Most of us do not realize how many resources are dedicated to dealing with cannabis-related crime in the U.S., but it is said to include a cost of over $3.6 billion annually. Many cannabis advocates have pointed to cannabis decriminalization and legalization as a means of freeing up resources for handling more serious, violent crimes. Now, findings from a recent research study—published in the February 2022 volume of the International Journal of Drug Policy—support the theory. The study, which was analyzed by the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), discovered that police were solving more violent crimes in states where cannabis has been legalized. To conduct the research, teams affiliated with the University of Utah and the University of China assessed the crime clearance rates in Oregon and several control states prior- and post-cannabis legalization. They found that “the legalization of marijuana for adults is associated with improvements in police clearance rates for multiple types of violent crimes.” Analyzing Crime Clearance Rates in the U.S. According to NORML, the researchers found “significant increases in clearance rate for overall violent crimes and for aggravated assault in Oregon counties relative to those in non-legalized states following legalization,” which was noted to be consistent with previous research on a similar matter. Another study published in 2018 found that adult-use legalization was associated with improved crime clearance rates.

Posted By, Cannabis Central, 02/03/2022 15:00:00

Open article: https://www.veriheal.com/blog/police-solve-more-violent-crimes-post-cannabis-legalization-new-research-reveals/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=police-solve-more-violent-crimes-post-cannabis-legalization-new-research-reveals

The U.S. House of Representatives formally attached a marijuana banking reform amendment to a large-scale bill dealing with innovation and manufacturing, marking the most recent development in the push to protect financial institutions that work with state-legal cannabis businesses. Article originally appeared on Benzinga Marijuana Moment first reported that the amendment from sponsor Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D-CO) was preliminarily approved on Wednesday on a voice vote as part of an ‘en bloc group’ with other amendments, but a roll call was requested. The chamber then took that package back up on Thursday and passed it in a 262-168 vote. “There was no floor debate about the cannabis provision itself, demonstrating how relatively noncontroversial the bipartisan-supported reform is in the House,” noted Marijuana Moment’s Kyle Jaeger. “The Senate, as observers of the issue know, is a different story.” Yes, we do. What’s Next? Advocates will need to wait and see whether the America COMPETES Act, with the now-attached Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act, will actually pass in the House on Friday when a final vote is expected.

420 Intel – Marijuana Industry News, 02/03/2022 19:00:00

Open article: https://420intel.com/articles/2022/02/04/house-approves-marijuana-banking-bill-attaches-it-america-competes-act

HB 4016 authorizes the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission (OLCC) and Oregon State Department of Agriculture (ODA) to unilaterally issue moratoriums on the issuance of new marijuana and hemp producer licenses. If this bill passes, the OLCC and ODA will INACTIVATE all marijuana producer and hemp grower applications received after January 1, 2022. Under the proposed marijuana moratorium, the OLCC will process applications for producer licenses received on or before January 1, 2022, if the application includes a valid land use compatibility statement. Applications that did not include a land use compatibility statement must submit a land use compatibility statement within 21 days of HB 4016 enactment (this is a short session, so if the bill passes you better hurry!) An application for a production license submitted on or before January 1, 2022, cannot change the location for which the application was submitted, and cannot change 51% or more of the ownership interest in the production facility listed in the application. On the surface, the marijuana producer moratorium appears to provide an opportunity for the issuance of new producer licenses, but this will not be the case if the bill passes as written. The OLCC has not accepted producer applications since June 15, 2018, and the previous producer moratorium expired on January 3 of this year; so it is unclear whether there are producer licenses in the agency application queue that were filed on or before January 1, 2022. The OLCC did, however, release a bulletin on November 8, 2021, announcing that the agency would no longer inactivate new producer applications beginning on January 2, 2022. OLCC officials also told many prospective production licensees that new applications filed after January 2 would be processed. It now appears the agency made those statements knowing that HB 4016 would establish a new January 1 cut off. Unless the legislature amends HB 4016 to provide some relief to the applicants who reasonably relied on OLCC’s statements, litigation will more than likely result.

Cannabis Law Report, 02/04/2022 02:34:00

Open article: https://cannabislaw.report/oregon-cannabis-legislative-preview-producer-moratorium-equity-state-banking-and-more/

Nearly one out of every 10 jobs that were created in Missouri last year came from the state’s medical marijuana industry, according to an analysis of state labor data that was released by a trade group on Wednesday. The cannabis sector added almost 7,000 new jobs, which is about 10 percent of the 77,600 jobs that the Missouri Department of Labor tracked for 2021 overall, the Missouri Medical Cannabis Trade Association (MoCannTrade) said. The group combined the Labor Department figures with separate data from the Missouri Department of Health and Human Services that shows it has issued 6,596 state agent ID cards that people need to work in the cannabis industry. MoCannTrade said that “all but a few hundred of those cards have been issued since retail sales commenced in late October 2020.” “Missouri’s medical cannabis industry is delivering on its promise of not only providing safe, affordable and convenient access for patients but also helping to infuse the state’s economy with sizable investment and millions in new tax revenue,” Andrew Mullins, executive director of the association, said in a press release. The group also noted that the state has registered nearly 170,000 medical cannabis patients, and sales of marijuana products exceeded $200 million last year alone. Regulators have so far authorized more than 300 cannabis businesses, including dispensaries, manufacturers and cultivators.

Kyle Jaeger, Marijuana Moment, 02/02/2022 11:52:00

Open article: https://www.marijuanamoment.net/nearly-one-in-ten-new-missouri-jobs-came-from-medical-marijuana-industry-in-2021-trade-group-report-finds/

The Portland branch of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is teaming up with an Oregon university on a new website that aims to provide resources to make healthcare providers “more comfortable” discussing marijuana treatment with patients. While VA doctors are permitted to discuss cannabis with patients, many continue to feel reluctant to do so given that marijuana remains strictly prohibited under federal law and they’re barred from issuing medical cannabis recommendations that other non-VA doctors can provide in legal states. To help assuage those concerns, Oregon Health & Science University’s (OHSU) Center for Evidence-based Policy and Portland VA launched an initiative last month called Systematically Testing the Evidence on Marijuana, or STEM. The website contains information about marijuana studies that have been published, others that are currently underway, and additional general clinician resources for physicians. “Providers have not become familiar with the health effects of cannabis,” principle investigator Devan Kansagara, a professor of medicine at OHSU and a staff physician at the Portland VA, said in a press release. “That’s partly because we’ve lacked the evidence we like to see when recommending treatments to patients, and partly because of a lack of familiarity with terminology and practical issues about cannabis.” “The STEM site could help providers feel more comfortable discussing cannabis and help normalize conversations, similar to the process we have become so familiar with when talking to patients about alcohol use,” he said.

Kyle Jaeger, Marijuana Moment, 02/03/2022 09:26:00

Open article: https://www.marijuanamoment.net/va-seeks-to-normalize-marijuana-conversations-with-veteran-patients-though-new-research-website/