Jun 27 2023

Florida Bill Establishing Hemp Extract as Food and Setting New Regulations Sent to Governor

After being unanimously approved by the Florida Legislature a hemp regulation bill has been sent to Governor Ron DeSantis for consideration.

Senate Bill 1676 was passed by the Senate in April by a vote of 39 to 0, and it was approved by the House of Representatives the following month 119 to 0. Yesterday the measure was signed by chamber officers and officially presented to Governor DeSantis. Although DeSantis has the option of vetoing the bill, it was clearly passed with well more than the 2/3rds support required to override a veto.

The legislation explicitly clarifies by law that hemp extract is considered a food product subject to certain requirements and regulations. For example, hemp extract containers would be required to include a batch number, a barcode, a certificate of analysis from an independent laboratory, an Internet address with more information about the product and an expiration date.
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Jun 27 2023

Legal Recreational Marijuana Sales Start Saturday, July 1 in Maryland

Those 21 and older in Maryland are just a few days away from being able to legally purchase and grow marijuana for recreational purposes.

Starting July 1, it will be legal for those 21+ to possess up to 1.5 ounces of marijuana, and grow up to four plants. Criminal penalties for possessing up to 2.5 ounces will also be removed.

Also starting July 1, at least 100 medical marijuana dispensaries are expected to become dual outlets that sell both medical and recreational marijuana. Standalone recreational marijuana stores are expected to start opening next year.
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Jun 26 2023

Canada Senate Committee Report Urges Government to Allow First Nations to Regulate Their Own Marijuana Production and Sales

A Canadian Senate committee report has declared support for First Nations being given the authority to regulate their own programs in regards to producing and selling marijuana.

The Senate Committee on Indigenous Peoples have released a report that found evidence of First Nations being blocked from participating in the nation’s legal marijuana industry. It urges the Minister of Health to introduce legislation “to amend the Cannabis Act to allow First Nations to regulate the possession, sale and distribution of cannabis on their lands.”

“First Nations missed out on significant economic opportunities, which are no longer available now that the cannabis market is largely saturated”, states the report. “[T]his exclusion continues today in fisheries, forestry and the cannabis market”. The committee also found that First Nations were not included in Canada’s excise tax-sharing framework, and thus “an excise tax-sharing framework for First Nations should be developed to share revenues more broadly”.
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Jun 26 2023

Florida Governor Signs Marijuana Telehealth Bill Into Law

Legislation that will allow physicians to renew patients medical marijuana cards via telehealth has been signed into law by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

“Today is historic,” said state Representative Spencer Roach, the prime sponsor of House Bill 387. “Gov. DeSantis continues to demonstrate his commitment to expanding patient access to medicine, in alignment with the overwhelming majority of Florida voters.”

HB 387, which goes into effect on July 1, allows licensed physicians to use telehealth options such as Zoom when renewing a patient’s medical marijuana authorization card during annual renewals. The law does not, however, allow physicians to use telehealth when first authorizing a patient to use medical marijuana.
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Jun 26 2023

Survey: Record-High 64% of Californians Support Legal Marijuana

Nearly seven years after California voters legalized marijuana with 57% voting in favor, a record-high 64% are now in support of the law.

According to a new Public Policy Institute of California survey, a record-high 64% of Californians said that the use of marijuana should be legal. In September 2010 Californians were split (47% legal, 49% not legal). Since then, the share supporting legalization has risen by double digits across most regions and demographic groups.

While half or more across regional and demographic groups think the use of marijuana should be legal, there is still a considerable partisan divide: three in four Democrats and independents say marijuana use should be legal, compared to four in ten Republicans. Support for legalization increases with educational attainment (51% high school only, 67% some college, 74% college graduates) and is higher among those 18 to 34 (72%) than among those 35 and older (61%).
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Jun 26 2023

Tennessee Announces 6% Tax on CBD and Delta-8 THC Products

The Tennessee Department of Revenue has announced a new tax on products containing cannabinoids derived from hemp, including CBD and delta-8 and delta-10 THC.

The department’s Notice #23-12 states that effective July 1, 2023, “Public Chapter 423 creates a new 6% sales tax for the privilege of engaging in the business of selling products containing a hemp-derived cannabinoid.”

This tax “applies in addition to the standard 7% state sales tax rate and the applicable local option sales tax rate”. However, the tax “does not apply to hemp-derived fiber, grain, or topical products.”
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Jun 26 2023

Nevada Issues First-Ever License for Marijuana Consumption Lounge

Planet 13 Holdings Inc., a vertically-integrated multi-state cannabis company, today announced that they will be the recipients of the first Nevada state consumption lounge license.

The approval by the state of Nevada comes after receiving the prospective license in December 2022 from the Nevada Cannabis Compliance Board.

“Receiving this confirmation from the state allows us to move on to the final design and buildout of our consumption lounge,” said Larry Scheffler, Co-CEO of Planet 13. “The consumption lounge will be a huge step to unlocking the full potential of the SuperStore as a cannabis destination. It will give customers the ability to try products prior to buying, watch live entertainment, and enjoy food and drink in a social setting that matches Planet 13’s incredible experiential design standard.”
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Jun 26 2023

Over 1,000 Legal Marijuana Stores Now Open in New Mexico

For the first time in the New Mexico history, there is now over 1,000 marijuana stores and dispensaries open throughout the state.

According to data released by the New Mexico Regulation & Licensing Department, there are now 1,006 marijuana retail outlets and medical dispensaries operating legal within the state. These outlets took part in 1,013,476 different transactions in May alone.

According to a report released earlier this month by the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions, despite marijuana only being legal since 2021 the marijuana industry already employs more than 4,600 workers, with 88% of those workers employed at a marijuana store or dispensary.
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Jun 23 2023

Double-Blind Clinical Trial Finds THC and CBD Reduce Tics in Those With Tourette Syndrome

According to a new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, “treatment with THC and CBD reduced tics and may reduce impairment due to tics, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorder” in those with Tourette Syndrome.

Tourette Syndrome.

In this double-blind, crossover trial, participants with severe Tourette syndrome were randomly assigned to a 6-week treatment period with escalating doses of an oral oil containing 5 mg/ml of THC and 5 mg/ml of CBD, followed by a 6-week course of placebo, or vice versa, separated by a 4-week washout period.

“The primary outcome was the total tic score on the Yale Global Tic Severity Scale (YGTSS; range, 0 to 50 [higher scores indicate greater severity of symptoms])”, states the study. “Secondary outcomes included video-based assessment of tics, global impairment, anxiety, depression, and obsessive-compulsive symptoms.”
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Jun 23 2023

Maine Legislature Sends Marijuana Reform Bill to Governor

Legislation that would make multiple alterations to the state’s recreational marijuana law, including doubling the possession limit for marijuana concentrates, has been passed by the Maine Legislature.

House Bill 1880 will soon be sent to Governor Janet Mills after being passed by both the House and Senate with overwhelming majorities. It’s expected that Governor Mills will sign it into law.

The proposal would allow a marijuana store to deliver in municipalities that have not approved the operation of marijuana stores and to deliver to businesses or hotels if written consent is given by an authorized employee of the business or hotel. The proposal would also increase the maximum amount of THC allowed per packaged marijuana product from 100 mg to 200 mg.
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