Marijuana Policy Project Deputy Director Matthew Schweich and Director of State Policies Karen O’Keefe join Jordan and Andrew of Weed Wonks to talk about the current state of marijuana policy reform in the United States as the coronavirus pandemic sets in.
Virginia’s medical marijuana law has been a source of confusion and frustration for reform advocates given the restrictive definitions of which cannabis products patients can access and the limited legal protections afforded to them. But under legislation approved by Gov. Ralph Northam (D) this week, the issue is being addressed.
As the coronavirus continues to have a meaningful impact on all aspects of the emerging cannabis industry, there is one group largely being left out of the national conversation over policy responses to the crisis: cannabis prisoners.
Massachusetts marijuana advocates are asking for an advisory opinion from the state's attorney general addressing whether Gov. Charlie Baker can restrict adult-use marijuana sales to state residents, as part of a bid to get Baker to lift a closure order shuttering recreational cannabis businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
There are now more than 1.6 million cases of the coronavirus worldwide, 475,000 of them in the U.S. alone. While experts have pinpointed certain underlying conditions that put Americans at risk of serious infection from COVID-19 — many linked to obesity — new guidance from the American Lung Association suggests that marijuana smoking should also be considered a risk factor.
Advocates and lawmakers are mourning the loss of a young icon in the medical marijuana reform movement. Charlotte Figi, who showed the world how CBD can treat severe epilepsy, passed away on Tuesday at the age of 13 due to complications from a likely coronavirus infection.