Feds confirm border ban on marijuana workers; 55 study review: Legalization doesn’t up youth use; Kavanaugh cites “troubling disparity” in enforcement

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/ TOP THINGS TO KNOW



U.S. Customs and Border Protection released an official statement about the federal government’s policy of banning Canadians who work or invest in the marijuana industry from entering the country.



Congressman Pete Sessions (R-TX), who has blocked every marijuana amendment this Congress from reaching the floor for a vote, is in danger of losing his seat to a cannabis reform supporter, according to two new polls this week.



A meta-analysis involving 55 separate studies confirmed that youth marijuana consumption does not rise after states legalize cannabis.



/ FEDERAL



The U.S. State Department boasted that 130 countries signed a drug war declaration circulated by the Trump administration ahead of the United Nations General Assembly.



The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s website appeared to get hacked with hemp and marijuana-related spam and



U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), via written questions, got Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh to acknowledge the “troubling disparity” in drug enforcement against people of color.



U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) tweeted, “Congratulations to Seattle for clearing past misdemeanor convictions for marijuana possession that were prosecuted before marijuana was legalized. We must decriminalize marijuana nationally and expunge federal marijuana use and possession crimes.”



U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) spoke about the marijuana industry’s banking access issues.



Congressman Charlie Crist (D-FL) and Congressman Darren Soto (D-FL) are co-sponsoring a medical cannabis conference.



Congressman Lou Correa (D-CA) spoke about his efforts to push back against the U.S.’s border ban on Canadians who work in the marijuana industry.



Tennessee U.S. Senate candidates dodged a question about medical cannabis during a debate.



California Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Kevin de Leon spoke at a marijuana event.



/ STATES



Activists behind Utah’s medical cannabis ballot measure met with Mormon Church officials and other interested parties about possible compromise legislation that would address some concerns with the proposal. Meanwhile, the state’s lieutenant governor asked a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit seeking to remove the medical marijuana initiative from the ballot.



Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin (R) said it would be “fantastic” if Congress legalized hemp.



New Hampshire regulators estimated that legalizing marijuana could generate as much as $58 million a year in tax revenue for the state.



Virginia regulators gave initial approval to five CBD/THC-A medical cannabis companies.



/ LOCAL



The Oklahoma City, Oklahoma City Council approved an ordinance to avoid jail time for marijuana possession.



The Lancaster, Pennsylvania City Council approved a proposal to decriminalize marijuana.



Medical cannabis businesses are suing Broken Arrow, Oklahoma over restrictive regulations.



/ INTERNATIONAL



Malaysia’s cabinet is considering legalizing medical cannabis.



Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak is signing on as chairman of medical cannabis company InterCure.



/ ADVOCACY



Americans for Prosperity – New Jersey, a Koch-funded group, endorsed a set of principles for marijuana legalization in the state.



Former Marijuana Policy Project head Rob Kampia, who pledged to raise at least $500,000 to oust anti-cannabis Congressman Pete Sessions (R-TX), has only collected $1,000.



/ SCIENCE & HEALTH



A drug testing company found that the rate of workers testing positive for drugs has increased in marijuana legalization states at about the same amount as the national rate.



/ OPINION & ANALYSIS



A poll found that 36% of American adults say the words “pot” and “stoner” have a negative connotation.



A poll found that 62% of Canadians support marijuana legalization but also showed that many are skeptical of the government’s ability to implement it successfully.



A FiveThirtyEight analysis suggests that “the marketing has gotten way ahead of the science” on CBD.



/ BUSINESS



High Times acquired DOPE Media, Inc.



/ CULTURE



Rapper Wyclef Jean spoke about his involvement in the marijuana industry.



Travel writer Rick Steves will campaign for Michigan’s marijuana legalization ballot measure next week.



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