Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Marijuana Laws Change, But Exactly How Depends On Your State
AP: Recreational Marijuana Legal To Possess, Grow In New Mexico
It’s legal for people in New Mexico to possess recreational marijuana and grow those plants at home as of Tuesday, the same day regulators opened discussions on rules for the launch of pot sales next year. The milestone was celebrated by cannabis consumers and advocates for criminal justice reform who say poor and minority communities have been prosecuted disproportionately for using marijuana. Now, the scent of marijuana no longer is an adequate cause for searching vehicles and property in New Mexico. (Lee and Attanasio, 6/30)
WSLS: Marijuana Legalization In Virginia Explained: What’s Legal On July 1?
With marijuana legalization in the Commonwealth right around the corner, there may be some confusion on what’s legal and what’s not. We’ll break down the hot button questions we’ve received since April 7 when Gov. Ralph Northam signed the bill, making Virginia the first Southern state to legalize marijuana. Here’s what you can expect with these new laws taking effect in Virginia on July 1. (Del Rosario, 6/29)
Hartford Courant: Connecticut State And Local Police Prepare To Enforce New Law On Legal Weed On July 1. Smelling Marijuana Is No Longer Justification For Searching A Motor Vehicle
For years, Connecticut police chiefs and officers have fought strongly against legalizing recreational marijuana, saying they have no reliable test to prove that a motorist has been driving under the influence of the drug. Now, police are scrambling to review the complicated legislation and enforce the new law that takes effect Thursday with the start of the new fiscal year. (Keating, 6/29)
The Philadelphia Inquirer: Is It Legal To Smoke Marijuana At The Jersey Shore?
Earlier this year, New Jersey legalized and decriminalized marijuana, ending decades of prohibition. And now, with summer in full swing, you may be wondering: Can I finally smoke a joint down the shore legally? Well, not so fast. While Gov. Phil Murphy said that the state’s “broken and indefensible marijuana laws are no more” back in February, there’s still a ways to go before New Jersey residents and shore-goers alike can light up completely carefree. (Vadala, 6/29)
Argus Leader: South Dakota's First Marijuana Dispensary Will Open In Flandreau
The first marijuana dispensary in South Dakota history will open next week in Moody County. Members of the Flandreau Santiee Sioux Tribe announced Friday they have opened it's medical marijuana program, they're accepting applications for medical marijuana ID cards and they will open their first retail location and begin selling cannabis Thursday, the day medical marijuana becomes legal in South Dakota. (Sneve, 6/29)
In other news about marijuana —
CNBC: Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas Says Federal Marijuana Laws May Be Outdated
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas on Monday said that federal laws against the sale and cultivation of marijuana are inconsistent, making a national prohibition unnecessary. “A prohibition on interstate use or cultivation of marijuana may no longer be necessary or proper to support the federal government’s piecemeal approach,” Thomas, one of the court’s most conservative justices, wrote in a statement. (Constantino, 6/28)
Bloomberg: AMLO Wants Mexico To Stop At Legal Pot Use And Not Allow Selling
Mexico’s president said he’s against the legal sale of marijuana, calling it “immoral,” the day after the Supreme Court removed a ban against its recreational use. It’s the first time President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador made his views so clearly known, contradicting some members of his cabinet and his own legislators in Congress, who’ve been working on a bill for months to create a cannabis industry. (Averbuch, 6/29)
In news about psychedelics and fentanyl —
AP: California Advances Decriminalizing Psychedelic Substances
California on Tuesday moved another step closer to decriminalizing psychedelics — amid a debate over whether their prohibition is an outdated remnant of the War on Drugs — after the author removed a substance from the bill that opponents said can be used as a date-rape drug. The bill would allow those 21 and older to possess for personal use and “social sharing” psilocybin, the hallucinogenic component of so-called magic mushrooms. It also covers psilocyn, dimethyltryptamine (DMT), ibogaine, mescaline excluding peyote, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, often called ecstasy). (Thompson, 6/30)
NBC News: Fentanyl Seizures At U.S. Southern Border Rise Dramatically
Federal agents in this section of the southern border say they’ve seen a staggering 4,000 percent increase in fentanyl seizures over the last three years. Those busts are not at ports of entry, where most smuggled drugs are typically found. The Border Patrol says the rising amount of fentanyl is being found in the desert – transported by increasingly brazen smugglers who are exploiting stretched federal resources. (Gutierrez and Henkel, 6/29)
