In the August 2020 Issue:
- House Bills with Cannabis Provisions Pending in Senate
- More Hemp Programs Get Federal Approval
- ASA Partners with The Cannigma to Co-produce
Podcasts
- ASA to Hold Virtual Symposium on Neurological
Conditions
-
State of the States Report to be Released at
National Cannabis Policy Summit
- Journaling Webinar Now Available Online
- ASA Founder Discusses the Cannabis Industry
- Activist Profile: Michael Whitty, Detroit,
Michigan
- Action Alert: Urge your lawmakers to support the MORE Act!
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House Bills with Cannabis Provisions Pending in Senate
July was a busy month for federal
legislative activity on cannabis policy. The House approved several
cannabis amendments for the 2021 spending bills, and pressed the
Senate to accept the SAFE Act for cannabis banking the House included
in the emergency bill for COVID relief it passed in May.
Late July saw the House approve a package
of FY21 spending bills, which included several cannabis policy
reform measures. In a significant step forward, the Congressional ban
on federal interference with state medical programs was part of the
Commerce-Justice-Science Appropriations bill from the start, rather
than added via amendment as it has been each year since 2014. The
House also approved an amendment to that bill that would for the first
time extend similar protections for state adult-use cannabis
laws.
The House also acted to bar federal funds from being used to
penalize financial institutions that extend services to cannabis
businesses operating in compliance with state laws. Language from the
SAFE
Act that would make that significant federal policy change was
included as an amendment to the Financial Services Appropriations bill
for 2021, as well as in the COVID relief bill.
To be enacted, each of these provisions must pass the Senate as
part of its versions of the bills or be added in the conference
committee process that reconciles differences between House and Senate
bills. Senators are unlikely to organize their 2021 appropriations
bills until after the November elections.
In previous years, the reconciliation process has stripped many
cannabis policy riders from the final bills. ASA and our federal
advocacy coalition partners will be deeply engaged in efforts to
maintain this language in the final spending package for the next
fiscal year.
Federal lawmakers also spent much of July working on the next COVID
emergency spending package. While the version of the relief bill
passed by the House includes language from the SAFE Act, the recently
released Senate version of the bill does not. House and Senate
leadership are currently working to find a middle ground. ASA and
other advocacy groups, including banking trade groups, are working to
secure inclusion of the SAFE Act in one of the two bills that include
it.
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More Hemp Programs Get Federal Approval
Hemp cultivation plans for Maryland and
the Lower Sioux Indian Community have been approved by the U.S.
Department of Agriculture (USDA). They join Minnesota, Puerto Rico and
Tennessee, which were approved by the USDA in June, bringing to 55 the
number of states, territories and tribes where farmers can legally
cultivate hemp and produce extracts from it.
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has been resisting some
hemp regulations, according to Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue.
USDA rulemaking has also received pushback from the industry and some
state and federal lawmakers, who have argued some rules on permissible
THC limits are unreasonable. USDA has said Congress has to change the
Farm Bill that authorized hemp production to alter testing
thresholds.
The U.S. hemp industry is still waiting on Food
and Drug Administration (FDA) rules for producing and distributing
cannabidiol (CBD) extracted from hemp. The FDA recently changed
the classification of the one approved CBD medication, Epidiolex, to
remove it from scheduling control altogether. That move may enable the
FDA to classify CBD as a dietary supplement, but no rules have been
issued. The FDA’s public
comment period on CBD has been extended indefinitely.
The FDA last month released a Congressionally mandated report on
commercially available CBD products, finding that labels on many
products were not accurate about how much CBD or other cannabinoids
such as THC were included. The report was ordered by Congress last
year.
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ASA Partners with The Cannigma to Co-produce Podcasts
ASA is now co-producing an informational podcast
for cannabis patients, caregivers, providers and supporters. The
twice-a-month podcast with The
Cannigma, an educational website dedicated to the healing
properties of cannabis, will include segments during each episode
dedicated to highlight ASA’s advocacy.
In the most recent episode, ASA
Executive Director Debbie Churgai and Interim Policy Director Dustin
McDonald sat down with The Cannigma’s Michael Schaeffer to talk about
the fight for legalization and access.
“While the acceptance of cannabis continues to grow throughout the
world, ASA and Cannigma recognize the need for a greater understanding
of the science, research, and human stories that surround the
therapeutic benefits of cannabis,” said Debbie Churgai, Executive
Director of ASA. “We are excited to forge this new partnership with
the Cannabis Enigma podcast to expand the ways in which we can educate
the public on medical cannabis from a scientific perspective.”
The Cannabis Enigma podcast provides insight from medical cannabis
researchers, doctors, and patients sharing new developments,
educational information, and personal stories.
“With the uptick of research over the past few years and
legalization measures around the world, we’re finally on our way to
solving the cannabis enigma,” added Elana Goldberg, CEO of The
Cannigma. “By understanding the science, pulling apart what we know
and what we don’t know, we can help ease the stigma around cannabis
and encourage safe, legal access for everyone who needs or wants it.
This podcast partnership with ASA is another step in the right
direction.”
Created by The Cannigma in 2019, the podcast will now be
co-produced by ASA, and include segments during each episode dedicated
to highlight ASA’s advocacy.
The podcast is available on multiple platforms. Listen today at one
of the following links:
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ASA to Hold Virtual Symposium on Neurological Conditions
In partnership with the Sonoma Chapter of Americans for Safe
Access, ASA will be hosting the Second Annual Cannabis Pediatric
Neurological Symposium on September 26 from 9:00am-3:00pm PST
(noon-6:00pm EST).Speakers will include Dr. Bonni Goldstein, Dr. Deb
Kimless, attorney Joe Rogoway and Jana Adams, the Santa Rosa mother
who went to court for her daughter to attend public schools while
using cannabis to control her seizures.
Symposium participants will learn about the therapeutics of
cannabis for pediatric use. The symposium will include medical and
legal information, family testimonials, company profiles, resources
beyond pediatrics and support for caregivers.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, this year’s symposium will be a
virtual event. Register today at: www.safeaccessnow.org/neuro20.
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State of the States Report to be Released at National Cannabis
Policy Summit
This year, ASA will release its annual State of the States Report
on medical cannabis access during the 2020 National Cannabis Policy
Summit. The Summit will take place virtually on September 10, 2020
from 8:30 am-5:00 pm ET.
ASA’s annual report evaluates the cannabis laws in each U.S. state
and territory from the patients’ perspective, assigning grades based
on a rubric of many factors such as barriers to access, cannabis
testing standards and civil protections.
Registration for the summit is free at: nationalcannabisfestival.com/ncf-policy-summit
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Journaling Webinar Now Available Online
A free webinar on cannabis journaling is now available to view
online. Last month, ASA partnered with Mindbuzz and Tetragram to host
a free webinar focused on how journaling can empower patients to take
control of their medical cannabis treatment experiences.
During the webinar, medical cannabis patients and leading industry
professionals, including ASA's Interim Policy Director Dustin
McDonald, discussed how simple practices can transform patient
outcomes in powerful ways.
Panelists included:
- Dustin McDonald, Interim Policy Director at Americans for Safe
Access
- Connor Sheffield, champion of Connor’s Courage Law, legalizing the
supervised dispensation of cannabis medication on school grounds in
Maryland
- Janice Knox, MD, MBA, cannabis therapeutics expert from The
Doctors Knox
- Charles Smith, retired Prince George’s County police officer
- Otha Smith III, Managing Member at Tetragram
- Walt Rampata, President and Co-Founder of Mindbuzz
The recorded free webinar can be viewed at: www.safeaccessnow.org/take_control_of_your_medical_cannabis_with_journaling
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ASA Founder Discusses the Cannabis Industry
ASA Founder and president of the International Cannabis and
Cannabinoids Institute Steph Sherer was interviewed last month on the
podcast for the Hoban Minute. The 30 minute interview features Sherer
discussing important current topics related to medical cannabis,
including how most businesses only care about branding, and not the
more important issues. She also discusses why companies need to invest
in R&D rather than geographical expansion.
The podcast can be accessed at https://thehobanminute.podbean.com/e/the-hoban-minute-82-icci-s-steph-sherer-the-need-for-standards-in-legitimizing-cannabis/.
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Activist Profile: Michael Whitty, Detroit, Michigan
Few people have a history of activism
as long as Michael Whitty. He first became involved with cannabis law
reform efforts in the 1970s in Detroit, Michigan, where he is active
still. But his activism has not been confined to Michigan. Mike is
known as Dr Detroit in both Detroit and the Bay Area for his idealism
and activism.
Michael was deeply involved in the San Francisco Bay Area, where he
lived for many years while teaching at SF State, University of San
Francisco and Santa Clara University. He is a lecturer now on Drug
Policy Reform at the University of Michigan-Dearborn.
“I was baptized by Saint Dennis Peron,” Michael says of the
renowned cannabis advocate famous for saying all use is medical. “That
was the ocean I swam in.”
He met Peron in 1985 at a Rainbow Gathering in the Ozarks. Michael,
who was teaching at Santa Clara University at the time, became a
member of Peron’s original Cannabis Buyers’ Club in San Francisco. He
worked with Peron and a “who’s who” of activists to help pass
Proposition 215, the first state medical marijuana law, in 1996.
Michael was in the Bay Area for the federal raids in 2001 that
inspired the founding of Americans for Safe Access. As ASA co-founder
Steph Sherer was organizing protests for the federal trial of author
and activist Ed Rosenthal, Michael supported Rosenthal’s efforts. He
became a member of San Francisco ASA, and has taught the Advocacy
Module for Oaksterdam University. He participates via phone and zoom
with California activists, including the Brownie Mary Club of the
California Democrats and Cannamaste, the cannabis spiritual group
founded by Chris Conrad and Mikki Norris.
In Michigan, Michael, along with his wife Gail (51 years
together), is deeply involved with political organizing. He was among
the founders of the Cannabis Caucus in the Michigan Democratic Party
and works to educate educators, prosecutors and lawmakers on cannabis
policy.
“We achieved the state legalization victory in Michigan two years
ago, but there are still prisoners serving long sentences,” Michael
says. “We’re pressuring the governor to pardon them so they can be
released. We worked hard to get her and the attorney general elected,
but you have to keep reminding them of our support and what they still
need to do.” Michigan's Michael Thompson has been granted a parole
board hearing which may result in the Michigan Governor granting a
pardon for Thompson at the recommendation of the State's Attorney
General, Dana Nessel.
Michael and other Michigan activists such as Brandy Zink, head of
ASA Detroit, are also working with members of Congress on national
legislation, including Michigan Sen. Gary Peters, a cosponsor of the
SAFE banking bill that would allow state-licensed cannabis businesses
to access financial services.
Coalition building is key to being effective, in Michael’s view,
but he sees many grassroots activists as inwardly focused.
“It’s not enough to just hang out on the websites and stay in the
‘cannabis ghetto,’” he says. “You have to get a seat at the table,
whether that’s by writing a check or getting involved with whatever
political party appeals to you.”
He sees an analogy with gay rights gains due to the power of coming
out with family and friends. “When people realize they have gay
friends, it takes the edge off the stigma,” he says. “Cannabis users
still have a big stigma, so we still have that work to do.”
At 78 years old, Michael is not slowing down. He’s still out in the
community giving speeches, and doing outreach with seniors.
“My first experiences with cannabis in the 1960s were all about the
liberating joy of it, and my advocacy focuses on the psychological and
spiritual benefits,” he says. “It’s not just about palliative pain
relief. Philosophical insights and visionary values help us better
understand cannabis.” Michael embraces the holistic health approach
of physicians such as the cannabis researcher Dr. Donald Abrams, who
consider the lessons of Chinese medicine and brings a consideration of
the whole person to a diagnosis. “We can see the benefit of adding
self-remedies to medicine, which is what cannabis is for many people,”
Michael says.
In his long career of advocacy, Michael has had the opportunity to
meet, be inspired by, and collaborate with an amazing collection of
activists, including Jack Herer, Denis Peron, Chris Conrad, Mikki
Norris, David Goldman, and Drs. Frank Lucido and Tod Mikyuriya, among
many others. He carries their original vision forward.
“We need to advocate for the non-corporate side of this--community
building, human unity and spiritual ideas,” he says. “This can be an
effort to restore community in an atomized world.”
At the same time, he has an eye on how to get things done
politically.
“In election cycles, we have to be involved with the campaigns,” he
says. “We need a Senate that will pass federal bills, so we have to
pay attention to the practicalities that advance our issue.”
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Action Alert: Urge your lawmakers to support the MORE Act!
The MORE Act can help remove a number of barriers to medical
research and access by removing cannabis from the Controlled
Substances Act. Please urge your lawmakers to support the MORE
Act. However, changing the scheduling of cannabis is only a step to
ensure that cannabis as a medicine is a first option for anyone who
might benefit. That is why we developed model legislation to create a
new federal agency charged with ensuring that future cannabis laws
protect, rather than punish, patients. Encourage your lawmakers to
adopt and introduce our model legislation.
Take action today at www.safeaccessnow.org/omcc_more.
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