Tuesday January 5, 2020
In todays report:
New Bill On Underage Marijuana Possession Could End New Jersey Legalization Stalemate Between Governor and Lawmakers
click here for the link to the video on youtube
Under the new bill, A5211, people between the ages of 18 and 20 would be subject to a $250 civil fine for possession of up to an ounce of #marijuana, regardless of whether the #cannabis was obtained through a licensed store or an illegal #dealer. Possessing between one and six ounces would carry a $500 fine.
People #under18, meanwhile, would not be fined but would instead be sent to a juvenile justice court.
The proposal would clarify penalties contained in two separate bills already passed by the legislature that are currently on Murphy’s desk: a measure to establish a regulatory framework for the state’s new marijuana market and another to decriminalize possession of up to six ounces of cannabis. Lawmakers sent both measures to Murphy last month.
The new clean-up bill, filed on Monday by Assemblymembers Annette Quijano (D) and Benjie Wimberly (D), would also make a handful of other technical changes, including directing state police to work with marijuana regulators to develop standards for “workplace impairment recognition experts,” who would be responsible under the legalization bill for determine whether employees are high on the job.
A Senate version of the bill is also in the works, although language of that measure was not immediately available.
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Trump Police Commission Slams Marijuana Legalization And Drug Decriminalization In New Report
For example, it discusses the need to address issues such as substance misuse and homelessness but says they must be balanced with “enforcing the law and maintaining public safety.”
The report notes that “localities across this country have decriminalized or reduced sanctions for drug use, such as in the case of marijuana, or ‘quality of life’ crimes—actions that are often a result of homelessness—such as public urination.”
The panel argued that drug policy reforms “merely raise the bar for law enforcement arrests,” but “do not account for the reality that law enforcement officers still must address the complaints about these individuals from community members, respond to the noncriminal results of untreated substance use problems (e.g., overdoses), or interact with large homeless populations.”
The document also quotes the Vermont U.S. attorney saying that decriminalization “takes a tool away from law enforcement, signals that the behavior is OK and will not have consequences, and logically will lead to more of the undesirable behavior.”
The panel’s 18 members primarily have backgrounds in law enforcement. One member is the chief of operations for the Drug Enforcement Administration, for example, and another is a Federal Bureau of Investigation deputy director. The attorney general of Florida is also a member, as are several local sheriffs.
In one of the more interesting exchanges, the Orange County, California sheriff testified that the federal government should “advocate for removing [marijuana] as a Schedule I narcotic” to promote public safety because it could help facilitate the creation of a cannabis impairment test.
That said, he claimed that high-THC products cause psychosis and expressed frustration over the broader reform movement, stating that California’s push to reduce the prison population is “being done at the expense of our residents, families [and] kids.”
The Trump administration’s approach to marijuana has been difficult to define. On the one hand, the president has appointed numerous officials with hostile attitudes toward cannabis reform; on the other hand, there’s been no federal crackdown on legal marijuana states.
In a sense, the commission’s report reflects that dichotomy. While critical of cannabis legalization and broader drug decriminalization, members stopped short of suggesting that the federal government should ramp up prosecutions in the growing, state-legal market.
What remains to be seen is how cannabis will be handled under President-elect Joe Biden’s Justice Department.
He’s in favor of medical marijuana legalization, modest rescheduling, decriminalization, expungements for low-level convictions and allowing states to enact their own policies without fear of federal intervention. However, he’s yet to name an attorney general who could fill the guidance gap for federal prosecutors—and his
ongoing opposition to adult-use legalization
is keeping advocates on their toes.
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Aurora Cannabis breach exposes personal data of former, current workers
The victim, a former Aurora employee who was laid off in February, wasn’t notified of the breach until late in the evening of Dec. 31.
Aurora spokeswoman Michelle Lefler confirmed that the company “was subject to a cybersecurity incident” on Christmas that affected both current and former employees, although she did not confirm what kinds of personal information were exposed.
“The company immediately took steps to mitigate the incident, is actively consulting with security experts and cooperating with authorities,” Lefler wrote in a statement.
“Aurora’s patient systems were not compromised, and the company’s network of operations is unaffected.”