Cannabis stocks were mostly lower Monday, as investors moved to the sidelines to await the fate of a bill that aims to provide protections for companies in states that have legalized weed.
Representatives Earl Blumenauer, Dem-Oreg., and Barbara Lee, Dem-Calif., will join the Minority Cannabis Business Association for a press conference on Tuesday at 11.00 a.m. Eastern to discuss cannabis policy and industry inclusion for people of color.
“The lawmakers and business leaders will discuss the path forward for ending the prohibition of marijuana, steps toward restorative justice for those negatively impacted by the war on drugs, and ways communities of color that were disproportionately impacted by cannabis prohibition can benefit from the new industry as owners, investors, managers and employees,” according to a media advisory.
Blumenauer is one of four lawmakers to introduce The Strengthening the Tenth Amendment Through Entrusting States Act, or States Act, last week, along with Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Dem-Mass. and Cory Gardner, R-Colo. And Dave Joyce, Rep-Ohio. The bill seeks to amend the federal law that continues to ban cannabis to include exemptions for businesses and individuals who comply with state laws.
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Cannabis is still a Schedule 1 drug at the federal level, which classifies it alongside heroin and cocaine, preventing banks that are federally insured from offering services to companies in the sector.
In Canada, Toronto opened its second legal cannabis store on Sunday, according to website Globalnews.ca. [2]The store is the second to open in the city after the Hunny Pot Cannabis Cos. And one of five licenses for the city approved by the Ontario government.
Israel has decriminalized cannabis for adult use in a law that also ends punishment for possession of a homegrown plant, according to media reports. Israeli citizens who are found in possession of cannabis in public without medical approval will face fines, rather than criminal proceedings.
In Australia, Canada’s Asterion Cannabis has gained clearance to build a facility in Toowoomba in Queensland that can produce up to 20,000 plants in a single day for harvest, according to website CannabisRadar[3]. Under Queensland’s medical cannabis program, the substance is used to treat arthritis, epilepsy, nausea, multiple sclerosis and chronic pain.
In company news, CannTrust Holdings Inc. said Health Canada has approved the final part of its phase 2 expansion plan,[4] meaning the full 450,000 square feet of its perpetual harvest greenhouse in Pelham, Ontario is licensed. The company is expecting to be operating at full capacity by the end of the second quarter.
The company says it expects to reach a total annualized capacity of 200,000 kg to 300,000 kg in the second half of 2020. Shares bucked the negative trend in the sector Monday to trade up 0.5%.
New Age Beverages Corp. ...