Boca Raton, August 6, 2017
Discussion Group: Growing Cannabis Law: When Grass Becomes Cash
Cannabis a/k/a marijuana, grass, pot, weed law-reforms are sprouting throughout the country. Many states now permit restricted medicinal or recreational use, possession, sale, cultivation, and transportation, creating a cash-crop business opportunity. Yet federal law still prohibits cannabis activities Continue reading “Speaking to Southeastern Association of Law Schools meeting”
Here are new proposed testing regulations in California — but now I follow up on a recent post, where I said that while detecting cheating in folks who test marijuana for THC might be tricky, detecting cheating in folks who test marijuana for pesticides would be a snap. Just see if follow-up testing detected any pesticides; if so, start worrying.
But a chemist friend lets me know that there is more to it:
+++++
I differ in the pesticide opinion at the end of the article.
In science, there is no ‘zero’, there is only ‘less than’ or ‘not detected’. Continue reading “Testing Marijuana for Pesticides, continued”
Testing companies gain customers if they can report falsely high THC in cannabis plants — and charge low prices. A friend says she quit the testing business because as an honest tester she was losing business to cheaters.
Thanks to Bob Young of the Seattle Times for brining Dr. Dominic Corva’s write-up to my attention. (This blog doesn’t have enough readers to scoop him.)
My friend Dr. Corva looks at the cannabis testing problem in Washington. His full write-up is here: http://cannabisandsocialpolicy.org/taming-thc-inflation-silver-bullet/.
I think Dr. Corva is a smart and conscientious advocate and thought leader, and I’m always interested in what he is thinking.
Dr. Corva’s Proposal:
“Normalize lab results by lab, and require only the percentile of each result to be listed on the package rather than a precise percentage.”
He elaborates on the problem this way: Continue reading “Corva’s attack on cheating on marijuana plant testing”
California Board of Equalization elected Member Jerome Horton came up with an October surprise to illustrate a tax weakness in Prop 64, the California marijuana legalization initiative. That weakness didn’t prevent its passage, but it lingers. And a new 79-page clean-up bill does not fix it.
Member Horton alleged that a tiny, technical, last-minute drafting change in the California 2016 marijuana initiative could cost the state $50 million, starting in November. Indeed, the Board of Equalization has adopted his view and officially confirmed that the current sales tax on medical marijuana just disappears – for a while.
I don’t know how anyone would have standing to sue to reverse that ruling. So, apparently, unless the Legislature acts, the total tax on medical cannabis, over time, will be:
— 7.5%, (through the November 8 Election) then
— 0% (from certification of ballot results through 12-31-17), then
— 15% plus weight tax (starting 1-1-18).
For details, see this old post: https://newrevenue.org/2016/11/12/5032/.
Continue reading “California clean-up bill does not fix tax blunder”
The Center for New Revenue 