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New Jersey Senators propose constitutional amendment earmarking revenue for “impacted communities.”
So far, much of the conversation around implementation of New Jersey’s voter-passed legalization initiative has been centered around specifics related to equity, and taxes. On Tuesday, Senate President Steve Sweeney and Senators Sandra Cunningham, Nick Scutari and Teresa Ruiz issued a joint statement on SCR-138, a proposed constitutional amendment that would specifically dedicate cannabis tax revenue to “help ‘impact zones,'” or areas that were disproportionately affected by enforcement of cannabis laws.
The constitutional amendment maps closely against Cannabis Wire’s reporting on Monday of a roundtable during which Sweeney proposed that 70% of overall tax revenue and 100% of excise fees go toward “social justice reforms in the targeted communities,” with the other 30% percent to be split up “to support the work of the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission, of law enforcement personnel trained as Drug Recognition Experts, and other restorative justice programs in Impact Zones.”
“Based on the testimony we heard in the Legislature, it is clear that we need to do more to ensure that revenues from the legalization of adult-use cannabis are used primarily to remedy the devastating and disproportionate impact of the ‘War on Drugs’ on predominantly Black and Brown communities in our state,” the joint statement read.
Netherlands to select ten growers on Thursday.
This summer, just under 150 applications came in from growers hoping to provide cannabis for the Netherlands’ adult use pilot project, which Cannabis Wire has been monitoring. Of these applications, 39 proceeded to qualify for the lottery.
Now, this week, the government announced that it will select 10, and, if they pass remaining regulatory checks, they will be set to go by the end of February. These cultivators will supply shops in several municipalities, as the government assesses a path forward in a country where coffee shops have been tolerated for decades, fueling a thriving black market.
Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission approves new delivery license types.
The Commission voted this week to adopt regulations for Marijuana Courier and Marijuana Delivery Operator licenses.
Unlike a courier, which would only deliver retailers’ products to customers, operator licensees can buy cannabis from wholesalers, warehouse it, and then sell and deliver it to customers. This latter license drew heated debate, from existing retailers who feared competition to the Massachusetts Municipal Association.
For three years, these licenses will only be available to Certified Economic Empowerment Applicants and Social Equity Program Participants.
Read the full list of regulatory changes the CCC approved here.
Study suggests CBD is not associated with impaired driving.
A double blind clinical trial, led by the Lambert Initiative for Cannabinoid Therapeutics at the University of Sydney, involved 26 participants who were randomly given four types of cannabis that they vaporized. Researchers then asked participants to maneuver part of a highway in a vehicle that had instructor controls at 40 minutes and 240 minutes post cannabis consumption.
Researchers found that when participants were given THC-dominant and THC/CBD mixture, the measure of lane weaving was “significantly greater” when participants were tested at 40 to 100 minutes, but not 240 to 300 minutes after consumption of one of the four times. Researchers noted that there were “no significant differences between CBD-dominant cannabis and placebo.”
“However, the effect size for CBD-dominant cannabis may not have excluded clinically important impairment, and the doses tested may not represent common usage,” researchers concluded.
Use of CBD products has exploded worldwide, and while it’s generally understood that CBD itself does not create a euphoria (or the “high”), there hasn’t been a ton of research on the topic. And, it’s worth noting that without uniform regulations, some people are getting CBD products that also contain THC.
“These findings indicate for the first time that CBD, when given without THC, does not affect a subject’s ability to drive. That’s great news for those using or considering treatment using CBD-based products,” lead author Thomas Arkell said in a statement.
Lambert Initiative academic director Iain McGregor added that the “real-world” context of the study was important.
“The results should reassure people using CBD-only products that they are most likely safe to drive, while helping patients using THC-dominant products to understand the duration of impairment,” McGregor said.
This research was published in the peer-reviewed Journal of the American Medical Association.
