MEDICAL CANNABIS
No medical cannabis markets fully meet patients’ needs
Business West has revealed that, in the annual “State of the States” report, Americans for Safe Access (ASA) gave 13 state medical cannabis programs failing grades.
Failing grades were given to Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Nebraska, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin and Wyoming, as well as Idaho and Nebraska which both received zero.
According to the publication, the ASA stated: “We have noticed a big shift in states prioritizing adult use. Recreational adult-use programs and medical cannabis programs are not the same and should not be treated as such.
“A state may have both recreational, adult-use laws and medical cannabis laws, but those programs must remain separate in order to serve the distinct needs of the population. Cannabis patients rely on medical cannabis products for their health and well-being and should be treated as patients by the state — not as recreational consumers.”
HOME CULTIVATION
Canada’s Supreme Court bans home cultivation of cannabis in Quebec
The Supreme Court of Canada ruled Friday that the ban on home cultivation of cannabis plants in the province of Quebec is constitutional, reports Nation World News.
While the country legalized cannabis in 2018, provinces were able to set their own rules, with Quebec deciding to ban personal cultivation of cannabis plants.
According to the publication, Janique Murray-Hall, a Quebec citizen, went to court and found Quebec’s ban unconstitutional in 2019, however, the Quebec government challenged the decision and won the case in the Court of Appeals.
Murray-Hall decided to take her case to the Supreme Court of Canada, which has ruled that the decision is constitutional because the ban aims to “direct consumers to a controlled source of supply.”
PREPARE ACT
Bipartisan lawmakers introduce legislation to prepare for ‘inevitable end’ to cannabis prohibition
Benzinga reports that Rep. Dave Joyce (R-OH), House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and Florida’s Rep. Brian Mast (R) have reintroduced a bill to establish the foundation for legalizing cannabis at the federal level.
The PREPARE Act (Preparing Regulators Effectively for a Post-Prohibition Adult Use Regulated Environment Act) would:
- Establish the “Commission on the Federal Regulation of Cannabis” to advise on the development of a regulatory framework.
- Build upon the Obama and Trump Administration’s efforts to remedy the unjust consequences of the war on cannabis.
- Help grant medical professionals critical research access and training.
- Provide access to the financial sector.
- Develop protections for the hemp industry.
Jeffries stated: “The PREPARE Act is one of the bipartisan solutions that will lay the groundwork to finally right these wrongs in a way that advances public safety and boosts our economy.”
