Chronicle AM: Duterte Vows More Drug War, House Panel Blocks VA MedMJ, More... (7/26/17)

Maine legislators recommend a 20% tax on legal pot, a House committee blocks an amendment that would let VA doctors recommend medical marijuana, Philippines President Duterte is ready for another year of drug war, and more.

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

Maine Legislative Panel Proposes 20% Marijuana Tax. The committee charged with drawing up regulations for the state’s legal marijuana industry is proposing that recreational marijuana be taxed at a rate of 20%, with 5% paid to localities that allow cultivation or retail businesses. There would be a 10% wholesale excise tax and a 10% sales tax on retail sales. The proposed tax is double what voters approved when they passed a legalization initiative last fall.

Medical Marijuana

Federal Bill to Facilitate Medical Marijuana Research Filed. A bipartisan group of representatives led by marijuana reformer Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and anti-legalization Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD) has filed House Resolution 3391, the Medical Marijuana Research Act of 2017. The bill would remove barriers inhibiting medical marijuana research.

House Rules Committee Blocks Effort to Let VA Docs Recommend Medical Marijuana. A proposed amendment to the Veterans Administration appropriations bill to allow VA doctors to recommend medical marijuana has been bottled up in the House Rules Committee. The same amendment actually passed the House last year, but committee Chair Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX) refused to even allow a vote on it. The Senate version of the amendment is still alive, though, and if the Senate approves it again this year, it could still make it into the final appropriations bill.

International

Philippines President Duterte Vows to Continue Drug War. In his second state of the nation speech Monday, Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte vowed to continue his bloody war on drugs, warning that offenders will end up “in jail or hell.” He also exhibited bravado as he brushed off international criticism, saying that he wasn’t scared of the International Criminal Court and was “willing to go to prison for the rest of my life.” He also called on Congress to reinstate the death penalty for drug offenses.