Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Medical Marijuana Is Now A Popular Midterm Measure In Utah, One Of The Most Conservative States
Stat: Medical Marijuana Push Washes Over One Of The Nation's Most Conservative States
At first, the debate over medical marijuana in Utah played out as you might expect: The Republican governor declared the issue shouldn’t be on the ballot. Once it was, the state medical association steered the opposition. By August, a senior official in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was warning that residents of some states that had legalized marijuana were seeing serious “health and safety consequences.” But, then, something curious happened: Key opponents negotiated an agreement with the measure’s backers and other state leaders. Now, no matter what happens on Election Day, state lawmakers will be called into a special legislative session and plan to enact an alternate medical marijuana program. (Joseph, 10/31)
Health News Florida: House Seeks To Defend Medical Marijuana Law
The Florida House is seeking to intervene in a potentially far-reaching legal battle about the constitutionality of a 2017 law that set regulations for the state’s medical-marijuana industry. House lawyers last week requested approval to help defend the law, which was designed to carry out a constitutional amendment that broadly legalized medical marijuana. (Saunders, 10/31)
Boston Globe: The Politics Of Pot: How The Elections Will Play Into Weed Laws
Entrepreneurs and investors who are flocking to the industry say legalization is inevitable in the United States. But while more than 60 percent of Americans support making pot legal, the politics remain fraught. (Giammona, 10/30)
State House News Service/Boston Globe: Final Approval To Begin Sales Remains Elusive For Marijuana Retailers In Mass.
Marijuana regulators could issue another six so-called final licenses for marijuana businesses when they meet Thursday, but the retailers who have already been given final approval still have not pinned down when they will open to customers. When the Cannabis Control Commission meets Thursday afternoon, it will consider granting six final licenses, including one for a Pharmacannis Massachusetts retail store in Wareham. (Young, 10/30)
Politico Pro: U.S. Cannabis Industry Tries To Catch Trump's Eye With Canada Argument
The U.S. cannabis industry is testing whether President Donald Trump's 'America First' talk extends to the pot business, now that Canada has legalized recreational marijuana use. The publicly held dispensary Terra Tech Corp. took out a full-page ad in the Wall Street Journal imploring Trump for help on the eve of Canada's decriminalization and is eyeing similar appeals on Fox & Friends — the splashiest parts of a push to galvanize support behind an industry beset by legal and regulatory uncertainty. (Owermohle, 10/30)
NPR: When Adolescents Give Up Pot, Their Cognition Quickly Improves
Marijuana, it seems, is not a performance-enhancing drug. That is, at least, not among young people, and not when the activity is learning. A study published Tuesday in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry finds that when adolescents stop using marijuana – even for just one week – their verbal learning and memory improves. The study contributes to growing evidence that marijuana use in adolescents is associated with reduced neurocognitive functioning. (Cohen, 10/30)
Meanwhile, in news related to vaping —
Buzzfeed: Juul Offered To Pay Schools As Much As $20,000 To Blame Vaping On Peer Pressure
Juul offered a number of schools and public school systems stipends of as much as $20,000 to adopt a vaping curriculum to be taught by Juul consultants, according to information from multiple school districts reviewed by BuzzFeed News. The ill-fated curriculum, which Juul pulled in mid-May, recently came under fire in an article published this month in the Journal of Adolescent Health that claims Juul failed to emphasize the harms caused by flavored pods and omitted information about how the e-cigarette industry markets to teens, the authors said. (Miranda, 10/30)
