Welcome back to The Week in Weed, your Friday look at what’s happening in the world of legalized marijuana. This week, the Senate confirmed a new head of the Drug Enforcement Administration. The Senate Appropriations Committee voted to send a bill that would protect state-legal cannabis, while forbidding federal rescheduling. The Texas Legislature begins a special session that will consider the status of hemp in the state. The Omaha Tribe of Nebraska legalized cannabis for use on tribal lands. And finally, the town of Eden Prairie, Minnesota could use your help in naming a THC edible.
DRUG ENFORCEMENT ADMINISTRATION
This week, the Senate confirmed Terrance Cole to head the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). The vote was 50-47, with all Democrats voting against. The big question, at least in our part of the world, is whether Cole will move cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III. As we reported back in May, he refused to commit to doing so during his confirmation hearings. There’s more than cannabis on the DEA’s plate, and the White House has been silent on the issue, although the President expressed support for rescheduling during the campaign. Only time will tell…
FEDERAL APPROPRIATIONS
Speaking of rescheduling, both Houses of Congress are working on appropriations bills, and there are some stark consequences for cannabis. A House Appropriations sub-committee passed a bill that would prevent the DEA from rescheduling cannabis. It would, however, maintain the prohibition on federal prosecution of state-legal medical marijuana businesses. On the Senate side, the protection for state-legal medical cannabis remains, without the rescheduling prohibition. The two versions, assuming the current language remains in the respective bills (and that’s a big assumption) will have to be reconciled at some point. Stay tuned!
TEXAS
As regular readers will recall, last month, Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R) vetoed a bill that would have made hemp with any amount of THC illegal in the state. So you’d think that would be that – nothing to see here – time to move on. Well, not so fast. The Texas Lege (as Molly Ivins used to call the Lone Star State’s legislature) has convened a special session, and a hemp ban is on the agenda. This bill is largely the same as the one that earned a veto, so it’s hard to see a different outcome this time around, but again, stay tuned!
OMAHA TRIBE OF NEBRASKA
If you’ve grown weary of Nebraska’s long path to legal (medical) marijuana, you’re not the only one. The Omaha Tribe of Nebraska shares your views and has legalized the use and sale of cannabis, both medical and adult-use, on its reservation in the northeastern part of the state. Of course, adult-use is illegal in the rest of the state, and a retail market for medical cannabis is still forthcoming. If you’re willing to make the trip to Thurston County, the tribe plans to sell to non-members.
AND FINALLY
Eden Prairie, Minnesota has decided to offer cannabis gummies at its municipal liquor stores, and they’re having a contest to determine what the product will be called. You have until July 29 to enter your suggestion and then a public vote will take place next month. The winner gets, in addition to the thrill of naming a state-sanctioned THC product, a free package of the gummies.
Be well everyone; we’ll be see you next week!
#Week #Weed #July