Why, yes. Republican state lawmakers, a former federal prosecutor, Koch Industries, NBA champion Kevin Garnett and criminal justice reform advocates delivered a letter to President Trump, imploring him to grant pardons or commutations to people serving time in federal prison for non-violent marijuana offenses.
Joe Biden is running to be the Democratic presidential nominee and wants to make sure you know something: He really, really, really doesn’t believe marijuana is a gateway drug. He did once, but he was younger back then (67 years old in 2010 when he said it was).
He does continue to oppose legalization, but supports reforms such as decriminalizing possession, expunging past records, allowing medical cannabis and letting states set their own laws without federal interference.
All seven top-tier candidates support at least decriminalizing marijuana. Bloomberg, Buttigieg, Steyer, Warren and Sanders support vacating past marijuana convictions. Most of the candidates also support efforts to make it easier for marijuana businesses to access financial services. Warren, Sanders and Klobuchar are co-sponsors of the SAFE Banking Act, and Steyer has expressed support.
And only Biden and Bloomberg do not outright support legalization. More »
In the past, Bloomberg has been less than friendly toward cannabis. While Mayor of New York, his stop-and-frisk policy and insistence on arrests for low-level pot possession led to around 440,000 arrests for marijuana possession alone. And five years ago at the Aspen Institute, Bloomberg said he “couldn’t feel more strongly about” opposing legalization. “It is different than alcohol. This is one of the stupider things that’s happening across our country,” he said.
“We have reservations with the unprecedented approach of allowing banking access for a Schedule I drug, in addition to increasing investment in marijuana enterprises even as they remain federally illegal,” the representatives wrote. They also expressed concern over marijuana potency, impaired driving and the continued effects of the vaping crisis.
In a statement, Buck said the banking bill “jeopardizes public safety.” More »
South Dakota is trying again to get ballot measures on the ballot addressing medical and adult-use cannabis – but this time they have some financial backing.
Colorado’s own U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn said last weekend Saturday that marijuana dispensaries operating on the same streets as churches is “evidence” of the “spiritual war our nation is entrenched in.”
We were going to ignore this . . . but just couldn’t. Cannabis and sex. Read More »
Getting what you need Americans for Safe Access have put out a U.S. travel guide for medical cannabis patients so they have access to safe and legal cannabis.
“There are currently 47 states and four territories with some form of a medical cannabis law, but the rights and privileges they extend to medical cannabis patients vary among them. As a result, patients who travel for personal or employment reasons can find themselves unsure as to how to access medical cannabis in an unfamiliar place.” More »
Thinking outside the box States with marijuana dispensaries flush with cash are exploring banking workarounds using credit unions, digital currencies, and payment apps. More »
We got thisAn interesting Q and A with Natalie Riggins, program manager for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment MMJ Registry, who discusses implementation of new legislation on medical marijuana.
Related: Doctors can recommend cannabis in place of opioids Read »
Cannabis love connection When cannabis is featured as the way two people met, fell in love and got married in the Vows section of The New York Times, you know things have changed.
Read »
NIMBYers take noteThe impacts of regulated retail dispensaries is associated with a decrease in local criminal activity, according to a new study in Regional Science and Urban Economics. The study was conducted in Denver.
“Overall, our results suggest that dispensaries cause an overall reduction in crime in neighborhoods, with no evidence of spillovers to surrounding neighborhoods. … Our results are consistent with theories that predict that marijuana legalization will displace illicit criminal organizations and decrease crime through changes in security behaviors or substitution toward more harmful substances. … Lastly, there is no evidence that increased marijuana use itself results in additional crime.”
CU Anschutz researchers jumped through seemingly endless government hoops to study CBD and Parkinson’s. What they found is that participants reported they felt less irritable and that they were sleeping better. They even saw that some of their motor symptoms, including stiffness and slowness, improved.
The researchers are helping others navigate the red tape to do more studies.
President Trump said last week that his administration is allowing states to set their own marijuana policies.
“We’re going to see what’s going on. It’s a very big subject and right now we are allowing states to make that decision,” Trump said. “A lot of states are making that decision, but we’re allowing states to make that decision.”
City regulators are streamlining the application and inspection processes for marijuana license transfer of ownership. Information »
Bloomberg looks at how states are working to create solutions to take tax payments from marijuana businesses.
U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams says cannabis is three times stronger now than in the 1990s. “This ain’t your mother’s marijuana,” he said a week ago.
Arguing against this position is Canadian Dana Larsen, whose Twitter thread is well worth the read. We promise.
Our current governor continues to tout the benefits of a legal, regulated cannabis industryGov. Polis appeared on CNBC recently talking up the economic contributions of legalized marijuana, notably “nearly $50 million on marijuana sales in just 2 months in April and May.” Check out his full appearance here »
While the former governor – who is running for president –has “evolved slowly” on the issue.Hickenlooper is not an advocate for marijuana use, saying that “he sometimes wonders if his own past marijuana use could have impaired his memory.”
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But he was also criticized for “revisionist history” when he took credit for cannabis legalization during the debates last week.
