Newsletter
DOJ’s new marijuana & hemp testing methods (Newsletter: February 16, 2024)
Ukraine medical marijuana bill signed; WI cannabis push dead; 1st NV consumption lounge; NC judge bans marijuana odor; AK psychedelics
Subscribe to receive Marijuana Moment’s newsletter in your inbox every weekday morning. It’s the best way to make sure you know which cannabis stories are shaping the day.
Your support makes Marijuana Moment possible…
Free to read (but not free to produce)! We’re proud of our newsletter and the reporting we publish at Marijuana Moment, and we’re happy to provide it for free. But it takes a lot of work and resources to make this happen.
If you value Marijuana Moment, invest in our success on Patreon so we can expand our coverage and more readers can benefit: https://www.patreon.com/marijuanamoment
/ TOP THINGS TO KNOW
The Department of Justice’s National Institute of Justice announced that federally funded researchers identified new methods of distinguishing between marijuana and hemp by detecting the exact amount of THC in flower and edibles.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a medical cannabis legalization bill into law, a step he says can help heal the “pain, stress and trauma of war” with Russia.
Wisconsin’s Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R) said a limited GOP-led medical cannabis bill is dead but will get a hearing after the session ends. Meanwhile, Democrats are seeking to force a vote on a broader medical marijuana amendment.
Wisconsin Sen. Melissa Agard (D) authored a new Marijuana Moment op-ed slamming Republicans for refusing to legalize medical cannabis while carrying out a “smoke and mirrors” scheme by filing a restrictive bill they aren’t even going to vote on.
The Nevada Cannabis Control Board issued the state’s first license to a marijuana consumption lounge, which plans to open its doors this month.
A North Carolina superior court judge issued an order mandating that anyone who smells like “marijuana, THC, CBD, hashish and hemp and like substances” will not be allowed to “enter the courtrooms for court business.”
- The sheriff “will ask you to leave and come back without the odor own [sic] your persons.”
The Alaska House Military and Veterans Affairs Committee held a hearing on a bill to create a Mental Health and Psychedelic Medicine Task Force that would recommend frameworks for legalization and possible licensure for therapeutic practitioners.
The Florida Senate unanimously passed a bill to restrict hemp products and ban delta-8 THC.
The Virginia Senate and House of Delegates both passed legislation to protect public sector workers such as firefighters and teachers from being fired for medical cannabis use.
/ FEDERAL
The U.S. Department of Agriculture published a short podcast about challenges in building hemp genetic cultivars for research.
The House Natural Resources Committee discussed the environmental harms of illegal marijuana grow operations in a memo.
Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-MO) said bicameral negotiations on a section of marijuana banking legislation dealing with protections for gun sellers are “down to just the last few words.”
/ STATES
South Carolina’s Senate majority leader voted against a medical cannabis legalization bill, a switch from how he voted two years ago, saying he has “become less comfortable with it.”
A Maine legislative committee approved a bill to remove an individual labeling requirement for marijuana gummies.
Maryland lawmakers are considering legislation to change distance restrictions for marijuana businesses.
An Oklahoma senator filed a bill to monitor the amount of water that medical cannabis growers use.
The Ohio State Medical Board Medical Marijuana Committee is seeking expert opinions on whether medical cannabis could help patients with autism spectrum disorder and female orgasmic difficulty disorder.
Oregon regulators published a bulletin on cannabis packaging and labeling change request fees.
Minnesota regulators are conducting a survey on medical cannabis issues.
Massachusetts marijuana regulators delivered a guest lecture at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
—
Marijuana Moment is tracking more than 1,000 cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters pledging at least $25/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don’t miss any developments.
Learn more about our marijuana bill tracker and become a supporter on Patreon to get access.
—
/ LOCAL
Massena, New York officials are seeking a court order to close two marijuana stores that are owned by residents of the St. Regis Mohawk Nation.
/ INTERNATIONAL
British Columbia, Canada officials are moving to allow smoking and vaping of cannabis on public patios.
/ SCIENCE & HEALTH
A study found that “consumer reported effectiveness of prescribed [medical cannabis] was very positive, particularly for THC-containing products.”
/ ADVOCACY, OPINION & ANALYSIS
Media Matters for America criticized conservative media outlets for “misleadingly” blaming Oregon overdose death rates on the state’s voter-approved drug decriminalization law.
The Buffalo News editorial board is calling on New York officials to crack down on unlicensed marijuana businesses.
/ BUSINESS
Filament Health Corp. completed what it says is the first export of botanical psilocybin to Israel.
/ CULTURE
Actor Bill Skarsgård was arrested for marijuana at an airport in Stockholm, Sweden.
Make sure to subscribe to get Marijuana Moment’s daily dispatch in your inbox.
