Latest Cannabis News: March 15, 2022
Latest Cannabis News: March 15, 2022
Stay up to date with the latest legalization and cannabis news with the C.B. 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
Kentucky: A key Kentucky House committee on Thursday approved a bill to legalize medical marijuana in the state.
The legislation, sponsored by Rep. Jason Nemes (R), cleared the House Judiciary Committee in a 15-1 vote. Meanwhile, separate adult-use and medical legalization bills were filed by Democratic lawmakers last month. The bill, HB 136, introduced in January, would establish a relatively restrictive program, prohibiting both the home cultivation of marijuana and the smoking of cannabis flower. Whole-plant products would be allowed under the bill, but patients would be required to vaporize them.
The Judiciary Committee adopted a committee substitute before advancing the legislation, though it’s not immediately clear what changes were made from the original 138-page bill.
DRY
Kansas: Last week, A bill was introduced in the Kansas Legislature, which would enact the medical marijuana regulation act.
The short title of the bill states that it is “Enacting the medical marijuana regulation act to regulate the cultivation, processing, distribution, sale, and use of medical marijuana.” In essence, the bill would create licenses and other regulations for medical marijuana and move administrative duties to the Secretary of Health and Environment, Secretary of Revenue, Board of Healing Arts, Board of Pharmacy, and the Director of alcohol and cannabis control.
The bill also creates fines and penalties for violations of the act and establishes a medical marijuana registration fund and a medical marijuana business regulation fund. Crimes would also be created, such as the unlawful storage and unlawful transport of medical marijuana.
Source: https://www.ksnt.com/capitol-bureau/medical-marijuana-bill-introduced-in-kansas-senate/
Medical
Delaware: A bill to legalize marijuana in Delaware failed to pass the House of Representatives on Thursday, even though a majority of members voted for it.
Two House committees had previously advanced the reform proposal from Rep. Ed Osienski (D) in recent weeks. Still, it was ultimately defeated by the full chamber in a vote of 23 representatives in support and 14 against, failing to reach the required 3/5 supermajority to advance to the Senate.
The legislation would have allowed adults 21 and older to purchase and possess up to one ounce of cannabis, including up to five grams of cannabis concentrates. Home cultivation and marijuana delivery services would not have been prohibited.
Louisiana: A slew of bills have been filed to expand Louisiana’s medical marijuana program, from increasing the number of licenses for pharmacies and growers allowed by state law to giving nurse practitioners the ability to recommend medical marijuana for a patient.
Right now, Louisiana has one of the highest costs for medical marijuana in the country. Advocates said the increased costs are tied to the fact that the state has just two growers.
Maryland: Lawmakers continue to mull a framework to legalize marijuana in Maryland as the 2022 General Assembly Session marches on in Annapolis, with differing opinions surfacing about ways to get the plan done.
There are different approaches to legalization moving through the chambers of the State House. In the House, a bill would legalize marijuana starting in July 2023, only after voters make the ultimate decision in November 2022. The House proposal also would allow up to 1.5 ounces of marijuana.
The House Judiciary Committee is scheduled to debate the House’s version Tuesday afternoon during a committee meeting. With just over 35 days left in session, Ferguson said he remained optimistic that a compromise plan would be made on the future of marijuana legalization in Maryland.
Mississippi: During the next few weeks, governing boards in towns, cities, and counties across Mississippi will decide whether or not to participate in the state’s new medical marijuana program.
At least four confirmed cities have decided that for now, they do not want dispensaries, cultivators, or processing facilities operating in their communities. Governing boards have up to 90 days after the program was signed into law on Feb. 2 to hold a public vote to determine whether they want to allow certain medical marijuana-related businesses to operate in their communities.
They have the option to opt back in at any point. Voters in those communities also have the ability to request a special election by gathering either signature by petition from either 1,500 registered voters or 20% of the population (whichever is the least).
Missouri: Cannabis activists lined up Tuesday to urge Missouri lawmakers to move quickly to fully legalize marijuana and derail a competing ballot initiative backed by existing medical marijuana businesses.
The Cannabis Freedom Act, sponsored by Rep. Ron Hicks, R-Defiance, combines numerous marijuana-related bills into one but at its core legalizes possession and use of the drug for individuals 21 and older.
Supporters said Missouri lawmakers should blunt momentum for Legal Missouri 2022, a campaign currently collecting signatures for the Nov. 8 ballot. That plan would give current medical marijuana businesses the first shot at full recreational sales and keep in place the state’s ability to limit licenses.
Oklahoma: Last week, Republicans in the Oklahoma House unveiled a package of new restrictions on the state’s booming medical marijuana industry, designed to crack down on illegal growers who sell cannabis on the black market.
The 12-point plan includes standardization of lab testing and equipment, more inspections of grow facilities, separate licenses for marijuana wholesalers, and stringent new reporting requirements for electric and water usage by growers. One proposal would also make the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority a stand-alone agency, not a division of the Oklahoma State Department of Health.
West Virginia: A bill to limit the number of medical cannabis testing laboratories in West Virginia to two failed to pass into law Saturday.
Hb 4267 states that no more than two licensed laboratories can receive permits to operate under the West Virginia Medical Cannabis Act through Jan. 1, 2025. The bill passed through the house last month and was passed with a 30-3 vote Saturday evening in the Senate.
However, after the West Virginia House made a last-minute change to the title, the Senate ran out of time to approve the bill.
South Dakota: South Dakota lawmakers, who have been divided on allowing home cultivation in the state’s medical cannabis program, have reached a compromise that is now headed to Gov. Kristi Noem’s desk, according to a Mitchell Republic report. The current medical cannabis law, which voters approved in the November 2020 election, allows patients to grow three or more plants at home. Still, the new deal reached by legislators would limit patients to four plants, two of which can be mature, Mitchell Republic reported.
According to the news outlet, the four-plant limit comes from recommendations from a legislative conference committee of three lawmakers from the House and three from the Senate who voted 4-2 on March 9 to approve the new cap.
Recreational
California: The California Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) announced on March 4 that it was releasing a list of changes to the state’s regulations on cannabis. According to a press release, these changes intend to “streamline and simplify” existing cannabis regulations, as well as “enhance consumer protections and make permanent changes that are currently in effect as emergency regulations.”
The proposed changes can be read in their entirety here, which includes a variety of suggestions, ranging from video surveillance and sale of live cannabis plants, cannabis event requirements, certificate of analysis, and much more. The DCC summarizes some of these key changes to include no longer requiring distributors to have paper copies of product test results, allowing pre-packaged food and beverages for sale at consumption lounges, ingredient restrictions for inhaled cannabis products, and a ban on medical devices or applicators such as “nasal sprays, eye drops or metered-dose inhalers.”
Source: https://hightimes.com/news/california-cannabis-department-proposes-new-regulatory-changes/
Connecticut: Last week, the Department of Consumer Protection began accepting lottery applications for Product Manufacturer licenses. The application period for product manufacturer licenses will close at 11:59 p.m. EST on June 8, 2022.
Applications can be found at and must be completed through the online portal. Interested applicants can view a description of each license type to determine which license is appropriate for their business.
An unofficial count of the number of lottery applications received by the Department of Consumer Protection is available at ct.gov/cannabis and updated weekly.
New Jersey: Recreational cannabis in New Jersey is so close that one can almost smell it. Per Governor Phil Murphy: the state is “within weeks” of sales to adult-use consumers beyond medical patients. As of today, however, the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission (NJ-CRC) has not approved recreational sales for any of the state’s 23 operational medical marijuana dispensaries. One reason for this delay (original approval was set for Feb. 22) is the pending written approval of local authorities for adult-use businesses within their districts.
Application fees start at $100, and annual license fees are tied to size, with microbusinesses paying as little as $1,000 per year, up to cultivators with a canopy of 150,000 sq feet paying $50,000 per year. Cannabis business employees are required to register with the NJ-CRC and pay an annual $25 fee for a Cannabis Business ID Card, with all employees being required to undergo a training course.
Source: https://cannacon.org/new-jersey-cannabis-laws/
New York: Plans for the first outlets for retail sales of cannabis are soon to be announced in the state. However, in order to be one of the state’s first licensed retailers, the applicant or the applicant’s family must have been convicted of a cannabis-related crime.
This week, the state plans to open its application process for cultivators, with the application window for the Adult-Use Conditional Cultivator License between March 15, 2022, and June 30, 2022. This license will be available for eligible hemp growers to apply for a license that will allow them to grow cannabis containing over 0.3% THC.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/09/nyregion/marijuana-sellers-licenses-hochul.html
Washington: In a significant setback to D.C. leaders, Congress retained a provision preventing the city from commercializing marijuana in the omnibus spending package it unveiled Wednesday, dashing the city’s hopes for pushing through legislation to regulate recreational pot.
The spending package also retained a long-standing rider — a type of restriction on how funds can be used — that would ban the District from using local funds to subsidize abortions for low-income women.
Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/03/09/dc-marijuana-abortion-congress/
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