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Biden’s FDA pick will indeed be Califf.
A month ago, the rumor mill was swirling that Robert M. Califf was President Joe Biden’s likely choice to become the next Food and Drug Administration Commissioner.
As we noted in our newsletter at the time, this was welcome news in the CBD crowd.
The Council for Responsible Nutrition, a trade group that represents dietary supplement and ingredient suppliers, for example, put out a statement that it “applauds” and “welcomes” this news.
Number 3 on the group’s list of “action items” they called on Califf to prioritize?
“Establish a legal pathway to market for hemp-derived cannabidiol (CBD) as a dietary supplement.”
Denver opens cannabis hospitality license applications.
In April, Denver’s cannabis industry was poised for its most significant transformation since the launch of adult use sales in 2014, as Cannabis Wire reported.
The City Council signed off on legislation that would, among other things, allow for cannabis hospitality licenses, or, in other words, places where people could consume cannabis outside of their homes. This includes BYO Cannabis spaces, or places where people can purchase and consume, or even a mobile experience where people can consume in a bus (which was already happening, but not entirely above board).
Those applications went live on Friday. But, Eric Escudero, the Director of Communications for Denver’s Department of Excise and Licenses, told Cannabis Wire that they “don’t anticipate a huge rush of applications.”
One reason? These licenses would be reserved for social equity applicants for several years. A similar trickle resulted, frustrating the Department, when it released delivery licenses, which were also reserved for equity applicants.
New Jersey’s new Senate president is one of the state’s biggest cannabis supporters.
For years, the most outspoken lawmaker in support of cannabis in New Jersey has been Sen. Nicholas Scutari. As of Friday, Scutari is the new Senate president, replacing Steve Sweeney, who had been in the position for a decade.
Also, during its latest meeting, the NJ Cannabis Regulatory Commission approved its Notice of Application Acceptance.
Cultivator, manufacturer, and lab applications will open on December 15, while retailer applications will open on March 15. Later this month, the CRC will host a webinar to go over the application process.
Certain applications will be prioritized, such as those from social equity applicants, those for microbusinesses, and those with labor agreements in place, for example.
