Latest Cannabis News: July 27, 2021

Stay up to date with the latest legalization and cannabis news with the CB Advisors. Every week, we will release a snippet of what’s happening with each state in the cannabis industry. Did you miss last week? No worries – click here for last week’s cannabis news.

CBD

Georgia: The state commission in charge of Georgia’s medical marijuana program has announced its intent to award six licenses to companies to grow the leaf crop and convert it into low-THC cannabis oil. Two “Class 1” licenses will allow the licensees to grow marijuana under close supervision in up to 100,000 square feet of growing space. Four “Class 2” licensees will limit recipients to not more than 50,000 square feet. The state commission in charge of Georgia’s medical marijuana program has announced its intent to award six licenses to companies to grow the leaf crop and convert it into low-THC cannabis oil.

Two “Class 1” licenses will allow the licensees to grow marijuana under close supervision in up to 100,000 square feet of growing space. The businesses chosen to receive Class 1 licenses are Florida-based Trulieve GA Inc. and Biomedical Sciences LLC. Four “Class 2” licensees will limit recipients to not more than 50,000 square feet.

Source: https://www.ajc.com/politics/medical-marijuana-licenses-awarded-to-six-companies-in-georgia/F2REMGEXB5BPHKISOSXXUVTBVM/

North Carolina: Another North Carolina Senate committee has approved a bill to legalize medical marijuana in the state. The Senate Finance Committee advanced the legislation in a voice vote last week Wednesday. This action comes one month after the Judiciary Committee passed the North Carolina Compassionate Care Act, also via a voice vote. Under the proposal, sponsored by Rules Committee Chairman Bill Rabon (R), patients would be allowed to access cannabis if they have a “debilitating medical condition” such as cancer, epilepsy, HIV/AIDS, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis. Regulators would have authority to add additional qualifying conditions.

Source: https://www.marijuanamoment.net/another-north-carolina-senate-committee-approves-medical-marijuana-legalization-bill/

Idaho: Idaho officials are working on a hemp plan to submit to federal officials this fall so that farmers can grow it next year. State Department of Agriculture Deputy Director Chanel Tewalt told the Capital Press in a story last week that the state intends to submit its plan to the U.S. Department of Agriculture by Sept. 1. If legalized in Idaho, farmers could sell hemp seeds and a hemp-derived extract called cannabidiol, or CBD, seen by many as a health aid. In its purified distilled form, CBD oil commands thousands of dollars per kilogram, and farmers can make tens of thousands of dollars an acre growing hemp plants to produce it. That distillate also can be converted into a crystallized form or powder.

Source: https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/idaho/articles/2021-07-26/idaho-officials-working-on-hemp-plan-for-federal-approval

Medical

Connecticut: One month after the cannabis legalization bill was signed into law, Gov. Ned Lamont and four of the top six legislative leaders have made appointments to a 15-member Social Equity Council responsible for promoting diverse participation in the developing new industry. The council already is facing a legislatively-set goal of mid-August for establishing criteria for research into the disparate social, economic and familial consequences of cannabis criminalization and how they can be addressed with a legal marijuana trade.

Source: https://ctmirror.org/2021/07/22/council-appointed-to-promote-social-equity-in-ct-marijuana-industry/

Ohio: Ohio lawmakers are set to consider a bill that would legalize adult, or recreational, cannabis use in the Buckeye state. State Representative Casey Weinstein (D) and co-sponsor Rep. Terrence Upchurch (D) announced their intention to introduce the bill late last week. The bill would mark the first time a proposal to allow adult-use cannabis has been introduced in the Ohio legislature. While the bill’s text has not yet been released, Representatives Weinstein and Upchurch recently co-sponsored a memo attempting to shore up support in advance of the bill’s formal introduction.

The bill seeks to establish a regulatory compliance regime enabling the Department of Commerce to oversee adult-use cannabis distribution and sales. The Department of Commerce would also be empowered to establish a licensing scheme for cannabis retailers, processors, and cannabis compliance facilities. The proposed regulatory scheme would exist separate from Ohio’s current Medical Marijuana Control Program and would not alter any of the current laws governing the cultivation, processing, testing, and sale of medical cannabis.

Source: https://mslawgroup.com/ohio-lawmakers-set-to-introduce-bill-to-legalize-adult-use-cannabis/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=ohio-lawmakers-set-to-introduce-bill-to-legalize-adult-use-cannabis

Recreational

Illinois: Update as of July 27, the lawsuit was dropped.

A Michigan-based cannabis company has filed suit challenging Illinois’ new law to award 185 long-awaited additional marijuana retail licenses, which could delay a license lottery set to begin July 29. Sozo Illinois Inc. claims that the law, signed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker last week, unfairly lowers its chances of getting the new licenses. One part of the law gives bonus points in scoring applications from Illinois-based companies, while another removes a bonus for hiring 10 people from areas hurt by the war on drugs — both of which hurt Sozo.

Source: https://www.chicagotribune.com/marijuana/illinois/ct-illinois-marijuana-lawsuit-to-stop-license-lotteries-20210720-bg4justq2fbxxfbvnea2i4ij6a-story.html

Virginia: With recreational marijuana use recently legalized, Virginia’s attorney general is seeking applicants interested in serving as the state’s first cannabis attorney. The person hired for the position will serve as general counsel to the newly created Virginia Cannabis Control Authority and assist other state agencies with regulations and laws regarding cannabis, Attorney General Mark Herring’s office said in a news release.

Source: https://www.fox5dc.com/news/virginia-is-looking-for-its-first-cannabis-attorney-after-legalization

Washington: This week will bring some changes to the rules governing Washington’s cannabis industry, as two bills passed this past year by the state Legislature are set to go into effect on July 25. The two bills, ESHB 1443 and ESB 5312, made their way through the state House and were signed into law by the governor this spring. ESHB 1443 broadens the state program established last year to expand minority participation in the cannabis industry. ESB 5312 aims to streamline some of the regulatory red tape surrounding the production and processing of hemp products.

Source: https://www.inlander.com/spokane/two-state-laws-taking-effect-soon-will-tweak-regulation-of-washingtons-cannabis-industry/Content?oid=22022473

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