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:
California Expands Cannabis Rights for Patients and Employees
#californiacannabis – “Senate Bill 302 allows patients aged 65 and older, who meet the qualifications, access to specific cannabis products in eligible health care facilities and private hospitals. However, this new piece of legislation does not enable patients to vaporize or inhale their cannabis in health care settings. Another thing to note is that health care staff are not allowed to https://armadalawyers.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/blog-03-1.jpgister cannabis products to their patients. California isn’t the only state to permit the use of certain cannabis products in health care environments, similar laws can be found in Connecticut and Maine (1).
Governor Newsom’s second piece of legislation signed into law, Senate Bill 700, clarifies workplace conduct regarding cannabis. With this bill, it is now considered “unlawful for employers to ‘request information from an applicant for employment relating to the applicant’s prior use of cannabis,’” (1). Another law passed in 2022 benefiting worker protections. The bill made “it unlawful for an employer to discriminate against a person in hiring, termination, or any term or condition of employment, or otherwise penalize a person, if the discrimination is based upon the person’s use of cannabis off the job and away from the workplace,” (1). These two bills will be enacted officially on January 1, 2024.”
Is THCA Legal? The State Line is the Bottom Line
#cannabislaw – “A simple Google search for the term THCA turns up a myriad of misinformation. Misleading headlines read: “THCA is completely legal across the U.S.,” “THCA flower is fully legal,” and “It is legal to sell THCA.” However, this information is not necessarily correct, and as industry insiders have been warning clients for years – and as recent actions by both the federal government and the state of California demonstrate – following such advice can be costly, if not criminal.
Further, with the 2018 Farm Bill expiring at the end of September 2023, all eyes are on Congress, waiting to see whether and how the regulation of hemp-derived cannabinoids may change under the new 2023 Farm Bill….”
Read More: https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/is-thca-legal-the-state-line-is-the-3420549/
Maryland Judge Bars State From Enforcing Ban on Hemp-Derived THC Sales
#hempindustry – “A Maryland judge has barred the state from enforcing a ban on certain hemp-derived THC sales in response to litigation brought by the Maryland Hemp Coalition and other hemp-related businesses.
Washington County Circuit Court Judge Brett R. Wilson issued a preliminary injunction Oct. 12 that temporarily suspends part of Maryland’s adult-use cannabis law that barred some retailers from selling intoxicating hemp-derived products containing THC, The Associated Press reported.
Maryland voters approved an adult-use cannabis legalization measure in the November 2022 election, and lawmakers then created the regulatory and licensing framework during this year’s legislative session. That law prohibits unlicensed businesses from selling hemp-derived products containing more than 0.5 milligram of THC per serving or 2.5 milligrams of THC per package, according to The Baltimore Banner, and covers delta-8 and delta-9 THC….”
Roland Griffiths Is Dead at 77; Led a Renaissance in Psychedelics Research
The drugs had been the third rail of scientific inquiry. But in a landmark study, he saw them as a legitimate way to help alleviate suffering and even to reach a mystical state.
#Psychedelics – “Roland Griffiths, a professor of behavioral science and psychiatry whose pioneering work in the study of psychedelics helped usher in a new era of research into those once banned substances — and reintroduced the mystical into scientific discourse about them — died on Monday at his home in Baltimore. He was 77.
The cause was colon cancer, said Claudia Turnbull, a longtime friend.
Dr. Griffiths, a distinguished psychopharmacologist and professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, spent decades studying the mechanisms of dependence on mood-altering drugs. He published scores of papers on opiates and cocaine, on sedatives and alcohol, on nicotine and caffeine….”
Read More: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/17/obituaries/roland-griffiths-dead.html
NY Pot Regulators Expand License Application Window
#cannabisindustry – “New York cannabis regulators on Tuesday extended the window to apply for adult-use marijuana business licenses by two weeks, giving applicants who have already secured their locations additional time to apply for expedited status.
The Cannabis Control Board’s unanimous approval of the resolution to expand the application window comes some two weeks after the Office of Cannabis Management launched the application portal for recreational marijuana licenses, marking the largest expansion of the market since weed was legalized in the Empire State over two years ago.
“The extension of the application deadline reflects our commitment to equitable participation in the adult-use cannabis industry. We’ve witnessed a tremendous level of interest from a diverse array of applicants across the state, prompting these extensions,” said Chris Alexander, executive director of the OCM.