Less than two years after Missouri voters approved a ballot measure to legalize medical marijuana, dispensaries made the stateâs first cannabis sales to patients on Saturday. NâBliss Cannabis opened the doors of two separate St. Louis County locations, in Ellisville and Manchester.
âMissouri patients have always been our north star as we work to implement the stateâs medical marijuana program,â Dr. Randall Williams, director of the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, said in a press release. âWe greatly appreciate how hard everyone has worked so that patients can begin accessing a safe and well-regulated program.â
Officials have touted the speed with which they have gotten the voter-approved cannabis program off the ground, saying it is âone of the fastest implementations of a medical marijuana program in the United States.â âA tremendous amount of work has occurred by the licensed facilities and our team to get us to this point, and we continue to hear from more facilities that they are ready or almost ready for their commencement inspection,â Lyndall Fraker, director of the Section for Medical Marijuana Regulation, said in a press release. âWe look forward to seeing these facilities open their doors to serve patients and caregivers.â
The impending launch of sales on Saturday was first announced by the Missouri Medical Cannabis Trade Association on Friday and reported by The Springfield News-Leader.
The state, which has so far licensed 192 dispensaries and expects most of them to open their doors by the end of the year, posted an interactive map that tracks the status of approved medical marijuana businesses. For months, regulators have been caught up in lawsuits and appeals challenging their licensing decisions, with revenues that would otherwise go to supporting veteran services instead being allocated to covering legal costs. Missouri isnât the only state to see medical cannabis sales launch this weekend. Virginiaâs first medical marijuana dispensary also held its grand opening on Saturday. Meanwhile, recreational sales of marijuana rolled out in Maine last weekâfour years after voters there approved a legalization ballot measure.
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Montana Marijuana Legalization Initiative Faces Last-Minute Legal Challenge In State Supreme Court10/16/2020 A campaign to legalize marijuana in Montana is facing a last-minute legal challenge, even as residents are already participating in early in-person voting and submitting mail-in ballots that feature a pair of cannabis reform initiatives. Prohibitionists have retained a law firm that’s preparing a lawsuit to be filed before the state Supreme Court against the statutory adult-use legalization measure, arguing that it violates state law by including provisions that would appropriate funds to specific programs. But New Approach Montana, the group behind the initiative, says their opponents “are simply trying to cause confusion.” The proposal in question would establish a legal cannabis market for adults in the state, while a separate constitutional amendment that’s also on the ballot would stipulate that only those 21 and older could enter the market. Only the former measure is being targeted by the soon-to-be-filed case. “We have prepared this lawsuit and we are in the process of filing it,” Steve Zabawa of Wrong for Montana said during a press call, KGVO reported. “Brian Thompson at BKBH is our attorney, and we’re going to ask that the Supreme Court of Montana remove this thing because it is a flawed initiative.” He cited Article III, Section IV of the state constitution, which says citizens “may enact laws by initiative on all matters except appropriations of money and local or special laws.” Under the legalization initiative, half of the public revenue generated from marijuana sales would go toward environmental conservation programs—a provision that earned the campaign key endorsements last month. For what it’s worth, a 2018 ballot measure that made it on the ballot but was rejected by voters would have increased tobacco taxes and used revenue to fund health programs. But after opponents sent a letter to the secretary of state arguing that it was unconstitutional based on the same appropriations statute, the official said he would not be removing it. The issue did not reach the courts, however. “I hope next week that the Montana Supreme Court sets a date to hear it and gets it out to their seven justices and then they come to they read through it and then do their research and then throw the initiative off the ballot,” Zabawa told the radio station. “That’s best case for us.” Of course, the initiative is already on the ballot and voting has started, so presumably if the court sided with the plaintiffs, the votes simply wouldn’t be counted or implementation would be prevented. It is also possible that the court could rule that monies raised by legal cannabis sales under the initiative would simply into the state’s general fund instead of toward the specific programs delineated in its current text. In addition to the cannabis revenue earmarked for land, water and wildlife conservation programs, the proposal aims to send funds toward veteran services, substance misuse treatment, health care and local governments, with the rest already being pegged to the general fund. Zabawa, of Wrong for Montana, also recently filed a complaint with state regulators asking that a nonprofit organization that contributed to the legalization campaign be forced to disclose its donors. Pepper Peterson of New Approach Montana told Marijuana Moment that the “people of Montana will see right through [the lawsuit], as they continue to vote Yes on CI-118 and I-190.” “They know that legalizing marijuana for adults 21 and over will generate $236 million in new revenue over the next six years, expand access to medical marijuana for patients including veterans, and stop wasting law enforcement time and resources arresting Montanans for marijuana possession,” he said. “These initiatives, which were filed in January, have already been vetted and approved by the Montana attorney general. They are well written and closely follow existing Montana law.” “The opposition campaign has been spreading misinformation across Montana for weeks, and this lawsuit announcement is just the latest chapter,” he said. Thompson, the attorney representing the plaintiffs, told Marijuana Moment in a brief phone interview that the complaint would be filed “in the near future,” though he declined to give an exact timeline or share a copy of the draft filing. If the challenge goes through and the legalization initiative is invalidated, that would mark the second time this election cycle that citizen-led reform efforts have been killed by the courts. The Nebraska Supreme Court ruled last month that a measure to legalize medical cannabis that had qualified for the November ballot could not proceed because it violated the state’s single-subject rule for ballot initiatives. Should the Montana campaign prevail against the legal challenge, however, recent polling indicates that voters are positioned to approve it. Forty-nine percent of respondents in a survey released this week said they support the policy change, with 39 percent opposed and 10 percent remaining undecided.
Photo elements courtesy of rawpixel and Philip Steffan. The post Montana Marijuana Legalization Initiative Faces Last-Minute Legal Challenge In State Supreme Court appeared first on Marijuana Moment. from https://www.marijuanamoment.net/montana-marijuana-legalization-initiative-faces-last-minute-legal-challenge-in-state-supreme-court/ New Jersey voters support a marijuana legalization referendum that’s on their ballots by a nearly three-to-one margin, according to a new poll released on Friday. The Stockton University Polling Institute survey found that when likely voters were asked whether they “support or oppose a constitutional amendment legalizing marijuana in New Jersey,” 66 percent were in favor, compared to 23 percent in opposition. A separate poll released last week found that voters back the Garden State marijuana referendum by a similar margin of 61 percent to 29 percent. Another survey last month showed 65 percent of voters in support of the cannabis ballot question. In a press release, the pollsters from Stockton emphasized that “margins in actual election results for ballot questions are typically less than found in the polls” and that “the reason may be that the number of voters who actually cast votes at the end of the ballot, where public questions are placed, are generally fewer than at the top of the ballot.” That could be a concern for cannabis legalization advocates since the New Jersey referendum is on the back of the ballot, where some voters may not see it. In light of that, activists have made a concerted effort to get voters to “turn the page” to make sure they weigh in on the marijuana question. The university didn’t publish demographic breakdowns from the poll in its release but did share them at Marijuana Moment’s request. “We found that support for the amendment to legalize steadily decreased as age increased,” Alyssa Maurice, a research associate with the William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy, said. “Among 18-29 year old respondents, 88% said they supported it. Among 30-49 year-olds, 76% supported. 60% of 50-64 year-olds and 52% of those 65 and older did. “There was also stronger support among those who identify as Democrats (76%) than Republicans (52%),” she said. In terms of topline numbers, nine percent of respondents said they were neutral on the legal cannabis issue, one percent said they weren’t sure and another one percent refused to answer the question. The poll involved interviews with 721 likely voters from October 7 to 13 and has a margin of error of +/- 3.7 percentage points. Meanwhile, New Jersey isn’t the only state that appears poised to approve cannabis reform this election cycle. Two polls released on Thursday show Arizona’s marijuana legalization ballot measure with a solid lead. And a survey from earlier this week found that 49 percent of Montana likely voters are in favor of recreational legalization proposals on the ballot, with 10 percent still undecided. In New Jersey, the marijuana referendum has the support of top state officials and a robust campaign operation. NJ CAN 2020, one of two campaign committees working to pass the cannabis referendum, released a series of English- and Spanish-language video ads earlier this week. Meanwhile, campaign finance records compiled by the state this week show that legal marijuana supporters are out-raising opponents by a ratio of nearly 130:1. Gov. Phil Murphy (D), who has been strongly campaigning for the legalization proposal and stressed at a fundraiser for the campaign that the state “can’t fail” at enacting reform this round, also urged a “yes” vote in a separate ad released by NJ CAN 2020 this month. The governor has said that the ongoing criminalization of cannabis in New Jersey wastes taxpayer dollars, and he’s emphasized that prohibition is enforced in a racially disproportionate manner. Murphy similarly said in a recent interview that the marijuana reform proposal prioritizes social justice. “I wish we could have gotten it done through a legislative process,” he said at the time, referencing lawmakers’ inability to advance a legalization bill last session. “We just couldn’t find the last few votes, so it’s on the referendum. I’m strongly supporting it—first and foremost for social justice reasons.” Last month, Murphy also called on voters to support the proposal in an email blast that was circulated by the New Jersey Democratic State Committee. “Legalization would right those wrongs while also spurring massive economic development opportunities, job creation, and new tax revenue,” the governor wrote. “Now, we have the opportunity to get this done and finally legalize adult-use marijuana here in the Garden State, and I need your help to make it happen.” He said in July that legalizing cannabis is “an incredibly smart thing to do” both from an economic and social justice perspective. The governor isn’t alone in his attempts to get out the vote for cannabis reform. Filmmaker Kevin Smith urged his Twitter followers earlier this month to “VOTE YES when you see State Public Question Number 1: Constitutional Amendment to Legalize Marijuana.” NJ CAN 2020 launched its first video ad promoting the legalization referendum last month. Legislators attempted to enact the policy change during the last session, but when negotiations stalled, they opted to put the question to voters in the form of a referendum. If the measure is approved on Election Day, the legislature will then have to pass implementing legislation containing details for how the legal cannabis market will work. In June, the state Assembly passed a cannabis decriminalization bill that would make possession of up to two ounces a civil penalty without the threat of jail time, though it hasn’t advanced in the Senate. Meanwhile, a key state senator said that legislative leaders are close to finalizing a bill to implement the details of a legal cannabis framework. He said it could be passed in the first week of November if voters approve the ballot referendum.
The post Another New Jersey Poll Shows Marijuana Legalization Passing By A Huge Margin appeared first on Marijuana Moment. from https://www.marijuanamoment.net/another-new-jersey-poll-shows-marijuana-legalization-passing-by-a-huge-margin/ The Oregon campaign behind a ballot initiative to decriminalize drug possession and expanding funding for substance misuse treatment is rolling out a series of TV and online ads promoting the measure. The advertisements, which feature people from a diversity of backgrounds speaking to their personal experiences with the drugs and the criminal justice system, come as mail-in ballots are being distributed to registered voters. Thematically, the short spots are consistent in their message: low-level drug offenses should be treated as a public health issue, and subjecting people to the criminal justice system for substance use is counterproductive and carries life-long consequences. Here’s each new ad, along with their scripts: Hubert Matthews (TV)“My name is Hubert. I’m a veteran. I’m a father. I’m a productive member of society. Now that I’ve been clean for 10 years, I go into the criminal justice system courts and let the system know, look, jail is not going to help this person. We need to get this person some treatment. This is why I know that treatment is the answer to helping people change their lives, not the criminal justice system. I know Measure 110 will help me be able to help more people. Help us by supporting Measure 110.” Amelia Fowler (TV)“My dad was always my biggest cheerleader. He was always behind me, 1,000 percent. But he struggled with drug addiction. He wanted to quit using, but couldn’t. We couldn’t find him treatment and support. He died of an overdose last November. I’m supporting Measure 110 to provide treatment and recovery services, not punishment for possession of a small amount of drugs. Putting people in jail ruins families, when treatment can help families. Yes on 110 will help.” Katie, RN (TV)“I’m a nurse who treats patients with addictions. We know a jail term isn’t good drug treatment. It ruins lives, makes it hard to get a job, credit or an apartment when you get out. Measure 110 fixes that. It just says people won’t get jail time simply for possession of small amounts of drugs. Instead, they get connected to treatment or recovery services, including housing assistance to help them get their lives back on track. Vote yes on Measure 110.” Katy Wagner, high school principal (Online)“Vote for drug treatment instead of punishment. 110 can redirect money that we’re already receiving to support our kids and our families where they most desperately need it. It can completely change someone’s life. Vote yes on 110.” Donell Morgan (Online)“The first time I ever voted, I was 18. I had to stand in line and I was excited, man, and I’ve voted every year. It’s important because so many people died and fought for this right. With George Floyd, with a pandemic, it’s probably the first time in my lifetime that black people have the opportunity to be heard. Measure 110 is going to give adults, not just in the African American community, but people of all colors, the opportunity to fail safely. We don’t want failure to become who you are. My name is Donnell Morgan, I’m the executive director of Elevate Oregon, and I’m voting yes on 110.” Janie Gullickson (Online)“My name is Janie Gullickson. I was addicted to drugs for over 22 years. For five of those years, I spent more time in county jails than I did free. Treatment was never offered. Treatment was the turning point. This ballot measure funds treatment and recovery services. It decriminalizes addiction. That saves lives.” The advertisements will reach more voters thanks to a recent $500,000 campaign contribution from a foundation run by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife. The new spots aren’t the first ads that Oregonians may have seen from the campaign. It launched its first video urging a “yes” vote on the decriminalization initiative in August. They’s also not the only ads promoting a far-reaching drug policy reform proposal that are being aired in the state. The campaign behind a separate initiative to legalize psilocybin for therapeutic purposes is reaching voters through a TV ad that was released earlier this month that features a state lawmaker who is also a medical doctors. Activists are also using billboards to highlight the medical potential of the psychedelic. A nonprofit veterans group recently released a separate TV ad touting the benefits of psilocybin therapy. It doesn’t explicitly mention the psychedelic reform measure, but it could help further inform how voters approach that question nonetheless. For the broader drug decriminalization proposal, advocates are also getting a congressional boost. In a Facebook post, the campaign shared a quote from Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), who has endorsed the initiative. “One of the most urgent issues we face is the unconscionable shortage of drug treatment for people who want help as they struggle with drug addiction,” the congressman said. “Instead of providing treatment, we treat them as criminals, making things incalculably worse for them, their families and the rest of the community while wasting huge sums of money.” “That is why I am such a strong supporter of Ballot Measure 110,” he said. “Measure 110 will help shift Oregon to a health-based approach to a health-based drug addiction crisis. This is more compassionate, more effective, safer, and simple common sense. Please join me in voting Yes on Measure 110.” Blumenauer has also backed the psilocybin initiative. The post Watch The Oregon Drug Decriminalization Campaign’s New TV Ads For Historic Ballot Measure appeared first on Marijuana Moment. from https://www.marijuanamoment.net/watch-the-oregon-drug-decriminalization-campaigns-new-tv-ads-for-historic-ballot-measures/ Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden reiterated on Thursday that he supports decriminalizing marijuana and thinks people should not be incarcerated for drug possession but should instead be forced into treatment. At the same time, President Trump attempted to cast himself as the criminal justice reform candidate. The comments came during simultaneous town halls that the contenders held on competing networks. On ABC, the former vice president was pressed on the racially disparate impacts of the 1994 Crime Bill that he authored during his time as a senator. Biden defended certain components of the legislation, including funding for drug courts as an alternative to the conventional court system for some substance-related cases. “I don’t believe anybody should be going to jail for drug use. They should be going into mandatory rehabilitation,” he said. “We should be building rehab centers to have these people housed.” “We should decriminalize marijuana,” Biden added. “Wipe out the record so you can actually say, in honesty, ‘have you ever been arrested for anything?’ You can say ‘no’ because we’re going to pass a law saying there is no background you have to reveal relative to the use of marijuana.”
The moderator pointed out that, under the crime legislation Biden helped craft, there was a significant increase in the number of people convicted for low-level drug offenses. The nominee conceded that components of the legislation were a “mistake” but attempted to place much of the blame on prosecutors at the state, rather than federal, level. He also discussed steps that were taken to resolve racial disparities in sentencing for certain offenses. Earlier in the event, Biden stated that “drug abuse doesn’t cause mental illness, mental illness causes drug abuse—the failure to get hold of people and deal with their anxieties.” Over on NBC, Trump didn’t touch directly on cannabis policy at his town hall event, but he did argue that he’s the superior criminal justice reform candidate. “I do have to say this—and some people don’t like it when I say it, but a lot of people agree—I have done more for the African-American community than any president, with the exception of Abraham Lincoln,” he claimed. “Criminal justice reform, prison reform, historically black colleges and universities, I got them funded.” In a fact-check page on Biden’s town hall, the Trump reelection campaign also challenged several of his responses as they concern his drug policy record. “The 1994 crime bill that Biden authored included a ‘three strikes’ provision that led to mandatory life sentences,” it says. “Biden co-sponsored the 1988 Anti-Drug Abuse Act which extended mandatory minimums for people under 21 who sold marijuana.” The two candidates’ town hall comments are largely consistent with what voters have seen throughout the campaign. While Biden has not embraced marijuana legalization, he and his running mate Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) have repeatedly drawn attention to their decriminalization proposal. In addition to decriminalizing possession and expunging prior records, Biden also backs modest federal rescheduling, legalizing medical cannabis and letting states set their own laws. And the Trump campaign has repeatedly leveraged Biden’s Senate record to frame him as the “architect” of the drug war and argued that Trump has done more for criminal justice reform by, for example, signing sentencing reform legislation into law and granting clemency to a small number of people who have been convicted of drug crimes. The president, when asked, has voiced support for allowing states to enact their own marijuana policies without federal interference, but his administration has also taken a number of hostile anti-marijuana actions that fall short of a full-scale crackdown.
The post Biden Talks Marijuana Decriminalization While Trump Promotes Criminal Justice Record At Dueling Town Halls appeared first on Marijuana Moment. from https://www.marijuanamoment.net/biden-talks-marijuana-decriminalization-while-trump-promotes-criminal-justice-record-at-dueling-town-halls/ Virginia Governor Signs Marijuana Reform Bill As States First Medical Dispensary Prepares To Open10/16/2020 The governor of Virginia signed a modest marijuana reform bill into law this week, a move that comes days before the state’s first medical cannabis dispensary is set to open. Gov. Ralph Northam (D), who approved legislation to decriminalize low-level marijuana possession earlier this year, put his signature on a bill that will allow people issued summonses for the offense to prepay their civil penalty rather than having show up in court. The bill is one of several dealing with cannabis reform that have advanced in the Commonwealth during a special session. For example, Northam has until October 21 to act on separate legislation that’s also on his desk that would make it so police could not “stop, search, or seize any person, place, or thing solely on the basis of the odor of marijuana.” Bills to facilitate the expungement of prior convictions, including for cannabis and other drugs, were also passed by lawmakers and have been sent to a bicameral conference committee, where House and Senate members have been appointed to negotiate and resolve differences between the chambers’ competing proposals. Under the House measure, eligible convictions would be automatically expunged after a period of eight years. The Senate’s version, meanwhile, would allow people to petition to have their records cleared after a period of five years. The House bill covers more drug crimes, as well. During the state’s regular legislative session earlier this year, the governor and legislators also expanded Virginia’s limited medical cannabis program. And on that note, the first licensed medical marijuana dispensary, Dharma Pharmaceuticals, will be having its grand opening on Saturday, where activists with Virginia NORML will join in the celebration. Because of a regulatory change to Virginia’s program that broadened the definition of what products cannabis patients can lawfully possess, organizations like NORML and the Marijuana Policy Project now consider the state to be the 34th in the U.S. to meet its definition for having an effective medical marijuana system. All of these incremental changes come as legislators continue to pursue a broader adult-use legalization plan in the Commonwealth that would include a system of regulated and taxed sales and production. The decriminalization bill that passed earlier this year contained a provision that called for the establishment of a working group to study and make recommendations about adult-use marijuana legalization. That panel is expected to issue its report to the legislature at the end of November. Meanwhile, the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee is doing its own analysis on ending cannabis prohibition and will similarly report on its findings before the end of the year. A bill to legalize marijuana was filed for the special session by a delegate running to replace the term-limited Northam in 2021, but it has yet to advance out of the committee to which it was referred. The governor hasn’t expressed any particular interested in enacting the broader reform before he leaves office, but he is publicly embracing the state’s existing hemp and CBD industry.
On Thursday, Northam participated in a ribbon cutting ceremony at a major CBD extraction business in the state.
The post Virginia Governor Signs Marijuana Reform Bill As State’s First Medical Dispensary Prepares To Open appeared first on Marijuana Moment. from https://www.marijuanamoment.net/virginia-governor-signs-marijuana-reform-bill-as-states-first-medical-dispensary-prepares-to-open/ Polls: AZ legal marijuana leads; CO official touts psychedelic benefits; USDA to survey 18k hemp biz; NZ legal cannabis referendum on Sat. 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. Your support makes Marijuana Moment possible… Wait a sec! I could use your help. We need more subscribers to ensure the best possible cannabis news coverage between now and the 2020 election. If you can kick in a few dollars a month, we’d have funding to increase our reporting capacity in these critical final months.
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The U.S. Department of Agriculture is proposing to survey 18,000 hemp businesses about how they grow and sell the newly legal crop, including questions on issues such as acreage, seeds, fertilizer, marketing, labor costs and storage.
The Colorado Springs, Colorado City Council president shared an anecdote about how his sister-in-law benefited from using psilocybin mushrooms following a cancer diagnosis. The comments came as activists presented a proposal to locally decriminalize psychedelics in the military-heavy community. / LOCAL Make sure to subscribe to get Marijuana Moment’s daily dispatch in your inbox. The post SCOTUS nominee pressed on cannabis (Newsletter: October 16, 2020) appeared first on Marijuana Moment. from https://www.marijuanamoment.net/scotus-nominee-pressed-on-cannabis-newsletter-october-16-2020/ The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is planning to distribute a national survey to gain insights from thousands of hemp businesses that could inform its approach to regulating the industry. In partnership with the the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture and the University of Kentucky, the federal agency intends to “conduct a survey to collect information from U.S. hemp producers on current production costs, production practices, and marketing practices,” according to a notice set to be published in the Federal Register on Friday. “The survey will also be administered to Tribes that have approved hemp production programs, in order to get input from tribal hemp production,” the department said. But before it can send questionnaires out, the department has to formally request approval to circulate the surveys from the White House Office of Management and Budget, and so it’s opening a 60-day comment period where stakeholders can submit feedback on the necessity of its proposal and areas where the scope of the survey can be improved, among other topics. If authorized, USDA said it expects about 18,000 hemp producers to participate in the survey, which will consist of four main components and which it expects to take respondents a half-hour to complete. First, it wants data on production location, licensed acreage, planted acreage and harvested acreage by end-use. “Collecting this information is necessary to develop an understanding of the industry across the country,” USDA wrote. Then there will be a section on “production costs and practices” that touches on issues related to seeds, labor, fertilizer, licensing fees and testing. “This section dives deeper into the production costs for hemp and asks specific questions about the types of hemp,” the department said. Another section will cover “contracting and marketing practices” and will include questions about farmgate pricing by end use, contract usage, contract structure and storage. A final demographic section will collect information on producers’ ages, education levels, experiences, household sizes and races. “The data obtained from the survey will be used for forecasting hemp activity and to develop a representative understanding of hemp production practices and costs at national, regional, and state levels,” the agency said. “Once the survey has been administered and the results collected, the University of Kentucky will summarize the raw data from the survey into a comprehensive report for [USDA].” This survey announcement comes one week after USDA closed an extended public comment period on its proposed hemp regulations. Its initial round saw more than 4,600 submissions, but it said last month that it was reopening the feedback period in response to intense pushback from stakeholders on its original proposal. The federal Small Business Administration (SBA) said last month that the new 30-day comment window is too short and asked USDA to push it back, and it also issued a series of recommended changes to the interim final rule on hemp, which it says threaten to “stifle” the industry and benefit big firms over smaller companies. All told, it appears that USDA is taking seriously the feedback it’s received and may be willing to make certain accommodations on these particular policies. The department’s rule for hemp is set to take effect on October 31, 2021. In July, two senators representing Oregon sent a letter to Perdue, expressing concern that hemp testing requirements that were temporarily lifted will be reinstated in the agency’s final rule. They made a series of requests for policy changes. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) wrote to Perdue in August, asking that USDA delay issuing final regulations for the crop until 2022 and allow states to continue operating under the 2014 Farm Bill hemp pilot program in the meantime. Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO) also called on USDA to delay the implementation of proposed hemp rules, citing concerns about certain restrictive policies the federal agency has put forward in the interim proposal. The earlier pilot program was initially set to expire on October 31, but it was extended to September 2021 through a congressional continuing resolution that the president signed late last month. The senators weren’t alone in requesting an extension, as state agriculture departments and a major hemp industry group made a similar request to both Congress and USDA in August. Perdue has said on several occasions that DEA influenced certain rules, adding that the narcotics agency wasn’t pleased with the overall legalization of hemp. Amid the coronavirus pandemic, hemp industry associations pushed for farmers to be able to access to certain COVID-19 relief loans—a request that Congress granted in the most recent round of coronavirus legislation. While USDA previously said that hemp farmers are specifically ineligible for its Coronavirus Food Assistance Program, that decision was reversed last month. While the department initially said it would not even reevaluate the crop’s eligibility based on new evidence, it removed that language shortly after Marijuana Moment reported on the exclusion. Two members of Congress representing New York also wrote a letter to Perdue in June, asking that the agency extend access to that program to hemp farmers. Hemp farmers approved to produce the crop do stand to benefit from other federal loan programs, however. The department released guidelines for processing loans for the industry in May.
Photo courtesy of Pixabay. The post USDA Wants To Survey 18,000 Hemp Businesses About How They Grow And Sell The Crop appeared first on Marijuana Moment. from https://www.marijuanamoment.net/usda-wants-to-survey-18000-hemp-businesses-about-how-they-grow-and-sell-the-crop/ New Zealand voters will have a chance to decide on a referendum to legalize marijuana nationwide on Saturday—but don’t expect to see the results until a few weeks later. Early voting has been open since October 3, and advocates have been strongly pushing for a “yes” vote on the initiative, which would legalize cannabis for adults aged 20 and older. But recent polling indicates that it’s going to be a close race, likely adding to the anxiety of the delay in releasing results after Election Day. “We won’t count referendum votes on election night,” the nation’s Electoral Commission says. Instead, preliminary results for the cannabis referendum, as well as a separate ballot question on end of life choices, will be posted on October 30. The final results for the ballot measures and the general election will be declared on November 6.
Under the Cannabis Legalisation and Control Bill, unveiled by the government in April, adults would be able to purchase and possess marijuana, cultivate two plants for personal use and visit cannabis “coffee shops” where on-site consumption would be allowed. They could purchase up to 14 grams of cannabis from licensed retailers and also gift up to 14 grams to another adult. If more than 50 percent of voters approve the ballot question, marijuana wouldn’t be immediately legalized. Rather, it would still be incumbent on Parliament to enact the legislation. While some wanted the referendum to be self-executing, meaning the law would take effect as soon as it was approved by voters, this version is “binding” in the sense that lawmakers are effectively required to pass the bill—but it could still be amended, and it’s not clear how significant any changes could end up being. The three political parties that are part of the nation’s minority government coalition reached an agreement about the basic details of the legalization referendum and released that information in May 2019. The referendum on the issue is the product of a deal that the Green Party struck after agreeing to help install Labour Party head Jacinda Ardern as the prime minister following the 2017 election. After all of this work and campaigning around the legalization proposal, however, it remains deeply unclear where voters will ultimately come down. A poll released by the Helen Clark Foundation and the New Zealand Drug Foundation earlier this month found 49 percent support for the referendum and 45 percent are in opposition. Meanwhile, a separate survey from August showed just 39 percent of respondents favor the measure while 46 percent are against it. An internal poll from the Green party that was shared with The Spinoff showed that, of the 1,286 respondents surveyed from October 9-12, 278 had already voted and 50 percent of those individuals were against the referendum, versus 47 percent who back the proposal. Of the remaining 1,008 respondents, 45 percent said they were in favor of the policy change, 41 percent said there were against it and 14 percent remained undecided. If approved, New Zealand would become only the third country in the world with a national law allowing legal marijuana sales, after Uruguay and Canada. A handful of other nations have policies that allow possession and home cultivation. Meanwhile, Ardern, the prime minister, acknowledged during a recent debate that she has consumed cannabis in the past but has refused to say how she plans to vote on the referendum.
The nation’s justice minister said on Thursday marijuana prohibition has failed, but he added that the government has “no intention” of past cannabis convictions.
Photo courtesy of Tākuta. The post Don’t Expect Results On Saturday’s New Zealand Marijuana Legalization Vote For A Few Weeks appeared first on Marijuana Moment. from https://www.marijuanamoment.net/dont-expect-results-on-saturdays-new-zealand-marijuana-legalization-vote-for-a-few-weeks/ Support for a measure to legalize marijuana in Arizona is rising significantly, according to two new polls. A firm that’s been consistently tracking where Arizonans stand on candidates and ballot questions found that 55 percent of likely voters favor the cannabis legalization initiative in a survey released on Thursday, while 37 percent oppose it. A separate new poll shows 56 percent support among registered voters and 36 percent opposed. For the former poll, that represents a nine percentage point increase in support from when the same firm asked voters about the proposal last month. The other survey released on Thursday shows a five percentage point increase in favor of the measure from the last round of questioning, which was also in September. Both new results are largely consistent with an internal poll Smart and Safe Arizona, the campaign behind the initiative, shared with Marijuana Moment last month. That said, this time around, the language of the question asked by OH Predictive Insights (OHPI) was different than in its prior surveys. Rather than generally ask about the prospect of legalization in Arizona, as it has until now, the new poll used the official text of the description of the measure that voters will actually see on the ballot “The law would allow limited marijuana possession, use, and cultivation by adults 21 or older; amend criminal penalties for marijuana possession; ban smoking marijuana in public; impose a 16% excise tax on marijuana sales to fund public programs; authorize state/local regulation of marijuana licensees; and allow expungement of marijuana offenses.” It appears that the specificity of that language and descriptiveness of the initiative’s provisions compelled more people to back it, which bodes well for supporters leading up to Election Day. Another factor that OHPI identified as having moved the needle is increased support among voters of certain political ideologies. There was a 15 percentage point net increase in favor of the policy change among Democrats and a 41 percentage point net bump from independents, with supermajority support among both groups. Republicans oppose the reform, 23 percent to 68 percent, however. The legal cannabis measure enjoys majority support from men, women, people from every geographic region of the state and voters under age 54. The other new poll, conducted by Monmouth University, didn’t use language from the official ballot description—but it did explain the main components of the measure to respondents. “There is a measure on the ballot that would legalize the recreational use of marijuana for adults 21 years of age or older and allow residents to grow up to six marijuana plants for personal use. Marijuana use would be banned in public and a 16 percent tax would be placed on marijuana sold by licensed establishments. Will you vote for or against this measure?” It shows that 69 percent of Democrats, 63 percent of independents and 38 percent of Republicans support the legalization initiative. When it comes to age, 68 percent of those 18-49 years old and 56 percent of those 50-64 years old are in favor of the policy change. Only 37 percent of those 65 and older favor the proposal. There is majority support for the legal cannabis measure across racial and gender groups. In addition to the topline numbers for registered voters, the university also ran various likely voter scenarios, projecting that in a high turnout situation the measure would pass, 56 percent to 37 percent, while in a low turnout scenario it would be approved by a 54 percent to 39 percent margin. The Monmouth poll involved interviews with 502 registered voters from October 9-13 and has a margin of error of +/- 4.4 percentage points. The OHPI survey involved interviews with 608 likely voters from October 4-8 and has a margin of error of ± 4.0 percentage points. With less than three weeks left until Election Day, the new poll results are a promising signal to reform advocates that Arizona is ready to enact legalization, unlike in 2016 when voters rejected a similar proposal. Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Mark Kelly indicated this week that he is inclined to back the legal cannabis measure. Meanwhile, Arizona isn’t the only state that appears poised to approve cannabis reform this election cycle. A recent poll shows that 49 percent of Montana likely voters are in favor of recreational legalization proposals on the ballot, with 10 percent of voters still undecided. And in New Jersey, residents support a legalization referendum by a two-to-one margin, another survey found. If the Arizona measure is approved by voters, adults could possess up to an ounce of marijuana at a time and cultivate up to six plants for personal use. The measure also contains several restorative justice provisions such as allowing individuals with prior marijuana convictions to petition the courts for expungements and establishing a social equity ownership program Cannabis sales would be taxed at 16 percent. Tax revenue would cover implementation costs and then would be divided among funds for community colleges, infrastructure, a justice reinvestment and public services such as police and firefighters. The Department of Health Services would be responsible for regulating the program and issuing cannabis business licenses. It would also be tasked with deciding on whether to expand the program to allow for delivery services. In other state cannabis news, the Governor’s Regulatory Review Council last week approved a measure to loosen restrictions on prior marijuana use by police recruits. Photo courtesy of Philip Steffan. The post Support For Marijuana Legalization In Arizona Has Grown Significantly, Two New Polls Show appeared first on Marijuana Moment. from https://www.marijuanamoment.net/support-for-marijuana-legalization-in-arizona-has-grown-significantly-two-new-polls-show/ |
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