Dec 08 2023

Federal Legislation to Fully Deschedule Marijuana Gains Three New Sponsors, Now Has 76

Legislation in the House of Representatives that would decriminalize and fully deschedule marijuana now has 76 sponsors.

The Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act was filed in September by US Representative Jerrold Nadler (D) along with four cosponsors. By the end of November the number of cosponsors climbed to 73.

On Wednesday, Representatives Jamaal Bowman (D-NY), Jesús García (D-IL) and Mark Takano (D-CA) signed on as cosponsors, bringing the total number to 76. This represents 17% of the entire House of Representatives, and over a third of all House Democrats.
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Dec 07 2023

New Oklahoma Bill Would Extend Medical Marijuana Licenses for Disabled Veterans From Two Years to 10

Newly filed legislation would extend the renewal period for medical marijuana licenses held by disabled veterans by 500%.

Oklahoma Senate Bill 1219 was filed by Senator Brenda Stanley (R). It’s been assigned to the Senate Alcohol, Tobacco and Controlled Substances Committee.

According to the bill, “An applicant for a medical marijuana patient license who can demonstrate his or her status as a one-hundred-percent-disabled veteran as determined by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.. [shall have their licenses] valid for up to ten (10) years from the date of issuance.”
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Dec 07 2023

US Department of Health Releases Documents Explaining Why It Wants Marijuana Rescheduled

The United States Health and Human Services Department has released an over 250 page document explaining their rationale for wanting the DEA to reschedule marijuana.

In August the Department sent a letter to the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) officially requesting marijuana be reclassified as a Schedule III drug under the Controlled Substances Act, which would effectively legalize it for prescription use across the United States. The letter came in response to a request by President Biden last year for the government to research and consider rescheduling marijuana.

Now, the agency has released documents – albeit heavily redacted documents – that explain why the Department believes marijuana should be moved to schedule III. The release of the documents came after a pair of attorneys requested them through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
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Dec 07 2023

US Congress: Bipartisan Bill Filed to Protect State Marijuana Laws, Allow Interstate Commerce

A bipartisan group of lawmakers have refiled the Strengthening the Tenth Amendment Through Entrusting States (STATES) Act.

Filed by Representative Dave Joyce (R) and cosponsored by Representatives Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R), Brian Mast (R), Troy Carter (D) and Earl Blumenauer (D), the measure would fully allow states to legalize marijuana without fear of federal persecution, while protecting those that already have.

Specifically, it would amend the Controlled Substances so that those acting in compliance with state marijuana laws would no longer be committing a federal crime. This includes both marijuana consumers and those operating marijuana businesses.
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Dec 07 2023

California Bill Banning Employers From Asking About Past Marijuana Use Takes Effect Soon

Two pieces of legislation designed to help end workplace discrimination against marijuana consumers take effect soon in California.

Signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom in October, Senate Bill 700 takes effect in less than a month, on January 1. The new law makes it unlawful “for an employer to request information from an applicant for employment relating to the applicant’s prior use of cannabis.”

The measure would not apply to applicants or employees hired for positions that require a federal government background investigation or security clearance in accordance with regulations “issued by the United States Department of Defense pursuant to Part 117 of Title 32 of the Code of Federal Regulations, or equivalent regulations applicable to other agencies.”
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Dec 06 2023

Illinois Marijuana Sales: $164 Million in November, $1.7 Billion Year-to-Date

November marijuana sales were over $164 million in Illinois.

There was $164.7 million in marijuana purchased through legal outlets in November, according to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. These numbers are very similar to the $164.9 million in marijuana sales in October.

Recreational marijuana sales actually saw a slight uptick between October and November, increasing to $139.1 million from $138.7 million. Medical marijuana sales, on the other hand, decreased slightly from $26.2 million to $25.6 million.
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Dec 06 2023

Texas City Schedules Marijuana Decrim Vote for May 4

Lawmakers in Lubbock, Texas have scheduled a vote on an initiative that would decriminalize marijuana possession.

The Lubbock City Council voted unanimously on Tuesday to place the initiative, put forth by the group Lubbock Compact, on the ballot during a May 4 special election. The vote comes roughly a month after the council rejected the initiative following Lubbock Compact submitted over double the required signatures to force a vote.

“The heart of our ordinance is pretty simple. We just don’t think people should go to jail for personal use of marijuana in Lubbock”, ” says Adam Hernandez, communications chair for Lubbock Compact.
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Dec 06 2023

Recreational Marijuana Possession and Cultivation Now Legal In Ohio

As the clock strikes midnight in Ohio on December 7, the possession and cultivation of recreational marijuana is now legal for everyone 21 years of age and older.

Due to voters approving Issue 2 last month, those 21 and older are now allowed to legally possess up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana and up to 15 grams of marijuana concentrates (wax, oil, hash, etc.). They are also allowed to cultivate up to six marijuana plants at a private residence, for personal use.

The new law makes Ohio the 24th state where recreational marijuana possession is legal, following Minnesota which became the 23rd state earlier this year.
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Dec 06 2023

Ohio Senate Votes 28 to 2 to Allow Dispensaries to Immediately Begin Selling Recreational Marijuana

Just two days after an Ohio Senate committee voted to essentially gut a voter-approved marijuana legalization law, the full Senate has voted to approve legislation that would instead keep most of the legalization initiative intact while allowing medical marijuana dispensaries to begin selling recreational marijuana.

The Senate voted 28 to 2 to pass the legislation that would allow those 21 and older to begin purchasing marijuana from medical marijuana dispensaries even if they are not medical marijuana patients. The proposal would also retain the ability for adults to cultivate up to six marijuana plants for personal use, although it would reduce the household cap from 12 plants to six plants.

The proposed law would also allow for the automatic expungement of past marijuana convictions, something that was not included as a provision in Issue 2, and it would increase the marijuana tax rate from 10% to 15% while allowing localities to institute a city tax of up to 3%.
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Dec 05 2023

Coalition of Governors Sends Letter to President Biden Requesting Marijuana Be Rescheduled By Year’s End

A coalition of six governors has sent a letter to President Biden urging his administration to reschedule marijuana by the end of the year.

marijuana

Today, Colorado Governor Jared Polis led a letter to the Biden administration with Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards, Maryland Governor Wes Moore, New York Governor Kathy Hochul, and New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy.

The Governors applauded President Biden for reconsidering the classification of cannabis and encouraged the federal government to reschedule cannabis. Governor Polis, and the Governors, “expressed their hope that the Drug Enforcement Administration will reschedule cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III this year”, according to a press release.
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