Feb 18 2024

Hawaii On Track to Become 25th Legal Marijuana State

24 states have legalized recreational marijuana. Although several are vying to become the 25th, Hawaii appears the most on track to do so.

Earlier this week the Senate Judiciary Committee voted to pass Senate Bill 3335 to legalize recreational marijuana, the same day it was passed through the Senate Committee on Health and Human Services Committee. The measure, which is based on an outline put forth by Attorney General Anne E. Lopez, is expected to soon be considered by the full Senate, which voted 22 to 3 to pass a different legalization bill last session.

The proposed law would allow those 21 and older to purchase up to an ounce of marijuana and five grams of marijuana concentrates from licensed marijuana retail outlets, supplied by licensed growers and processors. The legislation would establish the Hawaii Cannabis Authority and Cannabis Control Board within the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs in order to oversee a legal marijuana market, with recreational marijuana taxed at 14% and medical marijuana taxed at 4%. The personal cultivation of up to six plants would also be allowed.
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Feb 18 2024

In Clinical Trial Psilocybin Was Effective in Reducing Treatment Resistant Depression

In a new study published in the journal Med, psilocybin was found to be safe and effective in combatting treatment resistant depression.

Dried psilocybin mushrooms.

Titled Psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for treatment resistant depression: A randomized clinical trial evaluating repeated doses of psilocybin, the study was conducted by researchers at the University of Toronto, McMaster University and Queens University.

“Psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy (PAP) has been associated with antidepressant effects”, states the study’s abstract. “Trials to date have typically excluded participants with complex presentations. Our aim was to determine the feasibility of PAP in a complex population, including high levels of treatment resistance in major depressive and bipolar disorder and patients with baseline suicidality and significant comorbidity.
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Feb 18 2024

WA House Committee Passes Senate Approved Bill to Alter Possession Limit for Marijuana-Infused Liquids

 Washington’s Senate Committee on Labor and Commerce has voted to pass a bill to alter the state’s possession limit for marijuana-infused liquids.

(Photo credit: GETTY Images).

Senate Bill 5340 was given approval by the committee in a unanimous 9 to 0 vote. The vote comes five days after the full House of Representatives advanced the bill in a vote of 88 to 9. The measure must now be advanced through one further Senate committee before it can be considered by the full chamber and if passed, sent to Governor Jay Inslee.

Under current Washington law those 21 and older can possess up to 72 ounces of marijuana-infused products in liquid form, given it has no more than 100mg of THC per product and no more than 10mg THC per serving. Senate Bill 5340 would make it so that a retailer “may sell more than 72 ounces of cannabis-infused product in liquid form if the product is packaged in individual units containing no more than four milligrams of THC per unit.”
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Feb 16 2024

Florida Senate Unanimously Approves Bill to Ban Delta-8 THC

Florida’s full Senate has approved legislation to place a cap on the amount of THC sold in hemp-derived products, while banning Delta-8 THC outright.

Gummies made with delta-8 THC.

In a unanimous 39 to 0 vote, the Florida Senate sent Senate Bill 1698 to the House of Representatives, which is expected to quickly act on the measure.

The proposal would entirely ban the sale of delta-8 THC that’s derived from hemp, which was legalized under the 2018 farm bill. Delta-8 THC interacts with the body in a way similar to marijuana-derived delta-9 THC, despite the latter being illegal for recreational use in Florida. This has led some lawmakers to consider it a loophole, allowing consumers to legally get a marijuana-like high.
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Feb 16 2024

US Congress: Federal Legislation to Allow Marijuana Use at Public Housing Gains Fifth Sponsor

Legislation to explicitly allow those in public housing to use state-legal marijuana without fear of eviction has gained its fifth legislation sponsor.

The Marijuana in Federally Assisted Housing Parity Act was introduced last month in the US House of Representatives by Congressmember Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), with a companion bill filed in the Senate by Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ).

Yesterday, Congressmember Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) joined the list of sponsors on the House version of the bill, joining Reps. Barbara Lee (D-CA) and Earl Blumenauer (D-OR).
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Feb 15 2024

Ukraine President Signs Bill Legalizing Medical Marijuana

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has signed into law a bill that legalizes medical marijuana.

The signature from President Zelenskyy comes roughly two months after the measure was approved through the Verkhovna Rada with 248 of the body’s 450 members voting in favor.

Under the legislation, which takes effect in 60 days, those with a qualifying condition who receive a recommendation from a physician will be authorized to possess and use medical marijuana. Although the law at the time of passage only applies to severe illness like cancer as well as war-borne post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), proponents of the measure have said that the country can expand the list of qualifying conditions once it’s passed.
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Feb 14 2024

A Breakdown of the 24 States That Have Legalized Recreational Marijuana

At the start of 2012, no state in the US had legalized recreational marijuana; 12 years later and zero has increased to 24.

Since Colorado and Washington legalized marijuana during the November, 2012 election, an average of around two states every year have done the same, with the number now nearing half of the entire country.  Lawmakers and activists in numerous other states are working to make their state the next to follow suit.

Among the 24 states that have legalized marijuana, although their laws all have some similarities, they also contain a bevy of differences. With that in mind, below is a list of the 24 legal marijuana states, in alphabetical order along with a breakdown of their individual laws.
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Feb 14 2024

New Jersey Governor Celebrates State Having Over 100 Marijuana Dispensaries

In a press release sent today, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy celebrated the state have over 100 marijuana dispensaries.

(Photo credit: The Associated Press).

“Reaching 100 cannabis dispensaries is a huge milestone that shows we are headed in the right direction”, says Governor Murphy. “When the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission was established, our administration’s goal was to develop a stronger, fairer, and more equitable model for the rollout of an adult-use cannabis market”. Murphy says he believes the state is meeting that goal.

“As we continue towards our goals for the cannabis market in New Jersey, I am grateful to the Cannabis Regulatory Commission [CRC] for their dedicated work and leadership on this critical area of our economy”, said Murphy.
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Feb 14 2024

New Hampshire Committee Approves Measure to Legalize Marijuana

A legislative proposal to legalize recreational marijuana has been passed by a key committee in the House of Representatives.

The House Commerce and Consumer Affairs Committee voted 17 to 3 today to pass House Bill 1633, sending it to the full House of Representatives. .

Under the proposed law, those 21 and older would be allowed to possess and consume marijuana and marijuana products for recreational use. A system of licensed, regulated and state-operate marijuana stores would open throughout the state, 15 in total.
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Feb 14 2024

US House Bill to Allow Marijuana Use at Public Housing Gains New Sponsor

Federal legislation that would allow those in public housing to use marijuana without fear of eviction if they are following state law has gained a new legislative sponsor.

The Marijuana in Federally Assisted Housing Parity Act was introduced last month in the United States House of Representatives and Senate by Congressmember Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) and Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ). Yesterday, Congressmember Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) became the third sponsor of the House version of the bill. Blumenauer joins Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) as the bill’s cosponsor.

If passed into law, the measure would allow the use of marijuana in federally assisted housing, including public housing and Section 8 housing, if the consumer is in compliance with state marijuana laws.
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