National Policy Issues

  • February 14th, 2022 Cannabis industry lobbying in the Colorado state legislature in fiscal years 2010–2021. The cannabis industry seeks to promote a regulatory environment that optimizes sales and profits, typically at the cost of public health, a strategy seen with the tobacco, alcohol, and food industries. This study provides a description of the cannabis industry's lobbying activities in the Colorado State Legislature from fiscal years 2010-2021.  The study measures and indices were the following: inflation-adjusted monthly lobbying expenditures by funder and lobbyist; origin of funding; lobbyist descriptions of cannabis industry clients; business license documentation; legislative histories; and public testimony.  The authors’ main conclusion was that the cannabis industry dedicated significant resources towards lobbying the Colorado State Legislature on behalf of policies intended to increase cannabis use. Some specific findings: over $7 million (inflation adjusted) spent from FY 2010-2021 to lobby the Colorado legislature on 367 bills; nearly half of the lobbyist reports did not disclose their funder's cannabis affiliation; and “lobbyists and agencies concurrently represented the alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis industries, possibly facilitating inter-industry alliances when interests align”.

  • June 17th 2021: Billions in black-market weed still selling in Illinois 18 months after marijuana legalized

  • June 17th, 2021: California offers $100 million to rescue its struggling legal marijuana industry

  • December 30, 2020: Undoubtedly there is big money in the marijuana business. As states try to grapple with “social equity” leaving local officials as the gatekeepers for million-dollar businesses, states have created a breeding ground for bribery and favoritism. Read this article from Politico

  • August 29, 2019: ‘This Ain’t Your Mother’s Marijuana.’ Federal Health Official Issue National Warning on Pot. Federal health officials issued a national warning Thursday against marijuana use by adolescents and pregnant women, as more states legalize the increasingly potent drug for medicinal and recreational use. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar and Surgeon General Jerome Adams made the announcement, with Azar calling marijuana “a dangerous drug.” Officials said President Donald Trump has donated $100,000 — one-quarter of his annual government salary — toward a digital campaign to raise awareness of the risks. Trump has forgone his official salary since taking office.

  • April 5, 2019: Over 400 Michigan communities opting out of marijuana sales, and number is increasing. More than 400 Michigan communities have decided that they will not permit marijuana sales within their jurisdiction – and the number is growing. In mid-February, more than 250 local communities had opted out of allowing recreational marijuana sales. But in less than two months, the number has grown by about 150, according to an interactive map created by the Detroit Free Press. Retail licenses for marijuana sales are not expected to go into effect until 2020, which gives local governments ample time to opt out of the sales. If they chose to, local governments could also opt out after sales have gone into effect.

  • January 16, 2019: Michael Bloomberg is anti-Trump, pro-Canada and anti-marijuana. “To go and encourage people, to make it easier for people to engage in a behavior that has a significant possibility of damaging people’s health is just nonsensical,” Bloomberg said. “This mad, passionate rush to let everybody do things without any research just isn’t something we would do in any other way.”

  • January 10, 2019: Underage Marijuana Use and Impaired Driving Common in Colorado and Washington. When voters made Colorado and Washington the first states to legalize the sale of marijuana, many did so believing the drug is generally harmless and doesn’t lead to the same host of behavioral and law-breaking issues as alcohol. But is that actually the case? A new pilot study by the U of M School of Public Health shows it is not, and law enforcement agencies in both states report common problems with underage marijuana use (under age 21) and driving under the influence of marijuana in their communities.

  • January 9, 2019: State edges toward ‘cannabis cafes’. Massachusetts is inching closer to licensing so-called “cannabis cafes” where individuals could smoke the drug in a communal setting, while also allowing for the home delivery of marijuana.

  • December 29, 2018: 2018 was a banner year, can you help us repeat it? 2018 marked a time when public health and safety advocates from around the country came together to push back against Big Marijuana’s attempts to further their addiction for profit scheme.

  • November 19, 2018: Cost of Marijuana Legalization Far Outweighs Tax Revenues. A new study on the impact of marijuana legalization in Colorado conducted by the Centennial Institute found that for every one dollar in tax revenue from marijuana, the state spends $4.50 as a result of the effects of the consequences of legalization.

  • July 15, 2018: Chronic State Documentary: How marijuana normalization impacts communities.

  • November 7, 2017: Smart Approaches to Marijuana Launches National Driving Campaign “High Means DUI”. “The reckless marijuana industry has rushed to profit from highly-potent THC products, but they have done nothing to prevent or address the high prevalence of marijuana-impaired driving,” said Kevin A. Sabet, President and CEO of SAM, a group co-founded by former Congressman Patrick Kennedy.