🌿 Trump names 'pardon czar', Switzerland eyes recreational legalization, and another cannabis prisoner released from Russia

Happy Friday Pre Rollers! Welcome to another edition of The Pre Roll, the cannabis newsletter that keeps you up-to-date on the industry happenings you need to know.

Here’s what we’re rolling up this week:

• Trump names “pardon czar”

• Switzerland eyes recreational legalization

• Another cannabis prisoner released from Russia

…and more. Let’s get to it.

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🚨 ROLL CALL

Policy

Pardon me. As part of a Black History Month event at the White House yesterday, President Donald Trump announced his new “pardon czar” will be Alice Johnson. In the role, Trump said Johnson will help make recommendations on future clemency decisions.

Johnson was convicted of a nonviolent drug offense in 1996 and was set to serve life in prison without the possibility of parole. During his first term, Trump commuted her sentence after Kim Kardashian advocated on her behalf. He eventually gave her a full pardon at the end of the term, following her speech at the 2020 Republican National Convention thanking him for the aforementioned commutation.

Additional details on what the position will entail remain unclear.

Policy

Parliamentary proposal. Switzerland is looking to legalize recreational cannabis. A proposal has been put forward by the Swiss Parliament’s Social Security and Health Committee addressing the regulation of cannabis cultivation, production, trade, and consumption for non-medical purposes.

The legislation is aimed at curbing the illegal market, while focusing on public health and youth protection. To avoid encouraging consumption, it suggests cannabis products not be sold for profit and be subject to a state monopoly. In order to get a permit from the government, growers and manufacturers would need to meet strict requirements.

Other key components of the plan are as follows:

• Import and export would only be approved for special circumstances

• Cannabis products must remain neutral with no brand elements

• Profits must be invested in prevention, harm reduction, and addiction support.

• Vertical integration would be banned to keep organizations from producing and selling cannabis at the same time

• The entire supply chain would be monitored with a digital tracking system

• A comprehensive ban on advertising for cannabis products would be put in place

• Cannabis products would be subject to a tax dependent on the THC content and the form of consumption

• Punishment for evading the legal market would become more severe

• There would be a zero tolerance policy for driving after consuming cannabis

The proposal would require approval from both houses of parliament before officially becoming law.

News

Release repeat. Another U.S. citizen arrested in Russia on drug smuggling charges was freed after being detained for just under two weeks. Kalob Byers, who was taken into custody after airport security found cannabis gummies in his luggage, faced up to 10 years in prison.

The news comes less than a week after American teacher Marc Fogel was released. Fogel had been held in Russia since 2021 and was serving a 14-year prison sentence after 17 grams of medical cannabis was discovered in his luggage at a different Moscow airport.

Both were prescribed the cannabis by doctors in the United States.

🇺🇸 STATE OF THE INDUSTRY

Mississippi: Legislators in both the House and Senate are deliberating over bills that would ban intoxicating hemp products.

New Jersey: The state’s top cannabis agency says more than $6 million in social equity tax funds collected has gone unspent.

Ohio: Recreational cannabis sales topped $319 million in the first six months since launch.

Oregon: Cannabis consumption lounges are being proposed again, with proponents hoping to get the issue on the 2026 ballot.

Pennsylvania: A new survey found 68% of respondents support adult-use legalization including 85% of Democrats, 62% of independents, and 53% of Republicans.

💼 BUSINESS

Aurora adds products in Australia

The Canadian-based global cannabis company expanded its medical cannabis pastille offering in The Land Down Under.

🌏 AROUND THE WORLD

Costa Rica: The Ministry of Health passed a new regulation to facilitate the sale of medical cannabis products.

💨 QUICK HITTERS

• The Denver-based Cannabis Marketing Association is closing down after nine years per its founder and CEO Lisa Buffo.

• A study discovered 53-56% of beer drinkers would be willing to try cannabis-infused beverages.

• California-based cannabis company Pineapple Express revealed that Matthew Feinstein has stepped down from his positions as CEO, President, and Chairman of the Board.

📚 WHAT WE’RE READING

• 'Complete failure': California pot industry hits another grim milestone (SFGATE)

• Lawmakers promised cannabis funds would right many wrongs, but results are mixed (WBEZ Chicago)

• Docs: Cannabis chief fired over bullying, ‘racially insensitive’ remarks (Boston.com)

• Inside Cannabis’ $2 Billion Crash: MedMen’s Collapse Was ‘A Smoke And Mirrors Show,’ Says Ousted CEO In Upcoming Memoir (Forbes)

• The cannabis farm scandal: how a rogue lettings agency destroyed countless homes (The Guardian)

• Opinion: Cannabis tourism stunted by too much regulation (Calgary Herald)

🎙️ POTCASTS

• How Affinity FCU and Green Check Look to Snuff Out the Stigma of Cannabis Banking (CUbroadcast)

📽️ VIDEO OF THE WEEK

🗓 UPCOMING EVENTS

March 1: The Los Angeles County Bar Association’s (LACBA) Cannabis Section is hosting a networking event called “The Elevated Experience — The Future of Cannabis Hospitality” for regulators, executives, thought leaders, and industry professionals at Pleasuremed in West Hollywood, California.

🔎 JOB BOARD

• Transactional Business Attorney (Highly-Regulated Industries)^Verified

  • KK Legal & Advisory Services

  • $150,000—$170,000

• Central Operations Project Manager

  • Nabis

  • $80,000—$90,000

• National Wholesale Director

  • Story Cannabis

📨 PUFF, PUFF, PASS REEFERAL PROGRAM

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Stay tuned for more cannabis industry news next week!

💚,

The Pre Roll Team

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