Jan 18 2024

Hawaii Bill to Decriminalize Marijuana Passed Through First Reading in House of Representatives

Legislation to decriminalize the possession of up to an ounce of marijuana has been passed through its initial reading in the Hawaii House of Representatives.

House Bill 1596 was filed Wednesday by State Representative David Tarnas along with a coalition of 11 other lawmakers. Yesterday the measure “passed First Reading”, with it needing to be passed through two additional readings before it can be sent to the Hawaii Senate.

In 2019 lawmakers in Hawaii passed a limited marijuana decriminalization law that removed criminal penalties for possessing up to three grams of marijuana, making it at most an $125 ticket. House Bill 1596 would increase the three gram limit to be 28 grams (one ounce), and it would reduce the ticket to just $25.
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Jan 18 2024

Washington Senate Votes Unanimously to Allow the Sale of Cannabis Waste

Legislation that would allow licensed cannabis producers and processor “to sell specified solid waste generated during cannabis production or processing under certain conditions” has been passed by Washington’s full Senate.

Senate Bill 5376 was approved through the Senate yesterday in a unanimous 48 to 0 vote. The measure was filed by Senator Derek Stanford (D) and is cosponsored by Senators Anna Rivers (R), Karen Keiser (D), Rebecca Saldana (D) and Claire Wilson (D).

The measure states that “A licensed cannabis producer and a licensed cannabis processor may sell cannabis waste to a person not licensed by LCB if:
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Jan 18 2024

Federal Bill to Deschedule Marijuana Likely the Prime Vehicle for Marijuana Reform if Democrats Take Back Congress

Legislation to fully deschedule marijuana while allowing expungements has 82 sponsors in the House of Representatives, but its chances in the Republican controlled chamber are slim to none – for now.

The Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act was filed in September with five sponsors. In the four months since being filed, 77 additional lawmakers have signed on as cosponsors, bringing the total to 82. This represents nearly 20% of the entire 435-member House of Representatives. However, all of the measure’s cosponsors are Democrats, providing a slim outlook in the near future in a chamber that’s controlled by Republicans.

This outlook could change by the end of the year, given every member of the House is up for reelection this November, and polling shows that there’s a reasonable chance the Democrats could take back majority control of the House of Representatives. If they were to do so, the sheer number of Democrats sponsoring the MORE Act indicate that it could be the primary vehicle for reforming marijuana laws, something many Democrat leaders have vowed to fight for.
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Jan 18 2024

American Nurses Association Applauds Department of Health’s Recommendation to Reschedule Marijuana

The American Nurses Association has issued a press release applauding the US Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) recommendation to the DEA that it move marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act.

The American Nurses Association (ANA), formed in 1896 and representing over five million registered nurses across the United States, calls the recommendation “a positive step toward developing an evidence-based approach for marijuana and related-cannabinoids use in disease and symptom management.”

ANA’s press release notes that “HHS’ Assistant Secretary for Health, Rachel L. Levine, M.D, recommended marijuana be reconsidered as a Schedule III drug given it poses lower health risks than other controlled substances and offers possible medical benefits. While the DEA has yet to act on this recommendation, the American Nurses Association (ANA) recognizes this as an accomplishment in realizing the potential for marijuana in health care delivery.”
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Jan 18 2024

New Jersey Officials Approve Rules Allowing Marijuana Consumption Lounges

New Jersey officials have voted unanimously to approve rules that will allow marijuana consumption lounges where marijuana can be legally consumed onsite.

The New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission voted 4 to 0 yesterday to approve the proposed rules, which will establish a license for marijuana consumption lounges.

At these locations patrons would be able to purchase and consume marijuana and marijuana products. Consumption lounges would be prohibited from selling food or alcohol, although the commission notes that food could be delivered to the establishment.
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Jan 18 2024

WA Bill Would Put Department of Agriculture in Regulatory and Licensing Control of Legal Marijuana Industry

A House committee in Washington State held a public hearing today on legislation that would transfer cannabis regulatory and licensing activities to the department of agriculture. A potential vote is scheduled for next week.

House Bill 2334 was filed last week by State Representative Kristine Reeves along with four bipartisan cosponsors. Today the House Committee on Regulated Substances & Gaming held a public hearing on the measure, with an executive session and potential vote scheduled for January 25.

If passed into law, the measure would transfer “the responsibilities of the Liquor and Cannabis Board for the regulation and licensing of the production, processing, and testing of cannabis and cannabis products to the Department of Agriculture.
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Jan 18 2024

Report Shows First Overdose Prevention Center in the US Saved Over 600 Lives in First Year, Was Used Nearly 50,000 Times

The nation’s first overdose prevention center, operating in New York City, was used nearly 50,000 times and saved hundreds of lives in its first year, according to a new report.

OnPoint NYC, operator of the only locally-approved overdose prevention centers (OPCs) in the United States, recently released a baseline report with detailed findings from year one of their operation, the first report of its kind. The OPC model allows for trained professionals to be constantly present while those addicted to drugs can consume them in a safe, sterile environment. This allows professionals to intervene within seconds of the onset of overdose symptoms.

This model also plays a role in bringing public drug use inside, removing hazardous waste (particularly needles and other drug paraphernalia) from public spaces, and connecting people who use drugs with treatments and other health services.
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Jan 18 2024

Washington Committee Passes Bill To Require Cities to Get Voter Approval Before Banning Marijuana Stores

A Washington State House committee voted this morning to pass legislation requiring cities to get voter approval before they can ban marijuana businesses.

House Bill 1650 was approved today through the House Committee on Regulated Substances & Gaming. The proposed law would “ban local governments from prohibiting cannabis retail businesses in their jurisdiction after July 1, 2027, unless a majority of voters in the jurisdiction voting in a general election vote to approve an ordinance prohibiting cannabis retailers.”

Proponents of the measure call this an important step forward, given that a majority of cities do not allow marijuana stores despite the state legalizing marijuana in 2012. In many of the cities that have banned marijuana stores, their city council did so despite a majority of the city voting to approve Initiative 502 to legalize marijuana.
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Jan 17 2024

US Legal Marijuana Sales Surpassed $20 Billion in 2023

Across the US legal marijuana states combined to sell over $20 billion worth of marijuana and marijuana products.

According to an analysis by The Marijuana Herald of the most up-to-date data that is currently available via state agencies and cannabis commissions, there was $20.7 billion worth of marijuana sold in 2023. Sales numbers include the legal distribution of dried marijuana flower and marijuana concentrates, as well as a variety of other marijuana products including edibles, tinctures and topicals.

For the majority of the states included in our analysis sales data was available for all of 2023. However, for a few states data was only available through the end of October or November. For these states we estimated marijuana sales totals for November and December using data from prior months and by analyzing sales trends and patterns for each state.
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Jan 17 2024

Colorado Marijuana Sales Topped $1.5 Billion in 2023

There was over $1.5 billion worth of legal marijuana sold in Colorado throughout 2023.

In total licensed marijuana retail outlets sold around $1.52 billion in marijuana last year. The top month for marijuana sales was March, with $139 million in sales. This was followed by July with $137 million and August with $132 million.

The $1.5 billion in sales for 2023 resulted in over $270 million in tax revenue for the state, while the $15.5 billion in lifetime sales has garnered the state $2.6 billion in taxes. This is according to data released by the Colorado Department of Revenue.
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