The Shake: NFL Gets Canna-Curious, and Sick Kids in Penn. Get Fast-Tracked
NFL starts a cannabis conversation, finally. Baltimore Ravens offensive tackle Eugene Monroe has broken through the NFL’s wall of silence regarding cannabis, apparently. The NFL’s senior VP for player health and safety reached out to the scientists who received Monroe’s recent $80,000 donation to fund medical marijuana research. “They are definitely showing genuine curiosity, and they are definitely not throwing up roadblocks,” said Marcel Bonn-Miller, the University of Pennsylvania scientist who’s on the forefront of medical cannabis research.
Pennsylvania: Sick kids could get medical cannabis as soon as July. Health Secretary Karen Murphy said state officials are accelerating access for sick children whose families were instrumental in the recent passage of Pennsylvania’s MMJ law. New regulations will allow caregivers to obtain cannabis in other states and bring it to Pennsylvania.
Ohio: Sorry, it’s gonna be a while. It may be 2018 before a medical marijuana patient can walk into a licensed dispensary and purchase legally in Ohio, say state officials. The state’s MMJ bill still sits on Gov. John Kasich’s desk (it becomes law even if he doesn’t sign it). It’s expected to take effect by early September. At that point MMJ patients could purchase in another state and legally bring the medicine to Ohio.
Mass. Supreme Court will hear challenges to legalization measure this week. The state’s highest court will hear two lawsuits over the proposed adult-use legalization ballot measure. One lawsuit takes issue with the THC content allowed under the proposal; another wants the title, “Marijuana Legalization,” amended.
Crunch week for Montana initiatives for and against cannabis. With just two more weeks to gather signatures, it’s going to be a busy fortnight for campaigners for I-176 (which would repeal the state’s medical marijuana program) and I-182 (which would allow dispensaries and stop targeting doctors who recommend medical cannabis). It doesn’t look good for adult-legalization measure I-178, which has seen its advocates shift to I-182 in recent weeks.
Allen Peake keeps fighting in Georgia. The state’s dogged medical marijuana champion scored a small victory over the weekend when the state Republican convention endorsed a resolution to support in-state access to cannabis oil. Keep on keepin’ on, Allen!
Dear Justin Trudeau: It’s really not that difficult. National Post columnist chides the Canadian PM for taking a go-slow approach to federal cannabis legalization. “It’s not the sort of thing that should perplex people in government,” writes John Robson. “You’d think nothing would be easier in a free society than not forbidding victimless acts involving consenting adults.”
Leafly Senior Editor Bruce Barcott oversees news, investigations, and feature projects. He is a Guggenheim Fellow and author of Weed the People: The Future of Legal Marijuana in America.
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