DNC chair touts cannabis moves by Biden (Newsletter: December 20, 2023)

Congress marijuana survey; FL 280E bill; WI medical cannabis; Feds & kratom; NJ grants; Study: Legalization boosts college basketball recruitment Subscribe to receive Marijuana Moment’s newsletter in your inbox every weekday morning. It’s the best way to make sure you know which cannabis stories are shaping the day. Leave this field empty if you're human: Your support makes Marijuana Moment possible… BREAKING: Journalism is often consumed for free, but costs money to produce! While this newsletter is proudly sent without cost to you, our ability to send it each day depends on the financial support of readers who can afford to give it. So if you’ve got a few dollars to spare each month and believe in the work we do, please consider joining us on Patreon today. https://www.patreon.com/marijuanamoment / TOP THINGS TO KNOW Democratic National Committee Chairman Jaime Harrison cited President Joe Biden’s mass marijuana pardon as an example of how the administration has delivered for Black voters ahead of the 2024 election. A Punchbowl News survey found that 71 percent of top Capitol Hill staffers and 59 percent of K Street lobbyists think it is “unlikely” that any marijuana reform legislation—including banking—will pass during the 118th Congress. Wisconsin Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu (R) said he thinks “there is a path to potentially” passing a limited medical cannabis bill this session. Meanwhile, Gov. Tony Evers (D) is renewing his push for broader recreational marijuana legalization. National Institute on Drug Abuse Director Nora Volkow and a former Trump White House drug czar Jim Carroll spoke at a congressional briefing about kratom as lawmakers consider legislation to protect consumer access to the plant. A Florida Republican senator filed a bill to allow medical cannabis operators to deduct business expenses from their state taxes as a partial workaround to the federal 280E provision. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) and Attorney General Matthew Platkin (D) announced the recipients of $5.2 million in hospital-based violence-intervention grants that are funded with marijuana revenue. A new study found that “colleges in states with legal recreational marijuana use can expect improved recruiting outcomes in basketball, but reduced recruiting prowess in football.”

• “In absolute terms, being located in a state with legal marijuana exerts an effect on recruiting that is 50 percent as strong as having a new coach.”

An Iowa judge ruled that a school employee who was fired after police found three pounds of marijuana at her home is entitled to unemployment benefits. ./ FEDERAL The campaign of 2024 Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis, currently Florida’s governor, dismissed a CNN report raising questions about actions that benefited operators of medical cannabis businesses in his state. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit upheld the Drug Enforcement Administration’s denial of an ayahuasca church’s request for an exemption to use the psychedelic for religious purposes. Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL) published a blog post on his support for letting states set their own marijuana policies without federal interference. Rep, Dina Titus (D-NV) tweeted, “I joined a bipartisan group of lawmakers to urge the inclusion of VA medical marijuana provisions in the Veterans Bill. This provision will allow @DeptVetAffairs doctors to issue medical marijuana to veterans living in states where the treatment is legal.” / STATES Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) touted bipartisan cooperation to legalize medical cannabis in his budget address, with his 2024-2026 proposal including funding to support implementation. The Delaware representative who sponsored the bill that created the state’s marijuana legalization law authored an op-ed arguing that municipalities that are moving to ban cannabis businesses are making a mistake. The Minnesota Metropolitan Airports Commission approved a ban on smoking or vaping cannabis and hemp products at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. Washington State regulators are conducting a survey of marijuana business customers. Michigan marijuana regulators will hold a public meeting on Wednesday. The Mississippi Medical Cannabis Legislative Advisory Board will meet on Wednesday. The Kansas Industrial Hemp Advisory Board will meet on Wednesday. — Marijuana Moment is tracking more than 1,000 cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters pledging at least $25/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don’t miss any developments. Learn more about our marijuana bill tracker and become a supporter on Patreon to get access. — / LOCAL Riverside County, California officials are being sued over a raid on a marijuana business. / INTERNATIONAL The European Medicines Agency will host a psychedelics workshop on April 16 and 17. / SCIENCE & HEALTH A study found that “combination medical cannabis/opioid therapy showed statistically significant pain relief and may have the potential for reducing opioid dose and mitigating opioid toxicity, offering a safe pain management alternative to opioids alone for patients in end-of-life care settings, and warrants further investigation in larger controlled trials.” / ADVOCACY, OPINION & ANALYSIS The National Conference of State Legislatures hosted a webinar about marijuana laws across the country. / BUSINESS Organigram Holdings Inc. reported quarterly net revenue of C$46 million and a net loss of C$33 million. Sentia Wellness investors voluntarily dismissed and withdrew a lawsuit against the company’s founder. / CULTURE Snoop Dogg launched a new line of THC and CBD beverages. Make sure to subscribe to get Marijuana Moment’s daily dispatch in your inbox. Leave this field empty if you're human: The post DNC chair touts cannabis moves by Biden (Newsletter: December 20, 2023) appeared first on Marijuana Moment. ayahuasca

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