May 29 2024

New Hampshire House Rejects Senate Changes to Medical Marijuana Bill, Votes to Establish Conference Committee

The New Hampshire House of Representatives voted today against concurring with the Senate amendments to a bill that would allow medical marijuana to be prescribed for any condition.

The House’s decision to reject the Senate’s amendments to House Bill 1278 comes six days after the Senate passed the bill.

The House had previously passed HB 1278 in March with a strong majority. However, due to amendments made by the Senate, the bill required a final concurrence from the House. Instead of agreeing to the Senate’s changes, the House voted to establish a conference committee to address the differences between the two chambers’ versions of the bill.
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May 29 2024

Louisiana Legislature Approves Bill to Decriminalize Marijuana Paraphernalia, Sends it to Governor Jeff Landry

Legislation to decriminalize the possession of marijuana paraphernalia throughout Louisiana has been given approval by the state’s full legislature.

Louisiana’s full legislature has voted to pass House Bill 165, sending it to Governor Jeff Landry. The bill received final approval by the House of Representatives today by a vote of 69 to 24. It passed the Senate on May 21 by a vote of 24 to 14.

Governor Landry now has 10 days to sign the bill into law, veto it or allow it to become law on the 11th day without his signature.
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May 29 2024

Initiative to Decriminalize Marijuana in Lockhart, Texas, to be Voted on This November

Supporters of the the Lockhart Freedom Act have submitted more than twice the number of signatures required to put the measure to a vote this November.

At a press conference today, Campaign Director Elle Cross says proponents of the initiative have submitted nearly 1,000 signatures with the city clerk’s office, more than twice the amount needed to put their measure to a vote of the people. However, the city will need to verify that enough of the signatures are valid (from registered Lockhart voters) before the measure can be officially placed on the November ballot.

The measure states that “Unless and until a binding act of a state or federal court requires otherwise, the Lockhart Police Department shall not make any arrest or issue any citation for Class A or Class B misdemeanor marijuana possession, except in the limited cases described by this policy”.
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May 29 2024

DEA Official: Marijuana to be Rescheduled to Schedule III by October

The Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) proposal to reschedule marijuana is set to be finalized by October, according to a DEA official.

On May 21, the DEA published its proposal to move marijuana to Schedule III in the Federal Register, launching a legally mandated 60-day public comment period. Once this period ends on July 22, the DEA will analyze the comments and determine a final ruling, which will also be published in the Federal Register. This process can take weeks or months.

Now, an official at the DEA tells us that the agency is aiming to complete the review of comments “within 60 days” at the direction of Attorney General Merrick Garland’s office, with a final decision coming soon after. The official says it’s possible the review could be completed even quicker, with a finalized ruling coming “by the end of September, but as soon as the end of August.”
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May 28 2024

Minnesota Governor Signs Bill Revising Recreational Marijuana Laws, Allows Licensed Cultivation This Year

Governor Tim Walz has signed into law legislation that makes several significant changes to the state’s recreational marijuana law, which has been in place for a year.

Later this year, Minnesota will permit certain commercial cultivators to begin growing marijuana in anticipation of the launch of the state’s retail market. Cannabis business licenses will be awarded through a vetted lottery system, replacing the previous merit-based application process.

The bill outlines a process for social equity applicants to be preapproved for cannabis business licenses this year, while others will have to wait until 2025 to apply. Social equity applicants include individuals or family members of those previously convicted of marijuana offenses, military veterans, residents of high-poverty areas, and “emerging farmers” who have managed a small farm for at least three years.
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May 28 2024

South African President Signs Bill Legalizing Recreational Marijuana

South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa has signed into law the Cannabis for Private Purposes Act (“CfPPA”).

The CfPPA regulates the cultivation, possession, and use of recreational cannabis by adults in a private setting.

“The consequent regulatory reform enabled by the CfPPA will, amongst others, entirely remove cannabis from the Drugs and Drug Trafficking Act”, states a press release sent by the president’s office. “This will further enable amendment of the Schedules to the Medicines and Related Substances Act and provide for targeted regulatory reform of the Plant Breeders Rights Act and the Plant Improvement Act, as well as other pieces of legislation that require amendment to allow for the industrialization of the cannabis sector.”
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May 28 2024

Delaware Governor Signs Bill Allowing Medical Marijuana for Any Condition; Those 65+ Can Self-Certify

Legislation that would alter Delaware’s medical marijuana law has been signed into law by Governor John Carney.

House Bill 285 will remove the state’s list of qualifying medical marijuana conditions, allowing physicians to recommend the medicine for any condition they deem appropriate. In addition, the proposal will allow those aged 65 and older to self-certify themselves as medical marijuana patients, meaning they would not be required to receive a recommendation from a healthcare professional in order to become a medical marijuana patient. The measure has now been signed into law by Governor Carney.

HB 285 will also allow physicians to issue two or three year medical marijuana cards, whereas currently they are restricted to issuing just one-year cards.
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May 28 2024

Atlanta City Council Supports Covering Psilocybin and Ketamine Treatment for City Employees

An ordinance endorsed by a majority of the Atlanta City Council would study the potential of providing ketamine and psilocybin coverage to city employees, including firefighters, cops and city staff.

Dried psilocybin mushrooms and a vial of ketamine.

Sponsored by Councilmember Liliana Bakhtiari and cosponsored by a majority of the council, the resolution states that “that the Department of Human Resources is hereby requested to explore the feasibility of adding coverage for ketamine therapy, psilocybin therapy, and other alternative therapies for mental illnesses in the City’s employee benefits contracts during its next round of negotiations.”

The Department is further requested “to conduct a thorough review of the scientific evidence, safety considerations, regulatory landscape, liability, cost implications, and applicability based upon one’s job classification to incorporate such alternative therapies as part of the employee’s benefits package.”
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May 28 2024

The 4 States That Could Become the 25th to Legalize Recreational Marijuana

There are 24 states that have legalized recreational marijuana, but several are vying to become the 25th.

Although proponents of marijuana legalization are actively trying to change state law in nearly all of the 26 states without legal marijuana, a handful of efforts have a real possibility of succeeding this year. In particular, there are four states vying to become the 25th legal marijuana state, with New Hampshire currently in the lead.

That said, here’s a breakdown of the four states that could become the 25th to legalize recreational marijuana.
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May 28 2024

White House Drug Czar Says Rescheduling Marijuana Will Have “Historic and Long-Lasting Impact”

The White House Drug Czar says the DEA’s proposal to reschedule marijuana will have “historic and long-lasting impact”.

“We’ve had a policy for over half a century where so many lives have been upended because of our failed approach to marijuana”, Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) Rahul Gupta said in a recent interview. “We’ve had so many people arrested, prosecuted and incarcerated. We know white, Black and brown people use marijuana at similar rates, but Black and brown incarceration rates are higher.”

Gupta says the move will make banks more willing to work with marijuana businesses via “legitimate interstate commerce.”
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