New Congressional Cannabis Caucus leader; NY marijuana tax break to gov; Fed official wants banking; MD psychedelics vote; Drug testing changes<\/em><\/p>\n Subscribe<\/a>\u00a0to receive Marijuana Moment\u2019s newsletter in your inbox every weekday morning. It\u2019s the best way to make sure you know which cannabis stories are shaping the day.<\/p>\n Your support makes Marijuana Moment possible\u2026<\/b><\/p>\n They say a journalist is a machine that converts coffee into copy.<\/b> But where do you think the coffee comes from? Readers like you!<\/span><\/p>\n Signing up for a $25\/month subscription will help keep us digging, interviewing and reporting on all the cannabis news that\u2019s fit to print. And in return, you\u2019ll gain access to our Bill Tracker tool, too, so you can have the most up-to-date information on the drug policy reform efforts around the U.S.<\/span>\n
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<\/span>\/ TOP THINGS TO KNOW<\/b>
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<\/span>Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R)<\/span><\/a> announced he will not stand in the way of a bill to implement marijuana legalization if voters approve it on the ballot this November and is letting the reform legislation take effect without his signature.<\/span>
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<\/span>The <\/span>Congressional Cannabis Caucus<\/span><\/a> announced that its new Republican co-chair is Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL). One of just three Republicans to vote for a marijuana legalization bill this month, he replaces Rep. Don Young (R-AK), who recently died.<\/span>
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<\/span>New York lawmakers sent Gov. Kathy Hochul (D)<\/span><\/a> budget legislation with provisions to decouple state tax policy from the federal 280E provision, thereby allowing marijuana companies to deduct business expenses in their state filings.<\/span>
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<\/span>A federal official with the <\/span>National Credit Union Administration<\/span><\/a> is cheering state marijuana banking moves, but he\u2019s calling on Congress to step in and act\u2014even as he acknowledges it\u2019s unconventional for a regulator to pressure lawmakers in this way.<\/span>
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<\/span>The <\/span>Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration<\/span><\/a> filed Federal Register notices proposing to clarify that having a doctor\u2019s recommendation for medical cannabis is not a valid excuse for a positive drug test for federal workers. There\u2019s also new broader language on passive exposure to, and foods infused with, marijuana and other illegal drugs.<\/span>
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<\/span>The <\/span>Maryland House of Delegates<\/span><\/a> gave initial approval to a Senate-passed bill to create a fund to provide \u201ccost-free\u201d access to psychedelics like psilocybin, MDMA and ketamine for military veterans suffering from PTSD and traumatic brain injury. One more vote will send it to the desk of Gov. Larry Hogan (R).<\/span>
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<\/span>\/ FEDERAL<\/b>
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<\/span>The <\/span>Federal Aviation Administration<\/span><\/a> posted a notice about employee drug testing, noting that marijuana is included and prohibited despite state legalization.<\/span>
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<\/span>House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)<\/span><\/a> said in a letter to colleagues that the body\u2019s passage of a federal marijuana legalization bill \u201cadvances historic criminal justice reform and opens the doors of opportunity for so many harmed by the consequences of cannabis criminalization.\u201d<\/span>
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<\/span>Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT)<\/span><\/a> spoke about the benefits of medical cannabis and said \u201cthe effects don\u2019t seem, you know, a lot more harmful than the effects of alcohol.\u201d<\/span>
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<\/span>Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI)<\/span><\/a> said she has never used marijuana but that the \u201cpeople of Michigan voted to legalize it and so, you know, that certainly is something people in Michigan have supported.\u201d<\/span>
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<\/span>Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL)<\/span><\/a> said he doesn\u2019t use cannabis because he\u2019s \u201chad family members who have had a lot of drug issues, and so I\u2019m not going to do it.\u201d<\/span>
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<\/span>Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA)<\/span><\/a> said there\u2019s \u201cincreasing medical evidence that the potency of cannabis that\u2019s currently used has been associated with an increase incidence of serious mental illness among adolescents.\u201d<\/span>
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<\/span>Rep. Michael Burgess (R-TX)<\/span><\/a> said he voted against a federal marijuana legalization bill because he is concerned about impaired driving.<\/span>
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<\/span>Rep. Josh Gotthiemer (D-NJ)<\/span><\/a> tweeted, \u201cLaw enforcement should have all the resources they need to keep our roads safe. That\u2019s why the House just passed my bipartisan legislation to invest in technologies & methods to determine if a driver is impaired by marijuana in their system.\u201d<\/span>
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<\/span>Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC)<\/span><\/a> tweeted, \u201cYesterday I got to meet Weldon Angelos. Weldon was fully pardoned by President Trump after being sentenced to 55 years for cannabis related offenses.\u201d<\/span>
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<\/span>Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME)<\/span><\/a> tweeted, \u201cWe voted to decriminalize marijuana on the federal level to correct historical injustices of our failed 50-year War on Drugs.\u201d<\/span>
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<\/span>Rep. Morgan Griffith (R-VA)<\/span><\/a> tweeted, \u201cThe Medical Marijuana Research Act allows work to be done to understand marijuana\u2019s medical properties, how it could help people, and potential long-term negative effects.\u201d<\/span>
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<\/span>\/ STATES<\/b>
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<\/span>Georgia<\/span><\/a> Gov. Brian Kemp (R) said his administration is looking at ways it can jumpstart medical cannabis business licensing.<\/span>
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<\/span>New Mexico<\/span><\/a> Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) tweeted, \u201cIt\u2019s been one week since we legalized the sale of recreational cannabis. We\u2019re excited for the future of cannabis and what this means for New Mexico.\u201d She also <\/span>tweeted<\/span><\/a>, \u201cCannabis is open for business across New Mexico and it\u2019s already making a splash. Legalized cannabis means new opportunities and good-paying jobs. I can\u2019t wait to see what\u2019s next for cannabis in the Land of Enchantment!\u201d<\/span>
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<\/span>Pennsylvania<\/span><\/a> Democratic gubernatorial candidate Josh Shapiro, currently the attorney general, tweeted, \u201cHere\u2019s a plan that would deliver billions of dollars in revenue to Pennsylvania: Legalize marijuana. Tax it. Regulate it. Expunge records. Boost the economy.\u201d Separately, <\/span>senators<\/span><\/a> announced they plan to file legislation to ban delta-8 THC products.<\/span>
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<\/span>Florida<\/span><\/a> Democratic gubernatorial candidate Nikki Fried, currently the agriculture commissioner, tweeted, \u201cEven though Black people make up only 17% of our state\u2019s population, nearly half of those arrested for cannabis possession were Black. This blatant discrimination is something we have the ability to rectify through decriminalization, and morally we must.\u201d<\/span>
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<\/span>The <\/span>Washington, D.C.<\/span><\/a> Council chairman <\/span>spoke<\/span><\/a> about the failure of his bill to let adults self-certify as medical cannabis patients and crack down on unlicensed marijuana \u201cgifting\u201d businesses.<\/span>
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<\/span>The <\/span>Iowa<\/span><\/a> House Judiciary Committee chairman said he would \u201cnever support\u201d legalizing marijuana.<\/span>
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<\/span>The <\/span>Massachusetts<\/span><\/a> Supreme Judicial Court heard oral arguments in a case about municipal marijuana licensing jurisdiction.<\/span>
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<\/span>Mississippi<\/span><\/a> regulators released draft medical cannabis rules for public <\/span>comment<\/span><\/a>.<\/span>
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<\/span>Arizona<\/span><\/a> regulators held a <\/span>lottery<\/span><\/a> to award marijuana social equity business licenses.<\/span>
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<\/span>Maine<\/span><\/a> regulators defended that state\u2019s residency requirements for medical cannabis business ownership in arguments before a federal appeals court.<\/span>
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<\/span>Connecticut\u2019s<\/span><\/a> Social Equity Council rejected a proposal to loosen tax disclosure requirements for investors who want to partner with marijuana equity business applicants.<\/span>
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<\/span>Oregon<\/span><\/a> regulators published a bulletin on a new marijuana license moratorium.<\/span>
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<\/span>Louisiana\u2019s<\/span><\/a> medical cannabis program is seeing huge growth in patient counts and purchases.<\/span>
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<\/span>New Jersey<\/span><\/a> regulators are expected to consider measures to allow recreational marijuana sales to begin at a meeting on Monday.<\/span>
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<\/span>Vermont<\/span><\/a> regulators will vote on marijuana business pre-qualification recommendations on Monday.<\/span>
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<\/span>Alaska<\/span><\/a> regulators will consider marijuana business issues on Wednesday and Thursday.<\/span>
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Marijuana Moment is already tracking more than 1,000 cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills<\/a> in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters<\/a> pledging at least $25\/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don\u2019t miss any developments.<\/strong>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.marijuanamoment.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/MM_Bill_Tracker_V5_blank.jpg\"){kind=tracking}