Marijuana industry money is going to support vulnerable GOP congressmen, including some who oppose marijuana legalization; the White House rolls out its annual list of drug-producing or trafficking countries, and more. 

[image:1 align:left caption:true]Marijuana Policy

Federal Marijuana Legalization Bill Gets Another Cosponsor. On Monday, Sen. Andy Kim (D-NJ) signed on as a cosponsor of a marijuana legalization bill, the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act (S. 5022), making him the 18th senator to do so. 

The bill was sponsored in July by Sens. Cory Booker (D-NJ), Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and Ron Wyden (D-OR). It would end federal pot prohibition by removing marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act and letting state's set their own marijuana policies. It would also create a federal regulatory structure for the legal marijuana industry and place marijuana under the jurisdiction of the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. 

And it would automatically expunge non-violent marijuana offenses and allow people currently serving federal time for weed to seek resentencing. Other provisions would remove federal tax code restrictions and establish a federal excise tax on marijuana. 

All 18 of the Senate cosponsors are Democrats, and they face an uphill battle in the Republican-controlled Senate. Although introduced in July, the bill has yet to be scheduled for a hearing or receive a committee vote. 

Marijuana Industry Money is Going to Help Vulnerable GOP Congressmen. As Marijuana Moment has reported, some of the country's largest legal marijuana companies have kicked in at least $11.5 million to a PAC linked to President Trump that is being used to buy ads for 11 vulnerable GOP members of Congress—including some who oppose marijuana legalization. 

The PAC, America First Agriculture Action, Inc., has received large contributions from pot companies including Trulieve, Curaleaf, Verano Holdings, and Ascend Wellness Holdings, as well as other entities tied to Green Thumb Industries and AYR Wellness, with total industry contributions to the PAC now totaling more than $15 million.

Some $1.8 million of that money is now going for ads touting the candidacies of Reps. Tom Barrett (R-MI), Nick Begich (R-AK), Rob Bresnahan (R-PA), Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ), Gabe Evans (R-CO), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Jen Kiggans (R-VA), Mike Lawler (R-NY), Scott Perry (R-PA), Bryan Steil (R-WI) and Derrick Van Orden (R-WI). The ads don't mention marijuana or marijuana policy; instead, they tout the individual candidates' accomplishments.

Most of those candidates came to office in the past three years and have no recorded votes on marijuana policy, but at least three of them—Fitzpatrick, Perry, and Steil—have voted against Democratic bills to free the weed. Kiggins voted as a Virginia state senator against marijuana legalization, while Ciscomani cheered the defeat of a 2016 Arizona legalization initiative, calling it an "awesome victory for our community." Lawler opposes marijuana rescheduling and claimed "marijuana is a gateway drug," as well as opposing federal tax relief for state-legal marijuana businesses. 

Marijuana consumers can keep these political expenditures in mind as they make purchasing decisions. 

Foreign Policy

White House Releases Annual List of Major Drug Transit or Producing Countries. President Trump on Tuesday released the State Department's annual list of countries that have been naughty or nice in the American war on drugs in the past year. The list names the following countries as major drug transit or major illicit drug producing countries:  Afghanistan, The Bahamas, Belize, Bolivia, Burma, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, India, Jamaica, Laos, Mexico, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Panama, Peru, and Venezuela.   

It says all the named countries are attempting to comply with US prohibitionist drug policy objectives except for Afghanistan, Bolivia, Burma, and Colombia, but grants an exemption from mandated aid blockages for all except Afghanistan. 

"A country’s presence on the foregoing list is not necessarily a reflection of its government’s current counterdrug efforts, or coordination with the United States," the presidential statement said. "Major drug transit or illicit drug producing countries are placed on the list due to a combination of geographic, commercial, and economic factors that allow drugs or precursor chemicals to transit or be produced, even if a government has engaged in robust and diligent narcotics control and law enforcement measures."

Trump pointed a finger at lagging nations: "I hereby designate Afghanistan, Bolivia, Burma, and Colombia as having failed demonstrably during the previous 12 months to make substantial efforts to adhere to their obligations under international counternarcotics agreements and to take the counternarcotics measures required" by US law. But, he added, "I have also determined…that provision of United States assistance to Bolivia, Burma and Colombia is currently vital to the national interests of the United States."

The report also chided other governments with which the US currently has conflictive relations, such as Brazil and Canada, as needing to do more to meet US objectives, and signaled that Colombia and Ecuador's rightist governments could win more US support for their anti-drug efforts.

International

Duterte Appears Before ICC Judges for First Time. Former Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte appeared for the first time before judges of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to face charges of murder for his bloody prosecution of the war on drugs before and during his presidency. 

Duterte's term ran from 2016 to 2022. He was subsequently investigated and charged with crimes against humanity by the ICC for the killing spree that left an estimated 30,000 Filipinos dead. He is accused of using not only the repressive apparatus of the state but also shadowy death squads to target both drug users and sellers.  

"We're happy that he has finally appeared and that he looks OK. In fact, he looks like he has put on weight," said Llore Pasco, whose two sons were killed during Duterte's war on drugs, watching a television broadcast of the hearings from Manila.

Citing Duterte's age and health, Presiding Judge Joanna Korner asked prosecutors to shorten the trial, which is set to begin in November, but Duterte's attorney, Peter Haynes, said there was too much evidence to go through by then.