Legalizing Marijuana

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1 🌿 thing: Weed drinks flood market

Image: Cann Companies that make cannabis-infused drinks are encouraging people to ditch booze for weed on 4/20. More people are going "California Sober" — no alcohol or hard drugs, just marijuana, thank you, Axios' Jennifer A. Kingson reports. There are now dozens of THC drinks, with names like Happi, Cantrip, Cann, Boldt and Artet (which calls itself a "cannabis aperitif"). Where marijuana is legal.

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US poised to ease restrictions on marijuana in historic shift, but it’ll remain controlled substance

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration will move to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug, The Associated Press has learned, a historic shift to generations of American drug policy that could have wide ripple effects across the country.

https://apnews.com/article/marijuana-biden-dea-criminal-justice-pot-f833a8dae6ceb31a8658a5d65832a3b8?

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⚡️ Feds loosen marijuana rules

A person smokes marijuana during a 420 celebration in New York City on April 20. Photo: Leonardo Munoz/AFP via Getty Images

The Biden administration is moving to ease federal restrictions on marijuana — a move that will likely boost the cannabis industry in states where it's legal and may make medical marijuana easier to obtain. Marijuana will still be illegal at the federal level. But it'll be reclassified as a drug with a relatively low risk of abuse. Right now, marijuana is a Schedule I drug — the same risk category as heroin. It'll soon move to Schedule II, on par with some prescription drugs. 💬 "This is going to help to normalize cannabis more than anything that's ever occurred in the U.S. since they started the war on drugs," David Culver, senior vice president at the U.S. Cannabis Council, told The Washington Post. That could be a political winner for Biden, particularly with young people. Advocates hope the federal policy shift will help bolster local efforts to reduce criminal penalties for marijuana possession. Go deeper.

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Marijuana Legalization Opponents Raise Money For Potential Lawsuit Against Federal Rescheduling Move

A day after the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) decision that marijuana will move to the less-restrictive Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act, a leading cannabis prohibition group sent an email to supporters asking for money to fuel its fight against the reform.

https://www.marijuanamoment.net/marijuana-legalization-opponents-raise-money-for-potential-lawsuit-against-federal-rescheduling-move/

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Parting shot: Feds chill on pot

Marijuana plants found growing in Southern California in March. Photo: Robyn Beck/Getty Images

The Biden administration is moving to reclassify marijuana, recognizing its medical uses and that it has less potential for abuse than other drugs, Axios' April Rubin and Stef Kight report. Zoom in: The DEA move would reclassify marijuana from a Schedule I drug, alongside heroin, LSD and ecstasy, to a Schedule III one, per the AP. Other Schedule III drugs include Tylenol with codeine, ketamine, anabolic steroids and testosterone.

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🌿 Marijuana industry gets green light

Data: YCharts. Chart: Jared Whalen/Axios The Biden administration's move to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug is huge news for the budding weed industry, Axios' Emily Peck, Felix Salmon and Dan Primack write. Why it matters: The industry has been held back by the drug's squishy legal status. Shares of Canopy Growth — one of the largest publicly traded cannabis companies — rose 82% yesterday on the news. 💡 How it works: Though dozens of states have legalized or decriminalized marijuana, at the federal level it's classified as Schedule 1 — drugs with high potential for abuse and no medical use. That's made it difficult for the industry to operate across state lines and access banking services. It also means cannabis companies can't deduct business expenses on their federal taxes. The result: Profit margins are low. Go deeper.

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What marijuana reclassification means for the United States

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration is moving toward reclassifying marijuana as a less dangerous drug. The Justice Department proposal would recognize the medical uses of cannabis, but wouldn’t legalize it for recreational use.

https://apnews.com/article/marijuana-reclassification-biden-garland-dea-3c9478472e124c7aaa9b934270b0d450?

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Still much unknown on how marijuana policies would change in states under Biden plan

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland has proposed loosening the illegal status of marijuana at the federal level – but that doesn’t mean the federal government now condones recreational or medicinal use in the many states that have legalized the drug.

https://floridaphoenix.com/2024/05/09/still-much-unknown-on-how-marijuana-policies-would-change-in-states-under-biden-plan/?

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Cannabis is about to be ‘re-scheduled’ by feds. What does that mean for FL Amendment 3 prospects?

The Biden administration’s announcement last month — that it plans to reclassify cannabis as a lower-risk substance nationwide — is being embraced as a positive development for advocates working to legalize the adult use of recreational marijuana in Florida. But critics say that decision can’t obscure the concerns that have surfaced in recent years stemming from its high potency.

https://floridaphoenix.com/2024/05/15/cannabis-is-about-to-be-re-scheduled-by-feds-what-does-that-mean-for-fl-amendment-3-prospects/?

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Daily marijuana use outpaces daily drinking in the US, a new study says

For the first time, the number of Americans who use marijuana just about every day has surpassed the number who drink that often, a shift some 40 years in the making as recreational pot use became more mainstream and legal in nearly half of U.S. states.

https://apnews.com/article/marijuana-cannabis-alcohol-drinking-daily-use-b91c2c5957fdb2d48e6616c3baa14c13?

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🌿 Charted: Weed boom

Data: Jonathan Caulkins in the journal Addiction. Chart: Axios Visuals Daily marijuana use has outpaced daily alcohol consumption in the U.S. for the first time, Axios' April Rubin writes from a study published yesterday in the journal Addiction. Why it matters: More people still drink alcohol than consume marijuana. But the numbers reflect massive changes in America's habits. 🧮 By the numbers: Daily or near-daily marijuana use grew by 269% from 2008 to 2022, according to an analysis conducted by Jonathan Caulkins, a Carnegie Mellon professor. The prevalence of daily or near-daily alcohol use fell by 7%.

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John Morgan, who pushed medical marijuana in FL, announces support for adult recreational cannabis

Orlando-based trial attorney and major Democratic fundraiser John Morgan, who spent more than $8 million of his own money to get medical marijuana legalized in Florida in 2016, announced on Wednesday that he is supporting Amendment 3, the constitutional amendment on the ballot in Florida this November that would legalize the adult use of recreational cannabis.

https://floridaphoenix.com/2024/05/29/john-morgan-who-pushed-medical-marijuana-announces-support-for-adult-recreational-cannabis-in-fl/?

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🌿 Martha's Vineyard is running out of pot

Geoff Rose, owner of Island Time in Vineyard Haven, which recently closed. Photo: Jonathan Wiggs/The Boston Globe via Getty Images It's legal to sell pot in Massachusetts, but illegal to transport it across the ocean. On Martha's Vineyard — one of the nation's top summer destinations — that means the only way to sell legal weed is to grow it yourself. The only commercial grower on the island recently announced it's suspending operations and will close its last dispensary when supplies run out, by September at the latest, AP reports. Part of the problem: Visitors want more variety and lower prices, and often bring their own supply over on the ferry.

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Martha’s Vineyard is about to run out of pot. That’s led to a lawsuit and a scramble by regulators

VINEYARD HAVEN, Mass. (AP) — An 81-year-old woman on Martha’s Vineyard drove up to the Island Time dispensary last week seeking her usual order of pot. But owner Geoff Rose had to tell her the cupboard was bare — he’d been forced to temporarily close three weeks earlier after selling every last bud and gummy.

https://apnews.com/article/marijuana-pot-marthas-vineyard-island-time-f59e9907f9d523c7eb60bd6c109cd12c?

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🍃 Weed shop lawsuits

Illustration: Maura Losch/Axios

Two community organizations are suing D.C. for granting medical marijuana licenses to dispensaries located near schools in the Palisades and Penn Quarter. Why it matters: It's the latest shot fired in an ongoing battle between the District's Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Administration (ABCA), marijuana retailers, and parents and community leaders concerned about drug exposure. Catch up quick: The city is busy expanding its medical marijuana program, creating a pathway for unlicensed weed "gifting shops" to become legally permitted or face crackdowns — a process that started last spring. Existing law says cannabis licensees — including dispensaries and growing facilities — can't operate within 300 feet of D.C. schools, day cares, and recreation centers. But there's an exception when schools are in commercial zones. Things have gotten heated in two such neighborhoods: Penn Quarter, where a dispensary plans to open across the street from the BASIS DC charter school. And the Palisades, where retailer Green Theory opened within 1,000 feet of five private schools in April. Keep reading.

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🌿 Maryland to pardon 100,000

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) plans to issue a mass pardon for more than 175,000 marijuana convictions for an estimated 100,000 people this morning.

• "I'm ecstatic that we have a real opportunity with what I'm signing to right a lot of historical wrongs," Moore told The Washington Post.

Why it matters: Moore told the Post that his pardons are "the most far-reaching and aggressive" executive action among officials nationwide around marijuana convictions.

• Governors in nine other states have issued mass pardons.

Maryland's Democratic governor is expected to pardon more than 175,000 marijuana convictions today, according to a report from The Washington Post. The pardons "will automatically forgive every misdemeanor marijuana possession charge the Maryland judiciary could locate in the state's electronic court records system," the Post said. This comes as cannabis, and specifically how it is viewed by the public and politicians, has undergone a sea-change during the past decade. In November 2023, a record 70% of Americans surveyed by Gallup said they supported cannabis legalization. In 2014, the share was 51%.

Tens of thousands of Marylanders receive pardons for marijuana convictions

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Maryland Gov. Wes Moore ordered more than 175,000 pardons for marijuana convictions on Monday, saying the “most sweeping state-level pardon in any state” will help reverse harms from the past caused by the war on drugs.

https://apnews.com/article/marijuana-pardons-gov-wes-moore-003a11d2435eabaa060d2d26da63ce42?

🦀 Moore's weed pardons

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore's pardoning of more than 175,000 marijuana convictions for an estimated 100,000 people today was a particularly dramatic example of a growing trend of forgiveness on convictions for minor offenses involving weed.

• 👀 Moore (D) is the 10th governor to issue marijuana pardons in the past six years — a list that includes North Dakota's Doug Burgum, a Republican now on Trump's shortlist of candidates to be his VP nominee.
• Moore told the Washington Post ahead of his announcement today that his pardons are "the most far-reaching and aggressive" executive action among officials nationwide around marijuana convictions.

🤝 Maryland legalized recreational marijuana last year. Moore wrote on X today the rollout of the recreational market "must go hand-in-hand with pardoning past conduct."

• The mass pardon is a "big step toward enacting the kinds of policies that can reverse the harm of the past," he added.
• Moore's action comes a month after the Biden administration moved to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous substance and ease restrictions around it.

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DeSantis says his PAC is working with allies who want to defeat cannabis amendment

Gov. Ron DeSantis indicated during a press conference Tuesday that one of the election targets for his recently launched political action committee, Florida Freedom Fund, will be the proposed constitutional amendment to legalize the recreational use of cannabis for adults.

https://floridaphoenix.com/briefs/desantis-says-his-pac-is-working-with-allies-who-want-to-defeat-cannabis-amendment/?

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NYC’s latest crackdown on illegal weed shops is finally shutting them down

NEW YORK (AP) — Thousands of marijuana shops boldly opened without a license in New York City after the state legalized recreational use of the drug, but after more than a year of lax enforcement, new state rules are finally allowing officials to padlock their doors.

https://apnews.com/article/new-york-recreational-pot-illegal-shops-crackdown-3a2e500726fd328293bac8fab4a5f6bd?

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DeSantis donor Ken Griffin commits $12m opposing legal pot

Hedge fund CEO Ken Griffin, one of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ largest backers, is putting a chunk of his fortune in Florida’s big-dollar battle to legalize recreational marijuana.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2024/08/02/desantis-donor-ken-griffin-commits-12m-opposing-legal-pot/?

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Utility company’s proposal to rat out hidden marijuana operations to police raises privacy concerns

BANGOR, Maine (AP) — Operators of illegal marijuana grow enterprises hidden inside rural homes in Maine don’t have to worry much about prying neighbors. But their staggering electric bills may give rise to a new snitch.

https://apnews.com/article/utilities-regulators-marijuana-grow-operations-344a5f1b4a52d096e95bc9ae93f7372a?

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Escaping Oklahoma: A Worker’s Story From Inside an Illegal Marijuana Operation

Lin’s most vivid memory of the marijuana farm is the moment he found himself staring into the barrel of an AK-47.

https://www.propublica.org/article/oklahoma-illegal-marijuana-farm-workers-inside-story-china-immigrants?

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Trulieve, Florida’s largest medical pot company, bets $75M+ on Amendment 3

Trulieve is betting big on Florida’s recreational marijuana ballot initiative, pumping millions of additional dollars into a legalization campaign that is entering a crucial stretch.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2024/09/03/trulieve-floridas-largest-medical-pot-company-bets-75m-on-amendment-3/?

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🥊 D.C.'s weed wars

Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios

D.C.'s medical marijuana dispensaries say they are being squeezed by the so-called I-71 weed shops and the new, legal cannabis market in Maryland. Why it matters: Some medical dispensary owners worry they'll go out of business if the District doesn't do more to crack down on the "gray area" I-71 shops. The big picture: D.C. has a complicated marijuana landscape. Congress continues to block the city from allowing commercial sales of recreational cannabis. In a workaround two years ago, city leaders made it easier for medical dispensaries to expand and draw clients, allowing residents aged 21 and older to "self-certify" for medical cannabis. The medical dispensaries have their draws: The product is regulated and sourced from D.C. cultivators. But the drawback: higher prices. State of play: Five legal dispensaries went out of business in the past two years, according to Grace Hyde, a director at District Cannabis, which has a cultivation center in Northeast. The operators blame an uneven playing field. Catch up quick: There are nine medical cannabis dispensaries in D.C. But more than a hundred I-71 shops, or unlicensed "gifting shops" that exist under a loophole law, can offer customers a cheaper product with no medical form needed. To eliminate the gifting market, the city created an on-ramp for these shops to become legally permitted as medical marijuana dispensaries and began accepting applications late last year. Shops that fail to apply will be forced to shut down. What they're saying: Hyde, who co-chairs the Regulated Cannabis Association of DC, wants Mayor Muriel Bowser to come down hard on the I-71 shops. "I would say the industry has — without enforcement — 60 days before we really start to collapse," Hyde says. "Our business has not broken even in any single month in 2024." Making matters worse for the capital's medical dispensaries, residents can buy from legal recreational shops in Maryland, where prices have come down since January. The intrigue: The D.C. Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Administration has issued 21 cease and desist orders and 75 warnings to unlicensed businesses, spokesperson Mary McNamara told Axios. So far, regulators have not padlocked any stores, but that could be imminent, Council chair Phil Mendelson tells Axios. Keep reading

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Nebraska will vote on pro-pot measures despite some invalid signatures

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska certified two ballot measures Friday to legalize medical marijuana even though the state’s Republican attorney general said their supporters may have submitted at least several thousand invalid signatures, which could keep them from becoming law.

https://apnews.com/article/nebraska-marijuana-petition-signature-fraud-ca8a3fdf879d8cb3775ec5bb810b0191?

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Amendment 3 campaign warns of fentanyl-laced marijuana, but some call it a myth

A statewide ad blitz by the group pushing for legalized marijuana warns Floridians of the dangers of black-market pot: It may be laced with fentanyl, they say, a potent drug driving an epidemic of fatal drug overdoses.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2024/09/29/amendment-3-campaign-warns-of-fentanyl-laced-marijuana-but-some-call-it-a-myth/?