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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Mar 16 2023

New Hampshire House Votes 210 to 160 to Fully Repeal Marijuana Prohibition

New Hampshire’s full House of Representatives has given approval to legislation that would legalize marijuana without regulations or restrictions by fully repealing marijuana prohibition.

The House voted 210 to 160 to pass House Bill 360, which was filed by Representative Kevin Nerville. The vote in the House came a s surprise to many proponents and opponents of the measure as the House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee last month ruled the measure to be “inexpedient to legislate”, which typically ends discussion on the bill. However, the House overruled the committee before passing the measure in a voice vote.

House Bill 360 now heads to the Senate,  where passage would send it to the desk of Governor Chris Sununu. Just last month the House voted 234 to 127 to pass a more restrictive marijuana legalization bill that’s sponsored by Majority Leader Jason Osborne and Minority Leader Matthew Wilhelm.
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Mar 16 2023

South Dakota Legislature Approves Bill to Expand List of Qualifying Medical Marijuana Conditions

A bill to greatly expand the list of conditions that qualify an individual to become a medical marijuana patient has been passed by South Dakota’s full legislature.

Senate Bill 1 was passed by the House in a close 36 to 32 vote earlier this month. The Senate quickly approved the finalized version of the bill themselves by a vote of 19 to 15. Passage in both chambers puts the measure before Governor Kristi Noem who now has the option of signing it into law, allowing it to become law without a signature, or vetoing it.

The proposed law, filed by Senator Ernie Otten, would expands the number of eligible patients by explicitly allowing medical marijuana for those diagnosed with:
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Mar 16 2023

Study: U.S. Veterans Reported “Positive Outcomes for Pain, Sleep, and Emotional Problems Because of Cannabis”

In a new study published by the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs the vast majority of U.S. veterans “reported positive outcomes for pain, sleep, and emotional problems because of cannabis use in two survey periods.”

U.S. Veterans cannabis

Photo credit: Getty Images

“Medical cannabis use among U.S. Veterans has continued to rise”, notes the abstract of the study, which was conducted by researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Texas State University and the University of Illinois at Chicago. “However, data on cannabis use by older Veterans is generally less available.”

With that in mind, the study aimed “to understand the characteristics of older Veterans who enrolled in the Medical Cannabis Patient Program in Illinois and analyze their health outcomes and co-use of cannabis and opioids using longitudinal survey data.”
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Mar 15 2023

Washington D.C. Automatic Marijuana Expungement Bill Becomes Law

In January D.C. lawmakers approved a criminal justice reform bill that included a provision for the automatic expungement of marijuana possession charges, and the measure has now become law.

The Second Chance Amendment Act was passed by the council by a vote of 13 to 0, and was subsequently signed by Mayor Muriel Bowser. This put the proposal before the U.S. Congress, who has officially declined to overturn it. This allowed the act to take effect on March 10th.

The proposed law initially stated that a criminal charge for the simple possession of up to two ounces of marijuana would be automatically expunged by the court from people’s records. However, before passing the measure the council approved an amendment by Councilmember Christina Henderson to change the two ounce limit to include “any quantity of marijuana”.
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Mar 15 2023

Delaware Senate Committee Approves Bills to Legalize Marijuana Including Retail Outlets

Two bills that would legalize marijuana possession and establish a regulated system of licensed retail outlets has been approved by a key Senate committee.

The Senate Health & Social Services Committee gave approval today to 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. The measure now moves closer to a vote by the full Senate, where passage would put it before Governor John Carney. Representative Osienski says he’s “optimistic” that even if the governor were to veto the bills, the legislature would override the veto which it can do with a 2/3rds majority.

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.
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Mar 15 2023

Arkansas: $22.4 Million in Medical Marijuana Sold in February

In Arkansas there was over $22 million dollars worth of marijuana and marijuana products purchased by authorized medical marijuana patients in February.

According to data released by the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration, there was $22.4 million worth of medical marijuana products purchased in February, a slight decrease from the month prior (of course February had less days than January). In January there was $23.1 million in medical marijuana sold.

In total so far in 2023 Arkansas medical marijuana patients have purchased $45.5 million worth of the medicine, a 9.6% increase from the same period in 2022.
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