Feb 10 2025

Arizona House Approves Bill Restricting Marijuana Advertising

Arizona’s House of Representatives has approved House Bill 2179, a measure introduced last month by State Representative Selina Bliss (R).

The legislation establishes strict advertising regulations for marijuana businesses and nonprofit medical marijuana dispensaries. The bill will receive one more House vote (third reading) before moving to the Senate.

If enacted, HB 2179 would prohibit marijuana businesses from advertising in ways that could appeal to individuals under 21 years old. This includes using imagery of cartoons, toys, or fictional characters and referencing brands commonly associated with children’s products. The bill also bans advertisements depicting marijuana consumption and prohibits marketing that highlights THC potency levels.
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Feb 10 2025

Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management Launches Grant Program for Those Negatively Impacted by Cannabis Prohibition

Today, the Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) announced a new program to help fund projects addressing a range of community needs, including “economic development, public health, violence prevention, youth development and civil legal aid”.

CanRenew Community Restoration Grants will be awarded to eligible organizations for investments in communities where long-term residents are eligible to be social equity applicants, according to a press release from OCM. These communities are recognized for facing significant challenges under previous cannabis prohibition policies, which negatively impacted their economic and social landscapes.

The $1 million CanRenew program, established by the Minnesota Legislature in the 2023 cannabis bill, invests in communities disproportionately impacted by cannabis prohibition, fostering development, safety, and stability. By funding projects focused on economic development, social determinants of health, violence prevention, and youth engagement, CanRenew supports organizations making a meaningful impact in community renewal. CanRenew grant funds are not intended to support cannabis business operations and cannot be used on revenue generating projects.
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Feb 10 2025

Florida Now Has Over 900,000 Registered Medical Marijuana Patients

Florida now has over 900,000 residents registered as medical marijuana patients.

According to data released by the Florida Department of Health, the state has 900,540 patients as of the end of January.

Florida legalized medical marijuana in 2016, via voter approval of Amendment 2. The law allows those with qualifying conditions who receive a recommendation from a physician to possess and use marijuana, purchasable at a licensed marijuana dispensary.  The state has approximately 620 licensed dispensaries statewide.
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Feb 10 2025

Maryland Senate Finance Committee Approves Bill to Ease Security Guard Requirements for Cannabis Industry

The Maryland Senate Finance Committee has approved a bipartisan measure to easy certain requirements for becoming a security guard in the legal cannabis industry.

Senate Bill 299 was introduced on January 10 by State Senators Mary Carozza (R) and Brian Feldman (D), and was approved today by the Finance Committee. The bill would eliminate the requirement for state and national criminal history records checks for security guards working for marijuana businesses, provided they are already authorized under Maryland’s existing security guard regulations.

Current law mandates that all marijuana agents, including security personnel, register with the Maryland Cannabis Administration and undergo background checks. However, this can cause issues given marijuana is illegal federally. SB 299 amends this law by allowing security guards employed by marijuana businesses or licensed security agencies to bypass this requirement if they are authorized under Title 19, Subtitle 4 of the Business Occupations and Professions Article.
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Feb 10 2025

Washington Committee Schedules Vote on Bill to Allow Direct-to-Consumer Marijuana Sales

Washington’s Senate Labor & Commerce Committee has scheduled a vote on Senate Bill 5403, which would allow marijuana producers and processors to sell directly to consumers.

Introduced on January 21 by State Senators Rebecca Saldaña (D), Deborah Krishnadasan (D), and T’wina Nobles (D), the legislation would allow licensed marijuana producers and processors to sell marijuana flower directly to consumers, provided the products are limited to those produced by the licensee. These direct sales would need to comply with existing purchase limits for adults 21 and older, which include up to one ounce of usable marijuana or seven grams of marijuana concentrate, among other restrictions.

The proposed bill would require direct-to-consumer sales to include the state’s 37% marijuana excise tax, with prices and advertisements clearly reflecting the added cost. The Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board would have the authority to establish security and operational rules for these sales, but the regulations could not be more stringent than those imposed on retail licensees.
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Feb 10 2025

Missouri Marijuana Sales Top $122 Million in January

Missouri marijuana sales in January fell short of December’s record-breaking total, but remained strong.

Data released today by the Missouri Department of Health and senior Services shows that there was a total of $122.88 million worth of licensed marijuana sales in January. The vast majority of these sales —$108.17 million—was purchased by recreational consumers. Medical marijuana patients purchased $14.71 million worth of product during the same period.

January’s marijuana sales resulted in over $10 million in taxes for the state. In 2024, the stater garnered over $120 million in taxes from over $1.3 billion in total sales.
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Feb 10 2025

DEA Official Says Marijuana Rescheduling Is “Delayed, But Certainly Not Dead”

A DEA official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, says the agency is still moving forward with rescheduling marijuana, despite delays that have raised concerns among supporters.

The official described the process as “delayed, but certainly not dead” and emphasized that Acting Administrator Derek Maltz has made it clear internally that he does not intend to halt the reform effort.

According to the official, Maltz has assured DEA personnel that “it’s not my intention to kill rescheduling,” signaling that the agency remains engaged in the review process. However, the timeline remains uncertain, with a DEA judge recently cancelling a series of public hearings that were set to begin on January 21 and run through March 6. The judge set a 90-day timeline to reassess the situation.
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Feb 10 2025

Government-Funded Study Finds Marijuana Stores Reduce Opioid Deaths, But Do Not Increase Suicides or Car Crashes

A large-scale study analyzing over a decade of data from Washington state suggests that a higher density of marijuana retail stores is associated with lower mortality rates from opioid overdoses and accidental poisonings.

Published in The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, the study examined county-level mortality data from 2009 to 2020, comparing it to marijuana store density across Washington’s 39 counties. Researchers from the government-funded Alcohol Research Group at the Public Health Institute in Emeryville, California, found that for every 10,000 people, an increase in marijuana retail stores correlated with an 17% lower rate of accidental poisoning deaths and a 17% reduction in opioid-related mortality.

“County cannabis retail store density in Washington was associated with reduced accidental poisoning and opioid mortality while suicide and motor vehicle accident mortality rates did not appear to change,” states the study. “Results do not support any harmful effects on mortality from cannabis store expansion in Washington counties.”
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Feb 10 2025

Michigan Governor Proposes Increasing Marijuana Excise Tax from 10% to 32%

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer is proposed to more than triple the state’s excise tax on recreational marijuana sales.

In order to fund $3 billion in needed road repairs, the governor is proposing a series of tax increases. One of those increases would impact recreational marijuana sales, with the governor wanting to increase the excise tax on such sales from the current rate of 10%, to 32%. This would give marijuana products the same tax rate as tobacco products.

If implemented, Michigan would have the second highest marijuana tax rate in the nation, with only Washington’s 37% being higher.
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Feb 10 2025

Connecticut: Over $23 Million Worth of Marijuana Sold Legally in January

In January, licensed marijuana stores in Connecticut sold $23,585,404 worth of marijuana and marijuana products.

According to data released today by the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection, there was $17,218,699 in recreational marijuana sold in December in addition to $6,366,705 worth of medical marijuana. The combined $23,585,404 marks a slight decrease from the record-breaking $25.4 million sold in December, but still marks a solid start to the year.

Connecticut legalized marijuana in 2021, and retail sales began in January 2023. Adults 21 and older may possess up to 1.5 ounces in public and store up to 5 ounces in a secured space. Home cultivation is allowed, with a household limit of six plants, of which up to three can be mature. Marijuana and related products are available through licensed retailers and dispensaries.
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