May 07 2024
According to data from the Maine Office of Cannabis Policy, marijuana sales reached $19,225,160 in April, marking a slight increase from the $19.1 million recorded last month, and nearly $2 million more than the total sales in May 2023. These sales occurred across 356,951 transactions.
The average price per gram of dried marijuana in April fell to an all-time low of $7.18, down $0.13 from March.
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May 07 2024
Recreational marijuana sales contributed significantly, amounting to $22.11 million, while medical marijuana sales were $4.07 million for the month.
April sales mark the 14th consecutive month that marijuana sales have exceeded $25 million in Montana, as reported by the state’s Cannabis Control Division. The combined total for 2024 now stands at around $103 million. The total for 2023 was $319 million, resulting in over $50 million in tax revenue.
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May 07 2024
Today, South Dakotans for Better Marijuana Laws submitted approximately 30,000 signatures for their initiative to legalize recreational marijuana for individuals aged 21 and older. This count significantly exceeds the 17,508 signatures required to qualify the measure for the November 2024 presidential election ballot. Although the initiative will not be officially placed on the ballot until the state confirms that a sufficient number of these signatures are valid (from registered South Dakota voters), the group has submitted enough signatures that more than 40% would need to be invalid for the measure to fail to make the ballot.
If enacted, the initiative would permit individuals aged 21 and older to possess up to an ounce of marijuana and cultivate up to three marijuana plants at a private residence. Additionally, it would authorize a system of licensed and regulated marijuana stores to distribute marijuana and marijuana products.
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May 07 2024
The legislation, known as the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act, proposes to eliminate marijuana from the list of federally controlled substances, effectively decriminalizing it across the nation. Congressmember Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ) added his support as a cosponsor on May 5, increasing the total sponsorship to 88 since its introduction with 34 original sponsors.
The MORE Act also introduces a federal excise tax of 5% on legal marijuana sales in the initial two years, which is set to rise to 8% in the fifth year. Furthermore, it provides for the expungement of previous marijuana convictions and ensures that marijuana users are not denied public benefits.
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May 06 2024
This amount marks a significant 29% drop from 2022 and an even more stark 98% decrease since 2013—a year that saw over 2.4 million pounds of marijuana seized.
This substantial decline in seizures mirrors the rise of the state-legal marijuana markets across the United States, beginning around 2014. These legal markets have profoundly impacted the demand for Mexican cannabis, significantly reducing both its production and exportation.
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May 06 2024
“BIG: I can now say with full confidence that the Administrator of DEA, Anne Milgram, did NOT sign the rescheduling order, breaking with five decades of precedent and established law and regulations (two confidential sources inside DEA and another outside DEA with intimate knowledge tell me),” Sabet stated on the social media platform X. Sabet, a former advisor to the Obama Administration, is also a co-founder of SAM, one of the largest anti-marijuana groups in the nation.
It is important to note that SAM was among the first to report the DEA’s plans to reschedule marijuana. That said, from a legal, political, and practical standpoint, it likely does not affect the validity of the rescheduling order, as the move has already been confirmed by the Department of Justice.
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May 06 2024
South Dakotans for Better Marijuana Laws says they will submit their signatures to South Dakota Secretary of State Monae Johnson tomorrow, the state’s deadline. The group says they will submit well more than the 35,017 signatures required for the measure to be voted on during the November presidential election. Before the measure can be officially certified for the ballot, the state must verify that enough of the signatures are from registered South Dakota voters.
In 2020, South Dakotans for Better Marijuana Laws successful placed a marijuana legalization initiative on the November ballot, with it receiving support from 54% of voters. Due to a technicality in the initiative’s language, the measure was thrown out by state courts.
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May 06 2024
Today, the Senate Health and Human Services Committee passed House Bill 1278 with a unanimous 5-0 vote. This measure has already been approved by the state’s full House of Representatives. It now needs to clear one more Senate committee and the full Senate before reaching Governor Chris Sununu’s desk.
Filed by State Representative Wendy Thomas, the proposal would repeal the state’s list of qualifying medical marijuana conditions and replace it with a provision stating that “For adults 21 years of age or older, any debilitating or terminal medical condition or symptom for which the potential benefits of using therapeutic cannabis would, in the provider’s clinical opinion, likely outweigh the potential health risks for the patient.”
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May 06 2024
Last month, we published a list of the 10 states next in line to potentially legalize marijuana. While this list remains relevant, as we approach the halfway point of the year, only a few of these states have a reasonable chance of passing a marijuana legalization law in 2024.
With that in mind, below are the five states that could still legalize marijuana this year:
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May 06 2024
In a letter to the White House Counsel, the nation’s criminal defense bar urged immediate commutation of sentences, compassionate release, and second chances for persons convicted of marijuana offenses.
“While recognizing that cannabis a less dangerous drug is a positive step, decriminalization and decarceration must remain our top priorities,” said NACDL President Michael P. Heiskell, taking note of the fact that the DEA will soon reschedule marijuana.
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