A comprehensive marijuana legalization proposal advanced through its first reading in the House of Representatives today and was referred to the Licensing and Administrative Procedures Committee.

House Bill 1208, first introduced by State Representative Jessica Gonzalez in November, would legalize marijuana for those 21 and older, creating a regulated market for cultivation, sales, and possession.

The referral comes on the same day the Texas Senate’s State Affairs Committee unanimously approved a separate bill that would ban all THC in hemp products, highlighting the stark divide in how lawmakers in the state want to handle marijuana and hemp policy.
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Lawmakers in Minnesota have introduced bicameral and bipartisan legislation to lift restrictions on certain cannabis-related advertising.

House File 2104 and Senate File 2326, introduced today by State Representative Jim Nash (R) and State Senator John Hoffman (D), would repeal the state’s ban on outdoor cannabis advertisements, allowing businesses to use billboards and other forms of signage.

Current Minnesota law prohibits outdoor advertisements for cannabis businesses, except for limited fixed signs on their property. The proposed legislation would eliminate this restriction, enabling cannabis and hemp businesses to advertise more openly. However, the bills maintain a safeguard preventing advertisements in media where at least 30% of the audience is expected to be under 21.
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A Texas Senate committee has unanimously approved a bill that would outlaw THC in all consumable hemp products.

Hemp gummies.

Senate Bill 3, filed last month by Republican Senators Charles Perry, Donna Campbell, and Brent Hagenbuch, would ban any consumable hemp product containing cannabinoids other than cannabidiol (CBD) or cannabigerol (CBG). This move would effectively eliminate the sale of delta-8, delta-9, and other THC variants that have thrived under Texas’ current hemp laws.

The bill grants regulatory authority to the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS), which would oversee the licensing of hemp manufacturers. It also imposes strict testing requirements, mandating that products be screened for cannabinoid content and contaminants before reaching the market.
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Legislation to ease requirements for those attempting to become a security guard in the cannabis industry has been given approval by a key committee in the Maryland House of Representatives.

Today, House Bill 1347 was given approval by the House Economic Matters Committee. The measure, filed last month by Delegate Christopher Adams (R), is a companion to Senate Bill 299. SB 299 was passed by the Senate last month in a unanimous 45 to 0 vote.

The legislation would eliminate certain background check requirements for security guards working in the state’s legal marijuana industry. Specifically, the bill would remove the mandate for state and national criminal history records checks for security guards employed by marijuana businesses, as long as they are already authorized under Maryland’s existing security guard regulations.
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Minnesota has launched two new programs aimed at supporting organizations that assist businesses in the state’s legal marijuana market.

The initiatives, overseen by the Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED), will distribute up to $8 million in funding.

The CanNavigate program will provide up to $2 million in grants to community-based entrepreneurial support organizations (ESOs) and groups with expertise in marijuana regulations. These grants will help individuals understand the regulatory framework of operating a marijuana business, with a focus on social equity applicants and those facing employment barriers.
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The Alabama Court of Civil Appeals has overturned a temporary restraining order (TRO) that had blocked the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission (AMCC) from issuing medical marijuana business licenses.

The decision, issued Friday, removes a nearly two-year legal barrier that had stalled the state’s medical marijuana program.

The ruling comes in response to a lawsuit from Alabama Always, a company that challenged how the AMCC awarded licenses. The company argued that the commission violated state law by altering application scores and failing to follow proper procedures. While the TRO is now lifted, other legal challenges remain, meaning further delays are still possible.

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The National Cancer Institute (NCI), a division of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has issued internal guidance requiring special review for research, presentations, and communications that address certain “controversial, high-profile, or sensitive” topics.

According to internal documents reviewed by ProPublica, marijuana is among the 23 flagged subjects, alongside vaccines, fluoride, peanut allergies, and autism.

The directive mandates that all materials covering these topics undergo review by an NCI “clearance team” before publication, with potential additional scrutiny from officials at NIH or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). While NCI has historically outlined certain administrative priorities, employees say the scale of this list is unprecedented. Six NCI employees, speaking anonymously, described the move as highly unusual and expressed concerns about its potential impact on scientific research.

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House Bill 1566, which would initiate a legislative study on kratom regulations, is set for a public hearing in the North Dakota Senate.

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will review the measure on March 14 at 9:15 a.m, with the public open to give comment on the proposal.

The bill, which passed the House last month in a decisive 79 to 6 vote, directs the legislative management to examine kratom’s potential uses and regulatory framework. The study’s findings and any proposed legislation would be reported to the next legislative session.
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