Cannabis News 10/22-10/29, 2019 - Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), a presidential candidate, released a plan pledging to "immediately" use executive action to deschedule cannabis...

HEADLINES

• More from Vapocalypse 2019: A Massachusetts judge gave regulators a week to fix a ban on vaping products before he potentially strikes down its reach to nicotine products, but left its impact on marijuana products in place. Medical cannabis patients have joined the case. 
• ​Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), a presidential candidate, released a plan pledging to "immediately" use executive action to deschedule cannabis, ban tobacco companies from participating in the cannabis industry and encourage businesses to be formed as collective nonprofits. "Big Tobacco is already targeting the marijuana industry for its profits. As president, Bernie will not allow marijuana to turn into Big Tobacco."

OREGON Frontrunners

• At its monthly meeting on October 17, 2019 the Commissioners of the Oregon Liquor Control Commission approved six marijuana violation stipulated settlement agreements.  The Commission also held a work session to review actions it could take to strengthen fines and penalties for recreational marijuana licensees and individuals who have a Marijuana Worker Permit. During its review of the stipulated settlements Commissioners aired concerns that the settlements might appear to be too lenient on licensees that continuously fail to follow the rules.  The Commission wants to make sure that licensees charged with multiple violations take the charges seriously. “If it’s a bad actor they need to get the message, pay the penalty for the violation and then don’t do it again” said Paul Rosenbaum, OLCC Chair. “We don’t want to put anybody out of business, we want to help you be successful, but if you’re a bad actor, we’re going to kick you out of the system.” Chair Rosenbaum indicated he would continue to publicly scrutinize the stipulated settlements during Commission meetings to keep the industry on alert that the Commission might seek stiffer penalties going forward. One of the settlement agreements is linked to the Commission’s decision to temporarily reduce daily purchase limits for Oregon Medical Marijuana Program (OMMP) cardholders in August, 2018.  The OLCC had detected a pattern of unusual purchase activity connected to potential misuse of OMMP cards. Gras Cannabis in Portland was one of the retailers implicated in the prohibited activity, was subsequently found to be in violation of OLCC rules. “The administrative hearings process is methodical and certain,” said Steve Marks, OLCC Executive Director. “Even though this case started last summer (2018), the end result is we’ve removed a bad actor from Oregon’s regulated marijuana system. We don’t have tolerance for this kind of behavior and licensees should know the clock eventually runs out on those who have no place in our system.” The Commission approved the following fines and/or marijuana license suspensions, license surrenders, or marijuana worker permit surrender based on stipulated settlements: A Southern Oregon farm will pay a fine of $3,795 or serve a 23-day recreational marijuana producer license suspension for one violation. A dispensary in Bend will pay a fine of $7,920 or serve a 48-day recreational. A Farm* will pay a fine of $6,105 AND serve a 25-day recreational marijuana producer license suspension OR serve a 62-day recreational marijuana producer license suspension for three violations. Artisan Agriculture* recreational marijuana producer license has expired and the OLCC will not renew it; each licensee will receive a letter of reprimand.  OLCC staff had proposed license cancellation and seizure and destruction of any remaining product on the licensed premises for six violations. Gras Cannabis in Portland will surrender its recreational marijuana retailer license for three violations, and each licensee will receive a letter of reprimand. Another dispensary in Portland will pay a fine of $3,795 or serve a 23-day recreational marijuana retailer license suspension for one violation. A copy of the Stipulated Settlement Agreements for Marijuana Violation Cases can be found on the OLCC website, on the Laws & Rules page under the Final Orders section.
• The Annual Oregon Growers Cup is one of the first cups held, just after cannabis was legalized in the beaver state on July 1st, 2015. It has grown to be the biggest Cannabis Competition in Oregon with over 190 entries in 2018! They take pride in their BLIND JUDGING and are proud to be Oregon’s LEGIT Cannabis Cup for 5 years running. Every harvest OLCC, Medical, Hemp and Rec Grows compete against the best Oregon grown flower and cannabis products in multiple categories. over 65+ Vendors last year they bring the Oregon Cannabis Community together for consumer engagement with vendors showcasing products & services. THEY ARE STILL ACCEPTING SPONSORS, VENDORS & CUP ENTRIES! Visit www.OregonGrowersCup.com for more information! 
• Speaking of cups . . . the 1st EVER Oregon High Times Cannabis Cup was held in Portland this past Saturday night, October 26th. Thoughts? Opinions? Comments? Questions? Concerns? Email localsmokemedia@gmail.com to discuss!

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Highlights from Across THE UNITED STATES OF CANNABIS

• Coachella Awarded $500,000 Grant to Advance Social Equity in the Weed Industry. Merry Jane - When you think of the Southern California desert town Coachella, you probably imagine flowered headdresses, influencers taking selfies, and a music festival packed with the industry’s biggest stars. But beneath the glitz and glamour of the city’s annual festival, Coachella struggles with the same issues of poverty and inequality as other Golden State cities. And when it comes to the cannabis industry, a new state grant is set to enhance social equity in Coachella. According to the Palm Springs Desert Sun, Coachella was one of 10 California municipal governments awarded a “local equity grant” from the state Bureau of Cannabis Control (BCC) aimed at encouraging and assisting ganjapreneurs who might otherwise be left out of the industry due to steep financial and regulatory barriers. “The City of Coachella’s Cannabis Social Equity Program aims to provide financial and technical assistance to small business applicants from communities with high levels of poverty or a history of drug arrests,” Mayor Steven Hernandez said in a press release. Coachella will be given $500,000 in funds “for commercial cannabis equity programs that focus on inclusion and support of persons and communities that were negatively or disproportionately impacted by cannabis criminalization.”
• The Governors of Northeastern States Adopt Coordinated Cannabis Legalization Plan. Marijuana Moment - A group of governors representing states across the Northeast convened on Thursday for a marijuana summit at which they agreed to basic principles for legal cannabis programs they plan to pursue in 2020. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) and Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont (D) organized the meeting. They were joined by New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) and Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf (D), who came out in favor of legalization last month. Representatives from Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Colorado also attended. “This is a very important topic,” Cuomo said in his opening statement. “It is probably one of the most challenging issues that I know I’ve had to address in the state of New York. It is complicated, it is controversial and it is consequential. That is a very difficult and challenging combination.” “Cooperating as a coalition of states on these issues is the best path forward—as we not only share borders, but we share economic interests, public health priorities, and a joint understanding that the more states that work together on these kinds of issues, the better the policy results will be for our residents,” Connecticut Governor Lamont said.

iCannabis: INDUSTRY, BUSINESS & FINANCIAL - Sponsored by the FARMING & AGRICULTURE RIGHTS MANAGEMENT SOCIETY INC. aka F.A.R.M.S. Inc.—a farmer-run, nonprofit organization working every day to protect the rights of craft cannabis farmers in Oregon. With every action we take, we are keeping our liberties legal and celebrating the craft in our culture so we can best serve our industry and the people who enjoy our clean, high-quality harvests. IT ALL STARTS WITH THE FARMER & THEY WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!
With over 4,500 hemp permits issued in 2019 by State of Oregon and outdoor seed breeding currently allowed by the Oregon Department of Agriculture, the biggest threat to craft cannabis farmers this season is hemp pollen. HAS HEMP POLLEN SEEDED YOUR CANNABIS CROP? INFORM THEM. Visit www.FARMSINC.org for more information.

• California-based Pax Labs, one of the leading vape pen companies in the cannabis industry, disclosed Monday it laid off 65 workers, or 25% of its workforce, after missing its revenue projections. The layoffs come amid a health crisis that has shaken the vaporizing industry.
• Canadian cannabis company Hexo cuts 200 jobs as Canadian market lags expectations.

Big HEMPin’ 

• U.S. Department of Agriculture Deputy Secretary Stephen Censky testified before a Senate committee that rules implementing hemp legalization will be filed "within the next couple of weeks."
• The Food and Drug Administration and Federal Trade Commission sent another warning letter to a CBD company over allegedly making unsupported health claims about its products.
• Hemp Education Symposium & Awards Gala - Saturday, December 7 - An event to commemorate the 2019 Hemp Cultivation Season by celebrating Oregon’s finest and best in Industrial Hemp! There will be a Post-Harvest Symposium, Educational Conference (see flyer below), Hemp Flower Exhibit & People’s Choice Voting, Facilitated Networking, Entrepreneur's Market and . . . The Golden Grow Awards Gala. First, Second & Third Place Awards. For Top CBD & Top Terpene Profile. Judges’ Favorite Flower & People’s Choice Award. Dinner, Live Music, Dancing, Celebration! In support of our farmers' successful harvest, they extended the entry deadline from October 31 to November 8, 2019. So quick, get that hemp flower dried, cured and submitted!
• The U.S. Department of Agriculture outlined procedures for importing hemp seeds and plants from Canada and other countries. Previously, the department had only issued guidance focusing on seeds.
• North Carolina lawmakers filed a conference report for an agriculture bill that would ban smokable hemp as of the middle of next year.

​Miracle Cure: MEDICAL, HEALTH & RESEARCH

• A study on marijuana and driving found that "smoked cannabis (12.5% THC) led to an acute decrease in speed in young adults." Other results from the study, which was published on ScienceDirect.com included that "there was no clear effect of smoked cannabis on lateral control" and that "there was little evidence of residual effects of smoked cannabis on driving performance." 
• Another recent study "explored the ways in which marijuana using mothers come to identify as such and how they structure their relationships and parenting as a result." The experiences of 57 self-identified marijuana using mothers (aged 20-48 years-old) from across the United States participated in semi-structured interviews and shared their everyday experiences with both marijuana use and motherhood. Participants were all mothers with children between 3 months and 19 years at the time of the interviews.
• A study found that "cannabis-intoxication results in a distinct acoustic profile" and that "intoxicated speech was characterized by significant and substantial increases to the variability of [voice-onset time], altered prosodic expression (reduced range and flatter trajectories), and decreased shimmer."

Modern Stoner: CULTURE & LIFESTYLE Brought to you by the Gloops and the Special Plant.  The Gloops and the Special Plant is a children's book which was made to be a tool for parents to begin answering those questions.  In this adorable story about Molly Gloop and her parents, who live on a world a lot like ours, kids learn about their special plant and how it makes useful things from paper to medicine. And how the Gloops stood up for the plant when the Old Kings tried to take it away. The parallels in this story are easy for young minds to pick up on, and opens the door for parents to educate their kids in an age-appropriate way about what cannabis is today. 

You can get The Gloops and the Special Plant on Amazon.com, and be sure to check out www.thegloopsandthespecialplant.com for more info, media, and tips on cannabis safety and education.

• Merry Jane - Americans are seeking out information about CBD online more often than they search for info about health trends such as meditation, acupuncture, or exercise, according to a new research data. The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association this week, examined Google search data from the US in an attempt to create the first “population-focused surveillance of public interest in CBD.” Researchers recorded the number of searches from January 2004 to April 2019 that included “CBD” or “cannabidiol,” and compared them with search terms for other health trends, including acupuncture, apple cider vinegar, dieting, e-cigarettes, veganism, and yoga. Searches for CBD remained at a stable, low level from 2004 until 2014, but showed substantial year-after-year growth starting in 2015. Search volumes increased by 125.9 percent from 2016 to 2017, 160.4 percent from 2017 to 2018, and are predicted to increase by another 117.7 percent this year. In the first quarter of 2019, CBD Google searches were most popular in Vermont, Wisconsin, Tennessee, Colorado, New Hampshire, and Oregon.

Let’s Get LEGAL

• U.S. Tax Court ruled that Harborside Inc. owes a tax deficiency of approximately $11 million, down from an Internal Revenue Service claim of $36 million. "The Tax Court's final computation of our tax obligation in PMACC's long-standing 280E case is a good outcome for Harborside shareholders. By challenging the IRS's overly aggressive interpretation of the tax law as it applies to cannabis businesses operating legally under State law, we have succeeded in reducing Harborside's liability from the $36 million originally sought by the IRS to approximately $11 million – a $25 million reduction. The reduction includes $6 million in penalties that the court previously ruled we did not need to pay because of the unclear state of the law, and because Harborside acted in good faith," said Harborside CEO Andrew Berman. "This ruling is also an important one for the cannabis industry in that, through this litigation, the court recognized there are legitimate deductions that legal cannabis companies can take in cost of goods sold. 
• An Oklahoma court ruled that a positive drug test did not prove marijuana use caused a workplace accident, meaning that the claimant is eligible for workers’ compensation benefits.
• Minnesota prosecutors reached a deal to dismiss charges against former Vireo Health employees who were accused of illegally transporting medical cannabis products from that state to a facility in New York.

Pothead POLITICS

• A new Gallup poll found that Americans support legalizing marijuana, 66%-33%. That's the same level of support the firm found last year, indicating that cannabis-related vaping injuries and surgeon general warnings have not turned voters against ending prohibition. The survey shows majority support across party and racial lines, with 81 percent of people under 30 now on board.
• The mayor of South Bend, Indiana and presidential candidate, Pete Buttigieg, recently drew on some past personal experiences with cannabis. Read More...

​INTERNATIONAL Stoners
Will Mexico Legalize Cannabis This Week? There’s Certainly an Opportunity. Mexico Senate committees released legislation Oct. 17 that would legalize adult-use cannabis, and the bill needs to be approved by the end of the month to meet a Supreme Court deadline.