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Malta awards first licenses.
It looks like officials in Malta are moving faster than expected. As we reported last month, Leonid McKay, the executive chair of Malta’s Authority for the Responsible Use of Cannabis (ARUC), said that he expected to award the first licenses for non-profit clubs by the end of the year.
But this week, the first two licenses were awarded.
“We have delivered! The first two operating permits to two Cannabis Harm Reduction Associations represent a pivotal step in laying the groundwork for the establishment of a non-profit-driven, secure, and regulated non-medical cannabis source,” McKay wrote in a Facebook post. “Our mission is clear: fight the illegal market, even if it’s a long process. Providing a safe and regulated alternative benefits everyone, particularly cannabis users. Let’s stick to the current rules without any ifs or buts.”
Nancy Mace’s cannabis bill is back.
Republican Rep. Nancy Mace made waves when she first introduced the STATES Reform Act in 2021, as Cannabis Wire reported at the time. She brought with her, as we later reported, the backing of Americans for Prosperity.
This week, Mace reintroduced the bill, and it comes with new sponsors. However, the bill text has not yet been released.
The sponsors last time, all Republicans: Rep. Tom McClintock, Rep. Don Young, Rep. Brian Mast, and Rep. Peter Meijer.
The sponsors this time: McClintock again, plus Rep. Matt Gaetz and two Democrats. They are Rep. David Trone and Rep. Dean Phillips.
Parabola Center issues report on how federal legalization could protect small operators.
The Parabola Center for Law and Policy, a relatively new nonprofit that describes itself as a “nonpartisan think tank of legal professionals and drug policy experts that advocates for legalizing cannabis in a manner that protects people, not corporations,” founded by former Massachusetts cannabis commissioner Shaleen Title, released a report this week that looks at how federal legalization could protect small businesses.
The report, authored by attorney Tamar Todd, is titled “How to Federally Legalize Cannabis Without Violating the Constitution or Undermining Equity and Justice,” and it focuses largely on how best to build in protections once interstate commerce is allowed.
Parabola highlighted some of the suggestions in the report on Wednesday, for example, “allowing bona-fide social equity businesses, small businesses, and worker-owned businesses to engage in interstate commerce first,” and “explicitly allowing existing state cannabis laws to operate as designed and without disruption.”
Already, the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) has applauded the report.
“This report proves that there is a constitutional path toward a future where the cannabis industry empowers workers and local communities, safeguards state programs, lays the groundwork for social equity, and prohibits predatory market consolation,” UFCW International President Marc Perrone said in a statement.
“We call on all elected leaders to take action on these recommendations and help shape the cannabis industry in a way that benefits all workers and consumers instead of a privileged few companies.”
Kansas Speaks survey shows very strong support for cannabis legalization.
The “Kansas Speaks” survey, created and published by Fort Hays State University, covers a broad range of issues, from abortion to Medicaid. The survey gives a snapshot of Kansans’ opinions and included 485 adult Kansas residents who answered the survey between Sept. 20 to Oct.10.
Results showed that 67.2% of respondents supported adult use cannabis sales, with 16.9% expressing their opposition.
The survey response is notable considering the state has yet to establish a medical cannabis program. Gov. Laura Kelly has repeatedly voiced support for medical cannabis legalization, and while the House passed a medical cannabis bill in 2021, it stalled in the Senate.
