Embassy HEADLINES Issue 395

AUSTRALIA

Drank alcohol in the past three months? This test can tell. Imagine if it were used on the roadside.

The current RDT regime has moved far away from road safety goals and become a proxy prohibition battle, focused on catching people who use drugs, rather than people who are impaired or a danger on the road.

NORTH AMERICA

Vancouver dispensaries ruling supports civic power to license illegal businesses

While a group of Vancouver dispensaries lost their appeal last week, the ruling could have a lasting impact on the ability of municipalities to self-govern. ‘The number one takeaway from this case is that it is very supportive of a municipality’s ability to govern cannabis businesses’.

Edmonton will legalize cannabis cafes this year, city councillor says

Updates to Utah medical marijuana law get Senate panel OK

The proposed medical marijuana bill that would raise patient caps for doctors and clarify that private employers don’t need to allow marijuana use received a favorable recommendation from a Senate committee Tuesday.

Legal marijuana use still costs people jobs. A new California bill takes on the issue

California voters legalized pot in 2016. But for many seeking jobs in state government, cannabis use has become an obstacle to getting hired. Now, a spike in the number of job applicants disqualified by state agencies after failing tests for marijuana use has spawned calls for new legislation and debate over whether employment rules should be relaxed given more widespread acceptance of the drug.

Santa Barbara County Sheriffs Raid Arroyo Verde Farms

This week, we’re reading this Los Angeles Times feature on a Jan. 22 raid that found evidence of illegal sales and an unlicensed cannabis extraction lab at Arroyo Verde Farms in Santa Barbara County, California. All told, law enforcement found more than 20 pounds of illegally stored and documented cannabis flower and 1,000 pounds of illegally stored and undocumented cannabis oil. 

Audit of Portland’s Cannabis Program Finds City Needs Improved Regulation Strategy

The auditor’s report recommends that the Office of Community and Civic Life create an overall strategy to streamline the cannabis licensing process, track data, and publicly disclose information about the industry and its performance, according to Oregon Live.

Oklahoma Officials to Enforce Mandated Testing of Medical Cannabis Products

According to the Tulsa World, there are ten labs in the state currently licensed by the authority, “with more in different stages of the licensing process.” Cannabis in the state is “required to be tested for cannabinoid content (including THC potency), terpene profile and the presence of pesticides, heavy metals or other contaminants.” 

New Mexico to Close Medical Cannabis ID Loophole

New Mexico lawmakers approved legislation that stops out-of-state patients from signing up for the state’s medical cannabis program.

Priests Promote Legalization In Connecticut

A coalition of Connecticut clergy yesterday rallied in support of legalizing cannabis for adults and creating a taxed-and-regulated cannabis marketplace.

Cannabis Sales Top $1.75 Billion In Colorado

Cannabis sales in Colorado reached $1.75 billion last year, a new record that netted more than $302.4 million in state tax revenue, according to a Westword report. The previous record was $1.55 billion in 2018.

Massachusetts’ Adult-Use Sales Hit $445.1 Million in 2019

The sales total generated by Massachusetts adult-use retailers in 2019 is particularly impressive considering the relatively small number of operational storefronts. Only a handful were authorized to sell to general consumers at the start of the year, a number that grew to 33 by the end of 2019. For context, Colorado’s adult-use market generated more than $303 million in 2014, its first year of sales. In Colorado, 150 shops were licensed to serve recreational consumers in the first month of sales, a number that increased to more than 320 by the end of 2014.

WORLD

Majority of German parliament favors recreational cannabis reform, but change neither sure nor imminent

One of the German government coalition parties clarified its stance on recreational marijuana last week in favor of decriminalizing possession and allowing pilot programs involving the legal distribution of adult-use cannabis.

Croatia could legalize all Cannabis next week

It’s a massive news. The Croatian parliament is getting ready to vote a law that will legally allow recreational Cannabis Sales in all the country no later than the next week if passed. As a cherry on the bud, every citizen will be allowed to cultivate as much as 9 crops including ‘High THC material’ for his own use.

Recall Of CBD Food Products In Ireland

The Authority says certain batches of cannabidiol based foods and food supplements have been found to contain “unsafe” levels of delta‐9‐tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) based on the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) acute reference dose. It doesn’t mention what levels were recorded in any of the products in question.

First specialist medical cannabis clinic in Scotland to open

The clinic will work on a ‘GP-referral’ basis. It will offer treatment across the full range of conditions for which it is approved.

How coronavirus in China could disrupt the cannabis vape hardware supply chain

“The coronavirus has had a significant impact on the entire manufacturing supply chain in China, which will be felt in the coming months,” said Richard Huang, CEO of Cloudious9, a cannabis vaporizer manufacturer based in Hayward, California. The cannabis vape industry is at its core a hardware business, and nearly all vaporizers, vape cartridges and batteries are manufactured in China.

German insurer paints picture of nation’s growing medical cannabis industry

Applications for reimbursement of medical cannabis expenses by Germany’s second-largest health insurer doubled from 2017 to 2019, signaling robust growth in the use of the drug. Flower remained one of the most prescribed cannabis products.

Recall of Various CBD Foods and Food Supplements in Ireland Due to the Presence of THC

Nature Of Danger: The implicated batches of CBD foods and food supplements contain unsafe levels of THC based on the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) acute reference dose. There are no immediate dangers associated with the consumption of these products.

UK clears path for CBD food sales but adds dosage limits and safety deadline

The guidelines came as many other nations – including Australia, Canada and the United States – have said they’re reviewing CBD safety in food and nutritional supplements but not yet endorsed its sale or said how it should be produced, prompting a global morass of confusion about cannabidiol’s legality.