A bill introduced last month in California would bar state agencies from cooperating with federal law enforcement in cracking down on marijuana in the state. Marijuana is legal, both medically and recreationally, in the Golden State. That legalization is at odds with the federal marijuana ban and its classification of marijuana as a Schedule I substance. If the bill passes, California could become a sort of sanctuary state for marijuana growers, much like certain cities are sanctuary cities for undocumented immigrants.

Introduced by Assemblyman Reggie Jones-Sawyer, a Democrat, the bill states:

This bill would prohibit a state or local agency, as defined, from taking certain actions without a court order signed by a judge, including using agency money, facilities, property, equipment, or personnel to assist a federal agency to investigate, detain, detect, report, or arrest a person for commercial or noncommercial marijuana or medical cannabis activity that is authorized by law in the State of California and transferring an individual to federal law enforcement authorities for purposes of marijuana enforcement.

Many marijuana advocates, users, and distributors are worried that the new administration, and a Justice Department led by Attorney General Jeff Sessions, will harshly enforce the federal ban. Sessions has made incendiary remarks about marijuana–“good people don’t smoke marijuana,” he once said–but he also signaled enforcement won’t radically change under his watch. He recently said that the Cole Memo, an Obama-era directive to prioritize state marijuana laws over the federal prohibition, was still “valid.” But a handful of California lawmakers are not taking their chances; the proposed bill is a pre-emptive defense mechanism in case Sessions does step up enforcement.

To Donny Youngblood, the president of the California State Sheriffs’ Association, the bill is “quite offensive.” In an interview with the LA Times, Youngblood, the sheriff of Kern County, said growing and selling pot “is still a federal felony and we are still in the United States of America, and the state of California cannot take over the United States.”

The contradictory marijuana laws in the U.S. have sowed confusion in states that have legalized the drug in some form. Archaic practices, like marijuana businesses operating on a cash-only basis, are also a result of the tension between state-level and federal laws. Twenty-eight states and Washington D.C. have medical marijuana laws in place; eight states and D.C. have passed some sort of recreational marijuana legislation. Last November, California passed Prop 64, which legalized recreational use.

For Hezekiah Allen, the executive director of the California Growers Association, the bill is meant to provide a sense of security for California’s marijuana businesses. Allen, in an interview with the LA Times, said that due to the election of President Donald Trump, and the new anti-marijuana attorney general, businesses “will need to feel confident that the state will protect them from the federal government.”

Alec Siegel

Alec Siegel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. When he’s not working at Law Street he’s either cooking a mediocre tofu dish or enjoying a run in the woods. His passions include: gooey chocolate chips, black coffee, mountains, the Animal Kingdom in general, and John Lennon. Baklava is his achilles heel. Contact Alec at ASiegel@LawStreetMedia.com.

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When his father was dying of cancer in 1999, Daniel Reingold brewed a remedy that would not cure his fatal disease, but might alleviate his pain: marijuana-infused tea. Reingold, now the president and CEO of RiverSpring Health, later brought his first-hand experience with the medical properties of marijuana to a nursing home his company operates in the Bronx. The Hebrew Home, in Riverdale, allows its residents to find late-in-life relief from a leaf that doesn’t grow in the facility’s garden: marijuana, in the form of cannabidiol (CBD) pills. 

As states continue to loosen the laws for marijuana use, the drug is reaching people who might have grown up in the age of “Reefer Madness.” Though marijuana use has shot up among all demographics over the past decade, use among adults ages 65 and up has increased exponentially. According to one recent study, between 2006 and 2013, marijuana use among people 65 and up has increased by 250 percent.

In some of the 28 states (and the District of Columbia) that have legalized marijuana for medical use, elderly residents of nursing homes and assisted living facilities can use marijuana pills in lieu of drugs like morphine. But at many of them, because the drug is banned at the federal level, the staff will not directly administer or oversee use, instead following a “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. Residents can obtain cannabis products from a dispensary, and stow them away in their rooms. Some are worried that this is a health hazard, especially since the effects of marijuana on older people are far from understood.

“If residents are taking it, they are taking it undercover without the staff knowing so it’s not part of their care plan,” Dr. Cheryl Phillips, senior vice president for public policy and health services for a group that represents more than 2,000 nursing homes, told The New York Times. “I think that creates a safety problem.”

But for some residents at places like the Hebrew Home, popping a pill filled with cannabis oil is no different than using any other medication–aside from the stigma that comes with it. “It’s got a stigma,” Marcia Dunetz, 80, told the Times. “People don’t really believe you’re not really getting high if you take it.” Dunetz, a Parkinson’s patient, said since using marijuana she no longer wakes up with headaches, and feels less dizzy and nauseous.

Because marijuana is banned, in all capacities, at the federal level, staff at many assisted living facilities and nursing homes could theoretically be committing a crime if they were to administer marijuana to residents and patients. That possibility deters the staff and the owners wary of doing so. And at government-supported nursing homes, there is the possibility that Medicare and Medicaid could take a hit if the staff were giving their patients pot.

And then there is the great unknown of how marijuana affects older people. Should they consume less? Will it adversely affect their brains? “On the one hand, cannabis may be an effective substitute for prescription opioids and other misused medications; on the other hand, cannabis has emerged as an alternative for the undertreatment of pain at the end of life,” said a study published in January in the Oxford University Press.

Ruth Brunn, a 98-year-old with neuropathy living at the Hebrew Home, does not know what long-term affects taking cannabis oil pills will have on her (long-term has a different meaning for her, perhaps), but that doesn’t matter. “I don’t feel high or stoned,” she told the Times. “All I know is I feel better when I take this.”

Alec Siegel

Alec Siegel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. When he’s not working at Law Street he’s either cooking a mediocre tofu dish or enjoying a run in the woods. His passions include: gooey chocolate chips, black coffee, mountains, the Animal Kingdom in general, and John Lennon. Baklava is his achilles heel. Contact Alec at ASiegel@LawStreetMedia.com.

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A new law passed by the New Mexico Senate Monday is seeking to expand the state’s existing medical marijuana program to include more qualifying conditions following rising demand.

New Mexico’s medical cannabis program was established in 2007. As the law stands, patients with qualifying conditions–such as HIV/AIDS, Crohn’s disease, Lou Gehrig’s disease, PTSD, arthritis, and more–can obtain a medical marijuana permit from their doctors. If the recently introduced law passes a vote by the House of Representatives, 14 more qualifying conditions would be added to the existing list. This would include patients who suffer from substance abuse disorders.

The bill, which is sponsored by Sen. Cisco McSorley (D-Albuquerque), would also expand the number of marijuana plants that growers are allowed to cultivate once the number of registered patients state-wide reaches 35,000. There are currently roughly 32,000 patients registered with New Mexico’s medical marijuana program; growers are only permitted to grow 450 plants each.

Visitors who are enrolled in other state medical marijuana programs would be able to purchase cannabis in New Mexico as well under the new provisions.

Following last November’s election, 28 states have legalized marijuana in some form. As Law Street previously reported, New Mexico is also in the running to become the next state to legalize recreational marijuana. A few weeks ago, lawmakers in New Mexico’s House and Senate introduced bills to regulate and tax recreational marijuana.

In 2016, three separate pieces of legislation involving recreational marijuana were introduced to the state’s legislature. One was passed by two Senate committees before being narrowly defeated on the Senate floor. But if public opinion is any indication of where a state stands on a certain issue, then recent polls in New Mexico seem to point to a sunny future for marijuana supporters in the state. According to one recent poll, 61 percent of people in New Mexico said they supported full legalization.

Alec Siegel

Alec Siegel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. When he’s not working at Law Street he’s either cooking a mediocre tofu dish or enjoying a run in the woods. His passions include: gooey chocolate chips, black coffee, mountains, the Animal Kingdom in general, and John Lennon. Baklava is his achilles heel. Contact Alec at ASiegel@LawStreetMedia.com.

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After nearly three months of being suspended in legislative limbo, Maine’s recreational marijuana bill officially went into effect on Monday. People 21 and older can now possess up to two and a half ounces of cannabis; they can also grow up to six mature plants, and 12 immature plants. But after Governor Paul LePage signed a moratorium on Friday, retail sales of marijuana will be frozen until February 2018, giving lawmakers time to close any loopholes that appeared in the original legalization measure.

Because Question 1 passed by a slim margin–about 4,000 votes–in November, a group opposing legalization requested a recount in early December. A few weeks later, the recount effort was dropped. “We are satisfied that the count and the result are accurate,” legal counsel for the opposition group said at the time.

Now that the Election Day results have been confirmed, Maine joins California, Massachusetts, and Nevada in legalizing recreational marijuana in 2016. Four other states passed ballot measures that legalized medical marijuana. Roughly one quarter of Americans now live in a state that has legal marijuana measures, either medically or recreationally, in place.

LePage, an early opponent of legalization, was able to suspend retail pot sales until early next year, but he did not succeed in adding two last-minute provisions to the moratorium bill, called “an Act To Delay the Implementation of Certain Portions of the Marijuana Legalization Act.” He requested $1.6 million to hire new staff, and to cover other implementation costs. Lawmakers in the House shot down that provision. 

LePage also wanted to transfer oversight of Question 1 from the Maine Department of Agriculture to the Bureau of Alcoholic Beverages and Lottery Operations. That provision was also shot down, but LePage signed an executive order to ensure that delegation change happens.

“However, no rules will be promulgated until the Legislature allocates money to fund the rule making process,” LePage said on Friday “I sign this bill today to protect Maine children from the dangers of marijuana.” The governor also heavily criticized Speaker of the House Sarah Gideon, a Democrat, for nixing his proposed additions to the moratorium. He said Gideon was guilty of “playing dirty politics.” 

Alec Siegel

Alec Siegel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. When he’s not working at Law Street he’s either cooking a mediocre tofu dish or enjoying a run in the woods. His passions include: gooey chocolate chips, black coffee, mountains, the Animal Kingdom in general, and John Lennon. Baklava is his achilles heel. Contact Alec at ASiegel@LawStreetMedia.com.

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Israel’s Ministries of Agriculture and Health announced Monday that they will be collaborating to pour over $2 million in state funds into medical cannabis research. It is the first collaborative effort between the two departments. The cash infusion is projected to fund 13 studies, which range from developing new medical cannabis strands to investigating the plant’s effects on multiple sclerosis.

Israel, which greatly expanded its legal medical marijuana program last summer, is one of the world’s leading innovators in marijuana research. In fact, it was an Israeli professor, Raphael Mechoulam, who first discovered marijuana’s active ingredient, THC, in 1964. Today, Israel is a beacon of light for the global mission to further investigate the medical properties of the drug. Marijuana research in many countries–including the U.S., aside from a few exceptions–is barred.

In the U.S., 29 states and the District of Columbia have legalized marijuana in some form, either recreationally or medically. At the federal level, however, the drug is illegal and is classified as a Schedule I substance, which effectively means it cannot be used in scientific trials. Even though recreational marijuana use and possession is barred in Israel, the tiny country has made large strides in its medical program.

Last year, Israel drastically loosened its medical marijuana laws. More doctors could fill cannabis prescriptions. Limits on the number of marijuana growers were lifted. And cannabis could be sold at approved pharmacies. Now, as Israel’s number of medical marijuana patients hits 25,000, the government is looking for more ways to fill the international gap in marijuana research. Israel is even exploring ways to export its medical marijuana as a prescription medication to pharmacies around the world.

The 13 studies will have a number of biochemical and medical goals, including researching the effects of cannabis on vision, and if marijuana use can lead to colon cancer. There will also be studies into increasing crop yield. Developing new technologies for irrigating and fertilizing cannabis plants is another stated goal. Drug companies, universities, research institutes, and hospitals will conduct the research, which is expected to last five years. Uri Ariel, the Minister of Agriculture, said: “The program shows that agriculture is important in all aspects of life.”

Alec Siegel

Alec Siegel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. When he’s not working at Law Street he’s either cooking a mediocre tofu dish or enjoying a run in the woods. His passions include: gooey chocolate chips, black coffee, mountains, the Animal Kingdom in general, and John Lennon. Baklava is his achilles heel. Contact Alec at ASiegel@LawStreetMedia.com.

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Next year could be the year that South Carolina establishes a legal medical marijuana program. Representative Todd Rutherford, a Democrat, recently pre-filed the “Put Patients First Act,” or H. 3128, which would allow people suffering from certain diseases to be prescribed medical cannabis by their doctors.

H. 3128 would permit marijuana to be provided to patients with cancer, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS, and potentially other medical conditions such as cachexia, severe pain or nausea, seizures, and muscle spasms. Patients could possess up to two ounces of marijuana and, while waiting for dispensaries to open, could grow up to six plants in their homes.

The most recent legal movement for marijuana in South Carolina came in 2014, when the state passed a bill that permitted hemp farms, and allowed children to use cannabidiol for medical trials. But the last time the state legislature took up a medical marijuana proposal was in 2007; that bill failed to pass.

“The time has come to put aside archaic misconceptions of medical marijuana and put patients first,” Rutherford said in a statement to Columbia-based news outlet WLTX. “I hear devastating stories every single day from people who are battling epilepsy or suffering from a brain tumor who desperately need medical marijuana to treat the debilitating symptoms.”

Rutherford pre-filed another medical marijuana bill, House Bill 3162, which would allow veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder to use marijuana. In order to reach a House vote, both bills would need to pass a committee vote. If the House passes the bills, they would move to the Senate, and finally, to the governor’s desk.

Cannabis remains illegal in much of the South, save for Florida, which passed a medical marijuana bill on Election Day, and Louisiana. The legalization flurry on November 8, when eight states legalized marijuana in some form, passed over South Carolina. And as 2016 comes to a close, more than a quarter of Americans live in a state where pot is at least medically available.

South Carolina, if Rutherford’s bill can garner enough traction and support, could join the legion of states whose marijuana laws are rapidly changing. South Carolinians are ready for a change in the law: in a poll conducted in October, 78 percent said they support medical marijuana.

Alec Siegel

Alec Siegel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. When he’s not working at Law Street he’s either cooking a mediocre tofu dish or enjoying a run in the woods. His passions include: gooey chocolate chips, black coffee, mountains, the Animal Kingdom in general, and John Lennon. Baklava is his achilles heel. Contact Alec at ASiegel@LawStreetMedia.com.

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Days after eight states voted to legalize marijuana in some form or to expand existing laws, President-elect Donald Trump picked Sen. Jeff Sessions, a vocal critic of legalization, to head the Justice Department as the new attorney general. With the disparate marijuana laws between the federal government and states, marijuana and criminal justice advocacy groups, not to mention users and regulated sellers, are expressing concerns about how the Trump Administration would affect the state-level legal market.

During a Senate hearing in April, Sessions offered a glimpse of his views on marijuana, attitudes that might shape his approach as attorney general. “We need grown-ups in Washington to say marijuana is not the kind of thing that ought to be legalized, it ought not to be minimized, that it is in fact a very real danger,” he said. He added that marijuana “is dangerous, you cannot play with it, it is not funny,” and “good people don’t smoke marijuana.”

As attorney general, Sessions would oversee federal prosecutors as well as the Drug Enforcement Administration. It’s unclear how he would enforce the federal ban at the state level, if he would at all, but it’s the ambiguity and the unknown, with a noted marijuana critic at the helm, that is worrying to advocacy groups and other actors in states where the industry is regulated. 

Trump, who has expressed his support for states’ rights to legalize pot, would have the ability to block any crackdowns administered by Sessions. But another unknown is how hands-on Trump will be with the Justice Department, especially concerning marijuana law. John Hudak, a marijuana policy expert with the Brookings Institution, spoke with The New York Times recently about what Sessions would have the reign to do. He said:

As attorney general, Sessions would have the ability to rescind two Justice Department directives–known as the Cole and Ogden memos–that called for stepping back from marijuana prosecutions. He could also use federal law enforcement power against operators and sue state regulators to block state systems.

As it currently stands, marijuana is designated a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act, and is illegal at the federal level. Twenty-nine states and the District of Columbia have legalized weed in some form, however, and the majority of Americans, around 60 percent, live in one of these places. How Trump might deal with reconciling federal and state marijuana laws, and how his newly appointed attorney general might steer the Justice Department in such matters, is an open question that will take at least a few months to answer.

Alec Siegel

Alec Siegel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. When he’s not working at Law Street he’s either cooking a mediocre tofu dish or enjoying a run in the woods. His passions include: gooey chocolate chips, black coffee, mountains, the Animal Kingdom in general, and John Lennon. Baklava is his achilles heel. Contact Alec at ASiegel@LawStreetMedia.com.

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Walk around some pet stores in the U.S., and you might stumble upon a deceiving product: wishbone-shaped treats, that look like any other dog treat, but are made with CBD, the non-psychoactive cannabinoid in the cannabis plant. No, adding the treat to your puppy’s Iams or your kitty’s Meow Mix won’t have them watching Planet Earth while debating the answers of the multiverse, but it might help relieve their anxiety, or other physical ailments like inflammation and pain. As more states legalize medical or recreational marijuana, pet owners are increasingly turning to pot-for-pet edibles to alleviate their furry friends’ maladies and discomforts.

Some pet stores and dispensaries in states where recreational or medical marijuana is legal offer pot-based products for pets; not just for dogs and cats, but pigs, horses, and other small mammals as well. Pet edibles come in different forms, and are made with different ingredients. Some only contain CBD, which lacks the psychoactive effects of THC, an ingredient that is dangerous for animals to consume. Others contain traces of both CBD and THC, and can only be administered if the owner obtains a medical marijuana license in a state where medical marijuana is permitted.

Regulators have not approved these products, and the federal classification of marijuana as an illegal substance has some stores and owners reluctant to sell or buy pot-based pet treats. And while there is no scientific, data-based evidence for the positive effects of pot on pets, there are plenty of anecdotes that are enough to have some buyers reaching for cannabis’ curative properties.

Some products have found ways around federal and state laws to allow people to purchase pot-based pet treats and oils even without a medical marijuana license. Hemp, which is increasingly being legally cultivated in at least 30 states, is sometimes used. Products made with hemp, which contains less THC than marijuana, do not require medical marijuana licenses for purchase.

Unfortunately, some statistics also show that since marijuana legalization, there has been an uptick in pets getting ill from unwittingly sneaking edibles from their owner. From 2012 to 2015 the Pet Poison Helpline saw a fourfold increase in calls from people whose pets became intoxicated with marijuana. In 2014, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals received over 200 more calls related to pets poisoned by cannabis than in 2013.

At least one state has tried to pass a law allowing veterinarians to prescribe marijuana to people’s pets. A law in Nevada that would allow vets to administer medical licenses to pets was struck down in 2015. So while the dream of getting high with your dog is potentially dangerous and should largely remain a dream, the market for animal edibles is one that will probably continue to grow.

Alec Siegel

Alec Siegel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. When he’s not working at Law Street he’s either cooking a mediocre tofu dish or enjoying a run in the woods. His passions include: gooey chocolate chips, black coffee, mountains, the Animal Kingdom in general, and John Lennon. Baklava is his achilles heel. Contact Alec at ASiegel@LawStreetMedia.com.

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Happy Monday Law Streeters! It’s the day before the presidential election, and we have a roundup of some of the top political stories you may have missed last week. Sitting at the top spot was “The State of Weed,” the Cannabis in America team’s comprehensive analysis of marijuana legalization state by state. It was followed by Melania Trump’s speaking out against cyberbullying, and Donald Trump’s child rape accuser canceling her first public appearance. ICYMI–check out the top stories from Law Street below.

1. The State of Weed: Marijuana Legalization State by State

In recent decades, marijuana legalization has continuously evolved in the United States, as opposition against the drug continues to wane amidst new research on the drug’s effects and criticism of the U.S.’s handling of the “War on Drugs.” The following slide show contains information on each states’ marijuana laws in regards to possessing, selling, and cultivating weed, although please note that this is intended as a basic resource and does not include the entirety of provisions in any given state. This is the “State of Weed.” Read the full article here.

2. Melania Trump Wants to Fight Cyberbullying, but Forgot Who She Married

Melania Trump gave a rare speech in Pennsylvania on Thursday, in which she expressed her concerns about people being mean on the internet, causing many to ask: does she even know her husband? Read the full article here.

3. Donald Trump’s Child Rape Accuser Cancels Public Appearance

A woman who filed a lawsuit against Donald Trump for allegedly raping her as a child, pulled out of a press conference where she was expected to reveal her identity moments before it began. The accuser, known by the pseudonym Jane Doe, was expected to reveal her identity before media outlets in her lawyer’s Los Angeles office on Wednesday. Her attorney, Lisa Bloom, cancelled the event due to fears surrounding her client’s safety–citing death threats. Read the full article here.

Alexis Evans

Alexis Evans is an Assistant Editor at Law Street and a Buckeye State native. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and a minor in Business from Ohio University. Contact Alexis at aevans@LawStreetMedia.com.

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The Boston Archdiocese gave an $850,000 donation toward the fight against legalizing marijuana in Massachusetts last Friday. On November 8, voters will weigh in on a ballot measure called Question 4, a proposal that would create a legal framework for recreational marijuana in the state. Massachusetts is one of nine states scheduled to vote on measures legalizing weed in some form, either medically or recreationally.

A spokesman for the archdiocese, Terry Donilon, said the chunk of change “reflects the fact that the archdiocese holds this matter as among the highest priorities,” along with social services like food pantries, health clinics, counseling programs, addiction treatment, housing assistance, and support for immigrants. The donation increased opposition funding by 40 percent, though it does not constitute the largest single donation to date. That honor goes to the billionaire casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, who handed over $1 million to the opposition effort a few weeks ago.

Cardinal Sean O’Malley, a close friend of Pope Francis and the leader of the Boston Archdiocese, has repeatedly voiced his opposition to legalizing weed in the Bay State, saying pot “causes people to have problems with memory, problems with reasoning, and other health problems.” He also believes cannabis can be a gateway to more destructive drugs, saying people are “looking for a higher high, so they’ll go onto heroin or cocaine or some other drug that’s even more dangerous.” Many scientists say there is simply not enough evidence to support whether or not marijuana is a gateway drug.

Perhaps it comes as no surprise that the Catholic Church is opposing legalizing recreational marijuana. But what is unusual here is the extracurricular act of donating money to the opposition effort. According to The Atlantic, the Boston Archdiocese lost $20.5 million in operating income from 2014 to 2015. Donilon told The Atlantic that the $850,000 did not come from donations, but rather a “central ministry” fund.

O’Malley is not the only prominent public figure in Boston to oppose the ballot measure. Gov. Charlie Baker (R-MA), Attorney General Maura Healey, and Boston Mayor Martin Walsh wrote an op-ed in March for the Boston Globe, saying “marijuana is not safe.” They continued: “Regular use that starts in adolescence has been shown to impair brain development, shrink school and career outcomes, and even lower IQ.”  

But the latest polls suggest that voters will pass the measure on November 8 anyway. According to a recent Suffolk University/Boston Globe poll, 48.8 percent of respondents said they would vote to legalize recreational marijuana; 42.4 percent said they would not, and 7.8 percent said they were undecided.

Alec Siegel

Alec Siegel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. When he’s not working at Law Street he’s either cooking a mediocre tofu dish or enjoying a run in the woods. His passions include: gooey chocolate chips, black coffee, mountains, the Animal Kingdom in general, and John Lennon. Baklava is his achilles heel. Contact Alec at ASiegel@LawStreetMedia.com.

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Nine states will be voting on marijuana legalization measures in some form next week–either recreational or medical–in what some pot advocates see as a tipping point in the federal classification of the drug. One key facet of state-level legalization that is seriously affected by the federal ban on marijuana is the banking sector. Because cannabis is illegal at the federal level, banks are hesitant to work with dispensaries, even in states where marijuana is entirely legal.

The U.S. Justice Department issued a new set of guidelines for banks in dealing with legal dispensaries in February 2014, saying banks and credit unions doing business with state-licensed businesses (in states where marijuana is legal, of course), would not be prosecuted, irrespective of the federal standing. Since the new practices were instituted, banks and unions working with marijuana businesses jumped from 51 to 301, as of April 2016.

But banks still hesitate to open accounts or issue credit for legal pot businesses, leaving many to operate in cash only. That can lead to some obvious obstacles. For instance, there have been 200 recorded robberies at marijuana dispensaries in Denver since Colorado fully implemented its marijuana legalization measure in 2014. New businesses looking to cut into the legal market struggle to find banks willing to lend them money. And some pot proprietors resort to filing their credit card charges under false pretenses, such as “spa service.”

Twenty-five states (and the District of Columbia) have legalized marijuana in some form: medically, recreationally, or both. Five states, including California, a state with an already huge medical pot market, will be voting on recreational weed ballot measures on Election Day.

One California union, the Community Credit Union of Southern Humboldt, stopped issuing accounts to pot-related businesses because of the uncertainty, and the responsibility of having to ensure a marijuana client is legal and following all regulations and protocols. “We’re not being asked to go over to the gun dealer and ask them if they’re making appropriate background checks,” she told Reuters.

One credit union in Colorado, Partner Colorado Credit Union, is a model for banks who are willing to risk breaking federal law while adhering to state laws. For one, the union takes up to three weeks to vet any potential clients. Once a working relationship is established, the union uses armored trucks to transport cash from the dispensary to the Denver branch of the Federal Reserve Bank. “Our program is designed with eyes on the business, eyes on the owner, eyes on the money,” the union’s Chief Executive Sundie Seefried told Reuters.

Such scrupulous steps would hardly be necessary if federal and state governments could get on the same page on this issue. Next week’s results could lead to a step in that direction.

Alec Siegel

Alec Siegel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. When he’s not working at Law Street he’s either cooking a mediocre tofu dish or enjoying a run in the woods. His passions include: gooey chocolate chips, black coffee, mountains, the Animal Kingdom in general, and John Lennon. Baklava is his achilles heel. Contact Alec at ASiegel@LawStreetMedia.com.

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