Entrepreneurs hoping for a long-awaited hemp expansion from Congress are nervously watching as the end-of-the-month deadline nears. Hemp farmers hoped to see quick action on the 2018 Farm Bill, including a provision to take hemp off the Controlled Substances Act that was included in the Senate version. Here’s what you need to know: The current […]
Medical Marijuana
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A federal judge has ordered a West Virginia hemp farm to shut down over allegations that the operation illegally imported seeds from Kentucky. U.S. Attorney Mike Stuart argued that Grassy Run and its affiliated company CAMO Hemp WV received about 5,000 pounds of hemp seeds from neighboring Kentucky instead of getting a license for them from […]
(This is an abridged version of a story that appears in the September issue of Marijuana Business Magazine.) Dr. Priyanka Sharma had a thriving global business in chemical pharmaceuticals, traveling the world setting up factories extracting fish oil for nutritional supplements. But Sharma and her husband, Pulak, left their home outside Chicago and moved to Colorado […]
Continuing its global acquisition spree, Aurora Cannabis acquired two Lithuanian hemp companies for 6.3 million euros ($7.3 million) in cash and stocks. Edmonton, Alberta-based Aurora acquired hemp grower and processor Agropro UAB, which has some 4,000 acres growing hemp, and Agropro’s sister company, Borela UAB, which processes and distributes organic hulled hemp seeds, hemp seed protein, […]
Though some lawmakers have been showing signs that they’re ready to move forward on the issue, the state faces unique challenges that could continue to hold it back.
The post Here’s How Texas Could Finally Legalize Cannabis appeared first on Leaf…
(This is an abridged version of a story that appears at MJBizDaily.com.) As Oregon cannabis prices continue to sink to new lows amid a product glut, outdoor marijuana growers are turning their sights to MJ’s cousin: hemp. The pivot allows growers to diversify their revenue stream and capitalize on a crop that could soon become […]
Utah approved new hemp rules to allow production to begin with the next growing season – and while the regulations allow for cannabinoid extraction, adding CBD to foods is a strict no-go. The state plans to charge hemp farmers $500 for a one-year license. Hemp can be grown for CBD extraction, and both indoor and outdoor […]
On July 25, Representatives Andy Harris, M.D. (R-MD-01), Earl Blumenauer (D-OR-03), H. Morgan Griffith (R-VA-09), and Zoe Lofgren (D-CA-19) introduced H.R. 3391 (the Medical Marijuana Research Act of 2017).
The Medical Marijuana Research Act of 2017 amends the Controlled Substances Act to make marijuana accessible for use by qualified marijuana researchers for medical purposes, and for other purposes.
Under present law, clinical investigations involving cannabis must meet approval from various federal agencies, including the DEA, the FDA, and the NIDA. Only cannabis provided by the NIDA may be used in clinical trials.
Please contact your members of the US House and Senate and urge their support for these important measures.
During the regular legislative session, more than half of the Texas House, including three out of four physicians, signed onto a bill that would have made the Compassionate Use Program more inclusive. They answered the cries of patients and caregivers who know the benefits cannabis can provide.
All at once, you can tell your legislators to call upon Governor Abbott to add medical cannabis to the list of topics that can be considered during the special session and send a message right to the Governor.
In 29 states (accounting for 62% of Americans), patients with debilitating medical conditions are allowed access to cannabis if their doctors think it will help alleviate their suffering. Texas is not among those 29 states, meaning that we have less freedom than most of our countrymen, including those in Arkansas, North Dakota, and New Mexico. Safe and legal access to medical cannabis for seriously ill patients is supported by more than 80% of Texans, according to the University of Texas.
Send a message now to ask them to add this important topic to the list of issues to be addressed by the Legislature.
Senate Update: The Senate Appropriations Committee is passed the Rohrabacher-Blumenauer amendment on Thursday, July 27th by a voice vote.
House Update: The House Appropriations Committee released its 2018 Commerce, Justice, Science (CJS) Appropriations bill, which determines the funding levels for numerous federal agencies, including the Department of Justice. Predictably, the bill does not include language — known as the Rohrabacher-Blumenauer amendment — limiting the Justice Department from taking action against state-sanctioned medical cannabis producers, retailers, or consumers.
Representatives Blumenauer and Rohrabacher released the following statement in reponse:
“The policy championed by Representatives Blumenauer and Rohrabacher that prevents the Department of Justice from interfering in the ability of states to implement legal medical marijuana laws (previously known as “Rohrabacher-Farr”) has never been included in the base Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS) Subcommittee Appropriations bill. Rather, in previous years, Congress has amended the base CJS bill to include these protections.
We are exactly where we thought we would be in the legislative process and look forward to amending the underlying bill once again this year to make sure medical marijuana programs, and the patients who rely on them, are protected. Voters in states across the country have acted to legalize medical marijuana. Congress should not act against the will of the people who elected us.”
Congress re-authorized the amendment as part of a short term government spending package on May 5th, 2017. This bill extends federal funding through September 30, 2017, at which time the appropriation — and the Rohrabacher-Blumenauer amendment — will expire.
Initially enacted by Congress in 2014, the amendment maintains that federal funds cannot be used to prevent states from “implementing their own state laws that authorize the use, distribution, possession or cultivation of medical marijuana.”
According to recently released nationwide survey data, the majority of Americans are on our side. A whopping 94 percent support the medical use of marijuana. Perhaps most importantly, 71 percent of voters — including strong majorities of Democrats, Republicans, and Independents — say that they “oppose the government enforcing federal laws against marijuana in states that have already legalized medical or recreational marijuana.”
This amendment is strongly supported by both voters and lawmakers and ensures the safety of millions of patients. Congress must not turn its back on those millions of Americans who rely on these state-authorized programs for their health and wellness.
Send a message to your Senators uring them to support and advocate for medical marijuana patients with the form below.
