Legalization

Switzerland’s government has approved a trial to legalize the sale and consumption of cannabis and assess the social and economic benefits of regulating cannabis products, CNBC reports. Starting this summer, a test group of 2,100 Zurich residents will be allowed to purchase regulated doses of cannabis for personal use from pharmacies, dispensaries, and social clubs in the city.  As part of the study, participants will be expected to answer a questionnaire every six months on their cannabis consumption habits and health effects. The study is conducted in collaboration… Read more.

Small amounts of fungi that produces so-called magic mushrooms may soon be decriminalized under a bill heard by lawmakers Thursday. An amended version of Senate Bill 242, presented by Rochelle Nguyen, D-Las Vegas, would allow individuals older than 21 to possess, use and consume 30 grams of the dried fungi that produces psilocybin, also known as magic mushrooms. “Twenty-eight grams of fentanyl is not the equivalent of 28 grams of mushrooms and they are treated, in our law, the same,” Nguyen said. The bill also… Read more.

A Kansas Senate Committee last week tabled a medical cannabis legalization bill, likely killing the bill for the session, the Associated Press reports. On Twitter, Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly said she was “disappointed that some legislators are saying they don’t want to move forward with legalizing medical marijuana this year – effectively turning their backs on our veterans and those with chronic pain and seizure disorders.”  The measure would have allowed physicians to recommend non-smokable medical cannabis products to treat 21 illnesses or conditions, including cancer, epilepsy, spinal cord… Read more.

Germany could be weeks away from introducing a bill to legalize cannabis under sweeping reforms that would greenlight the consumption and sale of the drug in Europe’s largest economy. Germany’s Health Minister Karl Lauterbach last week said that the plans had received “very good feedback” from the European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, adding that the bill could be announced by the end of March or in early April. “We will soon present a proposal that works, that is, that conforms to… Read more.

The New Hampshire House of Representatives has approved a bill to allow medical marijuana patients to grow their own plants for personal use. Weeks after moving through committee, the full chamber passed the legislation from Rep. Wendy Thomas (D) on a voice vote as part of the uncontested consent calendar on Wednesday. The measure—which would allow patients and designated caregivers to cultivate up to three mature plants, three immature plants and 12 seedlings—now heads to the Senate. Plants would have to be grown… Read more.

Following years of stalling on the issue of legal cultivation of cannabis for medicinal and industrial purposes, a Brazilian appeals court is set to rule on allowing businesses and farmers to grow cannabis, reported Reuters. What Happened? The Superior Court of Justice (STJ) made its intentions public to reach a final decision on a case that would set a precedent nationwide. Lawyers familiar with the case said until the court's final ruling on the matter, which is expected within the next year, pending cases filed by companies seeking to plant… Read more.

The Kentucky Senate on Thursday passed a medical cannabis bill on a 26-11 vote, WYMT reports. The legislation moves next to the House, which has passed medical cannabis reforms in previous sessions but they ultimately died in the Senate.   The measure would not allow patients to access smokable products but permits edibles and concentrates. If approved by the Senate and signed into law by Gov. Andy Beshear (D), the bill would take effect on January 1.   Beshear, who made medical cannabis legalization a legislative priority, is expected to sign… Read more.

A Kansas Senate committee on Wednesday held the first of two scheduled hearings this week on a medical marijuana legalization bill. The legislation was taken up by the Senate Federal and State Affairs Committee, which is sponsoring the bill as a panel. Members heard from proponents and neutral witnesses who shared stories about their personal experience with the plant, research into the medical potential of cannabis and more. People with chronic migraines, spinal injuries, as well as medical professionals, academics, veterans… Read more.

A Delaware Senate committee has approved a pair of House-passed bills to legalize marijuana and create regulations for adult-use sales. Both pieces pieces of legislation from Rep. Ed Osienski (D) cleared the Senate Health & Social Services Committee on Wednesday. Sen. Trey Paradee (D), who is carrying the bill in the Senate, told members of the panel that the state’s existing law that merely decriminalizes low-level cannabis possession is inadequate. “The arrests have continued and, as a result, lives have been turned… Read more.

Oklahoma voters rejected a ballot initiative to legalize cannabis for adult use during a special election this month by a margin of 62 percent, surprising many advocates who saw the popularity of the state’s medical market as a promising sign for adult-use expansion. Ultimately, the state’s medical program proved to be good enough for a majority of voters outside Oklahoma City and Tulsa. But the push to expand domestic cannabis legalization in 2023 is far from over. “For 2024, we’ve calculated Virginia,… Read more.

A Kentucky Senate committee on Tuesday approved a bill to legalize medical marijuana in the state. The Senate Licensing & Occupations Committee passed the legislation from Sen. Stephen West (R) and 12 other senators in a 8-3 vote. It now heads to the Senate floor with just days left in the session. “I didn’t intend to ever get into medical marijuana and take a look at the issue,” West told the panel ahead of the vote, adding that he was… Read more.

Missourians voted to legalize recreational, adult-use marijuana in November. That constitutional amendment also established a framework for marijuana "microbusinesses" — business licenses intended to allow more "everyday folks" to participate in the state's growing marijuana industry. "Right now, the way I see it is these microbusinesses are effectively small businesses that are designed to allow particular entities and individuals to own and operate them," Missouri's Division of Cannabis Regulation Director Amy Moore said. While the idea seems straightforward, the details… Read more.

After once again failing to pass a bill legalizing medical cannabis in Tennessee, the question arises as to the next steps in this ongoing conversation. Senator Kerry Roberts (R—Springfield) believes the issue may gain increasing support in the coming years, citing his evolution on cannabis legalization. According to Senator Kerry Roberts, at the outset of his political career, he shared the typical stance of many individuals, refusing to endorse marijuana. The perception of the herb was that it was a flimsy pretext… Read more.

Voters in Oklahoma rejected a ballot initiative to legalize cannabis for adult use during a special election Tuesday by a margin of 62 percent, according to the Associated Press. More than 566,000 voters participated in the special election. Opposition was strong in nearly the entire state, with the exception of Oklahoma City and Tulsa, highlighting the divide between large cities and the rural population. Oklahoma Question 820, which was the only ballot proposal for most voters in the state, would… Read more.

The Hawaii Senate voted 22-3 in favor of an adult-use cannabis legalization proposal yesterday; the measure moves next to the House. The Hawaii Senate on Tuesday overwhelmingly passed an adult-use legalization bill by a 22-3 margin. The measure still requires approval in the House.   If enacted, the legislation would legalize possession of up to 30 grams by adults, reduce penalties for unlicensed cultivation and sales, allow adults to cultivate up to six plants within their residence, and expunge records for possession.   The measure would also establish a Hawaii… Read more.

This past week saw the first procedural vote in favor of a bill to legalize medical marijuana in North Carolina, which means it is now one step away from being sent to the House. This comes after a top lawmaker in that chamber stated that his chamber is well-positioned to pass the reform this session despite opposing a similar bill last year. A week or so after easily passing through three committees, the proposal from Sen. Bill Rabon (R) was approved on… Read more.

This week’s cover story by Kaylee Poche asks an important question: When will Louisiana finally, and fully, legalize cannabis? While the future of legal recreational cannabis may appear grim in light of conservatives’ hold on state politics, more and more Republicans — including some GOP lawmakers — are realizing prohibition doesn’t work. In fact, it hurts us all by unnecessarily criminalizing people while robbing the state of much needed revenue. As Louisiana Progress’ Peter Robins-Brown told Poche, the winds have… Read more.

The North Carolina Senate on Tuesday passed a medical cannabis legalization bill, WRAL reports. It marks the second year in a row the chamber has approved a medical cannabis bill; however, the measure died in the House in 2022. The bill received bipartisan support, passing by a 36-10 margin. The legislation is largely the same as the measure that passed the Senate by a 36-7 vote last year. Republican state Sen. Bill Rabon, the bill’s lead sponsor, told WRAL that he believes… Read more.

For anyone traveling northwest toward Oklahoma on the Garrison Avenue bridge leaving Fort Smith, the first business seen just to the west of the Fort Smith Stock Yards in Moffett, Oklahoma has an inflatable sign that whips the word marijuana up and down in the stiff Oklahoma wind. The River Valley Natural Health eyecatcher is for a medical marijuana dispensary. Unlike Arkansas, the number of dispensaries in Oklahoma was not limited until Aug 26, 2022 when Gov. Kevin Stitt signed… Read more.

Virginia’s recreational marijuana industry is on indefinite hold. Less than two years after the state became the first in the South to legalize adult-use marijuana for adults 21 and older, the projected start date for legal sales of Jan. 1, 2024, has been effectively scrapped. It’s unclear when – or if – recreational MJ sales will begin. The issue: The legalization bill that the then-Democratic-controlled General Assembly sent to former Gov. Ralph Northam two years ago was a half-measure. Northam signed the bill… Read more.

As Oklahomans prepare to vote on a marijuana legalization initiative next month, the campaign behind the measure is touting a new endorsement from a political strategist who previously supported two competing cannabis reform proposals that failed to make the ballot. Thursday’s announcement by the Yes on 820 campaign was intended to build unity among legalization proponents, who have sparred over conflicting views on how marijuana should be regulated. Instead, it appears to have aggravated tensions in Oklahoma’s advocacy community. “This post… Read more.

New Hampshire residents broadly support legalizing marijuana, according to a new poll that was released one day after the state House of Representatives passed a bill to enact the policy change. Seventy-one percent of respondents in the survey published by the University of New Hampshire on Thursday said they support “legalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana for personal recreational use”—with 56 percent saying they “strongly” feel that way. Support transcends party lines, with 86 percent of Democrats, 62 percent… Read more.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — A Republican state senator hopes this will be the year medical cannabis becomes legal in Tennessee. While the “Tennessee Medical Cannabis Act” was not voted out of a Senate committee Tuesday, Democrat and Republican lawmakers both appeared to be in support of the bill. “I can’t believe I am standing in front of you asking for you to vote for a medical cannabis bill,” said bill sponsor Sen. Janice Bowling (R-Tullahoma). “That was never on my… Read more.

WASHINGTON (Gray DC) - Lawmakers are working to reform cannabis laws as the majority of the United States have legalized either recreational or medical marijuana to some extent. Federally, marijuana remains illegal. It is labeled as a Schedule I drug by the United States Drug Enforcement Administration. Schedule I drugs are defined as having “no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.” Representative Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) believes the federal government scheduling has a ‘stranglehold’ on key elements of cannabis… Read more.

If Congress can’t (or won’t) bundle marijuana reform with the F-35 fighter jet and nuclear submarines, why not food stamps and corn subsidies? Among the pressing items on federal lawmakers’ 2023 to-do lists is renewing the Farm Bill. Every five years, the sprawling, multipart, $428 billion monster that deals with nutrition and rural development as well as what American farmers grow and how they grow it is revamped. And the 2018 Farm Bill that legalized hemp and triggered the boom in delta-8 THC and… Read more.

For months, rival companies that want to produce low-THC cannabis oil for medical purposes in Georgia have not been able to pry open the black box of the state’s 2019 Hope Act to see how six firms—out of 69 bidders—were awarded licenses to dispense the marijuana extract to patients across the state. The state’s Open Records Act is so far proving no match for the Hope Act, either. Legislators trying to pry open the process have also been rebuffed. Georgia… Read more.

Missouri is poised to become the latest state in the U.S. to launch recreational cannabis sales. The move will likely attract the attention of marijuana businesses and voters in nearby Oklahoma, who will vote next month on whether to legalize adult use in a special election. Medical dispensaries are awaiting approval from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) to start selling recreational marijuana as soon as Friday. With the GOP controlling the state's governorship and legislature, Missouri is… Read more.

The medical cannabis facility is expected to gradually reach full capacity soon to supply a wide range of cannabis products. Since June 2018, when the legal framework for licensing plants for cultivation and production of finished medicinal cannabis products came into effect, the General Secretariat of Industry of the Ministry of Development and Investment has licensed 134 cannabis crops for medical purposes across Greece. The investment by Tikun Europe, a subsidiary of Israel-based Tikun Olam, was welcomed by Greek Minister… Read more.

Virginia lawmakers on Friday advanced bills to start adult-use marijuana sales and allow cannabis businesses to make certain tax deductions at the state level while they’re barred from doing so federally under the Internal Revenue Services (IRS) code known as 280E. The 280E bill passed the Senate unanimously in a 40-0 vote, carried by Sen Adam Ebbin (D). The House of Delegates companion version from Del. Jeffrey Campbell (R) moved through an Appropriations subcommittee in a 7-1 vote and now heads to the full… Read more.

As the clouds of prohibition begin to clear, a ray of hope shines down upon cannabis, the once-demonized plant. According to recent polls, 65% of Americans now support legalizing the drug, marking a significant shift in public opinion. The tide is turning, and it's clear that the majority of the country is ready to embrace a more progressive approach to cannabis policy. Gone are the days of "Reefer Madness" and the fear-mongering tactics of the past. People are now recognizing the medicinal… Read more.

Medical cannabis sales officially launched in Mississippi on Wednesday nearly a year after Gov. Tate Reeves (R) signed the bill enacting the reforms. Voters had approved medical cannabis legalization during the 2020 election but the measure was ultimately struck down by the state Supreme Court which said the state’s ballot initiative process was outdated.    The state’s first sale occurred at The Cannabis Company in Brookhaven but did not occur without a hitch as there was a brief problem with seed-to-sale system METRC, according to… Read more.

Changes are afoot among the rules and regulations governing cannabis in several states this year. Weed laws are evolving in 11 states thanks to voter-drive ballot initiatives, new laws introduced in state legislatures, and executive orders enacted by state governors. So, what’s happening? Cannawayz.com has a quick rundown of new laws, rules, and regulations, broken down state by state: California Taxes are going up (already one of the most heavily taxed weed markets), which is a huge bummer! But at… Read more.

Hawaii advocates are feeling confident about the prospects of advancing marijuana legalization in the new session, with an activist coalition holding a press conference on Wednesday alongside state lawmakers to lay out the path forward for reform. There’s renewed reason for optimism in the new year, as voters elected a pro-legalization governor and lieutenant governor during the November election. Lawmakers are now prepared to introduce reform legislation after officials finalized recommendations for legalization as part of a task force. Representatives… Read more.

Opportunities in the U.S. cannabis industry continue to expand, despite some notable setbacks in the November 2022 elections and continuing resistance at the federal level to marijuana reform. Up to four new state markets could launch this year: Alabama, Connecticut, Mississippi and Missouri. That’s on top of the recent adult-use launches in New York and Rhode Island. When mature, the New York market will likely be the second largest in the nation. Market snapshots States coming online this year have potentially lucrative futures,… Read more.

Over 50% of Texans Wants To Legalize Weed The struggle to decriminalize marijuana in some Texas cities has reached a new level. According to a recent poll, a majority of Texas voters support marijuana legalization. Around four in five people believe cannabis should be allowed for recreational or medical use. According to the University of Texas/Texas Politics Project Poll, a substantial majority (72 percent) support decriminalizing cannabis by making the misdemeanor punishable by a fine and citation rather than jail time. The… Read more.

Government officials from Indonesia – a country famous for having some of the strictest drug laws in the world – flew to Thailand to learn about the kingdom’s liberal medical cannabis policies this morning. News that old-fashioned Indonesia is considering legalising medical cannabis comes as quite a shock given that lawmakers in the country approved a Draconian law that bans premarital sex yesterday. Indonesian members of parliament visited the Ministry of Public Health to listen to the Director of the Medical Cannabis Institute, Kitti Losuwanarak, talk about the process of legalising cannabis in… Read more.

According to Politico, details of Germany’s current cannabis legalization plan were leaked on October 19 by the RND (RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland) newspaper group. The draft currently includes a plan to decriminalize sales and possession of cannabis, as well as allowing cannabis to be sold in licensed shops and pharmacies. This approach to reform has been pending since German officials announced their intentions to approach reform back in June, led by Health Minister Karl Lauterbach. According to the current draft, sales of up to 20 grams would… Read more.

Costa Rica just took its biggest step yet toward legalizing weed. President Rodrigo Chaves signed a proposed law this week that could legalize recreational marijuana in the Central American nation. The legalization bill was sent on Wednesday to the country’s legislative assembly where lawmakers will analyze it, along with results of similar laws in other countries, before eventually voting on passing the regulation.  It is unclear how long this process will take, but presidential support means that it has the institutional backing… Read more.

The governor of Oklahoma has officially called for a special election in March 2023 for voters to decide on marijuana legalization. Activists had pushed to place the cannabis reform measure on next month’s ballot, but it faced obstacles in the state Supreme Court after complaints were filed and procedural deadlines passed. Now Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) issued a proclamation on Tuesday stipulating that the initiative from Oklahomans for Sensible Marijuana Laws (OSML) and Yes on 820 will go before voters… Read more.

Americans by wide margins support President Joe Biden's decision to pardon all prior federal convictions for marijuana possession and want to see similar clemency at the state level — the latest sign of a growing social acceptance of pot. Roughly two thirds of Americans support the pardons and want governors of states to follow Biden's lead and forgive convictions at the state level, according to an Ipsos survey of more than 1,000 adults this past weekend. The poll is just the latest indicator… Read more.

The United Kingdom prime minister’s office is distancing itself from a proposal from Conservatives that would reclassify cannabis from a Class B to Class A drug in the country, with a Downing Street spokesperson telling The Guardian that there are “no plans” to make the change.    The plan was pitched last week by Conservative police commissioners in the U.K. It would have put cannabis in the same category as heroin and cocaine and meant harsher penalties for possession and potential life sentences in prison for… Read more.

The midterm elections are coming on November 8. In addition to important elections that will determine the balance of power in Congress, local elections and ballot measures are set to make a big impact across the country at more local levels. Among the issues that will be decided by voters in 2022 are a handful of cannabis-related measures. Voters are being asked to decide on the future of adult-use cannabis in some states, as well as city-level measures that will… Read more.

One problematic aspect of the current legal cannabis market are the state laws. Because the sector is not yet federally legalized—despite two thirds of the country having legal medical marijuana and a third permitting adult-use sales—there is no monolithic uniformity governing state regulations. Los Angeles-based cannabis lawyer Barry Weisz is very cognicant of this dichotomy. As the founder and co-chair of law firm Thompson Coburn’s cannabis practice, Weisz is the author of his firm’s recently published “Cannabis State-by-State Regulations 5th Annual Guide.”… Read more.

WASHINGTON D.C. – Small-scale and legacy cultivators stand to benefit immensely from the “Small and Homestead Independent Producers (SHIP) Act,” which would allow small cannabis growers to sell and ship products directly to consumers across state lines. The bill, filed in mid-September by Rep. Jared Huffman (D-CA) and Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), is intended to support small growers across the country struggling to compete against large corporations, once cannabis is federally legalized. “Under my bill, folks in our state will be… Read more.

Thursday's recommendation by a health ministry panel to allow cannabis-based medications might herald a historic shift in the nation's strict drug laws. Since the group advocated for tighter laws against non-medical marijuana use, the modification may have no bearing on Japan's zero-tolerance approach to marijuana usage for recreational purposes. The expert group for the health ministry recommended on Thursday that the government amend the laws to allow for the import and manufacture of drugs formulated with chemicals derived from cannabis. But it… Read more.