In the days of the Armada, a fleet of warships, the scuttlebutt was the rumor or gossip that would spread throughout the ship. Today, Armada Law Corp presents The Scuttlebutt, a daily summery of news articles that people within the cannabis, hemp and plant medicine industries are chatting about along with links to the full articles.
In today’s news:
Gov. Newsom Signs Bill Allowing MDMA, Psilocybin Prescriptions If/When Feds Reschedule
#psychedelics – ”
Governor Gavin Newsom has signed a bill into law which would allow California doctors to immediately begin writing prescriptions for MDMA and psilocybin medications should the federal government choose to reschedule them.
Gov. Newsom signed AB 1021 on Saturday in an effort to prepare California doctors ahead of expected federal movement regarding psychedelics like MDMA and psilocybin, which have increasingly shown effectiveness against several different mental health related issues. MDMA and psilocybin mushrooms are currently considered Schedule 1 narcotics under the Controlled Substances Act.”
Authorities bust $36.9 million illegal marijuana warehouse in Oakland
#californiacannabis – “The illicit cannabis market continues to thrive in California seven years after voters legalized marijuana. Illegal cannabis sales in California were estimated to be worth over $8 billion last year, far more than the $5.4 billion in legal sales, as David Hafner of the Department of Cannabis Control told the San Francisco Standard. Large, illegal cannabis-growing facilities are routinely found in the Bay Area, especially in Oakland and the surrounding suburbs….”
Read More: https://www.sfgate.com/cannabis/article/cops-bust-illegal-marijuana-warehouse-oakland-18402789.php
Vape Co. Denied Early Injunction In Application Row
#cannabisindustry – “A New York corporation that distributed electronic cigarettes with synthetic nicotine and a store that sold them won’t get early injunctive relief or a temporary restraining order for the government’s denial of several product applications, a Texas federal judge has ruled, finding two legitimate deficiencies.
In an opinion and order on Friday, U.S. District Judge J. Campbell Barker noted dual-language documents in two of the premarket tobacco product applications, ruling that a total translation is required. But it’s not obvious that there is one, with at least some Mandarin not followed by an English passage, the judge said.
Plus, there was no “certificate of translation” needed for documents translated into English, per the opinion. In fact, the judge noted, “the record does not show that Magellan [Technology Inc.] submitted anything establishing the completeness of any suggested translation of the Mandarin passages.”
In total, the suit challenges the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s denial of 11 of Magellan’s pending product applications in October 2022, ten of which were submitted by one contractor and faulted for not including the correct documentation, which would have purportedly been resolved by amendments, the opinion said.”
Humboldt County supervisors end full suspension of Measure S taxes
Board votes to keep 90% suspended; 10% to be collected
#californiacannabis – ”
The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to continue suspending all but 10% of Measure S taxes for cannabis cultivation in Tuesday’s meeting, with 2nd District Supervisor Michelle Bushnell recusing herself due to a financial conflict. The resumption of part of the tax, which was previously 100% suspended, involves the 2025 tax year based on the 2024 cultivation year.
The board also voted to direct staff to allow the suspension of permits if cultivators don’t establish a payment plan related to the tax.
Some from the cannabis industry asked the board to continue its full suspension of the tax from Measure S for another year, a voter initiative approved in 2016 that imposed a three-tiered cannabis cultivation tax during a time when business was booming.
“We’re still seeing the market cut about in half from where it was,” said Ross Gordon, policy director for the Humboldt County Growers Alliance. He said the outlook is about as bad as last year, when the board voted to suspend most and then 100% of the Measure S taxes for fiscal year 2023-24….”
Cannabis Businesses Need Privacy Policies
#californiacannabis – ”
It’s 2023 and many cannabis businesses are still missing one critical operating document: a privacy policy. I’ve been writing and talking about this issue for years. And things are not getting better. So let’s talk about it once more.
To start, California has required privacy policies for a very long time (well, “long” at least in terms of the Internet). Under California law, operators of commercial websites that collect “personally identifiable information through the Internet about individual consumers residing in California who use or visit its commercial Web site” need a privacy policy. That’s a lot to digest. In English, website owners must have a privacy policy if California consumers use or visit their website.
Any cannabis business that operates in California and has a website is clearly subject to this requirement. But what about an Iowa-based cannabis company? Well, so long as California residents use or visit it, the requirement applies. And unless the cannabis business can definitively say that its website has no California users/visitors, it’s best practice to just get a privacy policy. If you read the above law, the requirements are relatively manageable and not too intense….”
Read More: https://harrisbricken.com/cannalawblog/cannabis-businesses-need-privacy-policies/
Feds Seek 2+ Yrs. For Weed Lobbyists’ Licensing Bribes
#cannabislawsuit – ”
Federal prosecutors recommended Wednesday that a Michigan federal judge sentence two marijuana industry lobbyists to between 2 and 2½ years in prison after they pled guilty to paying a combined $82,000 in bribes to a state regulator overseeing the state’s medical cannabis program.
Prosecutors recommended that the sentences for convicted lobbyists, Brian Pierce and Vincent Brown, be downgraded from normal sentencing guidelines due to their assistance in investigating and prosecuting other defendants implicated in the scandal.
The government is also asking the judge to impose a fine of at least $25,000 to each man, saying it would deter future criminal conduct and help defray some of the government’s expected costs.
“This case presents the opportunity to deter others who might seek to corruptly influence those who serve in state government, either as an elected official or someone appointed to office by an elected official,” prosecutors wrote in the sentencing memorandum for each man.”