Author: News Room

“Everyone agrees that the sooner we can get licensed dispensaries open, the better.” By Peter Callaghan, MinnPost Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) said Tuesday he supports proposals by the state’s cannabis management office to increase advantages to what are termed “social equity applicants” in the fledgling legal marijuana marketplace. The Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) said last week it would ask the Legislature to amend the 2023 recreational marijuana law to make it easier for people and neighborhoods who suffered most from prohibition to get into the business. For example, such applicants for licenses to grow and sell marijuana could…

An Arizona House committee has approved a bill to authorize interstate marijuana commerce, pending a change in federal policy. After initially rejecting the legislation from Rep. Justin Wilmeth (R) in a split 5-5 vote on Wednesday, the House Commerce Committee reconsidered the measure later in the meeting, reversing course and approving it, 6-4. If ultimately enacted, Arizona would be joining three other West coast states—California, Oregon and Washington State—that have already adopted laws allowing their governors to enter into agreements to permit marijuana imports and exports between consenting jurisdictions, all of which are principally contingent on federal law changing or…

A Maryland Senate committee has approved a bill that’s meant to protect gun rights for medical marijuana patients under state law. About one week after the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee first took up the legislation—as well as a separate proposal to let police search vehicles based on the smell of cannabis—members unanimously passed the firearms bill on Wednesday. There was no discussion, except that the chair briefly pointed out that “we’ve passed the bill like probably five times” over recent sessions, though the reform has not yet been enacted into law. Sen. Mike McKay (R) is sponsoring the current legislation,…

An Arizona Senate committee has unanimously approved a bipartisan bill that would legalize psilocybin service centers where people could receive the psychedelic in a medically supervised setting. Shortly after a coalition of Republican senators, first responders and military veterans held a press conference to raise attention to the benefits of psychedelic medicines, the Senate Health and Human Services Committee convened for a hearing where members discussed the psilocybin legislation, which is sponsored by the chairman, Sen. T. J. Shope (R), and voted to pass it 7-0. The measure would allow the Department of Human Services (DHS) to license psilocybin-assisted therapy…

At the Dulles International Airport in Washington, D.C. last month, Justin Strekal fought back tears, reflecting on the storied congressional cannabis lobbying career he was leaving behind to tend to his family back in Ohio. The day before, Strekal was doing what he’s become best known for: sitting in a wood-paneled room advocating for marijuana reform on Capitol Hill—informing legislative staff about the complex dynamics of the issue in hopes that the message might eventually translate into meaningful action in Congress. But when he left that informational session, he carried the weight of a secret he’d only disclosed to a…

Kansas lawmakers have stripped a hemp bill of provisions that would have allowed farm animals to be fed fiber, grain and seeds, and established a two-year licensing cycle.The Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources of the House of Representatives approved the draft bill, which, if passed, will do little more than reduce annual licensing fees for growers and processors.Republican Rep. Fred Gardner, who is also a veterinarian, raised misguided alarms, suggesting that the introduction of hemp meal could bring excessive concentrations of CBD to livestock and poultry, and that hemp is vulnerable to toxic fungus that could be transferred to…

The governor of South Dakota has signed a bill into law that will require patients to check off a box on medical marijuana card applications affirming that they’re aware that federal law prohibits cannabis consumers from buying and possessing firearms. Gov. Kristi Noem (R) gave final approval to the legislation on Monday—about two weeks after it cleared the legislature. The measure represents a slightly dialed-back version of the original bill from Rep. Kevin Jensen (R), as it previously would have required prospective patients to sign their name on the application to acknowledge the federal gun rule. Last month, a South…

“I don’t concede that actually it’s going to have a negative fiscal impact on businesses or revenue derived from taxes based on those businesses.” By Mitch Perry, Florida Phoenix For the past two legislative sessions in Tallahassee, the Florida hemp industry has trekked to the Capitol to fight a proposed cap on the amount of THC in their products, saying that such a change in current policy would be extremely detrimental to their economic livelihoods. But the sponsor of the House version of the proposal in this year’s session dismissed those concerns on Monday afternoon, saying he didn’t believe that…

South Carolina’s Senate gave initial approval to a medical marijuana legalization bill on Tuesday—setting it up for a final vote to send the measure to the House of Representatives, which is expected soon. The vote on second reading passage was 26-17 and came days after senators began debate on the legislation from Sen. Tom Davis (R), which if enacted will allow medical cannabis access for patients with certain health conditions. It’s a renewed push by lawmakers after the body passed an earlier version of the legislation in 2022 that went on to stall in the House over a procedural hiccup.…

Two Hawaii Senate committees have approved a bill to legalize marijuana in a joint hearing, with lawmakers voting to advance it with a series of amendments on Tuesday after taking public testimony—including from several state agencies that strongly oppose or have concerns with the legislation in contrast with the pro-reform Democratic governor in whose administration they serve. The Senate Health and Human Services Committee and the Judiciary Committee both voted to pass the bill, which was formally introduced in both chambers last month and is largely based on a legalization plan unveiled by state Attorney General Anne Lopez (D). The…