Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry has signed into law legislation that decriminalizes the possession of marijuana paraphernalia throughout Louisiana.

House Bill 165 was passed by the House of Representatives earlier this month by a vote of 69 to 24. In May, it passed the Senate 24 to 14. Now, the measure has been signed into law by Governor Landry.

The proposed law “removes incarceration as a punishment for the possession of certain drug paraphernalia in quantities not exceeding those required for individual personal use.” It “provides that the punishment for the possession of certain drug paraphernalia in quantities not exceeding those required for individual personal use is a fine of:
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Ohio’s officials have approved numerous provisional licenses for current medical marijuana operators to transition to dual-use licenses, moving the state closer to launching its recreational cannabis market.

The Division of Cannabis Control (DCC) has granted 62 provisional dual licenses for dispensaries, cultivators, processors, and testing labs as of Friday, just two weeks after the application process began. Prior to the application opening, the department released guidelines to help potential applicants understand the regulatory requirements for obtaining a hybrid license.
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It’s now the halfway point for the public comment period on the DEA’s marijuana rescheduling proposal, which began on May 21 and ends on July 22.

Approximately 24,000 comments have been submitted on the DEA’s proposal to move marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act. This change would make marijuana’s compounds eligible for prescription nationwide once they receive regulatory approval, while also providing federal protections to medical marijuana patients and businesses following state law.

Of the nearly 24,000 comments submitted, just over half advocate for the DEA to deschedule marijuana entirely, rather than simply rescheduling it. The roughly 51% in favor of descheduling has remained consistent since before the 10,000-comment mark.
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A recent projection by advocacy organization FTI Consulting suggests that Pennsylvania could generate over $2.8 billion in sales and create over 45,000 jobs with marijuana legalization.

FTI Consulting emphasizes the economic benefits, noting the positive impact on the Commonwealth’s economy.

Brendan Casey of FTI Consulting explains, “As a result, jobs are supported in the supply chain, then those jobs supported in the supply chain and those original jobs go to those workers who need to buy groceries, go to sporting events, go to restaurants, they support jobs in their local communities.”
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The legalization of recreational marijuana in Colorado aligns with a decline in teen marijuana use, data from the Department of Public Health shows.

The latest Healthy Kids Colorado Survey reveals that the proportion of high school students who reported using marijuana in the past month dropped by 37% from 2013 to 2023. Additionally, the number of teens who found marijuana “easy” to obtain decreased by 27% during the same period.

In 2012, Colorado tied Washington as the first state to legalize recreational marijuana. The first licensed marijuana retail outlet opened in 2014.
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A group of former Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) leaders has called on the agency to hold a public hearing on a proposal to reclassify marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA).

In a recent federal filing, the former officials described the move as “likely the most consequential rulemaking DEA has ever attempted.”

The group, which includes six former DEA administrators and three former acting administrators, emphasized the need for a hearing in light of the ongoing drug overdose crisis in the United States. “Given the magnitude of the impact of the proposed rule and considering we face an unprecedented drug overdose crisis in this country, we write to emphasize that a hearing on this rulemaking is in the public interest,” they stated.
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White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre says that President Biden commends and welcomes Maryland’s move to pardon over 170,000 marijuana-related charges.

On Monday, Maryland Governor Wes Moore signed an executive order enacting one of the country’s most extensive clemency measures for marijuana-related offenses. The move is expected to impact 100,000 people and pardon 175,000 charges. It comes less than a year after the state legalized recreational marijuana.

“I’m ecstatic that we have a real opportunity with what I’m signing to right a lot of historical wrongs,” said Governor Moore. “If you want to be able to create inclusive economic growth, it means you have to start removing these barriers that continue to disproportionately sit on communities of color.” He described the pardons as “the most extensive and assertive” executive action nationwide in addressing criminal justice disparities as more states relax marijuana laws.
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