Weednesday Sept 2 2020
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GOP Congressman Will Vote Yes On Marijuana Legalization Bill Despite ‘Reparations’ Concerns
A Republican congressman says he will be a “yes” vote on a bill to federally legalize marijuana that the House of Representatives is set to take up this month. But he also argued that certain social equity provisions—which he described as “reparations”—go too far and will make the legislation unpalatable to the GOP-controlled Senate.
The GOP congressman added that he thought some of the federal cannabis tax revenue could instead “fund distribution that would allow more people who need marijuana as medicine to be able to receive it.”
Despite his concerns with some of the MORE Act’s provisions, Gaetz said “those frustrating elements of the reparations are less troubling to me than the status quo on marijuana, which is indefensible really.”
Gaetz, in the new podcast, argued that more modest cannabis reform legislation could pass both chambers of Congress be signed by the president. The Strengthening the Tenth Amendment Through Entrusting States (STATES) Act would simply allow states to set their own marijuana policies without fear of federal intervention, though it wouldn’t formally deschedule cannabis or address past harms of the war on drugs.
If the House approves the bill, there will still be an open question about whether the Senate would follow suit. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is a strong advocate for hemp, but he’s maintained steadfast opposition to broader marijuana reform. That said, he did hold closed-door meetings with industry representatives last year.
It’s possible the House action could spur the Senate to take up the STATES Act, however. That bipartisan bill is sponsored by Sens. Cory Gardner (R-CO) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).
Fox said the USDA’s looming rules have “serious flaws” that “put a lot of farmers at risk.”
Fox praised the USDA delays on testing and destruction requirements, but called the solutions fleeting.
In Poland, hemp production growing fast despite legal ambiguity, uneven enforcement
Polish farmers nearly doubled the area they cultivated for hemp last year, and the country has developed a reputation as a European hub for CBD processing due to the growth of small extraction operations.
The figure is based on the area declared by farmers who received an EU subsidy.
The number of hectares of hemp being cultivated in Poland has steadily increased since 2015, the year that farmers were first eligible to apply for EU aid, according to a recent report from the Polityka Insight research group.
Before Polish farmers can sow certified seeds, one of the two following conditions must be met:
The farmer signs a written contract with a third party to produce a set amount of the specific crop, which the third party agrees to collect on a set date for a set price.
The farmer provides a written commitment to local authorities to process industrial hemp on his or her own, but only for the textile, chemical, pulp and paper, food, cosmetic, pharmaceutical, building materials and seed industries.
Almost no farmers in Poland cultivate hemp for fiber, but most will collect what remains in the field after harvesting the flower or seed and sell it as short fiber, mainly to the construction and automotive sectors and to other farmers for straw mulch
“When their business is completely or temporarily shut down as a result of an administrative decision, these entrepreneurs can quickly declare bankruptcy and start a new mirror company immediately, without any major losses [and] without actually interrupting the processing process,” the report said.