The New Jersey Department of State’s New Jersey Business Action Center (NJBAC), with designation and support from the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission (CRC), has launched the Cannabis Training Academy (CTA).

The CTA was officially launched yesterday, October 16. This no-cost, online cannabis educational platform aids and educates current and aspiring cannabis business owners as they navigate the process of establishing a licensed and regulatory-compliant cannabis business in New Jersey.

Participants in this comprehensive, learner-led program will receive information covering the licensing application process, municipal approval, zoning issues, raising capital, post-licensing topics and general operations. Conditional conversion support will also be available.
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Medical marijuana sales in Germany are projected to surpass €420 million (about $455.2 million) in 2024, with the market on track to hit €1 billion by 2028, according to the German Cannabis Report from Prohibition Partners, a London-based data firm.

The report highlights a 30% rise in medical marijuana sales in state-licensed pharmacies during the third quarter of 2023, with further growth following new laws implemented in April. Germany’s marijuana regulations, which allow for medical use and home growing of recreational marijuana, are some of the most progressive in Europe.

Since legalizing medical marijuana in 2017, Germany now has over 200,000 patients, and physicians can prescribe marijuana for any condition they deem appropriate. The country’s public health care system also reimburses patients for marijuana obtained from pharmacies.
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Michigan’s full Senate has approved Senate Bill 807 through its second reading.

(Photo credit: The Associated Press).

Filed by Senator Sean McCann in April, Senate Bill 807 was approved yesterday by the full Senate. This vote allows the measure to advance to a third and final reading. The vote comes roughly a month after the measure was passed through the Committee On Regulatory Affairs.

The proposed law “would amend the Michigan Regulation and Taxation of Marihuana Act to allow an individual who was 19 years old or older to work or volunteer for a marihuana establishment or tribal marihuana business if the individual were supervised by an agent of the establishment or business who was 21 years old or older.”
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In September, Illinois saw marijuana sales above $150 million for the 12th consecutive month.

According to updated numbers provided by the Illinois Cannabis Regulation Oversight Officer, there was $136.5 worth of recreational marijuana sold in September, in addition to $21.7 million worth of medical marijuana. The combined $158.2 million is a noticable dip from the $165 million sold last month and last September. Still, the state’s legal marijuana industry has continued to remain consistent, with monthy sales above $150 million since September 2023.

Of the recreational marijuana sold in September, $106.1 million was purchased by those living in Illinois, with out-of-state residents purchasing $30.4 million worth of marijuana and marijuana products during the same period.
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The campaign for Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee for president, released a policy agenda this week that includes a pledge to “legalize marijuana at the federal level.”

Harris promises to “work with Congress to ensure that the safe cultivation, distribution, and possession of recreational marijuana is the law of the land” if elected next month. This pledge comes nearly two weeks after Harris said in an interview, “I just think we have come to a point where we have to understand that we need to legalize [marijuana] and stop criminalizing this behavior.”
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Legislation to protect banks and other financial institutions that provide services to state-legal marijuana businesses has been signed into law by Governor John Carney.

House Bill 355, sponsored by Representative Ed Osienski and Senator Trey Paradee, clarifies that providing financial services to legal cannabis businesses is lawful under Delaware state law. Passage of the bill removes a major barrier for the cannabis industry, which has struggled to access traditional banking services due to the continued federal classification of marijuana as a Schedule I drug.

“This legislation is a critical step forward for Delaware’s cannabis industry,” said State Treasurer Colleen Davis. “By ensuring safe access to banking services, we are empowering legitimate businesses to operate transparently and securely.”
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Massachusetts voters could become the next state to legalize psychedelics if they choose to approve Question 4 next month. Polling shows it’s likely to be a close race.

Mescaline (top left), ibogaine (top right), psilocybin mushrooms (bottom left), and DMT (bottom right). All four would be legalized under the initiative put forth by Massachusetts for Mental Health Options.

Question 4, being voted on November 5 and put forth by the nonprofit Massachusetts for Mental Health Options (MMHO), would legalize the possession and personal cultivation of up to one gram of DMT, 18 grams of non-peyote mescaline, 30 grams of Ibogaine, one gram of psilocybin, and one gram of psilocin. Possessing up to twice this amount would be punishable by a fine of up to $100.

The initiative would “expand mental health treatment options in Massachusetts by providing new pathways to access natural psychedelic medicine therapy,” including “creating access to natural psychedelic medicine therapy and removing criminal penalties for personal possession of these medicines.” The law would allow licensed service centers to supply psychedelics, overseen by a newly-created Natural Psychedelic Substances Commission, modeled after the state’s Cannabis Control Commission.
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A California judge has temporarily upheld a comprehensive statewide ban on most consumer hemp products containing THC.

On Friday, Superior Court Judge Stephen Goorvitch denied a request from the hemp industry for a temporary restraining order (TRO) against the restrictions, which were put in place by Governor Newsom last month. These regulations prohibit the sale of any industrial hemp food, beverage, or dietary product for consumption if it contains THC or other “intoxicating cannabinoids”, pending resolution of a lawsuit challenging the ban.

The request for a TRO was filed in late September in Los Angeles Superior Court by the U.S. Hemp Roundtable, a trade group, along with six hemp companies. This action followed California’s implementation of a ban on intoxicating hemp products. The lawsuit aimed at overturning the ban is set for trial proceedings beginning on November 22, according to court records.
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