GENERAL
ALM Article: Marijuana’s Rapid Growth Could Put New Spotlight on Arbitration (Paywall)
FEDERAL
Acting DEA head says he will resign within days. Chuck Rosenberg had confronted Justice Department leaders over marijuana research
http://www.thecannabist.co/2017/09/27/dea-chuck-rosenberg-resign/88762/
WASHINGTON – Acting Drug Enforcement Administration head Chuck Rosenberg, a veteran attorney and law enforcement official who has found himself at odds with the Trump administration in recent months, told staff members Tuesday he is planning to step down from his post in less than a week.
Rosenberg, an Obama administration holdover, said he would resign as acting administrator on Oct. 1. In an email to his staff, Rosenberg said he was proud to have led the “remarkable agency.”
Uncomfortable with Trump, Acting DEA Chief Chuck Rosenburg Announces Resignation
COLORADO
Colorado ‘Child-Friendly’ Edible Shape Ban Takes Effect on Sunday
FLORIDA
Delray bans medical marijuana shops: ‘We’ve got enough on our plate’
Patients seeking medical pot in Delray Beach will have to go elsewhere — at least for one year.
A unanimous city commission banned medical marijuana dispensaries from Delray Beach on Tuesday night — with plans to reevaluate the decision in a year.
“We’ve got enough on our plate … We are the poster child nationally for irresponsibility in terms of prescription pain medication,” Mayor Cary Glickstein said referring to Delray Beach’s reputation as a hub for opioid addiction recovery.
The city already is faced with overwhelming pressure on first responders because of an inundating volume of drug-related calls, police Chief Jeff Goldman said.
GEORGIA
Marijuana decriminalization bill advances in Atlanta
http://www.11alive.com/news/local/marijuana-decriminalization-bill-advances-in-atlanta/478860368
ATLANTA — The city of Atlanta took a big step Tuesday toward decriminalizing marijuana possession. The city council’s public safety committee approved the bill. The measure goes to the full city council
The law would only apply in the city limits – and conflicts with a state law that calls for jail time. If it passes, it will give police a lot of leeway as to which law – state or city – would be enforced.
Eight states plus the District of Columbia have legalized marijuana possession. It wouldn’t be legal in Atlanta, but its possession would only carry a maximum $75 fine under the proposed ordinance.
HAWAII
MICHIGAN
Michigan bills would keep MMJ dispensaries open during licensing
WISCONSIN
Wisconsin Cities Are Legalizing Marijuana Themselves
http://hightimes.com/news/politics/wisconsin-cities-are-legalizing-marijuana/
Absent state action, that leaves city governments free to change marijuana policy within municipal limits. So far, two Wisconsin cities are legalizing marijuana, including Madison, the state capital and home of the flagship University of Wisconsin campus. Now, deciders in Stevens Point, a college town of about 27,000 people in the middle of the state, plan to legalize marijuana within city limits.
Stevens Point is already one of the most progressive cities in the state on cannabis, decriminalizing possession of five grams or less in 2014. The city will now allow anyone 21 and over to legally possess an ounce or less if a City Council proposal is approved. And unlike marijuana reform in many other places on earth, the city’s police chief is on board.
As the Stevens Point Journal is reporting, City Council member Mary McComb is working with the activist who put together the decriminalization efforts—a leukemia survivor—and plans to draft the legalization proposal for introduction in October.
According to the paper, McComb thinks that people who consume cannabis should be treated the same way as people who consume alcohol. “In my mind, it’s like punishing people for having a gin and tonic,” she said.
She added: “We’re in a different world now. Let’s get with the program.”
