Mar 28 2023

Montana Committee Votes in Favor of Redirecting Marijuana Tax Revenue

The House Appropriations Committee voted 15 to 8 today to approve a large overhaul of how tax revenue from legal marijuana sales is handled.

Montana House Bill 669 was filed by State Representative Bill Mercer. It would move marijuana tax revenues out of programs dedicated to wildlife habitat, state parks, trails and recreational facilities and instead put them into the state’s General Fund. Now that it’s been passed through appropriations it moves towards a vote by the full House of Representatives.

Under current law after $6 million is put aside for the HEART account (designed to help end addiction through recovery and treatment), marijuana tax revenue is split as follows:
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Mar 28 2023

After Approving Bill to Legalize Marijuana Possession, Delaware Senate Votes to Legalize Sales

Shortly after Delaware’s Senate voted to pass a bill to legalize marijuana possession, they passed a separate bill to establish a legal marijuana industry.

House Bill 2 was passed by the Senate in a 15 to 5 vote, a little less than an hour and a half after the chamber approved House Bill 1 by a vote of 16 to 4.

House Bill 1 legalizes the possession of up to an ounce of marijuana for those 21 and older, while House Bill 2 establishes a regulated and taxed system of licensed marijuana retail outlets, supplied by licensed producers. Both bills have already been passed by the House of Representatives with just 13 of 41 members voting “No”.

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Mar 28 2023

Delaware Senate Approves Bill to Legalize Marijuana That’s Already Passed the House

The Delaware Senate has voted in favor of legislation that legalizes marijuana.

Delaware SenateThe Senate voted 16 to 4 today to pass House Bill 1 to legalize the possession of up to an ounce of marijuana for those 21 and older. A separate measure to legalize licensed marijuana stores – House Bill 2 – is expected to receive a vote in the chamber shortly.

House Bill 1, filed by Representative Ed Osienski and sponsored by Senator Trey Parade in the Senate, has already been passed by the full House of Representatives by a vote of 28 to 13. House Bill 2 has also already passed the House in a similar vote of 27 to 13.
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Mar 28 2023

Colombia Marijuana Legalization Bill Takes Another Step Towards Becoming Law

Colombia legislation that would make legal marijuana a constitutional right was passed today by the First Commission of the Chamber of Representatives, a key step towards becoming law.

“Historical!”, said Representative Juan Carlos Losada in a translated social media post. “We have just approved with 26 votes the fifth debate on the regulation of #CannabisDeUsoAdulto in Colombia.”

The proposal received approval by the nation’s Senate in December in an overwhelming 56 to 3 vote, roughly two months after it passed by Chamber 105 to 33. However, minor amendments approved in the Senate and Chamber required the bill to receive additional votes before it could be sent to President Gustavo Petro.

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Mar 28 2023

Legislation to Legalize Medical Use of Psilocybin Filed in Montana Senate

A bill that would allow for the medical use of psilocybin, the hallucinogenic ingredient in magic mushrooms, has been filed in the Montana Legislature.

House Bill 955 was officially introduced in the House of Representatives yesterday. The proposed law would allow those with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), an anxiety or depressive disorder or a substance use disorder to legally use psilocybin for medical and therapeutic purposes.

According to its official legal review note, as drafted “allows the therapeutic use of psilocybin for certain mental health conditions at therapeutic psilocybin treatment centers, establishes requirements for certifying a person to use therapeutic psilocybin, establishes requirements for licenses to administer psilocybin, and allows cultivation, manufacture, packages, labelling, possession, and administration of psilocybin at licensed therapeutic psilocybin treatment centers.”
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Mar 28 2023

New North Carolina Bill Would Legalize Marijuana, Expunge Past Offenses

A group of seven North Carolina Senators have filed legislation to legalize recreational marijuana.

Senate Bill 346 was filed by Senator Graig Meyer with six cosponsors. The measure would legalize, for those 21 and older, the possession of up to two ounces of dried marijuana, up to 15 grams of marijuana concentrates (hash, oil, etc.) and up to 2,000 mg in THC worth of edibles. The proposal would also allow for the personal cultivation of up to six plants.

Senate Bill 346 would also lead to the “automatic expunction of certain marijuana offenses.” Specifically if anyone was convicted of a possession charge that would’ve been legal under the bill’s text, that charge would be automatically expunged “no later than July 1, 2026.”
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Mar 27 2023

Maryland Senate Committee Approves Bill Establishing Legal Marijuana Industry

A bill to follow voters’ wishes and establish a licensed, regulated and taxed system of legal marijuana stores has been passed by Maryland’s Senate Finance Committee.

The committee approved Senate Bill 516 by a vote of 7 to 2, moving it towards a vote by the full Senate. A version of the bill has already passed the House of Representatives, but will need to go back (or a conference committee established) if it’s passed by the full Senate in order to concur with or make changes to committee-approved amendments.

If Senate Bill 516 is passed into law The Marijuana Alcohol and Tobacco Commission would be renamed as the Maryland Alcohol, Tobacco and Cannabis Commission, which would be responsible for overseeing industry regulations. A Division of Cannabis Regulation and Enforcement would be in charge of reviewing, approving and issuing licenses for marijuana businesses.
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Mar 27 2023

South Dakota Governor Signs Bill Prohibiting Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women from Becoming Medical Marijuana Patients

South Dakota legislation that explicitly prohibits women who are pregnant or breastfeeding from joining the state’s medical marijuana program was signed into law today by Governor Kristi Noem.

House Bill 1053, “An Act to prohibit the issuance of a written certification to a pregnant woman or breastfeeding mother for purposes of medical cannabis use”, was filed by State Representative Fred Deutsh along with 15 cosponsors, all Republican.

The measure was passed by the state’s House of Representatives in January with 61 voting in favor and eight opposed. Earlier this month it passed the Senate unanimously, 31 to 0.
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Mar 27 2023

Delaware Senate to Vote Tuesday on House-Approved Marijuana Legalization Bills

The Delaware Senate is scheduled to vote Tuesday on two bills that would legalize marijuana and establish a legal marijuana industry.

House Bill 1 and House Bill 2, both filed by State Representative Ed Osienksi in the House and sponsored by Senator Trey Paradee in the Senate, are scheduled for votes in the Delaware Senate on Tuesday, March 28. House Bill 2 passed the full House earlier this month by a vote of 27 to 13, which was almost identical to the 28 to 13 vote on House Bill 1.

House Bill 1 would legalize the possession of up to an ounce of marijuana for everyone 21 and older. House Bill 2 would authorize marijuana to be sold to anyone 21 and older through licensed and regulated retail outlets which would be stocked by licensed producers. The Division of Alcohol and Tobacco Enforcement  would be charged with regulating the marijuana industry through a new Office of Marijuana Control Commissioner.
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Mar 27 2023

Study: CBD Decreases Daytime Drowsiness and is Associated With a Lower Prevalence of Low Testosterone Levels in Men

In a new study the administration of the marijuana compound cannabidiol (CBD) “decreased daytime drowsiness and was associated with a lower prevalence of low testosterone levels in older men as compared to age-adjusted population norms.”

“Previous research indicated that cannabidiol (CBD) may result in low levels of male total testosterone (TT), elevations in liver tests (LTs), and daytime drowsiness (DD)”, states the study’s abstract. “We investigated the prevalences of TT and LT in a large adult sample self-administering CBD and determined the effect self-dosing of CBD has on the severity of DD.”

Published in the peer-reviewed journal Medical Cannabis and Cannabinoids and epublished by the U.S. National Library of Medicine, the study was conducted by researchers at Tarleton State University (Texas), the University of Chicago (Illinois), Syzygy Research Solutions (Florida) and the Midwest Allergy Sinus Asthma PC (Illinois).
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