APPLYING FOR FREEDOM
More than 3,500 Pennsylvanians apply to overturn their cannabis convictions
More than 3,500 people have applied for pardons for past cannabis convictions in Pennsylvania, reports Marijuana Moment.
Pennsylvania has established a one-month initiative which seeks to overturn convictions that involve up to 30 grams of cannabis or eight grams of hashish.
Recreational cannabis is still illegal in the State, and legislation to reform cannabis policy is being stalled despite a poll revealing that two in three Pennsylvania voters support reform. However, Marijuana Moment highlights that the administration has said it would do what it can in the interim.
BOP Secretary Celeste Trusty told Marijuana Moment that: “Pennsylvanians from across the Commonwealth will be able to better their lives through the PA Marijuana Pardon Project…”.
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THC IN THE RAF
US Military softens ban on THC amidst struggles to recruit
Leafly reports that failed cannabis screenings will no longer disqualify Air Force or Space Force members. The decision has been made as the Armed Forces are currently struggling to recruit new members.
Previously, recruits that had a positive THC result were excluded from a Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS) under Air Force policy, which had a zero-tolerance approach to THC. Leafly highlights that the new two-year pilot programme will enable some applicants who test positive for THC to retest after 90 days.
With a poll revealing that 16% of Americans currently smoke cannabis, the programme could boost enlistment for the Forces.
Ann Stefanek, Department of the Air Force spokeswoman told Leafly: “The pilot programme offers some prospective applicants an opportunity to retest after 90 days if they are granted a waiver. If those who have been granted a waiver pass a second test, candidates will be allowed to enlist.”
INDUSTRY GATHERING
Cannabis industry in Ontario gathers to discuss the thriving illegal market
The Toronto Sun reports that representatives from various sectors of Ontario’s legal cannabis industry will gather in Toronto to discuss issues such as the thriving illegal market for cannabis and industry margins.
Fingers are being pointed at the government wholesaler, the Ontario Cannabis Store (OCS), which charges a 30% mark-up, compared to 6% in Alberta and 15% in British Columbia. Lower markups generally lead to lower consumer prices, an incentive for consumers to move away from the illegal market.
Many in the industry are calling for the OCS to be dismantled. George Smitherman, president and CEO of the Cannabis Council of Canada, told the publication that: “Their margins are ridiculous. The combined impact of the taxes and mark-ups work against the idea of eliminating the illicit market.”
NO PRICE INFLATION
Inflation in Canada hasn’t impacted cannabis prices
Despite inflation, cannabis consumers have seen little price increases in cannabis products, reports CTV News.
Statistics Canada figures have revealed that, although prices for recreational cannabis products saw a 3.5 per cent rise in August compared to the same month in 2021, the consumer price index for recreational cannabis has seen year-over-year declines.
The reasons for these low prices have been pinned on elements such as intense competition in the industry, however, George Smitherman, president and CEO of the Cannabis Council of Canada, told CTVNews.ca that the situation is “not financially sustainable.”
However, despite the low prices, there remains concerns that the public health objectives of legalization will have failed if the industry does not tackle problems such as:
- Monopolized distribution
- Supply chain issues
- Retail and online stores that are operating illegally
