Michigan Ends Marijuana Pre-Employment Screens for Most State Employees

The Michigan Civil Service Commission has voted unanimously to adopt new rules ending the practice of pre-employment marijuana screening for most state workers. Under the new policy, those previously denied positions because of a failed marijuana test are also now eligible to immediately reapply for employment.
The post Michigan Ends Marijuana Pre-Employment Screens for Most State Employees appeared first on NORML.

State Policy Weekly Update 7/12/2023

This week’s updates include developments in: CA, MA, ME, NJ, NY, & PA.
The post State Policy Weekly Update 7/12/2023 appeared first on NORML.

Ohio: Advocates Turn In Nearly Twice the Number of Signatures Necessary to Place Marijuana Legalization Initiative on November’s Ballot

A statewide poll of likely voters reported strong support for adult-use legalization among Democrats (79 percent) and Independents (61 percent), but far less support among Republicans (40 percent).
The post Ohio: Advocates Turn In Nearly Twice the Number of Signatures Necessary to Place Marijuana Legalization Initiative on November’s Ballot appeared first on NORML.

Cal NORML News of the Week – July 10, 2023

Weekly Newsletter of The California Chapter of the
National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws
Sponsor a Cal NORML Eblast and Reach our 32,000 Weekly Readers

Take Action
SB 512, to end double taxation of cannabis in California, faces a critical vote in the Assembly Revenue and Tax Committee on Monday, July 10. Only pubic testimony will be taken at the hearing (no call-ins).
Under the Adult Use of Marijuana Act, the cannabis excise tax is set at 15% of gross receipts from licensed retail cannabis sales. Many local governments impose additional taxes on cannabis, ranging as high as 10% in some jurisdictions. Retailers are required to include these excise taxes in the definition of gross receipts when charging additional sales taxes of 7.25 – 10.5%.
SB 512 would end this double or triple taxation on cannabis, delivering much-needed relief to what is currently an unfairly overtaxed industry.
Please tell your lawmakers to support SB 512.

News of the Week
STATE

California Voters Are More Supportive Than Ever Of Marijuana Legalization, And Most Want Retailers In Their Communities, Poll Finds
In a June PPIC Statewide Survey, a record-high 64% of Californians said that the use of marijuana should be legal. A smaller majority (56 percent; 60% of likely voters) say that they want adult-use retailers to operate in their community.
California Assembly Committee Approves Senate-Passed Bill To Stop Employers From Asking About Past Marijuana Use
Tell Your Assemblymember to Vote Yes on SB 700

UPDATE: Find Out How Your County is Complying With Sealing Past Marijuana Convictions
Thanks to the excellent (as always) reporting by Marijuana Moment, some of Cal NORML’s figures and tables about the progress of the expungement of past marijuana crimes in CA have been revised from an earlier release. Read more.

The CA DOJ also released its annual crime report, showing that felony marijuana arrests fell from 825 in 2021 to only 691 in 2022, a 3.4% drop. Misdemeanor arrests for marijuana also continued to fall, to 2,562 in 2022. Racial disparities in arrests continued, with 50.2% of felony marijuana arrests targeting Hispanics, 20.3% whites, and 16.2% blacks. Read more.
California’s Unified Cannabis Enforcement Taskforce (UCETF) reports seizing over $109M worth of unlicensed cannabis products in Q2 2023
UCETF is one of three suppression / eradication efforts against cannabis in California. Read more.
 
NATIONAL / INTERNATIONAL
Marijuana in the military? A push in Congress would loosen cannabis rules, ease recruitment crisis
Booker Slams ‘Two-Tier System’ Of Marijuana Criminalization That Shields Powerful From Punishment While Discussing Hunter Biden Plea Deal
After 50 Years, the DEA Is Still Losing the War on Drugs
Ukraine’s President Says Legalizing Medical Marijuana Can Help People Impacted By ‘Trauma Of War’ With Russia
 
LOCAL

Orange County’s City of Seniors May Allow Cannabis Businesses
San Jose Cannabis Tax Revenue Set to Drop Tens of Millions, As Competition Rises from Black Market and Delivery Services
Santa Barbara Cannabis Update: Sniffing Smoke, Where’s the Fire?
Sonoma County cannabis: An uncertain future
 
CONSUMPTION LOUNGES
The Almost World Famous Crisp Lounge Opens in Eureka
See: Cal NORML’s List of Cannabis Lounges in CA
Blowing Smoke About Cannabis Consumption Lounges
Cannabis Consumption Lounges No Danger to Public Health: A Cal NORML White Paper

Looking for cannabis doctors, lawyers,stores, products or business services? Visit the Cal NORML Cannabis Marketplace and Support the Businesses that Support Reform!
Thank you to Medithrive in SF for renewing its membership!
Join Cal NORML with a business membership or renew your membership today.

BUSINESS / LAW

Herbl collapse signals wider fallout in California marijuana industry
Purple weed could save California’s pot farms from ‘severe’ pathogen
Cannabis Media Council Publishes First Industry-Wide Guidelines and Standards for Responsible Cannabis Advertisements
Mendocino County Selects Accela to Regulate its High-Volume Cannabis Industry and Improve Process Transparency
 
SCIENCE/HEALTH

FTC Sends Cease and Desist Letters with FDA to Companies Selling Edible Products Containing Delta-8 THC in Packaging Nearly Identical to Food Children Eat
More Than Pain Relief: Sustained Cannabis Use Leads to Improved Cognition in Cancer Patients
Study: Prenatal marijuana exposure not associated with worse neuropsychological test scores at age 10 or autistic traits at 19-20.
DCC-funded USCF Study Finds Warning Signs About Cannabis and Pregnancy May Have “Unintended Adverse Consequences”
 
CULTURE / MEDIA
Meta-Owned Social Media App Threads Directs Users To Drug Treatment Help When Searching Marijuana Or Psychedelics—But Not Alcohol Or Cigarettes
Daniel Ellsberg’s Real Role
It would be interesting to know when and where Ellsberg started smoking the herb and to what extent the absurdity of prohibition accelerated his transition from hawk to dove. During the Vietnam war years there was a strong synergy between the two causes – ending the war and ending marijuana prohibition. Seeing the absurdity and futility of one opened your eyes to the absurdity and futility of the other.
 

 
Coming Events
COMMITTEE HEARINGS
Many committees are halting accepting call-in testimony now that Covid has subsided. Check the committee websites and agendas for more information
Monday, July 10 • 11 AM
1021 O Street, Room 2100, Sacramento
Sen Business, Professions and Economic Development committee hearing on:
A.B. 1126 Lackey. Cannabis: citation and fine.
A.B. 1448 Wallis. Cannabis: enforcement by local jurisdictions.
A.B. 1565 Jones-Sawyer. California Cannabis Tax Fund: local equity program grants.
Tell Your State Senator to Vote Yes on AB 1565.

Monday, July 10 • 2:30 PM
State Capitol, Room 437
All witness testimony will be in person; there will be no phone testimony option for this hearing.
Asm. Revenue and Taxation Committee hearing on:
S.B. 512 Bradford. Cannabis: taxation: gross receipts.
Tell Your Assemblymember to Support SB 512
Tuesday, July 11 • 9:30 AM
1021 O Street, Room 1100, Sacramento
Asm. Business and Professions committee hearing on:
S.B. 51 Bradford. Cannabis provisional licenses: local equity applicants.
Tell Your Assemblymember to Support SB 51
Tuesday, July 11 • 9 AM
1021 O Street, Room 2100, Sacramento
Sen. Judiciary Committee hearing on:
S.B. 1684 Maienschein. Local ordinances: fines and penalties: cannabis
A.B. 1171 Blanca Rubio. Cannabis: private right of action.
California Cannabis Events
July 14-30
California Cannabis Exhibit at State Fair
Sacramento
July 27
Cannabis Drinks Expo
San Francisco
September 2
Medical Cannabis Conference
Brought to you by Society of Cannabis Clinicians & The ReLeaf Institute
UCLA
September 9-10
Cannifest
Eureka
December 1-3
National Interdisciplinary Cannabis Symposium 2
Portland, OR

Cal NORML has been the voice of the cannabis consumer in California for 50 years, and we need your help to keep fighting for your rights in Sacramento and across the state.
JOIN CAL NORML WITH A PERSONAL OR BUSINESS MEMBERSHIP AND SUPPORT OUR ADVOCACY EFFORTS IN 2023.

Follow California NORML on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

The post Cal NORML News of the Week – July 10, 2023 appeared first on CaNorml.org.

Major Changes to Cannabis Law Take Effect Around the U.S.

Thanks to your advocacy, activism, and support, dozens of new marijuana laws took effect around the country this month.
The post Major Changes to Cannabis Law Take Effect Around the U.S. appeared first on NORML.

Support SB 512, To Help End Unfair Taxation of Cannabis

UPDATE 7/10/2023 –
SB 512 (Bradford), to end double taxation on cannabis by include state and local excise taxes when calculating sales tax, was held in the Assembly Revenue and Taxation committee and will likely not advance this year.
Committee chair Jacqui Irwin, whose bill AB 1207 to restrict cannabis packaging and flavorings was opposed by cannabis industry groups, commented at the hearing that it’s too soon to evaluate the results of AB 195 (2022), which eliminated the cannabis cultivation tax and shifted the responsibility for paying state excise tax from the distributor to the retailer, while making the changes SB 512 sought to correct.
Cal NORML supporters sent in nearly 900 letters in support of the bill and our director Dale Gieringer spoke up in its favor at the hearing. We will continue to advocate for cannabis tax reform in California. Stay tuned.

Under the Adult Use of Marijuana Act, the cannabis excise tax is set at 15% of gross receipts from licensed retail cannabis sales.  Many local governments impose additional taxes on cannabis, ranging as high as 10% in some jurisdictions, including Los Angeles.

Local governments are currently required to include these state and local excise taxes in the definition of “gross receipts” when charging additional sales taxes of 7.25 – 10.5%.
SB 512 would end this double or triple taxation on cannabis, delivering much-needed relief to what is currently an unfairly overtaxed industry.
Please tell your lawmakers to support SB 512. 
Cannabis is already heavily overtaxed relative to comparable goods in California.  Adding the sales and use tax of 7.25% to 10.5% on top of the excise tax raises the cost of a joint by another 8 – 11 cents—more  than the total state excise taxes for an alcoholic beverage.  If local cannabis taxes are added in, the difference ranges as high as 18 cents.
Cannabis sales currently contribute more to California’s coffers than do alcohol taxes, despite far less sales. Overtaxation impedes legal, tested, and taxed cannabis access for consumers and fuels the illicit cannabis market. California’s cannabis consumers want access to safe, tested, and fairly taxed products.
Please tell your lawmakers to support SB 512. 
BACKGROUND
The double taxation started not in Prop. 64 but when the 2022 budget bill AB 195 shifted the excise tax payment responsibility from the distributor to the retailer. The bill amended Section 34011(d) of the Revenue and Taxation Code to define gross receipts from the sale of cannabis or cannabis products for purposes of assessing the sales and use taxes to include the 15% excise tax. Subsequently, the CDFTA instructed retailers to add in delivery fees and local taxes to the definition of gross receipts for the purposes of accessing sales taxes, making for triple taxation.
Compounding the issue of taxing the taxes, many jurisdictions have local cannabis tax laws that are now in direct conflict with the directive issued by the CDTFA. For example, the City of Los Angeles’s definition of their gross receipts tax (LA Municipal Code: Section 21.51 (a)4) is in direct conflict with the CDTFA’s guidance. This conflict leaves retailers in LA and elsewhere subject to fines or loss of licensure.

A $73.35 purchase made recently at a CA cannabis shop turned into the customer paying $97.20 at the register. SB 512 would have saved $2.03 off this sale by not re-taxing the excise taxes, a small step towards #cannabistaxfairness.
SB 512 would clarify and roll back the double and triple taxation on cannabis, which is helping to drive consumers back to the illicit market in California, in the end undercutting the tax base.
The post Support SB 512, To Help End Unfair Taxation of Cannabis appeared first on CaNorml.org.

State Policy Weekly Update 7/6/2023

This week’s update highlights legislative developments in CA, FL, OH, & OR.
The post State Policy Weekly Update 7/6/2023 appeared first on NORML.

California Addresses 90% of Cannabis Cases in Expungement Efforts

Seven years after California voters passed Proposition 64 in 2016, successfully legalizing marijuana possession, cultivation, and sales, the courts are finally nearly finished relieving all qualifying cannabis cases.
The post California Addresses 90% of Cannabis Cases in Expungement Efforts appeared first on NORML.

Virginia: Changes to Medical Cannabis Laws Take Effect

Multiple improvements to the state’s medical program became law July 1, 2023.
The post Virginia: Changes to Medical Cannabis Laws Take Effect appeared first on NORML.

Blowing Smoke About Cannabis Consumption Lounges

CANNABIS CONSUMPTION SPACES ARE NEEDED IN CALIFORNIA 
While it’s legal for adults and medical patients to possess and grow marijuana in California, using it can be a problem.  Unlike tobacco or alcohol, cannabis is illegal to consume in any public place – even in edible form.  That leaves only private establishments and residences as places to enjoy a product made legal by California voters in 2016.
Smoking and vaping are even more problematic. Under current law, they are legal only where tobacco smoking is permitted.  That rules out all private indoor meeting rooms, restaurants, clubs, hotels, convention centers, etc.;  also any businesses with liquor permits.  Some California cities have even gone so far as to pass “no-smoking” bans in multi-unit dwellings, effectively depriving private apartment residents of any legal place to inhale, even for medical purposes.
California cannabis consumers are accordingly in need of more legal spaces where they can socialize and partake.  To this end, state law allows local governments to let licensed dispensaries open “consumption lounges,” where patrons can smoke or otherwise consume marijuana as in Amsterdam’s famous coffee shops. A score of such establishments have opened across California, with local approval and public safety measures in place.
 
PENDING BILLS WOULD BOLSTER CANNABIS LOUNGES, INDUSTRY
Under current law, such lounges can only serve cannabis and pre-packaged foods.   Two bills currently in the state legislature, SB 285 by Sen. Ben Allen (Santa Monica) and AB 374 by Asm. Matt Haney (San Francisco), would authorize local governments to let licensed consumption lounges prepare and sell fresh food and beverages, as well as perhaps entertainment. Tell Your State Senator to Support AB 374 and Tell Your Assemblymember to Support SB 285. 
Innocent as this change might appear, public health groups have voiced opposition on the spurious grounds that secondhand marijuana smoke is as dangerous as tobacco smoke, and would therefore expose workers to unacceptable health risks. Of course, it might well be asked why workers at cannabis lounges would object to smelling marijuana smoke in the first place; many might well welcome the opportunity. As in the case of commercial kitchens, workers can be protected by reasonable ventilation measures.
 
CANNABIS SMOKE IS NOT TOBACCO SMOKE
The scientific evidence is clear that marijuana smoke is not as dangerous as tobacco smoke.  This might seem surprising, since marijuana and tobacco smoke share chemical similarities.  Both are produced by the combustion of dried leaf,  which produces numerous known carcinogens and toxins,  such as benzene, formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, et al.    Yet longitudinal studies of human subjects have found that marijuana smoking, unlike tobacco, does NOT cause lung or respiratory cancers, even in long-term heavy users.  [“Cannabis Exposure and Lung Health”].
There are various explanations as to why this is so.  First of all, marijuana users typically smoke far less than cigarette smokers  – on the order of a half gram or two per day,  versus twenty grams for one pack of cigarettes.  Secondly, there are significant chemical differences between cannabinoids and nicotine:  tobacco contains potent nicotine-related carcinogens not found in cannabis, while cannabinoids have distinctive anti-carcinogenic properties.[1]  There may also be differences in how the two kinds of smoke are absorbed by the lungs.  It is notable that the odor of marijuana typically clears the room the next day, while nicotine leaves a lingering, stale odor.
An exhaustive review of the health effects of marijuana by the National Academy of Sciences,  accordingly found “no statistical association between cannabis smoking and the incidence of lung cancer.”[2] Other studies have failed to find evidence that cannabis smoking is a significant risk factor in emphysema[3] or cardiovascular disease.[4]
Given that first-hand smoking of marijuana doesn’t cause lung cancer or other serious tobacco-related diseases,  it’s all the less likely that second-hand smoking does.   This is not to deny that marijuana smoke can be irritating, especially to asthmatics and smoke-sensitive subjects.  Chronic pot smoking has been linked to increased risk of bronchitis and infections.   It’s therefore essential that non-smokers have the right to be protected from second-hand smoke of all kinds, and that consumption spaces be well insulated from neighbors.
Some anti-smoking purists have suggested that consumption lounges only serve edibles.  However, edibles are not conducive to social use, since they require a lengthy time to take effect, and they are particularly likely to invite overdoses.
 
VAPORIZATION IS HARM REDUCTION
On the other hand, the hazards of smoke inhalation can be virtually eliminated by smokeless vaporizers and e-cigarettes.   Vaporizers heat cannabis to a temperature below the point of combustion where smoke toxins and carcinogens form, producing an effectively smokeless stream of cannabinoid and terpenoid vapors.   This effectively eliminates toxic particulates and gases, which derive from the 80% of the plant which doesn’t consist of active ingredients (THC and terpenoids).
Vaporizers come in two types.  Herbal vaporizers heat raw leaf and buds to the point where they produce vapor but don’t burn and produce toxic compounds (about 180-200° C).  Herbal vaporizers have been shown to eliminate virtually all of the carcinogens produced in marijuana smoke,[5] and have proven to be a “safe and effective” delivery method in medical cannabis studies.[6]
Vape pens or e-cigs produce vapor from concentrated cannabis oils, which are distilled to eliminate non-active constituents of the plant.  Vape cartridges typically contain very high concentrations of THC (~80%+),  but are designed to deliver it in modest dosages per puff like a regular joint.   As a result, users obtain a moderate dose of THC and terpenoids with virtually no smoke contaminants. Vaping THC concentrate was shown to eliminate over 99.9% of the cancer risk of smoking in a lab study of e-cigs,[7]
It is important to note that the safety of vape concentrates depends on their purity.  An epidemic of fatal EVALI lung disease was caused in 2019-20 by vape concentrates from the underground market which contained a toxic additive to make them vaporize better.  No problems were reported with California-regulated vapes.  Subsequent improvements in technology have since eliminated the need for additives. Most vape concentrates now consist of virtually pure cannabinoids and terpenoids.
Vaporizers have further advantages in reducing second-hand smoke.   Unlike cigarettes and pipes, they emit vapor only while users inhale, eliminating the sidestream smoke generated by burning cigarettes.  They likewise eliminate the need for lighters, matches, and ashtrays.
 
CONCLUSIONS
State-funded anti-tobacco groups have misinformed Californians that second-hand marijuana smoke and vapes pose the same harms as tobacco cigarettes.   This notion is false.  The scientific evidence clearly shows that marijuana is safer than tobacco, and vaporization is safer than smoking.  Not a single epidemiological study has shown that second-hand marijuana smoke, much less vapor, is a workplace exposure hazard.
There is no reason that California cannot accommodate safe social consumption spaces for marijuana use while protecting non-users from unwanted smoke exposure.   As in the case of commercial kitchens, which also produce smoke, workers can be protected by reasonable ventilation measures.  Consumption lounges have a long history in Amsterdam as well as San Francisco, where the S.F. Cannabis Buyers’ Club offered over 10,000 medical patients a safe place to medicate and socialize in the days before Prop. 64.[8]
California NORML advocates the expansion of consumption spaces not only for consumers and medical users, but also visitors in search of a safe and friendly place to inhale.
See a List of Cannabis Consumption Lounges in California. 
Also see: Cannabis Consumption Lounges: Mitigating Risks
Information about opening and operating a consumption lounge from Cal NORML board member and attorney Lauren Mendelsohn.
 
REFERENCES
[1] Melamede R. “Cannabis and tobacco smoke are not equally carcinogenic,” Harm Reduction Journal 21  (2005).
[2] National Academy of Sciences,  The Health Effects of Cannabis and Cannabinoids (2017), p. 143.
[3] Ware, M. “Cannabis and the Lung: No More Smoking Gun?” and Tashkin DP “Effects of marijuana smoking on the lung.” Ann Am Thorac Soc 2013; Vol. 10, Issue 3.
[4] Theerasuwipakorn N et al, “Cannabis and adverse cardiovascular events,” Toxicol Rep. 2023; 10: 537-43 10.1016/j.toxrep.2023.04.011;
Ravi D et al. “Association Between Marijuana Use and Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Outcomes,” Ann Intern Med. 2018 Feb 168(3): 187-94 10.7326/M17-1548.
[5] Gieringer D et al:  “Cannabis Vaporizer Combines Efficient Delivery of THC with Effective Suppression of Pyrolytic Compounds,” Journal of Cannabis Therapeutics 4 (1) 2004.
[6] Abrams D et al, “Vaporization as a Smokeless Cannabis Delivery System: A Pilot Study,”  Clin. Pharm. & Ther. April 2007.
[7] Meehan-Atrash J et al., “Aerosol Gas-Phase Components from Cannabis E-Cigarettes and Dabbing: Mechanistic Insight and Quantitative Risk Analysis,” ACS Omega Sept 16, 2019.
[8] Feldman HW, Mandel J, “Providing medical marijuana: the importance of cannabis clubs,” J Psychoactive Drugs 1998 30(2) 179-86.
The post Blowing Smoke About Cannabis Consumption Lounges appeared first on CaNorml.org.