Legislation allowing Michigan to enter into marijuana agreements with Indian tribes while exempting them from the state’s marijuana excise tax has been signed into law by Governor Gretchen Whitmer.

Governor Whitmer signed Senate Bill 180 into law today. The proposal, filed by Senator Roger Hauck, were passed by the House of Representatives 90 to 15 and they passed the Senate 29 to 9.

The proposed laws allow “the Cannabis Regulatory Agency (CRA) to enter into an agreement with an Indian tribe pertaining to marijuana related business”, and it specifies “that sales of marijuana by a tribal marijuana business on Indian lands would be exempt from the State’s 10% excise tax on marijuana.”
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According to a new report using data from over 13,000 dispensaries across the United States, Oregon has the cheapest medical marijuana in the country.

At an average cost of $6.91 per gram, Oregon’s average medical marijuana prices are half the national average of $13.90. In second in terms of affordability is Maine, with an average gram price of $8.06, followed closely by Colorado at $8.19.

“The comprehensive study on the average price-per-gram of medicinal marijuana has revealed encouraging results,” said Josh Lamb, CMO for Leafwell. “Across various states, patients and individuals seeking medicinal relief will find a diverse landscape of affordable options.”

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A federal marijuana banking bill gained another cosponsor this week in the US Senate.

The SAFER Banking Act is now sponsored by 32% of the entire US Senate, with Senator Tammy Baldwin joining as a cosponsor yesterday (the first new sponsor since October 4).

Late last month the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs passed the SAFER Banking Act (S.2860), with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer vowing to put it to a vote of the full Senate “very soon”. Since the committee’s approval the measure has gained nine additional cosponsors.
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With California Governor Gavin Newsom’s recent veto of a bill to legalize psychedelics, the city of Eureka is taking action of their own.

Dried magic mushrooms.

The Eureka, California City Council has voted unanimously to pass a resolution to essentially decriminalize the personal possession of certain psychedelics by making it the lowest enforcement priority. This is similar to what Seattle did with marijuana back in 2003, nearly a decade prior to Washington State legalize the plant.

Eureka is now the fifth city in California to decriminalize psychedelics, joining Oakland, Santa Cruz, Arcata and San Francisco. Eureka is located in Northern California with a population of around 26,000.
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According to new data released by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), marijuana arrests increased slightly last year.

(Photo credit: Shutterstock).

Despite recreational marijuana being legalized in 23 states and medical marijuana legalized in over a dozen more, marijuana arrests saw an uptick between 2021 and 2022.

According to the FBI, there were 227,108 people arrested for a marijuana-related charge in 2022. Around 209,000 of these were for simple possession. Arrests in 2022 were 3.47% higher than in 2021.
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The Compassionate Use and Research of Entheogens Act has been filed in the Illinois Senate.

Dried psilocybin (“magic mushrooms”).

Senate Bill 2612 was filed today by Senator Willie Preston, and it’s been sent to the Senate Assignments Committee.

The proposed law would establish the Illinois Psilocybin Advisory Board within the Department of Public Health “for the purpose of advising and making recommendations to the Department regarding the provision of psilocybin and psilocybin services”, and it would remove psilocybin and psilocin from the list of Schedule I controlled substances.
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Just nine days after a bill to legalize marijuana was filed in the Wisconsin Senate, a companion bill has been filed in the state’s Assembly.

Wisconsin Assembly Bill 506 was filed with 36 cosponsors, led by State Representative Darrin Madison. It has been assigned to the Committee on State Affairs. Companion bill SB 486 has been assigned to the Senate Judiciary and Public Safety Committee.

Both SB 486 and AB 506 would legalize the personal possession of up to five ounces of marijuana for everyone who is at least 21 years old. The personal cultivation of up to six marijuana plants would also be allowed.
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In Ohio early voting is underway for an initiative to legalize marijuana, but despite the election being three weeks away Ohio Senate President Matt Huffman is already promising to ignore the will of his constituents.

In recent comments on the Senate floor, Senate President Matt Huffman said that if voters approve Issue 2 on November 7, it will be “coming right back before this body”, indicating the measure and its provisions could be altered or even repealed.

Huffman says he “will advocate for reviewing it and repealing things or changing things that are in it”. He says if Issue 2 does pass, “We’re going to have a mental health crisis on our hands. We are going to pay for this for years and years and years, and it’s only going to get worse.”
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