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07/31/2021

Conflicting cannabis amendments cleared for House votes (Newsletter: July 29, 2021) | Ma*****na Moment

Support grows for AOC’s psychedelics reform; New CO ma*****na business office; FL officials slam OR h**p & say buy local Subscribe to receive Ma*****na Moment’s newsletter in your inbox every weekday morning. It’s the best way to make sure you know which cannabis stories are shaping the day. Y...

07/30/2021

Mayor Bill de Blasio urged Gov. Andrew Cuomo to pick up the pace on completing the process of legalizing w**d, telling him and state lawmakers to “wake up” and seal the deal.

07/30/2021

"Following a year of acrimony and delays, state officials on Wednesday announced that 53 firms entered in the state’s first pot shop lottery had earned the rights to 55 lucrative licenses."

The winners include Ricky Hendon, the former state senator who had served as an advocate for jilted applicants last year. His company, Westside Visionaries LLC, scored a highly sought after license in a region that covers Chicago.

07/26/2021

“In a warehouse outside Chicago, a crop of h**p grows to produce a controversial substance that some people call “w**d light.”

The plants fall under the same Cannabis sativa species that produce ma*****na. But like all legal h**p, they have been bred to contain less than .3% delta-9-THC, the main ingredient that gets users stoned. Instead, the h**p is used to produce the popular supplement CBD, and a derivative called delta-8-THC — said to give users a milder high without brain fog or anxiety.”

Lawmakers in Illinois are proposing a law that would require lab testing and labeling for any product containing delta-8-THC -- a h**p-based substance also know as "w**d light."

07/26/2021

“It's not a good look for the Olympic committee.
US footballer Megan Rapinoe and the Olympic committee are being heavily criticised for mixed and contradictory messages regarding the use of cannabis.

Rapinoe, 36, featured in a recent Forbes article which saw her promoting a CBD (Cannabidiol) or cannabis product called Mendi, as well as highlighting how elite athletes use w**d-based products to prepare for competitions.

The company itself was founded by Rapinoe's sister Rachael and Brett Schwager, who said: “We really believe there is a movement and a flood of people wanting healthier alternative medications [...] So, we want to give people the healthiest option to stay on top of their game longer, specifically positioned with athletes.”

This, unsurprisingly, hasn't sat well with a lot of people.”

Megan Rapinoe and the Olympic committee are being criticised after the US footballer promoted a cannabis product despite Richardson's ban.

07/26/2021

“However, serious concerns about barriers to access remain. The people intended to benefit from the equity program are less likely to have the resources needed to begin a business, made even more difficult by San Francisco’s high rents. To help solve for this, incubators may partner with a verified equity applicant as long as they provide rent-free space or technical assistance to run the business. Incubators are also required to have a half of their employees meet equity applicant criteria and hire local staff for at least 30 percent of business hours.”

‘It’s a form of reparations for those of us who were ruined by cannabis arrest’

07/25/2021

“ATLANTA — Georgia's Access to Medical Cannabis Commission announced on Saturday the six companies that have been chosen to receive licenses for the production of medical ma*****na.

According to "Notice of Intent to Award" documents posted to the commission's website, Botanical Sciences LLC and Trulieve GA Inc. were chosen for Class 1 production licenses, while FFD GA Holdings LLC, Theratrue Georgia LLC, Natures GA LLC and Treevana Remedy Inc were chosen for Class 2 production licenses. ”

Two were chosen for Class 1 production licenses while another four were chosen for Class 2 licenses.

07/25/2021

Connecticut “Gov. Ned Lamont on Thursday announced five members of the 15-member
Social Equity Council, which will play a key oversight role in licensing adult-use cannabis companies in Connecticut.

In a statement, Lamont said Connecticut Office of Workforce Strategies Executive Director Kelli Vallieres, Department of Consumer Protection Interim Deputy Commissioner Andrea Comer, Department of Economic & Community Development Commissioner David Lehman, Office of Policy & Management Secretary Melissa McCaw and Joseph Williams, an international trade specialist for the Connecticut Small Business Development Center at UConn, will serve on the SEC.

"The carefully selected and well-qualified Social Equity Council will play an important role as Connecticut’s cannabis marketplace… [and] will support a new equitable sector of our economy," Lamont said.”

Gov. Ned Lamont on Thursday announced five members of the 15-member Social Equity Council, which will play a key oversight role in licensing adult-use cannabis companies in Connecticut.

07/25/2021

“Now that New Jersey has legalized ma*****na use and possession for adults 21 years and older, South Jersey municipalities have begun adopting their own rules to address use and sale.

And while, many towns are opting to ban it, some are now opening the door to the industry based on the promise of job creation and tax benefits.

Under the N.J. Cannabis Regulatory, Enforcement Assistance, and Marketplace Modernization Act towns have until Aug. 21 - 180 days from the adoption of the state law - to create any local enforcement structure. Towns that do not act by then will be governed by the state's law.”

Now that New Jersey has legalized ma*****na use and possession for adults 21 years and older, South Jersey municipalities have begun adopting their own rules to address use and sale.

07/24/2021

“A representative of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) this week shifted blame for the Olympics suspension of U.S. runner Sha’Carri Richardson over a positive ma*****na test, saying the national sports organization is “heartbroken” over the case and supports “liberalization” of current bans but claiming that its hands are tied with respect to enforcing international drug policy.”

A representative of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) this week shifted blame for the Olympics suspension of U.S. runner Sha’Carri Richardson over a positive ma*****na test, saying the national sports organization is “heartbroken” over the case and supports “liberalization” of current ba...

07/24/2021

“They determined: “We find little compelling evidence to suggest that RMLs result in increases in illicit drug use, arrests for part I [violent] offenses, drug-involved overdoses, or drug-related treatment admissions for addiction. … Our findings provide key evidence evaluating the ongoing, occasionally contentious, political debate on legalizing ma*****na use, and inform whether recreational ma*****na use is a ‘gateway’ to addiction to harder drugs and criminal behavior.””

"We find little compelling evidence to suggest that [legalization] result in increases in illicit drug use, arrests for part I offenses, drug-involved overdoses, or drug-related treatment admissions for addiction.”

07/24/2021

“Boston, MA: The enactment of adult-use ma*****na legalization laws is associated with immediate reductions in opioid-related emergency department (ED) visitation rates among men, according to data published in the journal Health Economics.

A team of investigators from the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute and the University of Pittsburgh assessed the relationship between ma*****na legalization and opioid-related ED visitation rates in 29 states over a six-year period (2011-2017). Four of those states enacted adult-use access during the study period, and researchers compared trends in these legal states with trends in the remaining 25 states.

Authors reported that ED visit rates fell nearly eight percent among males (ages 24 to 44) during the first six-months following the enactment of legalization laws. However, these reductions dissipated in the months that followed and were no longer significant within one year.”

Opioid-related hospitalizations fell nearly eight percent among males during the first six-months following the enactment of legalization laws.