OK marijuana user gun rights; NH& WA homegrow votes; PA GOP senator on legalization; AR & MI allocate cannabis revenue; DEA museum visit
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/ TOP THINGS TO KNOW
The Department of the Air Force issued a memo warning that not only marijuana but also hemp-derived cannabinoids—including CBD and delta-8 THC—are prohibited on military bases and related properties.
The House Transportation & Infrastructure Subcommittee on Highways and Transit briefly discussed ways to detect and prevent marijuana-impaired driving, with an official from the Governors Highway Safety Association saying that oral fluid roadside testing is part of the solution.
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) signed a bill to dedicate revenue from medical marijuana taxes to pay for free breakfast for students at schools.
The New Hampshire House of Representatives passed bills to legalize home cultivation of medical marijuana and to annul past marijuana possession arrest and conviction records.
A Pennsylvania Republican senator called cannabis prohibition “a disaster” and said he doesn’t think “marijuana is any different” than alcohol and tobacco, which have been “used for thousands of years.”
- “We’ve regulated it and taxed it.”
The Washington State House Consumer Protection & Business Committee approved a bill to legalize home cultivation of marijuana, along with new amendments requiring tracking of plants and liability insurance for growers.
The Oklahoma Senate Public Safety Committee unanimously approved a bill to protect medical cannabis patients’ gun rights under state law.
The Michigan Department of Treasury is distributing nearly $100 million in marijuana revenue to 302 municipalities and tribes throughout the state to support local infrastructure, education and other services.
Kansas Republican senators rejected a Democratic amendment to include medical cannabis in a bill focused on increasing terminally ill patients’ access to experimental drugs.
The Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission voted to give marijuana companies more time to settle conflicts with municipalities over host community agreement compliance.
The Missouri Administrative Hearing Commission upheld a decision to revoke a marijuana business’s license over alleged violations, citing a “corporate culture of lax compliance with regulatory requirements.”
Washington State courts are struggling to vacate hundreds of thousands of drug convictions in the wake of a Supreme Court ruling that overturned the state’s prior drug possession law as unconstitutional.
A recent visitor to the Drug Enforcement Administration Museum says its exhibits are an “embarrassment of Reefer Madness misinformation”—with the agency displaying a pamphlet that says the medical value of marijuana is “still an open question that science has not resolved” despite a pending proposal to federally reschedule cannabis.
/ FEDERAL
President Donald Trump’s pardon czar, Alice Marie Johnson, tweeted, “I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to serve as Pardon Czar and for the trust placed in me to help those impacted by our criminal justice system. This role is a chance to offer second chances and restore hope to individuals who have paid their debt to society. I am thankful for the support of my family and all those who have worked tirelessly to bring about this moment, and I am committed to making a meaningful difference in the lives of those seeking a fresh start.”
Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV) tweeted about attending a Cannabis Policy Institute roundtable meeting “to discuss cannabis research, the future of the industry, and the potential for reform at the state and federal level.”
/ STATES
The New Mexico House of Representatives passed a bill to establish a cannabis enforcement bureau.
The New Jersey Senate Judiciary Committee approved the nomination for a new member of the Cannabis Regulatory Commission.
The Utah House minority whip discussed her bill to make various changes to medical cannabis laws.
A Texas senator filed a bill to ban hemp products with any amount of THC.
West Virginia lawmakers are considering legislation to expand medical cannabis access.
California regulators announced a recall of marijuana products due to incomplete regulatory compliance testing.
Colorado regulators issued the state’s first psychedelics business licenses.
Minnesota’s interim top cannabis regulator discussed ongoing efforts to launch the recreational market.
Kentucky regulators said the state generated $27.5 million in medical cannabis business license application fees.
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/ LOCAL
The Wilmington, Delaware City Council is considering enacting a 90-day moratorium on marijuana retail licenses.
/ INTERNATIONAL
Costa Rica’s Ministry of Health approved medical cannabis sales rules.
Namibia’s High Court is set to hear oral arguments in a case challenging the constitutionality of cannabis criminalization in July.
/ SCIENCE & HEALTH
A study found that “non-medical cannabis decriminalization and legalization are both associated with reductions in cannabis offences” and that “reductions in cannabis offences were consistently observed after legalization in adults but were not consistently observed in youth.”
A study found that “respondents generally perceived funding for psychedelic research as more difficult to obtain than for other areas, though recent improvements were noted.”
/ ADVOCACY, OPINION & ANALYSIS
A Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America event featured a hemp-infused beverage brand as a major sponsor.
/ BUSINESS
Verano Holdings Corp. is being sued by a former executive who says he was improperly fired for reporting antisemitism.
Eaze workers ratified a three-year collective bargaining agreement.
Canadian retailers sold C$499.7 million worth of legal cannabis products in December.
/ CULTURE
Boxer Claressa Shields was suspended after testing positive for marijuana.
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