Neil deGrasse Tyson defends Elon Musk’s toking; Feinstein signs onto marijuana bill; Poll: doctors back legalization

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/ TOP THINGS TO KNOW



The U.S. House Judiciary Committee approved legislation to force the Department of Justice to issue more licenses to grow marijuana to be used in research. The move comes despite opposition from some drug policy reform groups and Democrats who objected to a provisions preventing people with certain criminal records from participating in the cultivation operations. Republican leaders agreed to revisit the language as the bill moves to the floor.



Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson warned people not to smoke marijuana in space, but he did defend Elon Musk’s recent on-camera cannabis consumption:

“Let the man get high if he wants to get high.”

In one of the clearest signs yet that the politics of marijuana have shifted irrevocably towards legalization, U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)—long one of Congress’s more ardent drug warriors—signed onto a bill to end federal cannabis prohibition.



A poll found that strong majorities of physicians, pharmacists, nurses and psychologists support legalizing marijuana, with even stronger support for medical cannabis.



/ FEDERAL



A U.S. Customs and Border Protection official spoke about how the federal government will deny U.S. entry to Canadians who work or invest in the marijuana industry.



The U.S. attorney for Utah spoke about how marijuana will continue to be illegal under federal law even if the state legalizes medical cannabis.



The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee voted 18-3 to approve the nomination of Jim Carroll to serve as director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.



The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled in a case against medical cannabis business operator Charles Lynch that it did not need to reach the question of whether the congressional appropriations rider barring federal interference in state medical marijuana laws annuls previously properly obtained convictions, remanding the question of whether he was in compliance with California law back to a lower court:

“In short, the rider may mean that Lynch has some argument that the government cannot now spend money to prosecute him, but if and only if Lynch had been strictly compliant with California law.”

Congressman Jamie Raskin (D-MD) tweeted, “I spoke today against the continuing debacle of marijuana Prohibition and for expanding federal research into marijuana’s medicinal value. Let’s stop criminalizing our own population.”



Congressman Ro Khanna (D-CA) tweeted, “While John Boehner and other executives are profiting from marijuana, hundreds of thousands of Americans continue to get arrested for possession every year — mostly from communities of color. The #MarijuanaJusticeAct will finally end this double-standard.”



/ STATES



A Michigan judge issued an injunction against the state’s plan to close certain medical cannabis businesses that missed a licensing deadline.



Oklahoma House Democrats are calling for a special legislative session to address medical cannabis regulations.



Ohio’s state auditor said regulators exceeded their legal authority by awarding additional medical cannabis cultivation licenses, and identified weaknesses in how they protected application data.



New York Democratic gubernatorial candidate Cynthia Nixon, although she lost the nominating contest, took credit for the marijuana legalization evolution of Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) in her concession speech.



Here’s a look at several Florida court cases concerning the number of medical cannabis business licenses the state can issue.



/ LOCAL



A study found that 75% of local Michigan jurisdictions have moved to prohibit medical cannabis facilities.



/ INTERNATIONAL



More than a dozen Caribbean nations are considering marijuana reforms.



/ OPINION & ANALYSIS



A poll found that Minnesota adults support legalizing marijuana, 56% – 35%.



An American Academy of Pediatrics paper considered whether providing medical cannabis to minors constitutes child abuse.



/ BUSINESS



Analysts are questioning High Times’s investment strategy amid filings showing sizable losses.



GFA Federal Credit Union is the first financial institution to offer banking services to Massachusetts recreational marijuana businesses.



Cronos Group Inc. named its new marijuana brand Spinach, reasoning that it will not appeal to kids.



Marijuana stocks dropped following news that the U.S. would bar Canadian cannabis investors from entry into the country.



/ CULTURE



Fox 4 in Dallas received a huge amount of criticism for the way it reported that Botham Shen Jean, who was killed in his own apartment by a police officer, had marijuana at home.



Charges for misdemeanor marijuana possession and resisting arrest against NBA player Zach Randolph were dismissed.



Actor Uday Chopra is pushing India to legalize marijuana.

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Photo courtesy of Chris Wallis // Side Pocket Images.