Apr 22 2023

Hawaii House, Senate Committee, Pass Resolution Calling for Marijuana Clemency Program

A resolution urging the creation of a “clemency program for individuals who have been prosecuted for cannabis-related offenses” has been passed unanimously by the Senate Judiciary Committee, after having already made its way through the House of Representatives.

“BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Thirty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2023, the Senate concurring, that the Governor is urged to initiate a clemency program for individuals who have been prosecuted for cannabis-related offenses”, states House Concurrent Resolution 51, “and that the Governor is urged to seek the assistance of The Last Prisoner Project and Hawaii Innocence Project in implementing a clemency program for individuals who have been prosecuted for cannabis-related offenses”.

The resolution was passed on 4/20 by the Senate Judiciary Committee in a unanimous 5 to 0 vote. It was passed through the House with just one “No” vote.
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Apr 22 2023

California Senate Committee Votes to Ban Employers From Inquiring About Applicant’s Prior Marijuana Use

California’s Senate Judiciary Committee has voted in favor of legislations that would provide legal protection to job hunters who have used marijuana.

Filed by Senator Steven Bradford, Senate Bill 700 “would make it unlawful for an employer to request information from an applicant for employment relating to the applicant’s prior use of cannabis”.

A stipulation in the measure states that this “does not apply to applicants or employees hired for positions that require a federal government background investigation or security clearance in accordance with regulations issued by the United States Department of Defense pursuant to Part 117 of Title 32 of the Code of Federal Regulations, or equivalent regulations applicable to other agencies.”
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Apr 22 2023

Nevada Committee Passes Bill to Allow Marijuana to be Sold at Events

A proposal to allow marijuana to be sold at events and to establish a license for “portable cannabis vendors” has been passed by a key committee in Nevada’s Legislature.

Assembly Bill 253, filed by State Representative Cameron Miller, would establish a license for a “temporary cannabis event”. It also establishes a permit for portable cannabis vendors that would be authorized to sell marijuana and marijuana products to those 21 and older at events.

Yesterday the measure was passed by the Assembly Committee on Judiciary, and was assigned to the Ways and Means Committee. Passage through the Ways and Means Committee would allow for the measure to be considered by the full Assembly.
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Apr 21 2023

Montana Lawmakers Pass Bill to Reappropriate Marijuana Tax Revenue

When Montana voters approved marijuana legalization in 2020, they passed an initiative with very specific uses for marijuana tax revenue. A bill passed by both the House and Senate would alter this in a few different ways.

Senate Bill 442 was passed yesterday through the House of Representatives 84 to 16. In the Senate, the measure was passed earlier this month 49 to 1. It will need to be passed through a third and final reading in each chamber before it can be sent to Governor Greg Gianforte.

SB 442, filed by Senator Mike Lang, creates a new special revenue account for county road habitat access. This account “would be funded by a 20% distribution from the marijuana state special revenue account and the funds would be appropriated to the Department of Transportation to be distributed monthly to county and consolidated city-county governments.” The funding would be used for “construction, reconstruction, maintenance and road repair”.
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Apr 21 2023

Delaware Governor to Let Marijuana Legalization Bills Become Law Without His Signature

Despite being opposed to the move, Delaware Governor John Carney has announced that he will allow legislation legalizing marijuana to become law.

With lawmakers being “100% confident” they have enough votes to override a potential veto, Governor Carney says he will not veto House Bill 1 and House Bill 2 but instead will allow them to become law without his signature. Both measures passed the House and Senate with the supermajority needed to counteract a veto. House Bill 1 will become law on April 24, while House Bill 2 will become law on April 26.

House Bill 1 will legalize the personal possession of up to an ounce of recreational marijuana for everyone 21 and older. However, it does not establish a legal marijuana industry, which is where House Bill 2 comes into play. The proposal will create a licensed, regulated and taxed system of marijuana retail outlets, allowed to sell marijuana and marijuana products.

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Apr 21 2023

In Historic First Oregon Officials Issue Licenses for Psilocybin Facilitators and Testing Laboratory

Officials in Oregon have taken an important step towards establishing the state’s psilocybin program (passed by voters in 2020) by approving a license for the state’s first-ever psilocybin testing facility, and three licenses for the state’s first psilocybin facilitators.

Psilocybin mushrooms

Psilocybin mushrooms, also called “magic mushrooms”.

The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) has issued a license for psilocybin testing to Rose City Laboratories, LLC, the first company in state’s history to hold such a license. This comes just a couple days after OHA approved licenses for three psilocybin facilitators, David Naftalin, Jeanette Small and Alexander Polvi. The licenses will allow them to provide psilocybin services to adults. Psylocibin is the psychedelic compound found in magic mushrooms.

“We want to congratulate the first facilitators to be licensed in Oregon for psilocybin,” said Oregon Psilocybin Services (OPS) Section Manager Angie Allbee “As your work in providing non-directive psilocybin services takes shape, we thank you for your dedication to client safety and access as we move closer to opening service centers.”
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Apr 21 2023

CA$365.7 million in Legal Marijuana Purchased in Canada in February

There was CA$365.7 million ($270 million) in legal marijuana and marijuana products purchased in Canada in January.

The number marks a slight decrease from the CA$395 million sold in January, although this isn’t surprising given the decrease in the number of days between January and February. December, 2022 continues to hold the monthly record at CA$425.9 million. This is all according to data released by Statistics Canada.

The province with the most marijuana sales in February was Ontario with CA$141.18 million, followed by Alberta with CA$65 million and British Columbia with CA$55.9 million
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Apr 21 2023

Texas House of Representatives to Vote Next Week on Bill to Decriminalize Marijuana

Texas legislation that would decriminalize the personal possession of marijuana and marijuana concentrates will receive a vote by the full House of Representatives on Wednesday, April 26.

A little over a month after House Bill 218 was passed unanimously by the House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee, the House Calendars Committee has scheduled the measure for a House vote on April 26. Passage in the House would sent it to the Senate.

Filed by State Representative Joe Moody, the measure would remove criminal penalties for the possession of up to one ounce of marijuana or marijuana concentrates such as hash and oil. Although the bill would not legalize marijuana, those caught with up to an ounce would, at most, be given a fine of up to $500 with no possibility of jail time.
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Apr 20 2023

Pennsylvania Lawmakers Introduce Four Marijuana Bills on 4/20

Four separate marijuana proposals were introduce today in the Pennsylvania Legislature.

Pennsylvania lawmakers filed several pieces of marijuana-related legislation today to commemorate the marijuana holiday 4/20. One of the bills, filed by 10 lawmakers, “urges the federal government to remove cannabis from Schedule I”.

“As legislators, we must raise up the voices of our constituents when they tell us something is amiss,” said a press release about the measure. “By showing our support for de-scheduling cannabis, Pennsylvania can be part of the push to equitably legalize this historically villainized plant.”

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Apr 20 2023

Study: Marijuana Use Not Associated With Increased Risk of Psychosis

According to a new study published in the journal Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences a history of marijuana use is not associated with an increased risk of developing psychosis, even among those predisposed to the disorder.

The primary aim of the study “was to examine the association between cannabis use and the incidence of psychotic disorders in people at clinical high risk of psychosis.” Secondary aims were to assess “associations between cannabis use and the persistence of psychotic symptoms, and with functional outcome.”

In doing so, researchers found that “There was no significant association between any measure of cannabis use at baseline and either transition to psychosis, the persistence of symptoms, or functional outcomes.”
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