Hawaii Bill to Decriminalize One Ounce of Marijuana Scheduled for Public Hearing on February 6

A legislative committee in Hawaii has scheduled a public hearing on legislation that would decriminalize the possession of up to an ounce of marijuana.

The House Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs has scheduled a hearing on House Bill 1596 for Tuesday, February 6 at 2pm in House conference room 325 via videoconference. This will give members of the public in addition to lawmakers not on the committee an opportunity to give public testimony in support or opposition of the bill.

The measure was filed last month by State Representative David Tarnas along with a coalition of 11 other lawmakers.

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WA Bill to Increase Possession Limit for Marijuana-Infused Liquids Advances to Full Senate

Legislation that would increase the legal possession limit for marijuana-infused liquids has been advanced to a third and final reading by the Washington State Senate.

Filed by Senator King, Senate Bill 5340 has been “Placed on third reading by Rules Committee”. If passed through the third reading by the full Senate, it would need to pass the House of Representatives before it can be sent to Governor Jay Inslee.

Under current law those 21 and older can possess up to 72 ounces of marijuana-infused products in liquid form.
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Legislation to Legalize Marijuana Filed in Kentucky, Titled House Bill 420

A bill that would make recreational marijuana legal for everyone 21 and older has been filed in Kentucky’s Legislature.

The aptly titled House Bill 420 was filed this week by State Representative Rachel Roberts with six legislative cosponsors. The measure has been assigned to the House Committee on Committees.

The legislation would establish a system of licensed, regulated and taxed marijuana businesses. Marijuana stores would be allowed to sell marijuana and marijuana products to anyone 21 and older, with sales taxed at 9% at the possession limit for dried flower set at one ounce.
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Washington Senate Passes Bill On Modifying Marijuana Tax to Consider THC Concentration

Washington’s full Senate has voted overwhelmingly to pass legislation that could lead to future changes in the state’s marijuana excise tax.

Washington tied Colorado as the first state to legalize marijuana in 2012. Since then, 22 other states have done the same, but none have established a higher marijuana excise tax than Washington’s 37%.

Now, legislation filed by Senator Karen Keiser with three Democrat cosponsors seeks to have the state considering modifying its marijuana excise tax to take THC concentrations into consideration. Senate Bill 6271 was passed by the Senate 44 to 5, moving it to the House of Representatives.
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Brooklyn Nets and New York Liberty Become First NBA and WMBA Teams to Partner With a CBD Company

The Brooklyn Nets and the New York Liberty have become the first teams in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) to partner with a CBD company.

The teams, under the banner BSE Global, have signed a multiyear deal with Mynd Drinks. The company specializes in plant-based drinks that are free of THC but contain cannabidiol (CBD).

Mynd Drinks also has a partnership with Major League Baseball team the Chicago Cubs, which began in 2022
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Oregon Marijuana Sales Pass $75 Million in January

In Oregon there was just over $75 million in marijuana sold through legal means in January.

oregon marijuana sales

According to the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission, licensed marijuana stores sold $75,547,403 worth of marijuana and marijuana products in January. This is on par with the $75.6 million sold in January, 2023.

In January Multnomah County by far sold the most amount of marijuana at $17.1 million, followed by Washington County with $8.3 million and Malheur County with $7.8 million.
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New Mexico: $46 Million in Legal Marijuana Sold in January

There was over $46 million worth of marijuana and marijuana products sold legally in the first month of the year in New Mexico.

In total licensed marijuana retail outlets sold $46,268,189 in legal marijuana, marking the 11th straight month where sales are over $45 million. This is according to data released today by the New Mexico Regulation & Licensing Department.

Of the $46 million in sales, $34,420,131 was purchased by recreational consumers, while $11,848,057 was purchased by medical marijuana patients.
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63% of Registered Pennsylvania Voters Support Legalizing Recreational Marijuana

New polling shows a strong majority of Pennsylvania voters support legalizing recreational marijuana.

According to the newest Franklin & Marshall College Poll, 63% of registered voters in the state want recreational marijuana to be legal, including 44% who answered “Definitely yes” to being in support of the move.

Specifically, participants were asked “Do you think the use of recreational marijuana should be made legal, or not?”
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Study Finds CBD May “Ameliorate Intraventricular Hemorrhage-Induced Immature Brain Damage”

According to a new study published in the journal Neurotherapeutics, “CBD is a potential candidate to ameliorate intraventricular hemorrhage-induced immature brain damage.”

The study found that CBD “reduced IVH-induced brain damage and its short- and long-term consequences, showing robust and pleiotropic neuroprotective effects” in an animal model.

“Intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) is an important cause of long-term disability in extremely preterm infants, with no current treatment. This study assessed the potential neuroprotective effects of cannabidiol (CBD) in an IVH model using immature rats”, notes the study’s abstract.
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In New Study “Cannabis Alone Was Not Associated With Higher Odds of Motor Vehicle Collisions”

According to a new study marijuana does not lead to an increase in motor vehicle accidents, with “high self-reported acute cannabis use” actually associated with lower odds of such accidents.

Published in the journal Accident Analysis and Prevention, the study was conducted by researchers at the Oregon Health & Science University, the University of Colorado School of Medicine, the University of California Davis, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, the Alcohol Research Group and Portland State University.

“The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between cannabis and alcohol use and occurrence of motor vehicle collision (MVC) among patients in the emergency department (ED), states the study’s abstract.
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