News Nuggets July 2016

Nation

Medical Cannabis Education Center Established in Pennsylvania

Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania has created what it is calling the first medical cannabis research education center. The Center for Medical Cannabis Education & Research will be part of the Institute of Emerging Health Professions and will educate physicians and patients on medical cannabis therapies, as reported by the news magazine Philadelphia. Leading the center will be Doctor Charles V. Pollack Jr., who believes that the current dialogue surrounding medical cannabis is highly based off of “hype and advocacy.” Pollack Jr. believes that there is not yet enough scientific research to truly educate anyone properly on the plant’s medicinal properties. This announcement came one month after Pennsylvania became the 24th state to legalize medical cannabis. Funding for the center will come from groups interested in the advancement of medical cannabis.

World

Pakistan Spreads Awareness for Cannabis Legalization

With the constant political unrest in Pakistan right now, local medical cannabis activists decided to host one of the country’s first ever cannabis meetups last month, at Bin Qasim Park in Karachi. “The idea is to build a community, a society who believes in peace as much as we (the artists) do. This community serves as a bridge between artists, musicians and weed/hemp enthusiasts and gives them all a common ground to connect,” stated Agha Nomaan, a cannabis activist and filmmaker who helped coordinate the event. The meetup allowed for peaceful cannabis activists to join together as part of a campaign intended to persuade other Pakistani citizens and government officials to consider cannabis legalization. With online hashtag #420khi for social media to promote the event, the meetup reached an estimated 30,000 people.

Oregon

Oregon Medical Cannabis Market to be Regulated with New Tracking Requirement

In an attempt to prevent medical cannabis from getting into the hands of black market dealers, Oregon has decided that it will require those working in the medical cannabis industry to report how much cannabis they grow, process, store and transfer, starting this month. While this may seem like a promising venture, the Portland Tribune reports that the tracking system will rely mostly on the “honor system,” as the Oregon Health Authority has very few inspectors it could utilize to verify reports. On June 6, more than 100 cannabis producers and business owners attended the first of many workshops offering training for the new tracking requirement. The first report is due July 10, for production that occurred during the month of June.

Legal Cannabis Has Created Thousands of Jobs in Oregon

Although Oregon is fairly new to the recreational cannabis trade, a recent report by Oregon Cannabis Jobs Report revealed that the state’s recreational cannabis market has created 2,165 jobs so far. The report also revealed that Oregon’s recreational cannabis market will pay an estimated $46 million in wages statewide this year. These numbers are fairly high in comparison to the alcohol market, which created 1,450 jobs and $28 million in wages in 2015, according to Record Searchlight. Currently, The Oregon Liquor Control Commission has received 950 licensing applications. If the market continues at this pace, job prospects in Oregon’s recreational cannabis market are expected to increase 27 percent by 2017. Although legal recreational cannabis has created more job opportunities for Oregonians, due to the lack of legal banking, some businesses are still unable to offer benefits for employees.

San Diego

San Diego Passes New Law to Ban Synthetic Cannabis

In late May, the San Diego City Council voted unanimously to pass a law that would ban dangerous synthetic cannabis known as “spice.” In the past, it was hard for San Diego to ban synthetic cannabis or prosecute dealers because the chemical compounds were constantly being changed by producers of the substance. To avoid this game from going on any further, the city teamed up with chemists and doctors to broaden the list of chemicals in its new anti-spice law, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune. City officials feel that this law is the first of its kind in California and hope that it can serve as a model for other cities. The law was created in response to the overwhelming amount of spice-related incidents occurring in the city’s homeless population which resulted in the city spending $3.2 million on emergency response calls since March 2015.

Elimination Process Begins for Illegal San Diego Collectives  

In 2014, San Diego enacted a law that would allow 14 medical cannabis collectives to run legally under the condition that they follow the city’s zoning and licensing regulations. Now, two years later, after San Diego has begun establishing its legal collectives, the city is wasting no more time and is cracking down on unauthorized medical cannabis collectives. The San Diego Union-Tribune reports that two illegally run collectives were recently charged $830,000 in civil fines by a superior court judge under the “new, more aggressive” efforts put forth by City Attorney Jan Goldsmith. Until recently, Goldsmith avoided criminalizing collective owners, but has decided to combine criminal and civil efforts to shut down illegal shops and penalize property owners. Goldsmith and other city officials state that they are only trying to be fair to collectives that have been approved through the city’s updated laws and regulated permit application procedures.

Michigan

Detroit Cracks Down on Medical Cannabis Collectives

In March, Detroit city officials notified many medical cannabis collectives that they had 30 days to put in a bid in hopes of being one of the few businesses chosen to operate legally. Collectives that met requirements set forth in an ordinance approved by the city council last year would be approved, and those who did not make the cut would be subject to closure. Daily Detroit reports that the city is not taking the crack-down lightly, shutting down 22 collectives in the first month after the 30-day window closed. While medical cannabis is legal in Michigan, Detroit’s cannabis laws make it nearly impossible for collectives to run legally due to unclear zoning regulations and its anti-grandfather clause. City Mayor Mike Duggan has openly expressed his opposition to cannabis and praised Councilman James Tate on his efforts to shut down medical cannabis collectives, showing a clear bias based on personal beliefs.

Lansing City Attorney to Draft Ordinance to Keep Collectives Open

On June 10, the Lansing City Council’s Public Safety Committee had a public meeting to discuss options surrounding the city’s current medical cannabis ordinance. During the meeting, it was decided that the committee would give Interim City Attorney F. Joseph Abood and his office until July 8 to provide a “viable and legal” third draft of an ordinance that regulates medical cannabis collectives and complies with state and federal laws. If Abood fails to draft such an ordinance during the allotted time, the city will proceed to close down all medical cannabis collectives operating within the city. Although medical cannabis in Michigan was legalized in 2008, state law does not specify that medical collectives can legally be run under its original verbiage, according to Lansing State Journal. Abood however, has promised that he will draft an ordinance by July 8, stating that he doesn’t want medical cannabis patients to suffer by closing down all of the city’s collectives.

Washington

Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board Leaks Cannabis Patient Information

The Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (WSLCB) announced recently that it accidentally leaked a “massive” amount of information from the state’s cannabis applications in response to a public records request. Extract reports that the information included social security numbers and medical records, as well as other personal information. Although the WSLCB did not confirm how many people were affected by the security breach, it stated that it will inform those whose information was leaked. “How many times in the last few years has this happened now? Too many. It was only last February when we learned that more than 91,000 patients in Washington State had their personal identification information and private health information compromised,” stated John Novak, a cannabis activist who put in the public records request. Novak went on to state that the files he received were from a completely different records request.

Tacoma Actively Works to Shut Down Unlicensed Dispensaries

Now that Washington’s medical and recreational cannabis markets have merged, state law requires that all unlicensed dispensaries must be shut down by July 1. In attempt to comply with this law, Tacoma has shared that it will dispatch tax and license compliance officers starting on July 1 to inspect all dispensaries operating in the city, and ensure that all illegally run dispensaries are subject to immediate closure. Officers will issue suspension letters to those caught in defiance of state law, and those running after receiving the letter will be subject to a fine of $250 per day, according to The News Tribune. Before July 1, there were an estimated 28 dispensaries operating illegally in Tacoma, some of which had filed a cannabis licensing application with the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board or have listed themselves as collective gardens.

Bay Area

San Jose Voters Reject Measure C but Approve Tax Increase

Medical cannabis collectives in San Jose will still continue to operate under highly enforced regulations, as voters have decided not to pass Measure C. The measure would have allowed more medical cannabis collectives to operate legally within the city without zoning regulations so that patients could gain better access to the plant, but 65 percent of voters voted “no” on the measure, according to CBS SF Bay Area. Voters did, however, vote yes on Measure B, which will enact a quarter-cent sales tax for 15 years, which is expected to accumulate $40 million annually and go toward public programs and city repairs. Currently, there are only 16 medical cannabis collectives operating in San Jose that meet the city’s strict regulations.

Sacramento Cannabis Tax Falls Short in June Primary

Medical cannabis businesses in Sacramento came together in support of Measure Y, an initiative that would have enacted a five percent tax on cannabis cultivators. The money generated through this tax would have created a children’s fund dedicated to helping enhance afterschool programs, and open the doors for job training, youth employment and preventative programs that help keep children off the streets, according to The Sacramento Bee. Cannabis businesses that supported the campaign were able to raise $92,000 for the ballot, but it sadly did not pass in the June primary elections. According to Sacramento Bee, the measure received a “yes” vote from 65 percent of voters but failed to meet the two-thirds margin required to pass. In any case, Measure Y serves as a glimpse into how a legal cannabis market could help support local programs and how cannabis business owners are willing to support such movements.

Colorado

Jack’s Law Will Require School Districts to Create Medical Cannabis Policy

On June 6, Governor John Hickenlooper signed a bill into law that will require school districts to create a policy that will allow students to medicate on campus with non-smokable forms of cannabis. Although a law was passed in Colorado last year allowing students to use medical cannabis in school, not a single district had taken the time to pen down a policy actually allowing medical cannabis. Under the new law, a district can opt out from the newly required policy if it proves that it has lost federal funding because of it, or if it clearly specifies on its website why it has chosen to opt out. The bill signed by Hickenlooper is titled “Jack’s Law” and is the result of efforts put forth by Jack Splitt and his mother, who fought for schools to allow students to medicate after Jack was suspended for accidentally bringing his medicine to school.

New Bill Bans Sale of Novelty-Shaped Cannabis Gummies

Colorado’s newest bill, House Bill 1436, was recently signed by Governor John Hickenlooper on June 10, which will prohibit cannabis retailers from selling edible gummies shaped like teddy bears, fruit, people or worms starting July 1. HB-1436 was made as a way to keep cannabis products out of the hands of children. Chewy candies that look very similar to popular non-infused candies could entice children to partake unknowingly. The bill also requires retailers to mark packages with a cannabis warning label and an exclamation mark placed above the letters THC. According to The Denver Post, 19 children have gone to the emergency room as a result of accidentally ingesting cannabis edibles since 2009. State officials hope that HB-1436 will prevent further accidents from occurring.

Bakersfield

Minorities in Fresno More Likely to be Cited for Cannabis Use

A recent report presented by the Drug Policy Alliance and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) revealed that blacks in Fresno are 3.6 times more likely to be cited for cannabis use than whites who ingest the plant. This information comes from data collected between 2011 and 2012 that was given to the ACLU by the Fresno Police Department, according to The Fresno Bee. What is more startling about these numbers is the fact that the percentage of blacks accounted for only 7.7 percent of Fresno’s population in 2012 with 21.3 percent of that being convicted for cannabis possession. Whites however, accounted for 30.3 percent of the population and only 19.3 percent received citations for cannabis possession. Amanda Reiman, manager of cannabis law and drug policy for the Drug Policy Alliance stated that these findings reveal hidden racial biases in America’s justice system that needs to be addressed.

Arroyo Grande may soon allow some medical cannabis delivery services and cultivation

The Planning Commission in Arroyo Grande voted to amend its current regulations on medical cannabis, according to The Tribune. If passed, this amended ordinance will allow limited at-home cultivation, and it will also set up a permit system for up to three delivery services. The proposed amended ordinance was narrowly passed by a 3-2 vote and is now on its way for approval by the City Council. The city has a history of banning collective storefronts and mobile delivery services of medical cannabis in the past, and this new amendment was proposed in response to residents criticizing the City Council’s ban on all cannabis cultivation. The City Council will likely see the amended ordinance later this month.

Shooting Outside Cannabis Dispensary Leaves One Dead, One Wounded

A fatal shooting happened in the parking lot of Green Hut, a cannabis dispensary located on South Union Avenue in Bakersfield on June 1. According to Bakersfieldnow.com, 19-year-old Moises Nicholas Aguilar Lopez was shot and killed while sitting inside a vehicle. There was reportedly also a female teenager sitting in the passenger seat who was also shot, but she was taken to the hospital for only minor injuries. Police later arrested 16-year-old Miguel Tinoco for allegedly shooting the victims, and there is suspicion the crime may be related to gang participation. It is unclear whether or not the crime had any relation to the cannabis dispensary or if the victims had been in there prior to the shooting.

California Activists Continue to Fight against Dangerous Opioids

According to The Sacramento Bee, California’s state assembly has voted to approve Senate Bill 482 to help fight against the state’s public health epidemic of drug overdoses from opioids. This bill would require physicians in the state to check a patient’s prescription history before prescribing an opiate. In 2014, 4,521 Californians died from drug overdoses. In most of these cases, the fatal overdose was caused by heroin or prescription drugs. This makes California the state with the highest number of overdoses, according to the Centers for Disease Control. One example of this growing prescription problem happened in Sacramento in late March when dozens of people passed away after taking illegal versions of prescription pills. While the proposed bill is focused on lowering the number of deaths for Californians, similar changes are happening on the federal level as well. In March, the Centers for Disease Control released new guidelines for doctors to prescribe opiates for pain, and last month the White House urged Congress to spend an extra $1.1 billion on treatment programs geared toward overdose prevention in June. Cannabis continues to be a safe alternative to prescription drugs.

Los Angeles

Proposed Initiative Could Allow First Medical Collectives on Santa Catalina Island

Mark Malan, a realtor who owns a business on Santa Catalina Island, plans on turning his real-estate office into the island’s first medical cannabis collective. “It’s going to create wheelbarrows of money,” Malan said, some of which he plans on contributing to local funds. So far, Malan has gathered enough signatures to put an initiative on the ballot that would eliminate the island’s current ban on cannabis collectives and allow two to operate on its land, according to the Los Angeles Times. The initiative is called The Avalon Medical Cannabis Facility Act of 2016 and, if passed, will enact a 12 percent transaction fee for medical cannabis transactions and create an annual licensing tax of $10,000 for each collective. The initiative would also require a 1,000-foot buffer zone between collectives and public schools.

Two O.C. Medical Cannabis Collective Measures Approved for November Ballot

Costa Mesa will have two measures on its November ballot that will allow voters to decide whether or not they want medical cannabis collectives to operate within the city. The city council unanimously approved the measures to appear on the ballot on June 11. Both initiatives were proposed by cannabis advocates and drafted by law firms, with one measure allowing eight collectives, and the other allowing four, according to the Orange County Register. Although the proposals come off as genuine efforts to legalize medical collectives in a city that has banned such establishments since 2005, some city officials believe that it is an attempt for those who drafted the ordinance to make a profit. Hearing these concerns, the council concluded that it would write an argument against the measures. Randall Longwith, a lawyer who represents advocates behind the measures, stated that patients need safe and reliable access in the city and hopes that the city will allow “dignified safe access.”