MJBizMag April 2023 - 16

INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENTS National & International
Cannabis News
his signature to a bipartisan
research bill.
Congressional leaders such as
U.S. President Joe Biden called for pardons
of marijuana possession charges last fall.
Biden Administration Makes
Good on a Marijuana Promise
The U.S. Department of Justice is
accepting applications for pardons
from individuals convicted of or
charged with simple marijuana
possession in federal or District of
Columbia courts.
The DOJ made the announcement
nearly five months after President
Joe Biden called for such pardons as
well as a review of marijuana's classification
as a Schedule 1 drug under
the Controlled Substances Act.
The March 6 announcement is
the Biden administration's latest
tangible move on marijuana
policy reform and follows a nearunprecedented
series of friendly
public statements about the drug.
On March 1, U.S. Attorney General
Merrick Garland told a Senate
committee that the DOJ is " working
on a (review) of marijuana policy "
at the federal level.
Garland said the agency could
ultimately issue a policy document
" very close to what was done in
the Cole Memorandum, " a nonbinding,
Obama-era document that
provided state-legal MJ businesses
with guidelines to avoid federal
attention. The Cole Memo was
rescinded in 2018 by then-Attorney
General Jeff Sessions.
In December, Biden became the
first president since Richard Nixon
to sign a stand-alone marijuana
measure into law when he affixed
16 April 2023 | MJBizMagazine
Senate Majority Leader Chuck
Schumer have tried to put more
ambitious marijuana reform
measures on Biden's desk, including
banking reform, but so far have
been unable to overcome a mostly
partisan deadlock.
Canada's Cannabis Duty
Surpasses CA$1 Billion
The Canadian government has
assessed more than CA$1 billion
($740 million) in total duty on
cannabis products since they were
legalized for recreational use in
2018, according to federal data.
The milestone comes as executives
hope the government offers
relief on the fee and excise regime
it imposes on the industry amid
mounting job and financial losses.
According to the Canada Revenue
Agency (CRA), the federal government
assessed approximately
CA$862.3 million in total duty on
cannabis products between the
2018-19 and 2020-21 fiscal years,
most of which has been shared with
provinces and territories.
The CRA has yet to publish
comparable figures for the 2021-22
financial year.
But the most recent public
accounts, which detail the government's
expenses and revenues,
show the federal government
received revenue from the cannabis
levy worth CA$160.2 million that
year, bringing total duty since 2018
to a minimum of CA$1.02 billion.
The total duty since 2018 is likely
even higher, given that the public
accounts figure for 2021-22 does not
include, among other things, duty
collected by the federal government
and shared with provinces and
territories.
The federal government agreed to
share 75% of the revenues it collects
while keeping a quarter for itself.
Since 2018, total duty assessed on
cannabis products by the federal
government has increased as sales
have climbed.
For the fiscal years covering the
period 2018-21, duty assessed on
dried/fresh cannabis made up 79.2%
of the total.
Colombian Cannabis Exports
Nearly Doubled in 2022
Colombia's cannabis exports were on
pace to nearly double last year, as
the South American country aims to
meet demand in the small but growing
international import market.
Between January and November
2022, Colombia exported
$8.4 million worth of cannabis,
up 96% compared to the same
period one year earlier, according
to ProColombia, a government
agency in charge of promoting
nontraditional Colombian trade.
A total of 13 companies exported
products to 14 countries, the agency
reported, citing data from the
Colombian National Administrative
Department of Statistics.
The top destination for cannabis
exports from Colombia was
Argentina, which accounted for 40%
of the value.
The remaining destinations were:
* Brazil (14%).
* Australia (12%).
* Switzerland (7%).
* Israel (6.5%).
* United States (6%).
* Germany (5.5%).
The ProColombia analysis said the
sought-after goods abroad were
extracts, medicines and seeds.
MJBizMag April 2023

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