2016 election

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Welcome back to The Week in Weed, your Friday look at what’s happening in the world of legalized marijuana.

Startups are finding new ways to tailor technologies specifically to cannabis businesses.

A couple of marijuana reform supporters already have a couple of commentaries flagging some decisions of new SCOTUS nominee Neil Gorsuch concerning marijuana: From Tom Angell here, “Trump’s Supreme Court Pick On Marijuana”; from Heavy.com here, “Neil Gorsuch & Marijuana: What Are His Views on Legalization?”

The first tangible results of state voters’ decision to legalize marijuana are being felt as possession and home growth of marijuana becomes legal in Maine. Voters narrowly passed the ballot question in November, and the waiting period between the vote and legalization has expired.

Something we missed that everyone needs to know?  Give us a shout in the comments.

Welcome back to The Week in Weed, your Friday look at what’s happening in the world of legalized marijuana.

In a major positive step for the cannabis industry, the New York Stock Exchange last month listed a new real estate investment trust called Innovative Industrial Properties (NYSE:IIPR), the first cannabis company to be listed on a US national exchange.

San Diego and San Francisco, two of the most populous cities in California, moved to delay cannabis-related businesses. The San Diego City Council on Tuesday unanimously extended a moratorium on recreational marijuana retailers until December, and the San Francisco Board of Supervisors approved temporary restrictions on indoor marijuana cultivation until the city approves permanent zoning restrictions.

All the great articles from the UC Davis Law Review’s Symposium on “Disjointed Regulation: State Efforts to Legalize Marijuana” are now in print (and now available at this link) in the December 2016 issue of the UC Davis Law Review.

President Trump voiced support for medical marijuana and states’ rights during his campaign, but Jeff Sessions, his pick for Attorney General, has opposed legalization, and will have the power to enforce the federal drug laws that could send people to prison.

Welcome back to The Week in Weed, your Friday look at what’s happening in the world of legalized marijuana.

DENVER (AP) — Denver is starting work Wednesday 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.

Cannabis users may cheer this news, but it heralds the start of an enduring headache for states.

And, since it’s Inauguration Day, of course we’re including an article about the incoming adminstration.

By John Schroyer – Steph Sherer has a good read on the pulse of cannabis politics, having spent years in Washington DC lobbying on behalf of medical marijuana patients and fighting for national MJ reform as executive director of Americans for Safe Access.

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On January 10, 2017, Alabama GOP Sen. Jeff Sessions began confirmation hearings with the Senate Judiciary Committee for his potential role as Attorney General in the upcoming Trump administration.   During these hearings he was asked questions that shed light on possible differences between the Trump administration Department of Justice’s stance on marijuana as compared to the Obama administration.

In response to a question about federalism as it relates to marijuana laws from Sen. Mike Lee, a Utah Republican, Sessions stated:

“One obvious concern is that Congress has made the possession of marijuana in every state an illegal act. If that is not desired any longer, Congress should pass a law to change it. It’s not the attorney general’s job to decide which laws to enforce. We should enforce the laws as effectively as we are able.”

Continue Reading Jeff Sessions Senate Confirmation Hearing Hints at Enforcement Attitudes Towards Marijuana

Welcome back to The Week in Weed, your Friday look at what’s happening in the world of legalized marijuana.

HARRISBURG – Pennsylvania officials said Wednesday that they will begin accepting applications early next year for medical marijuana growers and dispensaries, with a target date of mid-2018 for legal sales to begin in the state.

How can banks in Oregon improve their reputation? Serve cannabis clients. That’s the finding of a survey by Portland-based LT Public Relations and DHM Research that suggests financial institutions could better their public standing by providing financial services to marijuana businesses.

On election day, voters in California, Massachusetts, Maine and Nevada decided to legalize the use of recreational marijuana, joining Alaska, Colorado, Oregon, Washington and the District of Columbia.  What does this mean for employers?

Okay, we’re going to toot our own horn here, among those interviewed for this article is our editor, Stan Jutkowitz.

Welcome back to The Week in Weed, your Friday look at what’s happening in the world of legalized marijuana.

A field sobriety test is used when a motorist is suspected of reckless driving, and a breathalyzer is used to gauge the level of alcohol in a driver’s bloodstream. But there’s nothing similar to a breathalyzer for testing whether someone is driving while under the influence of marijuana.

DENVER — Weed is winning in the polls, with a solid majority of Americans saying marijuana should be legal. But does that mean the federal government will let dozens of state pot experiments play out? Not by a long shot.

A formal recount of Maine’s election results on recreational cannabis legalization is set to begin Monday and is expected to take four to six weeks and cost the state up to half a million dollars.

Welcome back to The Week in Weed, your Friday look at what’s happening in the world of legalized marijuana.

Opponents of a state ruling that would prevent bars and many restaurants in Denver from offering on-site marijuana consumption said the ruling would overturn a law approved by voters and force people to sneak around while they use pot and consume alcohol.

The signatures have been certified on petitions calling for the recounts, the Secretary of State’s Office says.

Applicants for Maryland’s medical marijuana dispensary licenses will soon know whether they won or lost. The Maryland Cannabis Commission has announced that winners of preliminary licenses will be chosen Nov. 28 but won’t be revealed to the public until December 9.

Anything we missed that everyone needs to know?  Give us a shout in the comments.

 

Now that Massachusetts has voted to legalize the recreational use of marijuana, employers that want to maintain drug-free workplaces, the new marijuana law raises a number of questions regarding employer rights and obligations.  In this client alert, we identify a number of issues facing employers in the wake of this new law and offer our initial reactions and insights.

To view the full alert, please click on the link below:

http://www.seyfarth.com/publications/MA111416-LE

Tuesday turned out to be a big night for medical marijuana supporters in Florida – with voters overwhelmingly casting their votes in favor of a full-scale medical marijuana program. Florida’s Amendment 2 has the potential to be one of the most permissive medical marijuana rules in the country. Amendment 2 provides that patients with illnesses such as cancer, HIV, post-traumatic stress disorder, Parkinson’s disease and epilepsy would be eligible to access medical marijuana. In addition to the prescribed illness, the measure also allows doctors to recommend medical marijuana for “other debilitating medical conditions of the same kind or class as or comparable to those enumerated, and for which a physician believes that the medical use of marijuana would likely outweigh the potential health risks for a patient.” While the measure requires that the illness be severe – the wording seems to give physicians a lot of leeway in determining which conditions meet the “severe” criteria.

Although the law is set to go into effect in January of 2017, Florida lawmakers must still draft laws regarding how the law will be implemented and regulated, which is set to begin in March 2017. Further, patients themselves must have a 90-day relationship with physicians licensed by the state before obtaining the cannabis.

Welcome back to The Week in Weed, your Friday look at what’s happening in the world of legalized marijuana.  And what a week it’s been!

The cannabis industry scored a landslide victory Tuesday as four states legalized recreational marijuana and another three approved medical use, cementing the 2016 election’s place in the history books.

As many like to say, elections have consequences. And this new Washington Post article highlights one really interesting and surprisingly quick consequence of all the marijuana election results.

Four more states legalize recreational marijuana, but it could be moot if newly elected President Trump rolls back the Cole Memorandum, or if Trump appoints either Chris Christie or Rudy Giuliani as attorney general.

Something we missed that everyone needs to know?  Give us a shout in the comments.