Apr 20 2024

President Biden and Vice President Harris Both Post Pro-Marijuana Messages at exactly 4:20pm, on 4/20

In a not-so-subtle nod to the marijuana holiday 4/20, both President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris made pro-marijuana social media posts at exactly 4:20pm (ET) on 4/20.

“Sending people to prison just for possessing marijuana has upended too many lives and incarcerated people for conduct that many states no longer prohibit”, said President Biden in a post on the social media platform X. “It’s time that we right these wrongs.”

President Biden followed up these remarks with an image with the quote “No one should be jailed just for using or possessing marijuana.”
Continue reading

Apr 20 2024

4/20, 2024: Top 5 Developments in Marijuana Law Reform Since the Previous 4/20

It’s officially 4/20, a day celebrated by many marijuana consumers and activists. Since the previous 4/20, there’s been some significant advancements in marijuana law reform at both the state and federal levels.

Here’s a list of the top five developments in marijuana law reform since the previous 4/20.

Minnesota Legalizes Recreational Marijuana

On May 27, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz signed into law legislation that legalized recreational marijuana for everyone 21 and older, allowing them to possess up to two ounces of marijuana, eight grams of marijuana concentrates and 800mg of marijuana edibles, while also allowing them to cultivate up to eight plants for personal use. The law took effect on August 1, with licensed marijuana stores expected to open sometime in 2025. Sales may begin even sooner, however, as the state’s House of Representatives approved a bill this week to speed up the process.
Continue reading

Apr 19 2024

US Senate Bill to Legalize Marijuana, Expunge Past Offenses, Being Filed Tomorrow

Legislation to legalize marijuana will be filed tomorrow in the United States Senate.

The Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act (CAOA) will be filed tomorrow by a coalition of Senate Democrats, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden.

The CAOA would require the US attorney general to finalize rules removing marijuana as a controlled substance within 180 days of the bill’s passage, place a 5% federal excise tax on marijuana producers that would increase to 12.5% by the fifth year, and establish the Center for Cannabis Products within the FDA, tasked with regulating “the production, labeling, distribution, sales and other manufacturing and retail elements of the cannabis industry”.
Continue reading

Apr 19 2024

US Secretary of Homeland Security Tells New Mexico Governor They Will Continue Seizing Legal Marijuana

New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham has confronted the US Secretary of Homeland Security regarding Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) decision to begin seizing massive amounts of marijuana from state-licensed marijuana businesses in New Mexico, and arresting employees.

In recent weeks the CBP has confiscated hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of marijuana transported by marijuana companies that are legal under New Mexico law. A handful of marijuana employees have been arrested, with one recording showing a Border Patrol agent saying “We’ve been instructed to seize all cannabis—all illegal products. It’s still federally illegal.”

Now, New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham has met with Alejandro Mayorkas, the US Secretary of Homeland Security, to question why these seizures have happened and to request them to stop.
Continue reading

Apr 19 2024

White House Press Secretary Says President Biden Supports Decriminalizing Marijuana

During today’s White House press briefing, Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that it’s “very, very clear” that President Biden supports decriminalizing marijuana.

“Look, [on] decriminalization the president has been very, very clear he doesn’t believe that anyone should be in jail, or be prosecuted, just for using or possessing marijuana. He continues to say that. He believes that”, said Jean-Pierre, when asked “does the White House believe that it has done enough as it relates to the issue of marijuana?”

Jean-Pierre then goes on to say “As you know he asked the Secretary of HHS and the attorney general to initiate the administrative process to review how marijuana is being scheduled. HHS concluded their independent review that was guided by evidence and science, which is what we believe here in this administration. And now the scheduling review is with the Department of Justice.”
Continue reading

Apr 19 2024

Jimmy John’s Selling Dime Bags for 4/20 At All 2,600+ Nationwide Locations

Jimmy John’s, a popular sandwich chain with a national footprint of over 2,600 stores, is celebrating 4/20 in a unique way.

The franchise says they’re offering a “Deliciously Dope Dime Bag” deal for just $10 at all of their over 2,600 locations across the United States. The deal includes a regular sized sub, chips, and a brownie for $10, a solid deal given that typically the sandwich itself is around $9-$10.

“Feeling extra munchy? Grab the Deliciously Dope Dime Bag, a limited time collection of a sandwich of smoked ham, jalapeño ranch, crispy jalapeños and, of course, extra herbs. Paired with Jimmy Chips®, a pickle spear and Fudge Chocolate Brownie”, Jimmy John’s says on their website.
Continue reading

Apr 19 2024

US Congressmember Says Tomorrow is the “Last 4/20” With Marijuana in Schedule I

Congressmember Earl Blumenauer, co-chair of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, says this 4/20 will be the last with marijuana as a Schedule 1 drug under the federal Controlled Substances Act.

“This is the last 4/20 celebration that cannabis will be on Schedule I”, says Congressmember Blumenauer, who has been a member of the US House of Representatives since 1996.

Blumenauer predicts that the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will officially reschedule marijuana this year, with the law change in effect well before 4/20, 2025. His remarks were made today during a press briefing.
Continue reading

Apr 19 2024

Marijuana Banking Act in U.S. House of Representatives Gains 115th Bipartisan Sponsor

Congressmember Jay Obernolte (R-CA) has become the 115th sponsor of the SAFE Banking Act.

The SAFE Banking Act was filed last April with 10 sponsors. In the year since, the measure has garnered 105 additional cosponsors, in addition to having an updated version of the measure filed in the Senate in September (which itself has 36 sponsors and has received approval through the Senate Banking Committee).

If passed into law, the SAFE Banking Act would alter federal law so that any financial institution (banks, credit unions, etc.) is explicitly allowed to provide banking services to marijuana businesses, so long as those businesses are following state law. The measure would also alter IRS law that prevents marijuana businesses from taking standard tax deductions since they are selling a federally illegal product.
Continue reading

Apr 19 2024

North Carolina’s First-Ever Marijuana Store Opening Tomorrow

Tomorrow, on 4/20, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (ECBI) will open their marijuana superstore on tribal land, the first in North Carolina history.

Although the marijuana store will at first be available just to medical marijuana patients, the Great Smoky Cannabis Company says it will accept any valid medical marijuana card, even those from outside the state. The tribe also has an easy process setup so that any North Carolina resident (not just tribal members) with one of 18 medical conditions (listed at the bottom of this article) can quickly become a registered patient with the tribe, allowing them to access the store.

The Great Smoky Cannabis Company, house at the previous home of a bingo hall that cost over $50 million to refurbish, is located near Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort roughly three hours from Charlotte and 4.5 hours from Raleigh.
Continue reading

Apr 18 2024

Oregon: Average Price Per Gram of Legal Marijuana Has Remained Below $4 for a Full Year, 62% Lower Than In 2016

The average price of legal marijuana has remained below $4 per gram for 12 straight months.

When legal recreational marijuana sales began in Oregon in October, 2016, the average price per gram was $10.50, while the average price per gram of marijuana concentrates was $40.17. By March, 2023, those prices dropped to $3.92 per gram for dried marijuana flower, and $16 per gram for concentrates.

Fast-forward 12 months, to March of this year, and prices remain almost the same. For concentrates, they actually are exactly the same; an average of $16 per gram (60% lower than in 2016). For dried flower, the price is almost identical at $3.96 (a drop of 62% from 2016).
Continue reading