A leading marijuana advocacy group on Tuesday announced a push to ensure that all California medical facilities are prepared for the implementation of a new law requiring them to permit certain patients to use cannabis while in their care. Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed the legislation—known as “Ryan’s Law” after the patient who inspired the reform—back in September. Now Americans for Safe Access (ASA) is working to give hospitals, doctors, and patients the resources they need to understand the policy and get into compliance. ASA will serve as both an educational source for relevant facilities and practitioners as well as a watchdog for cases of non-compliance. To that end, it distributed an implementation guide to more than 2,000 health care facilities that includes a summary of the law, sample guidelines and policies for hospitals, model waivers for patients and more. “It is our hope that these resources will help healthcare facilities implement this important law for patients,” ASA President Steph Sherer said in a press release. “In our watchdog capacity, ASA will be monitoring to assure state-wide compliance.”Newsom vetoed an earlier version of the Ryan’s Law bill in 2019 out of concerns about potential federal implications for healthcare facilities that permit marijuana use. But he was apparently convinced to move forward this year. Representatives from both the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the governor’s office reached out to the bill’s sponsor, Sen. Ben Hueso (D), to say that they are aware of the issue and are looking into it.

Kyle Jaeger, Marijuana Moment, 12/21/2021 13:36:00

Open article: https://www.marijuanamoment.net/top-federal-health-official-says-states-can-use-legal-marijuana-revenue-to-help-deter-youth-use/

A federal official with a top health agency recently gave some tips to states that are moving to legalize marijuana, specifically as it concerns deterring youth use. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary Tom Coderre spoke about cannabis policy during a webinar hosted last week by the prohibitionist group Smart Approaches To Marijuana (SAM). While he made clear that he’s concerned about youth marijuana consumption and cannabis commercialization generally, it was notable that the SAMHSA official seemed to recognize the inevitability of legalization, going so far as to suggest that states could use marijuana tax revenue to support public education programs. “We have to figure out what to do to grapple with how to best regulate this new market, and there are several evidence-based prevention approaches that our stakeholders—local, state and federal government—can consider for preventing marijuana use,” Coderre said. He first listed two things that legal marijuana states are already broadly doing: imposing taxes on cannabis sales and preventing retailers from selling marijuana to people under 21 “to help prevent, or at least reduce, younger age groups” from accessing the products.

Kyle Jaeger, Marijuana Moment, 12/21/2021 13:36:00

Open article: https://www.marijuanamoment.net/top-federal-health-official-says-states-can-use-legal-marijuana-revenue-to-help-deter-youth-use/

Adding to the chorus of lawmakers pressuring President Joe Biden on cannabis legalization, on Monday Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) urged the President via Twitter to take unilateral action on cannabis policy. “Biden needs to lean on his executive authority now. He has been delaying and underutilizing it so far,” AOC tweeted “There is an enormous amount he can do on climate, student debt, immigration, cannabis, health care, and more. Time is running out—we need to move and use alternative paths.” The congresswoman was among the first to suggest that Biden use executive authority to advance marijuana reform. Prior to Ocasio-Cortez’s plea, not her first, Republican lawmakers Dave Joyce (R-OH) and Don Young (R-AK), both co-chairs of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, sent a letter to President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris recently urging the administration to reschedule cannabis under federal law. “As both legislative chambers continue to debate the merits of various common-sense proposals on the issue of cannabis reform and a complete end to federal prohibition garners more and more bipartisan support, your administration’s absence from these debates and lack of action, which is inconsistent with previous statements you have made on the topic, is of serious concern,” the lawmakers wrote. In addition, they noted that further, cannabis’ Schedule I classification “puts the U.S. far behind many of our international partners and scientific competitors.”

Benzinga Staff Writer, The Fresh Toast, 12/21/2021 10:00:00

Open article: https://thefreshtoast.com/news/president-biden-comes-under-pressure-from-all-sides-over-his-cannabis-legalization-stance/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=president-biden-comes-under-pressure-from-all-sides-over-his-cannabis-legalization-stance

Congress to take up marijuana reform this spring says The Hill We’ll believe it when we see it! Here we go again? Congressional Democrats are gearing up for a sweeping set of initiatives aimed at decriminalizing marijuana that they plan to take action on this spring. The federal proposals seek to establish 21st-century banking services for the nearly $18 billion industry and purge the criminal records of thousands of marijuana offenders. “The growing bipartisan momentum for cannabis reform shows that Congress is primed for progress in 2022, and we are closer than ever to bringing our cannabis policies and laws in line with the American people,” Reps. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) and Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) wrote in a memo to the Congressional Cannabis Caucus on Thursday. Nearly 70 percent of Americans — including roughly half of Republicans — support legalizing marijuana, the memo noted citing a 2020 Gallup poll. The past year saw five states join in allowing recreational cannabis — New Mexico, New Jersey, Virginia, and Connecticut — as well as “a wealth of policy ideas” in Congress “targeted at ending cannabis prohibition,” the lawmakers noted.

Cannabis Law Report, 12/19/2021 20:39:00

Open article: https://cannabislaw.report/congress-to-take-up-marijuana-reform-this-spring-says-the-hill/