May 09 2023

Rhode Island House Unanimously Passes Bill to Allow Marijuana Businesses to Advertise

The Rhode Island House of Representatives voted today to pass legislation that would allow local marijuana retail outlets to advertise their products, something that is currently prohibited.

The House voted unanimously, 66 to 0, to pass the measure on its final reading. This sends it to the Senate for consideration. Passage in the Senate would send it to Governor Daniel McKee. House Bill 5829 was filed by State Representative Scott A. Slater.

As noted by The Boston Globe, Massachusetts marijuana businesses are currently advertising on billboards along highways in Rhode Island, despite the fact that Rhode Island law prohibits local marijuana stores and dispensaries from placing such ads. The bill approved by the House would change that, giving local marijuana businesses explicit permission to advertise.
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May 09 2023

Over $25 Million in Legal Marijuana Sold in Montana in April, $405 Million Since January, 2022

There was $25,817,355 worth of legal marijuana and marijuana products sold in Montana in April.


Data from the Montana Cannabis Control Division shows that there was $5,443,376 in medical marijuana sold in April, in addition to $20,373,979 worth of recreational marijuana sales. The year-to-date total for 2023 is now $102 million, and the January, 2022-to-date total is $405,956,512.

The $25.8 million sold in April is a modest 4.4% decrease from the $27 million sold in March, a monthly record. The previous record was August, 2022 with $26.8 million. The slowest month since the start of recreational marijuana sales was February, 2022 with $22.9 million in total sales.
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May 09 2023

Colorado Made $25 Million in Marijuana Taxes in April, Almost 10% Increase From March

Colorado made $25 million in marijuana taxes in April according to data released today by the Colorado Department of Revenue.

In total Colorado garnered $25,128,221 in tax revenue from the legal marijuana industry in April, an 8.6% increase from the $23.1 million sold in March. The taxes made in April are the most made so far this year. In January the state made $22.3 million, followed by $24.7 million in February.

Colorado’s year-to-date marijuana tax total is $95,333,989. The total since the start of legal sales in 2014 now stands at $2,439,370,678.
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May 09 2023

WA Governor Signs Bill Protecting Marijuana Users When Job Hunting

Legislation that will provide protections to marijuana users who are seeking employment has been signed into law by Washington Governor Jay Inslee.

Senate Bill 5123 was signed today by Governor Inslee, less than a month after it was passed by the state’s legislature. The law prohibits 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 in April, 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.

“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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May 09 2023

CDC Report Finds Marijuana Use by Teens Continues Decade-Long Decline Despite States Legalizing

According to a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report, the percentage of high school students who have used marijuana in the past, or who say that they are current consumers, has fallen significantly since 2011. The first state to legalize marijuana did so in 2012.

The report found that the percentage of high schoolers who have ever tried marijuana fell 30% between 2011 and 2021. In addition, the percentage of students who self-identify as current marijuana consumers decreased by a similar percentage during the same time period.

“This report documents that substance use prevalence among U.S. high school students had been declining for a decade before the COVID-19 pandemic”, states the report’s authors. “For the majority of substance use outcomes, prevalence further declined from 2019 to 2021, including for current alcohol use, marijuana use, and binge drinking and for lifetime alcohol use, marijuana use, cocaine use, and prescription opioid misuse.”
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May 09 2023

Study: Medical Marijuana Improves Health-Related Quality of Life That’s Sustained Over Time

According to a newly published study patients using medical marijuana “reported improvements in health-related quality of life, which were mostly sustained over time”.

The study was published today by the journal JAMA Open Network, which is operated by the American Medical Association. It was conducted by researchers at the Swinburne University of Technology, Austin Hospital and the University of Western Australia.

The objective of the study was to “assess whether patients using medical cannabis report improvements in health-related quality of life over time.”
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May 09 2023

Maine: $16.2 Million in Legal Marijuana Sold in April, Over 1 Million Transactions Year-to-Date

Legal marijuana retail outlets sold over $16 million in marijuana and marijuana products in April.

Data released by Maine’s Office of Cannabis Policy shows that there was $16,289,077 in legal marijuana sold in April throughout Maine. This is a very slight decrease from the $16,622,537 in legal marijuana sales in March. Over the past 12 months only August saw more sales with $17,042,278.

The sales total for April brings the yearly total to $61,618,855, and the total since the start of legal sales in late 2020 to $306 million.
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May 09 2023

New Jersey Governor Signs Bill to Allow Marijuana Businesses to Take State Tax Deductions

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy has signed into law legislation to allow legal marijuana businesses to take standard state-level tax deductions.

The New Jersey senate passed Bill A3946 in February by a vote of 32 to 3, roughly four months after the Assembly passed it by a vote of 60 to 6. Today the measure was signed into law by Governor Murphy.

The legislation is seen as a partial remedy to IRS code 280E, which prevents federally illegal entities from taking tax deductions. Although the measure doesn’t allow marijuana businesses to take federal tax deductions, it would allow them to take the state-level tax deductions the same as any other legal business in New Jersey.
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May 08 2023

$50 Million in Legal Marijuana Sold in Illinois in April, $295 Million So Far in 2023

According to data released by the Illinois Cannabis Regulation Oversight Officer, the state sold $50 million worth of legal marijuana and marijuana products in April.

Of the $50 million sold, $32.3 million came from the distribution of medical marijuana, while $18.4 million came from recreational marijuana sales.

The year-to-date total for medical marijuana sales is now $149.6 million. The total for recreational marijuana is $146 million, bringing the combined total to $295.6 million. This puts the state on track to sell nearly $1 billion by the end of 2023.
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May 08 2023

Massachusetts Marijuana Stores Sold $145 Million in April, $568 Million Year-to-Date

In Massachusetts there was $145 million in legal marijuana sold in April, according to the Cannabis Control Commission.

In April recreational marijuana sales in Massachusetts were $125.3 million, a slight decrease from the $129 million sold in March, but an increase from the $120 million and $114 million sold in January and February. The year-to-date total is now $489.58 million.

In terms of medical marijuana sales, there was $19.9 million sold in April. This is exactly the same as January, a slight increase from February ($18.7 million) and a slight decrease from March ($20.5 million). The year-to-date total is $78.9 million.
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