Marijuana Moment: NM gov regrets state didn’t legalize cannabis pre-COVID (Newsletter: April 28, 2020)

[Tokeativity]

MT officials oppose marijuana campaign’s e-sig suit; Civil rights groups push for cannabis biz coronavirus relief; New OR psilocybin campaign strategy

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/ TOP THINGS TO KNOW

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) said she especially regrets that lawmakers did not legalize marijuana during this year’s short legislative session—because the revenue could have helped to offset the economic harm caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

• “If there was ever a time for wishful thinking, I wish we had passed recreational cannabis because that would be $100 million.”

Montana’s attorney general and secretary of state are opposing a marijuana legalization campaign’s lawsuit seeking electronic signature gathering during the coronavirus outbreak, blaming activists themselves for starting petitioning too late to succeed.

A coalition of groups including ACLU, Human Rights Watch, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Leadership Conference on Civil & Human Rights, Center for American Progress, United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, NORML and Drug Policy Alliance sent a letter urging congressional leaders to include marijuana businesses in upcoming coronavirus relief legislation as a matter of helping minority entrepreneurs.

An Oregon campaign to legalize the therapeutic use of psilocybin has a new signature gathering strategy involving video chat organizing and contacting voters via phone and texting as the coronavirus pandemic has impeded in-person petitioning.

/ FEDERAL

The Government Accountability Office listed several pending recommendations for improvement by the Drug Enforcement Administration as priorities to address.

Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA)  tweeted, “Marijuana small businesses employ more than 240,000 workers and should be allowed to access coronavirus relief funds too. My colleagues and I are pushing to ensure they’re not left out of Congress’s next relief package.”

Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO) tweeted, “No small business should be left behind. This legal and profitable CO industry should be treated equally — including access to the emergency relief funds they need right now.”

/ STATES

The Michigan Supreme Court ruled that Byron Township’s restrictive medical cannabis home cultivation permitting ordinance does not violate state law.

Florida regulators began accepting hemp license applications.

Massachusetts regulators are allowing marijuana businesses to hold required community outreach meetings via virtual, web-based means.

Washington State regulators sent a newsletter about marijuana licensing issues.

—
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—

/ LOCAL

Denver, Colorado officials launched a work group to make recommendations on marijuana licensing.

/ SCIENCE & HEALTH

A review concluded that “preclinical models of epilepsy have shown that…cannabinoids have anticonvulsant properties” and that “the efficacy and safety of these products have been demonstrated in different open studies and randomized controlled clinical trials.”

A study found that “packaging in which each product unit contained one dose of THC enhanced consumers’ ability to identify how much of a product constitutes a standard serving or dose” and that “packaging products as individual doses eliminates the need for mental math and could reduce the risk of accidental overconsumption of cannabis.”

/ BUSINESS

The CEO of iAnthus Capital Holdings, Inc. resigned after an investigation by a special committee of independent directors concluded that he entered into two undisclosed loans that created a potential or apparent conflict of interest.

Cresco Labs announced quarterly revenue of $41.4 million and a net loss of $45.2 million. The company also cancelled an agreement to purchase assets of Tryke Companies, LLC.

eBay tweeted that “we don’t allow the sale of CBD products” and encouraged a person to report listings of those products on the site for deletion.

The New Republic looks at efforts to develop psychedelic medicine businesses.

/ CULTURE

Eddie Van Halen got frustrated by Fred Durst’s marijuana smoking during a jam session, according to a new book.

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