Jan. 30: National DA group mobilizes to advise Trump, âGreen Mondayâ in Maine, progress on Colorado PTSD bill and more
[The Cannabist]
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[Bill to add PTSD to Colorado medical marijuana list clears Senate committee]
A state Senate committee voted unanimously to advance a bill that seeks to include PTSD as a qualifying condition for medical marijuana in Colorado. âI probably wouldnât be alive today if it wasnât for cannabis,â said veteran Curtis Bean, one of dozens speaking in support of the bill before the State, Veterans and Military Affairs committee. Bean said he has lost one friend a year to suicide as they struggled with the side-effects of a drug cocktail prescribed to treat their PTSD symptoms. The committee also heard from representatives of the stateâs major medical organizations, which urged caution for such an addition without more robust research.
[National DA group mobilizes to advise Trump on pot policy]
A group of prosecutors from across the country will help advise the Donald Trump administration on policies regarding marijuana. The National District Attorneyâs Association created a policy group featuring 14 district attorneys who will issue advisements on possible law or policy changes regarding marijuana as more and more states legalize it. Boulder District Attorney Stan Garnett is the prosecutor from Colorado in the group, and there are also DAs from California and Oregon. âItâs a reflection of the NDAAâs interest in having a fairly balanced committee, which will be largely advising on what our policy position should be in communications with the Trump Justice Department,â Garnett said.
[Green Monday in Maine as legalization begins]
The first tangible results of Maine votersâ decision to legalize marijuana were felt as possession and home growth of marijuana became legal today. Voters narrowly passed the ballot question in November, and contentious aspects linger, including what rules should govern businesses that will sell marijuana, such as retail stores and social clubs. The Legislature has been hammering out those details, and they will take months to fully craft, meaning it will be months before marijuana businesses open in the state. But starting today, itâs legal to smoke it, gift it, grow it and possess up to 2.5 ounces of it.
[Maryland lawmakers will introduce marijuana legalization bills this week]
Maryland would regulate and tax marijuana for adult use similarly to alcohol, under legislation state lawmakers plan to introduce this week. Lawmakers said they will introduce two bills, one focusing on regulation and another regarding taxation. âNow is the time to join other states and move toward a sensible system of regulation and taxation,â said Sen. Richard Madaleno, a Montgomery County Democrat and sponsor of the two Senate bills.
[âBuilding the airplane while itâs being flownâ: How California looks to build $7B legal pot economy]
The future of Californiaâs legal marijuana industry is being shaped in a warren of cubicles tucked inside a retired basketball arena, where a garden of paper cannabis leaves sprouts on file cabinets and a burlap sack advertising âUSA Home Grownâ dangles from a wall. Here, in the outskirts of Sacramento, a handful of government workers face a daunting task: By next year, craft regulations and rules that will govern the stateâs emerging legal pot market, from where and how plants can be grown to setting guidelines to track the buds from fields to stores.
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[In weed we trust: Court not swayed by religion in Michigan marijuana case]
A federal appeals court has found nothing heavenly about a Michigan manâs claim to have a religious right to grow pot. The court upheld an 18-month prison sentence for Brendan Barnes. In 2014, Lansing authorities responding to a gas leak found 321 plants at his house. Barnes claimed he was growing marijuana under a religious exemption from the Oklevueha Native American Church. He said he paid $25 for a membership card and $200 to possess sacraments.
[Minnesotaâs medical marijuana regulators go over budget with inspections]
Minnesotaâs medical marijuana program needs extra state funding to cover the costs of its patient database and inspections of drug manufacturers. Minnesotaâs regulations are some of the most restrictive in the country: The plant form of marijuana remains banned under the law, the stateâs two medical manufacturers undergo routine state inspections and secondary lab testing, and just 10 severe conditions such as cancer and epilepsy qualify for the program. State regulators say that additional funding is critical to cover costs for maintenance of their around-the-clock patient registry and performing 120 inspections or more each year.
[Live in a legalized state? Here are nine ways federal marijuana laws are limiting your rights]
The ongoing conflict of state and federal laws can impact everything from housing to healthcare for individuals who opt to take advantage of state policies allowing them to medicate or recreate with cannabis. Residents of legal weed states who want to operate businesses in the industry face problems with banking, taxes and more. âItâs a serious hindrance,â said John Hudak, who specializes in marijuana policy. Here are nine ways the federal status of marijuana is impacting both everyday cannabis consumers and people attempting to work in the industry, no matter what their state laws say.
[Maryland medical marijuana: Black lawmakers push for diversity]
Leaders of the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland have introduced legislation to restructure a burgeoning medical marijuana industry that has come under scrutiny for a lack of racial diversity. The bills introduced would change the membership of the stateâs medical cannabis commission to better reflect the diversity of the state, while requiring the agency to rescore applications for cultivation licenses and give extra weight for black-owned businesses.
[Glimmer of hope: Indiana medical marijuana backers see promise in bill hearing]
When the Indiana state legislature allowed a Senate committee to hear testimony on a medical marijuana-related bill, some proponents saw a glimmer of hope. The measure would create a pilot program allowing some epileptic children to be treated with âhemp oilâ derived from cannabis plants. Itâs a far cry from a comprehensive medical marijuana program, but to supporters, it marked a significant shift after years of medical marijuana-related bills dying in the Senate without a hearing.
[Four-star football recruit cited for marijuana during official Ohio State visit]
A four-star recruit has fallen off the recruiting board at Ohio State after he was issued a citation last weekend for marijuana possession during his visit to Columbus. James Robinson, a wide receiver who is ranked 14th nationally in the 2017 recruiting class by 247Sports, was found with marijuana at an off-campus apartment.
[The connoisseur-grade cannabis market is real, and hereâs how Californians are leading the charge]
Call it the âHumboldt effect.â California and notably its weed-friendly county of Humboldt in the Emerald Triangle are oft-regarded throughout the cannabis industry as epicenters of marijuana expertise. And Californiaâs cannabis connoisseurs are well-positioned to take their knowledge national, says Ellen Holland, senior editor of Cannabis Now magazine. âWeâve been in the game since 1996 with the medical (marijuana) program,â she says on The Cannabist Show. âI do feel like there is a push in California for the âfinest of the fine things.â As we like our wines and our artisan foods, we also love incredible cannabis.â
[How many lights do you need in a greenhouse? Our expert weighs in]
A reader in Colorado writes in: âWhen installing the supplemental lighting (in a greenhouse), do we use the same number of lights as an indoor grow, or a lot less because of the greenhouse setting? Others seem to think that I can get away with less supplemental lighting than would be necessary in a brick-and-mortar building.â Master cannabis grower Jorge Cervantes replies with all the dirt on how to use a greenhouse to take advantage of sunlight, and how to supplement the natural light with high-pressure sodium lamps.
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