Newsletter
Hawaii cannabis legalization passes Senate (Newsletter: March 6, 2024)
McConnell’s replacement & marijuana; Senators push against tribal cannabis sales; VA resentencing; MO psilocybin; MA workforce program
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 Hawaii Senate passed a marijuana legalization bill, sending it to the House of Representatives for consideration.
Many marijuana reform advocates cheered Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-KY) announcement he will step down from the role, but an analysis of the cannabis records of his likely replacements signals that the issue will continue to face resistance from party leadership.
Sens. Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Ted Budd (R-NC) sent a letter pressing federal, state and local agencies to take steps in response to the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians’s plan to launch the first recreational marijuana sales within North Carolina on 4/20.
Virginia lawmakers sent Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) a bill to provide resentencing relief for people with past marijuana convictions.
The Virginia senator who sponsored a cannabis sales legalization bill that passed the legislature spoke to Marijuana Moment about what it took to craft a bicameral compromise and shared his thoughts on what Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) will do with the legislation.
The Missouri House Veterans Committee approved an amended bill to legalize the medical use of psilocybin by military veterans and fund studies exploring the therapeutic potential of the psychedelic.
The Massachusetts workforce development program MassHire issued a memo clarifying that its federally derived funds cannot be used to aid businesses in the state’s legal marijuana industry—though they can support hemp companies.
A new study found that cannabis consumers take more walks than non-users and are no less likely to engage in basic exercise and strength training.
- “This finding challenges the stereotype that adult marijuana users are less active than their non-using counterparts.”
/ FEDERAL
National Institute on Drug Abuse Director Nora Volkow discussed her interest in ibogaine research.
Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-MT) tweeted, “Police forces across the country are seeing a dramatic increase in illegal CCP-linked marijuana grow operations. They are increasing crime in our communities and putting billions in our greatest adversary’s pockets. This wouldn’t be possible without Biden’s open border policies.”
/ STATES
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) signed a bill to change various medical cannabis rules.
New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) sent a press release noting the state’s milestone of more than $1 billion in legal marijuana sales.
Virginia’s Senate majority leader suggested that Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) needs to allow a marijuana sales legalization bill to take effect if he wants a deal for a new sports arena to happen.
Maine lawmakers are considering a bill to lower marijuana-related restrictions and fines.
Pennsylvania representatives expressed concerns about marijuana legalization.
The California Legislative Analyst’s Office published an analysis of cannabis regulators’ legal and administrative hearing costs.
Oregon regulators are proposing rules on the marijuana batch tagging implementation date.
Massachusetts regulators are considering a marijuana dispensary’s request for permission to sell lottery tickets.
Missouri regulators announced details for a second round of cannabis microbusiness licensing.
Maryland’s marijuana business licensing lottery is facing a potential delay amid litigation.
New York regulators are drafting rules for marijuana special event permits.
Vermont regulators are hosting a networking event on best practices for management of aspergillus and septoria in cannabis cultivation on Thursday.
—
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
New York City’s mayor authored an op-ed about efforts to launch an effective and equitable cannabis market.
Denver, Colorado officials are accepting request for proposal submissions to design, implement and administer a small business program to support cannabis social equity applicants until Friday.
Oakland, California’s Cannabis Regulatory Commission will meet on Thursday.
/ INTERNATIONAL
Netherlands lawmakers rejected a proposal to add Amsterdam-Oost to the country’s regulated marijuana experiment.
A Maltese lawmaker reported that 750 people have joined legal cannabis associations in their first month of operation.
Saxony, Germany officials are pushing to delay the federal government’s marijuana legalization bill from taking effect.
A judge rejected British Columbia, Canada officials’ move to appeal a temporary injunction suspending the criminalization of drug use in certain public spaces.
/ SCIENCE & HEALTH
A review concluded that “topical application of cannabinoids may be a potential therapeutic option for postsurgical and chronic wounds.”
A study found that “significant increases in the prevalence of cannabis use have occurred over the past decade for young and middle adults across sociodemographic groups, with some indication that near-daily use increased among middle adults at the onset of the pandemic.”
/ ADVOCACY, OPINION & ANALYSIS
ASTM International and the Federation of International Hemp Organizations signed a memorandum of understanding to outline a framework of cooperation for the development of standards for industrial hemp.
/ BUSINESS
atai Life Sciences reported that the first healthy participant in a Phase 1b trial of VLS-01 of its formulation of DMT has been dosed.
Make sure to subscribe to get Marijuana Moment’s daily dispatch in your inbox.
