Hello all and welcome back to The Week in Weed, your go-to source for news in the world of legalized marijuana.
- Oakland Approves Unique MMJ Business Licensing Rules
(Marijuana Business Daily: News, 18 May 2016)
This new ordinance is a bit of a head-scratcher. “A marijuana conviction often can disqualify you from receiving a cannabis business license, but in Oakland it can give you an advantage over applicants with clean records.” Under this legislation, half of all licenses to run medical marijuana businesses must go to persons with convictions for cannabis-related offenses or who live in one of six neighborhoods targeted by the Oakland Police Department’s war on drugs. The stated purpose is to increase diversity in the marijuana industry, but critics of the bill note that “most of the six police beats included in the bill lie in the city council district of the councilor who sponsored the legislation.”
- Louisiana Medical Marijuana Expansion Bill Goes to Governor’s Desk
(Insurance Journal, 18 May 2016)
The Southeast is an area of the country where legalized marijuana has not made much of an inroad. This may be about to change as Louisiana takes another step towards legalizing the use of cannabis for medical purposes. The personal stories of those urging passage of the measure are believed to have swayed legislators over the arguments of opponents that legalizing medical marijuana is a step on the slippery slope to legalizing for recreational use.
- This NFL Star Is Advocating for Marijuana as a Pain Reliever
(Fortune, 16 May 2016)
Are you ready for some (medical marijuana in) football? Eugene Morris, who plays for the Baltimore Ravens, is advocating the use of cannabis in lieu of opioids to treat pain resulting from the rough and tumble inherent in the sport.
Anything we missed? Let us know in the comments section.