CANNABIS CANADA
‘Canadian cannabis is in peril’: Industry leaders call on feds to help
CTV News reports that Canadian cannabis business owners are calling for help from the federal government, saying high tax rates and strict rules have left their businesses struggling to survive.
A press conference organized by the Cannabis Council of Canada saw five Canadian cannabis sector CEOs discuss the extent of layoffs and facility closures in the industry, emphasizing that high excise taxes have been one of the biggest challenges for businesses.
Growing disparities between the legal cannabis sector and the illegal market, as well as the alcohol and tobacco industry, have also been emphasized, with the CEO stating that cannabis businesses are paying a regulatory fee which tobacco and alcohol don’t pay.
RUCK DRIVER SHORTAGE
Truck driver shortage & cannabis consumption: we need a solution before store shelves go bare
In order to find out why drug use among commercial truck drivers may be at its highest level since 2019, the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) is asking carriers a series of questions on safety and other concerns in relation to state-level cannabis legalization, reports Benzinga.
The publication highlights that previous ATRI studies have shown a correlation between an increase in drivers under the influence and laws legalizing recreational cannabis, while meanwhile, cannabis testing is adding to the growing truck driver shortage.
Bob Costello, American Trucking Association’s chief economist, has wanted that shortages could skyrocket to more than 160,000 drivers by 2031 if the industry does not address the issue with long-term solutions: “This is a warning as I look at the demographics and who is becoming a driver and the demand coming into our industry. And if that happens, we’ll have bare shelves in stores because of the driver shortage. We have to figure this out.”
WHITE HOUSE
Biden signs equity-focused executive order that touts cannabis clemency actions, calling criminalization a ‘failed approach’
Marijuana Moment reports that President Joe Biden issued an executive order on Thursday that touts the administration’s efforts to address the “failed approach” on federal cannabis policy.
The order is focused on promoting equity within federal agencies and the White House.
Biden stated: “My Administration has taken action to strengthen public safety, advance criminal justice reform, correct our country’s failed approach to marijuana, protect civil rights, and stand up against rising extremism and hate-fueled violence that threaten the fabric of our democracy.”
