Newsletter
NJ cannabis sales to start soon, gov says (Newsletter: February 25, 2022)
SD gov could veto legalization bill; CO psychedelics ballot text approved; Study: Marijuana consumers are motivated
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…
Your good deed for the day: donate to an independent publisher like Marijuana Moment and ensure that as many voters as possible have access to the most in-depth cannabis reporting out there.
Support our work at https://www.patreon.com/marijuanamoment
/ TOP THINGS TO KNOW
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) said he expects recreational marijuana sales to launch at existing medical cannabis dispensaries “within weeks”—as soon as March. He also said he’s open to allowing consumers to grow their own at home.
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) isn’t ruling out vetoing a marijuana legalization bill that passed the Senate. She also suggested voters don’t back legal cannabis—even though they already approved it in a ballot measure that was later overturned in court through a lawsuit her administration funded.
Colorado’s secretary of state cleared the language of activists’ latest proposed psilocybin legalization ballot initiatives. Now the campaign must decide which of the four separate measures they’ve filed they’ll actually collect signatures for.
A new study found that marijuana consumers show signs of greater motivation than people who don’t consume and are “more likely to expend effort to obtain reward.”
- “These results do not support the amotivational syndrome hypothesis.”
/ FEDERAL
The U.S. Department of Agriculture published a blog post on floral hemp production.
/ STATES
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf (D) tweeted, “Pennsylvania is ready and waiting for legalized marijuana. Let’s get it done.”
Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) tweeted about the medical cannabis tax holiday bill she signed into law.
Maryland Democratic gubernatorial candidate Doug Gansler, a former state attorney general, tweeted that lawmakers’ consideration of a marijuana legalization bill “is an important step toward legalizing cannabis, which in turn will make Maryland a more just and equitable place.”
Colorado Democratic State Board of Regents candidate Wanda James highlighted her experience as a marijuana business owner in a campaign ad.
Wisconsin’s Assembly speaker pulled a scheduled vote on a bill to legalize kratom.
South Dakota’s House majority leader said a Senate-passed marijuana legalization bill is “going to have a decently tough path going forward.” Separately, House lawmakers revived a bill to gut affirmative defense protections for medical cannabis patients.
South Carolina House leaders are reportedly working on a strategy to try to slow down and block a Senate-passed medical cannabis bill.
Virginia’s Senate president pro tempore, who co-owns a cannabis store, tweeted about Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) declaring state holidays in honor of certain people, saying, “He’s saving me for 4/20.”
The West Virginia House of Representatives preliminarily approved a bill on security and surveillance requirements for medical cannabis businesses.
The Nebraska legislature’s Judiciary Committee held a hearing on a limited medical cannabis bill.
The Georgia House Low THC Subcommittee held a hearing on a bill to increase the number of medical cannabis business licenses.
An Illinois representative discussed his resolution calling on Congress to remove marijuana from Schedule I.
A New Hampshire representative authored an op-ed expressing concerns about marijuana legalization.
U.S. Virgin Islands regulators are expected to unveil proposed medical cannabis rules on Monday.
The Colorado Board of Health adopted rules changes in line with a medical cannabis restriction bill.
The California Department of Tax and Fee Administration reported that the state generated $308.56 million in quarterly marijuana tax revenue.
Oregon regulators sent a compliance bulletin about marijuana retesting, remediation and destruction of failed packages.
Arizona regulators reached a settlement with a cannabis testing lab over alleged violations.
—
Marijuana Moment is already 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
San Francisco, California’s mayor appointed a top marijuana regulator.
/ INTERNATIONAL
Costa Rican President Carlos Alvarado Quesada tweeted, “The approval in the 1st debate of the Medicinal Cannabis and Industrial Hemp project with the changes that we had suggested means that we are very close to it becoming law. I thank the deputies who voted in favor of the new text, which will be of great benefit to 🇨🇷 “
Canadian regulators seized more than 35 million grams of cannabis products as well as thousands of plants from licensed businesses due to violations during the 2019-20 fiscal year.
/ SCIENCE & HEALTH
A review on cannabis in sports “confirms that CBD and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) do not enhance performance” and that “CBD possesses anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties which have not been adequately evaluated in the area of sport.”
A study of nematodes suggested that “cannabidiol protects against Alzheimer’s disease.”
/ ADVOCACY, OPINION & ANALYSIS
The Delaware Black Chamber of Commerce’s president and CEO authored an op-ed calling on lawmakers to legalize marijuana.
The Cannabis Business Association of Illinois is opposing legislation to allow social equity-owned cannabis craft cultivation businesses to increase their canopy size.
/ BUSINESS
Harborside Inc. announced it will undergo a mandatory conversion of all of issued and outstanding multiple voting shares to subordinate voting shares.
Organigram Holdings Inc. announced the results of its board of directors election.
Ohio dispensaries sold more than $381 million worth of medical cannabis in 2021.
Make sure to subscribe to get Marijuana Moment’s daily dispatch in your inbox.
Photo courtesy of Chris Wallis // Side Pocket Images.
