Two more Senate committee have now passed a bill to legalize recreational marijuana, bringing the total to four.

In a 6 to 0 vote, the Senate Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee passed Senate Bill 3335 yesterday, moving it to the Ways and Means Committee. The same day, that committee approved the bill 7 to 5, sending it to a vote of the full Senate.

Filed last month by Senator Jarrett Keohokalole, SB 3335 would legalize the possession, personal cultivation and license distribution of recreational marijuana for those 21 and older. The Hawaii Cannabis Authority and Cannabis Control Board would be established within the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs and tasked with overseeing licensing and regulations for the legal marijuana industry.
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A measure “providing a tax exemption for medical cannabis patients” has been given approval by Washington’s full legislature, although one final vote is needed before it can be sent to Governor Inslee.

House Bill 1453 provides “a permanent tax exemption from the 37 percent cannabis excise tax for qualifying patients and designated providers with a recognition card on purchases of cannabis products that are labeled as Department of Health (DOH)-compliant product and tested in accordance with the DOH’s rules.” The proposal was passed today by the Senate, 36 to 13, with the vote coming three weeks after it passed the House 85 to 12.

Given the Senate amended the bill so that it sunsets in 2029 (aka expires unless renewed), the House will need to give the measure one final vote of concurrence before it can be sent to Governor Jay Inslee.
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Legislation designed to address the growing prevenance of what lawmakers call “high-THC cannabis” has been passed through Washington’s full Legislature.

Live resin, a form of marijuana concentrate that often has over 90% THC.

Washington’s Senate voted 47 to 1 yesterday to pass House Bill 2320. The measure passed the House of Representatives last month in a 92 to 5 vote, but it will need to go back for one final vote before it can be sent to Governor Jay Inslee given it was amended slightly.

According to its official legislative summary, the measure “Requires the Department of Health (DOH) to develop optional training for retail cannabis staff as well as a notice that cannabis retailers must conspicuously post at the point of sale for consumers, related to possible health risks and impacts of high-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) cannabis and available resources.”
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Wyoming’s House of Representatives has given approval to legislation that would prohibit the production, distribution and possession of THC derived from hemp, including delta-8 and delta-10 THC.

Delta-8 THC gummies.

Senate Bill 32 was passed by the House through its second reading, just days after it was approved through the full Senate in an 18 to 13 vote. The House will now need to pass the measure through a third and final reading before it can be sent to Governor Mark Gordon.

If enacted into law, as is expected at this point, the production and distribution of synthetic THC would be prohibited, as would any delta-8 and delta-10 THC derived from hemp. Hemp products would not be permitted to have more than 0.3% delta-9 THC.
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Recently the US Army clarified that a 2022 proclamation issuing thousands of marijuana pardons “does not cover military drug offenses”. Now, a US senator is calling this a “mistake”.

In the Army’s announcement they clarified that the pardons do “not result in a pardon for military personnel, nor does it apply to the civilian drug-testing program.” Now, Senator John Fetterman (D-PA), says “I would urge him to reconsider that. I don’t think it’s helpful”.

Fetterman, in the interview with Ask a Pol’s Matt Laslo, said “If you’re willing to serve our nation in the military, to be penalized by using a substance that is statistically much safer than other legal kinds of things—I don’t really understand the logic, truthfully.”
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A legislative committee has schedule a public hearing for a bill that would decriminalize the personal possession of psilocybin mushrooms.

The Joint Committee on Judiciary has scheduled a March 6 hearing for House Bill 5297, which was filed Monday. A public hearing is a necessary step to a bill being approved through the committee process. The measure states that “Any person who possesses or has under such person’s control less than one-half ounce of psilocybin, except as authorized in chapter 420b of the general statutes, shall:

(1) for a first offense, be fined one hundred fifty dollars, and
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North Carolina’s first-ever marijuana dispensary will open April 20 on the tribal land of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI).

In September members of the EBCI voted overwhelmingly in favor of a measure to legalize recreational marijuana for everyone 21 and older, regardless of whether or not they’re a tribal member. Specifically, the referendum asked voters: “Do you support legalizing the possession and use of cannabis for persons who are at least twenty-one (21) years old, and require the EBCI Tribal Council to develop legislation to regulate the market?” The measure passed with 70% support.

Now, the EBCI will soon open their marijuana superstore – a former bingo hall that cost tens of millions of dollars to refurbish – on April 20, the unofficial marijuana holiday.
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