A group of eight Rhode Island senators have filed legislation that would require certain healthcare facilities to allow terminally ill patients to use medical marijuana.

Cannabis capsules.

Senate Bill 847, filed today, has been referred to the Senate Health and Human Services Committee for consideration.

The proposal serves as a companion to House Bill 5630, introduced in February with ten sponsors. The two measures share identical language, both designed to ensure access to medical marijuana for patients in healthcare facilities while implementing strict guidelines for its use. The Senate sponsors include Senators Melissa Murray (D), Jonathon Acosta (D), Samuel Bell (D), Brian Thompson (D), Dawn Euer (D), Mark McKenney (D), Pamela Lauria (D), and Bridget Valverde (D).
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A trio of senators in North Carolina filed the Marijuana Justice and Reinvestment Act today, a proposal to legalize recreational cannabis that was filed in the House on Monday (currently with 17 sponsors).

Senators Graig Meyer (D), Jay Chaudhuri (D), and Natalie Murdock (D) introduced the Senate version of the bill, mirroring the House proposal.

The legislation would legalize marijuana for those 21 and older, allowing possession of up to two ounces of marijuana, 15 grams of concentrates, and marijuana products containing up to 2,000 milligrams of THC. It would also allow home cultivation of up to six plants, with additional harvested marijuana required to remain on the grower’s property.
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An Iowa bill to legalize psilocybin for those with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been scheduled for a public hearing on March 25 at 12:00PM.

Dried psilocybin mushrooms. (Photo credit: Rich Townsend/Getty Images).

The hearing on House File 620, sponsored by Representative John Wills (R), is being held by the House Ways and Means Subcommittee in House Lounge 2. The proposed law would establish a regulated framework for the production and supervised administration of psilocybin, the psychedelic compound found in magic mushrooms.

If enacted, the measure would allow its use under professional supervision for those with PTSD, while retaining penalties for unauthorized production or possession.
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The Texas Senate has approved Senate Bill 3 in a 24 to 7 vote, advancing legislation that would ban THC in all consumable hemp products.

Gummies made with hemp-derived Delta-8 THC.

Filed by Republican Senators Charles Perry, Donna Campbell, and Brent Hagenbuch, SB 3 would outlaw any hemp-derived product containing cannabinoids other than cannabidiol (CBD) or cannabigerol (CBG). This prohibition would effectively eliminate the sale of delta-8, delta-9, and other THC variants that have gained popularity under Texas’ existing hemp laws.

The bill assigns regulatory authority to the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS), requiring all hemp manufacturers to obtain a state-issued license. It also mandates that consumable hemp products undergo rigorous testing to confirm their cannabinoid content and ensure they are free of harmful contaminants before reaching consumers.
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France has moved closer to allowing medical marijuana by sending two key proposals to the European Commission that would set rules for its production and distribution.

This notification, submitted on March 19 through the Technical Regulation Information System (TRIS) procedure, is a required step before the country can fully incorporate medical marijuana into its legal system.

These decrees, finalized nearly two years ago, had been awaiting government approval for submission to Brussels. Now, a three-month standstill period allows the European Commission and member states to review and comment on the regulations. If a detailed opinion is issued, the review period could extend by another three months, requiring France to justify its proposed measures.
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A Connecticut legislative committee has approved a bill designed to strengthen labor protections for cannabis industry employees.

The House Labor and Public Employees Committee voted 9 to 4 yesterday in favor of a substitute version of House Bill 6842, which mandates that cannabis businesses enter into labor peace agreements and prohibits employers from factoring gratuities into wages to meet minimum pay requirements. The bill now moves to the full House for consideration.

The measure proposes updating existing labor laws by requiring cannabis licensees to sign agreements with labor unions, preventing them from interfering with organizing efforts. It also clarifies that cannabis workers must be paid at least the state’s minimum fair wage, barring businesses from offsetting wages with tips.
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A new poll has found that a majority of Utah voters support legalizing recreational marijuana.

While Utah currently allows medical marijuana, recreational use remains illegal. The poll, conducted by Noble Predictive Insights and commissioned by Keep Utah Medical, found that 52% of Utah voters back legalization, 38% oppose it, and 9% are undecided. Keep Utah Medical, which led the state’s successful medical cannabis initiative in 2018, says it has no plans to push for recreational legalization, but is simply gauging support for this issue.

The poll found that 76% of Democrats and 61% of independents favor legalization, while Republicans are more divided, with 51% opposed and 41% in support.

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Legislation in North Carolina that would legalize adult-use cannabis for those 21 and older, including establishing a licensed and regulated system of marijuana businesses, now has 13 sponsors.

House Bill 413 was filed on Monday by a coalition of six Democratic lawmakers. In the two days since being filed, the measure has garnered seven additional sponsors.

Sponsors now include Representatives Jordan Lopez (D), Aisha Dew (D), Zack Forde-Hawkins (D), Mary Harrison (D), Eric Ager (D), Mary Belk (D), Tracy Clark (D), Sarah Crawford (D), Rodney Pierce (D), Lindsey Prather (D), Renee Price (D), James Roberson (D), and Brian Turner (D).
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The New Mexico House of Representatives has passed legislation to legalize medical psilocybin, sending the measure to Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham for consideration.

Dried psilocybin mushrooms in a bowl.

The House voted 56 to 8 today in favor of Senate Bill 219, the Medical Psilocybin Act, which previously cleared the Senate with a 33 to 4 vote. The proposal was filed by Senator Jeff Steinborn (D).

If signed into law, or allowed to become law without a signature, the legislation would allow individuals with specific behavioral health conditions—such as major treatment-resistant depression, PTSD, substance use disorders, and end-of-life distress—to receive psilocybin-assisted treatment. It would also create an advisory board, a treatment equity fund, and a research fund while removing psilocybin from the state’s Controlled Substances Act to protect patients, clinicians, and producers.
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Minnesota’s marijuana market is still taking shape, and state officials say a significant expansion in cultivation will be necessary to meet demand.

According to Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) interim director Eric Taubel, the state needs between 1.5 and 2 million square feet of canopy to supply the market, according to a demand study commissioned by the OCM. Currently, Minnesota has only about 60,000 square feet of active cultivation space—roughly 3% of what is required.

To bridge the gap, Taubel says the state will need to issue a large number of cultivation licenses, somewhere between 100 and 150. Some of the shortfall is expected to be covered by tribal growers, with the governor’s office negotiating agreements that would allow tribes to open cannabis businesses beyond reservation land.
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