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This week, the Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC) approved an extension of curbside delivery to promote social distancing in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Elsewhere, in New Jersey, the Department of Health issued a waiver to allow dispensaries to offer home delivery to the state’s medical cannabis patients.
Here, we’ve rounded up the 10 headlines you need to know before this week is over.
- Federal: MedMen co-founders Adam Bierman and Andrew Modlin have stepped down from the company’s board of directors. Bierman had previously served as a board member, while Modlin served as an observer to the board. Read more
- Lester Grinspoon, M.D., a Harvard professor, psychiatrist and author, passed away this week at the age of 92. Grinspoon was committed to advancing cannabis policy throughout his life and was also dedicated to NORML, serving on the on the organization’s Board of Directors and Advisory Board for many years. Read more
- Massachusetts: The Cannabis Control Commission discussed at a virtual meeting whether to revise certain regulatory policies, including changes to the requirements surrounding economic empowerment applicants. Regulators debated whether to reduce business ownership by these individuals from at least 51% to 33%, as long as the target community members maintain control of the business and receive a certain amount of economic benefit, in order to allow applicants more flexibility to obtain capital. Read more
- Missouri: Regulators are investigating fraudulent medical cannabis certifications after the Department of Health and Senior Services discovered that patients have submitted certification forms signed by an unauthorized doctor. The state has indicated that there is no evidence to suggest that patients knew the doctor listed on the form was not the doctor they met with, and affected patients will have 30 days to submit a valid certification to the department in order to keep their medical cannabis registrations. Read more
- Oregon: The OLCC has moved to extend the ability of licensed cannabis retailers to continue curbside delivery in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic in order to promote social distancing. The temporary rule expires in September, but can be extended with another temporary rule. Read more
- Iowa: The Des Moines City Council voted in favor of a resolution this week that will create a task force to study cannabis decriminalization. The resolution was part of an anti-racial profiling ordinance that passed unanimously, and it establishes a six-member volunteer task force to study the issue and provide recommendations by Oct. 1. Read more
- West Virginia: The West Virginia Office of Medical Cannabis began scoring medical cannabis cultivation applications this week. The state will ultimately issue licenses for 10 cultivators, 10 processors and up to 100 dispensaries, and regulators will begin evaluating processor and dispensary applications after considering cultivation applicants. Read more
- Oklahoma: The Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority is expanding the recall that was first initiated on May 15 to include additional batches of vape cartridges and possibly other products processed by Moon Mix, a medical cannabis processor in the Oklahoma County area. Patients or caregivers who have affected medical marijuana products in their possession should contact the dispensary they purchased the products from for information on its recall procedures. Read more
- Arkansas: The Arkansas Medical Marijuana Commission is considering whether to expand the number of licensed medical cannabis cultivators in the state from six to eight. Regulators are up against a July 10 deadline to make a decision, and lawmakers took up the issue June 23 to discuss whether there is a shortage of medical cannabis in the state, although no decision was reached. Read more
- New Jersey: The state’s medical cannabis dispensaries can deliver products directly to patients’ homes in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic after the Department of Health issued a waiver this week to allow home delivery. Dispensaries must submit a plan to the department for approval before launching delivery services. Read more
