DEA admits new medical cannabis analysis is legit (Newsletter: September 18, 2024)

Dem Senator: Marijuana could win votes for Harris; Lawmaker tours cannabis biz & talks banking; AR poll; NY community grants; Medical marijuana study

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/ TOP THINGS TO KNOW

The Drug Enforcement Administration is acknowledging the legitimacy of the new two-part test that federal health officials used to determine that marijuana has a currently accepted medical use and should thus be rescheduled.

Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI) said marijuana is a “huge” issue that could “move votes” if Vice President Kamala Harris began talking about it in her presidential campaign. Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump’s campaign is attacking her cannabis prosecution record.

Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) posted videos of himself touring a marijuana business and discussing the importance of a cannabis banking bill that cleared the committee he chairs but which has stalled on the Senate floor without a vote.

A new poll shows that 54 percent of Arkansas likely voters support a ballot initiative to expand medical cannabis access by letting patients grow marijuana at home and allowing doctors to recommend it for any medical condition they see fit.

The New York Office of Cannabis Management is launching a $5 million grant program funded by marijuana revenue to aid “communities disproportionately affected by prior federal and state drug policies in order to redress a wide range of community needs—from housing to childcare to job skills training and many areas in between.”

A new study found that medical cannabis use is “associated with improvements in physical, social, emotional and pain-related” quality of life.

“New medical marijuana users experienced improvements across all domains of [health-related quality of life] over the first three months” of use.

/ FEDERAL

President Joe Biden signed a bill to require the Government Accountability Office study on illicit financing in connection with the trafficking of synthetic drugs.

Former Rep. Joe Walsh (R-IL) tweeted, “Marijuana should be legal. In every state. And hey all you JD Vance ‘conservatives,’ people without kids have as much right to vote as you do.”

/ STATES

South Carolina’s attorney general issued an opinion on the legality of hemp-infused drinks.

The Florida marijuana legalization campaign launched a new Spanish-language ad.

Oklahoma regulators adopted changes to medical cannabis rules.

Vermont regulators issued a warning about hemp-derived THC products being offered for sale to licensed dispensaries.

A New York regulator said $1 billion in legal marijuana sales is “a reachable goal for this year.”

The New Jersey Economic Development Authority Board approved an investment in a company that’s developing a rapid diagnostic test for cannabis use.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife awarded a $3.1 million grant to assist more than 200 Mendocino County cannabis cultivators in meeting requirements to transition from provisional to annual licensure.

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/ LOCAL

New York City Council committees held a hearing on enforcement efforts against unlicensed cannabis businesses.

/ INTERNATIONAL

Germany’s Ministry of Food and Agriculture said it is still waiting for the Ministry of Health to submit draft legislation to allow for local legal marijuana sales pilot programs.

/ SCIENCE & HEALTH

A study found that”the daily application of topical hemp seed oil improved knee pain, physical function, and perceived knee stiffness compared to placebo in knee osteoarthritis patients.”

A review concluded that “psychedelic‐assisted therapy with classical psychedelics (psilocybin, LSD) may be effective for treating anxiety, depression, and possibly existential distress, in people facing a life‐threatening disease” and that it “seemed to be well tolerated, with no treatment‐emergent serious adverse events reported.”

/ ADVOCACY, OPINION & ANALYSIS

The American Bankers Association and Colorado Bankers Association released an ad highlighting Rep. Brittany Pettersen’s (D-CO) support for marijuana banking legislation.

The U.S. Hemp Roundtable submitted a formal comment about California regulator’s emergency rules to ban most hemp products.

/ BUSINESS

Barstool Sports and Green Thumb Industries are launching a partnership.

High Tide Inc. reported quarterly revenue of C$131.7 million.

Workers at the Apothecarium and Sweetspot in Burtonsville and Olney, Maryland, respectively, voted to unionize with United Food & Commercial Workers Local 400 Union.

/ CULTURE

Journalist Connie Chung joked about the marijuana strain named after her.

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