Welcome back to The Week in Weed, your Friday look at what's happening in the world of legalized marijuana.
There were several interesting developments this week on the federal level. We'll start off with the news that the Senate may not take up the issue of banking in the marijuana industry. Sen. Mike Crapo (R. Idaho) won't commit to holding hearings on the SAFE Banking Act, which is currently under consideration in the House.
In other federal news, a marijuana patent suit will proceed towards a jury trial, after a judge denied a motion to dismiss. And a marijuana staffing agency employee may not use bankruptcy protection because her firm has ties to the cannabis industry. Note: the firm does not "touch the plant"; they merely provide a service to those who do.
So what's been happening in the world of hemp, marijuana's less controversial cousin, since the Farm Bill de-scheduled it? Glad you asked, and the answer is quite a bit. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has released guidelines for importing hemp seeds. Imports are fine, so long as the plants produced will contain less than .3% THC.
There's also been lots of activity on the state level, as many jurisdictions have moved to legalize hemp. Illinois, Texas, Oklahoma, North Dakota, Iowa, Louisiana and Hawaii all moved in the direction of allowing the product. South Dakota, however, seems unlikely to join their number any time soon.
If you're interested in an in-depth look at marijuana in Illinois, have a look at this series of articles from the University of Illinois and NPR Illinois.
In states that have already legalized recreational cannabis, the new trend is to allow home delivery. Colorado and Massachusetts are both close to approving the service. If we can have everything else brought directly to our doors, why should marijuana be any different?
And finally, a marijuana investor recently gave Harvard and MIT $9M for the study of cannabinoids. Clearly, the presence of cannabis on campus has changed...
See you next week!
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.