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NYS Assoc. of Counties wants in on cannabis regulatory board.
The New York State Association of Counties, which represents the state’s 62 counties and the City of New York on policy and legal matters from a local to federal perspective, wants to be involved in how cannabis legalization unfolds.
“In the weeks and months ahead, NYSAC will advocate for representation on the State Cannabis Advisory Board, and continue to educate our members about the implementation of the MRTA,” the group wrote in a Sept. 23 update on key takeaways from efforts to implement legalization.
In response to an inquiry from Cannabis Wire, the Association’s Deputy Director, Mark F. LaVigne, elaborated.
“The programs outlined in the charge of the Advisory Board are administered at the county level in New York State. Therefore, counties will have a direct and indirect role in legal cannabis implementation, including but not limited to public health, public safety and law enforcement, mental health and addiction services, homelessness and housing, economic development, and job training,” he said.
ASTM chimes in on CAOA, forms new subcommittees.
ASTM International has announced two new cannabis subcommittees, adding that “at the request of the U.S. Senate,” it also submitted comments on the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act. Its comments ranged from “definitions of cannabis terms” to “published standards related to cannabis facilities, consumer safety, and more.”
One subcommittee is “aimed at supporting the exchange of cannabis information and knowledge between global policymakers, regulators, scientists, and the general public.”
“With a patchwork of regulations across state, federal, and international levels, this subcommittee will be valuable to industry and government stakeholders as a means to collaborate,” said David Vaillencourt, chair of the new subcommittee, said in the announcement. “It’s really going to facilitate dialogue that will be key as we look ahead to a global marketplace in the coming years.”
The other subcommittee is focused on sustainability and aims to create “standards tied to key United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to help the cannabis industry be more efficient, transparent, and well-regulated.”
The Postal Service says no to mailing cannabis vapes.
The USPS has published a final rule in the Federal Register, titled “Treatment of E-Cigarettes in the Mail,” and it includes a firm stance on cannabis vapes.
In a section titled “Laws Regarding Marijuana, Hemp, and Hemp Derivatives,” the USPS details the various arguments it has heard for allowing these products to be mailed. One argument, they note, is that such a ban would “conflict with State and local laws decriminalizing or legalizing cannabis for medical or recreational purposes.” Another is that it would conflict with the 2018 Farm Bill, which removed hemp and its derivatives (.3% THC and below) from the Controlled Substances Act.
However, they USPS counters: “notwithstanding Congress’s use of ‘nicotine’ in the term ‘electronic nicotine delivery systems,’ the plain language of the [Preventing Online Sales of E-Cigarettes to Children Act] definition makes clear that nonmailable [electronic nicotine delivery systems products] include those containing or used with not only nicotine, but also ‘flavor[ ] or any other substance.’
“It goes without saying that marijuana, hemp, and their derivatives are substances. Hence, to the extent that they may be delivered to an inhaling user through an aerosolized solution, they and the related delivery systems, parts, components, liquids, and accessories clearly fall within the [Act’s] scope.”
