Oregon, the third state to vote in favor of cannabis legalization, will actually be the fourth (fifth, if you add in Washington, D.C.) state to legalize marijuana on July 1st of this year. Cannabis commerce among adults over the age of 21 won’t be legal until 2016 (likely the latter half) as the Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC) won’t start accepting applications for state-regulated marijuana businesses until January 4, 2016. However, it will still be legal to possess marijuana and share it with other adults over 21. It is imperative that concerned citizens and voters have the proper Oregon marijuana implementation information to have the necessary knowledge to follow the law, engage in state-regulated business or help ensure that the will of the more than 56% of voters who voted “YES” on marijuana legalization.

In the meantime, the Oregon Legislature is holding hearings on marijuana bills that impact both Measure 91 and the Oregon Medical Marijuana Program. Most of those bills are heard from the Joint (yes, really) Committee on Measure 91 Implementation. Additionally, the OLCC will soon start its rule-making process after appointing a Rules Advisory Committee to help develop the rules and regulations pertaining to state-regulated marijuana businesses.

Many issues are left to be considered, but most importantly, the will of the voters needs to be implemented, so please make your voice heard. To stay informed and to voice your concerns, please see the links below.

Oregon marijuana implementation information:

OLCC Measure 91 Information & FAQ Page

Sign up for Alerts for OLCC Marijuana Meetings/Events

Joint Committee on Measure 91 Implementation Members & Agenda

Joint Committee on Measure 91 Implementation Committee Assigned Measures

New Approach Oregon, political action committee (PAC) responsible for Measure 91: Sign Up for Alerts

Get your facts:

Drug Policy Alliance: Reforming Marijuana Laws

ACLU of Oregon Marijuana Arrest Racial Disparities

 Drug War Facts: Marijuana

The Oregon Medical Marijuana Business Conference (OMMBC) was by all accounts a great success, complete with news and notes about activism, culture and, of course, business. Typical of both the OMMBC and the International Cannabis Business Conference (ICBC), these conferences, lead by my friend and colleague Alex Rogers (longtime activist and owner of Ashland Alternative Health and Northwest Alternative Health medical cannabis clinics), focus mainly on politics, advocacy and culture on day one and then move towards a business and industry focus on day two. This OMMBC was held at a critical time as the Oregon Medical Marijuana Program (OMMP) currently serves about 70,000 patients through their caregivers and growers, along with over 200 state-licensed medical marijuana facilities while the state moves towards developing rules and regulations for a cannabis commerce system that serves all adults over the age of 21.

On day one, Gary Johnson delivered a great keynote, giving us a national perspective about politics and business and how he perceives the industry proceeding in the near future. I had to follow the former two-term governor and past (and future) presidential candidate (no pressure) and I focused on the need for Oregon to follow the will of the voters and implement the text of Measure 91, Oregon’s legalization initiative, passed by just over 56% of the vote. I stressed the need for unity among advocates and the industry, urging everyone, regardless of their position or industry to try and understand the needs of others, including those that voted against Measure 91, as we are most effective when we work together and that we have an obligation to other states across the country to responsibly implement a legalization system that can be a model for others and certainly doesn’t hurt the prospects of the states voting on legalization in the near future.

Oregon State Senator Floyd Prozankski gave a very informative update on the Oregon Legislative session, detailing the debates and negotiations legislators and policy makers are engaged in. Portland-area business attorney Ted Roe provided legal advice from business formation to trademarks to branding to following Oregon marijuana law. The final panel on marijuana and the media featured long-time activist Doug McVay, editor of Drug War Facts and host of the Drug War Facts Podcast; 420Radio.org’s Russ Belville (and Marijuana Politics contributor); and The Oregonian’s marijuana beat writer Noelle Crombie who all discussed how marijuana is portrayed in the media today and how that has changed over years, along with what we can expect in the near future.

Day two of the OMMBC, featured a keynote address by Harborside Health Center’s Steve DeAngelo, who, really better than anyone, can speak about the combination of business and advocacy. The next three panels included gritty information for Oregon marijuana entrepreneurs or those thinking about joining the industry, pairing expert businesspeople with local Oregon attorneys, allowing attendees to ask pertinent questions to leaders of the industry as well as practicing attorneys. For production, expert grower Jamin Giersbach of the Talent Health Club was paired with long-time NORML Legal Attorney Paul Loney. The extracts panel featured Karen Sprague of the CO2 Company along with Grants Pass Attorney Robert Graham. A panel on retail featured the Greener Side’s Chelsea Hopkins, of Eugene, along with long-time criminal defense attorney Leland Berger, who has now transitioned much of his practice to compliance issues with Oregon Cannabis Compliance Counsel, LLC.

Todd Dalotto, long-time activist and former Chair of the Oregon Advisory Committee on Medical Marijuana,and current president of CAN! Research, Education and Consulting and Jeremy Sackett of Cascadia Labs tackled the ins and outs of testing cannabis; what the current testing laws are in Oregon; and where testing lab regulations are likely to take us. And finally, the entrepreneur panel featured Amy Poinsett of MJ Freeway; Dan Arbit, president of Tru Media and publisher of Smell the Truth; and Cy Scott co-founder of Leafly.com.

The entertainment at the OMMBC was amazing and really helped round out a great time. Hip-hop legend Del the Funky Homosapien AKA Deltron 3030 AKA Sir Dzl put on a tremendous performance on Sunday night. I wouldn’t call myself a connoisseur of live hip-hop performances, but I have seen the Wu Tang Clan and Snoop Dogg and I would easily place Del’s performance above both of those other legends. My good friend Ngaio Bealum (Culture Editor for Marijuana Politics) had everyone laughing and rolling the aisles Monday night as folks could get a good laugh on to wind down after the conference. Ngaio really needs to open up more about sex and drugs and not be so repressed (just kidding, everyone).

All in all, the OMMBC was informative, engaging and entertaining. I’m proud to have played a part and am very thankful to everyone who attended, exhibited, and worked the event. Next up, the OMMBC crew moves onto Portland on September 12-13 at the downtown Hilton. I will certainly have more information as September gets closer and closer posted here at Marijuana Politics and be sure to check back at www.OMMBC.com for more info as well.

Mid-September will be a great time for another Oregon-centric cannabis conference. Not only should Portland still be enjoying good weather (fingers crossed, no promises though), but also marijuana will be legal for adults over the age of 21 after July 1st and we should have a good idea about many of the cannabis commerce regulations that will be implemented by the Oregon Liquor Control Commission. The OLCC must finish their rule-making process by November 1st to comply with the Measure 91 requirement that they start accepting business applications at the beginning of 2016. A sincere thanks to everyone who played a part in making the OMMBC a success in Eugene, I’m already looking forward to September.

Here’s a snippet of some of the media coverage of the event: The Oregonian, The Register-Guard, Oregon Business Magazine, KVAL, KMTR, KEZI, and The Weed Blog.

Gary Johnson is a story that can only occur in America. Rising from basically a handyman business to a multi-million dollar construction company CEO would be enough for most people. Utilizing his personal story and political principles of personal freedom, self-reliance and limited government to successfully getting elected as governor of New Mexico would satisfy most. Not content to just go through the motions, Johnson utilized his second term to advocate for the decriminalization and eventual legalization of marijuana. While most would be satisfied with a two-term governorship, Johnson took his libertarian message to the 2012 Republican Party presidential nominee fight.

On paper, Johnson’s success as a business man and as a two-term governor of a swing state, should have made him a viable GOP candidate, but his libertarian-leanings, particularly drug policy reform was simply ahead of his time. The fact that Rand Paul and other Republican candidates have moved towards the mainstream on marijuana, has a lot to do with Johnson and Ron Paul, Rand’s father, pushing the Republican Party to see the conservative principles of marijuana law reform and that cannabis law reform isn’t a political liability, but an opportunity for the Grand Old Party.

Despite the movement towards cannabis sanity across the country, in polls and among candidates, Johnson doesn’t see much hope in the current slate of candidates, viewing them as punting on the issue. States’ rights isn’t good enough for Johnson as he wants candidates to actually stand up for liberty and limited government. If elected president, Johnson would pardon all nonviolent marijuana offenders and do all that he could to end the War on Cannabis. Despite progress, no candidate is as libertarian (or progressive, if you will) as Johnson on marijuana policy, so he is left dissatisfied with the crop of candidates.

In addition to his political aspirations, Johnson has been named CEO of Cannabis Sativa, Inc., traded publicly as CBDS. The company currently markets CBD-infused products under the brand name “hi“, a brand name that Johnson sees as a growing and lasting product line. The enterprising entrepreneur doesn’t hide the fact that he hopes that his company makes a lot of money, he feels that there is plenty of revenue to spread throughout the cannabis industry and he wants to change the world for the better.

Johnson sat down with Marijuana Politics at the Oregon Medical Marijuana Business Conference (OMMBC) to discuss cannabis business and politics. Video coming soon. 

Day one of the Oregon Medical Marijuana Business Conference (OMMBC) has concluded, and the highlight for me was certainly Governor Gary Johnson. I got the chance to sit down with the former New Mexico Governor and chat for a bit. He seems to be an extremely genuine, down-to-earth fellow and it was a pleasure speaking with him. I’ll have more to post soon about my talk with him soon. In the meantime, please check out interview with The Oregonian’s Noelle Crombie:

Gary Johnson, former two-term governor of New Mexico and CEO of a marijuana company, told an audience of cannabis industry representatives that voters, not politicians, are propelling the legalization movement and that dynamic is likely to shift if California says yes to legal pot in 2016.

Johnson, an outspoken legalization advocate who plans to run again for president in 2016, gave the keynote speech Sunday at the Oregon Medical Marijuana Business Conference. About 750 people are attending the two-day conference at the Eugene Hilton, said Alex Rogers, the event’s organizer.

When asked what impact marijuana will have in the 2016 presidential election, he responded:

I can’t say but (I have) one observation: In the last presidential race drugs were not even mentioned, wasn’t a part of any debate or any question. Neither side touched marijuana. Rather than them coming on and denouncing drug use or giving the normal drivel on the topic, they just completely avoided it. I hope it changes and if Hilary (Clinton) is the nominee and Jeb (Bush) is the nominee, I hope to run for president and if I do, I think it might receive a lot more attention. What we have moved to now is ‘I don’t do it and I hate it and it’s horrible,’ but we will leave it to the states. That seems to be the new political safe haven.

Head on over to www.oregonlive.com/marijuana for the entire interview.

While not many major politicians are as outspoken as Gary Johnson, it is heartening to see many politicians “evolve” on the issue of marijuana. As time goes along, we will only have more and more elected officials moving towards supporting cannabis legalization, or at least the states’ right to choose their own policy.

The Oregon Medical Marijuana Business Conference (OMMBC) kicks off today at the Hilton in Eugene Oregon. The entire lineup is great, but I’m really looking forward to former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson, Oregon State Senator Floyd Prozanski and the media panel with The Oregonian’s Noelle Crombie, Russ Belville of 420Radio.org (and Marijuana Politics contributor) and long-time activist Doug McVay. Marijuana Politics contributors Ngaio Bealum, Allison Dumas and myself will be on the scene.

KEZI previews the conference:

Last year the Oregon Medical Marijuana Business Conference drew around 400 attendees. This year, they’re doubling the size of the convention and expect around 750 people to attend.

***

With the passage of Measure 91 organizers say there are going to be big changes in the ways these businesses run, which is why they expect such a large crowd.

“Tell people what they can expect. Now, we don’t know yet exactly because the rules won’t be codified until the end of June. We’re giving people as much information as they can regardling the situation so they can make an educated decision,” said Alex Rogers, Executive Producer Oregon Medical Marijuana Business Conference.

We’ll be posting updates today and exclusive news, notes, interviews and pictures here on Marijuana Politics as well as various social media outlets with the hashtag keyword #OMMBC, so please check back early and often.

A photo posted by Anthony Johnson (@anthonyj1977) on Mar 15, 2015 at 9:16am PDT

It is really remarkable the number of business avenues the cannabis industry unlocks. Of course, people know about growers, processors and retailers. However, these marijuana businesses need lawyers, accountants, security and maybe even consultants of various types. Additionally, enterprising entrepreneurs often see a niche to fill within the industry as we have seen with trimming machines and kief extractors. One company that has stepped up to fill a need within the industry is Grow Condos, who offer growing space within warehouses, supplying cannabis cultivators with the location, supplies, equipment and know-how needed to grow marijuana. Grow Condos and other up-and-coming and established businesses will be networking at this weekend’s Oregon Medical Marijuana Business Conference (OMMBC) this weekend.

Grow Condos purchased a 15,000 square foot warehouse in Southern Oregon, that the company manages for marijuana growers. The company found that they had a successful model that had a demand in areas with state-licensed cannabis production system. The company, which did a reverse merger with a company called Calibrus in July of last year, is publicly traded on the OTCQB market under the moniker GRWC. Unlike many publicly traded companies within the cannabis industry, they do have assets and income already.

The evidence that marijuana has gone mainstream is everywhere: from politics to entertainment to culture to your personal discussions with friends and family. Poll after poll demonstrates majority support for cannabis legalization and super-majority support for medical access. Once the third-rail of politics, now it seems to be one of the few issues to garner any bipartisan support. Politicians used to make up lies about their pot use (“didn’t inhale), but now it’s almost a hinderance to not have any experience with cannabis. Kentucky Republican Senator Rand Paul, a 2016 presidential nominee frontrunner, not only teamed up with Democratic Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Cory Booker to co-sponsor a federal medical marijuana act, but he even placed marijuana leaves within an image promoting the landmark CARERS Act (and as Bill Piper of the Drug Policy Alliance pointed out, this has to be the first time a major presidential candidate used cannabis leaves to promote his or her policy.)

Now, with legal marijuana generating millions of dollars across the nation, corporations and Wall Street entrepreneurs are taking notice, so it isn’t a surprise that Forbes has announced a blog that will focus on the legal marijuana industry. This blog follows on the heels of the San Francisco Chronicle’s Smell the Truth, The Denver Post’s The Cannabist, and The Oregonian’s www.oregonlive.com/marijuana. The Oregonian’s staff writer, Noelle Crombie, once covered crime and the courts for the Northwest’s largest newspaper, but now she is publishing almost daily about marijuana and will be a panelist at the upcoming Oregon Medical Marijuana Business Conference (OMMBC) to discuss marijuana and the media.

From Forbes contributor Julie Weed (yes, really):

When a bi-partisan bill comes to the floor of the US senate that would allow financial institutions to provide services to legal marijuana businesses, it’s a good time for Forbes to start covering the Cannabis Industry in earnest.

Twenty-three states already have laws legalizing marijuana in some form and the trend is fueling entrepreneurs’ ideas. The “Green Rush” includes marijuana growers, testers, and store owners. Others are creating pot delivery services, tourist activities, smokeless vaporizers, pot-infused edibles, and niche after niche of other marijuana–related paraphernalia and service. Creating this new industry from scratch, entrepreneurs hope to project a responsible image – more Napa Valley than back alley — so restrictive laws don’t make a comeback.

***

Over the next weeks and months I will be exploring the world of the “Potrepreneur,” the “Canna-businessperson,” (for some reason the puns and wordplay are endless in this industry.) What services and products are they creating? Who are they hiring? What challenges and opportunities are they facing and how are their businesses different than other businesses? The legal marijuana industry is attracting executives with MBAs, technologists, stay-at-home parents and college students. Stoners are emerging from their basements, because it turns out they now have the expertise everybody is looking for.

Many members of the cannabis community are rightly skeptical of the Wall Street barons and others that are just now paying any attention to marijuana. Personally, I welcome any and all into our big tent so long as it is helpful in ending cannabis prohibition across the country and that we don’t lose our way and fall into the trap that marijuana is all about making money. We need to be vigilant and maintain our principles and ensure that business regulations don’t leave behind sick and disabled patients or create more complex laws that will continue prohibition in another name. So long as their are low barriers to entry that allow for mom and pops to survive, patients have safe access and marijuana laws improve, I say we welcome in the mainstream, but never forget where we came from in the first place the real reasons we have been fighting for legalization for so long.

The International Cannabis Business Conference (ICBC) held in San Francisco last month, was a great event and a great success. While, like any business conference, entrepreneurs were there looking to network and learn important information that can help their businesses succeed, the ICBC stressed the importance of political activism and never forgetting the true priorities behind cannabis law reform: protecting patients and ending the severe and harmful consequences of marijuana prohibition.

Speaker after speaker, including Rick Steves, Dr. Carl Hart and Ethan Nadelmann, spoke about the need to ensure that we don’t leave behind vulnerable patients and the poor and minorities who have felt the brunt of the War on Marijuana. Now, all of us that helped organize the San Francisco ICBC, move onto beautiful Eugene, Oregon, for the Oregon Medical Marijuana Business Conference (OMMBC) coming up at the Hilton on March 15-16.

The OMMBC, like the ICBC, will provide great networking opportunities and information that will benefit any business in any sector of the cannabis industry while maintaining focus on the fact that we still have work to do to ensure safe access for all patients and that legalizing marijuana is truly about ending the arrests, prosecutions and imprisonments levied against the nonviolent cannabis community. The OMMBC is keynoted by former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson and Steve DeAngelo while Oregon lawyers, politicians, advocates entrepreneurs will be on hand to discuss current and future Oregon marijuana law. In addition to the information and networking opportunities, the OMMBC provides great entertainment exclusive to attendees with hip-hop legend Del the Funky Homosapien and cannabis comic extraordinaire Ngaio Bealum.

Check out a video that recaps the ICBC and gives attendees a glimpse of what they can expect at the OMMBC:

The Oregon cannabis community has always been a generous group, looking out for the most vulnerable among us and willing to ultimately put justice above profits. I’m very proud that the marijuana movement in Oregon has been very charitable towards sick and disabled patients battling poverty and unwilling to sell out key principles in the name of making more money. The Oregon community can be proud of passing the Measure 91 by the greatest margin of any state legalization measure while allowing home cultivation, maintaining current DUII laws instead of implementing an arbitrary per se THC blood limit and keeping the Oregon Medical Marijuana Act. Prohibitionists and opponents of Measure 91 are already trying to override the will of Oregon voters. The OMMBC is a great place for the Oregon marijuana movement to unite around good business practices, good political activism and the will of the voters. Hope to see you there.

Congressman Earl Blumenauer has been a longtime champion of sensible marijuana law reform. As a state legislator in Oregon, he voted to decriminalize personal amounts of marijuana all the way back in 1973. He has been at the forefront of cannabis law reform ever since, even when it wasn’t near as politically popular as it is today. He was very instrumental in the fight to legalize marijuana, even debating the merits of Measure 91 at the Salem City Club against Oregon’s most prominent prohibitionist.

Not only has he supported reforms, but he has worked to reach across the aisle and work with Republicans and conservatives, those he has very little else in common with politically. Not many liberal Democrats hold a joint press conference with conservative anti-tax icon Grover Norquist, but when Representative Blumenauer needed political allies to help pass sensible tax reform for state-regulated marijuana businesses, he put other politics aside and brought in conservatives who would join his efforts.

Thus, it isn’t surprising that Rep. Blumenauer sent out a press release applauding the historic Senate Bill introduced this morning. The release:

UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

***PRESS RELEASE***

Representative Blumenauer Applauds Release of an Historic Senate Bill on Marijuana Regulation

Washington, DC – “Senators Paul, Booker, and Gillibrand took an historic step today by introducing a medical marijuana bill in the United States Senate – the Compassionate Access, Research Expansion and Respect States Act. This bill would bring much needed relief to the patients, businesses, and physicians who participate in legal state medical marijuana systems that exist in a confusing patchwork of state and federal laws.

Last Congress, the House voted six times in favor of reforming our outdated marijuana and hemp laws. Over a dozen bills have been introduced, many with bipartisan support. The Senate bill builds on this momentum and incorporates many of the provisions that gained significant traction in the House.

I am happy to see the inclusion of language similar to our bill, HR 667: The Veterans Equal Access Act, which will ensure that our veterans can access medical marijuana in states where it is legal. I am also excited to see language to reduce barriers to medical marijuana research, which is an issue I will continue to champion. The bill will also offer much needed certainty for banks that provide financial services to marijuana businesses, which often must operate as unsafe cash only enterprises.

I look forward to working with these Senators in this effort and applaud the introduction of this bill. I am hopeful that with continued growing support, we can make real traction on modernizing our marijuana laws over the next two years, and respect the will of the voters in 23 states and the District of Columbia.”

For more information, please contact David Skillman in Rep. Blumenauer’s office:

David.Skillman@mail.house.gov

202-225-4811

With support for medical cannabis reaching as high as 85% across the nation in a Fox News poll and 72% in a conservative state like Utah, we will continue to see progress in Congress and across the country for marijuana law reform. Even if the CARERS Act doesn’t pass this year, we can expect that the bill or bills similar will only garner more support each and every year. And with representatives like Earl Blumenauer fighting for sensible reforms, it is only a matter of time before we see cannabis prohibition repealed at the federal level; first for medical patients, then for all adults.

Yesterday, news hit that Senators Rand Paul, Kirsten Gillibrand and Cory Booker were to introduce a bipartisan medical marijuana bill in the United States Senate. Now, the qualifiers can be taken off, as the senators announced the bill this morning with a press conference. The marijuana law reform movement has made such amazing strides in recent years and this bill has been a long time in the making as support for medical cannabis has been at a supermajority level for several years now. Politicians are often behind the people on marijuana issues, so it is good to see some United States Senators catch up a bit.

The Drug Policy Alliance, the nation’s leading anti-Drug War organization, has a 3pm Eastern conference call scheduled to discuss this important development. DPA describes the bill, known as the Compassionate Access, Research Expansion and Respect States (CARERS) Act:

• Allow states to legalize marijuana for medical use without federal interference

• Permit interstate commerce in cannabidiol (CBD) oils

• Reschedule marijuana to schedule II

• Allow banks to provide checking accounts and other financial services to marijuana dispensaries

• Allow Veterans Administration physicians to recommend medical marijuana to veterans

• Eliminate barriers to medical marijuana research.

“This legislation is a game-changer,” said Michael Collins, policy manager for the Drug Policy Alliance. “It is worth noting that Senators with a national profile are championing this issue. Ending the war on medical marijuana is not only the right thing to do, it is the smart thing to do.”

The Drug Policy Alliance will host a teleconference today 3pm EST. Journalists are invited to dial in and speak to policy experts, patients, and advocates.

So many people have put in so much work to fight for cannabis law reform and it is heartening to see such positive developments. With more and more politicians realizing that not only does science back up medical cannabis, but voters do as well, we will only see more progress on medical marijuana legislation. Additionally, as more Democrats and Republicans reach across the aisle to work on an issue that a super-majority of Americans agree upon, legislative successes will start to snowball and we can finally see an end to the failed and harmful policy of cannabis prohibition.

Republicans and Democrats have a hard time agreeing on much these days as gridlock dominates our political discourse. Cannabis law reform is one of the few areas that has some politicians looking to reach across the aisle. Once seen as a lefty-hippie position or an right-wing Ayn Randian libertarian stance, sensible marijuana law reform is squarely within the moderate middle as a majority of voters support legalizing marijuana and a super-majority supports medical use. I don’t know how often Democrats Corey Booker and Kirsten Gillibrand will join forces with Republican Rand Paul, but the three senators have agreed to co-sponsor an historic federal medical marijuana bill.

From The Washington Post:

The bill, which activists describe as a first for the Senate, would end the federal prohibition on medical marijuana and implement a number of critical reforms that advocates of both medical and recreational marijuana have been seeking for years, according to several people familiar with the details of the proposal. It would reclassify the drug in the eyes of the Drug Enforcement Agency, allow for limited inter-state transport of the plant, expand access to cannabis for research, and make it easier for doctors to recommend the drug to veterans and easier for banks to provide services to the industry.

“It’s the most comprehensive medical marijuana bill in Congress,” said Bill Piper, director of national affairs for the Drug Policy Alliance, one of several groups consulted for the bill. The Compassionate Access, Research Expansion, and Respect States (CARERS) act grew out of an amendment proposed last year by Sens. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and is being introduced by those two senators in conjunction with Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.).

A number of activist organizations deeply involved with passing medical and recreational marijuana laws at the state level were consulted in drafting the bill, including the Drug Policy Alliance, the Marijuana Policy Project, and Americans for Safe Access. And advocates say they are generally pleased with what they’ve seen and heard.

This is a remarkable step in the right direction for our federal medical marijuana policy. With a majority of Americans now living in states that have rejected marijuana prohibition either through state decriminalization, medical or legalization laws, we will only see more and more politicians realize that marijuana is no longer a third rail of American politics. Cannabis law reform is as moderate as any position and it is hard to get Americans to agree on anything at as high a rate of support as medical use. As we continue to legalize medical and adult use state by state, there will be more cooperation and more bi-partisan bills and federal prohibition will crumble sooner than later.

As I have previously blogged, Wichita, Kansas, will be voting on a marijuana decriminalization measure on April 7th. Local cannabis law reforms can be a great way to move the marijuana movement forward as it is a relatively inexpensive way to educate voters and can be a great tool to publicize the need for reform in conservative states or when statewide efforts are currently too expensive. The modern medical marijuana law reform movement was propelled in many ways by local measures in San Francisco and other cities before Prop 215 was passed by California voters in 2016.

Kansas.com answers some questions about the decrim proposal:

Q. What will the ballot say on April 7?

A. Shall the following be adopted?

An ordinance reducing the penalty for first offense conviction for possession of thirty-two (32) grams or less of cannabis sativa l, otherwise known as marijuana, and/or drug paraphernalia related thereto, by persons twenty-one (21) years of age or older, to an infraction with a fine not to exceed fifty dollars ($50.00).

***

Q. What are the current penalties? How do those compare to other crimes?

A. State law says possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia are criminal offenses with up to a $2,500 fine and one year in jail, which is a class A misdemeanor, according to state statute. Another offense with the same classification is assault of a police officer.

I once heard a prominent member of the cannabis industry state that unless you have insurance and a bank account, than you aren’t a real business. Getting insurance is not always easy in the cannabis industry, but there are numerous companies that will provide insurance to marijuana businesses. Banking on the other hand is something that has proven difficult for the cannabis industry. Despite federal guidelines that were meant to clarify banking and the cannabis industry, many businesses are still waiting for a bank that is willing to work with them. Native American reservations may even look to be an option for dispensaries needing to bank.

Even banks that want to work with the cannabis industry avoid cannabis businesses out of fear of the federal government. Case in point is Mbank. Per Marijuana Business Daily:

MBank, the Oregon-based financial institution that recently announced it would begin serving Colorado marijuana companies, changed its mind and announced on Monday that it doesn’t have the resources necessary to handle demand.

Jef Baker, the bank’s chief executive officer, said inquiries for service had been “overwhelming,” and consequently the bank decided to cancel its plans to operate in Colorado because it’s simply too far from its headquarters, according to the Denver Post.

“Colorado is the farthest from our market area and the most difficult to provide the quality customer service to,” Baker said.

While the bank maintains that this is purely a customer service related move, there have been many rumors that the federal government stepped in and made it clear that there were not going to allow a bank to work with so many different states. There’s no way to know for sure, but it’s odd to say the least that the bank went from all in on working with Colorado businesses to refusing to work with any of them. The cannabis industry needs comprehensive banking reform at the federal level if it’s ever going to reach it’s full potential.

I have met countless parents who have had to go through the heartache of having their child removed from their home due to cannabis alone. These people were good parents, and often were licensed medical marijuana patients. They worked hard and provided for their child or children. The only reason that their families were ripped apart was because the parents either used cannabis for medical purposes,  or chose to consume recreational cannabis instead of a more harmful substance like alcohol.

This was the case for one mother in New Jersey. Fortunately for her and her child, a New Jersey court ruled that the removal of her child for cannabis alone was wrong. Per Lady Bud:

Two days before Christmas, an appellate court in New Jersey gave one Garden state mother the best possible gift; a panel headed by Honorable Carmen Alvarez ruled that not only were verbal admissions about possible cannabis use insufficient evidence for an emergency removal order of an infant child but that the state failed to provide any evidence that simply using cannabis constituted child abuse or neglect. While at first glance, this simply appears to be a case of the courts using common sense, in reality it is a major departure from the common practices of the family court system that have existed for decades.

The unnamed 18-year-old mother (R.W.), who became the defendant in this case, was arrested for a violation of her parole in March of 2011. Shortly thereafter, she and her daughter were placed in the state’s Capable Adolescent Mothers (CAM) Program. R.W. naively believed that speaking honestly with the CAM worker was the best way to handle the situation, and she allegedly admitted to cannabis use while caring for her daughter. This was passed along the chain of command, and an emergency order for R.W.’s daughter’s removal was issued.

That story is one that plays out regularly across the nation. Because there are no national reporting requirements for child welfare agencies, it is impossible to know exactly how many children are removed from parental custody solely for cannabis, but anecdotal information indicates that they represent a not insignificant percentage of children removed from their homes. Thankfully, in this case, R.W. decided she was going to fight for her daughter. Even more thankfully, her appeal landed in front of a reasonable panel.

I get the fact that a child’s safety needs to always be considered, and that sometimes it is better for a child to be removed form a home instead of being left in an unsafe situation. However, that should only occur if there is clear abuse. Cannabis consumption alone is no reason to turn a child’s life upside down. There are a lot of responsible parents out there that choose to use marijuana rather than alcohol or pharmaceuticals, and there is nothing wrong with that.

For quite awhile Canada’s medical cannabis industry was built on a home-grow model. That changed last year when Canada’s government created a much more limited model that put the task of growing medical cannabis into the hands of corporations. There have been many issues as a result. Per Canada.Com:

Almost a year after the federal government revamped the way medical marijuana is produced and distributed in Canada — moving from home-based operations to large-scale commercial ones — the fledgling industry continues to encounter growing pains.

A trial is set to begin next month in Federal Court that will hear patients argue that the price of marijuana charged by commercial producers is too high, depriving them of medicine to treat serious ailments. Until a decision is made, individuals who previously held licences to possess and grow their own marijuana have been allowed to continue doing so.

Commercial producers have faced other challenges, including restrictions on how they advertise their products; maintaining adequate supplies; and responding to product recalls.

I definitely get that there is a need for large scale industrial medical cannabis facilities in Canada. However, there is an even greater need for the right for patients to cultivate medicine on a smaller scale. Whenever you give the exclusive right to grow medical marijuana to only a handful of entities, there will always be problems, and patients suffer as a result.