Author: News Room

The governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) is asking people with prior marijuana convictions to “proactively” reach out and see if they’re eligible for expungements under the territory’s cannabis legalization law that was enacted early this year. As the government faces criticism over a lack of progress on legalization implementation in general and automatically expunging past convictions specifically, as mandated under the bill Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. (D) signed in January, his office has published a notice inviting individuals to “come forward” for potential relief if they’ve been criminalized over up to two ounces of cannabis. The notice says…

Let’s check out one of the hottest new weed restaurants in Hollywood, The OG Cannabis Cafe. This stoner-friendly restaurant/consumption lounge just had its re-opening in November after closing due to the pandemic in 2020. The experience did not disappoint. From impeccable service to gravity bong rips over nachos, the future of cannabis dining is greener than ever. Unmute the video above reported by Lindsey Maharry for Leafly.Twenty-four US states have legalized weed but where can you smoke? Almost nowhere. West Hollywood has joined San Francisco as one of two major cities that have crafted regulations and permitted licensed cannabis lounges where you…

“Changing the use of these funds, though, could potentially have impacts on the economic efficiency of recreational marijuana legalization.” By Rob Moore, Scioto Analysis Earlier this month, Ohio became the 24th state to legalize the sale and purchase of marijuana for recreational use. Even before Issue 2 was passed by the voters, leaders in the Ohio General Assembly were signaling their intentions to change the law after its passage. Unlike Issue 1, which was a constitutional amendment, Issue 2 is an initiated statute. That means legislators can go back and change the law afterwards. And it seems like they intend…

While testing is voluntary in the state’s medical cannabis program, audit testing shows that 50 of 120 samples contained at least one contaminant that would have resulted in a failed test according to mandatory testing standards in Maine’s adult-use market. Read the full article here

A new lawsuit from two Jersey City police officers who were fired for testing positive for marijuana says that the city’s policy of punishing law enforcement for off-duty cannabis use—which defies a state-level policy—is merely an effort by Mayor Steven M. Fulop (D) to “win over more conservative voters needed for his gubernatorial campaign.” Fulop, who launched his campaign for governor in April, announced that month that the city would terminate officers who tested positive for THC despite guidance from the state’s attorney general not to test officers for off-duty cannabis use. The new legal challenge seeks to uncover more…

“The public interest in this case is best served by independent auditors providing evidence-supported recommendations to state government.” By Ben Botkin, Oregon Capital Chronicle Oregonians still can access the audit of the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission after former Secretary of State Shemia Fagan’s (D) moonlighting scandal with cannabis company La Mota put the audit under intense scrutiny. Oregon Secretary of State LaVonne Griffin-Valade (D), who released her review of the audit on Monday, said in a release that it is of the same quality as others by the agency and should be treated the same way and remain posted…

A Massachusetts campaign says it has overcome a signature collection mishap and will be submitting more than enough new petitions to force legislative consideration of a psychedelics legalization initiative before potentially putting the issue on the 2024 ballot. After initially turning in what it considered to be sufficient, internally verified signatures for the measure to local clerks last month, Massachusetts for Mental Health Options was notified about a technical issue affecting tens of thousands of petitions, a spokesperson told Marijuana Moment. Officials reviewing the ballot sheets had alerted activists that some of the forms featured a labor union logo, a…

Government officials from multiple countries, including the U.S., are meeting in Germany to discuss international marijuana policy issues as the host nation works to enact legalization. Representatives of about 10 counties are convening for the second International Forum for Sustainable Cannabis Regulation (IFSCR) on Tuesday, with the main focus being on establishing a global framework for marijuana policy, while also giving participants an opportunity to speak about their own domestic developments. Today, @BdB_SD_Blienert and @BMZ_Bund host the ‘2nd International Forum for Sustainable Cannabis Regulation’ in Brandenburg. The forum focuses on innovative and sustainable approaches in international cannabis policy. Details in…

Wisconsin’s top Senate Democrat is asking the public to put pressure on the state’s GOP-controlled legislature to hold a hearing on a bill to legalize marijuana that she’s sponsoring. Senate Minority Leader Melissa Agard (D) has been pushing the Republican majority to act on cannabis reform for years, and now she’s circulating an online petition to show support for a public hearing for lawmakers to finally take up the issue. “We know that cannabis legalization is a popular policy in Wisconsin, yet Republican Legislators in the Capitol refuse to even schedule a public hearing for my bill to #LegalizeIt,” the…

Missouri marijuana businesses have now sold more than $1 billion worth of medical and adult-use cannabis products so far in 2023, according to new numbers released by the state’s Department of Health and Senior Services (DHHS). Retailers sold about $95.5 million worth of cannabis products to adults in October, plus another $17.6 million in medical marijuana. While both those represent slight declines from the month before, they brought the state’s total amount of marijuana sold in 2023 to more than $1.1 billion. Broadly, adult-use numbers have slowly risen since recreational sales began in February, while medical marijuana sales have steadily…