Susan Duggan

Three-out-of-five Virginians believe that marijuana should be legal for adult use, according to a survey released on Monday. In a poll conducted by the University of Mary Washington, which involved phone interviews with more than 1,000 adults in the state from September 3-15, 61 percent of respondents said they support “the legalization of marijuana for recreational use by adults in Virginia,” while 34 percent said they’re opposed to the policy. That’s a significant increase since 2017, when a similar poll found that just 39 percent of Virginia residents backed legalization. “The latest Mary Washington survey demonstrates, to quote Bob Dylan, ‘the times they are a-changin’ here in the Old Dominion,” Stephen Farnsworth, a political science professor at the university, said in a press release. The results may add pressure on the state to tackle cannabis reform at a time when the arrest rate for marijuana offenses is steadily rising. Cannabis arrests have tripled in Virginia since 1

Three-out-of-five Virginians believe that marijuana should be legal for adult use, according to a survey released on Monday. In a poll conducted by the University of Mary Washington, which involved phone interviews with more than 1,000 adults in the state from September 3-15, 61 percent of respondents said they support “the legalization of marijuana for recreational use by adults in Virginia,” while 34 percent said they’re opposed to the policy. That’s a significant increase since 2017, when a similar poll found that just 39 percent of Virginia residents backed legalization. “The latest Mary Washington survey demonstrates, to quote Bob Dylan, ‘the times they are a-changin’ here in the Old Dominion,” Stephen Farnsworth, a political science professor at the university, said in a press release. The results may add pressure on the state to tackle cannabis reform at a time when the arrest rate for marijuana offenses is steadily rising. Cannabis arrests have tripled in Virginia since 1

The House of Representatives approved a bill last week to protect banks that service marijuana businesses. But remarkable as it was to see the first standalone piece of cannabis reform legislation clear the chamber, perhaps even more impressive was the extent to which it garnered bipartisan support. Every single Democratic present on the floor except one (229 members) voted in favor of the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act , sponsored by Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D-CO). And nearly half of all Republicans (91 members) joined them. While advocates anticipated that it would pass, the final tally, 321-103, exceeded many expectations. 2019 marijuana banking bill vote, via GovTrack. What changed since the last time Congress voted on cannabis banking? This was a first-of-its kind vote on standalone marijuana legislation in the chamber. But a useful comparison comes from 2014, when the House voted on a similar but more limited appropriations amendment aimed at preventing the T

The House of Representatives approved a bill last week to protect banks that service marijuana businesses. But remarkable as it was to see the first standalone piece of cannabis reform legislation clear the chamber, perhaps even more impressive was the extent to which it garnered bipartisan support. Every single Democratic present on the floor except one (229 members) voted in favor of the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act , sponsored by Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D-CO). And nearly half of all Republicans (91 members) joined them. While advocates anticipated that it would pass, the final tally, 321-103, exceeded many expectations. 2019 marijuana banking bill vote, via GovTrack. What changed since the last time Congress voted on cannabis banking? This was a first-of-its kind vote on standalone marijuana legislation in the chamber. But a useful comparison comes from 2014, when the House voted on a similar but more limited appropriations amendment aimed at preventing the

A yearlong ban on all cannabis vaping sales introduced this week by a Los Angeles City Council member has many in the industry fretting over the future and scrambling to head the motion off before it becomes law. If the city does enact the proposed ban, that could lead to tens of millions – if not […] Possible L.A. vaping ban could be ‘extinction event’ for some marijuana firms, California industry executives say is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs Original Article Source: https://mjbizdaily.com/possible-l-a-vaping-ban-could-be-extinction-event-for-some-marijuana-firms-california-industry-executives-say/

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee ordered state health officials to impose an emergency ban on all flavored vaping products for both e-cigarettes and those containing THC, impacting one segment of the market. The ban will take place after the state Board of Health uses its emergency authority during its next meeting on Oct. 9. It would […] WA to ban flavored vaping products containing marijuana, tobacco is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs Original Article Source: https://mjbizdaily.com/wa-to-ban-flavored-vaping-products-containing-marijuana-tobacco/

Health officials reported on Friday that the majority of those sickened in the vaping health crisis used cannabis vape products containing THC, and many of those in the first two states to report illnesses – Illinois and Wisconsin – said they used counterfeit marijuana products from the illicit market, not licensed MJ companies. The revelations, […] CDC reports majority of patients sickened in vape epidemic used marijuana vaporizer devices – many from illicit market is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs Original Article Source: https://mjbizdaily.com/cdc-reports-majority-of-patients-sickened-in-vape-epidemic-used-marijuana-vaporizer-devices-many-from-illicit-market/

The U.S. House of Representatives’ vote approving legislation that would pave the way for financial institutions and insurance companies to serve state-legal marijuana businesses without fear of reprisal is a milestone for the cannabis industry. Nevertheless, the 321-103 House vote is but another step on a long and often bumpy legal road toward changing how […] After the SAFE vote in US House, here’s what you need to know about the current state of banking in the marijuana industry is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs Original Article Source: https://mjbizdaily.com/after-the-safe-vote-in-us-house-heres-what-you-need-to-know-about-the-current-state-of-banking-in-the-marijuana-industry/

Chicago-based Cresco Labs will sell two cultivation and processing facilities in Illinois to Innovative Industrial Properties, a real estate investment trust company (REIT), for $46.3 million as the multistate operator prepares for a “significant increase in demand” when recreational marijuana sales become legal in the state Jan. 1. The facilities, which will continue to be […] Cresco Labs to sell marijuana facilities to REIT for $46.3M under leaseback deal is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs Original Article Source: https://mjbizdaily.com/cresco-labs-to-sell-marijuana-facilities-to-reit-for-46-3m-under-leaseback-deal/

Original Article Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2019/09/27/most-vaping-related-lung-injuries-linked-marijuana-products-cdc-says/

The U.S. House passes a cannabis banking bill with strong bipartisan support, Massachusetts is the first state to nix the sale of all tobacco and marijuana vaping products, a Washington state man sues half a dozen MJ vape companies for allegedly causing his lung illness – and more of the week’s top cannabis business news. […] Momentous marijuana banking vote in US House, vape crisis fallout, MA approves MJ cafes/delivery & more is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs Original Article Source: https://mjbizdaily.com/momentous-marijuana-banking-vote-in-us-house-vape-crisis-fallout-ma-approves-mj-cafes-delivery-more/

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) inserted language into a spending bill report on Thursday directing the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to develop technology that can distinguish hemp from its “illicit cousin” marijuana. The provision, which was attached to legislation to fund the Department of Justice for Fiscal Year 2020, is meant to support hemp manufacturers and regulators who must ensure that the crop is at or below a 0.3 percent THC content—the legal definition of hemp under the 2018 Farm Bill. McConnell championed a measure in the wide-ranging agriculture legislation that federally legalized hemp and its derivatives, and he’s since devoted significant efforts to securing protections for the industry. For example, he backed provisions added to a separate appropriations bill last week that provides funding for the U.S. Department of Agriculture to implement hemp regulations . . @senatemajldr McConnell secured measure to support @DEAHQ ‘s efforts to devel

O’Rourke’s new video shows marijuana history; OR psilocybin campaign launches signature drive; Congresswoman says deschedule for kids with cancer 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. Your support makes Marijuana Moment possible… This issue of Marijuana Moment, and our original reporting that is featured in it, are made possible by the generous support of 445 Patreon sponsors . Cannabis industry professionals receive valuable rewards for pledges of $25 and up. Check out the perks of being a sponsor on our Patreon page. https://www.patreon.com/marijuanamoment / TOP THINGS TO KNOW Former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX) , presidential candidate, released a campaign video looking back at his long history of advocating marijuana reform and ending the war on drugs—including how a local dispute on legalization led directly to his career in Congress and his pre

Maryland medical marijuana regulators put plans to award an additional four cultivation and 10 processing licenses on hold, in wake of a judge’s temporary restraining order barring the state from issuing licenses until Oct. 7. The Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission was scheduled to announce the winners on Thursday. Instead, Commission Chairman Brian Lopez said the […] Additional medical marijuana licenses put on hold in Maryland is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs Original Article Source: https://mjbizdaily.com/additional-medical-marijuana-licenses-put-on-hold-in-maryland/

Editor’s note: Sergio Vazquez will appear at the MJBizDaily Latin American Cannabis Symposium, Sept. 30-Oct. 1, in Bogota, Colombia.) Uruguay could see the start of an export stream for hemp as early as 2020, after a period of testing has been completed, marking a milestone for Latin American hemp industry. That’s according to Sergio Vazquez, head of […] Uruguay’s hemp exports could start next year: Q&A with Sergio Vazquez of the agriculture ministry is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs Original Article Source: https://mjbizdaily.com/uruguays-hemp-exports-could-start-next-year-qa-with-sergio-vazquez-of-the-agriculture-ministry/

South Park took another hit at the marijuana dispensary chain MedMen in an episode that aired on Wednesday. As sales start dropping at the fictional cannabis business “Tegridy Farms,” the owner, Randy Marsh, investigates and finds that former customers are increasingly cultivating their own marijuana. “When you grow your own pot, you’re taking weed out of my children’s mouths,” he says. He enlists his son Stan to testify in front of the City Council, raising fictitious concerns about the dangers of allowing home grow. “What’s happened to our country? People are being wronged by a broken system and we must say no more. No more home grown marijuana,” Stan says. “As the son of a proud American farmer, I am concerned about what home grown can lead to.” “People can grow weed wrong and poison themselves,” he continues. “Unscrupulous growers could use cheap irrigation and drown babies. The fact is simple, marijuana must be grown with Tegridy.” When the local government declines to int

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) inserted language into a spending bill on Thursday directing the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to develop technology that can distinguish hemp from its “illicit cousin” marijuana. The provision, which was attached to legislation to fund the Departments of Interior and Commerce for Fiscal Year 2020, is meant to support hemp manufacturers and regulators who must ensure that the crop is at or below a 0.3 percent THC content—the legal definition of hemp under the 2018 Farm Bill. McConnell championed a measure in the wide-ranging agriculture legislation that federally legalized hemp and its derivatives, and he’s since devoted significant efforts to securing protections for the industry. For example, he backed provisions added to a separate appropriations bill last week that provides funding for the U.S. Department of Agriculture to implement hemp regulations . . @SenateMajLdr McConnell secured measure to support the @DEAHQ ‘s effo

A top federal health official said on Wednesday that marijuana’s status as a Schedule I controlled substance inhibits research and that there’s a need for an alternative regulatory pathway so that researchers can more easily study cannabis. During a hearing before the House Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee, Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) shared an anecdote about cannabis lotion helping her mother treat pain in her knees and asked what could be done to facilitate research into marijuana’s therapeutic potential. Lee said that following knee surgery, her mom “was out getting her walker repaired and a woman gave her some lotion and she tried it and she never was in pain anymore.” “This was cannabis lotion, so I have witnessed at least my mother and other senior citizens the health benefits of cannabis,” she said. “I know good and well, based on personal experience, that it works for some people.” The congresswoman then asked witne

Utah would charge medical marijuana dispensaries between $50,000 and $69,500 each year in operating fees under a proposal state officials are considering – placing an unexpectedly high financial burden on future MMJ businesses. An executive with a Washington state-based company interested in opening a dispensary in Utah called the proposed fees a “big pill to […] Utah medical marijuana dispensaries could face hefty fees is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs Original Article Source: https://mjbizdaily.com/utah-medical-marijuana-dispensaries-could-face-hefty-fees/

The House passed a standalone marijuana reform bill for the first time ever on Wednesday, and the development has sparked widespread excitement among lawmakers and advocates. Following the chamber’s 321-103 passage of the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act , lots of members of Congress shared their support on Twitter and in press releases. The bill was approved by all but one Democrat and garnered support from nearly half of the chamber’s Republicans. Here’s how lawmakers and advocates are reacting to the bill’s passage. Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D-CO), lead sponsor of the SAFE Banking Act:  Passing the #SAFEBankingAct will show that Congress can work together in a bipartisan way to address outdated marijuana laws. I hope this bill is an icebreaker for the House to take up other reforms and finally remove the conflict between state and federal laws. #copolitics pic.twitter.com/0rBWvQUJGh — Rep. Ed Perlmutter (@RepPerlmutter) September 25, 2019 “Thousands of employees,