WHAT WILL THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION DO ABOUT LEGALIZATION? ... STATE TREASUER EXPLORES BANKING WOES ... RECALL EXPLODING E-CIGS? ... HEALTH, ENVIRONMENT AND MORE.
LEGISLATION
Advocacy group wants to know where Trump Administration will stand on marijuana legalization // Vice.com
“[President-elect] Trump doesn't actually have a position regarding how he will handle the discrepancy between state and federal marijuana laws—and he has already proved that he will say one thing and then do the complete opposite.” And that’s why the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws has sent a letter asking, "Where will the new administration take cannabis policy?"
State Treasurer hears banking woes // Yubanet.com
“’It is clear the machinery of federal government is clunking along behind the trending preferences of the American people’,” [California State Treasurer John] Chiang said. ‘The people increasingly proclaim cannabis use acceptable. Yet federal law maintains its use is a crime.’
“The Cannabis Banking Working Group plans to hold at least four more meetings around the state.”
Cannabis will be legal, but employers can still require drug tests // SF Examiner
That little wrinkle and other details are explained here.
“Not yet,” Martinez Council says, further delaying marijuana ordinances // East Bay Times
“On Police Chief Manjit Sappal’s advice, the [Martinez] City Council voted to extend three urgency marijuana ordinances to allow time for thorough research on city’s legalization of marijuana options. The short-term ordinances were extended about 10 months, and can be extended for year after that.”
Hickenlooper’s advice to other governors // L.A. Times
John Hickenlooper, governor of Colorado, says other governors, including California’s Jerry Brown, contact him for advice on how to handle legalized marijuana.
“[H]e usually gives the same, specific advice: Focus on marijuana-infused brownies, gummy candies and lollipops.”
BUSINESS
Fires not all that threaten Bay Area artists // SF Chronicle.com
The Ghost Ship fire in Oakland has focused concerns about artists living in makeshift housing in old warehouses. Another concern is pot growers buying up similar properties, and evicting longtime residents.
HEALTH
Exploding e-cigarettes may generate recall // NY Daily News
“’Where there's smoke, there's fire and that seems to be the case, again and again, for many popular e-cigarettes that have injured dozens of people," according to U.S. Senator Charles Schumer of New York.
"’With any other product, serious action would have been taken, and e-cigarettes should be no exception. Despite the explosions, no recalls have been issued.’”
Pregnant women increasingly smoke cannabis // OregonLive.com
“In 2002, just over 2 percent of pregnant women reported using marijuana in the past month, compared with nearly 4 percent in 2014. Use was highest for those aged 18 to 25, with nearly 7.5 percent partaking in the past 30 days.
“Scientists also know that the main psychoactive component of marijuana, THC or tetrahydrocannabinol, can pass to the fetus through the placenta and to babies through breast milk.”
ENVIRONMENT
Recreational marijuana may increase environmental damage // Capradio.org
State agencies say they don’t have the resources to monitor legal grow sites and also crack down on illegal ones on public lands. Those illegal grows still provide much of the rest of the country with marijuana, whether it’s legal or not.
IT’S A CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE, SO KEEP IT UNDER CONTROL...
Parents, beware of smoking near the kids // NPR.org
Second-hand pot smoke can affect young children, a study finds. How? That hasn’t been determined. But inhaling any kind of smoke is unhealthy. And so is exhaling it around children.
IN OTHER NEWS….
The kids are all right, but how about Gramps & Grammy? // Washington Post
Anti-drug PSAs tend to focus on lowering teen use of marijuana. They may be working, because that age group is using less drugs and alcohol. But another group — those over 50 — is taking their place. See demographic breakdowns in this article.
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