Nov 22 2023

Study: High School Students No More Likely to Use Marijuana After Legalization

Highschoolers were no more likely to use marijuana after it was legalized, according to a study conducted by the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

While perceived marijuana use by family and friends was found to increase the possibility of marijuana use in highschoolers, no association was found between the legalization of cannabis for adult recreational use and adolescent use.

“The UMass Amherst research can help inform policy and public health guidelines not just in Massachusetts but in other states rolling out cannabis laws”, according to a university press release.  “One of the million-dollar questions as cannabis policies are being implemented across the country is whether or not youth use increases after legalization”.
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Nov 22 2023

Texas Woman Banned for Life From Carnival Cruise Line Over Federally-Legal CBD

Carnival Cruise has given a lifetime ban to a Texas woman who brought CBD gummies on board, despite them being federally legal.

Texas woman Melinda Van Veldhuizen has gone on so many cruises with Carnival Cruise that she has previously received priority boarding. Despite this, the cruise company has given Melinda a permanent ban for bringing aboard gummies containing cannabidiol (CBD), according to Local10 News. The ban comes despite hemp-derived CBD being legal since the passage of the federal farm bill in 2018.

On the cruise Melinda was celebrating her 21st wedding anniversary’s, as well as her son’s senior year of high school.
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Nov 22 2023

Connecticut: Despite Liquor Stores Needing to Close, Marijuana Stores Can Remain Open on Thanksgiving

Licensed marijuana retail outlets can remain open on Thanksgiving, according to the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection.

“Cannabis sales at all licensed cannabis establishments are allowed on Thanksgiving Day”, according to a recent notice posted by the Department. “Consumers should check with retailers directly for holiday hours.”

The notice states that “Any reporting to the contrary is incorrect and should be disregarded.”
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Nov 21 2023

New Jersey Legislation Would Establish a Cannabis Certified Worker Grant Program

Legislation filed this week in the New Jersey Legislature would establish a Cannabis Certified Worker Grant Program and Social Equity Certified Worker Hiring Grant Program.

(Photo credit: Bill Barlow/for WHYY).

Filed on Monday by State Representatives Anthony Verrelli and Angela Mcknight, Assembly Bill 5691 has been referred to the Assembly Oversight, Reform and Federal Relations Committee.

“There is established in the Department of Labor and Workforce Development the Cannabis Certified Worker Grant Program, which shall provide grants for the development and administration of workforce development programs for workers in the cannabis industry”, states the bill’s official text. ” Grant length is one year but may also extend beyond one year in duration.  The program shall be administered by the Office of Apprenticeship in the department.”
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Nov 21 2023

Hearing Scheduled for Massachusetts Bill to Preserve Gun Rights for Medical Marijuana Patients

Legislation to “preserve second amendment rights for medical marijuana patients” has been scheduled for a hearing in the Massachusetts Legislature.

Senate Bill 1514 was filed in February by Senator Ryan Fattman (R), and it was subsequently assigned to the Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security. After sitting dormant for over nine months, the measure has been scheduled for a hearing on November 28, starting at 11am.

The official text of Senate Bill 1514 states:
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Nov 21 2023

In States Where It’s Legal Recreationally, Over $15 Billion in Marijuana Sold So Far in 2023

Between January 1 and October 31 of this year, there was $15.9 billion worth of marijuana and marijuana products sold in states where it’s legal for recreational use.

Among the 24 states that have legalized recreational marijuana, the vast majority have marijuana retail outlets open for business, with some having passed their legalization law too soon for stores to be open (Minnesota and Ohio, for example). Virginia is the only state to not allow recreational marijuana sales despite possession being legal. In the states that do have marijuana stores, they report sales data at considerably different speeds, meaning that although for many states we have data through the end of October, in others we have data only through June or July.

According to an analysis by The Marijuana Herald of the most up-to-date data that is currently available via state agencies and cannabis commissions, there was just shy of $16 billion worth of marijuana sold in 2023, a substantial increase over all previous years. Sales numbers include the distribution of dried marijuana flower and shake as well as a variety of other marijuana products including edibles, tinctures, topicals and concentrates.
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Nov 21 2023

Massachusetts: 100,000 More Signatures Submitted for Psychedelic Legalization Initiative

Proponents behind a Massachusetts initiative to legalize psychedelics have submitted 100,000 new signatures.

Mescaline (top left), ibogaine (top right), psilocyn mushrooms (bottom left), DMT ingredient (bottom right).

Last month Massachusetts for Mental Health Options said it had collected over 75,000 verified signatures from registered voters, more than the 74,574 needed to force the state’s legislature to consider the proposal. Now, the group says it has submitted 100,000 new signatures after the state says that some of the initial signatures were invalid due to a technicality.

The proposed law would legalize the possession and personal cultivation of up to one gram of DMT, 18 grams of non-peyote mescaline, 30 grams of Ibogaine, one gram of psilocybin and one gram of psilocin.
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Nov 21 2023

New York: Over $100 Million Sold in First 10 Month of Legal Marijuana Sales

There has been over $100 million worth of legal marijuana sold in New York so far this year.

According to the New York Office of Cannabis Management (NYOCM), there was $104 million in marijuana and marijuana products sold by licensed marijuana stores between January 1 and October 31. This is despite a rough rollout of the state’s legal marijuana industry which has included multiple court orders to halt licensing and hundreds of unlicensed marijuana stores opening throughout the state.

According to the NYOCM, there are 27 licensed marijuana stores throughout the state, with 54 approved cannabis grower showcases allowing marijuana to be sold on a temporary basis at locations such as farmer’s markets. These type of events have brought in $3.4 million in sales.
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Nov 20 2023

“Stop Pot Act” to Withhold Funds from Legal Marijuana States Now Has Five Sponsors in US House

Filed in September, the Stop Pot Act now has five sponsors in the US House of Representatives.

Filed by North Carolina Congressmember Chuck Edwards, the Stop Pot Act would withhold federal funding from states and tribes that have legalized recreational marijuana. The measure was filed with just one cosponsor. Since being filed, the measure has garnered three additional sponsors, bringing the total to five.

By comparison, a measure to fully decriminalize marijuana and remove it as a controlled substance has 69 sponsors. In the US Senate, a federal marijuana banking bill is sponsored by 34% of the entire Senate.
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Nov 20 2023

US House: Federal Bill to Deschedule Marijuana Has 69 Sponsors, 32% of All Democrats

In September House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Jerrold Nadler (D), along with four other House members, filed the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act (H.R. 5601). It now has 69 sponsors.

Described as “one of the most comprehensive marijuana reform bills ever introduced in the U.S. Congress” by Representative Nadler, the MORE Act would decriminalize marijuana at the federal level by removing it as a controlled substance. The measure also “aims to correct the historical injustices of failed drug policies that have disproportionately impacted communities of color and low-income communities by requiring resentencing and expungement of prior convictions.”

When the measure was filed in September, it had 33 cosponsors. Now, the proposal is sponsored by 69 members of the House of Representative, all Democrats. This represents nearly one out of every three member of the House Democratic Caucus.
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