Latest Cannabis News: February 8, 2022
Latest Cannabis News: February 8, 2022
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.
Federal
Cannabis dispensaries throughout the country came one step closer to using banks the way many other businesses can when the U.S. House on Friday cleared a bill with sweeping changes to banking regulations. While the federal government has mostly left marijuana business regulation and oversight to the states that have legalized it, the nation’s banking system is controlled at the federal level.
The federal government’s classification of marijuana as a Schedule I illegal substance, by definition something with no medical use and a high potential for abuse, means that it’s difficult for cannabis businesses to use banks. The so-called SAFE Banking Act passed the House on Friday as part of a much larger, separate bill geared toward improving U.S. manufacturing and boosting competitiveness with China on several fronts, including semiconductors.
However, the proposal will need to survive the conference process between the House of Representatives and the Senate.
CBD
Georgia: Legislation to legalize recreational marijuana in Georgia was met with a barrage of criticism. Sen. Sheikh Rahman, D-Lawrenceville, has introduced two proposals to decriminalize the illicit drug, but religious and advocacy groups say it is dangerous.
Senate Resolution 165 would create a ballot measure asking Georgia residents to decide whether to legalize marijuana. A second measure, Senate Bill 263, dictates the rules for retailing the drug.
Touting more than $10 billion in revenue from other states with legal recreational marijuana, Rahman told the Senate Committee on Regulated Industries & Utilities the legislation would create an economic boost on Thursday. Eighteen states and the District of Columbia have legalized marijuana for recreational use.
Indiana: Yesterday, the Indiana Senate considered an amendment to decriminalize cannabis in our state. The amendment was voted down on a near party-line vote of 36 to 11. Senator Rodney Pol (D-Chesterton) released the following statement:
“The Senate Democratic Caucus has clearly listened to the nearly 90% of Hoosiers that want cannabis legalized in some form in our state. I proudly presented an amendment that did just that for Hoosiers over the age of 21. Unfortunately, it was voted down largely along party lines, with only one Senate Republican voting in favor.
South Carolina: Debate over a bill that would legalize medical marijuana in South Carolina continues on the Senate floor. The bill would legalize marijuana for medical use for South Carolinians with certain medical conditions. Senator Davis has also called it the most conservative medical cannabis bill in the country.
The bill would create a seed-to-sale tracking system and set out specific regulations. Smoking or burning of marijuana leaves would not be allowed under the bill.
As of Wednesday, 28 amendments to the bill have been filed by Senators. The Senate adjourned Wednesday evening before discussing or voting on any SC Compassionate Care Act amendments.
Tennessee: Cannabis legislation has been introduced again in the Tennessee General Assembly. The measures range from medical, decriminalization, and legalization of marijuana. If enacted into law, Tennessee could become the 38th state with some form of legal access to marijuana.
This comes as Tennessee’s neighbor to the south, Mississippi, just became the latest state to legalize medical marijuana. But there are some bumps in the road to get to legal marijuana. Lt. Governor Randy McNally, who presides over the Senate, says his support is contingent upon removing marijuana from the schedule one controlled substances list. “Schedule one has no legitimate medical use, and it’s a high ability to cause addiction or dependency whether physical or mental.”
Medical
Arkansas: The state Medical Marijuana Commission can’t issue the final two dispensary licenses until a lawsuit alleging racial bias in the application process can be fully heard, according to a temporary restraining order issued by Circuit Judge Alice Gray on Tuesday.
The commission had been on track to issue the remaining licenses this spring after it initiated a process last year to change the rules for considering expired applications. The Arkansas Legislative Council is expected to approve the rule changes next month, allowing expired applications to be considered, commission spokesman Scott Hardin said.
Maryland: Marylanders may get the chance to vote in November on whether to legalize marijuana for adults’ recreational use. A new bill in the Maryland House of Delegates specifies a framework of what legalization would entail.
House Bill 837, sponsored by Judiciary Committee Chair Luke Clippinger, a Democrat from Baltimore, was introduced Thursday as a companion to House Bill 1, which would allow voters to vote in November whether to legalize marijuana for adults 21 and over, effective July 1, 2023.
Source: https://wtop.com/maryland/2022/02/md-bill-would-legalize-marijuana-expunge-convictions/
Minnesota: Minnesota medical cannabis stores will be able to sell dried marijuana flower starting March 1. The addition of the product likely will provide a more affordable option to customers and could financially bolster the state’s MMJ program.
The smokable-flower provision was part of an omnibus health bill, HF 2128, that Minnesota lawmakers passed last year, and Gov. Tim Walz then signed into law.
Source: https://mjbizdaily.com/minnesota-medical-cannabis-dispensaries-to-begin-selling-flower/
Mississippi: Medical marijuana for certain patients with debilitating conditions is now legal in Mississippi after the state’s Republican governor signed a bill into law on Wednesday. The law prohibits any dispensaries from being located within 1,000 feet of schools, churches, or child care facilities without receiving a waiver.
It also prohibits discrimination against any cardholder from schools, landlords, and employers. Additionally, there are limitations that facilities like hospitals and nursing homes can enforce.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/03/politics/mississippi-medical-marijuana-law/index.html
Ohio: One way or another, the number of medical marijuana dispensaries in Ohio is supposed to more than double in 2022. Monday, the Ohio Medical Marijuana Control Program and Board of Pharmacy posted the list of dispensary license lottery applications in the order that they were picked on January 27. It’s part of the program’s second round of dispensary license allocations. Licenses aren’t locked in yet.
Now that the applications have been ranked, the state is confirming that the winning applications meet all the state requirements to get a provisional dispensary license, which would allow the companies to start building their facilities.
Pennsylvania: Changes are coming to the state’s medical-marijuana program. The department of health is banning products that contain additives not approved by the FDA. This affects vaporized medical marijuana products. On the Department of Health’s website, there is a list of more than 600 products the department wants people to stop using.
They have also asked growers and processors to stop selling the items listed.
Rhode Island: The governor of Rhode Island included provisions in his proposed state budget for the fiscal year 2023 to legalize adult-use cannabis in the state. This marks the second year in a row that Gov. Dan McKee (D) has pushed for marijuana legalization through the state budget process. Still, he’s also included provisions that would provide for automatic expungement of certain marijuana-related convictions on this occasion.
The main point of contention between the governor and lawmakers over reforming Rhode Island’s marijuana laws concerns which state agency should be responsible for regulating the legal cannabis industry.
Utah: Utah lawmakers have approved a bill to protect the rights of medical cannabis patients employed by government agencies. Under the bill, SB46, the state and local governments would be required to treat medical cannabis recommendations the same as prescriptions for other controlled substances.
The legislation provides protection from discrimination in health care and public employment for medical cannabis patients. Republican Rep. Joel Ferry, the House floor sponsor of the bill, said that the law is designed to protect patients legally using cannabis under Utah’s Medical Cannabis Act, which voters passed in 2018.
Source: https://hightimes.com/news/utah-lawmakers-pass-bill-to-protect-medical-cannabis-patients/
South Dakota: Counties and municipalities in South Dakota can’t get out of having to license medical cannabis establishments. So says the South Dakota House of Representatives. On Monday afternoon, legislation that would have let local governments pass exemption ordinances failed on a 31-33 vote. HB 1095 needed at least 36 to advance to the Senate for further consideration.
South Dakota voters approved the statewide requirement two years ago as part of legalizing medical cannabis. IM 26 received 70% support.
Source: https://www.keloland.com/news/capitol-news-bureau/counties-cities-get-no-say-on-medical-marijuana/
Recreational
Arizona: A judge has dismissed a lawsuit challenging the state’s rules for implementing a program to award 26 social equity business licenses that the state Department of Health Services will award under Arizona’s 2020 law legalizing recreational marijuana.
The ruling issued on Feb. 1 by Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Randall Warner said the rules published by the department satisfy the broad mandates set under the voter-approved law put on the ballot through an initiative campaign. Source:
Source: https://www.fox10phoenix.com/news/arizona-judge-upholds-rules-for-social-equity-marijuana-licenses
California: One California lawmaker is hoping to recriminalize unlicensed cannabis cultivation by introducing a measure that would make it a felony to grow more than six plants without a permit. Assembly Bill 1725, by Thurston Smith, a Republican Assembly member from San Bernardino County, would change the penalties for unlicensed cannabis growing from a misdemeanor to a felony.
If the bill were to succeed, law enforcement would have new tools at its disposal with which to fight the illicit market. Misdemeanors are punishable by a maximum of one year in jail and a $1,000 fine – though first-time violators usually are only fined – while felonies are punishable by 16 months to three years in jail.
Source: https://mjbizdaily.com/california-bill-introduced-to-make-unlicensed-cannabis-cultivation-a-felony/
Connecticut: The state is about to take a significant step toward the sale of recreational cannabis for adults in Connecticut. The first application period for specific licenses will open on Thursday. It is for retailers and cultivators setting up in areas impacted by the war on drugs.
Cannabis was approved for adult use in Connecticut in June 2021, and retail sales are anticipated to begin by the end of the year. The state Department of Consumer Protection is going to start accepting the applications.
The Department of Consumer Protection will hold multiple lotteries on an ongoing basis and announce the number of available licenses before each application round.
Maine: Members of Maine’s medical marijuana industry pushed back Wednesday against a series of proposed regulations that they said are just a shorter version of rules they successfully fought off last year. The rules most recently proposed by the Maine Office of Marijuana Policy include product-tracking and other security requirements that industry members had already condemned as labor-intensive and cost-prohibitive the last time they were proposed. The Maine Legislature ultimately halted last year’s controversial rules.
Industry participants told officials in a public hearing on Wednesday that while some of the new rules are an improvement, the new proposal was still overreaching and overly burdensome.
Vermont: A suggested 15% tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) potency cap for cannabis products in Vermont’s adult-use cannabis market has been dismissed after an intense debate among the Vermont legislature. The state’s leading physician advocacy group, the Vermont Medical Society, initially issued the rejected recommendations to the Cannabis Control Board. However, following much deliberation, board members decided that the current 30% statutory cap on THC concentration in cannabis flower is appropriate.
According to members of the Vermont Medical Society, THC—the primary psychotropic cannabinoid found in cannabis—may impair a person’s ability to drive, harm fetuses, cause addiction, and contribute to psychotic disorders. However, many of these myths have already been dispelled.
Source: https://www.veriheal.com/blog/vermonts-cannabis-board-rejects-proposed-15-thc-cap-on-cannabis/
Virginia: Multiple bills in the Virginia General Assembly attempt to accelerate recreational marijuana sales, which could start as early as this summer. Meanwhile, some fear the approach lawmakers are leaning towards would give one group an unfair advantage in what’s expected to be a multi-billion dollar industry.
Last year, the General Assembly legalized possession of an ounce of cannabis and the home cultivation of four marijuana plants for those 21 and older. The current law sets a goal of starting legal sales for adults on Jan. 1, 2024, but that plan requires additional approval in a newly divided state government.
Source: https://www.wric.com/news/virginia-lawmakers-may-speed-up-recreational-marijuana-sales/
The Cannabis Business Advisors have more than thirty years of combined industry experience, spanning across the U.S. and around the globe. CB Advisors offers a comprehensive suite of services, including application and licensing preparation, operational analysis, merger and acquisition support, policy and procedures, exit strategy guidance, and business development planning.
Contact Info@thecannabisbusinessadvisors.com for more information on how to apply for a cannabis business license.
YOU MIGHT ALSO BE INTERESTED IN
