Author: News Room

A Washington, D.C. bill to automatically expunge certain marijuana possession records took effect last week following a congressional review. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) allowed the broad criminal justice reform legislation to be enacted without her signature in January. It was then transmitted to Congress, where lawmakers declined to overturn it, and became effective on March 10. The D.C. Council unanimously passed the Second Chance Amendment Act in December. Prior to passage, lawmakers adopted an amendment from Councilmember Christina Henderson (D) that clarified the expungements language, specifying that records related to possession of “any quantity of marijuana” before the District’s…

Erik Altieri’s tenure as the executive director of NORML ended on Friday, closing a five-year chapter in the history of the nation’s oldest and most well-known marijuana reform advocacy group. NORML, founded in 1970, was at an “important inflection point” when Altieri started leading the organization in 2017, he told Marijuana Moment in a new interview. Despite enthusiasm among legalization advocates about state-level momentum, the prospects for federal reform were significantly dampened by the presidential election of Donald Trump, who went on to appoint the vociferous prohibitionist Jeff Sessions as U.S. attorney general. Altieri, then 29 years old, felt up to…

A Kansas Senate committee on Wednesday held the first of two scheduled hearings this week on a medical marijuana legalization bill. The legislation was taken up by the Senate Federal and State Affairs Committee, which is sponsoring the bill as a panel. Members heard from proponents and neutral witnesses who shared stories about their personal experience with the plant, research into the medical potential of cannabis and more. People with chronic migraines, spinal injuries, as well as medical professionals, academics, veterans and industry association representatives spoke in favor of the proposal. Randall Hardy, a former Republican state senator, testified in…

“The creation of a resentencing process will provide a fair pathway to relief for individuals who otherwise will continue to be punished by laws inspired by the failed ‘War on Drugs.’” By Frank Stiefel and Gracie Johnson, Last Prisoner Project Last week, Hawaii Senators approved Senate Bill 669, moving the state one step closer to legalizing adult-use cannabis. Even more encouraging is that the bill now includes provisions that would create a state-initiated record clearance process, a recommendation the Last Prisoner Project put forth earlier this year. While we are thrilled that this bill provides a process to clear cannabis…

“I helped to spearhead and pass legislation on THC edibles and beverages—yes—but when I was doing it it was not for any purpose other than advancing the policy.” By Michelle Griffith, Minnesota Reformer Former DFL House Majority Leader Ryan Winkler is starting a THC beverage company after playing a key role in the passage of the law that legalized the THC edible industry. Within the next few months, Winkler plans to launch Crooked Beverage Company—a business venture that sells THC-infused, flavored beverages in retail locations. Last year, the Legislature passed a bill legalizing the sale of low-dose THC food and…

Indiana farmers appear to have all but given up on industrial hemp, and stakeholders say the state government is to blame. Now down to just 40 licensees after hitting a peak of 400 operators in 2019, critics say the state legislature’s failure to put laws and rules in place for growers and sellers has the entire industry at risk. “Our hemp program is dying, and it’s because our farmers don’t have access to the most lucrative (CBD) market,” Justin Swanson, president of trade group the Midwest Hemp Council, told CNHI, a news service. “Unfortunately, the state has put our farmers…

A majority of Texas voters say that the state’s marijuana laws should be “less strict,” according to a new survey. The University of Texas/Texas Politics Project Poll that was released this month asked respondents about a variety of policy issues affecting the state and how they believe certain matters should be regulated compared to the status quo. Asked about cannabis, 51 percent said that state laws should be less strict, versus 22 percent who said they should be more strict and 15 percent who said the rules should be left the same. The results come as a bill to decriminalize…

Another pair of Minnesota House and Senate committees have approved legislation to legalize marijuana for adult use in the state—with the latter panel adopting a major overhaul of the measure. The House Transportation Finance and Policy Committee passed the legislation from Rep. Zack Stephenson (D) in a 9-4 vote on Tuesday—the 13th panel in the chamber to advance the reform. Later in the day, the Senate State and Local Government and Veterans Committee became the tenth panel in the chamber to pass its version of the bill, which is being carried by Sen. Lindsey Port (D), with a 8-5 vote.…

Here’s the beginner’s guide to shopping in legal weed stores for the first time.Shopping for legal cannabis for the first time can be an intimidating experience. Whether you’ve spent years buying from your local dealer, or are truly a newbie when it comes to weed, it’s easy to get overwhelmed if you don’t know what to expect. From simple questions like, “Should I bring cash or card?” to darker thoughts, like, “Is the weed dispensary collecting my data and selling it to the government?” Either way there are no dumb questions, only dank ones.Here are Leafly’s best tips for first-time…

A top German official says that the nation’s coalition government will move forward with plans to introduce a marijuana legalization bill, albeit with certain changes, after receiving “very good feedback” from the European Union (EU). Health Minister Karl Lauterbach said on Tuesday that a revised legalization proposal would be brought to the legislature “in the next few weeks,” according to a translation. Germany’s Federal Cabinet approved an initial framework for a legalization measure late last year, but the government wanted to get sign-off from the EU to ensure that enacting the reform wouldn’t put them in violation of their international…