Pest alert!
The list for pesticides that can be used on cannabis without being a violation of the Pesticide Applicators’ Act has been updated to include Fungicide Fortify.
News
Inside the Beltway . . .
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.
Colorado’s cannabis lobby gaining new clout
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
Goodbye tech, hello cannabis
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
Critical Research
Medical Use
Colorado State University’s Institute of Cannabis Research will launch a national, medical cannabis patient data registry. Estimates suggest that more than 1 million U.S. citizens legally consume cannabis to relieve symptoms from such diseases as multiple sclerosis, HIV, cancer or epilepsy, according to the university.
Opioid
An academic analysis from The City University of New York indicates that “the 2012 legalization policy in Colorado appears to reduce the number of deaths due to opioid overdoses.”
Driving
The Colorado School of Public Health is searching for volunteers for a study on how cannabis affects the operation of motor vehicles.
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news . . .
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.
Things that make you go “Hmmmmmm”
John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods said that “chances are good” the company will begin selling marijuana products in its stores as more states legalize. He also mentioned the company would consider selling “alternative proteins” such as insects. More »
This may be a golden business opportunity for former Colorado U.S. Attorney Bob Troyer, who planned to start a cricket farm after leaving his position last year. The former top prosecutor eats cricket powder himself, and said he believes insect protein will be part of the sustainable food system of the future with the increase in global warming. More »
Former Mexican President Vicente Fox, who calls himself a soldier in the global campaign to legalize marijuana, joined the board of directors for Denver-based Helix TCS. Fox is also on the board of High Times. Más »
Things that make you go “Wait. WHAT? Seriously?!”
Maybe it’s the potential money. Maybe it’s Snoop’s influence. Or maybe she overly embraced her prison nickname (M. Diddy). But Martha Stewart has teamed up with a Canadian cannabis company to create and promote a new line of hemp-based CBD products. Stewart is joining the Canadian marijuana company Canopy Growth as an adviser to help them develop cannabis products for people and their pets. It’s unclear if Stewart’s products will be served in one of her famous decorative gourds.
Stewart will join her friend Snoop, who together co-host the VH1 talk show “Martha and Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party.” Snoop Dogg has partnered with Canopy for the last three years.
Hawaii, yes liberal Hawaii which is considered politically left of California, decided not to legalize adult-use cannabis. Again.
Presidential Candidate Quotable . . .
“I think (cannabis) gives a lot of people joy. And we need more joy.”
Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., who wants to legalize marijuana across the nation if elected president.
Bulletins from the Beltway
Free from the Feds?
Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden introduced legislation in the Senate — The Marijuana Revenue and Regulation Act— that would deschedule marijuana by removing it from the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), establish a federal excise tax on legal sales and create a system of permits for businesses to engage in cannabis commerce. This would allow states to establish their own cannabis regulations free from federal interference.
Wyden also introduced another piece of legislation exempting state-legal cannabis businesses from what is known as 280(E), which prevents them from taking normal business tax deductions that are available to operators in other industries. Co-sponsors include Colorado’s senior U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet.
From “unalterably opposed” to legalization to “I’m all in”
Former U.S. House Speaker John Boehner announced a new, industry-funded group to lobby for marijuana reform in banking, taxes and research in an effort to overhaul federal cannabis policy.
Marijuana Business Daily Article »
Riding the hemp wave
The USDA is now working to implement plans for increased hemp research and provision of oversight to state plans for growing hemp. As the USDA makes laws clearer, CBD retailers will enter the U.S. market in a major wave.
For a look at the growth of Colorado’s hemp industry:
Colorado Cannabis Companies Continue To be Viewed as Legitimate Businesses
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.