Surgeon General: Don’t “Lock People Up For Marijuana Use”

On Sunday, the US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, MD told CNN that “When it comes to decriminalization, I don’t think that there is value to individuals or to society to lock people up for marijuana use. I don’t think that serves anybody well.”
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Illinois: Governor Signs Equity Measure to Award Over 100 New Dispensary Licenses

The second lottery is reserved for equity applicants who have or whose family members have, a past marijuana conviction, or who have lived in a “disproportionately impacted area” for at least 10 years.
The post Illinois: Governor Signs Equity Measure to Award Over 100 New Dispensary Licenses appeared first on NORML.

Senate Leader Unveils Long-Awaited Marijuana Descheduling Plan

United States Senate Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), along with Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Ron Wyden (D-OR) unveiled draft legislation repealing the federal prohibition of marijuana at a press conference on Wednesday.
The post Senate Leader Unveils Long-Awaited Marijuana Descheduling Plan appeared first on NORML.

Comment on the new plan to end marijuana criminalization by Sens. Schumer/Booker/Wyden

This long-awaited proposal is comprehensive and includes many of the criminal justice reforms provided in the Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment, and Expungement (MORE) Act, which passed the House of Representatives last December, and provides ample deference to the laws already in place in the majority of states that have already legalized marijuana for either medical or adult use.
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New Jersey Courts Vacate Almost 88,000 Marijuana Cases

These are the first of up to 360,000 cases and convictions that are eligible for vacation, dismissal and automatic expungement.
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Analysis: Marijuana Legalization Correlates with Higher Home Values

The analysis reported, “Between April 2017 and April 2021, property values rose $17,113 more in states where recreational marijuana is legal, compared to states where marijuana is illegal or limited to medicinal use.”
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Colorado: Legal Challenge Filed to Halt Imposition of Medical Cannabis Restrictions

The lawsuit, which was filed by a 19-year-old patient who uses cannabis for the treatment of severe epilepsy, argues that the proposed changes will unduly restrict medical cannabis access among patients and will discourage physicians from participating in the program
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Density of Cannabis Outlets Not Associated with Increased Intention to Use Marijuana by Young Adults

“Our results suggest that young adults who lived in an area with a greater density of any type of outlet were not significantly more likely to report stronger intentions to use cannabis, e-cigarettes, or cannabis mixed with tobacco/nicotine in the future.”
The post Density of Cannabis Outlets Not Associated with Increased Intention to Use Marijuana by Young Adults appeared first on NORML.

Federal Marijuana Trafficking Convictions Have Fallen Dramatically Following Enactment of Statewide Legalization Laws

Just over 1,000 people were sentenced federally in 2020 for violating marijuana trafficking laws. That’s down 67 percent since 2016, and over 80 percent since 2012 – when Colorado and Washington became the first two states to legalize and regulate the adult-use marijuana market.
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Sha’Carrie Richardson Ban Highlights Injustices in Drug Testing

July 6, 2021 – In a story with “legs” in more ways than one, public outcry has been intense over the banning of sprinter Sha’Carrie Richardson from competing in the Olympics in the 100-meter race she won during the trials in Oregon last month. The US Anti-Doping Agency announced last week that Richardson had tested positive for marijuana and would be suspended from competing for 30 days. She will miss the 100-meter race at the upcoming Olympics, but might be able to run in the 4X100 meter relay if she is named to the US Team.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki, who made excuses for the Biden administration firing employees over past marijuana use earlier this year, said when asked about Richardson on Friday, “this was an independent decision made by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency and not a decision that would be made by the U.S. government,” adding, “that Richardson “is an inspiring young woman who has gone through a lot personally—and she also happens to be one of the fastest women in the world.”
On Saturday, President Biden was asked if he thought the ban was fair and said, “The rules are the rules….whether they should remain the rules is a different issue,” adding he “was really proud of [Richardson] and the way she responded” to the controversy. Biden didn’t take a follow-up question about Congresswoman Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez and other congressmembers writing to WADA and USADA asking them to reconsider their decision. Rep. Barbara Lee​ (D-Oakland) is also circulating a letter of protest.
It’s been noted that Richardson was in Oregon, where marijuana is legal, when she used it. However in Oregon, and many other “legal” states like California, workers can still lose their jobs, or job opportunities, for using marijuana off the job. The incident is emblematic of drug testing and employment rights for marijuana users in the US: despite 18 states plus Washington, D.C. legalizing recreational marijuana, we’re disqualifying some of our best and brightest workers over an exercise in freedom of choice that has no effect on job performance. Urine and hair tests, in particular, detect only inactive metabolites from marijuana used days or weeks before a test, and have no correlation with on-the-job performance, whether you’re working at a manufacturing job or running track.
The news about Richardson comes just after Connecticut became the fifth state to protect the employment rights of recreational marijuana users while legalizing marijuana, pointing out in its law that a positive test for inactive marijuana metabolites “shall not be construed, without other evidence, as proof that such individual is under the influence of cannabis.” Twenty-one states protect medical marijuana users’ employment rights, and last month the California State Personnel Board ruled that an employee can’t be fired for using marijuana off the job, and a urine test doesn’t prove on-the-job impairment.
The NFL is no longer suspending players who test positive for marijuana, and is funding research into its use for pain management. The NBA has ceased random testing for marijuana, and cannabinoids were taken off the MLB’s drugs of abuse list in 2019. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), which governs the Olympics, relaxed its rules on CBD in 2019, but THC remains prohibited.
NORML has issued an action alert by which supporters can write to WADA and USADA asking them to revise their policies to be in compliance with the shifting legal and cultural standing of cannabis. It’s something that should happen for all workers, everywhere.
LEARN MORE ABOUT CAL NORML’S EMPLOYMENT RIGHTS CAMPAIGN
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