Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
In Calif., Parents And A Lawmaker Aim For Medical Marijuana To Be Allowed At School, Despite Federal Law
San Francisco Chronicle/California Healthline: Medical Pot On School Grounds: Parents, Bay Area Legislator Making The Push
Garcia is among a growing number of parents who are using medical marijuana to treat their sick children, often after pharmaceutical remedies have failed. In recognition of this, California is considering a law that would allow parents to administer the drug at school, a move that could set up a showdown with the federal government, whose laws make it a crime to possess, buy or sell marijuana. (Young, 8/21)
Boston Globe: State Refuses To Referee Marijuana Testing Dispute
It was a cornerstone of the pitch for legalizing marijuana in Massachusetts: Mandated laboratory testing would ensure that cannabis products sold in regulated stores are free of pesticides, mold, and other contaminants. Behind the scenes, however, a bitter scientific and business feud has split into two camps the state’s four marijuana testing labs, which currently serve medical dispensaries and will soon join the lucrative recreational market. (Adams, 8/21)
The New York Times: A Candidate Backed Medical Marijuana. Wells Fargo Closed Her Bank Account.
Wells Fargo isn’t the first bank to close a customer’s account over money that could be related to the sale of marijuana, which is legal in some form in states including Florida but still prohibited by federal law. That conflict has had banks large and small walking a line for more than a decade, since the first states began changing their cannabis laws. Marijuana growers have struggled to open and maintain bank accounts, and dispensaries have relied on cash to do business instead of credit cards. Businesses like construction companies and electricians that provide services to the growers and distributors have also had problems. (Flitter, 8/20)
