Apr 29 2024

Colorado Senate Votes 33 to 1 to Streamline Marijuana Licensing and Regulations

Colorado’s full Senate has overwhelmingly approved a bill “to address efficiency in the regulation of existing marijuana licensees.”

Filed by Senator Julie Gonzales, Senate Bill 76 was passed by the Senate today 33 to 1, sending it to the House of Representatives. Passage through the House will send the bill to Governor Jared Polis, who says he will sign it into law if given the chance. The only “No” vote was Senator Byron Pelton.

The bill makes a series of changes to the regulation of marijuana businesses, including:
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Apr 29 2024

High Times Announces Return of Oklahoma Cannabis Cup

High Times has officially announced the High Times 2024 Oklahoma Cannabis Cup.

“Oklahomans, get ready to prepare your body, mind, and soul to take part in the High Times Cannabis Cup!”, High Times says in their announcement. “We’re thrilled to highlight some of Oklahoma’s best products that have proven to be reliable and potent medicine for patients across the state.”

High Times says “We’re not hiring cannasseurs to do the job though—that responsibility is reserved for judges everywhere to determine.”
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Apr 29 2024

The 5 States With the Harshest Marijuana Laws

With so many states legalizing marijuana, it can cause whiplash when examining some of the harshest state-level marijuana laws.

(Photo credit: Shutterstock).

There are 24 states with legal recreational marijuana, and 38 states that have legalized medical marijuana. Despite such widespread reform, some states retain harsh marijuana laws first established decades ago.

That said, below are the five states with the harshest marijuana laws (in no particular order):
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Apr 29 2024

Federal “Stop Pot Act” Effectively Dead

Federal legislation in the United States House of Representatives designed to withhold funds from states and tribes that have legalized marijuana is essentially dead for this legislative session.

The Stop Pot Act was filed in September by Representative Chuck Edwards (R-NC), and it currently has four cosponsors (all Republican). The measure would withhold federal funding from states and tribes that have legalized recreational marijuana.

Specifically, if the measure was passed into law the federal government would withhold 10% of federal highway funds from states that violate the federal Controlled Substances Act (CSA). The CSA considers marijuana to be a schedule I drug, meaning any state that allows its legalization is in violation of federal law and thus would have funds withheld.
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Apr 29 2024

US Supreme Court Agrees to Take Up Case of Truck Driver Fired for THC

The Supreme Court of the United States has agreed to hear a case involving a truck driver who was fired after testing positive for THC, which he claims resulted from using a hemp-based CBD product that the company advertised as having “0% THC”.

Trucker Douglas Horn alleges the positive test for THC resulted from using a CBD product marketed by Medical Marijuana, Inc. as containing “0% THC.” Horn initially filed the suit in 2015 under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, arguing that the company’s misleading advertising led him to use the product for pain relief.

A lower court ruled in favor of allowing Horn’s RICO lawsuit to move forward. However, Medical Marijuana, Inc. appealed the decision, prompting the Supreme Court’s involvement.
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Apr 29 2024

Poll: 79% of Massachusetts Voters Say Results of Marijuana Legalization Law Have Been “Fair” to “Excellent”

According to the results of new polling, the vast majority of voters in Massachusetts believe the state’s marijuana legalization law has had positive results.

For the first question, participants were asked; “In 2016, voters in Massachusetts legalized the adult use of marijuana. Today there are dispensaries where adults can purchase marijuana products. Do you think that legalizing marijuana in Massachusetts was the right decision or the wrong decision?”

65% said they believe it was the right decision, with 22% saying it was the wrong decision. 13% said they were undecided or they refused to answer.
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Apr 28 2024

These 10 States Are Next in Line to Legalize or Decriminalize Psilocybin (“Magic Mushrooms”)

Currently psilocybin mushrooms are legal or decriminalized in two states; Colorado and Oregon. However, activists and lawmakers in numerous other states are working to make theirs the next to allow the possession of magic mushrooms.

Dried psilocybin mushrooms.

Despite the majority of states having legislative efforts to legalize or decriminalize psilocybin, some have garnered much more support than others, including some with efforts that are actively working their way through the legislative process.

That being said, below are the 10 states next in line to legalize psilocybin, the psychedelic compound found in “magic mushrooms”.
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Apr 27 2024

The 3 States On Track to Place Medical Marijuana Initiatives On This November’s Ballot

Voters in two states are set to decide on recreational marijuana initiatives this November, while three additional states are on track to consider measures related to medical marijuana.

Of the 12 states that currently do not allow medical marijuana, Nebraska and Idaho are poised to have its voters consider legalizing it this November. Meanwhile, Arkansas voters may get the opportunity to vote on a measure to expand its existing medical marijuana program.

Here’s a closer look at these states and their specific initiatives:
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Apr 27 2024

US Homeland Security Secretary to New Mexico Governor on Legal Marijuana Seizures: “Who cares? They make a lot of money”

New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham says she is ‘offended’ by US Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas’ recent comments regarding the Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) decision to seize legal marijuana and arrest employees working at state-licensed marijuana stores.

New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham (photo credit: Eddie Moore/Associated Press).

Last week, we reported that Governor Grisham confronted Secretary Mayorkas about the CBP’s decision to begin seizing massive amounts of marijuana from state-licensed businesses in New Mexico, while sometimes also detaining or arresting employees. During their discussion, Secretary Mayorkas informed Governor Grisham that federal law remains unchanged, indicating that such seizures are likely to continue.

Now, in leaked audio posted on the social media platform X by an account named Chaos Coordinator, Governor Grisham says that when she pushed Mayorkas on why they are going after legal marijuana, he commented “Oh who cares? They make a lot of money”.
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Apr 26 2024

President Biden and Vice President Harris Are Set to Make Marijuana a Big Issue This Election

President Biden and Vice President Harris have ramped up their support for marijuana law reform in recent weeks and months, and it appears unlikely they’ll slow down as we get closer to the November election.

Although former President Trump did not go after legal marijuana states  —choosing to take a hands-off approach—his administration took no action to reform marijuana laws, and his first attorney general rescinded a Department of Justice memo protecting state marijuana laws. President Biden and Vice President Harris are already seizing on this, choosing to compare Trump’s inaction with their decision to take a more proactive approach.

The comparisons have already begun, with Vice President Harris saying at an event yesterday that Trump “took marijuana reform backwards”, while noting the accomplishments of the Biden/Harris Administration. The Biden/Harris campaign then sent an e-mail to supporters making note of Harris’ comments. These type of comparisons will only intensify in the coming weeks, with multiple nationwide polls released in recent months showing that around 2/3rds of American voters support legalization, including a majority of Republicans.
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