Neighboring states duke it out over legalization, why falling prices are a bummer for some growers and states, studying MMJ to help with MS and more

Jan. 18: Neighboring states duke it out over legalization, why falling prices are a bummer for some growers and states, studying MMJ to help with MS and more [The Cannabist] [thecannabist.co] | [@cannabist] | [fb/cannabist] [Bid to take down Colorado marijuana laws revived in court] Federal appeals court judges on Tuesday reviewed the reach of racketeering laws, chewed over case law and opined over olfactory issues in a case that threatens to stamp out Colorado’s recreational marijuana industry. A three-judge panel for the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver took oral arguments in a consolidated case that claims Colorado’s recreational cannabis laws fly in the face of federal controlled substances and racketeering laws. The states of Nebraska and Oklahoma joined the dispute after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear their case. --------------------------------------------------------------- SUBSCRIBE: Did you catch this newsletter on the web or get it via a friend? [Click here to get these updates in your inbox]. --------------------------------------------------------------- [Falling prices mean trouble for states that have legalized marijuana] The arrival of 2017 will bring many changes to the country, including falling marijuana prices in states that have legalized a recreational market. Cannabis users may cheer this news, but it heralds the start of an enduring budgetary headache for states that tax legal marijuana sales based solely on price. The only way to collect the same amount of revenue from year to year when taxes collected per unit sold are swiftly diminishing is to have substantially increased sales volume. But an explosion in the population’s marijuana consumption could incur other costs. [Why legal cannabis is becoming a major buzzkill for some growers] The increasing supply of legal marijuana is turning into an issue for growers as prices plunge — and an opportunity for companies that can help cut production costs. Prices are tumbling as formerly illicit cultivators emerge from the shadows to invest millions of dollars in massive pot factories. In Colorado, the average price sought by wholesalers has fallen 48 percent to about $1,300 a pound since legal sales to all adults started in January 2014. Supply is surging as growers expand and install the latest agricultural technology. [Can marijuana treat MS symptoms? One Colorado researcher makes it his mission to find out] Although there are many anecdotal reports indicating cannabis’ beneficial effects for treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS) symptoms such as fatigue, muscle weakness, anxiety and sleep deprivation, they have not been scientifically verified. This is because clinical trials – where patients are given cannabis – are difficult to do because of how the substance is regulated at the federal level. To learn more, a lab at Colorado State University is studying people with MS in the state who are already using medical cannabis to investigate what symptoms the drug can effectively treat. [Nevada gov proposes a 10 percent tax on marijuana sales — here’s where the money would go] Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval outlined his budget blueprint for his final two years in office, proposing a 10 percent excise tax on the retail sale of recreational marijuana to be devoted to education. The tax would come on top of a 15 percent wholesale tax that already was included in the ballot initiative voters approved, and is expected to generate about $100 million over two years. [Cannabis-infused dining rises to a new level in New York City] Every six weeks or so, a carefully curated group of guests is invited to a secret location for a cannabis-infused fine dining experience by a renowned chef. One of the coordinators says the purpose of the meals is to "de-stigmatize cannabis through the universal language of food." The evening typically begins with a cannabis-infused cocktail, followed by five courses featuring everything from cannabis-infused bone marrow to coconut-chocolate ice cream made with Sour Chem. [State of Washington considers allowing medical marijuana in schools] Washington lawmakers will consider a bill that would allow parents to administer medical marijuana to their children on school grounds. The bill has bi-partisan support and would ensure children could stay in school. John Barclay currently has to pull his daughter out of school to administer CBD oil to control her severe epilepsy. He says the bill would help keep his daughter in class. [How two small cities became Colorado marijuana kings in the Denver metro area] Edgewater is the very picture of suburbia, with its quiet collection of modest, single-family homes perched along tree-lined streets on the western shore of Sloan’s Lake. Glendale is a hard-charging, commercially focused city defined by apartment living, mid-rise office and hotel towers, strip clubs, strip malls and a world-class rugby stadium. But with 11 recreational marijuana dispensaries and counting between them, both now rank as the leaders in the metro area for the number of pot shops per capita. How they came to share the title of king of the weed shops unfolded in very different ways. [One year in, New Hampshire’s medical marijuana program helps thousands] One year after beginning to offer medical cannabis, New Hampshire’s program serves more than 2,000 people. The youngest qualifying patient is 2 years old, the oldest is 98, and there’s been a steady stream of applications. The majority of New Hampshire’s qualifying patients use therapeutic cannabis to treat multiple injuries, including spinal cord injury and disease, and cancer. [Why Colorado pot edibles maker Americanna chooses to leave Boulder: “I feel lied to”] A Boulder-based maker of one of the state’s most popular marijuana-infused edibles is planning to leave the city after the forced annexation of his and several other properties raised regulatory costs by tens of thousands of dollars and created feelings of ill will between city staff and business owners. Americanna owner Dan Anglin said he intends to move the company out of the city as soon as possible. “I’d like to find a piece of property that’s so far from Boulder they can’t come get me,” he said. [Arkansas OKs delay in medical marijuana launch. Here’s what the new timeline looks like] Arkansas lawmakers voted Tuesday to delay the launch of the state’s voter-approved medical marijuana program and ease a restriction on doctors who certify a patient is eligible to use the drug. The delay proposal, approved on a 91-0 vote, would give state agencies until early May rather than March to finalize the rules. It will also move the state’s deadline to begin accepting applications for dispensaries and cultivation facilities to July 1, rather than June 1. [Gov floats pot tax hike to bridge school funding gap in Colorado] Gov. John Hickenlooper on Tuesday asked Colorado lawmakers for a 50 percent increase in sales taxes on recreational marijuana starting July 1 to send an additional $42 million to public schools. The Democrat wants to increase the recreation sales tax on pot to 12 percent effective July 1, the same day the levy is scheduled to fall to 8 percent. The current tax rate is 10 percent. The move would require approval of the Democratic-controlled House and Republican-led Senate. [Leading the way: Denver starts work on allowing public marijuana use, a first in U.S.] Denver has started work on becoming the first city in the nation to allow marijuana clubs and public pot use in places such as coffee shops, yoga studios and art galleries. Voters narrowly approved the “social use” measure last November. But the ballot proposal didn’t spell out many rules for how the marijuana could be consumed, beyond saying that the drug can’t be smoked inside and that patrons must be over 21. The state Liquor Control Board already has decreed that no businesses with a liquor license can allow marijuana use. That leaves restaurants that don’t serve alcohol and other event spaces. --------------------------------------------------------------- You are receiving this newsletter because you signed up at The Denver Post. 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