Your seat at the table
Writing in Illinois Playbook, her newsletter on Illinois political news, Politico reporter Shia Capos noted that the state’s cannabis industry has a lot of questions about the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s April 30 announcement that it plans to reclassify marijuana.
A looming question, she reported lobbyist Mark Peysakhovich asking: “Is there a way of doing this that could be reversed by Donald Trump if he wins?”
Read the May 1 story at Politico.
A new group of bills in Springfield seek to regulate hemp compounds such as Delta-8 in a manner similar to what is currently in place for cannabis. One bill would also ban the sale of such synthetic THC elements pending further study.
Bill sponsors and supporters point out the hemp-based products are being marketed in ways that resemble cannabis products in terms of branding and/or packaging.
Lobbyist Mark Peysakhovich agreed there is no room for the lookalikes, but added those products are not what his clients’ hemp is all about.
Read the news item at the WJBC Radio website, April 12, 2024
More about the issue at the Quad City Times.
The Illinois Psychiatric Society supports removing prior authorization and other medication utilization management controls for Illinois Medicaid patients. Read more
Mark notes that they’ve found a level of legitimacy that some other items in the THC world have not, noting a recent announcement by liquor store chain Binnys. Read more
Mark notes that not much has changed in the cannabis industry, but over the long term most of us think it’s going to become a significant packated good. Read more
FYI for folks interested in the cannabis industry in Illinois: the Illinois Department of Revenue has released draft administrative rules pertaining to cannabis taxes in the latest Illinois Register, Volume 47, Issue 49. Read more
Mark talks about evidence of cannabis-related reductions in opioid use, good economic and fiscal news, and the unfortunate decision from Mastercard. Read more
Why Mark is spending a lot of time on client maintenance and what else he is focusing on going into the new year.
Mark Peysakhovich on the Becker Private Equity & Business Podcast, January 11, 2023
It was huge news when the President announced his recent pardons for federal possession, and an uptick in cannabis stock followed. But what are the larger implications for the market – and what would be the result of federal legalization and “commodification” of the product? Mark shares some perspectives.
Mark Peysakhovich on the Becker Private Equity & Business Podcast, October 21, 2022
As President Biden announced on October 6 a blanket pardon for those federally convicted of simple marijuana possession, Chicago’s WCPT 820 reached out to Mark for his reactions. Hear what he had to say.
The message: “The president doesn’t necessarily love cannabis,” Mark observed, “But it’s encouraging to see he understands that cannabis isn’t just about drugs…“
The policy impact: “There are only a few thousand people” who have been convicted for possession at the federal level, Mark notes. “But the main issue is…”