Marijuana Moment: Calif. State Fair to allow cannabis use & sales on site (Newsletter: June 19, 2024)

[Tokeativity]

Marijuana opponents: Delay rescheduling; MD gov: expungements needed; NY gov: illegal cannabis crackdown boosts legal sales; CA psilocybin; TX decrim

Subscribe to receive Marijuana Moment’s newsletter in your inbox every weekday morning. It’s the best way to make sure you know which cannabis stories are shaping the day.

Get our daily newsletter.

Email address:

Leave this field empty if you're human:

Your support makes Marijuana Moment possible…

BREAKING: Journalism is often consumed for free, but costs money to produce! While this newsletter is proudly sent without cost to you, our ability to send it each day depends on the financial support of readers who can afford to give it. So if you’ve got a few dollars to spare each month and believe in the work we do, please consider joining us on Patreon today.
https://www.patreon.com/marijuanamoment

/ TOP THINGS TO KNOW

The California State Fair will allow marijuana sales and on-site consumption for the first time this year, with next month’s event also continuing the cannabis awards competition that it has hosted for the last several years.

The House Rules Committee will consider amendments to block federal officials from seizing marijuana products from state-licensed businesses, as has occurred recently in New Mexico, and to prevent agencies from testing job applicants for cannabis in legalized jurisdictions.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) is pledging to build on his mass marijuana pardons by working with lawmakers to create a process to automatically expunge cannabis records as well.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) said the state’s enforcement actions against unlicensed marijuana businesses are resulting in increased sales at legal dispensaries. Some advocates, however, say the governor and corporate interests are undermining legalization’s equity goals.

Prohibitionist organization Smart Approaches to Marijuana is asking the Drug Enforcement Administration to delay its final cannabis rescheduling decision by allowing more time for public comment. The request was submitted by a law firm founded by former Trump administration Attorney General William Barr.

California lawmakers amended a bill to authorize a pilot program on psilocybin treatment for military veterans and first responders by narrowing eligibility criteria for participants and facilitators who could administer the psychedelic.

A Texas House candidate is leading a petitioning effort to put a marijuana decriminalization initiative on the local ballot in Bastrop, the latest in a city-by-city effort to reform cannabis policies across the state.

A Missouri marijuana dispensary on the border of Arkansas stays busy “from the time we’re open till the time we’re closed,” a manager says, with local officials estimating that 90 percent of license plates in the parking lot are from Arkansas.

/ FEDERAL

The House Ethics Committee is reviewing allegations that Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) engaged in illicit drug use and other misconduct.

Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD) tweeted about Maryland Gov. Wes Moore’s (D) mass marijuana pardon, saying, “I support @GovWesMoore’s efforts to make our criminal justice system fairer and address disparities + systemic challenges in our drug policy.”

Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) tweeted, “For decades, the criminalization of recreational marijuana use has harmed communities, wasted taxpayer dollars, hurt our economy & contributed to the scandal of mass incarceration for nonviolent offenses. This [mass cannabis pardon] move from @GovWesMoore is a major step forward to right these wrongs.”

Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) complained about illegal Chinese-backed marijuana cultivation operations in his state in a letter he sent Attorney General Merrick Garland pushing back against the Department of Justice’s lawsuit over an Oklahoma immigration law.

Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) tweeted, “Thank you @GovWesMoore for pardoning tens of thousands of our people saddled with marijuana convictions before Juneteenth. At all levels of government, let’s uplift civil liberties, civil rights and public health by ending the war on marijuana, a war on our own people.”

/ STATES

Colorado’s attorney general is suing a business for allegedly illegally selling marijuana products marketed as federally legal industrial hemp.

Massachusetts’s inspector general is urging lawmakers to appoint a receiver to manage the Cannabis Control Commission, calling it “a rudderless agency without a clear indication of who is responsible for running its day-to-day operations.”

A Florida representative authored an op-ed urging voters to approve the marijuana legalization initiative on the November ballot.

Washington State adopted rules concerning medical cannabis endorsement holders.

California regulators rejected a petition to harmonize rules on manufacture of cannabis edibles and other cannabis–infused products.

Delaware regulators launched a cannabis social equity validation application and disproportionately impacted areas map.

New Jersey regulators approved additional marijuana business licenses and discussed medical cannabis issues.

Missouri regulators posted the results of the second round of a marijuana microbusiness license lottery drawing.

Maryland regulators announced additional marijuana business license lottery winners to be awarded at the end of this month.

Minnesota regulators will open the cannabis social equity verification process on Monday.

Vermont regulators will begin issuing licenses for marijuana propagation cultivators next month.

Nevada regulators will consider changes to marijuana rules on Thursday.

Oregon regulators will consider marijuana business stipulated settlement agreements on Thursday.

—
Marijuana Moment is tracking more than 1,500 cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters pledging at least $25/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don’t miss any developments.

Learn more about our marijuana bill tracker and become a supporter on Patreon to get access.
—

/ LOCAL

New York City officials selected Tuatara Capital as investment manager of Cannabis NYC Loan Fund.

The Canton, Ohio City Council approved marijuana business rules.

/ INTERNATIONAL

A Western Australia lawmaker said he will continue pushing to legalize cannabis.

/ SCIENCE & HEALTH

A review suggested “the applicability of cannabis-based medicines for vasospastic and vaso-occlusive disorders affecting the hand (eg, Raynaud disease, Buerger disease).”

/ ADVOCACY, OPINION & ANALYSIS

The Baltimore Sun editorial board said Maryland Gov Wes Moore’s (D) mass marijuana pardon is only a first step toward repairing the harms of the drug war.

/ BUSINESS

Charlotte’s Web Holdings, Inc. has a new chief financial officer.

Healing Realty Trust closed the first tranche of its $25 million Series A funding round.

Make sure to subscribe to get Marijuana Moment’s daily dispatch in your inbox.

Get our daily newsletter.

Email address:

Leave this field empty if you're human:

The post Calif. State Fair to allow cannabis use & sales on site (Newsletter: June 19, 2024) appeared first on Marijuana Moment.

View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net