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Manhattan sees highest interest in adult use sales (so far).
Cannabis Wire reached out to NYC Community Boards to get a sense of the application landscape since the full adult use window went live last week.
Here’s what we’ve learned so far regarding letters of intent, which applicants are required to submit to the localities in which they plan to operate. This is just a snapshot, as CBs are still reporting numbers.
Manhattan:
• Community Board 6 (East Side of Manhattan has received 16 letters.
• Community Board 7 (Upper West Side) has received 21 letters.
Queens:
• Community Board 6 (Forest Hills, Rego Park) has received 4 letters.
• Community Board 9 (Richmond Hill, Woodhaven, Kew Gardens) has received 3 letters.
• Community Board 10 (Howard Beach, Ozone Park, South Ozone Park, Richmond Hill, Tudor Village) has received 2 letters.
• Community Board 14 (Breezy Point, Rockaway, Far Rockaway) has received 3 letters (two for locations on Beach Channel Drive and Beach 73 St and one on Rockaway Beach Blvd and Beach 96 St, part of the Rockaway beach scene that’s very popular in summer months.)
Brooklyn:
• Community Board 2 (Atlantic Avenue) has received 6 letters.
• Community Board 7 (Sunset Park, Windsor Terrace, South Park Slope) has received 2 letters.
• Community Board 8 (part of Crown Heights, Prospect Heights) has received 5 letters.
• Community Board 9 (part of Crown Heights, Prospect Lefferts Gardens) has received 1 letter.
Bronx:
• Community Board 2 (Hunts Point) received 4 letters.
• Community Board 3 (Claremont, Concourse Village, Melrose) received 3 letters.
• Community Board 10 (City Island, Throggs Neck, Westchester Square) received 2 letters.
HHS reiterates stance on cannabis impairment in federal employees.
Last year, Cannabis Wire published a story about a pair of notices in the Federal Register from the Department of Health and Human Services regarding workplace drug testing guidelines.
Now, those guidelines are set to take effect in February, according to two new notices this week.
For both guidelines, which are for urine and oral fluid testing, HHS makes it clear that “a physician’s authorization or medical recommendation for a Schedule I substance is not an acceptable medical explanation for a positive drug test.”
While there is nothing groundbreaking in this clarification from HHS, it’s always insightful to see how federal agencies respond to public comments.
For the urine testing guidelines, HHS noted that a couple of people who provided public comment “disagreed” with this language.
The HHS responded to such comments as follows: “Although an increased number of States have authorized marijuana use for medical purposes, marijuana remains a Schedule I controlled substance and cannot be prescribed under Federal law. For purposes of the Federal drug free workplace program, Federal law pertaining to marijuana control supersedes State marijuana laws, and therefore, a physician’s recommendation for marijuana use is not a legitimate medical explanation for a positive marijuana test.”
Many more comments (21) came in regarding oral fluid testing guidelines.
“Seventeen commenters supported medical use of marijuana. Some of these noted that many doctors and medical professionals support the use of medical marijuana and that many States have legalized marijuana for medical use. Commenters expressed concern that Federal employees using marijuana for health reasons could lose their jobs or benefits or that Federal employees without access to medical marijuana may use other drugs such as opioids. Three commenters supported legalization of marijuana in general. One commenter stated that marijuana testing should be removed from the Guidelines until research can establish reliable levels to distinguish marijuana use from use of a legal hemp product (i.e., as defined by the 2018 Farm Bill),” HHS wrote.
HHS continued: “One commenter agreed with continuing to recognize marijuana as a Schedule I drug, with zero tolerance for safety-sensitive positions. The commenter stated that the liability and risk are not worth allowing employees in safety-sensitive positions to use medical marijuana.”
Researchers conduct large-scale survey to better understand Taiwanese attitudes on cannabis.
Researchers from Chang Gung University in Taiwan conducted a survey of more than 38,000 Taiwanese residents between the ages of 15 and 56 to “gain a better understanding of the public’s knowledge and attitudes towards legalizing marijuana.”
Results showed “Taiwanese respondents considered legalization of marijuana a significant concern, especially as it relates to impacts on public health.”
Scores were higher (meaning that cannabis was “very important”) for people who were parents, religious, 36 years of age or older, earned a higher income, had no history of substance issues, had some knowledge of medical cannabis, and “did not support legalization of marijuana.”
“Medical personnel had greater knowledge of marijuana, but their attitude indicated they viewed legalization as less important. In the open-ended question, many respondents requested more information about marijuana be provided to the public before considering legalization,” researchers wrote.
This research was published in BMC Health.