Missouri Pot Regulators Defend Safety Protocols After Huge Recall, VA Weed Study For Diabetes & More

Sen. Sherrod Brown Shares High Hopes For Cannabis Banking Bill

Senate Banking Committee Chairman Sherrod Brown (D) recently shared his enthusiasm for the advancement of the revised Secure and Fair Enforcement Regulation (SAFER) Banking Act. A bipartisan cannabis banking bill is scheduled for a committee markup on Sep 27, and according to Brown, it will pass “decisively.”

The chairman told Ask a Pol’s Matt Laslo that he believes a “strong majority” will approve the measure.

The date of the markup matches up with that of one of the biggest marijuana conferences in the world - the Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference, which is returning to Chicago on September 27-28, following its spectacularly successful April event in Miami.

This means that the congressional committee vote will be discussed quickly by many respectable industry professionals and marijuana advocates, including important political figures like Ed Perlmutter, a former member of the U.S. House of Representatives, who has been pushing for the SAFE Banking Act.

Ohio: 3 Counties To Vote On Local Cannabis Decriminalization Initiatives

Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose (R) requested a county election board to certify a local cannabis decriminalization initiative for the November ballot. This means that three

regions in the Buckeye State will have the opportunity to vote on cannabis reform at the same time as the state decides on full legalization, reported Marijuana Moment.

Adult residents of Harbor View, Risingsun and Sugar Grove will decide on local initiatives to decriminalize possession of up to 200 grams of marijuana for personal use – a much higher limit, compared to 70 grams in statewide initiative.

Maryland: Cannabis License Applicants Unhappy With Licensing Timeline

Some individuals looking to obtain new licenses to cultivate, process or sell cannabis are not happy with the application process, writes Maryland Matters. In May, Gov. Wes Moore signed six bills into law and one of them was Senate Bill 516, Cannabis Reform legislation, which regulated the sale of cannabis before it became legal on July 1, 2023.

Several months after the Maryland Cannabis Administration confirmed applications will open on Nov. 13, closed on Dec. 13 and distribution would be expected to start on Jan. 1. This means that the administration will have less than one month to examine applications, conduct a lottery and prepare for distribution.

One social equity applicant with a master’s degree in cannabis, LaKia Harris-Pierce, said the timeline is off “because they have a prediction about how many people are applying. The application should have opened up from Oct. 1 to Nov. 1, and that would have given the MCA time to go through them because this is going to be a rushed job.”

Alabama: Medical Marijuana Commission Still In Talks With Cannabis Companies

Remember the Alabama medical marijuana drama? The lawsuits against the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission (AMCC) have been piling up over the last few months, and it seems that they're not going to be resolved anytime soon, writes Alabama Reflector.

See Also: Another Company Slams Alabama Cannabis Regulator With Lawsuit Amid Talks To Resolve Ongoing Litigation

The AMCC postponed a scheduled Tuesday meeting after lawyers from both sides spoke on Friday in an attempt to reach a settlement. The commission posted a statement on its website saying “discussions [between lawyers] have not yielded any business that the Commission needs to consider at this time,” but added that talks were “productive.”

Missouri: Pot Regulators Defend Safety Protocols After Huge Product Recall 

The Missouri Division of Cannabis Regulation (DCR) issued a guidance document Monday answering questions about the effectiveness of the marijuana software Metrc, which relies on tracking data on weed products, reported the Missouri Independent.

The agency defended its safety procedures, saying that regulations cannot do much when “bad actors” show up. “The risk of bad actors attempting to circumvent regulatory requirements exists in every regulated industry,” the division said.

The new guidance comes about a month after the DCR issued a recall for more than 62,000 cannabis products that were not compliantly tracked by Metrc. This means that the origin of these products, from edibles to vape cartridges, could not be verified or required testing before being sold at dispensaries.

Rhode Island: Providence VA Researches Weed As Treatment For Diabetes-Related Pain

The Veteran Affairs Providence Healthcare system is launching a marijuana study for veterans with diabetes-related pain, reported 10 WJAR. 

"This is a very controlled study. It was congressionally mandated, albeit controversial, but I think if the results show it's positive, it's going to be a great benefit for our veterans," said Lawrence Connell, director of the VA Providence Healthcare System.

Veterans for the study are still being recruited. 

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