420 with CNW – New Jersey Lawmakers Remain Undecided as Governor Sets Cannabis Legalization Deadline

Approximately a month ago, a vote in the New Jersey senate on a bill to legalize recreational cannabis was postponed after it was realized that the bill may not have enough support among the senators. Now Gov. Murphy has given the legislators up to the end of May to pass the bill or he would use his executive powers to expand the medical cannabis program.

Insiders say that the biggest sticking point is the matter of who qualifies to have their cannabis-related criminal record expunged.

The bill sets the marijuana possession limit at 5 pounds if someone is to have their criminal record erased. Some lawmakers are suffering from “sticker shock” at that number because they think that such a high limit will allow hardened drug dealers to benefit from this law.

However, supporters of the law say that the 5-pound marijuana possession limit is fair, and many of the people who qualify to have their records expunged have already served their jail sentences.

The supporters therefore say that it is hypocritical for New Jersey to collect money from recreational marijuana while continuing to “punish” those who were convicted for possessing the same marijuana that the state is collecting taxes from.

The advocates say ex-convicts should have a chance to rebuild their lives by getting jobs, buying homes and doing any other thing that other residents can easily do without being encumbered by a criminal past related to cannabis possession.

This now sets up the state for a classic catch-22 situation because the framers of the marijuana legalization bill may never convince other senators to support the bill if the limit remains at 5 pounds while some supporters will jump ship if the limit is lowered to accommodate what some Republicans and even Democrats are demanding.

It is believed that the bill needs 1-4 additional votes to pass. Those four votes are turning out to be a huge mountain to climb, yet the clock is ticking on the deadline set by the Governor who came to office having promised to legalize marijuana within his first year at the top.

If a vote doesn’t take place by end of May, then it may be pushed to December after new lawmakers are elected. For now, the Senate leader and other top leaders are scrambling to find a solution to the impasse so that the law can be passed as soon as possible.

The cannabis industry, including Global Payout Inc. (OTC: GOHE) and Golden Developing Solutions Inc. (OTC: DVLP), is holding its breath hoping that a solution is found quickly so that the intended beneficiaries of the law don’t have to wait for longer than is absolutely necessary.

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CNW420 spotlights the latest developments in the rapidly evolving cannabis industry through the release of two informative articles each business day. Our concise, informative content serves as a gateway for investors interested in the legalized cannabis sector and provides updates on how regulatory developments may impact financial markets. Articles are released each business day at 4:20 a.m. and 4:20 p.m. Eastern – our tribute to the time synonymous with cannabis culture. If marijuana and the burgeoning industry surrounding it are on your radar, CNW420 is for you! Check back daily to stay up-to-date on the latest milestones in the fast -changing world of cannabis.

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420 with CNW – Georgia on the Verge of Legalizing Medical Cannabis

The state assembly in Georgia has passed a bill that will allow medical marijuana to be grown and processed within the state. With the Governor ready to sign the bill, there seems to be no hurdle to medical marijuana becoming a reality.

HB 324 was drafted in order to address the gaps that were created by a law passed in 2015 legalizing the use of low-THC cannabis oil for the treatment of a given set of medical conditions.

However, that law didn’t create any provision for the cultivation, sale or possession of cannabis oil within Georgia.

The bill that has just been passed addresses all those loopholes. It creates avenues through which cannabis can be grown for the extraction of low-THC marijuana oil. The bill also allows the creation of a commission to oversee the medical cannabis industry, as well as license different entities like universities which wish to take part in the manufacture of cannabis oil.

HB 324 doesn’t legalize recreational cannabis in the state, and it doesn’t have any provisions that allow the smoking of cannabis within the state.

It has been reported that Governor Kemp did a lot to help the assembly and the senate to reach a consensus on how the illegal distribution of marijuana will be prevented in the state. This compromise paved the way for the passing of HB 324.

Kemp said, “I have met several kids struggling with debilitating diseases, as well as parents who are losing hope that their kids can be helped. Medical cannabis offers hope to such parents.”

Kemp added that legalizing medical marijuana was the right thing to do, and that was why he invested so much in seeing to it that both legislative houses approved the bill.

If the bill is finally enacted into law, Georgia will join the long list of 33 states that have legalized medical marijuana.

Advocates may not be happy that the state is only allowing the use of cannabis oil, but it is at least a good start. Reforms can be introduced later when the program is being implemented and the patients, as well as the regulators, realize that other forms of cannabis, such as creams and edibles, may be needed.

All in all, the entire cannabis industry, especially Global Payout, Inc. (OTC: GOHE) and Golden Developing Solutions, Inc. (OTC: DVLP) congratulate the lawmakers in Georgia for making it possible for patients to have one more treatment option as those patients battle with the conditions afflicting them.

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420 with CNW – DEA Seeks Contractor to Burn Illegal Weed in Arizona

The U.S. DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency) is looking for a contractor in Arizona to incinerate cannabis between the months of March and September. The contractor will be expected to burn cannabis at a rate of 1,000 pounds every hour.

The marijuana will be brought to the incineration facility from about 12 cities within Texas. While the agency isn’t certain about the way in which the marijuana to be burnt will be packaged, they predict that some of it will be in the form of tightly packed “bales” or ”bricks” weighing less than 60 pounds.

Some marijuana will be in plastic evidence bags, in aluminum foil, in packing tape, and so many other packing methods.

Needless to say, the DEA got its hands on this marijuana during its field operations against those who sell the drug on the streets, and other illegal activities.

The federal agency reveals that the selected contractor should be able to burn marijuana for eight hours straight on a daily basis and the incineration equipment is expected to have interlocks so that the process can be halted during an emergency.

The marijuana should be destroyed to an extent that standard analytical tests will be unable to detect any cannabis residues once the incineration process has been completed. The DEA will also conduct inspections to confirm that the substance has been destroyed to the required standard.

Additionally, the federal agency will have its representatives or staff present to witness the destruction process, and the facility should have a fence that is so high that onlookers cannot observe the destruction process from outside the facility.

The incineration facility is also expected to have CCTV cameras recording every step of the process. The DEA says that they reserve the right to access the CCTV footage in order to ascertain that the burn was conducted in accordance with the specifications provided, and that the representatives of the agency are safe in that environment.

The contractor selected should have employees who undergo background checks in addition to drugs tests annually.

While the notice has been published to receive applications from interested contractors, the DEA seems to already have an entity in mind that they plan to award this contract. Tuscon Iron & Metal is located within close proximity to the towns where the DEA keeps all the marijuana it confiscates in Arizona. The DEA mentions this company as a potential “sole source” provider of the service they seek.

Golden Developing Solutions, Inc. (OTC: DVLP), Green Growth Brands, Inc. (CSE: GGB) (OTCQB: GGBXF) and the entire cannabis industry congratulate Tuscon Iron & Metal for positioning itself in such a powerful way that the DEA can consider them as a sole source of their incineration requirements in the area.

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420 with CNW – Delaware Considers Letting Doctors Prescribe Cannabis for Most Ailments

Senator Anthony Delcollo has introduced a bill in the state senate to change the law so that doctors will be free to decide which patient would be helped by medical marijuana instead of first checking whether that patient has a condition listed in the medical marijuana law.

Under the current law which was passed in 2011, patients can only qualify to get onto the medical marijuana program if they have one of the “debilitating conditions” such as terminal illnesses and cancer.

Delcollo argues that doctors undergo extensive training and have a lot of experience in the field. These professionals should be given the liberty to decide what is in the best interest of their patients, he says.

Senate Bill 24 is therefore intended to free doctors to use their discretion in determining whether medical cannabis will provide “palliative or therapeutic benefit” to patients.

The senator argues that this wouldn’t be a new thing since doctors are already exercising their professional discretion to determine which pharmaceuticals on the market are most likely to be beneficial to their patients.

Medical cannabis advocates concur and say that the proposed change is long overdue. They add that it should have been part of the first law that legalized medical marijuana in the state in 2011.

The bill is also intended to ease the restrictions on the kinds of medical specialists that are authorized to recommend the use of medical cannabis by patients who are younger than 18. However, the change would not alter the current provision stating that patients who are less than 18 can only use cannabis oil and not any other form of medical marijuana.

Senate Bill 24 enjoys bipartisan sponsorship and support, so it is hoped that the lawmakers will debate it thoroughly and give it the nod.

If it passes, Delaware will join Oklahoma and Maine as the only states that give doctors such leeway in deciding who can or cannot be treated using medical marijuana.

It hasn’t been an easy journey for Delaware to get to this point. It should be recalled that there were endless delays in opening the compassion centers where patients could access medical cannabis. To date, only four such centers are operational in the state.

More recently, there were plans to legalize recreational marijuana legislatively. More than a year was taken to debate the bill and when a vote was called, the bill was defeated by just four votes in June last year. No other recreational marijuana bill has yet been tabled during this legislative session.

Be that as it may, Global Payout, Inc. (OTC: GOHE), Golden Developing Solutions, Inc. (OTC: DVLP) and the entire investment community are hoping that this time round, appropriate legislation improving the medical cannabis environment is passed so that all interested parties, such as patients, can benefit.

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420 with CNW – New Hampshire House Committee Okays Medical Cannabis Home-Grows

As momentum gathers to legalize recreational cannabis in New Hampshire, a House committee has passed a bill permitting patients enrolled on the medical cannabis program to grow their own marijuana, as well as other measures intended to expand the medical marijuana program.

The Human Services and Elderly Affairs Committee of the New Hampshire Assembly voted on Tuesday last week to allow patients or their caregivers to have three mature cannabis plants, three immature plants as well as 12 seedlings of cannabis.

The bill also included a raise on the cap of medical marijuana that a patient could have from 6 to 8 ounces.

The move to allow patients to grow their own cannabis and also possess higher amounts of the substance is intended to ease the inconveniences that some patients in distant locations were facing in accessing one of the four medical marijuana dispensaries run by the state.

The contents of the bill are also intended to allow patients to customize their medical cannabis without incurring a high cost. For example, one patient (Heather Marie Brown) revealed that she spends $400 each month on medical cannabis to treat PTSD. However, with home-grows now set to be allowed, she will spend approximately $150 to grow all the cannabis she needs for her condition.

There were calls for the committee members to increase the number of qualifying conditions, but this wasn’t acted on because the lawmakers felt that it was premature for them to make a decision on that matter yet a special committee of medical experts set up to advise the State on the qualifying conditions is scheduled to meet this month (March) to discuss that same matter.

One of the qualifying conditions that was being considered for addition to the list is opioid addiction. However, many legislators were hesitant to approve its inclusion because there was insufficient evidence that cannabis could wean people off prescription opioids. Other lawmakers didn’t think it would be good to recommend the use of one potentially addictive substance as a replacement for another addictive substance/drug.

Meanwhile, the entire House is scheduled to vote on a proposal to legalize recreational marijuana across the state. Previous attempts to get recreational cannabis legalized in the state met with dismal failure, but hopes of success are high this time round since Democrats now have control of both the Senate and the Assembly.

For the sake of the patients and the general population in New Hampshire, Global Payout Inc. (OTC: GOHE) and Golden Developing Solutions Inc. (OTC: DVLP) wish for a speedy conclusion to the different bills before the legislators.

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420 with CNW – New Jersey Moves Closer to Legalizing Pot as Top Leaders Strike a Deal

Plans to legalize marijuana in New Jersey ground to a halt last year amidst a disagreement between Gov. Murphy and legislative leaders over taxes and a few other issues. However, a compromise deal on the key sticking points has now put the legalization plans back on course.

We reported at the end of last month that a new tax proposal had given cannabis legalization plans a breath of life. That proposal sought to provide a middle ground between the Governor who wanted a higher sales tax and Sweeney, the State Senate leader, who was adamant anything higher than 12 percent was unacceptable.

In the deal that has been reached, marijuana would be taxed by weight instead of the earlier plan to impose a sales tax. This new plan will insulate the state from witnessing a drop in tax revenue if marijuana prices eventually reduce as has been the case in other states where marijuana has been legal for several years.

The second major bone of contention that has also been reportedly resolved under the new deal has to do with the manner in which the marijuana industry will be regulated. Previously, the legislative leaders had wanted a separate commission to take charge of overseeing most aspects of the new industry. However, the Governor was uncomfortable with that proposal.

Under the new arrangement, an independent commission will still be set up to oversee the cannabis industry. The change in this regard is that the state governor will have the power to appoint three of the five individuals who will constitute the Cannabis Regulatory Commission.

Legislators are also working on a bill to expunge cannabis convictions from the criminal records of New Jersey residents. This law will help to address some of the historical wrongs that were committed against racial minorities, such as African-Americans, who were unduly targeted during the war on drugs that lasted decades.

Once that expungement bill is in place, the Governor, State Senate leader and the leader of the state Assembly will have plenty of work to do to mobilize votes among the legislators so that the marijuana legalization bill passes in both Houses before it can reach the desk of the Governor to be signed into law.

Now that the bickering seems to have come to an end, there is widespread hope across the industry that an enabling law will soon be passed so that a roadmap to the implementation of that law can be known to all concerned. Golden Developing Solutions Inc. (OTC: DVLP) and Green Growth Brands Inc. (CSE: GGB) (OTCQB: GGBXF) wish New Jersey a smooth path to legalization now that the major stumbling blocks have been addressed.

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420 with CNW – Florida Judge Rules that Cap on Dispensaries is Unconstitutional

A Circuit Court Judge, Karen Gievers, has ruled that the state and the health department in Florida violated the constitution when they imposed a cap on the number of dispensaries that a licensed business could open within the state.

Trulieve sued the state and asked court to strike down the cap on dispensaries that had been imposed limiting each business to a maximum of 30 outlets. Initially, the cap was at 25 but it was raised to 30.

The plaintiff successfully argued that patients could get better access to medical marijuana treatment centers at an affordable cost if more dispensaries were available instead of forcing patients to incur the cost of vehicle delivery of cannabis to their addresses.

The company had also argued that the ban, which was imposed long after they had opened a number of outlets, affected their business since they wouldn’t have opened dispensaries in some locations had they had prior awareness of that cap. Trulieve therefore asked court to nullify that cap so that their business isn’t unnecessarily hampered.

The judge agreed and wrote in her ruling that the state didn’t have any plausible reason to impose such a restriction on legally licensed businesses. Furthermore, the judge observed that the cap wasn’t mentioned anywhere in the constitutional amendment legalizing medical cannabis.

The state made a vain attempt to justify the cap by saying that the local and state authorities needed time to study how to regulate medical cannabis. Judge Gievers threw out this argument saying that the constitutional amendment didn’t provide for such “study” and that she didn’t get evidence of what needed to be “studied” for three years.

She argued that the state had ample time to study medical cannabis regulation as much as they wanted before the first medical cannabis law was passed years back in 2014.

This same judge lifted the ban on smoking medical cannabis and gave the state a dressing down for the blatant way in which it was disregarding constitutional provisions while implementing the medical marijuana program. The previous Governor, Rick Scott, appealed against that ruling and left office before the appeal was heard.

Recently, Gov. DeSantis threatened to withdraw from pursuing that appeal if the legislature didn’t amend the law to allow patients to smoke medical cannabis. He gave the legislators a few weeks to act or else the courts will be left to change the law by judicial declaration.

Golden Developing Solutions, Inc. (OTC: DVLP), Green Growth Brands, Inc. (CSE: GGB) (OTCQB: GGBXF) and the whole industry welcomes the decision of the court since patients in Florida will now have medical cannabis dispensaries closer to them.

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420 with CNW – Israeli Cabinet Approves Export of Marijuana Products

Toward the end of last year, we reported that the Israeli parliament had passed a bill permitting local companies to export medical marijuana. However, there were fears that the cabinet may wait until after elections before pronouncing itself on this matter. It turns out that those concerns were premature because the cabinet has given its approval and cannabis firms can start processing the necessary paperwork to sell medical cannabis abroad.

The cabinet’s decision leaned on the recommendations made by an inter-ministerial committee (finance and health ministries) that was tasked with studying the Act of parliament and then advise the cabinet on the matter.

The committee took note of the advanced research, technology and regulatory capabilities of the country as major advantages that would make Israeli medical cannabis competitive on the world market.

The worldwide medical cannabis market is growing rapidly from an estimated valuation of $8.3bn in 2017 to about $28bn by 2024. Medical cannabis exports would earn Israeli firms about $1.09bn each year.

The Ministry of Finance agreed to channel some of the money earned from cannabis exports to the Ministry of Health.

Currently, there are eight companies that grow medical cannabis in Israel. The approval of exports is good news to them because the domestic market wasn’t large enough to sustain these producers as well as those who are still queuing to get licenses.

Medical cannabis exports will be tightly regulated since cannabis is a drug that is subject to strict controls internationally. Israeli companies will get an export permit issued by the Ministry of Health and approved by the police. These companies will then export medical cannabis to other companies in Europe. Those companies should have also obtained permits to import medical cannabis.

Israel is likely to enjoy several advantages when compared to other countries, such as Canada, that export medical cannabis. For example, Israel is closer to most European markets when compared to its competitors.

Secondly, Israel is renowned for having very strict regulatory systems and its research capabilities are famous across the world. This makes Israeli medical cannabis exports to have a good reputation on the market when compared to other exporters whose domestic regulatory mechanisms aren’t so rigorous.

As you can see, different countries are positioning themselves to control a large share of the international medical cannabis market. The question is, when will the U.S. wake up and catch up with the other countries that are already active in the medical cannabis space? The sooner federal marijuana laws are reformed, the better for the U.S. cannabis industry. This speedy legal reform is what entities like Golden Developing Solutions, Inc. (OTC: DVLP) and Global Payout, Inc. (OTC: GOHE) have been hoping to see for years.

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420 with CNW – Records Show 61 Tons of Medical Marijuana were Consumed in Arizona in 2018

State records that were published on January 14 show that Arizonans set a record in the state by consuming a total of 61 tons of different forms of medical marijuana.

The report shows that Arizona medical cannabis dispensaries sold 2.5 tons of marijuana edibles last year. One interesting thing about this statistic is that in 2012, the entire state consumed that exact quantity of cannabis products. That year was the first full year since the medical marijuana was legalized.

Another comparison with that first year has to do with the number of patients who acquired medical cannabis cards. In 2012, just 40,000 people were enrolled on the program. By the end of December last year, 186,000 patients were actively using their medical cannabis cards.

The report released by the Arizona Department of Health Services shows that patients bought 56 tons of marijuana flower (buds) from the licensed dispensaries in the state. Another 2.5 tons of other marijuana products, such as resins and extracts, were also consumed during the year.

The cannabis edibles sold in 2018 were approximately 34 percent more than the quantity of edibles sold the previous year. Overall, the 61 tons of cannabis sold indicate a 42 percent increase from the quantity of marijuana products that were consumed the year before.

However, cannabis resins saw a sharper rise in the volume sold. The resins sold in 2018 were more than those sold in 2017 by 83 percent.

It is worth noting that the Arizona Court of Appeal ruled that cannabis extracts, such as resins, were not included in the protections offered to patients and doctors who were involved in the medical cannabis industry.

Nonetheless, dispensaries continued to sell the products, and patients continued to buy them as the entire state waited for the Supreme Court in Arizona to make its ruling on the matter. The outcome of the review by the Supreme Court is yet to be announced.

On matters of demographics, the statistics released by DHS show that more women took medical marijuana last year when compared to those registered in 2017. 40.02 percent of all patients on the program in 2018 were women compared to 38.35 percent in 2017.

The figures of the medical marijuana consumed are expected to keep rising, and it is interesting to note that in 2014, the total demand for cannabis in the state (both medical and recreational) was estimated to be 81 tons, just 33 percent higher than what the medical cannabis market has sold in 2018. That means the estimates may have been grossly conservative or off the mark. This positive outlook is good news to the entire cannabis industry, including Green Growth Brands Inc. (CSE: GGB) (OTCQB: GGBXF) and Golden Developing Solutions, Inc. (OTC: DVLP).

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420 with CNW – Arkansas Delays Issuing Medical Cannabis Cards

Patients who applied and got approval to join the medical cannabis program in Arkansas will have to wait until February to receive their medical cannabis cards from the state. The delay comes amidst the inability of cultivators to provide medical cannabis to the licensed dispensaries.

Arkansas residents voted to change the constitution in 2016 so that medical cannabis could become legal in the state. However, the process of implementing that change has taken longer than was expected.

The Department of Health in the State is reluctant to give residents medical cannabis cards when medical cannabis supplies aren’t available. The authorities feel that patients would incur an unnecessary cost since the cards are only valid for a year and one must renew the card before accessing medical cannabis. Getting the card several months before dispensaries are ready to sell products would therefore mean that a portion of the card’s validity was wasted.

However, many patients view their desire to have the medical cannabis cards in a different light.

The cards issued by the health authorities in Arkansas can allow the cardholders to acquire temporary licenses from the nearby state of Oklahoma. These temporary cards can be used to buy or grow medical cannabis from the Oklahoma medical cannabis dispensaries. Federal law doesn’t permit marijuana to be moved across state lines, so anyone interested in buying or growing medical cannabis from out of state has to be ready to stay in that state until what they purchased is used up.

The temporary licenses are only valid for 30 days, so there is no chance that an applicant will buy medical marijuana in more than one state. The verification process done before the temporary card is issued confirms that the applicant resides in a state where a medical cannabis program is legal but medical cannabis isn’t available as yet.

Some Arkansas residents have attempted to use the approval letters issued after their medical cannabis applications were processed, but the Oklahoma authorities have rejected those letters.

The stance of the Medical Marijuana Authority in Oklahoma is understandable because the approval letters may not have vital details, such as the medical marijuana card numbers that can be used to track the activities of the cardholders.

For now, Arkansas residents may have to wait until the state prints their cards. That may give those who are badly in need of medical cannabis one month within which to take advantage of the temporary licenses issued in Oklahoma. In case the Arkansas program delays even further, the patients can continue renewing their Oklahoma permits.

Green Hygienics Holdings Inc. (OTCQB: GRYN) and Golden Developing Solutions, Inc. (OTC: DVLP) sympathize with the patients in Arkansas and hope that a viable solution for their plight is found soon.

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