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New Jersey’s opening day numbers are in.
New Jersey’s 12 dispensaries that opened for adult use customers on April 21, the first day of legal cannabis sales, sold nearly $1.9 million worth of cannabis and cannabis products to more than 12,000 customers.
“We expected sales to be substantial and the data shows that the market is effectively serving both adult-use consumers and patients,” Jeff Brown, executive director of the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission, said in a statement.
“We continue to monitor inventory and access for patients and are prepared to take enforcement action against any ATC that does not meet the requirements for patient access and supply.”
Joe Biden grants clemency to nine with cannabis offenses.
In his first use of clemency power, President Joe Biden pardoned three people and commuted the sentences of another 75. Among this list of 78, nine had cannabis offenses.
NHTSA seeks comments on barriers to reporting fatalities due to drug impairment.
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, passed in late 2021, requires that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) identify “any barriers the States encounter in submitting alcohol and drug toxicology results to the Fatality Analysis Reporting System” and submit a report to Congress with “recommendations on how to address the barriers identified.”
This week, the NHTSA published a notice in the Federal Register seeking public comment on these barriers. In its “background” section, the NHTSA puts a spotlight on cannabis.
“Another trend fueling concerns about drug-impaired driving is the shift in use, social acceptance, and policies regarding the use of marijuana,” it reads.
It then proceeds to detail a rise in cannabis consumption among U.S. adults, the rise in states that have legalized cannabis for medical or adult use, and the fact that Canada and Mexico have both legalized cannabis. (Though, it incorrectly states that Mexico did so by bill, when in fact, as Cannabis Wire has reported, lawmakers in Mexico have been unable to agree on a bill to put into effect the Supreme Court’s declaration that personal cannabis use is legal.)
“This trend towards legalization has been accompanied by an increase in the presence of marijuana found in drivers,” it continues.
“While linking the level of marijuana present in biological samples with level of impairment remains challenging, well-established evidence shows that marijuana use detrimentally affects driving-related skills. Marijuana use slows driver reaction time, creates problems with road tracking and maintaining lane position, and decreases cognitive performance and driver attention maintenance. Marijuana use in conjunction with other drugs, such as alcohol, can also have a compounding effect on impairment. The current shifts in policy and marijuana use increase the public health concerns regarding drug-impaired driving.”
SAFE push ramps up.
As Cannabis Wire has reported, the pressure is on this month.
This week alone, Reps. Earl Blumenauer and Ed Perlmutter sent a letter to House leadership that urges lawmakers to include the SAFE Banking Act in its entirety in the final conference committee report of the America COMPETES Act.
Bluemenauer, a member of the conference committee, handed out the letter to his Democrat colleagues ahead of their first meeting.
“Congress has the opportunity and responsibility to address the violence spurred by our regressive banking prohibitions now. Vulnerable communities cannot wait for the perfect solution for Congress to take substantial steps forward. The SAFE Banking Act is a critical piece of the reform our underserved communities and small businesses need,” Bluemenauer wrote.
“This legislation will make impactful progress in moving towards a fairer industry, especially for business led by lower income community members and owners of color.”
And, the American Bankers Association is at it again with SAFE Banking, too. They sent a letter this week to Senate leadership, signed by each state bankers association.
