Author: News Room

A U.S. Senate committee approved a bipartisan bill on Thursday to promote marijuana research for military veterans—becoming the first piece of standalone cannabis legislation ever to advance through a committee in the chamber. Because the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee did not have a quorum present to act on the bill and either other veterans measures up for consideration during its scheduled morning markup meeting, members instead approved the legislation in a more informal “off the floor” session later in the day. The VA Medicinal Cannabis Research Act, sponsored by panel Chairman Jon Tester (D-MT) and Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK), is…

A ninth Minnesota House committee has approved a bill to legalize marijuana—bringing the proposal another step closer on its exhaustive path to the floor as a Senate companion version also advances. This time, the House Education Finance Committee passed the bill, sponsored by Rep. Zack Stephenson (D), in a voice vote. “Minnesotans are ready for this change,” Stephenson said in opening remarks. “Our current laws about cannabis are doing more harm than good, and Minnesotans deserve the freedom and respect to make their own decisions about cannabis.” Meanwhile, on the Senate side, the legislation that’s being carried by Sen. Lindsey…

The governor of Wisconsin released his biennial budget request on Wednesday, and it again includes language to legalize medical and recreational marijuana in the state. Gov. Tony Evers (D) signaled that he planned to put the adult-use measure in his request, despite a top GOP lawmaker warning that taking that step could compromise negotiations on more modest medical cannabis legislation. Evers made clear that he wasn’t going to be talked down from including the proposal, though, with his office pointing out that he made a campaign promise to push for comprehensive legalization and that the majority of voters in the…

“Decriminalization provides our judicial and law enforcement [systems] an opportunity to reprioritize their resources to meet the community’s needs.” By Whitney Downard, Indiana Capital Chronicle A bill decriminalizing the possession of two ounces, or less, of marijuana received a hearing before a House committee Wednesday but isn’t expected to get additional consideration. Rep. Wendy McNamara, R-Evansville, chairs the House courts committee and said the dialogue needed to be heard but didn’t call a vote on the bill—which would have possibly advanced it to the full House Chamber. “I’ve been asked why,” McNamara told committee members. “The answer is: we haven’t had this…

Amended legislation in Zimbabwe has removed industrial hemp from the country’s list of dangerous drugs and set the defining line between marijuana and hemp at 1.0%. The legislation, the Criminal Law Amendment Bill 2022, is intended to open up the market to a wider range of hemp genetics and business in local seed research, development and production in addition to expanded options for farmers. An increased THC level gives industrial hemp farmers greater production efficiency for CBD because CBD rises in hemp plants in proportion to THC. Most of the world operates on a 0.3% THC limit. The changes will…

California marijuana regulators announced on Tuesday that the state is launching a first-of-its-kind grant program to support cities and counties in establishing local cannabis business licensing programs to address unmet consumer demand and help curb the illicit market. The Department of Cannabis Control’s (DCC) Local Jurisdiction Retail Access Grant will provide $20 million in funding to localities across the state, prioritizing those where surveys show a disconnect between the availability of licensed retailers and rates of cannabis use among adults. Local governments are eligible if they currently have no retail licensing programs but plan to develop and implement one. Jurisdictions…

A New Hampshire legislative committee put its finishing touches on a revised bill to legalize marijuana and approved it on Wednesday. Members of the House Commerce and Consumer Affairs Liquor Subcommittee have been working the legislation for weeks over a series of meetings, going back and forth about a variety of provisions and making amendments to the original measure that was filed by bipartisan House leaders. The full committee accepted final amendments on Wednesday and passed the bill in a 17-3 vote. A major change to the legislation from its introduced form would put the state’s existing Liquor Commission in…

A North Carolina Senate committee discussed a bill to legalize medical marijuana on Wednesday—and a top House lawmaker is giving new signs that his chamber is positioned to enact the reform after blocking similar legislation last year. The Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on the bill from Sen. Bill Rabon (R), with some discussion on proposed amendments. If the proposal clears the panel at a subsequent meeting, it will have two more committee stops before potentially heading to the floor. The measure would allow patients with qualifying conditions such as cancer, epilepsy, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and multiple sclerosis…

Twitter has revised its rules for marijuana advertising—but there are still open questions about the practical implications of the new policy. The social media company recently started reaching out to marijuana accounts to inform them of the forthcoming policy change, which was uploaded this week and says that Twitter now permits “approved Cannabis (including CBD– cannabinoids) advertisers to target the United States.” That line on its own seems to have left many stakeholders with the impression that marijuana companies now have wide latitude for marketing on the site. But the policy is still seriously restrictive, prohibiting cannabis businesses from advertising…

“I’m not one who favors legalizing marijuana and I don’t want something that…has a THC content that is effectively the same thing.” By Julie O’Donoghue, Louisiana Illuminator Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) said Louisiana residents will see a government clampdown on unregulated THC products that can cause a person to get high. The governor and legislators may also seek to tweak a related law about hemp products during the Louisiana Legislature’s spring session. “I’m not one who favors legalizing marijuana and I don’t want something that…has a THC content that is effectively the same thing,” Edwards said in an interview…