Jun 15 2023

Arkansas Judge Voids 27 Medical Marijuana Laws Passed by Legislature

A Pulaski County Circuit Court judge has nullified 27 different medical marijuana laws and regulations that were passed by the Arkansas General Assembly since 2017.

Judge Morgan “Chip” Welch ruled that in passing the 27 laws that altered the state’s medical marijuana program, the legislature took unconstitutional actions that are not legally valid. Some of those laws include a limit on the amount of THC in medical marijuana products and limits on marijuana advertising. Judge Welch ruled that all 27 laws are now “void”.

The ruling stemmed from a case brought forward by Good Day Farm Arkansas, LLC, a medical marijuana cultivator, and Capital City Medicinal, LLC, a medical marijuana dispensary. The companies argued that the legislature overstepped their bounds when they changed the voter-approved law without seeking voter input.
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Jun 14 2023

Rhode Island Senate Committee Passes House-Approved Marijuana Advertising Bill

A key Senate committee in Rhode Island has given approval to legislation that would allow local marijuana businesses to advertise their products and services, something that is currently prohibited.

The Senate Judiciary Committee voted yesterday to pass House Bill 5829, a little over a month after the House of Representatives passed it in a unanimous 67 to 0 vote. The measure, filed by State Representative Scott A. Slater, will need to be passed by the full Senate before it can be sent to Governor Daniel McKee for consideration.

Under current law out-of-state marijuana businesses are allowed to advertise their services in Rhode Island (those who live in the state have probably noticed numerous billboards along the highway for Massachusetts-based marijuana stores). However, the law prohibits local marijuana stores and dispensaries that are located within Rhode Island from placing such ads. House Bill 5829 would change this by explicitly giving local marijuana businesses permission to advertise.
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Jun 14 2023

Arizona: Record-Breaking $28 Million in Marijuana Taxes Made in May, $125 Million Year-to-Date

In May Arizona garnered over $28 million in tax revenue from the legal distribution of marijuana and marijuana products.

In total Arizona made $28,423,424 in marijuana tax revenue in May. This marks the most marijuana tax revenue the state has made in a single month since the start of legal recreational marijuana sales in February, 2021.

The $28 million made in May is a significant increase from the $24.8 million made in April, the $23.4 million made in March and the $23.2 million made in February
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Jun 14 2023

New Mexico Legal Marijuana Industry Employs Nearly 5,000 People

According to a new report by the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions, despite marijuana only being legal since 2021, the marijuana industry already employs thousands of people in the state.

The report found that as of the end of 2022, the state’s cannabis industry employed more than 4,600 workers, with 88% of those workers employed at a marijuana store or dispensary. With it already being June, 2023, these numbers are likely even higher now.

The report shows that there are 112 marijuana retailers in New Mexico, 21 growers, 10 manufactures, four wholesale traders and four who fall in the miscellaneous category (testing, etc.).
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Jun 14 2023

Washington State to Vacate 350,000 Drug Possession Misdemeanors and Felonies

Washington State plans to vacate the charges of over 200,000 felony drug possession convictions dating back to the 1970s, with an additional 150,000 misdemeanor drug charges also potentially eligible.

According to a press release by Washington Courts, the landmark State vs Blake decision issued on February 25, 2021 by the Washington Supreme Court, ruled that the state’s drug possession law was unconstitutional and void because it did not require individuals to have knowledge of the drug possession. As a result, those convicted of drug possession on or before February 25, 2021 became eligible to have their convictions vacated and removed from their criminal record, and their paid court-ordered fines and costs — called legal financial obligations (LFOs) — reimbursed.

It is estimated that over 200,000 felony drug possession charges dating back to the 1970s may be eligible to be vacated in superior courts. An estimated additional 150,000 misdemeanor marijuana charges may also be eligible for vacation.
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Jun 14 2023

Illinois Governor Signs Bill Allowing Marijuana Businesses to Take State Tax Deductions

Illinois Governor J. B. Pritzker has signed into law legislation that will allow marijuana businesses that are legal under state law to take standard state-level tax deductions.

Filed by State Representative Jehan Gordon-Booth, House Bill 3817 is cosponsored by 19 other legislators. The measure passed the Senate 36 to 20, and passed the House of Representatives 73 to 38.

The new law alters the state’s existing tax code to allow marijuana businesses to take deductions for “an amount equal to the deductions that were disallowed under Section 280E of the Internal Revenue Code for the taxable year”. House Bill 3817 makes several other changes to state law, but this is the only provision that applies to the legal marijuana industry
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Jun 13 2023

APA Poll Finds Americans Think Marijuana is Less Addictive Than Technology and Alcohol

In a new national poll commissioned by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) and conducted by Morning Consult, most Americans said they believe marijuana is less addictive than technology and is safer than alcohol and cigarettes.

“People were less likely to believe cannabis was addictive compared to the other substances and behaviors polled”, according to an APA press release. Their poll was conducted between April 20 and April 22, 2023, among a sample of 2,201 adults. Results have a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.

When asked about addiction, those polled reported on how often they used a particular substance or engaged in a certain behavior, and whether they thought it was safe and/or addictive. 87% of respondents said cigarettes are addicting, while 84% said the same of alcohol, 81% said the same of vaping and 75% said the same of technology. When it comes to marijuana, the number is noticeably lower at 64%.
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Jun 13 2023

Study: CBD Shows Potential as an “Abortive Agent for Treating Migraine Attacks”

According to newly published research the marijuana compound cannabidiol “shows potential as an abortive agent for treating migraine attacks and headache-related conditions such as spontaneous pain and anxiety”.

The study is published in the peer-reviewed journal Pain, and it’s conducted by researchers at Florida Atlantic University, the Medical University of Lublin in Poland, and the Universities of Ferrara and Padova, both in Italy.

“Migraine is a disabling disorder characterized by recurrent headaches, accompanied by abnormal sensory sensitivity and anxiety”, notes the study’s researchers. “Despite extensive historical use of cannabis in headache disorders, there is limited research on the nonpsychoactive cannabidiol (CBD) for migraine and there is no scientific evidence to prove that CBD is an effective treatment.”
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Jun 13 2023

North Carolina Medical Marijuana Bill May Be Considered Soon in House, Already Passed Senate

North Carolina legislators are making a late-session push to get a Senate-approved medical marijuana bill through the House of Representatives before the end of the legislative session.

State Representative Donny Lambeth, Chair of the House Health Committee, recently told local media that he believes a Senate vote on the bill could happen as soon as the end of June.

Senate Bill 3 was approved by the Senate in March by a vote of 36 to 10. This sent the measure to the House, where passage would put it before Governor Roy Cooper. Under the proposed law those with a “debilitating medical condition” such as cancer, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis and post-traumatic stress disorder would be allowed to purchase, possess, consume medical marijuana and marijuana products if they receive a recommendation from a licensed physician.
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Jun 13 2023

Study: Marijuana Use Lower Among Youth in ZIP Codes with Marijuana Dispensaries

According to a new study marijuana use “was significantly lower among 10th and 12th graders living in a  ZIP code with a marijuana dispensary.”

The study, titled Adolescent Cannabis Use Among Youth in ZIP Codes with Medical Dispensaries, was published by the journal Cannabis and epublished by the US National Library of Medicine. It was conducted by researchers at the University of Illinois.

As noted by the study’s abstract, “concerns remain about whether liberalized policies result in increased adolescent cannabis use.” To date, “limited evidence exists that the statewide prevalence of adolescent cannabis use increased in states with liberalized policies. However, analyses at local levels show some negative impacts.”
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