The Marijuana Herald

Apr 20 2023

Minnesota Marijuana Legalization Bill to Receive House Vote on Monday

By Anthony Martinelli in News

After being passed by 15 committees in the House of Representatives, the full chamber is finally set to consider legislation to legalize marijuana this Monday.

“Big news! My bill to legalize adult-use cannabis in Minnesota has been scheduled for a vote in the MN House on Monday”, said State Representative Zack Stephenson on Twitter. “We’re very close to getting this done and gaining momentum every day!!” Representative Stephenson is referring to House Bill 100 to legalize marijuana for everyone 21 and older.

A companion bill to HB 100 – SF 73 – needs just one more committee vote before it can be considered by the full Senate. In addition to legalizing marijuana, both measures would also automatically expunge past marijuana convictions.
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Apr 20 2023

South Carolina Lawmakers Files Bill to Automatically Expunge Marijuana Charges Every 4/20

By Anthony Martinelli in News

South Carolina State Representatives JA Moore and Bill Herbkersman have filed legislation that would lead to the automatic expungement of marijuana charges every 4/20.

The bipartisan House Bill 4358 was filed today in alignment with the 4/20 marijuana holiday. It’s been assigned to the House Judiciary Committee.

The one-page measure states: “On April twentieth each year, the Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services is directed to issue pardons to at least twenty percent of persons previously convicted of simple possession of marijuana pursuant to the provisions of Section 44-53-370 who have completed their sentence, including any portion of probation or parole.”
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Apr 20 2023

Study: CBD Treatment “Shows Therapeutic Efficacy” in Social Transfer of Pain

By Anthony Martinelli in News, Studies

In a new study acute CBD administration “attenuated anxiety-like behavior, pain hypersensitivity, and anhedonic-like behavior in cagemates that cohabited with a pair in chronic pain”.

Titled Cannabidiol Treatment Shows Therapeutic Efficacy in a Rodent Model of Social Transfer of Pain in Pair-Housed Male Mice, the study is being published in the forthcoming issue of the journal Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research. In addition, it was epublished ahead of print by the US National Institute of Health.

“Prosocial behavior refers to sharing emotions and sensations such as pain”, states the study’s abstract. “Accumulated data indicate that cannabidiol (CBD), a nonpsychotomimetic component of the Cannabis sativa plant, attenuates hyperalgesia, anxiety, and anhedonic-like behavior. Nevertheless, the role of CBD in the social transfer of pain has never been evaluated.”
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Apr 20 2023

North Carolina Marijuana Legalization Bill Passed Through First Reading

By Anthony Martinelli in News

A measure to make recreational marijuana legal in North Carolina for those 21+ has been passed through its first reading and given a committee assignment.

House Bill 626, filed on Monday by State Representative Johnnie Autry along with three cosponsors, has been assigned to the House Committee On Rules, Calendar, and Operations. This comes after the measure was passed Tuesday through its first of three required readings.

House Bill 626 would legalize the possession of up to two ounces of marijuana and the personal cultivation of up to six marijuana plants. In addition, those 21 and older would be allowed to possess up to 15 grams of marijuana concentrates and up to 2,000 milligrams of THC worth of infused-products.
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Apr 20 2023

On 4/20 Eleven Years Ago There Were 0 Legal Marijuana States, Now There’s 21

By Anthony Martinelli in Miscellaneous

11 years ago today – on 4/20, 2012 – there was not a single state in the US that had legalized recreational marijuana.

Fast forward to today and people in 21 states are enjoying legal marijuana this 4/20, with Delaware poised to become the 22nd legal marijuana state by the end of the month. This is an incredible and rapid change in public policy, with over 40% of US states now with legalized marijuana. This comes after decades of propaganda, and hundreds of billions of dollars spent on the drug war which has focused heavily on maintaining marijuana prohibition.

Leading the way, Colorado and Washington were the first to legalize in November, 2012. A decade later, Maryland and Missouri were the most recent to legalize in November, 2022 via a citizen initiative. Also in 2022, Rhode Island lawmakers legalized marijuana in May.
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Apr 19 2023

Washington Bill to Protect Marijuana Users When Seeking Employment Sent to Governor

By Anthony Martinelli in News

Legislation that would provide protections to marijuana users seeking employment has been sent to Washington Governor Jay Inslee.

Senate Bill 5123 would prohibit employers from refusing employment based solely on someone’s off-the-job recreational marijuana use. The measure passed the House in March, 63 to 32, and passed the Senate earlier this month, 37 to 12. After concurrence the measure was signed by the House Speaker on April 14, signed by the president of the Senate on April 18, and today it was officially sent to the governor.

“The legislature finds that the legalization of recreational cannabis in Washington state in 2012 created a disconnect between prospective employees’ legal activities and employers’ hiring practices”, states the preamble to the bill, introduced by Senator Karen Keiser along with nine cosponsors. “Many tests for cannabis show only the presence of nonpsychoactive cannabis metabolites from past cannabis use, including up to 30 days in the past, that have no correlation to an applicant’s future job performance.”
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Apr 19 2023

CA Committee Votes to Allow Marijuana Consumption Lounges to Sell Food / Beverages, Host Live Events

By Anthony Martinelli in News

California legislation that would allow marijuana consumption lounges to sell freshly made food and beverages (including marijuana-infused products) and host live events, has been passed by a California Assembly committee.

California’s Assembly Committee on Business and Professions has voted 15 to 2 to pass Assembly Bill 374. Filed by Assembly Member Matt Haney, the measure has now been sent to the Committee on Governmental Organization.

Under current California law cannabis consumption lounges are not allowed to sell freshly prepared food, a rule that many call arbitrary and unnecessary. A November 2022 rules change allowed lounges to offer prepackaged food and beverages on a limited basis, but nothing freshly made or beverages ready to be consumed without opening.

Apr 18 2023

Florida Medical Marijuana Telehealth Bill Passed Unanimously by Senate Committee

By Anthony Martinelli in News

Florida’s Senate Appropriations Committee on Health and Human Services has voted 16 to 0 to pass legislation that would allow physicians to renew patients medical marijuana cards via telehealth.

The passage of Senate Bill 344 through the Senate Appropriations Committee comes roughly three weeks after a companion bill (House Bill 387) was passed by the House Health and Human Services Committee. The vote in the Health and Human Services Committee was also unanimous, 20 to 0.

Under the two bills a licensed physician would be allowed to use telehealth options such as Zoom when renewing a patient’s medical marijuana authorization card during annual renewals. Physicians would still be required to meet a patient in-person to authorize their medical marijuana use for the first time.
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Apr 18 2023

Report: Legal Marijuana Will Add $100 Billion to US Economy in 2023

By Anthony Martinelli in News

The economic impact generated by marijuana in states where it’s legal is expected to top $100 billion in 2023, up more than 12% from 2022.

This is according to the MJBiz Factbook 2023, an annual report conducted by MJBizDaily, one of the most trusted sources within the marijuana industry. The report found that the economic impact of marijuana will be $100.8 billion in 2023, with it expected to grow to $115 billion in 2024 and $132 billion in 2025.

Looking ahead, the report anticipates that upward of $170 billion in additional spending will be added to the U.S economy in 2028. The increase is in part due to the “opening and/or expansion of new recreational and medical markets in states such as New York, Maryland, Missouri and Kentucky.” Continue reading

Apr 18 2023

Over $100 Million in Legal Marijuana Purchased in Arizona in February

By Anthony Martinelli in News

There was just shy of $110 million in marijuana and marijuana products purchased legally in February in Arizona.

According to data released by the Arizona Department of Revenue, licensed marijuana dispensaries in Arizona sold $28,202,481 worth of medical marijuana, while marijuana retail outlets sold $80,887,002 worth of recreational marijuana. These numbers include the sale of dried marijuana flower, as well as marijuana concentrates and infused products.

The nearly $110 million sold in February brought in $21,752,278 in tax revenue for the state. $2,341,776 from medical marijuana, $6,468,582 from adult-used marijuana and $12,941,920 in marijuana excise tax revenue.
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Rockstar Games Celebrates Cannabis Holiday With “Happy 4/20” Social Media Post

The States With the Most Progressive Cannabis Laws

New Mexico: $49 Million in Legal Marijuana Sold Across 1.2 Million Transactions in March, $140 Million in Q1 2025

Texas Psychedelic Research Bill Scheduled for Public Hearing in House Public Health Committee on April 21

Clinical Trial: CBD Improves Naming Function in People With Parkinson’s Disease

Study: Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy Shows Promise for Treating Alcohol and Tobacco Addiction

Minnesota Marijuana Legalization Bill to Receive House Vote on Monday

After being passed by 15 committees in the House of Representatives, the full chamber is finally set to consider legislation to legalize marijuana this Monday.

South Carolina Lawmakers Files Bill to Automatically Expunge Marijuana Charges Every 4/20

South Carolina State Representatives JA Moore and Bill Herbkersman have filed legislation that would lead to the automatic expungement of marijuana charges every 4/20.

North Carolina Marijuana Legalization Bill Passed Through First Reading

A measure to make recreational marijuana legal in North Carolina for those 21+ has been passed through its first reading and given a committee assignment.

On 4/20 Eleven Years Ago There Were 0 Legal Marijuana States, Now There’s 21

11 years ago today – on 4/20, 2012 – there was not a single state in the US that had legalized recreational marijuana.

Washington Bill to Protect Marijuana Users When Seeking Employment Sent to Governor

Legislation that would provide protections to marijuana users seeking employment has been sent to Washington Governor Jay Inslee.

CA Committee Votes to Allow Marijuana Consumption Lounges to Sell Food / Beverages, Host Live Events

California legislation that would allow marijuana consumption lounges to sell freshly made food and beverages (including marijuana-infused products) and host live events, has been passed by a California Assembly committee.

Florida Medical Marijuana Telehealth Bill Passed Unanimously by Senate Committee

Florida’s Senate Appropriations Committee on Health and Human Services has voted 16 to 0 to pass legislation that would allow physicians to renew patients medical marijuana cards via telehealth.

Report: Legal Marijuana Will Add $100 Billion to US Economy in 2023

The economic impact generated by marijuana in states where it’s legal is expected to top $100 billion in 2023, up more than 12% from 2022.

Over $100 Million in Legal Marijuana Purchased in Arizona in February

There was just shy of $110 million in marijuana and marijuana products purchased legally in February in Arizona.

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