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Despite domestic and global patchwork, cannabis policies mostly align.
A new review of non-medical legalization published in the journal Public Health found that when comes to cannabis policies in North America, “many regulations are consistent between jurisdictions,” but with “key exceptions.”
Generally, all of the cannabis policies aim to prevent cannabis from landing in kids’ hands, to protect the roads from cannabis-impaired drivers, and to cut into the illicit market. Every jurisdiction but one had the legal age to consume cannabis match the legal age to consume alcohol, and most consumption takes place at home, as public lounges are the exception, not the norm.
Where things diverge: around home growing and possession limits.
“More research is needed to assess the impact of variations in regulatory policies on potential harms from legalization to inform future policy decisions in North America and abroad,” the research concluded.
Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders unveils legalization plan.
“Too many lives were ruined due to the disastrous criminalization of marijuana. Today I am releasing my plan to:
✅ Legalize marijuana with executive action
✅ Expunge past marijuana convictions
✅ Invest in communities most affected by the War on Drugs,”
Sanders tweeted at 4:20 p.m. yesterday.
Sanders, who now says that he’d legalize within the first 100 days, detailed more about his social justice-minded plan on his website. His proposal includes expungement of “all past marijuana-related convictions.”
Sanders also plans for revenue from licensed, legal businesses be reinvested in the areas that were disproportionately targeted by enforcement of drug laws.
Sanders noted that he also plans to “Ensure legalized marijuana does not turn into big tobacco.” (It’s worth noting that a global tobacco giant Altria, maker of Marlboro, is already a major investor in a cannabis company, Cronos.)
Tilray imported products from Canada to US for clinical trial at Columbia University.
Nearly 70 percent of women receiving treatment for breast cancer are affected by taxane-induced peripheral neuropathy (TIPN). For the first time, a clinical trial will look at the potential of medical cannabis for treating TIPN in these patients undergoing breast cancer treatment, and that human study will be led by professors and researchers at Columbia University Irving Medical Center using Tilray cannabis products.
HEXO to cut 200 jobs.
The company announced yesterday that in response to the slow rollout of legal cannabis, “regulatory uncertainty,” and a “changing market,” they are “rightsizing.” In other words, Hexo is scaling way down as a result of the cannabis market slump.
The cuts involve multiple departments and regions, and included chief manufacturing officer Arno Groll and chief marketing officer Nick Davies. HEXO CEO and co-founder Sebastien St-Louis said in a statement yesterday, “This has been my hardest day at HEXO Corp.”
As noted in recent newsletters, the company’s had a bit of a rollercoaster recently: CFO Michael Monahan resigned earlier this month, marking the second high profile departure from the company since July, which is when the company’s co-founder, Adam Miron, stepped down as chief brand officer (but kept his board seat). Monahan’s role has been filled by VP of strategic finance Stephen Burwash.
Speaking of cutting jobs… CannTrust to lay off 140.
The troubled cannabis company will slash a quarter of its workforce between now and the end of 2019. This announcement follows one last week that the company would submit to Health Canada its “remediation plan” to regain full use of its licenses, which were partially suspended after a number of violations that included hidden and unlicensed cultivation.
In this plan, submitted this week, CannTrust said it will “destroy approximately $12 million of biological assets and approximately $65 million worth of inventory that was not authorized by CannTrust’s licence,” including “product that was returned by patients, distributors, and retailers.”
