DOJ Wants Firearms Ban For Cannabis Users, Maine's Tainted Medical Marijuana And More Updates

Mainers At Risk Over Tainted Medical Marijuana

According to a recent report from the Maine cannabis regulator, roughly half of the state's medical marijuana (MMJ) on the market is tainted with contaminants such as yeast, mold, pesticides, or other harmful substances, reported Green Market Report.

The Maine Office of Cannabis Policy’s 49-page document suggests that out of 120 samples, including 101 different types of flower, 18 vape cartridges and one edible tested, 50 would not have met the state's standards for recreational cannabis.

“This data indicate that Maine’s medical cannabis program needs a comprehensive solution to reform and modernize the system in order to protect Maine’s patients,” John Hudak, director of the OCP, commented on the fact that 42% of products from 112 registered caregivers and eight dispensaries failed the testing.

Hudak emphasized that the 106,000 medical cannabis patients in Pine Tree State are “at risk each day of complicating their medical conditions and experiencing symptoms of contamination that can be mistaken for symptoms associated with their condition.”

Physicians Demand Education On Cannabis Risks To Children

Meanwhile, members of the American Medical Association House of Delegates recently said more needs to be done to educate physicians and the public on the health risks of cannabis to children as well as potential risks to women who are pregnant or breastfeeding, reported MedPage Today.

"My patients are often surprised to hear me say that cannabis should not be used during pregnancy," said Albert Hsu, MD, a Missouri delegate to the American Society of Reproductive Medicine. "My lonely voice is drowned out by TikTok, social media, and all the others advertising cannabis to my patients, including those who are pregnant."

Georgia's Medical Cannabis Industry Expands With Four New Licenses

Last week, four new companies were awarded low-THC MMJ production licenses by Georgia’s medical marijuana regulator, reported Marijuana Business Daily.

The provisional contracts “for Class 2 production licenses” have been awarded to FFD GA Holdings LLC, TheraTrue Georgia, LLC, Natures GA, LLC and Treevana Remedy Inc.

Currently, there are six licensed medical cannabis production companies in the Peach State.

Botanical Sciences and Trulieve Cannabis Corp.'s TCNNF TRUL Georgia branch were the first two companies awarded production licenses in September 2022.

“With a total of six licensed production companies, patients will have more opportunities to access medical relief closer to home,” said Sid Johnson, the Georgia Access to Medical Cannabis Commission’s chair.

Johnson added more companies will get permits to produce low-THC oil and products statewide.

“The number of dispensaries licensed by the Commission could soon increase from nine to thirty, making medical relief reachable to patients who are not able to travel due to their medical conditions,” he added.

Over Half Of The US Lives In A State Where Weed Is Legal

Ohioans approved an initiative to legalize adult-use cannabis on Nov. 7, bringing the number of states where adult cannabis use for non-medical purposes is legal to 24. Meaning, that 53.1% of the total population in the U.S. is currently living in a state where medical and non-medical cannabis is legal, reported Marijuana Moment citing a recent report by the firm Carnevale Associates.

Moreover, data from the U.S. Census reveals that, when accounting for states that have allowed medical use of marijuana, 73.8% of the population, currently resides in jurisdictions that have partially or entirely removed prohibitions on cannabis.

“Regardless of the wisdom of legalization, the ballot initiatives, actions by state legislatures and governors, and polls indicate that legalization is likely to continue,” the report says.

DOJ Fights For Firearms Ban For Marijuana Users

Attorneys representing the Justice Department filed a brief with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit last week, arguing that the prohibition on firearms for marijuana users is reasonable, citing historical parallels to limitations placed on the mentally ill and those with chronic alcohol problems during the era when the Second Amendment was ratified in 1791, reported Marijuana Moment.

The latest legal action is part of the case of Erik Matthew Harris in which the government is defending the marijuana-related ban against him after being convicted of violating the federal statute that prohibits the possession of a firearm by an individual deemed an “unlawful user of or addicted to any controlled substance.”

“Given the impairments caused by marijuana and other illegal drugs, the temporary disarmament of individuals who regularly use or are addicted to such drugs fits comfortably within ‘this Nation’s historical tradition of firearm regulation,'” DOJ said. “As explained, drug users are also more likely to use firearms to commit crimes to fund their drug habit, engage in violence as part of the drug business or culture, attack police officers who are investigating their drug crimes, and commit suicide.”