Mar 18 2023

Florida Bill to Allow Telehealth for Medical Marijuana Renewals Unanimously Passed by Two Committees

Legislation that would allow physicians to renew patients medical marijuana cards via telehealth options has been passed unanimously by two committees in the House of Representatives.

House Bill 387 was passed yesterday by the House Health and Human Services Committees in a 20 to 0 vote, eight days after it passed the House Healthcare Regulations Subcommittee by a vote of 16 to 0. The measure now goes to the full House, with passage there sending it to the Senate.

Under the proposed law although a licensed physician would still be required to meet a patient in-person to authorize their medical marijuana use for the first time, all subsequent annual renewals could be conducted through telehealth options such as Zoom.
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Mar 17 2023

Pennsylvania Court Rules Medical Marijuana Costs Should Be Reimbursed by Workers’ Compensation Insurance Plans

The Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court ruled today that the costs associated with the legal use of medical cannabis are eligible for reimbursement under workers’ compensation laws.

The court ruled that the state’s Workers’ Compensation Appeal Board made a mistake when it upheld a decision by Firestone Tire & Rubber that denied the reimbursement costs for the medical marijuana used by employee Paul Sheetz.

“I am so excited that the Commonwealth Court, in their wisdom, agreed that workers comp carriers are required to reimburse injured workers who use medical marijuana to treat severe and often life-long injuries,” says Jenifer Kaufman, the attorney who represented the claimant’s estate. “This is a game-changer for those injured workers who have worked hard to get off dangerous and expensive opioids and are forced to pay the cost of medical marijuana treatment out of their fixed incomes.”
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Mar 17 2023

Marijuana Store in Marysville, California Giving Out Free Products to Veterans on March 18

Marijuana retail outlet Perfect Union is collaborating with the Weed for Warriors Project to provide thousands of dollars worth of free marijuana products to veterans.

On March 18th from 9 a.m. to noon Perfect Union in Marysville, California will be distributing $5,000 worth of free marijuana and marijuana products to veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other “service-related health concerns”.

To receive free marijuana veterans are required to provide hard copy proof of service, state ID and current medical recommendation to receive free cannabis. Although this is the third event Perfect Union has put on for veterans, it is the first hosted at their Marysville location.
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Mar 17 2023

Report Finds Wisconsin Residents Purchased $121 Million of Marijuana in 2022 from Neighboring Illinois

A new legislative report has found that Wisconsin residents in 2022 spent well over $100 million on marijuana products purchased legally in Illinois, despite marijuana remaining illegal in Wisconsin.

In total Wisconsin residents spent $121 million on marijuana and marijuana products in Illinois last year, which resulted in $36 million in taxes for Illinois. The report was prompted by Senate Minority Leader Melissa Agard and was conducted by the Legislative Fiscal Bureau.

To come up with this figure the Bureau examined data from the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, which breakdowns marijuana sales throughout the state differentiating purchases made by residents and those from outside the state. The report notes that “this estimate could be lower or higher than the actual amount of taxes paid by Wisconsin residents purchasing cannabis in Illinois based on several variables.”
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Mar 17 2023

Study Finds Cannabinoids “May Have Utility in Cancer Immunotherapy Regimens”

According to a new Frontiers in Immunology study, specific cannabinoids “may have utility in cancer immunotherapy regimens by overcoming immune escape and augmenting cancer immune surveillance in metastatic disease.”

Titled Specific cannabinoids revive adaptive immunity by reversing immune evasion mechanisms in metastatic tumours, the study was conducted by researchers at the University of British Columbia, the Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute, the University of Applied Sciences (Germany), Pascal Biosciences (Seattle) and Koç University (Türkiy). The full text of the study can be found by clicking here.

“Emerging cancers are sculpted by neo-Darwinian selection for superior growth and survival but minimal immunogenicity; consequently, metastatic cancers often evolve common genetic and epigenetic signatures to elude immune surveillance”, states the study. “Fascinating ethnographic and experimental findings indicate that cannabinoids inhibit the growth and progression of several categories of cancer; however, the mechanisms underlying these observations remain clouded in uncertainty.”
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Mar 17 2023

Minnesota Marijuana Legalization Bill Passed by 13 House Committees, 10 Senate Committees

Minnesota’s HF 100, which would legalize marijuana for everyone 21 and older, has now been passed by 23 legislative committees.

Filed by State Representative Zack Stephenson in the House with a companion bill in the Senate, HF 100 would allow those 21 and older to possess up to two ounces of marijuana and grow up to eight plants for personal use. The measure would also establish a regulatory framework for licensed retail marijuana outlets. It has now been passed by 13 House committees out of the 14 necessary to put the measure to a vote by the full House of Representatives.

The companion bill (SF 73), filed by Senator Lindsey Port, has now been passed by 10 Senate committees out of the 18 necessary for a full Senate vote. However, given the measure was amended in its most recent Senate committee it will need to be revoted on by some of the committees it’s already been approved by before it can advance to full House and Senate (the amendments, which mostly relate to specific licensing rules, do not change the core of the bill). Continue reading

Mar 16 2023

Medical Marijuana Bill Passed by Full Kentucky Senate

Kentucky’s full Senate has given approval to a measure that would make the state the 39th to legalize medical marijuana.

The Senate voted 26 to 11 to pass Senate Bill 47, which was filed by Senator Steve West along with a bipartisan coalition of 13 cosponsors. The bill will now be sent to the House of Representatives for consideration.

Senate Bill 47 would allow those who receive a recommendation from a licensed practitioner to possess and use marijuana and marijuana products. Although smoking marijuana would be prohibited, patients would still be allowed to access and possess dried marijuana flower for use in vaporizers.
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Mar 16 2023

Ontario Chamber of Commerce Urges Government to Allow “Cannabis Consumption Establishments”

The Ontario Chamber of Commerce, which has over 60,000 members across Ontario, is calling on the government to explicitly allow “cannabis consumption establishments” (aka marijuana lounges).

Cannabis Consumption EstablishmentsThe Chamber put forth several recommendations as part of their 2023 Provincial Budget Submission that they feel will address some of the key hurdles that are preventing the marijuana industry from modernizing and growing. One of those recommendations is to “Facilitate cannabis consumption establishments and implement special occasion permits.” This would allow lounges where marijuana (and likely food and drink products) can be purchased and consumed on-site, something that is currently prohibited.

“In the three years since recreational cannabis was legalized in Canada, it has quickly emerged as one of Canada’s fastest-growing sectors and has since contributed over $43 billion to our national GDP”, states the chamber’s report. “Yet major hurdles – including an overly restrictive regulatory regime – inhibit economic growth, deter investment, and squeeze margins for producers and retailers alike.”
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Mar 16 2023

Here Are the 38 States That Have Legalized Medical Marijuana, and the 12 That Haven’t

Medical marijuana is now legal in the vast majority of U.S. states, with just 12 continuing a full-blown prohibition on the medicine.

Legal Medical Marijuana

California was the first state to legalize medical marijuana in 1996. In the 25 years since, 37 other states have followed suit, though they have varied greatly in their approach.

Below we breakdown, in alphabetical order, the 38 states that have legalized medical marijuana, followed by the 12 that have not.
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Mar 16 2023

Second Senate Committee in Delaware Approves Bill to Create Legal Marijuana Industry

A legislative proposal to establish a licensed and regulated system of marijuana stores has been passed by a second Senate committee.

The Senate Finance Committee gave approval today to House Bill 2 to legalize marijuana sales. Three members voted favorable, one voted “on its merits”, and none voted unfavorable. The measure will now be sent to the full Senate. Given the measure has already passed the full House in a strong 27 to 13 vote, Senate passage would put it before Governor John Carney.

Although it’s uncertain if Governor Carney will sign the measure, allow it to become law without his signature or veto it, the lead sponsor of House Bill 2 – State Representative Ed Osienksi – says he’s “optimistic” that the legislature has enough support to override any potential veto (this can be done with a 2/3rds majority vote).
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