State Assembly sees basket of bills ... Smokers gonna smoke ... Flow Kana buys fallow winery ... Another contamination report ... What's a mother to do? ... and more.
LEGISLATION
Congressman Rohrabacher’s bill to protect state marijuana laws // Weednews
“Republican Congressman Dana Rohrabacher of California introduced legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives [last week] that would resolve the conflict between state and federal marijuana laws and allow states to determine their own marijuana policies.
If you smoke, you smoke; if you don’t, you don’t // The Cannabist
That’s one of the facts Colorado governor John Hickenlooper presented Tuesday to California lawmakers, referring to the fact that Coloradans using legal marijuana now are pretty much the same people who used it before legalization. That’s with the exception of youthful cannabis users; their numbers have decreased since legalization.
Ajax gets vote of confidence as head of BMCR // L.A. Times
“A state Senate panel recommended confirmation of Lori Ajax as California’s chief of marijuana regulation on Wednesday after she promised equal opportunity in making licenses available.
“The move came after Alice Huffman, president of the California NAACP, initially opposed the appointment of Ajaxbased on concerns that the strict rules she is developing might disproportionately exclude people of color from getting licenses to legally grow and sell pot.
“But Huffman said she and Ajax met and agreed to work together to address the concerns.”
Ajax is in San Francisco today for the International Cannabis Business Conference, where she spoke on a panel.
Bureau of Medical Cannabis Regulation seeks advisors // BMCR
“The committee will advise BMCR and the other licensing authorities – the California Department of Food and Agriculture and the California Department of Public Health – on the development of regulations that protect public health and safety while ensuring a regulated market that helps reduce the illicit market for cannabis. In addition, starting January 1, 2019, the committee will also publish an annual public report describing its activities the previous year, including any recommendations it makes to the state licensing authorities.”
COPS & COURTS
State Assembly considers a basket of bills // The Cannifornian
You thought Prop. 64 legalized marijuana in California? Well, it did. But it also opened up many other requirements relating to it; have a look.
Mendo lawsuit challenges cannabis business tax // Ukiah Daily Journal
“The lawsuit, if successful, would upend a compromise that members of the Planning Commission and the Board of Supervisors have embraced as a way to please both law-abiding cultivators and residents fed up with the hostile atmosphere that outlaw growers have introduced into their neighborhoods.”
No non-medical pot businesses in Mill Valley this year //Marin Independent Journal
“The council voted unanimously on Monday to lengthen a 45-day urgency ordinance banning recreational marijuana activity and medical marijuana dispensaries in city limits, an ordinance approved last month that now expires next January.
The extension will allow city officials to study issues surrounding commercial marijuana sales as well as provide time for state legislatures to develop its licensing and registration process, said Vin Smith, city planning director.”
BUSINESS
Flow Kana looks to buy historic Fetzer property // Press Democrat
“It would transform the former winery into a marijuana business with cultivation, processing, manufacturing, distribution and retail sales. Fetzer produced its first commercial vintage at the Redwood Valley site in 1968 and continued until transferring operations in 1999 to the North Coast Winery in Hopland.
“It’s the first organization to approach the planning department in connection with a commercial pot business, said County Planner Steve Dunnicliff.”
HEALTH
E-cigarettes prove safer than traditional smokes // Eureka Alert
“Ex-smokers who switched to e-cigarettes or NRT had significantly lower levels of toxic chemicals and carcinogens in their body compared to people who continued to smoke tobacco cigarettes. “But, those who used e-cigarettes or NRT while continuing to smoke, did not show the same marked differences, highlighting that a complete switch is needed to reduce exposure to toxins.”
Medical cannabis could save Medicare millions // vocative
“New Frontier Data, a market research company for the cannabis industry, said on Wednesday that their data analysis shows that if medical marijuana was available nationally, the decreased Medicare expenses for three widely used opioid painkillers — OxyContin, hydrocodone, and fentanyl — would lead to taxpayers saving over $220 million.”
Medical marijuana to be covered by German insurance // The Leaf Online
“Cannabis will be a legal prescription drug in Germany covered by insurance beginning March 19, 2017, thanks to a vote by the Bundestag in Berlin. Cultivation for medical use will be regulated by the state. Cannabis used as an adult social pastime remains prohibited.”
News of contaminated cannabis spreads // Leafly.com
“The December 2016 Emerald Cup drew more than 1,000 entries, including 735 strains of flower and 263 different concentrates. It also attracted more dirty marijuana than ever. Forty flower entries tested positive for pesticides. An unprecedented 25 percent of concentrate entries were disqualified for containing traces of banned chemicals.”
OPINION
“Ask Amy” tells mom to keep mum on pot // East Bay Times
Her grown son is growing marijuana in his basement. What’s a mother to do?
IN OTHER NEWS
DEA removes “fake news” from website // The Cannabist
“A document that put the DEA under fire for disseminating misinformation about marijuana’s health effects has disappeared from the agency’s website.
“As of Monday, “The Dangers and Consequences of Marijuana Abuse,” a nearly 45-page publication on the various ramifications of cannabis use, no longer was available on the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s website.”