Newsletter
FL legal cannabis campaign gets funding (Newsletter: April 4, 2024)
HI legalization dead; MA marijuana pardons; MO psilocybin; DC 4/20 tax holiday; Safe consumption case; MD licenses; Jesse Ventura cannabis products
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/ TOP THINGS TO KNOW
Hawaii House leaders killed a Senate-passed marijuana legalization bill by refusing to give it a hearing in a final committee ahead of a legislative deadline.
The Massachusetts Governor’s Council approved a mass marijuana pardon plan from Gov. Maura Healey (D) that she says will provide relief to “hundreds of thousands of people.”
The Florida marijuana legalization campaign announced $15 million in new funding from a coalition of cannabis companies—including Verano Holdings, Curaleaf Holdings, AYR Wellness, Cresco Labs, Green Thumb Industries and INSA—chipping in for what so far has been a Trulieve-led effort to get the measure on the ballot.
The Missouri House of Representatives gave initial approval to a bill to use $10 million in state opioid settlement funds to support research on using psilocybin to treat opioid use disorder. The provision initially focused on ibogaine but was changed with a floor amendment.
The Washington, D.C. Council voted to declare a medical cannabis tax holiday surrounding the 4/20 celebration this month, allowing patients to temporarily make purchases without added fees.
A federal judge sided with the Department of Justice in dismissing a challenge from a Philadelphia nonprofit pushing to open a safe consumption site for illegal drugs—while acknowledging that its “noble intentions” are “self-evident” but rejecting its religious freedom claims.
Former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura unveiled a new line of cannabis products he is launching ahead of 4/20, including a “Governor’s Select Collection” that he says he would “offer to you if you were visiting me in the Governor’s mansion.”
The Maryland Cannabis Administration is touting the marijuana business license lottery it recently held, saying it was the first in the U.S. “exclusively for social equity applicants across all license types and categories.”
The New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department reported that retailers sold more than $52.5 million worth of legal marijuana products in March—a new monthly record.
An Alabama senator filed a bill to significantly increase the number of available medical cannabis business licenses as ongoing litigation has stalled the launch of the market.
/ FEDERAL
The U.S. Army in Europe said military personnel stationed in Germany cannot use marijuana despite the country’s new legalization law.
Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) discussed the importance of his marijuana banking bill.
/ STATES
Maine lawmakers sent Gov. Janet Mills (D) a bill to loosen restrictive marijuana gummy labeling rules.
A Virginia delegate said there isn’t enough support in the legislature to override Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s (R) veto of his marijuana sales legalization bill.
A New Hampshire senator said a marijuana legalization bill advancing in the House “seems to be dead on arrival” in the Senate.
A Utah senator spoke about his bill to create a pilot program for hospitals to administer psilocybin and MDMA as an alternative treatment option that Gov. Spencer Cox (R) allowed to become law without his signature.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension sent a list of marijuana records that qualify for expungement to the Minnesota Judicial Branch for potential objections.
Missouri regulators hosted a webinar on marijuana microbusiness license applications.
The Alaska Marijuana Control Board will meet on April 17 and 18.
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/ LOCAL
Activists are dropping a lawsuit challenging Harker Heights, Texas officials’ refusal to implement a voter-approved marijuana decriminalization law.
Voters in several Missouri counties and municipalities approved local marijuana tax ballot measures.
/ INTERNATIONAL
The leader of the German Christian Democratic Union said his party would overturn the country’s marijuana legalization law if it wins national elections expected next year.
A Malawi Ministry of Agriculture & Food Security official discussed the importance of the cannabis strain Malawi Gold.
/ SCIENCE & HEALTH
A study found that “participants reported that cannabis had a high degree of efficacy in alleviating their illness/symptoms, and many reported a reduction in their use of prescription opioids, alcohol, tobacco, and other substances.”
A study concluded that “acute CBD alone is unlikely to significantly impair daily functioning or workplace performance.”
/ ADVOCACY, OPINION & ANALYSIS
The founder of the Indigenous Cannabis Industry Association is pushing Wisconsin officials to legalize marijuana, saying it could generate $200 million in new revenue.
/ BUSINESS
Eaze workers voted to authorize a strike.
High Times Holding Co. reportedly closed several of its dispensaries in California.
A federal judge ruled that a lawsuit seeking to force Blue Cross, Blue Shield and other insurers to cover medical cannabis should stay in federal court rather than be transferred to New Mexico courts.
Whitney Economics projected that delinquent payments in the cannabis industry have exceeded $3.8 billion.
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