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Texas may see the expansion of its medical marijuana program beyond its current restriction to low THC cannabis oil for those with severe forms of epilepsy. A bill is waiting to be scheduled for floor vote in the House that would add qualifying conditions to the program, in addition to forms in which patients are able to access the drug.

Among the conditions that House Bill 1365 would authorize for entry into the program include PTSD, Alzheimer’s, cancer, less severe forms of epilepsy, and tendency to be nauseous with other forms of treatment. It would also authorize the use of cannabis via vaping, creams, and oils — though smoking will still be off the table should it pass. It would also establish more opportunities to conduct research on cannabis.

“Texans with debilitating conditions deserve treatments that improve their quality of life,” commented the bill’s sponsor Rep. Eddie Lucio in a Facebook post announcing the proposed legislation. In a press release announcing the proposed legislation he noted that 33 states in the country allow medical cannabis, and that taxes associated with such programs can have “a vital impact to our economy.”

The legislation is supported by 56 state legislators from both sides of the aisle, despite the concerns that were raised over its language that doctors “prescribe” cannabis. Some think the wording could expose medical professionals to potential issues with the federal government.

Although the Compassionate Care Act that took effect in 2016 does allow people with intractable forms of epilepsy to access cannabidiol oil of with .5 percent THC or below, marijuana is mostly far from legal in Texas. There are only 600 patients enrolled in the statewide program. Cannabis advocates in the state have been eagerly tracking the progress of not just the medical program expansion, but several other bills that would widen access to cannabis and decriminalize its possession.

Representative Tracy King’s bill to legalize hemp and its products is scheduled for a floor debate next week in the House. At the start of the month, the state’s Department of Health announced that it would be removing hemp from its list of controlled substances to clear the way for any future legalization of hemp production.

Various decriminalization bills have also been introduced this year. Rep. Joe Moody’s HB 63 has also been sent to the calendars committee to be scheduled for a floor vote. That bill would remove the threat of jail for people charged with their first cannabis possession fine and reduce the penalty for possession of less than an ounce from a maximum of $2,000 to $250.
Not all jurisdictions, however, are waiting on state legislators to reduce the penalties for small time cannabis charges. Dallas attorney general John Creuzot announced sweeping plans last week to overhaul the way such crimes are dealt with by police officers, including a resolution to longer prosecute people for their first marijuana misdemeanor.

The post Medical Marijuana Expansion Bill Headed to Texas House Floor appeared first on High Times.

http://bit.ly/2I68Fi3 April 22, 2019 at 12:40PM, 420GrowLife, KahliBuds

It’s hard to ignore the rumblings for legal marijuana in North Carolina. This week, some policymakers are focusing first on decriminalization measures. On Monday, four state representatives filed as primary sponsors for HB 766, which would erase penalties for possessing four ounces or less of cannabis, making it “no longer unlawful.”

The bill would make the cut offs for drug offenses that qualify as misdemeanors and felonies higher. Under current law, possession of more than a half ounce makes your crime a misdemeanor. A felony awaits those convicted of more than one and a half ounces. Under the new bill, you would have to be convicted of possession of more than four ounces to get a misdemeanor, and more than a whopping 16 ounces for it to qualify as a felony.

HB 766 would also compel the Department of Justice to review court records and expunge all possession charges of less four ounces of marijuana, allowing individuals to file their own petition with the court system before the DOJ’s deadline of July 1, 2020. It’s not the most agile system that has been proposed for such a process of retroactive justice — for each expungement, a hearing would be required to make the petition a success.

The bill has been passed to the Senate’s committee on rules and operations, where it will await its legislative fate. Its sponsors include 12 Democrats, including State Representatives John Autry, Allison Dahle, Pricey Harrison and Zack Hawkins, who are its primary sponsors.

Cannabis legalization has been a legislative issue in North Carolina for at least a decade, but this year has seen concentrated effort on behalf of lawmakers to get something passed that would widen legal access to cannabis. In November, state representative Kelly Alexander announced that he would be beating the bushes for cannabis legislation plans in 2019. In October, a consortium of the News & Observer, the Herald-Sun, and the Charlotte Observer newspapers published a survey of 60 North Carolinian leaders. Most all of them said they wanted to make at least some form of marijuana legal.

HB 766 does not even qualify as the most dramatic proposal for cannabis possession that has been filed in this year’s legislative session. In February, state senator Paul Lowe filed SB 45, a measure that would legalize possession of up to three ounces of weed. That bill was also sent to the committee on rules and operations, but has yet to see any further movement.

Certainly, some officials are hedging their bets that legal cannabis will be present in North Carolina’s future. Asheville Alcohol Beverage Control Board general manager Mark Combs told CBS17 in February, ““The states that are legalizing it, we’re talking. We’re asking questions. We’re curious as to what they’re doing. What’s working? What’s not working? What are best practices? So that we have a working knowledge of what we could expect, whether it’s an ABC system, or whether it’s franchised, or whether it’s state-operated. It’s good to have that base knowledge so that we can go from there, and not be surprised.”

The post North Carolina Democrats File Bill to Decriminalize Small Amounts of Marijuana appeared first on High Times.

http://bit.ly/2I68Fi3 April 17, 2019 at 10:10PM, 420GrowLife, KahliBuds

Montana continues to tweak its medical marijuana system, which was first written into law 15 years ago. On Monday, the state’s House passed Senate Bill 265, which makes important changes to the program including a temporary tax increase, the institution of doctor recommendations by phone, and the “untethering” of patients.

The change that may well make the biggest difference in the lives of patients is the “untethering” clause, which means that those in the medical marijuana program would no longer need to choose a single cannabis provider, and instead be able to buy from the provider that is most convenient on a given day. The bill does levy other restrictions in return for this new freedom. Patients will have a monthly purchasing cap of five ounces of cannabis, and a daily limit of one ounce of purchases.

“This is all brand-new to Montana; we’ve not really done things to this extent in the past,” the bill’s sponsor Senator Tom Jacobson told a local news site. “We knew there would be some changes that would have to come about.”

Another change that could benefits cannabis patients is the legalization of medical marijuana certifications by phone. This proved to be a controversial proposal, and there was an effort to amend the bill to no longer include the “telemedicine” capacity for patients. But proponents of the proposal held firm — at an average of seven residents per square mile (it’s the third most sparsely populated state in the country), they saw allowances for patients living in remote areas as necessary.

SB 265 also raises taxes on marijuana distributors from two to four percent. The bill passed in the Senate in early April by a 36-14 vote, and on Monday in the House by a decisive 68-32. A final House vote is needed to maintain the bill’s forward motion.

This is not the first revamp of Montana’s medical marijuana program. 2017’s SB 333 instated a quarterly tax on marijuana businesses. As a result, the state reported last year that it had collected $1.8 million off of $45 million of medical marijuana taxes — nearly twice what experts had forecasted. That revenue was earmarked to finance tests, inspections of labs, dispensaries, growing operations, and edibles manufacturers — plus a tracking system that followed cannabis from the planting process to the cash register.

“Ultimately, we see medical marijuana as medicine,” said Representative Zach Brown upon SB 265’s passage. “And so the state has an obligation to provide a regulatory framework that provides certainty for cancer patients and other types of patients, so that they know that their medicine is safe and effective, and they know where it came from.” Brown said he had received comments from Montana cannabis patients that the system was hard to navigate, and that regulations were not being enforced.

A March poll published by the University of Montana found that 51 percent of Montana residents are now in favor of the legalization of recreational marijuana as well. Some respondents based their opinion on the high potential for tax revenues in such a plan.

The post Montana House Backs Major Medical Marijuana Law Reform appeared first on High Times.

http://bit.ly/2I68Fi3 April 16, 2019 at 10:51PM, 420GrowLife, KahliBuds

The Dallas County district attorney released a five page memo on Thursday stating that his office would no longer prosecute first-time marijuana misdemeanors. John Creuzot also announced that all in-process first-time misdemeanors that had been filed before his term in office will be thrown out, part of what he called “a step forward in ending mass incarceration in Dallas County.”

The memo addressed a variety of changes in enforcement priorities that go beyond marijuana offenders. Creuzot’s office will not be prosecuting individuals with small possession charges involving other drugs, people who drove with a suspended license, or anyone caught stealing “necessary” items.

“The criminal justice system has fallen disproportionately harshly on poor people and people of color, that’s just a fact,” Creuzot said to the Texas Observer. “The entire system is complicit in this dysfunction. We’re doing what we can within this office to address some of that.”

Shifts in policy were expected from Creuzot. He arrived to last year’s DA race promising to work on cash bail reform and shrink Dallas’ massive prison population, which sees the booking of around 67,000 people a year.

“Our current system is uncoupled from physical safety and fairness, as people sit in jail not because they pose an identifiable danger to the community, but because they cannot pay their fee to go home,” Creuzot wrote in the memo. “When low-income people are held in jail simply because they cannot afford a few hundred dollars, they lose their jobs, housing, stability, and cannot take care of their children: this makes our communities less safe.”

The Texas Department of Public Safety has released numbers stating that around 379,000 residents have been arrested in the last five years for possession of less than two ounces of marijuana. Their detainment and prosecution costs the state $730 million each year, according to Representative Joe Moody from El Paso.

Two weeks ago, Moody’s third attempt at a cannabis decriminalization bill made it out of committee. It would scale back the maximum punishment for small time possession from 180 days in jail and a $2,000 fine to a $250 penalty. “We are very optimistic about the chances of HB 63 passing on the floor of the Texas House,” said the director of Texans for Responsible Marijuana Policy Heather Fazio at the time.

Creuzot is far from the first public defender to free up their docket from low level marijuana offenses. In fact, across the United States — and even in places that have yet to see the legalization of recreational marijuana — law enforcement agencies are taking matters into their own hands, and making moves that seem to anticipate that measures to decriminalize marijuana will be taken shortly in their jurisdiction. New York’s Erie County District Attorney John Flynn announced that his office would dismiss 35 outstanding bench warrants for minor marijuana offenses in February, echoing a decision made by neighboring city Buffalo to no longer pursue small time marijuana offenders.

Shifting law enforcement standards are not the only area in which Texas has seen movement on widening access to cannabis. The Department of State Health Services made a move to take hemp off its list of controlled substances early this month. That decision puts the state in a prime position to benefit economically from last year’s U.S. Farm Bill, which made it legal for farmers to enter the hemp industry. Earlier this year, Canadian company Village Farms International secured a Nasdaq listing in preparation for opening a facility to grow hemp in Texas.

There are also a record-setting number of bills being considered by the state legislature that would widen access to the state’s scant, but existing medical marijuana program.

The post Dallas Will No Longer Prosecute Small Time Marijuana Offenders appeared first on High Times.

http://bit.ly/2uEgYtD April 12, 2019 at 06:49PM Caitlin Donohue, KahliBuds

UK cannabis users have cause for cheer this week, as the country’s National Police Chiefs’ Council has announced a new policy that gives individual officers discretion when it comes to small time marijuana possession. Though the laws on the books say small amounts can land you five years of jail time, the officers’ association says that constables are now allowed to let people off with a mere recommendation that they seek addiction treatment.

The announcement follows a high profile comment from West Midlands Chief Constable Dave Thompson, who said last week that his force declines to document cannabis possession offenses by young people.

“My answer is let’s not give everyone a cannabis warning — it’s disastrous for their life chances,” Thompson explained to the House of Commons’ home affairs committee.

The Police Chiefs’ Council spokesperson Jason Harwin put a finer point on it this week, saying, “There is strong evidence to suggest that recommending minor offenders for early intervention treatment instead of pursuing convictions can prevent re-offending and result in the best outcome for both the user and the criminal justice system.”

Harwin underlined that individual constables will have wiggle room when it comes to operational priorities, and reminded that the 43 British police forces his organization represents will continue to go after big-time drug smugglers.

In response to the announcement, the Daily Mail sought comment from anti-drug crusaders who were, predictably, non-plussed by the thought of the police taking apprehension of small time cannabis users off their docket.

The National Drug Prevention Alliance’s David Raynes said, “Deliberately undermining the law on cannabis is no part of the NPCC’s function.” Co-editor of the website Conservative Woman Kathy Gyngell also weighed in; “This is astonishing in view of the cumulative relationship between cannabis and violence.”

A report from Parliament last year found that in May 2018, 58 percent of prisons in England and Wales were overcrowded. In 2016-2017, the average cost per prisoner in England and Wales was £22,933.

That conservative pundits turn from the dire state of the prison-industrial complex to ascribe to the Alex Berenson take of reefer madness should come as no surprise. But pseudo science no longer appears to be enough motivation for the UK’s police force to spend its days chasing down cannabis users.

Those looking for further motivation behind the shift in policy would do well to remember the embarrassing public response to what this vaunted publication called “perhaps the smallest drug bust in history,” which went down last year. Two West Yorkshire police officers were roundly mocked when the department posted a photo to Facebook of a medium-sized nug that they had taken off of a man who was hanging out by himself in a park. “Hope you manage to nail Pablo Escobar this afternoon,” commented one Facebook user.

Officials responded with threats of prosecution to those belittling the mini-bust on social media at the time. Apparently, they’ve decided to try another strategy in 2019.

The post UK Police Officers Can Now Let Off Small Time Cannabis Possessors With Warning appeared first on High Times.

http://bit.ly/2uEgYtD April 9, 2019 at 09:16PM Caitlin Donohue, KahliBuds

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Flanked by a kid wearing a “420 Autism” tee, on Tuesday Colorado Governor Jared Polis signed into effect House Bill 1028, which legalizes medical marijuana treatment for autism. “OK kids, that’s how we make a law,” he told the families and advocates who had gathered for the occasion.

But in fact, the story of this bill was much more complex than Polis’ pen flourish. A similar bill passed both the House and Senate last year, but was rejected by then-Governor John Hickenlooper, who was not convinced that scientific data existed that backed up the legislation’s application to young people living with autism. “I haven’t found a pediatrician yet who thinks it’s a good idea to sign this bill,” Hickenlooper commented at the time, adding that certain autism groups’ silence on the bill “speaks volumes.”

A study ordered by Hickenlooper on the effects of cannabis on childhood autism has not yet reached a conclusion, though it has put together a working group of parents and health care professionals to advise its process.

Polis has been an opponent of Hickenlooper’s distrust for marijuana’s effect on autistic kids for some time, even running for the office on the platform that he would have signed the legislation into law.

The fact of the matter is that many Colorado families were already treating their children’s condition with medical marijuana. And despite Hickenlooper’s professed ignorance, studies do exist to reinforce their beliefs that the drug can reduce many of the health condition’s more severe symptoms. In Israel and Chile, research turned up positive effects in many clinical study participants, and the U.S. Department of Defense is set to begin a major study on the topic starting in June.

Many states have made allowances in existing medical marijuana regulation for patients with autism. In October, Rhode Island’s Department of Health okay’d the treatment, and last December in Iowa, the Board of Medicine has voted to add autism to the list of qualifying conditions for the medical cannabis program.

Though the governor’s approval was all but guaranteed in the matter, that doesn’t mean that HB 1028 did not face challenges in its lawmaking process. Arguments over how kids would access cannabis recommendations stalled the bill at the end of January, having already gone through two House readings. After negotiation, the legislation passed the House unanimously on February 7.

Central to the hold-up was the question of who was qualified to say that a child would benefit from medical marijuana treatment. Parents argued that many pediatricians were loathe to recommend the drug. Eventually an amendment was added to the bill that stipulates that a kid needs recommendations from two physicians — one to diagnose a condition and one to recommend medical marijuana.

The road to medical marijuana treatment for autistic individuals was a long one, but some Colorado advocates say the delay helped to improve the legislation. “This path happened for a reason,” Michelle Walker of Mothers Advocating Medical Marijuana For Autism told Colorado publication Westword. “Because with 1028, we were able to ensure that individuals with autism and autistic people would have access, whereas the previous program created would have restricted access. Now, we’ve expanded access.”

The post Colorado Governor Signs Bill Approving Medical Cannabis for Autism Treatment appeared first on High Times.

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http://bit.ly/2I68Fi3 April 3, 2019 at 05:26PM WEED.NEWS, Caitlin Donohue April 3, 2019 at 06:55PM

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The Food and Drug Administration is looking to update its take on CBD, the agency has declared. As part of the process, its first public hearing on the subject is set to take place on May 31.

Those looking to weigh in on the future of the drug take note; the governmental agency has announced that it will be specifically looking for “scientific data and information about the safety, manufacturing, product quality, marketing, labeling, and sale of products containing cannabis or cannabis-derived compounds.” The hearing will be held at the FDA’s White Oak campus in Silver Spring, Maryland, but comments may also be submitted electronically or via mail before July 2. Those interested in attending may do so in person or by signing into a webcast of the hearing.

“While the availability of CBD products in particular has increased dramatically in recent years, open questions remain regarding the safety considerations raised by their widespread use,” stated the FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb in a memo announcing the hearing. Gottlieb will be leaving the agency later this week, and has appointed Principal Deputy Commissioner Amy Abernethy and Principal Associate Commissioner for Policy Lowell Schiller to chair the working group charged with taking on the agency’s policy towards cannabis products.

In the communique, Gottlieb also pointed out the creation of a Q&A page on the FDA website for those seeking more information on the agency’s posture towards cannabis and cannabis-derived products.

The FDA has sought public comment on CBD usage as far back as 2017. Last year, the government agency officially approved its first cannabis product, the strawberry-flavored CBD medicine Epidiolex meant for use by children with Dravet or Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, two forms of severe epilepsy.

The current state of CBD is rather complex, given that it is already an ingredient in Epidiolex and being marketed in a plethora of food, drink, and corporeal products across the country, from Willie Nelson’s CBD infused line of coffee to the various wares that started being hawked by CVS stores in eight states back in March. In February, it was announced that Martha Stewart will partner with Canadian company Canopy Growth to sell CBD pet products up north.

There has been legislative pressure on the FDA to determine cohesive federal guidelines regarding CBD. Meanwhile, states have been left to interpret certain regulations for themselves. In New York, health officials will ban its usage in food and drinks, advising restaurants that vend such products that they will be penalized for their sale after October 1. As it stands, it will be officially illegal to sell CBD-infused food and drink in NYC after July 1. A spokesperson stated that the ban was inspired by FDA regulations.

But it is crucial that the governmental body fine tune its posture through other products made using CBD. Last week the FDA and the Federal Trade Commission warned three companies that had been claiming that their CBD products can treat certain health conditions.

Gottlieb estimates that the FDA working group will be ready to share its findings on CBD will the public as early as summer of this year.

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http://bit.ly/2I68Fi3 April 2, 2019 at 04:25PM WEED.NEWS, Caitlin Donohue April 2, 2019 at 11:48PM

Florida Distillery Releases Hemp-Infused Vodka and Gin

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Floridians have had a lot to celebrate recently when it comes to cannabis culture. The state’s ban on smokable medical marijuana was lifted this week, and other limits on regional dispensary locations have likewise been challenged. Those looking to toast to a cannabis-filled future are also looking at a cup that’s half full — Ybor City’s Fat Dog Distillery has announced the launch of the company’s hemp-infused gin and vodka, Nirvana Spirits.

An important note: those who are not up on their weed terminology may be a bit thrown off by Nirvana’s vague marketing language, which centers on its “cannabis-infused” products. Though technically correct, it is so vague as to be misleading. Make no mistake, these are non-psychoactive hemp-based products with no marijuana in them and very low levels of THC. Hemp products tend to have less than a .5 percent concentration of the trippier cannabinoid.

The floodgates to hemp products have been opened up with the passage late last year of the new US Farm Bill, which amended the Controlled Substances Act to omit the ban of hemp production and research. Florida is on the brink of passing legislation that would legalize hemp agriculture, as well as establish hemp pilot programs at institutions of higher education.

The Nirvana campaign takes on a recent Wall Street Journal article that held that cannabis beverages, for all the commercial speculation surrounding them, actually don’t taste that great. “This is simply not true with our product,” CEO of Fat Dog Spirits Dr. Rama Ramcharran told ABC Action News. “I challenge anyone to try it and tell me that it tastes like oil or a ‘barnyard’!”

The gin-making doctor did throw his cannabis drink selling peers, however, under the bus — ABC reports that he thinks the WSJ article “is generally correct in its assertions,” just that they don’t apply to Nirvana products.

One may ask why you would make a cannabis alcohol that is not psychoactive and aims to have little perceptible cannabis taste. Nirvana’s website is somewhat foggy on the reasoning behind the consumer products, but states that, “In June 2016, Dr. Ram Ramcharran had a vision. He wanted to create a craft vodka that tasted great and used the best natural ingredient on earth — cannabis.”

But Fat Dog Distillery is far from the only producer looking to cash in on the hype surrounding cannabis bevvies. A short round-up of major corporations that have announced their interest in developing cannabis products include: Molson Coors, who paired with Canadian cannabis company Hexo Corp last year and Coca-Cola, who entered “serious talks” with Aurora cannabis in September. Anheuser-Busch InBev has signed a $100 million partnership with Tilray, Inc as well.

Analysts have forecasted that Starbucks may be the first major chain to hawk CBD drinks, which are already banned by the New York City Health Department in its wariness over potential FDA non-compliance. Smaller producers are already experimenting with surprising new drink-canna-combos — House of Saka’s non-alcoholic sparkling rosé provides a three-to-one THC/CBD blend that kicks off in five to 10 milligram glass doses.

The post Florida Distillery Releases Hemp-Infused Vodka and Gin appeared first on High Times.

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https://kahlibuds.com March 27, 2019 at 05:59PM