May 07 2024

It’s Official: Florida and South Dakota Will Vote to Legalize Marijuana This November

This November, voters in two states will have the chance to legalize recreational marijuana.

Today, South Dakotans for Better Marijuana Laws submitted approximately 30,000 signatures for their initiative to legalize recreational marijuana for individuals aged 21 and older. This count significantly exceeds the 17,508 signatures required to qualify the measure for the November 2024 presidential election ballot. Although the initiative will not be officially placed on the ballot until the state confirms that a sufficient number of these signatures are valid (from registered South Dakota voters), the group has submitted enough signatures that more than 40% would need to be invalid for the measure to fail to make the ballot.

If enacted, the initiative would permit individuals aged 21 and older to possess up to an ounce of marijuana and cultivate up to three marijuana plants at a private residence. Additionally, it would authorize a system of licensed and regulated marijuana stores to distribute marijuana and marijuana products.
Continue reading

May 07 2024

US House Bill to Deschedule Marijuana Continues to Gain Momentum with 88th Sponsor

A bill in the US House of Representatives aimed at descheduling marijuana and facilitating expungements has recently secured its 88th sponsor.

The legislation, known as the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act, proposes to eliminate marijuana from the list of federally controlled substances, effectively decriminalizing it across the nation. Congressmember Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ) added his support as a cosponsor on May 5, increasing the total sponsorship to 88 since its introduction with 34 original sponsors.

The MORE Act also introduces a federal excise tax of 5% on legal marijuana sales in the initial two years, which is set to rise to 8% in the fifth year. Furthermore, it provides for the expungement of previous marijuana convictions and ensures that marijuana users are not denied public benefits.
Continue reading

May 06 2024

Marijuana Seizures At Southern Border Down 98% Since 2013, When First State Marijuana Laws Took Effect

Federal law enforcement agents seized a historically low 61,000 pounds of marijuana at the southern border in 2023, representing a massive drop since 2013, the year state-level marijuana legalization laws first took effect in Colorado and Washington (with sales beginning in 2014).

This amount marks a significant 29% drop from 2022 and an even more stark 98% decrease since 2013—a year that saw over 2.4 million pounds of marijuana seized.

This substantial decline in seizures mirrors the rise of the state-legal marijuana markets across the United States, beginning around 2014. These legal markets have profoundly impacted the demand for Mexican cannabis, significantly reducing both its production and exportation.
Continue reading

May 06 2024

DEA Administrator Didn’t Sign Off On Marijuana Rescheduling Decision, Says Former White House Advisor

A former White House advisor and co-founder of the anti-marijuana group Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM), Kevin Sabet, claims that the DEA’s decision to move marijuana to Schedule III was not authorized by the agency’s administrator. This, he argues, “breaks with five decades of precedent and established law.”

“BIG: I can now say with full confidence that the Administrator of DEA, Anne Milgram, did NOT sign the rescheduling order, breaking with five decades of precedent and established law and regulations (two confidential sources inside DEA and another outside DEA with intimate knowledge tell me),” Sabet stated on the social media platform X. Sabet, a former advisor to the Obama Administration, is also a co-founder of SAM, one of the largest anti-marijuana groups in the nation.

It is important to note that SAM was among the first to report the DEA’s plans to reschedule marijuana. That said, from a legal, political, and practical standpoint, it likely does not affect the validity of the rescheduling order, as the move has already been confirmed by the Department of Justice.
Continue reading

May 06 2024

South Dakota Marijuana Legalization Initiative Set for November 2024 Ballot After Sufficient Signatures Collected

A group behind an initiative to legalize recreational marijuana says they’re confident they have collected enough signatures to place their proposal on the November ballot for a public vote.

South Dakotans for Better Marijuana Laws says they will submit their signatures to South Dakota Secretary of State Monae Johnson tomorrow, the state’s deadline. The group says they will submit well more than the 35,017 signatures required for the measure to be voted on during the November presidential election. Before the measure can be officially certified for the ballot, the state must verify that enough of the signatures are from registered South Dakota voters.

In 2020, South Dakotans for Better Marijuana Laws successful placed a marijuana legalization initiative on the November ballot, with it receiving support from 54% of voters. Due to a technicality in the initiative’s language, the measure was thrown out by state courts.
Continue reading

May 06 2024

New Hampshire Senate Committee Approves House-Backed Bill to Permit Medical Marijuana for Any Condition

A key committee in the New Hampshire Senate has given approval to legislation that would allow medical marijuana for any condition a physician deems necessary.

Today, the Senate Health and Human Services Committee passed House Bill 1278 with a unanimous 5-0 vote. This measure has already been approved by the state’s full House of Representatives. It now needs to clear one more Senate committee and the full Senate before reaching Governor Chris Sununu’s desk.

Filed by State Representative Wendy Thomas, the proposal would repeal the state’s list of qualifying medical marijuana conditions and replace it with a provision stating that “For adults 21 years of age or older, any debilitating or terminal medical condition or symptom for which the potential benefits of using therapeutic cannabis would, in the provider’s clinical opinion, likely outweigh the potential health risks for the patient.”
Continue reading

May 06 2024

The 5 States That Could Still Legalize Marijuana in 2024

Here’s an overview of the states that could still legalize recreational marijuana this year.

Last month, we published a list of the 10 states next in line to potentially legalize marijuana. While this list remains relevant, as we approach the halfway point of the year, only a few of these states have a reasonable chance of passing a marijuana legalization law in 2024.

With that in mind, below are the five states that could still legalize marijuana this year:
Continue reading

May 06 2024

National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers Urges Biden Administration to Release Marijuana Prisoners

The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) is urging President Biden to decriminalize marijuana while taking steps to release those in prison for nonviolent marijuana offenses.

In a letter to the White House Counsel, the nation’s criminal defense bar urged immediate commutation of sentences, compassionate release, and second chances for persons convicted of marijuana offenses.

“While recognizing that cannabis a less dangerous drug is a positive step, decriminalization and decarceration must remain our top priorities,” said NACDL President Michael P. Heiskell, taking note of the fact that the DEA will soon reschedule marijuana.
Continue reading

May 04 2024

Massachusetts Cannabis Sales Stay Strong in April, Totaling $150 Million

April cannabis sales in Massachusetts fell short of the $154 million sold in March, but still had an impressive showing with $150 million sold.

In April, Massachusetts recorded a total of $150 million in legal cannabis sales, a slight decrease from the $154 million reported in March. Despite this modest drop, the figure remains robust, contributing to a year-to-date total of $517 million in sales. This accumulation brings the all-time sales figure to a remarkable $6.06 billion, according to data from the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission (CCC).

Of the total sales in April, $16.5 million was attributed to medical cannabis patients, while the remaining $133.3 million was for recreational use. The average price per gram of cannabis was $5.36, a modest increase of $0.02.
Continue reading

May 04 2024

Minnesota Legislature Approves Bill to Accelerate Start of Recreational Marijuana Sales

The full Minnesota Senate has passed legislation, already approved by the House of Representatives, that would expedite the start of legal recreational marijuana sales.

On Friday, the Senate approved the measure introduced by State Representative Zack Stephenson (D) with a vote of 34 to 32. Last month, the House of Representatives passed the proposal with a 69 to 62 vote. Since the measure was amended in the Senate, a conference committee will be formed to reconcile the differences between the House and Senate versions of the bill. Once unified, the bill will be forwarded to Governor Tim Walz, who is expected to sign it into law if it reaches his desk.

“This newly regulated, legalized and regulated industry is in its infancy, and we’re here to continue the work we started last year,” says Senator Lindsey Port (D). “Like any new industry, it will not be fully grown on day one. This bill works to ensure a successful market launch and support the industry and Minnesotans involved in this industry as it grows and develops.”
Continue reading