Friday, April 26, 2019

Thank You For Your Support


Dear Friends and Colleagues,

Running a non-profit is a lot of hard work everyday.  PAN is not supported by any large donors, but we piece it together with many small contributions from patients, advocates and providers like yourself.  We can’t do it without you.

From time to time we experience unexpected expenses and shortfalls.  This is one of those times and we need your support.  I’m asking that you please click the donate button and contribute whatever you can.  Your contribution is always tax-deductible and a receipt will be emailed to you.  

Thank You!

Monday, April 08, 2019

PAN Medical Cannabis News Digest - Spring 2019



Patient Advocacy Network Medical Cannabis News Digest – 


For more news updates and current information -
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Medical Cannabis News Around California

California’s Cannabis Marketplace is a Mess. Here’s How to Fix It




Lawmakers look to slash cannabis taxes




Judge halts licensing process for 7 commercial cannabis businesses in San Bernardino




Prosecutors Move to Clear 54,000 Marijuana Convictions in California




More Than 9,300 Marijuana-Related Convictions Will Be Expunged in San Francisco




Los Angeles Set to Reduce or Expunge 50,000 Marijuana Convictions






Medical Cannabis News Around The U.S.

Medical Marijuana ‘Can Help Everyone,’ Says Director at Maryland Cannabis Facility




Teen Pot Use Fell in States That Legalized Medical Marijuana: Study




Veterans urge Congress, VA to catch up on expanding access to medical marijuana





NFL Considers Options for Medical Use of Marijuana




Arizonans Consumed 61 Tons of Medical-Marijuana Products in 2018 – a Record High




Arkansas approves 32 medical marijuana dispensaries in state




Smoking medical marijuana is now legal in Florida




Georgia bill seeks in-state cultivation, sale of medical marijuana




Hawaii opens medical marijuana registration to visitors




Kentucky - Smoking a joint opened gateway for Republican on medical marijuana




Medical marijuana approved by Kentucky House panel. More legislative hurdles remain.




Here’s why medical marijuana in Louisiana still isn’t available




Medical Marijuana Sales Slump In Maine




Medical cannabis is a high priority in Md. Legislature




Caregiver-produced medical marijuana recalled in Michigan




Minnesota medical marijuana program nearly doubled in 2018




Missouri gets ready to grow medical marijuana




More than 400 file to grow or sell medical pot in Missouri




Montana legislature takes up revisions to medical marijuana law




New Mexico raises cap for medical marijuana producers




North Dakota’s First Medical Cannabis Dispensary Is Open for Business




Medical marijuana means new education for Ohio law enforcement




Ohio Sold $75,000 Worth of Medical Marijuana on Its First Legal Day




More than 100 medical marijuana dispensaries have opened in Tulsa




Rhode Island demand for medical marijuana skyrocketing




New bill would expand medical cannabis use for Texans




Utah medical marijuana proponents say patients running into trouble with police, prosecutors under new law




New bill would double number of medical cannabis dispensaries in Virginia
https://www.dailypress.com/news/southside/vp-bz-medical-marijuana-dispensaries-0111-20190112-story.html





West Virginia Governor Signs Medical Marijuana Banking Bill




Wisconsin Governor Puts Marijuana Decriminalization And Medical Cannabis In Budget




New governor of the US Virgin Islands signs bill legalizing medical marijuana







International Medical Cannabis News

After A Decade Of Testing, Israeli Medical Cannabis Comes To The US




Israel - Ex-police chief takes post pushing medical cannabis worldwide




Uruguay Betting on Exports of Medical Marijuana




Medical cannabis is now in the UK, but nobody can get a prescription




UK receives initial ‘bulk’ shipment of medical cannabis




Cyprus legalises medical cannabis





Medical cannabis imports allowed only through orphan drug center




Growing our own: Inside an Australian medical cannabis farm




First medical cannabis clinic opens in the UK




Germany cautiously embraces medical cannabis regulation


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Please support our work.  Patient Advocacy Network is a charitable 501(c)(3) organization.  

We defend patients’ safe, affordable access medical cannabis and promote workable regulations for providers.  We teach patients and providers how to effectively engage the democratic process and have a voice in policy.

100% of your donation goes toward PAN’s education, advocacy and direct action programs. Your contribution is tax-deductible, a receipt will be provided.  Regular monthly contributions help PAN be most effective. 

You can click the donate button on this page or at: https://www.cannabissaveslives.org





Thursday, April 04, 2019

California Cannabis Bill Watch – Spring 2019


Final Regulations for cannabis businesses were released earlier this year, but there may be more changes coming.  Below are some of the bills being watched by the California cannabis industry this legislative session.  


AB 1530 reverses the policy adopted by the BCC allowing cannabis deliveries anywhere in the state regardless of local bans. This bill states that a ‘local jurisdiction may adopt an ordinance or resolution that permits, restricts, limits, or bans the delivery of cannabis or cannabis products to a location within its jurisdictional boundaries.’  PAN supports statewide delivery as an option for patients.  The bill would also establish a grant program to expand enforcement against unlicensed cannabis businesses and increase consumer education.


PAN is closely following these tax bills:

SB 34 is the re-filed ‘Compassionate Care’ bill that was vetoed by then Gov. Brown last year.  This amended version now called ‘Cannabis Donations’ exempts from the use tax cannabis products expressly intended for compassion programs.  Strict track and trace measures will apply.  

AB 286 is the ‘Taxation: cannabis’ bill and is currently in the Assembly Revenue & Taxation Committee. This bill is intended to offer temporary relief to cannabis businesses by lowering the excise tax from 15 to 11%, and eliminating the cultivation tax until July 1, 2022.  The bill also requires reports from the various departments involved on licensing and tax revenue numbers to measure the bill’s success. The legislature wants to see if lowing taxes gets more people to apply for licenses and gets more customers to the regulated shops.  

AB 37, the ‘Personal income taxes: deductions: business expenses: commercial cannabis activity’ bill would help offset the federal 280E tax burden by allowing business deductions in California’s personal income tax for state-licensed cannabis businesses.  The bill’s authors address tax equity for licensed cannabis businesses.


Other bills that would help cannabis businesses:

AB 1420 prohibits state regulators from raising application and licensing fees past what is already established.  The nice part of this bill is that it lists every fee for every license type together in one section.

SB 51 allows for the establishment of “cannabis limited charter banks and credit unions” to serve the cannabis industry.

AB 1525 codifies that financial institutions such as banks and credit unions that work with licensed cannabis businesses are not in violation of state law.

SB 67 extends temporary business licenses until the end of 2019, for those that have already submitted Annual License Applications.

AB 953 allows licensees to pay state and local taxes with a cryptocurrency method called “stablecoin.”



Some proposed inventory, track and trace changes:

AB 1288 requires additional sales data be uploaded into California’s track-and-trace system, specifically the date of every sale and whether each sale was conducted at a shop or via delivery.

SB 475 allows the sharing of free-trade samples of cannabis products between licensees exempt of the cultivation tax.


To look up and track any of these bills, visit https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml
and type in the bill number.


To find your California representatives, visit

Constituents can contact their representatives by phone or by using the contact page on the representative’s website to SUPPORT or OPPOSE any of these bills.


Contact PAN if you have any questions about contacting your elected representatives. Your voice matters.

Thursday, February 28, 2019

California's Cannabis Taxes Drive Unregulated Market, Harms Patients And Providers



Earlier this month PAN reached out to each member of the California legislature, as well as department heads, seeking amendments to current cannabis regulations that will make medical cannabis more affordable for patients.

PAN has received some feedback from the legislature and at least one bill aims to reduce the excise tax but only temporarily.  There is still a lot of work to be done.  Below is PAN's letter to the California legislature.  We will continue to demand patient-friendly amendments.

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Patient Advocacy Network
Degé Coutee, President
P.O. Box 93845
Los Angeles, CA 90093

(323) 334-5282



Office of the Governor
Governor Gavin Newsom
State Capitol, Suite 1173
Sacramento, CA 95814



RE: My letter to the California Senate and Assembly Regarding Medical Cannabis

February 4, 2019


I write to you regarding the current state of medical cannabis in California. Since 1992, I have advocated for safe, affordable access for medical cannabis patients, provided social services and education to patients and their caregivers, and became a compliance expert in the medical cannabis industry where I have worked with nearly 3,500 cannabis business operators since 2003.  

January of last year I began asking patients about their experiences at cannabis outlets as the new rules came into effect.  After several dozen inquiries I got the same answer from all of them. None of the patients I spoke with are purchasing medical cannabis from licensed cannabis businesses.  They all said they found more affordable options and could no longer pay the prices at the regulated shops.  

I asked cannabis business operators if they still saw their patient members and one operator stated, “before I got my ‘A’ license I had 8,000 patient members – after January (2018) I haven’t seen any of them.”  Another operator told me he can’t blame patients for finding other means because his low-income patients are suffering under the new rules.

There are numerous ways in which the current regulations make medical cannabis unaffordable.  The fees and over-taxation from seed to sale and every process in between is currently driving the underground market, and this market appears to be expanding as is the demand for it.  No amount of enforcement will alleviate this unless the prices in the regulated market can come down.  Prices have increased under the current regulations 28% - 36% more than patients were paying a little over a year ago, and many have taken their business elsewhere.

I ask the California State Legislature to please make reasonable amendments to our medical cannabis regulations so that the price can return to what the patient market will bear, $30 - $55 per eight of an ounce of flower after tax.  Please make the rules reasonable for businesses that want to provide free and low-cost medical cannabis products to indigent patients. 

During the 2016 Election patient advocates were told repeatedly that Prop 64 would NOT interfere with Prop 215.  The lack of affordability that is pushing  patients to the black market, and the lack of compassion programs were not the intent of Prop 64.  California can have a lucrative cannabis industry and still take care of patients; this is what the voters intended. 

I thank you for your time and consideration and look forward to working the California legislature to restore Compassion to our state’s medical cannabis regulations. 



Sincerely,

Degé Coutee
President, Executive & Program Director
Patient Advocacy Network

@PAN4Compassion

www.CannabisSavesLives.org

PAN is a charitable 501(c)(3) organization