 2020, but a test strip decriminalization bill was defeated last year after some lawmakers said the move encouraged drug use.

International

Luxembourg Lawmakers Approve Marijuana Legalization Bill. Deputies approved limited marijuana legalization bill, Bill 8033, on Wednesday. The bill allows people to grow up to four plants at home and consume the fruits of their harvest at home. But use or possession of up to three grams outside the home can bring a fine of between 25 and 500 Euros, and offenses involving more than three grams can bring fines of up to 2500 Euros and jail terms ranging from eight days to six months.

The Pirate Party criticized the bill as "false legalization" because it does not address black market dealing.

Amsterdam Wants City District to Be Part of National Marijuana Cultivation Trial. Amsterdam has nominated the Amsterdam-Oost district to take part in a national experiment to regulate the supply of marijuana to coffeeshops, the city announced Wednesday. uring the experiment, which is expected to run for four to five years, coffeeshops will sell regulated, quality-controlled marijuana produced by selected growers.

Mayor Femke Halsema and city aldermen argued for the city to be included in the experiment because "the results of the experiment may eventually lead to changes in the tolerance policy, which may greatly affect the coffeeshops and cannabis market in Amsterdam." The city had initially been excluded from the trial because it had too many coffeeshops, but the cabinet recently decided to allow city districts to participate. With 100,000 inhabitants and 10 coffeeshops, Amsterdam-Oost now meets the qualifying conditions.

But the Ministers of Justice and Security and Health, Welfare, and Sport will have to decide whether the Amsterdam-Oost district can be included in the experiment. The other municipalities set to participate are Groningen, Almere, Arnhem, Nijmegen, Zaanstad, Hellevoetsluis, Breda, Tilburg, Maastricht and Heerlen.

Cannabis Will Be Legal in Maryland This Saturday -- Here Is What It Will Look Like [FEATURE]

On Saturday, the era of legal recreational use marijuana in Maryland begins. Here are the key things to know:

The possession of up to 1.5 ounces is legal. Possession of more than 1.5 ounces but less than 2.5 ounces is subject to a $250 fine. Possession of more than 2.5 ounces could subject you to criminal charges. You can grow up to two plants at home.

You can either supply yourself from your own grow or buy legal marijuana in a licensed retail outlet, You must be at least 21 to partake in legal marijuana.

It is illegal to smoke in public places, with the exception of shops with licenses to allow for on-site consumption. Smoking weed in public can net you a $50 fine for a first offense. People who rent or lease their housing space will want to check their leases to make sure you don't run afoul of your landlord.

There are already 94 medical marijuana dispensaries ready to sell recreationally as of Saturday because they have already paid a one-time fee to convert from medical to general adult use sales. That high number of retail outlets means opening day lines should not be too bad.

But supply may be short. Some analysts put the current state of supply at only 20 to 30 percent of expected demand.

Supply will be varied. In addition to buds to smoke or vape, there are also lollipops, gummies, milkshakes, cookies, chocolates, sodas, oils, creams, vapes, waxes, tinctures, dermal patches, salves and even suppositories.

Current medical marijuana patients will have some accommodations. Stores must allot certain hours to medical marijuana-only sales or set up a fast lane for patients and they must set aside some high-potency products for patients.

Welcome to world of legal cannabis, Maryland.

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