A JOINT CELEBRATION
Biden and Fetterman talk cannabis on Labor Day
After Fetterman’s call to Joe Biden last week, spokespeople for both parties confirmed they did have a brief conversation on cannabis reform, per Marijuana Moment.
Last week the White House responded to Fetterman indirectly, noting that they had ‘nothing to speak to’ currently on cannabis reform but noted Biden’s use of his clemency powers. Although there is not much more information on their conversation, a spokesperson said they had touched on descheduling cannabis.
According to Fetterman’s Communications Director Joe Calvello, Fetterman “continued to advocate for the President to use his executive authority to begin the process of rescheduling marijuana, so that people convicted of nonviolent offenses can go on with their lives.”
Enjoy Cannabis Daily each morning at 7 a.m.
SLOW TO CHANGE
NYC child welfare still citing cannabis use when separating families, despite cannabis law change
When cannabis was legalized in New York in 2021 the new law should have solidified for the ACS that a parent’s use of cannabis was not neglect, however it seems that this change has not been implemented in practice, per The Gothamist.
An ACS spokesperson said that their policy “ is to assess the impact any misuse has on child safety” and insisted that use of cannabis wasn’t a reason alone to step in. However in interviews, The Gothamist found that this isn’t always the case.
“We have seen ACS interrogate the validity of the prescription both by wanting to speak directly with a doctor, or questioning the veracity or authenticity of the prescription — and then taking it a step further by even questioning the medical decision to prescribe the marijuana,” said Nila Natarajan, supervising attorney and policy counsel of Brooklyn Defender Services’ Family Defense Practice.
SALES DROP
Medical cannabis sales are falling in Colorado
Medical marijuana sales continue to drop in Colorado with sales dropping 44% in June compared to the previous year, per Denver ABC.
Strict purchase limits on medical cannabis means that some patients who use heavily are pushed to adult-use markets that charge higher taxes. This not only costs the patient more but the dropping sales figures will also affect medical cannabis businesses, giving patients even fewer medical options than before.
“We think it might be just that people don’t want to go through the hassle of getting their medical marijuana card. They’d rather just walk down the street and go to a recreational dispensary,” said Eric Escudero, spokesman for Denver Excise and Licenses.
