Feb 21 2024

Arkansas Attorney General Approves Ballot Language for Initiative to Expand Medical Marijuana Access

Arkansans Attorney General Tim Griffin has given approval to the ballot language of an initiative submitted by  Arkansans for Patient Access.

AG Griffin’s approval of the ballot language allows the group to immediately begin gathering signatures on their initiative to expand access to medical marijuana. They must collect 90,704 signatures by July 5 in order for the measure to appear on the November, 2024 general election ballot.

The initiative would expand the state’s medical marijuana law, passed in 2016, to allow patients to grow their own marijuana at a private residence, with the limit set at seven mature plants and seven immature plants. It would also remove the retail prohibition on certain smokeable marijuana products such as pre-rolls.
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Feb 21 2024

South Dakota House Unanimously Passes Bill to Ban Delta-8 and Delta-10 THC

South Dakota’s full House of Representatives has passed a bill to ban the production and distribution of THC derived from hemp, including delta-8 and delta-10 THC.

Delta-8 THC gummies (photo credit: FloraCBD).

The House recently voted 69 to 0 to pass House Bill 1125, which is scheduled for a public hearing today in the Senate Health and Human Services Committee. If the measure makes its way through the Senate committee process and is passed by the full chamber, it will be sent to Governor Kristi Noem who is expected to sign it into law if given the opportunity.

The measure states that no person or entity may:
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Feb 21 2024

Arizona House Passes Bill to Alter Marijuana Advertising Law

The Arizona House of Representatives has passed a bill to establish stricter marijuana advertising laws.

The House Committee of the Whole voted yesterday to give approval to House Bill 2451, sending it to the state’s Senate.

The proposed legislation “would impose additional advertising restrictions to prohibit marijuana establishments and nonprofit medical marijuana dispensaries from advertising products to individuals under 21, including advertising products resembling food and drink brands marketed to children; advertising with likenesses of toys and cartoons that appeal to children; advertising in a way that primarily appeals to children; advertising at or on public transportation; and advertising via social media or a website unless at least 71.6% of the audience is projected to be over 21.”
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Feb 20 2024

Washington House Committee Passes Bill to Allow Larger Marijuana Signs and Billboards

Washington’s House Committee on Regulated Substances and Gaming has passed a bill that would allow larger marijuana signs and billboards.

The committee voted 7 to 3 today in favor of Senate Bill 5363, sending it to the House Ways and Means Committee. The proposal has already passed the full Senate in a 48 to 1 vote.

According to an official summary of the bill, the Liquor and Cannabis Control Board (LCB) “may not regulate the size of retail signs, whether indoor or outdoor, and billboards for licensed cannabis retailers.”
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Feb 20 2024

Every Federal Marijuana Bill Currently Active in US Congress

There’s over a dozen marijuana-related bills currently active in the United States Senate and House of Representatives.

In December, 2022, President Biden signed the Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research Expansion Act into law, making it the first standalone piece of marijuana legislation to ever be signed by a US president.

Since then, lawmakers have filed multiple marijuana-related bills seeking to bring further reforms to America’s marijuana laws.
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Feb 20 2024

Arizona Made Over a Quarter of a Billion Dollars in Marijuana Tax Revenue in 2023

Arizona made over $250 million in tax revenue from the legal distribution of marijuana in 2023.

According to data released by the Arizona Department of Revenue, the state made $23,737,758 in taxes from legal marijuana sales in December. This brings the total for 2023 to $252,872,787.

The total amount of marijuana taxes made since the start of legal marijuana sales in 2021 now stands at $757,471,288.
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Feb 20 2024

Maryland Senate Passes Measure Establishing Gun Rights for Medical Marijuana Patients

Legislation providing gun rights to medical marijuana patients has been approved by Maryland’s full Senate.

In an overwhelming 43 to 2 vote, the Maryland Senate voted today to pass Senate Bill 348, sending it to the House of Representatives. The measure was filed last month by Senator Mike McKay (R).

The legislation states that “a person may not be denied the right to purchase, own, possess, or carry a firearm solely on the basis that the person is authorized to use medical cannabis”.
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Feb 20 2024

Second Arizona Committee Votes to to Legalize Psilocybin Therapy Centers, Full Senate Expected to Vote Soon

A bill to legalize psilocybin therapy centers where the substance can be legally consumed has been passed by a second Senate committee, and is expected to soon be considered by the full Senate.

Dried psilocybin mushrooms.

Senate Bill 1570 has been given approval by the Senate Rules Committee in a 5 to 2 vote. Passage through the committee comes six days after it was passed unanimously by the Senate Health and Human Services Committee.

The proposed law would legalize psilocybin therapy centers where individuals can come and legally consume psilocybin in a medical, supervised setting, with trained staff constantly available. Licensing for these centers would be handled by the Department of Human Services (DHS).
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Feb 19 2024

New Poll Shows 70% of Nebraska Voters Support Legalizing Medical Marijuana

According to new polling data, a strong majority of registered voters in Nebraska support legalizing medical marijuana.

Nebraska is one of just a dozen states that have not legalized medical marijuana. New polling commissioned by the Neilan Strategy Group, and conducted by Data Targeting Inc., shows that 70% of voters in the state want that to change.

“Nebraskans are clearly ready to legalize medical marijuana,” said Perre Neilan of Neilan Strategy Group.
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Feb 19 2024

Virginia Senate Committee Passes House-Approved Bill to Protect Public Employees Who Use Medical Marijuana

Legislation that would extend a law protecting medical marijuana users from workplace discrimination to include public employees, while expanding the definition to include marijuana products and not just oil, continues to advance in the Virginia Legislature.

The Senate Committee on Commerce and Labor voted 14 to 0 today to pass House Bill 149, which was passed by the full House of Delegates on January 29, with the vote being 78 to 20. If the measure is passed by the full Senate, it will be sent to Governor Glenn Youngkin.

Under current law “No employer shall discharge, discipline, or discriminate against an employee for such employee’s lawful use of cannabis oil pursuant to a valid written certification issued by a practitioner for the treatment or to eliminate the symptoms of the employee’s diagnosed condition or disease”.
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