Mar 14 2024

The 4 States Likely to Legalize Marijuana By December

There are a handful of states vying to become the 25th to legalize recreational marijuana, but some appear more likely to do so than others.

At the start of 2012, there were zero states with legal marijuana for recreational use. Since Colorado and Washington tied to become the first to do so later that year, 22 other states have followed suit. Now, numerous other states are working to become the next.

With that in mind, below are the four states still on track to legalize marijuana prior to December.
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Mar 14 2024

Illinois Medical Board Votes to Add Female Orgasmic Disorder and Endometriosis as Medical Marijuana Condition

Officials in Illinois have given initial approval to petitions to add both female orgasmic disorder (FOD) and endometriosis as qualifying medical marijuana conditions

The Illinois Medical Cannabis Advisory Board voted overwhelming to approve both conditions. The Department of Health will need to sign off on the recommendations before the two conditions can be officially added to the state’s medical marijuana program.

According to the Mayo Clinic, endometriosis is “a disorder in which tissue similar to the tissue that lines the uterus grows outside the uterus in places where it doesn’t belong”, which can cause severe pain. Endometriosis is a common condition that affects an estimated 5%-10% of women and adolescents of reproductive age (15-49 years) and up to 50% of women who are infertile.
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Mar 14 2024

Study Finds Legal Marijuana Sales Not Associated With Increased Use Among Adolescents

According to a new study, the legalization of licensed marijuana retail outlets is not directly associated with an increase in marijuana use among young people.

Titled Increasing lifetime and past 30-day marijuana use among middle school students regardless of recreational marijuana sales, the study is being published in the June, 2024 issue of the journal Addictive Behaviors.

“This study investigated whether adult use marijuana sales were associated with changes in lifetime and past 30-day (P30D) marijuana use among middle school students in Nevada (NV), which had adult-use marijuana sales during the study period, compared to New Mexico (NM), which did not have adult-use marijuana sales during the study period”, states the study’s abstract.
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Mar 14 2024

President Biden Says “I’m Taking Care of That” When it Comes to Federal Marijuana Reform

At a recent campaign event President Biden reiterated that he’s actively working on reforming federal marijuana laws to make sure “no one” is jailed for using or possessing marijuana.

(Photo credit: Alex Brandon/Associated Press).

While at his Wisconsin campaign headquarters yesterday following a public speech, President Biden addressed dozens of supporters and volunteers. One of these supporters was holding a sign stating that they’re “on board” with the Biden campaign “because no one should be jailed for using or possessing marijuana”, which is a comment Biden made during his recent State of the Union address.

“I’m taking care of that”, Biden told the supporter, before shaking his hand.
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Mar 14 2024

US Health Secretary Defends Recommending Marijuana Be Rescheduled During Senate Hearing

During a recent Senate hearing the secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services defended his agencies recommendation that marijuana be moved to Schedule III.

In August, following a nearly year-long review, HHS sent a letter to the DEA urging them to reclassify marijuana as a Schedule III drug under the Controlled Substances Act. This would effectively legalize marijuana for prescription use nationwide, while providing medical marijuana patients with a bevy of federal rights and protections not current afforded to them.

Today, during a hearing of the Senate Finance Committee, Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) questioned HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra about the agency’s rescheduling recommendation.
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Mar 14 2024

US Congress: 36 Lawmakers Send Letter to President Biden Requesting Federal Marijuana Prisoners Be Released

A group of 36 lawmakers in the United States Congress have sent a letter to President Biden urging clemency for those in federal prisons for marijuana-related offenses

(Photo credit: Shutterstock).

The letter, led by Congressmembers Barbara Lee (D-CA) and Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), was sent yesterday to the White House.

“Dear President Biden”, begins the letter. “We urge you to grant clemency to the many individuals currently incarcerated in federal prison for nonviolent marijuana offenses. The continued incarceration of these individuals continues the racist legacy of the War on Drugs, contradicts the current societal and legal trends regarding marijuana, and represents an unnecessary burden on our morals and justice system.”
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Mar 13 2024

Two Hawaii House Committees Pass Senate-Approved Bill to Legalize Marijuana For Everyone 21+

Legislation to legalize recreational marijuana was passed by two committees today in the Hawaii House of Representatives, with the votes coming a little over a week after the bill was approved by the full Senate.

Senate Bill 3335 would legalize the possession, personal cultivation and license distribution of recreational marijuana for those 21 and older. The Hawaii Cannabis Authority and Cannabis Control Board would be established within the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs to handle licensing and regulations for the legal marijuana industry. The measure would place a 14% tax on recreational marijuana sales, with the tax being 4% for medical marijuana.

The proposed law would allow those with convictions for marijuana-related crimes that would be legal under the bill to have the charges expunged from their record.
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Mar 13 2024

Bipartisan US House Bill to Protect Those Following State Marijuana Laws Gains Ninth Sponsor

Legislation in the US House of Representatives that would protect state marijuana laws and those following them has gained its ninth legislative sponsor.

The STATES (Strengthening the Tenth Amendment Through Entrusting States) Act 2.0 was filed in December by Representative Dave Joyce (R) with four cosponsors. Now, that number has more than doubled to nine, with Congressmember Max Miller (R-OH) the most recent to join the list late last month.

If passed into law the STATES Act would amend the Controlled Substances so that those acting in compliance with state marijuana laws would no longer be committing a federal crime, and it would allow commerce between legal marijuana states and tribes
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Mar 13 2024

Utah Legislature Unanimously Approves Bill to Allow Hospitals to Administer Psilocybin and MDMA

Utah’s full legislature has passed legislation establishing a pilot program that allows hospitals to administer psilocybin (aka “magic mushrooms) and MDMA (aka “ecstasy) to certain patients.

Psilocybin (left) and MDMA (right).

Sponsored by Senate Majority Whip Kirk Cullimore (R) and House Speaker Pro Tempore James Dunnigan (R), Senate Bill 266 was approved unanimously through both the House and Senate. The measure has been sent to Governor Spencer Cox (R) for consideration. Even if Cox were to veto the measure, it has well more than enough support to override a governor’s veto.

The legislature’s passage of the bill comes roughly two years after Governor Cox signed into law legislation establishing a task force to study the therapeutic potential of psychedelic drugs and give recommendation to lawmakers.
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Mar 13 2024

Massachusetts Governor Announces “Nation-Leading Effort” to Pardon Marijuana Possession Convictions

Governor Maura T. Healey today announced that she is taking executive action to pardon misdemeanor marijuana possession convictions in Massachusetts.

If approved by the Governor’s Council, this would be “the most comprehensive action by a governor since President Joe Biden pardoned federal marijuana possession convictions and called on governors to take similar actions in their states”, according to a press release from Governor Healey. It could impact hundreds of thousands of people.

If approved, Governor Healey’s pardon will apply to all eligible convictions, and most people will not need to take any action to have their criminal records updated. It would apply to all adult Massachusetts state court misdemeanor convictions before March 13, 2024 for possession of marijuana (sometimes referred to as possession of a “Class D substance”).
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