The National Institute on Drug Abuse released a job posting seeking a contractor to roll marijuana joints “within a range of varying concentrations of delta-9-THC and analyze strength and stability of them.”
The Food and Drug Administration has scheduled a public hearing on CBD regulations for May 31.
This will be a big year for the industry, with marijuana regulations sunsetting and bills vetoed by former Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper resurfacing. And the cannabis lobby at the Capitol is growing, in numbers, spending and stature. Cannabis lobby gains new clout in Colorado as its spending tripled in the past five years.
For a review of the cannabis bills introduced in the 2019 Colorado legislature, please go here
The fastest-growing industry in the U.S. right now is cannabis. The marijuana industry added 64,389 jobs in 2018, an increase of 44% from the year before, according to a new report from the cannabis website Leafly and Whitney Economics.
Marijuana is the fastest-growing sector in the US job market
Turns out Thomas Jefferson – diplomat, architect, author of the Declaration of Independence, and the third president of the United States – did not smoke marijuana and did not draft the Declaration of Independence on hemp paper, according to all available evidence.
We know. We were all shocked by the claim (we see you, Facebook). Both Politifact and Monticello weigh in here.
Scott Gottlieb, commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), resigned Tuesday, raising questions about the status of cannabidiol (CBD). Recently, Gottlieb told a congressional committee that the FDA was “deeply focused” on finding an appropriate way to handle CBD. Although Congress’ passed the farm bill in late 2018, which seemed to open the door to legal CBD, the DEA still considers nonprescribed CBD to be an illegal Schedule I drug, and many legal scholars caution against assuming that CBD is legal.
The latest on where former Colorado governor and current Presidential hopeful John Hickenlooper stands on cannabis.
Denver Mayor Michael Hancock spoke to both the Colorado Leads board and its members Tuesday, noting that the Colorado cannabis industry is a “model for the world.”
Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., who wants to legalize marijuana across the nation if elected president.
Colorado’s House last week passed a bill 63-0 allowing medical marijuana for the treatment of autism spectrum disorders. The Senate is expected to pass it as well, and Gov. Jared Polis has pledged to sign it.
Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper vetoed a similar bill last year – as well as another bill allowing publicly traded corporations to invest in marijuana businesses. At the time, Hickenlooper said that if the autism bill was signed into law, “we end up, without question, in some way encouraging more young people to look at this as an antidote for their problems.”
Hickenlooper is now touring the country as he considers a presidential bid, touting Colorado’s cannabis industry. He noted at an event hosted by The Brookings Institution that he was “famously against” legalization, especially because of the possibility that more teenagers might increase their consumption, but that now “we’re seeing evidence that the new system [of marijuana legalization] is intrinsically better” than prohibition. “We haven’t seen a spoke in teenage consumption… our worst fears have not happened,” he said.
Hmm.
Colorado’s congressional delegation is being criticized by an anti-marijuana group for taking campaign contributions from the cannabis industry. U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter not only shrugged off the criticism, he defended the industry.
“Colorado voters spoke resoundingly, not once but twice, in legalizing medical and recreational marijuana,” said Perlmutter spokesman Austin Blumenfeld. “It is a legitimate business in the state of Colorado. Rep. Perlmutter’s focus in this area is to align federal and state laws to allow these legitimate businesses to have access to the financial industry. Without this access we are putting the safety of the public, employees and law enforcement at risk.”
And what is more than the Better Business Bureau? The Greater Denver’s Better Business Bureau is now accrediting cannabis companies as it does businesses in any other industry.
Gov. Jared Polis, considered the most industry friendly governor in the country, takes the reins at a crucial time for Colorado as the state’s regulations come under review and as at least one bordering state considers developing its own legal cannabis industry. The marijuana industry is optimistic Polis will champion its cause to keep the industry growing and moving legislation that his predecessor vetoed.
Colorado Sun Article »
Indeed, several new marijuana bills were among the first filed as the legislature opened, including a new attempt to add autism spectrum disorders to conditions that qualify patients for medical cannabis; another would make people eligible if they have a condition under which a doctor would prescribe opiates.
Reporter Herald Article »
Polis takes office as marijuana sales show signs of leveling off after five years of constant and dramatic growth. New state figures show Colorado has logged over $1.4 billion worth of medical and recreational marijuana sales from January to November 2018, just $93 million behind 2017. And while a dramatic surge is not expected, Colorado is still on pace to finish the year slightly ahead of the year before.
Summit Daily Article »
While sales remain strong in Colorado today, will the state’s industry be impacted by a change in leadership across the border? The Albuquerque Journal takes a look at legislation being proposed to legalize cannabis in New Mexico under a new Democratic governor.
Albuquerque Journal Article »