Latest Cannabis News: March 8, 2022
Latest Cannabis News: March 8, 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
Georgia: According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Georgia House Regulated Industries Committee unanimously approved legislation March 1 that would revive the rollout of the state’s medical cannabis program.
State Rep. Alan Powell’s (R-Hartwell) House Bill 1400 would allow the state to license 16 companies that protested Georgia’s licensing process and have since held up the rollout of a regulated program to provide low-THC oil to registered patients.
After years of regulatory limbo that allowed registered patients in Georgia to legally possess—but not purchase—the oil (which must contain no more than 5% THC), the Legislature passed legislation in the spring of 2019 to legalize the production and sale of the oil in the state. With approval from the House Regulated Industries Committee, H.B. 1400 now heads to the full House for consideration.
Kentucky: Legislation is currently pending in Kentucky, Senate Bill 305, which seeks to decriminalize minor amounts of cannabis/marijuana possession and use.
If passed, individuals would not be penalized for possessing up to eight ounces of cannabis and cultivating up to five plants. The bill also provides for the expungement of eligible convictions for cannabis-related offenses that the bill would decriminalize.
Although two local jurisdictions have voted to decriminalize limited possession, current state law still penalizes the possession of up to eight ounces of cannabis with 45 days in jail and a $250 fine.
Source: https://norml.org/act/kentucky-legislation-to-decriminalize-limited-personal-possession-of-cannabis/
South Carolina: At the end of January 2022, the South Carolina Senate started to debate the “South Carolina Compassionate Care Act” (S. 150 and H. 3361), which has gained bipartisan support since the bill was introduced just over a year ago.
Although lawmakers have not voted on the bill, proponents of the legislation believe that they have enough votes to pass the Senate. If that is the case, the bill will be sent to the House for further debate, amendment, and a potential vote.
If the bill passes, South Carolina residents would be allowed to possess up to two ounces of non-smokable cannabis for a “debilitating medical condition,” so long as a qualifying doctor approves them.
Source: https://www.snelllaw.com/blog/2022/march/south-carolina-senate-debates-medical-marijuana-/
Wyoming: A proposal to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana won’t come up for a vote this legislative session, according to the bill’s sponsor.
The legislation was initially filed last month, Marijuana Moment reported. But state Rep. Mark Baker, R-Rock Springs, told The Center Square that there isn’t time to take up the bill in a shortened session devoted to the budget.
Medical
Florida The Florida health department chose BioTrack as the software provider for the state’s medical cannabis track-and-trace system. According to a news release, the agency’s negotiators voted “unanimously” to award the contract to Fort Lauderdale, Florida-based BioTrack, which will monitor the movement of marijuana inventory throughout the state and assist in product recalls.
Cannabis companies in 38 states use BioTrack’s point-of-sale software and work with ten other state governments. The medical marijuana program in Connecticut signed on with BioTrack last November.
Source: https://mjbizdaily.com/florida-awards-medical-cannabis-track-and-trace-contract-to-biotrack/
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 on 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.
Across the hall in the Senate, there are dueling proposals. One, backed by Baltimore Democrat Sen. Jill Carter, created a legal marijuana marketplace without voter approval and would begin July 1, 2022. Carter’s proposal also would allow up to 4 ounces of marijuana.
Mississippi: Pass Christian is now the first city on the Mississippi Gulf Coast to opt-out of the state’s medical-marijuana program. The Board of Aldermen decided Tuesday to opt-out of the cultivation, processing, and sale or distribution of medical cannabis, saying it’s too early to opt-in. City leaders expressed a desire to see how other municipalities deal with the program before participating.
City leaders in Ridgeland are also opting out. Their decision Tuesday means there won’t be any facilities for growing or selling in the Jackson suburb for now.
A provision in the recently passed medical marijuana legislation allows counties and municipalities to opt out within three months of signing the bill into law on February 2. Residents can petition for an election to overrule those decisions if they choose.
Source: https://www.supertalk.fm/two-cities-choose-to-opt-out-of-mississippi-medical-marijuana-program/
New Hampshire: Lawmakers in Concord are digging into the numbers on just how much money New Hampshire could make from legalizing marijuana and controlling sales as it does with liquor. State representatives are divided over how much demand there would be for legal marijuana. In February, a bipartisan majority of state representatives passed legislation to make New Hampshire a cannabis control state, selling its tax-free marijuana at ten storefronts statewide.
Supporters said the first $25 million in net revenue would fund drug treatment. After that, 90% would be put toward cutting the statewide education property tax. The authors of the bill are predicting a significant annual windfall.
Source: https://www.wmur.com/article/new-hampshire-legalization-marijuana-march-3-2022/39316566#
Ohio: A bid in Ohio to allow patients with autism to be treated with medical cannabis gained momentum this week, with lawmakers in the state House overwhelmingly passing a bill on Wednesday.
According to Cleveland.com, the bill, sponsored by a Democrat and a Republican, passed by a vote of 73-13, according to Cleveland.com, and it will now move to the state Senate for consideration. (Republicans hold the majority in both chambers.) The bill would also represent a long-awaited breakthrough for advocates who have tried unsuccessfully for years to add autism to the state’s list of qualifying conditions.
In 2020, the Ohio State Medical Board rejected a petition to include autism and anxiety among the qualifying conditions.
Source: https://hightimes.com/news/ohio-lawmakers-advance-bill-to-allow-medical-cannabis-for-autism/
Oklahoma: On Monday, 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 an Oklahoma State Department of Health division.
Source: https://www.ctpost.com/news/article/Republican-lawmakers-unveil-medical-marijuana-16983580.php
Pennsylvania: The Pennsylvania Senate is holding a series of hearings on the potential legalization of marijuana use for people age 21 and older. Legislators heard from experts in states where recreational marijuana is legally being sold.
Rhode Island: After disagreeing on competing proposals last year, the House and Senate on Tuesday unveiled legislation to legalize and regulate recreational marijuana for adults in Rhode Island, beginning Oct. 1.
With support from legislative leaders, Senator Joshua Miller, a Cranston Democrat, and Representative Scott A. Slater, a Providence Democrat, introduced identical 115-page bills that would legalize the sale and possession of up to 1 ounce of cannabis for those age 21 and up.
The bills would allow people to keep up to 10 ounces of marijuana at home for personal use, and they’d let people grow a small amount of marijuana at home.
South Dakota: The rollercoaster ride to adult-use cannabis legalization in South Dakota came to a screeching halt on March 3, when House members voted to put it to rest for the remainder of this session. Senate Bill 3 aimed to legalize up to 1 ounce of cannabis for possession and use by adults 21 and older. The South Dakota Senate voted 18-17 to pass the measure Feb. 23, but it arrived in a less receptive House earlier this week.
South Dakota House State Affairs Committee members voted 8-3 on Feb. 28 to delay consideration of S.B. 3 to March 29—one day after the state Legislature’s 2022 session ends—essentially killing the adult-use legalization effort for all intended purposes.
Source: https://www.cannabisbusinesstimes.com/article/sd-adult-use-bill-hits-end-of-road-again/
Recreational
Illinois: People in Illinois can currently lose their job if they test positive for cannabis, even though the drug is legal in the state. A House Democrat hopes to pass a plan this week to add protections for workers who use legal products during their free time.
Illinois legalized adult-use marijuana in 2019, but some feel lawmakers forgot to address workplace policy for cannabis consumers.
Rep. Bob Morgan (D-Deerfield) says his legislation could help employees who use medical or recreational marijuana who may take drug tests and possibly jeopardize their jobs. The bill could prohibit employers from firing or disciplining employees or not hiring applicants who use any form of cannabis.
Maine: Maine marijuana regulators are backing off a proposal to change the state’s medical marijuana rules after disapproval from the industry.
The rules included product tracking and other new security requirements. Members of the industry slammed the proposal as an overreach that would likely result in higher costs for consumers. The Maine Office of Marijuana Policy has decided to work with the industry to draft a new set of rules.
New Jersey: With several recreational cannabis dispensaries applying to open in towns across New Jersey, as well as existing medical dispensary companies hoping to sell for recreational use, sales of recreational marijuana could begin this month, Gov. Phil Murphy was quoted as saying during his monthly radio show last month.
The state has 23 medical marijuana dispensaries. Eight of the ten companies owning them have already applied to the state’s Cannabis Regulatory Commission for “conversion,” according to the Asbury Park Press report. This means they could sell for non-medical uses to people 21 or over.
Source: https://patch.com/new-jersey/livingston/recreational-cannabis-sales-could-begin-soon-nj-murphy-says
Oregon: The Oregon legislature passed HB 4016 last week. The bill takes effect on an emergency basis following Governor Brown’s signature or 30 days from now if the Governor doesn’t veto.
The bill will inactivate all marijuana license applications received after January 1, 2022, allowing the OLCC to refuse to issue any new marijuana license until further notice. As we noted back in February, this directly contradicts OLCC guidance published in November that numerous applicants relied on when submitting applications and making business decisions. There’s a lot to break down here, so let’s get into it.
The OLCC will only process applications submitted on or before January 1, 2022, including a valid land use compatibility statement. All applications received after January 1, 2022, will be inactivated. Applicants who submitted applications before the January deadline but did not include a valid land use compatibility statement must submit one within 21 days of the bill’s enactment, or the OLCC will inactivate the application.
Source: https://greenlightlawgroup.com/blog/moratorium-on-all-new-oregon-marijuana-licenses-passes-senate
Vermont: More than 30 communities approved Town Meeting Day measures allowing retail marijuana sales within their borders as Vermont’s first retail businesses are expected to open in the fall. The votes added to communities that already opted-in, culminating in 65 towns and cities that will allow cannabis retail sales in Vermont.
Just over 40 cities and towns voted on these local articles on Tuesday.
Among the 32 municipalities that approved were the larger communities of Barre City, Essex, Manchester, and Rutland and smaller towns such as Bolton, Grand Isle, Milton, Springfield, and Waitsfield.
Virginia: Republicans in the Virginia House blocked a measure that allowed limited retail sales of recreational marijuana to start later this year. On a 5-3 party-line vote, the subcommittee voted to hold off on the measure until next year. Virginians can legally share marijuana, grow it at home and seek a medical license. However, there is no regulatory structure for retail sales.
Ebbin’s bill would have allowed existing medical marijuana providers a limited number of industrial hemp processors to start selling recreational marijuana in mid-September, more than a year before the total retail market would have opened in 2024.
Washington: Washington state regulators will finally require pesticide testing of adult-use cannabis products, which nearly all other markets with legal marijuana programs already need. The state already tests medical marijuana products for pesticides.
The new rules also allow the state’s Liquor and Cannabis Board (LCB) to test both recreational and medical marijuana products for heavy metals on a random basis or as part of an investigation, the agency said in a news release.
The rules will take effect April 2, 2022, though additional time will be allowed so products already in the system can be sold.
Washington, D.C.: More than 50 leading marijuana advocacy and civil rights organizations sent a letter to congressional leaders and appropriators on Friday, asking that they finally allow recreational cannabis sales to begin in Washington, D.C.—eight years after voters approved a local legalization ballot measure.
Specifically, the groups—led by the Drug Policy Alliance (DPA)—say they want to “maintain” the removal of the D.C. language in a spending bill approved by the House last year and circulated in draft form in the Senate. The District is currently prohibited from using its local tax dollars to implement a system of regulated marijuana sales due to the appropriations rider that’s been annually approved since 2014.
The Cannabis Business Advisors have more than thirty years of combined industry experience, spanning across the U.S. and around the globe. C.B. 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
