File under “People in glass houses”
The Trump administration issued a memo saying immigrants working in legal marijuana industry lack “moral character” for citizenship.
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Good news for those seeking investors
A poll found that 46% of U.S. adults would consider investing in the marijuana industry.
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Bank of America began covering marijuana stocks.
Pinnacol Assurance released its first-ever public data analysis of safety in Colorado’s cannabis industry.
“As a whole is relatively safe compared with other cultivation, retail and manufacturing jobs in Colorado.”
Dave Martyn, president of the Compass Cannabis chain of Canadian dispensaries…
sat down with Peter Miller, CEO of cannabis branding and packaging company SLANG Worldwide. When discussing exactly what the future of the global cannabis industry will look like, both Miller and Martyn suggested companies look to the past. Industry models in recreational cannabis forerunners like Colorado, Washington and of course Canada, serve as examples of what works.
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Hometown reporter and cannabis industry hits national mainstream news as a legitimate beat
Former cannabis reporter Alicia Wallace from The Denver Post is headed to CNN for their new cannabusiness coverage. CNN states: “CNN Business launches a new content initiative focused on one of the most dynamic growth industries in America: the cannabusiness sector. The next generation of entrepreneurs, investors, and consumers are captivated by this storyline, and CNN Business is making a new commitment to cover every aspect of the cannabis industry, from innovation to regulation.”
Car fatalities
Much has been written recently about the “connection” between cannabis legalization and fatal car crashes. But a new study has concluded that “there is no statistically [significant] relationship between marijuana legalization and fatal crashes” and that the “concerns of policy makers and the public that legalizing marijuana will worsen road safety are not entirely founded.”
In Colorado, the study’s author noted that the fatal car accident rate was considerably higher compared to Georgia and Iowa in 2001, but that trend started happening prior to medical cannabis legalization and also leveled out by 2003.
No slack for social use in Denver
The Denver City Council rejected a bill that would have loosened restrictions on marijuana social use businesses.
You know you’ve made the Big Time when . . .
Jeopardy featured a question about the first legal recreational marijuana sale in the U.S. And Alex Trebek actually said the words “Bubba Kush.” Awkward.
The new Colorado U.S. Attorney weighs in
U.S. Attorney Jason Dunn says he agrees with rescinding the Cole Memo, but says “jury is still out” on enforcement around marijuana concentrates. He also said that he recognizes the relationship between states’ legal marijuana industries and the federal government isn’t sustainable, but declined to comment on legislation from U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner that would keep law enforcement from stepping in.
It’s Official!
And in closing, The Onion officially endorsed legal marijuana. The reasons are well, unique. A sampling:
”Ending the prohibition on cannabis will send a clear message that we are a society on the verge of collapse, and hopefully inspire the citizens of this nation to make the final push over the edge.”
Legislative Update
With less than four weeks left until the end of the Colorado legislative session, lawmakers are acting on several cannabis-related bills ranging from cannabis delivery to public investment to tasting rooms. One, a bill adding autism spectrum disorders as a medical cannabis-qualifying condition, was already signed by Colorado Gov. Jared Polis.
Chuck Smith, president of Colorado Leads, was quoted in The Denver Post about the need for public and private investment in the cannabis industry.
Both the cannabis delivery and hospitality bills advanced in the House.
The state’s current medical and recreational marijuana laws are set to sunset in September of this year, so lawmakers have been reviewing the laws and regulations.
And The Colorado Sun looked at the increasing political clout wielded by Colorado’s cannabis industry.
“intolerable”
The federal government’s approach to states that have legalized marijuana is “intolerable.”
So said U.S. Attorney General William Barr Wednesday during a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing that he would prefer the U.S. take an approach to marijuana similar to the one outlined in the states’ rights marijuana bill sponsored by Colorado’s U.S. senators over the current system.
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Take it to the bank
U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Manuchin told a federal lawmakers that there is no regulatory solution to existing banking access issues for the marijuana industry, and he encouraged Congress to resolve the problem with legislation “on a bipartisan basis.”
Cannabis helping kids stand up to bullies
Parkview Elementary School in Lamar uses more than $100,000 a year it receives from the state’s cannabis taxes for its anti-bullying program. The program has made a big difference in the lives of elementary school kids.
No legal immigrants need apply?
Denver Mayor Michael Hancock and City Attorney Kristin Bronson are pressing the Trump administration to rethink its citizenship policies after legal immigrants in Denver have been denied the opportunity to become naturalized citizens because they work in the marijuana industry.