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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The marijuana industry looks poised to grow massively, and the current wave of legalization in different US states has paved the way for entrepreneurs and innovators to bring new products to the market. The latest addition to the cannabis world is an interactive cannabis museum in downtown Las Vegas aptly named “Cannibition”.

This museum is the brainchild of J.J Walker. He felt that marijuana needed to be given an immersive experience akin to what ice cream, pizza, avocadoes and other products get.

The entrepreneur intends to teach visitors to Cannibition about the entire journey of cannabis from when it is a seed until it is consumed. With a ticket going for $24, museum visitors can expect an unforgettable treat that will see them observe a cannabis grow operation, admire the largest cannabis bong in the world, literally take a dive into a huge pool of cannabis buds, and have so many other cannabis-related experiences.

J.J Walker isn’t just getting into the cannabis industry. He was in thick of things when Colorado legalized medical marijuana in 2008 and he opened a dispensary at a time when the state didn’t have any regulations in place for the industry.

Walker sold the dispensary about three years later and started a cannabis tour company. He operated that tour company for four years and his work there led him to be inspired to start the museum.

He felt that people interested in cannabis deserved better. For example, the cannabis lounges in states where adult-use cannabis is legal aren’t anything to post on Instagram because they tend to be plain locations with seats where people can smoke their joints and leave half an hour later.

Cannibition is intended to address that shortcoming and give cannabis consumers and non-consumers an experience they will enjoy while learning about the plant.

For example, the experienced of “being smoked” into giant red lips before emerging on the other side to the different fragrances of cannabis will thrill all your senses. The experience of touching the 24-foot largest bong in the world is also exhilarating. Everything was designed to be “Instagrammable”, so your smartphone camera will have a very busy time while you are in the museum.

Walker selected Las Vegas because of the 43 million visitors that come there each year. He sees an opportunity to teach as many people as possible about cannabis so that the transformation of cannabis from the shunned “weed” to a lifestyle can be completed sooner.

Remember that the world’s largest cannabis superstore was also opened in Las Vegas, so the city seems to be carving a place for itself as the cannabis capital of the world. Cannabis industry participants like Earth Science Tech, Inc. (OTCQB: ETST) and FinCanna Capital Corp. (CSE: CALI) (OTCQB: FNNZF) congratulate J.J Walker and his team for contributing to the cannabis culture.

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The cannabis forum of the Retail Council of Canada (RCC) met last month to discuss the workplace implications of cannabis legalization. The forum speakers and participants raised some issues that all employers need to think about as they adjust to the new reality in the country.

The first issue related to the medical cover provided to employees. Employers were asked to think about how they would respond if employees filed claims for medical cannabis benefits. Does the law compel the employer to provide such cover, or it is left to employers to decide whether to provide those benefits?

The second concern had to do with preventing impaired employees from showing up at work. Questions were raised about how the right of the employees to consume recreational cannabis could be married to the need to prevent impairment at work.

There was a suggestion that employers can impose consumption guidelines similar to what other sensitive sectors, such as the airline industry, impose on employees. For example, pilots are instructed to refrain from taking alcohol within a certain number of hours before they are scheduled to fly a plane.

The employers were cautioned to avoid imposing a blanket ban on cannabis consumption since that would be illegal and expose them to liability issues. Only those employers who could prove that the job required total abstinence could take such action. For example, it would be reasonable to restrict security guards from consuming recreational cannabis on the job or some hours before their shift begins.

There was a call for scientific data on how long someone can be impaired after consuming cannabis. Such data would provide a basis upon which employers can draft cannabis policies for their employees.

The issue of impaired customers was also raised. It is one thing to provide guidelines for your employees and it is a totally different matter when it comes to impaired customers in retail outlets.

Members in attendance suggested that employees need to be given some training regarding how to handle customers who visit retail establishments while apparently impaired after consuming cannabis.

The possible fear of being stigmatized for consuming recreational marijuana also came up. A speaker at the forum predicted that some employees may falsely claim that they are medical cannabis users in order to explain away their impairment while at work.

Other members suggested that it would be reasonable for employers to ask employees for a copy of their documentation for medical cannabis to prevent such false claims. However, the employer should not ask for the diagnosis upon which the authorization card was issued since that would be overstepping the acceptable boundaries.

The forum ended with members agreeing that more sessions need to be organized so that people can continue to share experiences and ideas regarding the workplace implications of cannabis legalization. Such healthy and progressive discussions are music to the ears of cannabis companies like Earth Science Tech, Inc. (OTCQB: ETST) and FinCanna Capital Corp. (CSE: CALI) (OTCQB: FNNZF) since such discussions differ from the polarized, adversarial pronouncements that are made in some jurisdictions.

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The parliament of Lithuania has passed a law that will make it possible for patients who want to be treated with marijuana to get such treatment. This new law will become operational on May 1, 2019. An overwhelming majority (nearly unanimous) of legislators voted in for this law. No legislator voted against the proposal while one lawmaker abstained.

Any company intending to sell medical cannabis once the new law takes effect will need to get a license from the relevant regulator in the country.

The passing of the law which legalized medical cannabis necessitated that some existing laws, such as the law on Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances, be amended to take into account the legalization of medical marijuana.

One of the provisions of the narcotics law regarded marijuana as having no medicinal use. Such a provision would have been inconsistent with the new law which regarded cannabis as a form of medicine.

The law legalizing medical cannabis has some strict requirements for any cannabis product that manufacturers want to use to treat patients. For example, scientific research will have to be conducted to prove that a given product has a medicinal effect upon the condition for which such a product can be used.

The medicines control agency of the country will be responsible for issuing permits for any clinical trials that need to be conducted.

Aurora Cannabis, one of the leading marijuana companies in Canada, already has a presence in the country. This was after the Canadian company acquired Agropro UAB in September this year.

Agropro had for long occupied the position of the largest firm involved in the production, processing and supply of organic hemp products in Europe.

Registered cannabis products will be used to treat oncological patients in Lithuania. Qualifying conditions will include HIV/AIDS, multiple sclerosis, severe epilepsy and other chronic conditions.

Other EU jurisdictions which have recently legalized medical cannabis include the UK which passed the relevant law and implementation is scheduled to start just weeks after that law was passed. This is contrary to what happens in other jurisdictions where several months or even years have to elapse before implementation starts. The delays are usually necessitated by the need to set up regulatory systems and process applications for businesses that want to be involved in the industry.

Lithuania is taking it slow and giving itself more than half a year before patients can access medical marijuana. Cannabis companies around the world, such as Earth Science Tech, Inc. (OTCQB: ETST) and FinCanna Capital Corp. (CSE: CALI) (OTCQB: FNNZF) are certainly happy that more jurisdictions around the world are opening up to the medical benefits that cannabis can offer those in need.

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The state of Alaska has decided to make some changes to the way it taxes marijuana. These changes were prompted by concerns raised by industry players regarding the lack of distinction between different kinds of cannabis buds.

The type of bud plays a role in the quality (and the price) of any products that are derived from that bud. The tax authorities haven’t been putting this into consideration, an oversight that made legal cannabis very pricey hence inadvertently promoting the black market.

Currently, each ounce of cannabis flower or bud is taxed $50 while trim (the rest of the plant) incurs a $15 tax per ounce. These taxes are paid by the grower as the produce is sent to a manufacturing facility or to a retail store where it is sold as dry bud or any other unprocessed form of the plant.

The new tax measures which will start being implemented on January 1, 2019 will see mature flower or bud incur an excise tax of $50 an ounce while the abnormal or immature flower will attract a $25 tax for each ounce. The rest of the plant will still be taxed at the same level as before, which is, $15 an ounce.

The planned tax changes will see three tiers of taxes for different kinds of marijuana. Many industry participants see these changes as insufficient and they are calling for wide ranging modifications.

However, those broader changes can only be made by the legislative arm of the state by modifying the law under which cannabis became legal in Alaska.

Conducting such extensive reforms would be a time-consuming process that would involve numerous steps, such as conducting hearings in order to gather views from the public and other stakeholders before the appropriate committee prepares a report to be voted on by all legislators.

Alaskans voted in 2014 to decriminalize recreational marijuana and that ballot measure took effect towards the end of February the following year.

Supply shortages compelled many marijuana retailers to close shop for a while in December 2016 and the first month of 2017. These businesses reopened once the shortages were fixed.

The existing tax policy was threatening to take some marijuana companies out of business and the limited changes being made are attempts to allow businesses to lock in some profits so that the industry can remain robust. Earth Science Tech, Inc. (OTCQB: ETST) and FinCanna Capital Corp. (CSE: CALI) (OTCQB: FNNZF) can only hope that all jurisdictions move to make the business environment more favorable to the players.

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CannabisNewsWire (CNW) is an information service that provides (1) access to our news aggregation and syndication servers, (2) CannabisNewsBreaks that summarize corporate news and information, (3) enhanced press release services, (4) social media distribution and optimization services, and (5) a full array of corporate communication solutions. As a multifaceted financial news and content distribution company with an extensive team of contributing journalists and writers, CNW is uniquely positioned to best serve private and public companies that desire to reach a wide audience of investors, consumers, journalists and the general public. CNW has an ever-growing distribution network of more than 5,000 key syndication outlets across the country. By cutting through the overload of information in today’s market, CNW brings its clients unparalleled visibility, recognition and brand awareness. CNW is where news, content and information converge.

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A federal district court has ruled that a nursing home violated the anti-discriminatory act when it rescinded a job offer to a job seeker who declared that she consumes medical cannabis off-duty and tested positive for THC in a pre-employment drugs test. Medical cannabis is legal in Connecticut where the plaintiff lives and sought to be employed by the nursing home.

The case was filed by the plaintiff last year and judgment was delivered last month, more than a year later. The defendant had tried to get the case dismissed arguing that federal laws allowed them to deny users of a controlled substance employment.

However, the federal district court ruled that the defendant couldn’t cite the Controlled Substances Act since the laws of Connecticut granted protections to patients who had a qualifying condition and were consuming marijuana in accordance with the state laws.

The plaintiff’s request for legal fees and punitive damages was denied by the federal court since the Connecticut law (Palliative Use of Medical Marijuana or PUMA) under which she sued did not prescribe such remedies in its protections for patients on medical cannabis.

The ruling against Bride Brook Nursing and Rehabilitation Center comes at a time when courts had initially ruled against employees on matters of medical marijuana. It is the first time that a federal court is making a decision in favor of an employee.

Other state courts had made similar favorable rulings for employees against employers who took action against them for consuming medical marijuana.

The decision by the federal court isn’t binding on all the other courts, but one can be certain that this case will be a point of reference in any future litigation on similar matters.

In fact, Bride Brook Nursing and Rehabilitation Center can appeal against this decision in order to have it reversed.

The case law on medical marijuana is still scanty since so few states have decriminalized it while it remains illegal at the federal law.

It may therefore be premature for anyone to think that the legal tide is shifting in favor of employees. All the same, it is wise for employers to review their policies regarding marijuana testing as a precondition for employment since they may expose themselves to costly suits that may leave the reputation of the companies in question in tatters.

What can help all concerned is some form of middle ground to be reached between the states where marijuana is legal and the federal level where decriminalization hasn’t occurred as yet. This is certainly the wish of industry players like Earth Science Tech, Inc. (OTCQB: ETST) and FinCanna Capital Corp. (CSE: CALI) (OTCQB: FNNZF) who want to see a more uniform regulatory framework.

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About CannabisNewsWire

CannabisNewsWire (CNW) is an information service that provides (1) access to our news aggregation and syndication servers, (2) CannabisNewsBreaks that summarize corporate news and information, (3) enhanced press release services, (4) social media distribution and optimization services, and (5) a full array of corporate communication solutions. As a multifaceted financial news and content distribution company with an extensive team of contributing journalists and writers, CNW is uniquely positioned to best serve private and public companies that desire to reach a wide audience of investors, consumers, journalists and the general public. CNW has an ever-growing distribution network of more than 5,000 key syndication outlets across the country. By cutting through the overload of information in today’s market, CNW brings its clients unparalleled visibility, recognition and brand awareness. CNW is where news, content and information converge.

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