House Republicans Oppose Legalization.
A GOP House caucus released last week their "Family Policy Agenda" which opposes federal cannabis legalization. In the memo, House Republicans argue that cannabis use is linked to suicide and violence. “This has led to an explosion of marijuana use among children, which is having a hugely negative impact on their health,” the report says, misconstruing data that shows underage cannabis use declining or remaining stable following the implementation of legalization. “Congress should not legalize marijuana, while also taking steps to constrain this new industry’s ability to harm children.” There is no evidence that cannabis has any negative effects on children and there are multiple stories that showcase that state legalization efforts actually reduce children's risk to cannabis because access to it is much harder than in states that have prolific black markets. If we don't get any cannabis reform before the new congress, currently Democrats have the house and only need 50% plus one to pass legislation, and Republicans take over the House, we will see another 2 years of zero federal movements in this sector.
Hazardous Work Conditions.
Trulieve Cannabis Corp (TCNNF) is a Hedgeye Cannabis Best Idea Long.
A Trulieve employee, who works at their Holyoke MA cultivation facility, reportedly passed away earlier this year while fulfilling her duties grinding cannabis power and packing pre-rolls. The report states that the employee complained that "she couldn't breath" due to cannabis kief dust. Kief refers to the sticky powder containing loose trichomes that falls off cannabis flower. According to OSHA’s report on the Holyoke incident, Trulieve contested three “serious” violations issued on June 30. OSHA levied fines totaling $35,219. Trulieve also stated that OSHA test results showed that air quality throughout the facility was well below the acceptable range and that personal protection equipment was and is available to their employees.
Legalization Effort In Colombia.
Yesterday, lawmakers approved a legalization bill and a regulatory framework for cannabis with close to unanimous support (31-2). The proposal would create regulations and establish a tax structure for legal cannabis sales. Revenue would be distributed among local municipalities to support public health, education and agricultural initiatives. "With this legislative act, strategies that benefit the countryside will be promoted and others will be implemented to combat the illegal traffic of this substance, betting on public health and social growth,” said Carlos Ardila. The bill is one of at least two marijuana legalization measures to advance in the legislature in recent weeks, with another proposal and having already passed in the First Committee last month. The president hasn’t endorsed any of the specific cannabis reform bills even though he has vocally criticized the overall prohibitionist approach of the war on drugs. We will have to see how this unfolds in Colombia, but as of now there are signs to be optimistic as lawmakers are making efforts and the President has signaled that this is something he would like to get done even though there has been no action by him. marijuanamoment.net
