Welcome to our wrap-up of Episode 12 of This Week in Cannabis News.
While there was plenty happening in the cannabis world last week—including a $10,000 blunt auctioned off by Snoop Dogg—the most significant news dropped from the White House on Thursday, October 6th. In a statement made across his social channels, President Biden announced that he would pardon thousands convicted of "simple marijuana possession" and called for a re-evaluation of its scheduling at the federal level. More on this from CNN.
The reaction was swift around the country from news outlets to cannabis industry experts and corporate leaders. Some notable sentiments below.
From the Last Prisoner Project:
Through our 'A Time to Heal' and 'Keep Your Promise' campaigns, LPP and our partners have been fighting for this announcement to provide much-needed relief to our constituents and their families who have been most harmed by the injustice of cannabis criminalization. President Biden also directed the Office of Health and Human Services and the Attorney General to look at re-/de-scheduling cannabis as a Controlled Substance. This is just a first step in the path to undoing the harms of the War on Drugs. — Last Prisoner Project
From the Minority Cannabis Business Association (MCBA):
First off, we’d like to thank President Biden for stepping up and doing the right thing. No one should be in jail for marijuana and today’s announcement is a big first step in righting the decades of wrongs perpetrated on Black and brown communities. [...] We’d like to thank all of the advocates across the country, especially supporters of MCBA for helping to fundamentally shift the dialogue around cannabis legalization to one that centers the experiences of Black and brown communities–who have been (and continue to be) undeniably the target of cannabis prohibition. To paraphrase President Biden after the passage of the Affordable Health Care Act, this is a 'BFD'. — Kaliko Castille, MCBA Board President
Cannabis is also front and center in the Senate Race in Pennsylvania, where Democratic Lt. Governor John Fetterman is facing off against Republican Dr. Oz. A program spearheaded by Fetterman recently stated that more than 3,500 people applied for pardons for past cannabis convictions. More on this story in Marijuana Moment.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul confirmed at an Editorial Board Meeting with Advanced Media that dispensaries in that state will open this year. In fact, she went into greater detail, noting that 20 dispensaries should have their doors open by the end of the year, with an additional 20 opening every month after that. So if you've been thinking about taking that trip to NYC... there's no time like the present.
This week’s “From an Expert” special guest is Precious Osagie-Erese from the Minority Cannabis Business Association (MCBA).
Dutchie is partnering with the MCBA next Thursday, October 13th for Dispensary Compliance Training Day. We're bringing together MCBA experts, Dutchie experts, and outside experts to help MCBA members (and others) navigate dispensary compliance. Register here!
Note: This conversation was recorded before the Thursday's announcement from the White House, which is why there's no mention of that in this interview.
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