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Saturday, 01/18/2020 10:08:46 AM

Saturday, January 18, 2020 10:08:46 AM

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Congressional Committee Hearing Discusses Future of Cannabis Regulation, Illinois Adult-Use Sales Reach Nearly $20 Million in 12 Days: Week in Review

Members of the U.S. House of Representatives’ Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Health held a hearing Jan. 15 titled “Cannabis Policies for the New Decade.”

January 18, 2020
Melissa Schiller

https://www.cannabisdispensarymag.com/article/week-in-review-january-13/

This week, the U.S. House of Representatives’ Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Health held a hearing on the future of cannabis regulation, titled “Cannabis Policies for the New Decade.” Elsewhere, the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation announced that adult-use cannabis sales from Jan. 1 through Jan. 12 totaled nearly $20 million.

Here, we’ve rounded up the 10 headlines you need to know before this week is over.

* Federal: On Wednesday, members of the U.S. House of Representatives’ Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Health held a hearing on the future of cannabis regulation. Titled “Cannabis Policies for the New Decade,” the meeting included testimony from committee members and three witnesses: Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Nora Volkow, DEA Senior Policy Adviser Matthew Strait and FDA Deputy Director for Regulatory Programs Douglas Throckmorton.

This info is sourced from here:
https://www.cannabisdispensarymag.com/article/congress-subcommittee-hearing-cannabis-policies-law/

The committee was convened to discuss six cannabis reform proposals currently undergoing congressional consideration:

H.R. 171 Legitimate Use of Medicinal Marijuana Act (LUMMA)
H.R. 601 Medical Cannabis Research Act of 2019
H.R. 1151 Veterans Medical Marijuana Safe Harbor Act
H.R. 2843 Marijuana Freedom and Opportunity Act
H.R. 3797 Medical Marijuana Research Act of 2019
H.R. 3884 Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act of 2019 (The MORE Act).
The ongoing congressional interest in cannabis policy reform after the Senate Caucus panel voted in favor of the MORE Act late last year is promising, to be sure, but arguments continued to highlight the contradictory policies surrounding cannabis research. Pressed by committee members, the witnesses repeatedly acknowledged that the current Schedule-I status of cannabis drastically hinders empirical research while, at the same time, continuing to push the “more research is needed” mantra that has kept policy progress at a stand-still.

"We're in the biggest catch-22 that you could ever see or imagine," U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI) said, summarizing much of the day’s conversation.

The need for research on publicly available product was on everyone’s radar. When asked by U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ) whether researchers should have access to the cannabis sold at state-licensed dispensaries, Strait responded that the DEA had announced 33 pending applications in August 2019 and that an agency team would be reviewing and discussing the draft regulation already in the pipeline this week.

Meanwhile, Volkow and Throckmorton were hesitant to jump on board the call for de-scheduling in light of the risk-focused research their government health agencies have been so keen to concentrate on, instead highlighting the need for improved but controlled access for researchers.

“Everyone up here has expressed the same concern: We need more research,” U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA) said after insisting that cannabis is a “gateway drug.” He went on to press Strait on action items, next steps, policy implementation. “Tell us what we need to do. Mr. Strait, what do you need? Do you need a ‘Schedule-I-a’ that’s not going to have anything in this except for marijuana? That’s fine with me! I’ll create it. I’ll legislate that. But tell me what it’s going to take.”

Strait responded by pointing out a 150% increase in the number of Schedule-I cannabis researchers in the last five years. He referenced proposals from the NIDA and the DEA to streamline access to cannabis for researchers interested in the plant.

Not known for having the same deeply embedded conservative demeanor as the U.S. Senate, participating House committee members were vocal in demonstrating their collective cognitive dissonance over slow-moving federal agencies.

Amidst the expected, but only occasional, “gateway drug” myth mentions, important questions were raised. When questioned by U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA), the witnesses agreed that the single-source NIDA product coming from the University of Mississippi was inadequate, that researchers should be able to access a wider variety of products, and that there were real life consequences due to lack of access to public products.

U.S. Rep. John Sarbanes (D-MD) submitted a letter from the University of Maryland, whose Master of Cannabis Therapeutics program is the first of its kind, discussing their desire for better access to legal market products for research without fear of losing federal funding. This brought up the need for better medical education that teaches providers about cannabis. Volkow responded that the scientific community doesn’t yet know enough to develop these programs. No mention was made of including the study of the endocannabinoid system as core curriculum within medical courses.

Notable testimony came from U.S. Rep. Joe Kennedy (D-MA) who observed that federal policy still rests on the impediments and rhetoric created during the Nixon administration:

“Meanwhile, millions of Americans—mostly black and brown—have been locked up for non-violent drug offenses,” he said. “Meanwhile, desperate parents are forced to turn to a black market with no concern for patient safety to get their children the relief that they need. Meanwhile our cities and states are trying, and at times stumbling, to put in place thoughtful and thorough regulatory frameworks with zero support from federal partners. And meanwhile, a brand new corporate industry is rising up, rife with predictable economic injustices that spring up whenever government fails to regulate. Prohibition has clearly failed and America isn’t waiting for its government anymore.”

While the continued congressional dialogue around pushing forward cannabis legislation that opens up research access, patient access and helps repair the deep damage caused by the drug war is novel and important, it remains unlikely that this administration will see these needed changes through. What can be said after hearing legislators repeatedly ask why federal health agencies have not been able to work together to come up with a solution that allows research on products that people are already consuming right now, is that the lack of knowledge, research and regulation is more of a public health concern than the cannabis itself.

Digital editor Eric Sandy contributed to this report.




Missouri: The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) has started the process of awarding medical cannabis manufacturing licenses to 86 facilities that will be able to manufacture cannabis-infused products such as edibles, tinctures and concentrates. DHSS issued 60 medical cannabis cultivation licenses last month, as well as 10 testing lab licenses, and is expected to issue dispensary licenses and select seed-to-sale tracking systems by the end of the month. Read more here https://www.cannabisdispensarymag.com/article/missouri-issues-medical-cannabis-manufacturing-licenses/

Illinois: The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation has announced that adult-use cannabis sales from Jan. 1 through Jan. 12 totaled nearly $20 million. Dispensaries processed 495,385 transactions and raked in $19,709,345.10 during the first 12 days sales. Read more

At Cresco Labs’ cannabis cultivation facility in Joliet, Ill., employees voted 58-37 in favor of joining United Food and Commercial Workers Local 881. The vote signals the first successful unionization attempt in Illinois—and just one case in a growing history across the U.S. cannabis industry. Read more

Montana: New Approach Montana, a statewide campaign working to legalize, regulate and tax marijuana, has submitted two complementary 2020 ballot initiatives to the state government for review. The first is a statutory initiative that would legalize marijuana in Montana for adults aged 21 and over and establish a regulatory framework for cultivation and sales. The second is a constitutional amendment that would allow the legal minimum age for marijuana consumption to be 21. Read more here: https://www.cannabisdispensarymag.com/article/new-approach-montana-submits-2020-marijuana-legalization-ballot-initiative-for-state-review/

Florida: Sen. Jeff Brandes (R-Pinellas County) filed legislation Jan. 13 that would legalize adult-use cannabis in the state. The move comes after two political action committees suspended their efforts to get legalization initiatives on the state’s 2020 ballot. Read more

Minnesota: An audit of the Minnesota Health Department’s controls and compliance has revealed several ways that the state’s medical cannabis program is not being correctly monitored. Department of Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm submitted a response to the audit, indicating that health officials agree with the findings and that they have made efforts throughout the past year to improve their oversight of the program, and that further improvements may require legislative action. Read more

New Mexico: Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is renewing her push to legalize adult-use cannabis this year, and has officially added the issue to the state’s 2020 legislative agenda. Grisham announced in March 2019 that she would like to tackle cannabis legalization in this year’s 30-day legislative session, after a legalization proposal stalled in the Senate last year. Read more here: https://www.cannabisdispensarymag.com/article/new-mexico-governor-adds-adult-use-cannabis-legalization-to-2020-legislative-agenda/

New Jersey: An appeals court in New Jersey has ruled that an employer must reimburse a former employee for the cost of medical cannabis in a move that could have far-reaching effects for the industry. Courts in other states, such as Connecticut, New Hampshire and New Mexico, have also ruled that injured employees must be reimbursed for their medical cannabis costs, but this marks the first ruling that dismisses employer’s arguments about running afoul of federal law. Read more here:
https://www.cannabisdispensarymag.com/article/appeals-court-rules-new-jersey-company-must-cover-employee-medical-cannabis-costs/

Rhode Island: Gov. Gina Raimondo released a state budget plan Jan. 16 that includes a proposal to legalize adult-use cannabis and distribute the products through state-run retailers. This is the second year Raimondo is including adult-use cannabis legalization in the state budget; she introduced a similar proposal last year, which was ultimately unsuccessful. Read more here: https://www.cannabisdispensarymag.com/article/rhode-island-governor-includes-cannabis-legalization-proposal-state-budget-plan/






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