Written by Sonia Case
Following important cannabis news articles every day can be a real burn-out, we know. That’s why the Emerald rolls up a chronicle of the headiest news hits, and passes them to you at the end of each week. We Bring You: The Digital Dime.
Let’s Bar Barr
Turns out that Attorney General William Barr doesn’t like the legal cannabis industry. So much so, that last year he ordered the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division to investigate ten different mergers of cannabis companies (like the failed MedMen and PharmaCann acquisition).
This Wednesday, June 24th, whistleblower John Elias, a career Justice Department prosecutor, testified before the House Judiciary Committee. According to Elias’ written statement, Barr’s “personal opposition to marijuana led him to direct improper antitrust investigations into multiple cannabis company mergers,” and accounted for, “nearly one-third of the decisions cases in 2019.”
In a copy of his prepared statement shared with Marijuana Moment, Rep. Lou Correa, D-CA, highlighted how, “the attorney general’s blatant abuse of his authority, to improperly investigate cannabis businesses just how important it is to end the federal prohibition of cannabis.”
Barr has agreed to respond to the allegations in late July.
Please Join My R&D Adventure Team
The lack of research due to restrictive legislation has long stunted the growth of the medical cannabis industry. Kids, the dark days are over because this Tuesday, June 23rd, Denver issued the first ever official research and development license to Med Pharm!
While their study still needs to be proved by the state, Med Pharm’s goal is to assess how cannabis could potentially help Alzheimer’s patients. One hundred and fifty Alzheimer’s patients will involved in the trial, and will receive either a daily oral dose of cannabis, or a placebo.
In an interview with CBS, Albert Gutierrez, the CEO of Med Pharm, emphasized how they, “really want to understand how the cannabinoids and the compounds we put together can help people.” If all works out, Med Pharm also hopes to study the impact of cannabis on cancer patients.
Stranger Danger
If you’re a patient looking for a medical cannabis prescription, make sure that your doctor is actually who they say they are! Last Friday, June 19th, the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) announced an investigation into fraudulent signatures on medical cannabis licenses.
According to the statement released by DHSS, “approximately 600 patient licenses have been issued to applicants who submitted physician certification forms with an unauthorized physician signature.” There is currently no evidence that these patients were aware of the fraudulent activity.
The DHSS will notify all patients affected. Patient will be granted a 30 day window to submit a new and valid certification. However, if patients fail to comply, the DHSS will revoke the license and offer a pro-rated refund on the registration fee.
Moral Support
This Tuesday, June 23rd, Gallup released a new survey assessing American views on the moral acceptability of various issues. The results indicate that, on average, seven in ten Americans consider cannabis consumption morally acceptable. Normalization, is that you?
Interestingly, the Americans surveyed ranked cannabis consumption as being morally superior to gay or lesbian relations (66%), pornography (36%), teenage sex (38%) and even having a baby outside of marriage (66%).
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