Nevada Marijuana Sales Pass $70 Million in March, Total for FY 2024 Now Above $600 Million

In March, there was over $70 million in legal marijuana sold, and over $10 million in marijuana taxes garnered in Nevada.

Data released by the Nevada Department of Taxation Cannabis Tax Revenue shows that there was $73,167,470 worth of marijuana and marijuana products sold through legal means in March. This is considerably lower than the $83 million sold in February, but considerably higher than the $62 million sold in January. Marijuana sales for March resulted in $10,058,746 in tax revenue for Nevada.

$55,596,859 of these sales came from Clark County, just shy of $10 million came from Washoe County and $7.7 million came from “all other counties”.
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Coalition of U.S. Senators Calls for Marijuana Industry to Have Access to Federal Business Loans and Resources

U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) led 10 of her colleagues in sending four letters to Senate Appropriators requesting robust funding to support a wide array of small businesses in Nevada, including one letter focused on marijuana businesses.

These requests would provide $37 million for the Rural Business Development Grant Program and $10 million for the Federal and State Technology Partnership Program to support the growth and development of small businesses in rural areas across the nation. These letters also call for “eliminating burdensome barriers to capital for certain small businesses – specifically providing nonprofit child care providers with greater access to loans from the Small Business Administration (SBA), and allowing legal cannabis small businesses in Nevada, and other states where cannabis is legal, to access SBA programs and resources.”

Senator Rosen in a press release said “Small businesses are the backbone of Nevada’s economy, which is why I’m leading efforts to cut through bureaucratic red tape that prevents them from accessing capital and working to secure the federal funding for resources they need to thrive. As a member of the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, I’ll always advocate for Nevada’s small businesses and fight to support them.”
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US House Rules Committee Approves Allowing Veterans Affairs Doctors to Recommend Medical Marijuana

An amendment that would allow physicians at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to recommend medical marijuana to their patients has been approved by the House Rules Committee.

(Photo credit: Getty Images Plus)

The House Rules Committee yesterday gave approval to an amendment to a $1.5 trillion Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies appropriations bill that would provide veterans with legal access to state-level medical marijuana programs. Filed by Congressmembers Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Barbara Lee (D-CA) and Brian Mast (R-FL) and Jasmine Crockett (D-TX), the amendment is based on the Veterans Equal Access Act. The bipartisan legislation was filed last year and currently has 29 sponsors.

The measure would require the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to authorize providers to discuss medical marijuana with veterans and recommend its use if the patient is located in a legal marijuana state and the physician believes it could be beneficial.
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Over $1 Billion in Marijuana Sales in California in Q1 2024, Resulting in $260 Million in Tax Revenue

California generated substantial revenue from marijuana taxes in the first quarter of 2024, surpassing a quarter of a billion dollars from over $1 billion in sales.

According to the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration, the state collected $259.9 million in taxes from the legal distribution of marijuana in the first quarter, covering January, February, and March. During this period there was $1,203,751,922 in taxable marijuana sales, including dried marijuana flower, shake, concentrates, edibles, and topicals, among other marijuana products.

The state garnered $152.5 million from the marijuana excise tax and $107.4 million from the sales tax.
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South Dakota Recreational Marijuana Initiative Officially Qualifies for November 2024 Ballot, Labeled Measure 29

An initiative to legalize recreational marijuana has officially been placed on the November 2024 presidential election ballot in South Dakota.

“We qualified for the November 2024 ballot!”, said South Dakotans for Better Marijuana Laws in a post made today on the social media platform X. “To everyone who gave their time, energy, or signature to this petition, we thank you – qualifying an initiative for the ballot is the first step towards reforming South Dakota’s cannabis policy in 2024.”

Secretary of State Monae L. Johnson sent out a press release stating that “a petition submitted for an initiated measure was validated and filed by her office today. This ballot question would legalize the recreational use, possession, and distribution of marijuana. The title for the ballot question will be Initiated Measure 29, and it will appear on the 2024 General Election ballot on November 5, 2024.”
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5 Federal Marijuana Bills Poised for Passage if Democrats Win Congress and White House

As the November elections approach, the potential for a significant shift in marijuana policy looms large.

If the Democrats gain control of the US House of Representatives and retain the Senate and presidency, several key federal marijuana bills are poised to make substantial progress and potentially be enacted into law.

Here are five bills that could transform federal marijuana laws if Democrats gain control.
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Louisiana Bills to Decriminalize Marijuana Paraphernalia and Expand Marijuana Pardons Officially Sent to Governor

Two marijuana-related bills that recently passed the Louisiana Legislature were officially sent to Governor Jeff Landry today, initiating a 10-day window for the governor to decide its fate.

At the end of May Louisiana’s full legislature recently passed House Bill 165 and House Bill 391. Today, the measures were sent to Governor Landry, giving him three options; sign them into law, veto them or allow them to become law without executive approval.

House Bill 165 “removes incarceration as a punishment for the possession of certain drug paraphernalia in quantities not exceeding those required for individual personal use.” It “provides that the punishment for the possession of certain drug paraphernalia in quantities not exceeding those required for individual personal use is a fine of:
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24 States Have Legalized Marijuana, But Only 10 of These Have Senators Supporting Federal Reform

Last month, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, along with 17 cosponsors, filed federal legislation to deschedule and legalize marijuana in the United States Senate. Over a month later, no new sponsors have joined the list.

There are currently 24 states that have legalized recreational marijuana, with a few more expected to join by the end of the year. Despite this, less than half of these states have U.S. senators sponsoring the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act (CAOA). Currently, 10 of the 24 states have senators endorsing the measure, with Georgia and Pennsylvania being the two states that have not legalized marijuana but have senators supporting the move nationwide.

Below are the states with U.S. Senators sponsoring the CAOA:
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Rhode Island Marijuana Sales Top $10 Million in May

For just the third time in Rhode Island, monthly marijuana sales have surpassed $10 million.

According to data released by the Rhode Island Department of Business Regulations, $10,080,639 worth of marijuana and marijuana products were sold legally in May, marking just the third time legal sales have passed $10 million (following December 2023 and March 2024). It falls short of the $10.22 million record set in December.

Of the $10.2 million in marijuana sold, $2,157,437 was purchased by medical marijuana patients, while $7,923,202 was purchased by recreational consumers. The average transaction amount in May was $37.32.
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Arkansas Campaign “Confident” Their Marijuana Initiative Will Make November Ballot

The director of an initiative campaign in Arkansas to expand medical marijuana and create a trigger for the legalization of recreational marijuana is “confident” the initiative will make the November ballot.

In February Arkansans Attorney General Tim Griffin gave approval to the ballot language of an initiative submitted by Arkansans for Patient Access. The group must collect 90,704 signatures by July 5 in order for the measure to appear on the November, 2024 general election ballot. Now, Bill Paschall, managing director of the Arkansas Cannabis Industry Association who’s leading the canvassing effort for the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Amendment of 2024, says he’s “confident” that enough people will sign the initiative for it to be voted on this November.

“The ballot access effort is on track and we are confident 90,704 registered voters will sign a petition to put the Medical Marijuana Amendment of 2024 on the November ballot”, says Paschall. “Arkansans are excited about barriers to access being eliminated and the cost of obtaining a card reduced.”

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, and it would remove the retail prohibition on certain smokeable marijuana products such as pre-rolls.
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