Mar 19 2024

The 5 States Most Likely to Legalize Medical Marijuana By December

Only 12 states have not enacted laws legalizing medical marijuana, with that number likely to shrink by the end of the year.

medical marijuana states

Since California became the first state to legalize medical marijuana in 1996, 37 others states have followed suit, although with varying approaches. Nine other states have passed laws allowing the medical use of low-THC / high-CBD products.

Among the 12 states that have not legalized medical marijuana, a handful have serious efforts underway to change that.
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Mar 19 2024

Vermont Committee Approves Bill to Remove Criminal Penalties for Possessing or Selling Psilocybin

A comprehensive psilocybin bill has been passed through a key committee in the Vermont Senate.

Dried psilocybin mushrooms.

The Senate Committee on Health and Welfare voted today to pass Senate Bill 114, filed by Senator Martine Gulick along with eight cosponsors. Its official title calls it “An act relating to removal of criminal penalties for possessing, dispensing, or selling psilocybin and establishment of the Psychedelic Therapy Advisory Working Group.”

According to its official legislative summary, this bill “proposes to make findings regarding the therapeutic benefits of psilocybin, to remove criminal penalties for possession of psilocybin; and to establish the Psychedelic Therapy Advisory Working Group to examine the use of psychedelics to improve physical and mental health and to make recommendations regarding the establishment of a State program similar to Connecticut, Colorado, or Oregon to permit health care providers to administer psychedelics in a therapeutic setting.”
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Mar 19 2024

Official White House Page Says “President Biden and Vice President Harris Believe No One Should Jailed for Using or Possessing Marijuana”

The official page for the White House on the social media platform X just posted a pro-marijuana message, pointing out that the current administration has “pardoned tens of thousands of people for federal marijuana possession.”

“President Biden and Vice President Harris believe no one should be jailed just for using or possessing marijuana”, states the post made this morning. “That’s why our Administration has pardoned tens of thousands of people for federal marijuana possession.”

The post comes just a few days after Vice President Kamala Harris called on the federal government to reschedule marijuana “as quickly as possible”, emphasizing that “nobody should have to go to jail for smoking weed.”
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Mar 17 2024

Rhode Island Bill to Decriminalize Drug Possession Scheduled for Public Hearing

Legislation that would decriminalize the personal possession of all drugs in Schedule I through V has been scheduled for a public hearing on March 21.

Rhode Island State House.

House Bill 7315 was filed in January by State Representative Jose Batista along with seven cosponsors. On Friday, the measure was scheduled for a public hearing and potential consideration in the House Judiciary Committee. The hearing will take place on March 21.

According to its official title, HB 7315 “Makes the possession of small amounts of schedule I through V controlled substances, except for the possession of marijuana, civil violations punishable by a ($100) fine for a first offense and up to ($300) for subsequent offenses.”
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Mar 17 2024

Vice President Kamala Harris Says “We Need to Legalize Marijuana”

For the first time as sitting Vice President, Kamala Harris says marijuana should be legalized nationwide. The comments came soon after she called on marijuana to be rescheduled “as quickly as possible.”

“We need to legalize marijuana”, Harris said in a recent meeting with marijuana pardon recipients. Although this comment was said during a closed-door meeting, an official working for VP Harris confirmed with us that she did in fact make this comment.

Speaking on rescheduling efforts, Harris recently said “I cannot emphasize enough that they [the DEA] need to get to it as quickly as possible. We need to have a resolution based on their findings and their assessment. This issue is stark when one considers the fact that on the schedule currently, marijuana is considered as dangerous as heroin ― as dangerous as heroin ― and more dangerous than fentanyl, which is absurd, not to mention patently unfair.”
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Mar 16 2024

Vice President Kamala Harris Calls for Marijuana to be Rescheduled “As Quickly As Possible”

Vice President Kamala Harris has called on the federal government to reschedule marijuana “as quickly as possible”, emphasizing that “nobody should have to go to jail for smoking weed.”

(Photo credit: Getty Images).

“I cannot emphasize enough that they need to get to it as quickly as possible,” Vice President Harris said on Friday. “We need to have a resolution based on their findings and their assessment. This issue is stark when one considers the fact that on the schedule currently, marijuana is considered as dangerous as heroin ― as dangerous as heroin ― and more dangerous than fentanyl, which is absurd, not to mention patently unfair.”

Harris’ comments come as the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is conducting a review on marijuana’s scheduling status. The review was prompted by the Department of Health and Human Services, which recommended to the DEA in August that marijuana be moved to Schedule III.
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Mar 14 2024

Marijuana-Infused Soda Accounted for 12% of Jones Soda’s Overall Revenue in Q4, 2023

Jones Soda Co. announced its financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ending December 31, 2023, and the company’s marijuana-infused soda line continues to increase its market share.

According to a press release sent today, Jones Soda made $3.5 million in revenue in the fourth quarter of 2023. Although this was a slight decrease from the $3.7 million sold in Q4, 2022, the company’s Mary Jones line of marijuana sodas significantly increased its revenue, from $239,000 to $438,000. This accounts for 12.5% of the company’s total revenue.

For the full year, Jones Soda made $16.7 million, compared to $19.1 million in 2022. The company’s Mary Jones line made approximately $1.2 million in revenue compared to approximately $353,000 in 2022.
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Mar 14 2024

The 4 States Likely to Legalize Marijuana By December

There are a handful of states vying to become the 25th to legalize recreational marijuana, but some appear more likely to do so than others.

At the start of 2012, there were zero states with legal marijuana for recreational use. Since Colorado and Washington tied to become the first to do so later that year, 22 other states have followed suit. Now, numerous other states are working to become the next.

With that in mind, below are the four states still on track to legalize marijuana prior to December.
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Mar 14 2024

Illinois Medical Board Votes to Add Female Orgasmic Disorder and Endometriosis as Medical Marijuana Condition

Officials in Illinois have given initial approval to petitions to add both female orgasmic disorder (FOD) and endometriosis as qualifying medical marijuana conditions

The Illinois Medical Cannabis Advisory Board voted overwhelming to approve both conditions. The Department of Health will need to sign off on the recommendations before the two conditions can be officially added to the state’s medical marijuana program.

According to the Mayo Clinic, endometriosis is “a disorder in which tissue similar to the tissue that lines the uterus grows outside the uterus in places where it doesn’t belong”, which can cause severe pain. Endometriosis is a common condition that affects an estimated 5%-10% of women and adolescents of reproductive age (15-49 years) and up to 50% of women who are infertile.
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Mar 14 2024

Study Finds Legal Marijuana Sales Not Associated With Increased Use Among Adolescents

According to a new study, the legalization of licensed marijuana retail outlets is not directly associated with an increase in marijuana use among young people.

Titled Increasing lifetime and past 30-day marijuana use among middle school students regardless of recreational marijuana sales, the study is being published in the June, 2024 issue of the journal Addictive Behaviors.

“This study investigated whether adult use marijuana sales were associated with changes in lifetime and past 30-day (P30D) marijuana use among middle school students in Nevada (NV), which had adult-use marijuana sales during the study period, compared to New Mexico (NM), which did not have adult-use marijuana sales during the study period”, states the study’s abstract.
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