The enactment of adult-use marijuana legalization laws is not associated with any significant increase in cannabis-related activity in neighboring states and counties, according to a federally funded report published by the nonprofit Justice Research and Statistics Association.
Investigators from Department of Justice and Criminology at Washington State University reported, “Our results from Colorado and Washington suggest that legalization has not had major detrimental effects on public safety.”
The total number of persons arrested in the United States for violating marijuana laws rose for the third consecutive year, according to data released by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The Pennsylvania Board of Pardons has created an expedited process to review and grant pardon applications for those with marijuana-related records. “These people have done no harm to anyone else,” Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman said. “They shouldn’t continue to suffer with employment and housing issues because they were convicted of doing something that most Pennsylvanians don’t even think should be illegal.”
Updated data provided today by the US Centers for Disease Control reports over 800 cases of acute respiratory distress linked to the use of portable vapor cartridges used to consume certain e-liquids. Of the products tested thus far by the US Food and Drug Administration, about half have identified the presence of Vitamin E acetate.
Commenting on the policy change, NORML Political Associate Tyler McFadden said: “Employment protections are critical to ensure that law-abiding adults are not unduly discriminated against in their efforts to be productive members of society solely because of their use of cannabis while off the job. This order provides clarity and guidance to employers and peace of mind to the employees who work in the District of Columbia.”
Rather than use these unfortunate incidents as an opportunity to further drive these markets into the shadows, the administration should officially legalize cannabis and empower the FDA to better study, regulate, and oversee these emerging THC and CBD delivery devices — and to create regulatory standards for legal states to follow and enforce.
Proponents of a 2020 statewide ballot measure to legalize and regulate medical cannabis access have submitted 105,686 signatures to the Secretary of State’s office. A spokesperson for the group backing the campaign, Mississippians for Compassionate Care, said that the measure “polls above 77 percent, with [majority support from] every age group, religious affiliation, [and] political affiliation.”
Reacting to the President’s comments, NORML’s Political Director Justin Strekal said, “The reiteration of a non-enforcement policy from the president is a clear sign that states should continue to defy the federal government when it comes to marijuana prohibition.”
“Our results are consistent with theories that predict that marijuana legalization will displace illicit criminal organizations and decrease crime through changes in security behaviors or substitution toward more harmful substances.”
