“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.
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.
The post Federal Marijuana Trafficking Convictions Have Fallen Dramatically Following Enactment of Statewide Legalization Laws appeared first on NORML.
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
The post Sha’Carrie Richardson Ban Highlights Injustices in Drug Testing appeared first on CANORML.
We have many new freedoms to celebrate this year, but we also face new challenges.
The post New Marijuana Freedoms and New Challenges on the Fourth of July appeared first on NORML.
Athlete Sha’Carri Richardson has been suspended and barred from running in the Olympic Games in Tokyo after testing positive for marijuana.
The post Let Richardson Race appeared first on NORML.
“Legalizing cannabis is about more than just allowing recreational use, or the money that can be made. This essential reform is about undoing a century of racist policies that disproportionately targeted Black and Latino communities.”
The post Justice Delayed in Delaware: Activists Respond to Cancelled Cannabis Vote appeared first on NORML.
The South Dakota Department of Public Safety issued guidelines today for law enforcement requiring them to cease arresting those persons who identify as patients and meet certain qualifications.
The post South Dakota: Protections for Medical Cannabis Patients Take Effect Today appeared first on NORML.
Under the law, which took effect upon signing, qualified patients may now legally possess up to a 90-day supply of cannabis at one time. Patients also now have the ability to consult with authorizing physicians via video conferencing and may obtain cannabis from dispensaries via curbside pick-up.
The post Pennsylvania: Governor Signs Legislation Expanding Medical Cannabis Access for Qualified Patients appeared first on NORML.
“With these actions by the Court, the United States has become an island of federal marijuana prohibition in North America,” NORML’s Deputy Director Paul Armentano said.
The post Mexico: Supreme Court Moves to Abolish Laws Prohibiting Personal Use of Marijuana appeared first on NORML.
Justice Clarence Thomas wrote: “If the Government is now content to allow States to act ‘as laboratories’ ‘and try novel social and economic experiments,’ then it might no longer have authority to intrude on ‘[t]he States’ core police powers . . . to define criminal law and to protect the health, safety, and welfare of their citizens.’ A prohibition on intrastate use or cultivation of marijuana may no longer be necessary or proper to support the Federal Government’s piecemeal approach.”
The post Supreme Court Justice Questions Whether Federal Ban on Marijuana Remains “Proper” appeared first on NORML.