Apr 05 2023

Colorado Bill Would Allow Marijuana Stores to Sell Marijuana Online and Deliver It

A recently filed bill in Colorado’s House of Representatives would allow licensed marijuana retail outlets to legally sell marijuana and marijuana products online, and would also allow marijuana deliveries.

In Colorado although consumers can preorder marijuana through an online menu for pickup, they cannot purchase marijuana online and have it delivered to them. House Bill 1279, filed by State Representatives William Lindstedt, Said Sharbini and Robert Rodriguez, would change that.

According to the measure’s official legislative summary:
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Apr 05 2023

Maryland Legislature Votes 170 to 12 to Redefine Child Neglect to Remove Marijuana Use by Parents/Guardians

Maryland legislation to codify that the use of marijuana by a parent or legal guardian does not by itself constitute child neglect has been passed by Maryland’s full legislature.

House Bill 232 was passed overwhelmingly by both the House of Representatives and Senate. It passed the House last month with just one of 135 votes being “No”. Yesterday it also passed the full Senate 36 to 11. The proposal now goes to Governor Wes Moore, who is expected to sign it into law. Even if Governor Moore was to issue a surprise veto, there’s well more than enough votes to override it with a 2/3rds majority.

Filed by Delegate Nicole Williams, House Bill 232 would alter state law to clarify that the legal definition of child neglect:
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Apr 05 2023

Vermont House Passes Bill Doubling THC Limit for Medical Marijuana Products, Among Other Changes

Vermont legislation to that would make several changes to the state’s medical marijuana program, including doubling the cap on THC for marijuana products, has been passed by the full House of Representatives.

The full House passed House Bill 270 last week, which was filed by State Representatives Matt Birong and Mike McCarthy. The proposal has now been sent to the Senate and assigned to the Economic Development, Housing and General Affairs Committee.

House Bill 270 would increase the maximum amount of THC allowed in packaged marijuana products from 50 mg to 100 mg, and would alter the number of plants a patient can grow for personal use from a total of nine to a total of 18, six of which can be mature.
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Apr 04 2023

Arkansas House Votes 82 to 5 to Establish Gun Rights for Medical Marijuana Patients

Legislation to codify gun rights for medical marijuana patients and caregivers has been passed by Arkansas’ full House of Representative.

The House voted 82 to 5 today to pass House Bill 1784, filed by State Representative Aaron Pilkington. The vote sends the measure to the Senate. Passage in the Senate would put it on the desk of Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders for consideration.

If passed into law the proposal would amend the state’s concealed carry license law to clarify that those issuing licenses “shall not consider a person’s status as a qualifying patient or designated caregiver under the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Amendment of 2016, Arkansas Constitution, Amendment 98, § 2, in determining whether an applicant is eligible to be issued a license to carry a concealed handgun under this subchapter.”
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Apr 04 2023

Oregon Committee Approves Marijuana Bill

A House committee in Oregon has voted in favor of legislation that would direct the Liquor and Cannabis Commission to make changes to the state’s recreational marijuana law.

Filed by State Representative John Lively, House Bill 2516 directs the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission (OLCC) “to adopt rules to allow small-scale marijuana producers to sell marijuana items directly to consumers.” It was passed today by the House Committee On Economic Development and Small Business, sending it to the Committee on Ways and Means.

The proposed law also requires the OLCC to adopt rules “to permit delivery of marijuana items by licensed marijuana retailer to consumer at hotel or inn”, and to allow licensed marijuana wholesaler “to sell or transfer marijuana items to licensed marijuana retailer at trade show or similar event.”
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Apr 04 2023

635,961 Valid Signatures Collected to Put Florida Marijuana Legalization Initiative to a Vote

A Florida campaign to put a marijuana legalization initiative on the 2024 general election ballot has submitted over 635,000 signatures from registered voters.

According to the Florida Division of Elections as of the end of March the Smart & Safe Florida campaign has submitted 635,961 valid signatures, just 255,628 short of the amount required to put their marijuana initiative to a vote in November, 2024.

The initiative would allow those 21 and older “to possess, purchase, or use marijuana products and marijuana accessories for non-medical personal consumption by smoking, ingestion, or otherwise.” Continue reading

Apr 04 2023

Minnesota Marijuana Legalization Bill Passed by Another Senate Committee

Legislation to legalize recreational marijuana for everyone 21 and older has now been passed by a dozen Senate committees.

Today the Senate Rules and Administration Committee voted to pass SF 73, making their committee the 12th to do so. The marijuana legalization bill is sponsored by Senator Lindsey Port, with a companion bill in the House (HF 100) filed by State Representative Zack Stephenson. HF 100 has passed through over a dozen committees and is nearing a vote by the full House of Representatives, but as with SF 73 it will need to pass through a couple more committees before it can be considered by its full chamber.

Both bills would allow those 21 and older to possess up to two ounces of marijuana and grow up to eight plants for personal use. The proposed law would establish a regulatory framework for licensed marijuana retail outlets, with a newly created Cannabis Management Office charged with overseeing the legal marijuana industry.
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Apr 04 2023

Washington House Committee Passes Psilocybin Bill

Legislation to create a task force designed to research psilocybin and create a pathway to full legalization while establishing a pilot program for supervised psilocybin use has been passed by a key House committee in Washington State.

Psilocybin BillThe House Appropriations Committee has voted in favor of 2nd Substitute Senate Bill 5263 (23 to 8), filed by Senator Jesse Salomon along with a coalition of 21 bipartisan cosponsors. The measure has already passed the full Senate 41 to 7, but will need to go back for an additional vote before it can be sent to Governor Jay Inslee given it was amended by a House committee.

The measure establishes a legal framework for supervised psilocybin use for medical and therapeutic use, while establishing the Washington Psilocybin Advisory Board within the Department of Health in order to research the substance and create a pathway towards legalization. The Senate amended the bill to only include the research provisions, but a House committee amended it further to allow for supervised psilocybin use but with a more limited approach than the original text of the bill.
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Apr 04 2023

Connecticut Dismisses Over 1,500 Pending Marijuana Cases

Connecticut officials have moved to dismiss charges in over 1,500 marijuana cases.

Chief State’s Attorney Patrick J. Griffin’s prosecutors reviewed around 4,000 pending drug-possession cases and decided to dismiss 1,562 of them, all related to marijuana charges.

“It has been the shared position of this committee and the division that persons charged with a possession of a cannabis-type substance offense that has subsequently been de-criminalized should not be prosecuted for that offense,” said Griffin.
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Apr 03 2023

Massachusetts: Price of Marijuana Down Almost 50% Since Start of Legal Sales in 2018

According to data released by the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission, the price per gram of legal marijuana as of February was $7.12, a new all-time low.

The $7.12 average is a 49.4% decrease from the $14.09 average at the start of legal recreational marijuana sales in December, 2018. This is lower than the $7.61 average the month prior, which itself was a new low. The all-time high was in January, 2020 with the average per gram at $14.68.

In total there has been around $5.165 billion in legal marijuana sold between December, 2018, and February 19, 2023. Of this $4.17 billion was recreational marijuana sales, with the remaining $995 million being from the distribution of medical marijuana.
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