August 11, 2018
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ALEX HALPERIN
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The 2018 U.S. midterm elections are coming. And the primaries are already here. Register to vote and/or get the information you need to register here.
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Here's the news.
POLITICS
Politico reports on how Sen. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R) and fellow Kentucky Republican Rep. James Comer are close to victory on hemp legalization .

While the Senate farm bill would ban those convicted of drug felonies from joining the industry, states including Kentucky and South Carolina already ban those with drug misdemeanors from participating.  

The Atlantic says hemp could be a new crop for tobacco farmers.

Hemp is has once again been planted at Mount Vernon, George Washington’s historic home.

San Francisco is considering a program to train disadvantaged citizens for jobs in the cannabis industry.

Facing shortages and safety concerns, Washington is likely to overhaul its REC regulations within the next year.

With the September 1 deadline long blown, Ohio’s first licensed large grower says it will have its first product ready for testing by the end of the year.  Some Michigan MED shops may have to close in September on account of a slow state licensing process.

Gothamist says legalization in New York depends on Democrats winning in November.

New Jersey lawmakers could vote on REC as soon as September. Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf (D) said he doesn’t think the state’s ready for REC.

Matt Harrison, a co-author of California’s Prop. 64 REC law has some advice for New Jersey lawmakers: Avoid putting too many rules into a REC law.

New York gubernatorial candidate Cynthia Nixon (D) smoked pot twice in college and it wasn’t for her. She plans to try again once it’s legal in New York.

A bill sponsored by Rep. Charlie Crist (D-Fla.) would allow veterans with federal jobs to use MED. (Meanwhile, ProPublica’s Isaac Arnsdorf broke a big story about how three unaccountable Trump allies have shaped veterans policy for their own personal benefit.)

The Advocate looks at the convoluted MED licensing process in Louisiana.

Oklahoma cannabis activists acknowledged inflating the number of signatures they had collected to force a REC vote in November from about 75,000 to more than 132,000. Energy companies spent the most on efforts to oppose MED in Oklahoma.

North Dakota, which has not yet implemented its MED program, appears likely to vote in November on a very cannabis-friendly REC law.

Canadian border authorities have been quiet on what Canadians should tell US customs agents about cannabis use.

The Economist calls legalization in Canada, “a crazy quilt of cannabis retailing rules.”


The United Nations is at risk of being irrelevant amid rapid global shifts in drug policy.

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BUSINESS
Massachusetts cannabis commissioner, lawyer and social justice activist Shaleen Title, who helped lead a boycott of  the CWCB Expo last year after it invited Trump ally Roger Stone to speak, was invited to keynote this year. She declined the invitation and wrote:

“You took no responsibility, demonstrated no understanding or reflection, made no commitment to improve, and failed entirely to recognize that activists fought for decades and risked their freedom to fight the unjust laws whose repeal now makes possible your event and your profits.”
The newly approved CBD pharmaceutical Epidiolex, for treating severe pediatric epilepsy disorders, will cost $32,500 per year , likely leading some parents to seek CBD through other means.

NPR tells how one family’s fight to obtain CBD led to federal approval.

A new report from New Frontier says the market could grow to $30 billion by 2025 .

MJBiz Daily dives into the confusion in the California market , and more confusion, like the onset of annual, as opposed to temporary, licenses, yet to come. There’s also a backlog at California testing labs .

A new report from delivery app Eaze found high taxes keep about 18% of customers buying on the illegal market.

Northern California’s devastating fires have largely spared prime growing country , so far.  

California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones has been named chair of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ new Cannabis Insurance Working Group .

Facebook’s seemingly arbitrary standards for cannabis related content continue to infuriate the cannabis industry, and cost companies money.

An heir to the Wrigley chewing gum fortune led a $65M investment in Florida MED start-up Surterra.

Canna Law Blog looks into what tariffs mean for vaporizer imports from China . The site also analyzes UCANN’s closely-watched patent infringement case .

Minnessota MED company Vireo raised $16M .

Denver dispensaries sold a record $587M in cannabis last year.

Management at Sweet Leaf appear likely to be charged in the looping scheme which cost the company 26 licenses.

In Florida, a court ruling against vertically integrated companies could force state lawmakers to rewrite the MED law , Politico reports. Florida MED activist Gary Stein has started Clarity PAC to support pro-cannabis candidates and influence legislation. Plus, the market is experiencing additional growing pains .

Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi (R) filed a 57-page brief opposing smokeable MED .

At science site Inverse, researchers expressed skepticism about marijuana beer company Province Brands’ claim to have developed a “decelerant” which shortens how long the high lasts so the experience is more like drinking a beer.

In a statement to Civilized, Province CEO Michael “Dooma” Wendschuh stood by the decelerant claim . “We would love to tell you more, but at least until the patent applications are filed and become public, all we can say is that it is a proprietary process.”    

In 2016, I wrote a long story about Dooma’s previous cannabis company, Colorado-based Ebbu .   

Scotts Miracle-Gro CEO Jim Hagedorn is not happy with performance at the company’s hydroponics unit, Hawthorne Gardening.

A Wisconsin judge ordered Oregon business Atomic Glass to pay a $4.5M fine for selling synthetic cannabis, with names like “Spice” and “Kush.” The case was pursued as a civil forfeiture since the formulas change too fast to be outlawed, Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel (R) said.

Santa Cruz is emerging as a hot-bed for cannatech start-ups .

In southeast Colorado, the industry is adjusting to cheap cannabis . Prices have fallen from $2,400 to $500 per pound. In Oregon, businesses are adjusting to even lower prices . CBS visits struggling pot shops in Eugene , Ore.

Canadian dispensaries are skeptical of pharmacists dispensing MED advice at the chain Shoppers Drug Mart.

Canadian retail real estate giant RioCan, is poised to do very well in cannabis.


A Massachusetts woman who was fired for at home REC use is pushing for legislation to protect workers.

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Note: We made the difficult decision to reschedule our upcoming Recharge event for February 8, 2019.
HEALTH & SCIENCE
An Israeli study found most children with autism showed a reduction in problematic behavior after taking a high-CBD MED oil.
Another study found legalization doesn’t increase youth use. But a different study found teens who vape or use hookahs are more likely to try cannabis later.

NPR has the latest on the quest to invent a cannabis breathalyzer .

A lawsuit alleges Colorado created a secret way to police MED doctors , a lawsuit suppressed for years alleges.

Canada approved clinical trials to determine if CBD treats anxiety in pets . No US state or Canadian province allows vets to prescribe MED for animals and some US vets are wary to even discuss it .

Many Canadians told a survey that they had been in a car with a driver who had recently used cannabis.

CNN reports climate change is changing Lebanon-- the Middle East’s bread basket -- into a cannabis farm .

The American Psychological Association says psychedelics are edging closer to mainstream medical care.

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE
Harris County, Texas, (Houston) DA Kim Ogg ran as a reformer but is still charging five figure bails for pot possession and other minor offenses.

Philadelphia DA Larry Krasner will stop prosecuting minor possession charges.

Wesley Bell, a Missouri reformer who upset the prosecutor who was criticized for his handling of the Michael Brown case in Ferguson, Mo. makes the case for not prosecuting minor cannabis crimes.
President Trump lent his support to sentencing reform for non-violent drug offenders .

Federal, state and local officials collaborated to bust more than a dozen illegal grows in Denver.

California water regulators are helping to bust illicit growers.

Vox makes the case against complete drug legalization .

The Week has an explainer on the status of US private prisons.

A woman caught in Wyoming with a tiny amount of grocery store CBD faces up to five years in prison .

Anti-marijuana activist and donor Julie Schauer argued it’s “stressful, but not a big deal” for an 80-year old grandmother to spend a night in jail. She was arrested after her MED card expired.

The American Conservative says the country is ignoring a cocaine crisis in the Black community.

A Welsh police chief called for cannabis clubs to improve public safety.
CULTURE
Vice learns about Planet 13, the mega-dispensary/cannabis theme park under construction in Las Vegas. Planned features include a laser graffiti wall. It’s scheduled to open in November.

A new Vegas cannabis museum will exhibit the “red shark” Chevy Caprice from Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.
Organizers of the Maine Lobster Festival clawed back the Sea Goddess Pageant crown from the 18 year old winner, after a photo surfaced of her with a joint. There’s been a backlash.

Auburn University lost interest in a promising high school football player on account of his using MED to treat his epilepsy .

The Globe and Mail tells the history of Canada’s lesser-known alcohol prohibition , during World War I, and it’s lessons for legalization.

The stoner comedy scene is thriving in Toronto .

Marijuana Moment is luke warm on “ Hollyweed ,” a new Kevin Smith show described as Clerks in a dispensary.

A Berkeley dispensary has made arrangements to sell “ happiest meals ,” weed and fried chicken.
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Alex 

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