420 with CNW – Oregon Eases Access to Medical Marijuana

The authority in charge of overseeing cannabis in Oregon (the Oregon Liquor Control Commission) has released new rules that will make it easier for patients to access medical marijuana.

The new rules that are set to take effect tomorrow (December 28) will allow marijuana to be delivered to those areas where the local authorities have passed ordinances banning any marijuana-related business activity within their jurisdictions.

The new provision of the rules is welcome news to patients and caregivers because they will no longer have to travel long distances in order to replenish their medical cannabis supplies.

Additionally, the new rules have also increased the limit on how much cannabis one can buy at a go. Previously, a patient holding a medical cannabis card was only allowed to buy an ounce (28.3 grams) of cannabis.

This limitation was particularly hard on patients or caregivers from the areas where medical cannabis was prohibited. This is because such people would be compelled to make frequent trips to distant medical cannabis dispensaries.

The new rules now allow a patient or caregiver carrying a valid medical cannabis card to purchase up to 8 ounces (226.4 grams) of cannabis. This higher cap means that patients will now reduce how frequently they go to purchase replenishments.

Why the change of heart on the quantities?

It was previously feared that allowing medical cannabis cardholders to buy larger amounts of cannabis would create opportunities for the medical cannabis program to be used as a supply source for the recreational use of marijuana. However, this may have proved to be an unfounded fear.

Secondly, the inconvenience of having to go to a dispensary so frequently was burdensome to many patients and caregivers, so a concession on how much could be purchased was an inevitable compassionate step to take.

It is estimated that Oregon has approximately 50,000 people registered to access medical marijuana. The state legalized medical marijuana in 1998, and it has been updating its regulatory framework periodically, based on the changing realities within the state, and borrowing from the experiences of other states where medical marijuana has since been legalized. It is in this same spirit that plans are underway to pass permanent rules regulating CBD products and hemp in the wake of the passing of the Farm Bill 2018.

SinglePoint, Inc. (OTCQB: SING) and other industry participants like Redfund Capital Corp. (CSE: LOAN) (OTC: PNNRF) (Frankfurt: 03X4) welcome the changes Oregon has made in response to the persistent problems that patients and their caregivers were experiencing.

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420 with CNW – Cannabis Legalization Has Reduced Smuggling and Improved Border Security, Study Finds

A new study has shown that the legalization of marijuana in different states has reduced drug smuggling and made the Southern U.S. border safer. This research was conducted by the Cato Institute.

The Cato Institute analyzed data on how much marijuana has been seized by Border Patrol agents over time. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) regularly releases statistics about the different drugs that have been seized at the different ports of entry into the country.

The analysis shows that over a period of five years, the quantity of marijuana smuggled has reduced by a whopping 78 percent. Similarly, the amount of marijuana seized by each Border Patrol agent has reduced by an average of 70 percent.

Colorado and Washington were the pioneers of marijuana legalization, and there are nearly a dozen states that have now ended the prohibition of marijuana. Many more are set to follow suit in the coming years as ballot measures and legislative action is already in advanced stages in several states as this year ends.

The Cato analysis is timely since it comes at a time when the White House is pushing hard for the construction of a wall on a large section of the border with Mexico. In fact, disagreement over the border wall even caused a partial government shutdown that is still ongoing.

The analysis of smuggling data shows that building a wall at the Mexican border isn’t likely to reduce the rate (and quantity) of the drugs smuggled into the U.S. Remember, the number of Border Patrol agents was dramatically increased between 2003 and 2009, but the CBP seizures data didn’t show any decline in the per-agent marijuana seizures. Only legalization has resulted in such a reduction since most consumers are more comfortable buying their cannabis from regulated sources instead of taking a chance with the smuggled substance for which no quality controls are implemented.

It is also worth remembering that the U.S. government constructed hundreds of miles of border fencing at about the same time when it doubled the CBP workforce, but there was no change in the data on smuggling. It may therefore be reasonable to expect that the wall may not fare any better since the real reason for smuggling (the lack of legal marijuana in some states) hasn’t been addressed.

As for the different marijuana industry players like Plus Products Inc. (CSE: PLUS) and Phivida Holdings Inc. (CSE: VIDA) (OTCQX: PHVAF), the Cato research is yet another piece of evidence that marijuana legalization has so many direct and indirect benefits.

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420 with CNW – Research Shows that Fewer Teens Consumed Cannabis in Washington after Legalization

Many opponents of cannabis legalization often argue that teens will use the substance once it is legalized. However, a recent study done in Washington State has found that such fears are unfounded.

The researchers carefully analyzed the data collected during the Washington Healthy Youth Surveys conducted in 2010-2012 and the data gathered during the 2014-2016 survey. The data clearly shows that the number of teens who reported that they use cannabis had declined.

Recreational marijuana was legalized in the state in 2012, so the researchers had a keen interest in comparing consumption rates before and after legalization.

The study found that marijuana use among eighth-graders dropped by nearly 3 percent from approximately 10 percent in the years just before legalization to approximately 7 percent in the data captured following legalization.

There was a drop of 2 percent among 10th graders since the rate stood at 20 percent in the data captured in the 2010-2012 surveys while the rate was 18 percent when those teens were surveyed in 2014-2016. There was no change in the percentage of 12th graders who consume cannabis.

However, the researchers were quick to point out that their findings do not in any way suggest that the drop in cannabis use among teens is entirely the result of legalization. They also added that their findings may not be an accurate indicator of what trend marijuana consumption among teens will take in the long-term.

The researchers suggested that more research needs to be done about the how the availability of cannabis in given neighborhoods affects the marijuana-use patterns of teens. Such research is necessary since what happens in the state capital may have little influence on what happens in particular neighborhoods.

The impact of advertising, packaging and the proximity of retail outlets should also be investigated to reveal how those factors influence the drug-use behavior of minors.

In the meantime, another study that was published shortly before the one on teenage cannabis use shows that the number of cannabis users in Washington State is almost twice what it was thought to be. This study makes the findings showing a lower prevalence of marijuana use among teens even more significant since it becomes clearer that legalization didn’t trigger a spike in the number of teens who can access and consume cannabis.

Cannabis industry participants like Net Element (NASDAQ: NETE) and Medical Cannabis Payment Solutions (OTC: REFG) are glad that verifiable scientific studies are disproving those who want to discredit cannabis at every opportunity.

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420 with CNW – New Zealanders to Vote on Cannabis Legalization in 2020

New Zealand is likely to be the first Asia-Pacific country to legalize recreational cannabis if the expected vote in 2020 goes in favor of legalization. Such a development will make New Zealand the third country in the world to legalize recreational marijuana.

The next general elections in 2020 will have a binding referendum spelling out how exactly the industry will be regulated and managed in case voters approve legalization.

The government announced this approach in order to avoid a situation in which voters approve legalization, and then different parties disagree on how to implement the decision of the voters. A clear example of such a situation is the Brexit issue over which Britons are divided regarding what exactly they approved when they voted to leave the EU.

The decision to include a binding referendum in the next polls was made after the government and the Green Party agreed to work together to take the matter to voters.

The Green Party was particularly vocal in the campaign to legalize recreational cannabis. They argue that it is hypocritical for members of parliament to sit quietly while a law that criminalized marijuana was in force and yet many of them confessed that they had consumed cannabis in the past.

A recent poll conducted by the New Zealand Drug Foundation found that one in three New Zealanders supports the legalization of cannabis.

However, cannabis law reform advocates are unhappy that the government hasn’t revealed what exact question will be put to voters when that binding referendum is held. The Cannabis Reform Coalition suggests that the referendum question should have two parts.

According to them, the first part of the question should be designed to ask voters whether they want adults to grow and possess cannabis for personal consumption. The second part of the question can then ask the voters to state whether they are in favor of letting adults buy cannabis from authorized/licensed premises.

Such a two-part question can help voters indicate which specific form they would like cannabis legalization to take.

It is interesting to note that cannabis may not be the only subject upon which a binding referendum will be conducted come 2020. The New Zealand government is still mulling over the possibility of including a referendum on euthanasia and another on reforming the electoral laws.

Marijuana advocates are hoping that the outcome of the binding referendum is a favorable one, since the country has a history of having voted against changing the flag of the country two years ago (2016). That particular referendum cost the country upwards of $17 million.

Lexaria Bioscience Corp. (CSE: LXX) (OTCQX: LXRP) and other industry players like Marijuana Company of America Inc. (OTCQB: MCOA) can only hope that the voters in New Zealand will be given accurate and detailed information upon which to base which way they vote come 2020.

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420 with CNW – Nebraska May Vote on Medical Cannabis in 2020

Two legislators in Nebraska have announced plans to put medical marijuana on the ballot in 2020 if lawmakers don’t pass a medical marijuana law in the session due to begin in January 2019.

State Senators Adam Morfeld and Anna Wishart announced that they had formed a group, Nebraskans for Sensible Marijuana Laws, to campaign and gather signatures for a ballot measure on medical marijuana.

The two legislators from Lincoln said that their campaign would be similar to what forced the issue in Utah, Oklahoma and Missouri during the recent midterm elections.

Wishart said that they were forced to register this committee after being frustrated by the inaction of the legislative arm in recent times.

The legislature in Nebraska is nonpartisan, but it is dominated by Republicans. Recent attempts to legalize medical cannabis have been blocked by these Republicans who cite different reasons for their actions.

First, they claimed that legalizing medical cannabis is a ruse to allow recreational use in the state. Secondly, some claimed that the medicinal benefits of cannabis are unproven, so there is no reason to pass enabling legislation over unsubstantiated claims.

Attorney General Doug Peterson and Governor Pete Ricketts are also opposed to the legalization of medical cannabis. That notwithstanding, Wishart plans to table another bill in the coming session as a final step before she calls on voters to have their say if the legislature blocks her bill.

This will not be the first time that voters in Nebraska are called upon to bypass the lawmakers on an issue. In 2014, a ballot measure resulted in an increase of the minimum wage after legislators rejected a bill on the matter. In November this year, voters again approved a ballot measure to expand Medicaid in the state when legislators were unwilling to do so. Before that, capital punishment was reinstated in 2015 through a ballot measure.

The two Lincoln legislators will not be on their own as they gather signatures to put medical marijuana on the ballot. The pair will have the support and the resources of the Marijuana Policy Project.

This non-profit was instrumental in the success of similar ballot measures in Utah, Maine, Nevada, Michigan and Massachusetts. The group feels that it is inhumane to regard the patients who can benefit from medical marijuana as criminals.

The Marijuana Policy Project also believes that their campaign in Nebraska will be successful. After all, the people there already support the proposal to legalize medical marijuana. ChineseInvestors.com (OTCQB: CIIX) and Choom Holdings Inc. (CSE: CHOO) (OTCQB: CHOOF) hope that the people, who are the final beneficiaries of medical cannabis, will be at the center of any discussions regarding whether or not to legalize medical cannabis in the state.

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420 with CNW – Legislator Wants Sharing of Missouri Medical Cannabis Patient Info with Feds Banned

This year’s midterm elections saw the passing of a ballot initiate to legalize medical cannabis in Missouri. Now a legislator has pre-filed a bill which will prevent any state official or agency from sharing information about medical cannabis patients in the state with any federal authority.

The bill, sponsored by Republican Nick Schroer intends to make it a Class E felony for any state official to share with the federal government any information about the people holding medical cannabis cards in the state. Anyone convicted for this offense risks a custodial sentence of up to four years.

While it is rare for the Justice Department to prosecute individuals who use medical cannabis in states where it is legal, such a step isn’t entirely unheard of. The protracted case of three family members in Washington is a stark reminder that anything can happen as long as marijuana is still regarded as a strictly controlled illegal substance by the federal government.

Currently, a spending rider passed by Congress stops the federal government from using tax dollars to prosecute individuals who use medical cannabis in states where legalization has taken place.

Why, you may be wondering, would Nick Shroer deem it necessary to propose a bill on a matter that seems to have been settled by Congress? The reason is that policies can shift at the federal level at any time.

State law is therefore necessary to insulate patients from any policy changes that can put them in the crosshairs of the federal government.

Such laws are also intended to send a strong message that the states have their own right to pass and implement their own laws without having to bow to the wishes of the federal government.

Current events show that federal prosecutors are having meetings in different states where cannabis has been legalized in some form during the recent midterms in order to discuss how those policy changes will impact the work of federal prosecutors. This is a good sign that shows that the feds are adjusting to the changes taking place at the state level even if those changes contrast with the position held at the federal level.

Earth Science Tech, Inc. (OTCQB: ETST) and FinCanna Capital Corp. (CSE: CALI) (OTCQB: FNNZF) welcome the legal protections that the legislator from Missouri wants to see for medical cannabis patients. Such protections ensure that people in dire need of relief from their medical conditions aren’t looked at as criminals who should be locked up.

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420 with CNW – Mexico to Consult Other Countries on Cannabis Legalization, Minister Reveals

The election of a new government in Mexico paved the way for quick steps to be made towards the legalization of recreational cannabis. Now the foreign minister of the country has told a Mexican Senate committee that lessons are going to be drawn from countries and jurisdictions where legalization has already occurred.

The government officials will visit Uruguay and Canada, as well as California and other U.S. states where recreational and medical cannabis are legal. Apparently, a Mexican team has already visited Canada to learn about this important process.

Additionally, a bill was filed before the Mexican Senate last month seeking to legalize recreational cannabis in the country.

Several factors have worked together to bring Mexico to this point regarding its policy on marijuana.

First, its war on the drug has only caused violence to spiral out of control, with gangs battling each other and the authorities on an almost daily basis. People grew weary of that endless war and started calling for another way to deal with the problem.

Secondly, the U.S. has been the biggest ally of the Mexican authorities in their battle against marijuana and other drugs (which were ultimately smuggled into the US). However, the Mexicans started questioning the wisdom of going on with an endless fight while a wave of cannabis legalization is sweeping across the states in the US. The Mexicans may have felt that it was time to take a leaf from the book of California, Colorado and the other more than 30 states where cannabis is legal either for recreational or medicinal use.

Thirdly, and perhaps most importantly, the Supreme Court of Mexico made a fifth ruling to the effect that private individuals could not be stopped from growing and consuming cannabis if they so wished.

What was significant about making a fifth ruling?

Under Mexican law, any matter upon which the Supreme Court makes five similar rulings automatically sets a precedent that all other courts in the country must follow. Consequently, the fifth ruling that it was unconstitutional to stop an adult from consuming marijuana meant that no court in the country could deny anyone permission to grow and consume cannabis.

The decision to pass appropriate laws regulating the consumption of cannabis was therefore a necessary step to put into practice what the Supreme Court had already authorized by default.

It is commendable that the Mexican authorities have decided to listen to, and learn from several jurisdictions that have walked the legalization path before them. There is no need to try and reinvent the wheel when lessons abound regarding what to do and what to avoid during this journey.

Global Payout, Inc. (OTC: GOHE) and Generation Alpha, Inc. (OTCQB: GNAL) applaud the rational way in which the Mexican government is approaching cannabis adult-use legalization.

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420 with CNW – Upscale Cannabis Gear Selling Like Hot Cakes in New York

As the buzz around cannabis legalization in different jurisdictions gathers steam, savvy entrepreneurs are cashing in by bringing innovative marijuana accessories to the market. “Higher Standards” is one such store that is cashing in on the heightened interest in marijuana.

The store is housed in the prestigious Chelsea Market in Manhattan. Higher Standards caters to foodies and tourists who want a gift or a rare cannabis accessory as they head off to jurisdictions where marijuana consumption is legal.

One of the most expensive and rare cannabis accessories that you can buy at this store is a glass pipe shaped like a skateboard. This pipe goes for a cool $6,000. Cannabis infusers, cannabis rolling papers and glass containers for matches are other products you will find when you visit this high-end establishment.

Higher Standards has been in New York for more than a year. How can this be possible when recreational cannabis is yet to be legalized?

Sasha Kadey, the chief marketing officer of Higher Standards, explains that the company doesn’t touch the cannabis plant, so it enjoys some leeway that wouldn’t have been possible if Higher Standards was handling cannabis directly.

In New York, there seems to be a silent policy through which such companies that don’t “touch the plant” get a wink and a nod to continue conducting their business. The same mischievous wink is extended to customers who buy the accessories on offer as they are told that the products are for “tobacco use only”.

That knowing wink seems to be bringing good tidings of what is to come for Higher Standards since the store set its own single-day sales record on Black Friday, then went on to crash that record on December 8.

With things looking up, the store has plans to open five more locations, including one that will be in Atlanta. The Atlanta one is expected to open just in time to cash in on Super Bowl Sunday.

Meanwhile, New York is in advanced stages of legalizing recreational cannabis. This move will bring more fortune in the way of dealers of accessories, like Higher Standards. For example, word is that MedMen intends to open an outlet just outside Chelsea Market. This will bring cannabis customers right to the doorstep of Higher Standards, and sales are expected to soar.

Before that happens, however, people seem to be snatching accessories off the shelves of the outlet and business is booming. That seems to be what happens wherever cannabis is permitted. Cannabis Strategic Ventures, Inc. (OTC: NUGS) and Canopy Rivers Inc. (TSX.V: RIV) say kudos to Higher Standards for contributing to cannabis culture.

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420 with CNW – US States Hope Legal Marijuana Will Fix Pension Crisis

Several U.S. states, such as Illinois and New Jersey, are facing an epic pension crisis and they hope that legalizing marijuana will avail badly needed funds to fix the crisis before it boils over.

For example, Chicago’s pension scheme alone will need a minimum of $1 billion to be injected each year into the retirement benefits scheme four years from today if the city is to meet its obligations to those who served and retired.

Consequently, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is suggesting that the taxes generated once cannabis becomes legal should be ring-fenced and sent to the pension scheme immediately.

The situation in New Jersey is no better. Debt repayment and pensions are expected to consume at least one third of the state’s budget by 2023. The legalization of recreational marijuana may help to bolster tax collections so that this risky situation is managed before it spirals out of hand.

New Jersey and Illinois still have a lot to do before cannabis can become available to the residents and bring revenue to the state coffers.

Of the two, New Jersey seems to be the closest to passing the necessary enabling legislation. Towards the end of November, committees in the state legislature passed some bills to put an end to cannabis prohibition.

One of the bills made it possible to wipe out some convictions and criminal records related to cannabis, such as those for misdemeanor possession.

However, the major sticking point that is yet to be agreed upon is the rate at which recreational marijuana will be taxed once it becomes available in the state. The Governor wants marijuana to have a 25 percent sales tax imposed on it while the proposed legislation puts it at 14 percent.

Each side is advancing its own reasons explaining why a certain tax percentage is appropriate, but a consensus hasn’t been arrived at as yet.

As already mentioned, Illinois still has ways to go before recreational cannabis is legalized. The incoming governor is in favor of legalization, but no details have been worked out as yet. Analysts suggest that it may take at least one year before adult-use cannabis becomes legal in the state.

Before that happens, however, the opposition of Republican legislators will have to be overcome. This task may be made easier by the approximately $525 million tax kitty expected from the industry each year. Setting up the right legal framework and the related infrastructure will be key to realizing that tax revenue dream or waking up to a different reality.

All in all, the problems that these two states face may not go away even if cannabis brings in the projected taxes since those revenues will be just a fraction of what is needed to keep the states solvent. All that the cannabis industry, including Therma Bright, Inc. (TSX.V: THRM) (OTC: THRBF) and TransCanna, can do is wish Illinois and New Jersey the best as they find solutions to the funding gaps that they face.

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420 with CNW – Row Over Patents Threatens to Delay Thai Medical Cannabis Legalization

Thailand is in advanced stages of legalizing medical cannabis, but a row over the patent applications filed by foreign cannabis companies may jettison the process that was expected to culminate in a law being passed in January 2019.

Local businesses and activists feel that the granting of those cannabis patents will make the foreign companies control the cannabis industry in the country and deny scientists a chance to conduct needed research on the plant.

Chokwan Chopaka, a cannabis legalization activist, compared the patent applications to someone wishing to patent water and all its uses. Thai law doesn’t allow anyone to acquire a patent for any plant-related substance.

Civic networks and researchers are threatening to take legal action against the government in case the patent applications are approved.

Singapore and Malaysia, Thailand’s neighbors, are just getting started on the debate to legalize medical cannabis, so Thailand would be a kind of pioneer in the Southeast Asian region if it passed the appropriate legislation early next year as expected.

Such an action would be a major undertaking, given that the Asian region has been known to have some of the harshest penalties for possession, distribution and consumption of marijuana. For example, the death penalty is routinely handed out and implemented in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia in case someone is convicted for trafficking marijuana.

Similarly, thousands of people have been killed in the Philippines in a drug war that intensified when President Rodrigo Duterte started cracking down on narcotics in 2016.

However, marijuana hasn’t always been illegal in Thailand or the region. Traditionally, it was used as a medicine for sore muscles for Thai field workers for thousands of years. Thai women also used it to ease labor pains.

Those who are familiar with the word “bong” may be surprised to discover that this word (referring to the water pipe used when smoking weed) has its origin in the Thai language. Marijuana only became illegal in Thailand in 1935.

The move to legalize cannabis, at least for medical purposes, is therefore seen as the Thai community returning to its roots of using the plant as a medicine.

Furthermore, Thailand already earns a lot from medical tourism. Adding cannabis to the treatment options available to its visitors will therefore boost the medical tourism industry.

Another major plus for the upcoming cannabis revival in Thailand is the favorable tropical climate of the country which can make it cheaper to grow cannabis when compared to the marijuana grows in other countries, such as Canada.

What is left is for the government to handle the controversy brewing over patents well so that the interests of the indigenous firms are protected without locking foreign companies out. The two need each other if the industry is to develop and thrive to its full potential.

Cannabis industry players, such as Sunniva Inc. (CSE: SNN) (OTCQB: SNNVF) and Supreme Cannabis Company Inc. (TSX.V: FIRE) (OTCQX: SPRWF), in areas where the sector is thriving can only hope that any sticking issues are resolved early so that the industry in Thailand takes off without any baggage to weigh it down.

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