May 16 2023

Oklahoma Governor Signs Bill Extending Mortarium on Marijuana Businesses to 2026

An Oklahoma moratorium (temporary ban) on new marijuana businesses has been extended to at least 2026.

Governor Kevin Stitt signed House Bill 2095 into law earlier this month, officially extending the state’s ban on the establishment of any new medical marijuana businesses.

Last year Oklahoma lawmakers enacted a moratorium that explicitly prohibits regulators from issuing licenses for any new medical marijuana dispensaries, processors, or commercial growers until August 1, 2024. House Bill 2095 extends the ban by two years, until August 1, 2026.
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May 16 2023

Arizona Committee Unanimously Votes to Add PTSD and Autism to Medical Marijuana Program

Arizona legislation to expand the state’s medical marijuana program has been passed unanimously by the House Rules Committee.

Senate Bill 1466, filed by Senator Thomas Shope, was passed yesterday 7 to 0 through the House Rules Committee. It’s now able to be considered by the full House of Representatives. Given it’s already been passed by the full Senate, 24 to 6, passage through the House would send it to Governor Katie Hobbs for consideration.

The proposed law would add post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and autism spectrum disorder as conditions that qualify an individual to become a legal medical marijuana patient. It would also reduce the price of medical marijuana cards from $150 to $50, while making them entirely free for veterans.
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May 16 2023

Minnesota Conference Committee Reaches Agreement on Marijuana Legalization Bill

A conference committee made up of five senators and five state representatives has reached a deal on a specific framework for a bill to legalize marijuana.

Both the House and Senate have already voted to pass their version of HF 100 to legalize marijuana for those 21 and older. However, differences in amendments required a conference committee to be established in order to coalesce the two chambers around one bill text.

Now, after a couple meetings by the committee, an agreement has been reached and final votes in the House and Senate could come as soon as this week. Governor Tim Walz is expected to sign it into law once given the chance.
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May 16 2023

North Carolina Committee Approves Psilocybin and MDMA Research Bill

A key committee in the North Carolina House of Representatives has voted to approve legislation that would spend millions to research psilocybin and MDMA.

The House Health Committee voted today to pass House Bill 727, filed by Representative Edward Goodwin. The proposal would establish a $5 million grant program designed specifically to research the medical and therapeutic potential of psilocybin, the psychedelic compound found in magic mushrooms, and MDMA (sometimes referred to as ecstasy).

The program would be overseen by a newly-created Breakthrough Therapies Research Advisory Board. Starting in August of 2024 the Department of Health and Human Services would be required to accept grand applications from research entities and academic institutions that demonstrate a capability of conducting clinical trials on those 21+.
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May 15 2023

Springfield, Missouri City Council Likely to Put Marijuana Tax Ordinance On August Ballot

Following several Missouri cities approving local marijuana taxes in the April election, Springfield may be poised to do the same.

Today the Springfield City Council held a special meeting to discuss the possibility of imposing a local 3% tax on marijuana sales, similar to what voters approved last month in St Louis, Columbia and Kansas City. During the meeting the council directed the city attorney to establish an emergency ordinance that would be considered during their May 22 meeting that would establish such a tax.

In Missouri marijuana sales receive a 6% excise tax, in addition to the state’s standard 4.2% sales tax. Cities are allowed to establish their own tax of up to 3%.
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May 15 2023

Arizona Governor Signs Bill Allocating Millions for Psilocybin Research

Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs has signed into law legislation that allocates millions of dollars for the research of psilocybin, the psychedelic compound found in magic mushrooms.

(Getty Images)

Governor Hobbs signed the measure into law a mere hours after the legislature gave it approval.

Specifically, the Department of Health Services (DHS) will distribute $5 million in fiscal year 2023-2024 for “whole mushroom psilocybin phase one, phase two and phase three clinical trials that are capable of being approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA)”. The trial must be for the use to treat one of 13 listed medical conditions which includes PTSD, anxiety and long-COVID.
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May 15 2023

Las Vegas’ First Marijuana-Friendly Hotel to Open in June

A hotel that’s billing itself as Las Vegas’ first marijuana-friendly hotel plans to open its doors to the public next month.

The Lexi Las Vegas Hotel is set to open to the public on Friday, June 2. The hotel, located near Sahara Ave and Highland Drive, was formally known as The Artisan. The company behind the hotel recently spent millions to fully renovate it, including renovating 64 newly designed rooms and suites.

What sets The Lexi apart from other hotels in the area, is that they explicitly allow marijuana to be consumed on their premises, including in the hotel’s rooms and suites. One entire floor will be dedicated to marijuana consumption, and each room/suite will include a RestorAir filtration system.
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May 15 2023

Rhode Island Bill Would Defelonize Possession of Up to One Ounce of Drugs

Legislation filed today in Rhode Island would remove felony penalties for the possession of up to 28 grams of all illegal substances.

In Rhode island a 2021 law removed the possibility of a felony charge for the personal possession of up to 10 grams of illegal substances including drugs like heroin, cocaine and MDMA. Newly-filed legislation would increase this limit from 10 grams to 28 grams (or one full ounce).

The legislation would make the law retroactive, stating that any person “previously convicted of possession of twenty-eight grams (28 g.) or less of a controlled substance subject to the provisions of this subsection shall have their record modified to a misdemeanor.”
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May 15 2023

New Hampshire Governor Announces Support for Legalizing Marijuana With State-Run Stores

Swiftly following the New Hampshire Senate rejecting a House-approved marijuana legalization bill, Governor Chris Sununu released a statement clarifying his position on the issue.

Last Month the New Hampshire House of Representatives voted 272 to 109 to pass a bill that would have legalized marijuana for everyone 21 and older. Despite it having widespread bipartisan support in the House, the Senate voted 14 to 10 to reject the bill last week, officially killing it for this legislative session. On Friday Governor Sununu issued a statement and declared for the first time that with the right framework, he’s ready to sign a bill legalizing marijuana.

“During my years as Governor, a bill to legalize marijuana in New Hampshire has never garnered enough bipartisan support to reach my desk”, says Governor Sununu. “I have never vetoed legislation to legalize recreational marijuana. In 2017, I was proud to be the first Governor in New Hampshire history to sign legislation decriminalizing small amounts of marijuana so that no one would go to jail for simple possession.”
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May 15 2023

Study: Recreational Marijuana Laws Reduce Cigarette and Electronic Nicotine Consumption

According to a study being published in the July issue of the Journal of Health Economics, states that have legalized recreational marijuana have seen a reduction in cigarette and electronic cigarette use.

The study, titled Have recreational marijuana laws undermined public health progress on adult tobacco use?, was conducted by researchers at Bentley University, San Diego State University and Georgia State University.

“Public health experts caution that legalization of recreational marijuana may normalize smoking and undermine the decades-long achievements of tobacco control policy”, states the study’s abstract. “However, very little is known about the impact of recreational marijuana laws (RMLs) on adult tobacco use.”
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