A bill to legalize marijuana for everyone 21 and older was introduced today in the Texas House of Representatives by State Rep. John Bucy (D).

House Bill 2975, titled the Texas Regulation of Cannabis Act, would allow for the cultivation, processing, distribution, sale, and possession of marijuana and related products. The legislation establishes a licensing framework for marijuana businesses, including growers, processors, testing facilities, transporters, and dispensaries. The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation would oversee the industry’s regulation and enforcement.

The bill would allow local governments to regulate marijuana businesses within their jurisdictions. It would place a possession limit of two ounces of dried marijuana flower and up to 15 grams of concentrates, with sakes taxed at 10%.
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A key committee in the Illinois Senate has given approval to legislation that would restrict law enforcement from searching vehicles based solely on the smell of cannabis.

The Senate Criminal Law Committee voted 7 to 3 in favor of Senate Bill 42, which would eliminate the requirement that cannabis be stored in an odor-proof container while in a vehicle. It would also bar police from using the smell of burnt or raw cannabis as the sole basis for a vehicle search if the occupants are at least 21 years old.

The bill follows two Illinois Supreme Court rulings issued last year. In September, the court determined that the smell of burnt cannabis did not provide probable cause for a search. However, in December, it ruled that the odor of raw cannabis did justify a search, as it indicated a potential violation of state law requiring cannabis to be stored in a sealed, child-resistant, odor-proof container.
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Ohio’s Senate General Government Committee held a hearing today on a bill that would significantly alter the state’s recreational marijuana law.

The committee held the hearing today on Senate Bill 56, which would roll back some of the state’s recreational marijuana law, which was approved by voters in 2023. Over 40 people provided testimony in opposition to the bill, with just one person in support. This pushed the committee’s chair to delay a vote on the bill to at least next week, following expectations that a vote would happen this week, and as soon as today.

“SB 56 is not the tidying-up of a citizen-initiated statute. Instead, it is a rebuke of the people and businesses that drafted the initiative, voted for it, worked tirelessly to implement it, and generated (so far) $319 million of adult-use sales”, said the ACLU of Ohio.
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A new poll from the University of North Florida’s Public Opinion Research Lab (PORL) shows that 67% of Florida voters support legalizing marijuana for adult use.

The survey, conducted among 871 active registered voters, indicates strong bipartisan backing, with 83% of Democrats, 66% of independents, and 55% of Republicans in favor.

The results come months after Amendment 3, which would have legalized marijuana for recreational use, garnered 56% of the vote in the 2024 general election. Despite achieving a majority, the measure failed to meet the 60% threshold required for passage. Following the narrow defeat, supporters of Amendment 3 have launched a new effort to place a similar measure on the ballot in November 2026.
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Ohio’s recreational marijuana market has surpassed $500 million in sales since launching on August 7.

According to data released today by the Ohio Division of Cannabis Control, adult-use marijuana sales have reached $333,124,769 across 4,508,842 transactions. Meanwhile, medical marijuana sales totaled $176,177,276 from 1,873,160 transactions, bringing combined sales to $509,302,045 across 6,382,002 transactions, averaging $80 per transaction.

Since Ohio first began legal medical marijuana sales, the state has recorded $2,427,311,856 in all-time sales across 22,711,800 transactions.
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Senate Bill 5206, introduced last month by Senators Drew MacEwen (R), Chris Gildon (R), and Derek Stanford (D), was approved today by the Senate Committee on Labor and Commerce.

The bill proposes updates to Washington’s regulations on marijuana advertising, expanding allowable signage for licensed retailers while imposing new restrictions on content and placement.

If enacted, SB 5206 would allow marijuana retailers to display up to four signs on the exterior of their licensed premises, up from the current limit of two. These signs must be affixed to the building or displayed in windows, with each limited to a maximum size of 1,600 square inches. Smaller signs under 512 square inches that do not include branding, such as those indicating store hours or ATM availability, would not be classified as advertising.
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Legal marijuana sales in Anchorage, Alaska, surpassed $108 million in 2024, generating over $5.4 million in local tax revenue, according to newly released data from the Anchorage Finance Department’s Treasury Division.

The data shows that total taxable marijuana and marijuana product sales in Anchorage for the year reached $108,484,831. The municipal retail sales tax on these transactions totaled $5,424,144. Monthly sales remained strong throughout the year, with peaks in March ($9.3 million), October ($9.8 million), and July ($9.3 million). Anchorage has a population of around 286,000, meaning that on average, every resident purchased around $380 worth of cannabis in 2024.

Compared to 2023, when total marijuana sales reached approximately $112.8 million, Anchorage saw a slight decline in overall revenue, attributed to a modest drop in pricing. Marijuana remains a key economic driver in the city, contributing millions in tax revenue that supports local government functions.

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