A legislative proposal that would, among other changes, make it so that the possession of marijuana paraphernalia does “not constitute a criminal record” has been passed by Ohio’s full legislature.

Senate Bill 288 would also establish a process that allows marijuana possession charges to be sealed from public view after six months and expunged entirely after three years. It was passed by the Senate 29 to 2, and passed by the House of Representatives 86 to 8.

Introduced by Senator Nathan Manning, it will now go to the desk of Governor Mike DeWine who has three options: Sign it into law, allow it to become law without a signature, or veto it. If Governor DeWine chooses the latter, the legislature could override the veto with a 2/3rds vote of the House and Senate.

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New York Governor Kathy Hochul has signed into law legislation that’s designed to promote hemp use among the state’s businesses.

Introduced by Senator Michelle Hinchey, Senate Bill S8496 was signed by Governor Hochul yesterday. The measure mandates that the agriculture commissioner work with business partners to determine how they can incorporate hemp products into their operations.

The legislation mandates the state’s Commissioner of Agriculture & Markets Urban Development Corporation to collaborate with the NYS Hemp Workgroup, and industry representatives, to develop a plan to expand market opportunities for industrial hemp that would increase its use in manufacturing and construction materials, including packaging, textiles, and hempcrete.
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According to a new report by the Urban Institute and Brookings Institution’s Tax Policy Center, Alaska has the highest marijuana tax rate of all states that have legalized the plant.

The report found that for every $100 ounce of marijuana purchased, Alaskans pay $57.50 in marijuana taxes, making it the highest tax rate in the country. The next closest state is Washington, with $47.25 in marijuana taxes paid on every $100 ounce.

On the other end of the spectrum, New Jersey was found to have the lowest tax rate, with $14.32 in taxes paid on every $100 ounce, which is drastically lower than the $57.50 paid by Alaskans. The second lowest is Michigan at $16.
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The regulatory body Health Canada has announced a drastic increase in the possession limit for marijuana beverages.

Since Canada legalized marijuana in 2018, the possession limit for marijuana-infused beverages has been 2.1 liters, or around 70 ounces. Health Canada has announced that effective immediately this limit has been increased to 17.1 liters, or 578 ounces. To put it into comparative terms, this is an increase from five standard-sized cans of soda, to 48.

According to Health Canada the change “would correct an unintended consequence of the current equivalency, which restricts the possession and sale of beverages to a greater extent than other forms of cannabis.”
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According to a new report pre-rolls now make up a much larger market share than they did just four years ago, and 42% of pre-rolls sold are infused.

In 2018 just 7.9% of the marijuana and marijuana products sold in legal marijuana states were pre-rolls with $406 million in sales. Four years later this has grown to 12.7%, a roughly 60% increase with $1.5 billion in sales.

Data for the report, conducted by Seattle-based data firm Headset, was based on legal marijuana sales in Arizona, California, Colorado, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Oregon and Washington State.
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Activists in Harker Heights, Texas have submitted enough signatures to put to a vote a referendum that would repeal the city council’s decision to override a recently approved marijuana decriminalization initiative.

Last months voters in Harker Heights, a city with a population of around 26,000, overwhelmingly passed an initiative (Proposition A) to decriminalize marijuana on the city level by a vote of 64% to 36%. In the same election, four other Texas cities passed similar measures.

Despite the voters making their voice clear on the issue, the Harker Heights City Council took a vote following the initiative’s passage to repeal the new law, effectively preventing it from taking effect.
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