New York cannabis regulators approved a deal on Monday to settle lawsuits that have blocked recreational marijuana dispensaries from opening, as officials move to restart the state’s troubled legal market.
The settlement still needs a judge’s approval before it can take effect. The state’s Cannabis Control Board did not immediately release the terms of the settlement.
The deal would lift a court order that has blocked the state from processing or issuing retail marijuana licenses since August, following lawsuits over rules that promised many of the first licenses to people with past drug convictions.
New York’s retail marijuana market has been in disarray since sales began almost a year ago. Bureaucratic problems and lawsuits have allowed only about two-dozen legal shops to open, while farmers sit on a glut of crops and an ever-growing black market of storefronts fill the void.
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The New York State Cannabis Control Board said more than 400 provisional retail licensees will be able to move forward with their stores if the settlement is approved by a judge. Regulators also recently opened up a general application window to grow, process, distribute or sell marijuana, expecting to issue more than 1,000 new licenses in a bid to kickstart the market.
The lawsuits — one of them filed by a group of four military veterans and the other by a coalition that included large medical marijuana companies — challenged state rules that allowed people with drug convictions to open the first dispensaries.
Last summer, state Supreme Court Justice Kevin Bryant blocked the state’s licensing program from moving forward. He ruled that regulators improperly limited the first round of licenses to people with past convictions rather than a wider group of so-called social equity applicants included in the original law that legalized marijuana.
A representative for the group of veterans declined to comment on Monday. An attorney for the coalition of medical marijuana companies did not return an emailed request for comment.
The settlement vote came during an emergency hearing in New York City.
Moving cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) could have significant implications for medical cannabis recommendations by doctors and potential insurance coverage for marijuana treatments. Currently, doctors refrain from prescribing state-regulated medical cannabis due to the risk of losing their licenses given that it lacks approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Even if the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) reschedules cannabis, the prohibition on doctors prescribing state-regulated medical marijuana (MMJ) products would persist. Nevertheless, doctors could continue to recommend non-FDA-approved cannabis products to individuals seeking MMJ cards, allowing them to register as marijuana patients in their states.
Moving cannabis to Schedule III would enable doctors to prescribe FDA-approved marijuana medicines. This would align with the current practice where physicians are authorized to prescribe Schedule III substances, such as Tylenol with codeine, only if they have FDA approval.
Leah Sera, codirector of the University of Maryland’s Graduate Studies in Medical Marijuana program, highlighted that physicians prescribing Schedule III substances would be a substantial change. However, she warned that the scope may not be as extensive as the current dispensary offerings. FDA approval would still be necessary, requiring marijuana drugs to undergo the approval process before prescription, sale and dispensing in pharmacies.
Rescheduling might stimulate increased research and development of marijuana-based drugs. However, the lengthy FDA approval process means that prescriptions for new cannabis-related products could be years away, according to Justin Brandt of the Bianchi and Brandt law firm.
Sera notes that while rescheduling won’t permit doctors to prescribe medical cannabis from state-licensed dispensaries, it could positively impact their attitudes toward the substance. “Rescheduling might not directly allow prescriptions for state-licensed dispensary products, but it could foster informed discussions between medical providers and patients about marijuana and its potential benefits and risks,” she stated.
Attorney Eric Berlin, an attorney at Dentons Law Firm, states that moving marijuana to Schedule III could also render FDA-approved cannabis products eligible for insurance coverage. Currently, insurance covers only FDA-approved drugs.
However, there are exceptions, as some states such as New York, New Mexico, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Minnesota and Connecticut allow workers’ compensation reimbursement for medical cannabis. In contrast, others do not obligate insurance carriers to reimburse for medical marijuana costs. Some states, such as Massachusetts, outright prohibit insurance coverage for medical cannabis.
Julie Schum of the Quintairos, Prieto, Wood and Boyer law firm noted that insurers might find covering medical marijuana more cost-effective than opiates since at least 30% of worker’s compensation claims involve opiate prescriptions. Such a decision would lead to a lot more insured people opting for medical cannabis products from enterprises such as Trulieve Cannabis Corp. (CSE: TRUL) (OTCQX: TCNNF) if they were sure insurance would cover the cost.
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CNW420 spotlights the latest developments in the rapidly evolving cannabis industry through the release of two informative articles each business day. Our concise, informative content serves as a gateway for investors interested in the legalized cannabis sector and provides updates on how regulatory developments may impact financial markets. Articles are released each business day at 4:20 a.m. and 4:20 p.m. Eastern – our tribute to the time synonymous with cannabis culture. If marijuana and the burgeoning industry surrounding it are on your radar, CNW420 is for you! Check back daily to stay up-to-date on the latest milestones in the fast -changing world of cannabis.
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Cronos Group Inc. says it has entered into an agreement to sell and lease back its Stayner, Ontario facility known as the “Peace Naturals Campus.”
The agreement, once fulfilled, would see Future Farmco Canada Inc. buy the facility from Cronos for $23 million in cash. Peace Naturals was one of the first licensed commercial medical cannabis facilities in Canada, licensed in October 2013. Cronos significantly expanded the site in 2017 into the cannabis campus.
Cronos acquired Peace Naturals in 2016, taking on all issued and outstanding shares of Peace Naturals Project Inc. In 2019, Altria, an American tobacco company, became the largest shareholder in Cronos Group.
The new deal with Future Farmco Canada Inc., a vertical farming company, will allow Cronos to continue to utilize part of the Peace Naturals space through the leaseback agreement.
“The sale-leaseback of the Peace Naturals Campus supports Cronos’ goal to reduce costs across the Company,” said Mike Gorenstein, Cronos Chairman, President, and CEO. “More specifically, this sale will aid in improving the gross margin profile of our business, while lowering costs and increasing our agility. This sale only strengthens our industry-leading balance sheet and allows us to continue to pursue organic growth and future transactions that bolster Cronos’ existing value. We do not expect any interruption to our current operations and plan to carry out existing growth plans within our leased space at the facility.”
The deal still needs to be approved by the buyer after 180 days.
Cannabis regulators in the state of New York have reached a settlement with veterans who had filed a suit over the licensing process in the state. The settlement’s completion will allow an injunction that was effected from August to be lifted. The temporary injunction, which was enacted by the state’s Supreme Court, has prevented hundreds of holders of conditional adult-use retail dispensary licenses from launching their businesses.
Regulators in the state launched the recreational retail-dispensary program to afford those who were disproportionately affected by the drug war before marijuana became legal an opportunity to enter the legal marijuana industry. The program’s objective was to create a cannabis industry that was centered on social equity.
When filing their lawsuit, the veterans claimed that the regulators acted ultra vires and violated marijuana law by giving preference in the application process, instead of opening it to the general public as stipulated by the law. The veterans also asserted that the award system breached the state’s constitution, citing that under the law, disabled veterans could qualify as economic and social applicants, which entitled them to certain licensing benefits and priorities.
The agreement between the veterans and regulators in the state has happened at a time when there’s considerable change in how regulators in the state approach the rollout of marijuana licensing. Earlier in September, regulators expanded their licensing program to allow for more diversity between applicants. This decision allowed multistate operators to enter the market, which was at the time dominated mainly by a restricted number of entrepreneurs and unlicensed dispensaries.
This lawsuit isn’t the only legal challenge marijuana regulators in the state of New York face either. In March, medical cannabis operators in the state filed a complaint against the regulators. Their objective was to secure license issuance for all applicants of retail dispensary licenses. The operators asserted that the agencies hadn’t fulfilled their duties as stipulated by the law and that their actions had endangered the safety and health of the people of New York.
Last year, Variscite, a company based in Michigan, also filed a lawsuit against the regulators. The aim was to obtain a preliminary injunction against licenses awarded in specific regions of the state. The company argued that the preference for in-state operators by the licensing program prevented interstate commerce, and in turn, violated the dormant commerce clause. The case was resolved earlier in May, with the Cannabis Control Board approving a settlement.
The cannabis industry is always engaged in efforts to improve one policy or the other due to how stringently prohibition was enforced, and the progress made in New York is likely to be welcomed by industry actors elsewhere, such as Verano Holdings Corp. (CSE: VRNO) (OTCQX: VRNOF).
About CNW420
CNW420 spotlights the latest developments in the rapidly evolving cannabis industry through the release of two informative articles each business day. Our concise, informative content serves as a gateway for investors interested in the legalized cannabis sector and provides updates on how regulatory developments may impact financial markets. Articles are released each business day at 4:20 a.m. and 4:20 p.m. Eastern – our tribute to the time synonymous with cannabis culture. If marijuana and the burgeoning industry surrounding it are on your radar, CNW420 is for you! Check back daily to stay up-to-date on the latest milestones in the fast -changing world of cannabis.
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Evil Contains Within It the Seeds of Its Own Destruction
The Power of Compassion and Love
I am fortunate to have several, actually many, good friends who sit around my café table to enter into deep metaphysical discussions on what we see happening in the world. Of course our attention has been drawn to the undeniable genocide of the people of Palestine. Almost no one has words for what we are witnessing on our screens, it is pure evil manifesting and therefore defies our ability to describe it. While bombs aren’t falling on our heads, nor on our family’s homes, the term shellshocked seems to fit. We’ve reached the point of expanded human consciousness where we innately and intimately feel our connection with others, the sentient world we walk upon, and all her creatures so that nothing has caused deeper grief than seeing children and babies blown to pieces. It is graphic because it needs to be graphic, for too long, humanity has turned a blind eye to what was being done in our name.
While I was ruminating out loud with a few friends over dinner, what I heard myself say rang so true that I was surprised I hadn’t thought of it before. You see, while those who do evil hate us, they hate themselves even more and thereby are driven to their own destruction. Nothing has demonstrated this more than the actions of the Zionist state of Israel—many are in agreement that they have secured their demise. Not that they won’t attempt total world annihilation as described in their Samson Option, they will because they are annihilistic and atheistic to their core.
In Arabic, the roots of the word shaheed—martyr—comes a verb meaning “the one who bears witness.” Another way to perceive this is that we are all potential martyrs bearing witness to those who propagate hatred while they wave the false flag of victimhood . The shroud has been ripped off the we-alone-are-the-eternal-victims—the hollow class, we now see them for who they truly are—ghouls in human clothing.
The looming question is what can we do? This genocide tears at our hearts and yet provides the only pathway open to those of us who are relatively safe. While I find it difficult at times to find gratitude, I know I must in order to persevere through the dark days ahead; it can be the smallest act of looking at the clouds floating by in the sky overhead, listening to the messages of the birds that frequently remind me of the real songs of freedom. It is rejoicing in friendships and helping uplift others as they uplift me. We are returning to our natural roots, that which connects us to the All.
Since words often fail me these days, I find them echoed in others’ expressions. These I will share upon this page, for without doubt there is a great awakening and this too is apparent across the screen world, for Holiness is an infinite compassion for others. Let this thought sink in, let it drown out the fears and condemnations that arise. Use your rage to light the inner flame of becoming a blessing upon all. Evil has no way to counter this, and as the field of light grows ever brighter, none of the participants in the Death Cult will be able to hide, not even those who are still lurking in the shadows underground working sordid black magic; they grow weaker by the day. Be brazen enough, sure enough of the power of Truth to state this. We’ve been weakened into a state of doubting the power of our spoken word. Saying this is not arrogance, it is a retaking of what has been stolen—the humble Truth that Love conquers all. As difficult as it is to Be Love in the face of evil, this is what evil fears most and this is the only power that assures that evil will destroy itself.
Several years ago I posted this clip from Micheal Tsarion, recorded in 2010, on Facebook. It is still being shared today, for its truth resonates more strongly than ever. When we falter in our knowing, it is time to do whatever is necessary to reassert and strengthen within our being that this is so. For years many have written of becoming, we were works in this process, today we are Beings, honed by challenges, losses, and terrors. Today we choose each and every minute to stand rooted to the deep well of Truth and reach for the heavens above. I know of nothing greater than this.
While I realize that this genocidal war on Palestine provokes strong reactions and emotions, this is not my intent. That said, it needs to be made perfectly clear and graphic what we are up against. The man standing strong is a representative of you, of me, of all of us because sooner rather than later they are coming for us all. In the back of my mind I hear the whizzing sound, then the explosion of a bomb shaking the earth beneath my feet. There is only one side in this war, it is the side of human being’s right to live with dignity and in the tradition and celebrations that they choose. It is the breathtaking view of freedom honed on honor and respect of other’s inalienable right to life. While they scream terrorists (the falsity of their war on terrorism) we all see that they have inverted the truth and each screech out of their mouths further condemns them to what they have wrought.
Russell Means once famously said that “we are all on the reservation now” and few took note of what he meant. It is my prayers that we come to realize that we are all Palestinians now or as Max Igan has said for years, “the way of Palestine is the way of the world.” What is happening right now transcends religion, race, creed, ideology, and philosophy. It could be the destruction of us all or it could be the rebirth of humanity divine. What are you choosing?
Fearless experiential explorer of our Realm, writing and making videos since 2015. Tired of the big tech platforms, tired of the endless blather most humans feel compelled to share. It’s Time to get Real and tap into Source Intelligence.
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How and why are we being distorted? From history, to mystery and our very potential for long, happy and healthy lives, seems to be that all being shared from any ‘normal’ sources is somehow, perhaps fully, polluted by evil’s nefarious agenda. And what is that agenda?
Let’s delve into some of my most recent videos and interviews, looking for light onto our ‘bend’s and get the ‘facts’ straight for straightening out our lives. Once again, thanks for joining us here. Cambell and Company!
Nothing is impossible unless we say it is….stay awesome!
Efforts to get plant-based psychedelic substances legalized in the state of Massachusetts may have hit a snag after one regulation on gathering signatures was violated. The regulation in question was the printing of the logo of a labor union on ballot sheets, which may have invalidated the whole process. This oversight may prevent the measure from being included on the 2024 ballot.
Deborah O’Malley, a spokesperson for the Secretary of State’s Office, revealed that the elections’ division found the disqualifying marks and informed the legalization campaign. O’Malley explained that any stray marks or modifications invalidated the whole sheet.
The legalization campaign, Massachusetts for Mental Health Options, was championing a measure that would permit individuals aged 21 years and above to legally use psychedelics such as hallucinogenic mushrooms at a licensed facility. The resolution would also decriminalize the possession of substances, including mescaline, ibogaine and psilocybin, in the state. It should be noted though that these substances are still illegal at the federal level due to their classification under the Controlled Substances Act.
In a statement, the ballot campaign’s spokesperson, Jennifer Manley, stated that they were focused on ensuring that the signature threshold needed to advance the petition in the ballot process was met. This revelation comes about two weeks after the campaign announced that it had surpassed the signature threshold.
The recent news calls attention to a divide in the activist community, with local activists on one end and a federal group on the other.
The current campaign for the ballot petition is being supported by New Approach PAC, which is funded by big donors. This has made some skeptical of the strategy being used to push for decriminalization of psychedelics.
Bay Staters for Natural Medicine’s founder, James Davis, stated that it came as no surprise that PAC had bungled signature collection. He noted that their resolution, which would legalize the substances in a better way, was still advancing in the legislature. Davis then noted that even if the campaign did meet and surpass the signature threshold, his campaign would aim to change the language used in the ballot question.
Davis’ organization opposes provisions in the proposed measure that would establish a new body to regulate psychedelic substances. This comes after activists condemned an Oregon regulatory commission for making psychedelics exceedingly expensive.
The psychedelics campaign has until Nov. 22, 2023, to file its signatures for certification.
The potential collapse of the Massachusetts campaign is just one of other progressive priorities that have ran into some issues in the past week. Last week, efforts to include a rent control question on next year’s ballot were suspended, with the primary reason for the change of heart being that the needed signatures wouldn’t have been gathered in time.
Despite the setbacks in some states where campaigners want to see drug laws reformed to allow the use of psychedelics, companies such as Compass Pathways PLC (NASDAQ: CMPS) are taking the path of developing drugs following the approval process set by the FDA. This approach sidesteps the complexities associated with the local and national politics of the time.
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