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The Medical Marijuana Research Act is back.
Rep. Earl Blumenauer has reintroduced the Medical Marijuana Research Act, which passed out of the U.S. House in December 2020, in the last Congress, as Cannabis Wire reported at the time.
Among its provisions, the Act would allow researchers to obtain products from state-legal entities.
“I look forward to working with my colleagues in the House and Senate to enact this legislation and enable research into the medical impacts from using cannabis so Americans have adequate access to potentially transformative medicines and treatments,” Blumenauer said in a statement upon the reintroduction.
Of note: also in December, as Cannabis Wire reported at the time, the Senate passed a separate cannabis research bill, the Cannabidiol and Marihuana Research Expansion Act, which has also been reintroduced in this Congress. Among those lobbying on this Act? GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare.
Here’s who won the Rhode Island license lottery.
The Rhode Island Office of Cannabis Regulation held a lottery to select five additional medical cannabis licensees.
The following companies were selected:
• RMI Compassion Center, Inc.
• Pinnacle Compassion Center, Inc.
• Green Wave Compassion Center, Inc.
• Solar Therapeutics Rhode Island, Inc.
• Plant Based Compassionate Care, Inc.
There are currently three medical cannabis businesses in the state, which has been the case for a decade, and lawmakers moved in 2019 to expand the program.
USDA reminds hemp industry to take survey.
The U.S. Dept. of Agriculture is reminding members of the hemp industry to take the 2021 Hemp Acreage and Production Survey.
“Every response matters to ensure we have accurate data needed to inform decisions about the hemp industry,” National Agricultural Statistics Service acting administrator Kevin Barnes said in a statement. “This critical survey will set the benchmark for hemp acreage and production to assist regulatory agencies, producers, state governments, processors and other key industry entities.”
The first-of-its-kind survey aims to include 20,500 hemp producers across the nation.
The USDA mailed the first surveys on Oct. 18, aiming to gather info on the total planted and harvested areas, yields, production, and the overall value of hemp.
“The information collected can help inform producers’ decisions about growing, harvesting, and selling hemp as well as the type of hemp they decide to produce. The resulting data will also foster greater understanding of the hemp production landscape across regulatory agencies, producers, state and Tribal governments, processors, and other key industry entities,” NASS Acting Administrator Kevin Barnes said in a statement at the time.
