HAPPY 420!
What started as an after-school ritual among a group of California teens, the counter-cultural slang embraced by industry loyalists, has now turned into a marketing bonanza for the industry. The unofficial holiday is undergoing its own transformation thanks to legal marijuana markets that have helped grow awareness.
AP explains the origins of 4/20, marijuana’s high holiday
Pearmutters Push
If SAFE does make it into the COMPETES Act it will be due to efforts from the retiring @Repperlmutter having conversations behind closed doors.
Rep. Perlmutter sent a letter to Schumer/Booker/Wyden asking them to pass SAFE: “As the end of the 117th Congress is quickly approaching, we cannot let the political realities of passing comprehensive cannabis reform through the Senate prevent progress for our communities now.”
CA is Moving in the Right Direction
This is just one of a number of initiatives the state is taking to improve industry conditions. California cannabis businesses would be authorized to sell and transport products across state lines under a bill that cleared its first state policy committee hearing Monday.
California would be the second state to develop rules for interstate commerce, following Oregon, which passed a measure in 2019 allowing its governor to enter into trade agreements with neighboring states. CA SB 1326 (21R) would not become actionable until after the federal prohibition on cannabis is lifted, meaning it will likely have little effect on the state’s pot economy in the short term. The move, however, would put California in a position to take advantage of early entry into a new federal market that is likely to be messy.
The bill: The proposal from Sen. Anna Caballero (D-Salinas) would give California’s governor the authority to join compacts with other states allowing licensed cannabis operations to conduct interstate business, mirroring Oregon’s law. SB 1326 would require out-of-state businesses to meet California’s standards for product testing, labeling and advertising. It would also mandate that an interstate agreement include provisions designed to support communities disproportionately harmed by drug criminalization. Any interstate compact would have to be approved by state lawmakers, who will be given oversight responsibilities under a proposed committee amendment that Caballero agreed to make before the bill heads to its next hearing. The measure passed the Senate Business, Professions and Economic Development Committee on a 8-1 vote. SB 1326 has no formal opposition and has the backing of powerful groups like SEIU, bolstering its chances of reaching Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk. The bill will next head to the Senate Appropriations Committee
