Latest Cannabis News: March 9, 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.

Dry:

Idaho: A campaign spearheaded by Idaho medical marijuana activists is collecting signatures in a petition to achieve their goals. Due to the pandemic, the group says they missed their opportunity last year, but this year, they say they are ready to make it happen. Tracie Carlson is a volunteer for Kind Idaho, which is a state-wide campaign working towards collecting more than 65,000 signatures in a petition to get the legalization of medical marijuana on the 2022 ballot. “I just feel it is so important that we bring medical marijuana into Idaho,” said Carlson. “I know not everyone feels the same way.”
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Kansas: After previously unsuccessful efforts, Kansas lawmakers have introduced a new bill in hopes that the state will follow through with medical marijuana legalization. Under the House bill, only certified physicians could prescribe marijuana and prescription could only result from a specific list of symptoms such as chronic pain, cancer or brain injury. It would also require doctors to see patients for at least a year before prescribing marijuana and would limit to use to forms like edible products and oils, excluding smoking.
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CBD:

Alabama: An Alabama Senate committee on Wednesday approved a bill to decriminalize marijuana possession. The Judiciary Committee advanced the legislation after brief discussion in a 6-3 vote. It now heads to the full Senate for consideration. Under the proposal, sponsored by Sen. Bobby Singleton (D), possessing less than two ounces of marijuana would be a simple violation that carries a $250 fine. That’s consistent with a previous version of the senator’s decriminalization bill that also moved through committee in 2019 but later died without a floor vote.
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South Carolina: Health care advocates, criminal justice reform proponents, budget hawks and veterans groups are among bipartisan supporters hoping the seventh time is the charm when it comes to South Carolina establishing a legal medical marijuana program. This year’s version of the South Carolina Compassionate Care Act, Senate Bill 150, has been filed by Sen. Tom Davis, R-Beaufort, who has authored several of the similar bills that have failed since 2015.
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South Dakota: An overwhelming majority of state senators in South Dakota are OK with giving the state more time to implement medical marijuana, but only if small amounts of marijuana are decriminalized for adults in the meantime. Legislation passed Monday on the chamber floor to do just that has the Senate headed for a showdown with their colleagues in the House, where so far Gov. Kristi Noem’s desire to stop South Dakota’s march toward legal marijuana has been largely supported.
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Tennessee: A Tennessee bill seeking to make cannabis legal for medical purposes is moving forward. The “Tennessee Medical Cannabis Act” seeks to regulate medical marijuana. Proposed by State Sen. Janice Bowling (R-Tullahoma) and Rep. Iris Rudder (R-Winchester), SB0854/HB0621 would also allow licenses for providers of medical cannabis which would allow for the cultivation, transportation, transport, and selling to dispensaries.
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Texas: A recent poll by the University of Texas and the Texas Tribune hints at a significant rise in the state’s support for cannabis legalization. The survey asked Texans whether or not they supported cannabis legalization, letting respondents choose between four options: “Never,” “For Medical Purposes Only,” “Small Amounts for Any Use,” or “Any Amount for Any Use.” Overall, 60 percent of Texans support legalizing the possession of either small amounts or any amount of cannabis, for any use.
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Wyoming: Teton County Representative Mike Yin along with 13 other Wyoming lawmakers are sponsoring a bill outlining the regulation of marijuana in the state of Wyoming. The bill number, HB0209 was assigned yesterday, March 2. The bill will allow for the sale, purchase, possession, and cultivation of marijuana, regulated by the state of Wyoming. If the bill passes, a person in Wyoming over the age of 21 may possess up to three ounces of retail marijuana, 16 ounces of solid marijuana retail product, 72 ounces of retail liquid product, and 30 grams of retail marijuana concentrate.
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Medical:

Connecticut: The governor of Connecticut says he thinks the odds of his marijuana legalization bill passing this session are 60-40—and he’s not ruling out signing the legislation even if it’s amended to allow for home cultivation. Gov. Ned Lamont (D) was asked about the prospects of his proposal advancing during an interview with WPLR on Monday. He said that while the issue has proven “surprisingly controversial” in the legislature—in part because lawmakers get “a little shaky” when they receive messages from opponents—”I think it’s going to pass.”
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Florida: A  House panel on Tuesday pushed forward a proposal to impose limits on the amount of euphoria-inducing THC in medical marijuana products. The proposal, approved in a party-line vote by the House Professions & Public Health Subcommittee, would place a 10 percent THC cap on smokable marijuana and limit THC levels to 60 percent in most other medical-marijuana products. THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, is the main psychoactive component of marijuana that makes users feel high.
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Hawaii: Hawaii lawmakers on Wednesday voted to move forward with a bill that would legalize marijuana sales in the state and allow adults 21 and over to grow the plant at home. The vote comes a day after a Senate panel approved separate legislation to significantly increase the amount of cannabis that is decriminalized under current state law. Another Senate committee voted last month to advance both measures, which will now proceed to the Senate floor.
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Iowa: In a bipartisan vote Wednesday, an Iowa Senate panel advanced a bill that lessens penalties for first-time, small-scale marijuana possession. The Iowa Senate Judiciary Committee passed Senate Study Bill 1226, which would reduce the crime of possessing five grams or less of marijuana from a serious misdemeanor to a simple misdemeanor.
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Maryland: As Maryland lawmakers consider two marijuana legalization bills this session, a new poll shows that the state’s residents are on board with the policy change. Two-thirds (67 percent) of Marylanders now back legalizing cannabis, according to the Goucher College survey published on Tuesday. Just 28 percent are opposed. Support is strong across party lines, with 77 percent of Democrats, 50 percent of Republicans and 66 percent of independents on board with making marijuana legal.
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Minnesota: A proposed bill legalizing the use of marijuana flower for medicinal purposes has passed a Minnesota Senate committee. Advocates for the bill think it will eventually gain full approval from the Senate. Patrick McClellan told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS he was surprised the bill passed on a unanimous vote in the Senate’s Health and Human Services Finance and Policy Committee on March 1.
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Mississippi: Mississippi’s medical cannabis industry is already bustling even as the State Supreme Court considers striking down the legalization initiative that was supported by 70 percent of voters. Despite the current limbo state of Mississippi’s medical cannabis system — the Mississippi Supreme Court may yet strike down the state’s successful ballot initiative due to improper signature gathering — and licenses not being issued until August at the earliest, many for-profit and nonprofit corporations have already formed in anticipation of medical cannabis coming to Mississippi, the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal reports.
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Missouri: A bill that would prohibit family courts from discriminating against a parent or custodian for using medical marijuana was discussed by the Committee for Seniors, Families, Veterans & Military Affairs Wednesday morning. Sponsored by Sen. Barbara Anne Washington, D-Kansas City, Senate Bill 357 “is asking that we not punish or prejudice those persons who actually have a medical marijuana card, got it and are using only medical marijuana…” to help alleviate problems “like a chronic disease, chronic illnesses (or) chronic pain,” Washington said.
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Oklahoma: Retail licenses for Oklahoma’s medical cannabis program declined 8% in 2020, the first contraction for the open-license market since MMJ sales began in 2018. Despite surging sales and patient numbers, Oklahoma ended 2020 with 181 fewer retail licenses than it did in 2019 – even after issuing 565 new permits throughout 2020, according to Cannabiz Media, a Connecticut-based cannabis license database and marketing platform.
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Rhode Island: The governor of Rhode Island and legislative leaders in the Senate want to legalize marijuana in the state this year. But they’re putting forward diverging plans this week on how best to accomplish that. Senate Majority Leader Michael McCaffrey (D) and Health & Human Services Chairman Joshua Miller (D) held a press conference on Tuesday to go over the legislation they are filing on Thursday, which is the product of months of collaboration at the behest of Senate President Dominick Ruggerio (D).
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Virginia: A GOP congressman representing Virginia is urging the state’s governor to reject a bill to legalize marijuana that was sent to his desk last month. Freshman Rep. Bob Good (R-VA) argued that legalization is the wrong move, in part because he subscribes to the theory that cannabis is a “gateway” to other drugs and believes that federal law accurately classifies marijuana as a strictly controlled substance.
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West Virginia: The governor of West Virginia isn’t personally a fan of marijuana legalization, but for the second time in a week, he said that he’d support the reform if the legislature sent a bill to his desk. In response to a question about the prospect of taxing “the absolute crap” out of cannabis, Gov. Jim Justice (R) said during a virtual town hall event on Friday that he’s “not a proponent of recreational marijuana.” However, he noted, “it seems like the entire nation is going to end up moving that way.”
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Recreational:

Alaska: Alaska marijuana regulators are considering loosening restrictions on edible marijuana products in the state. The regulation change would double the amount of THC, the plant’s psychoactive compound, allowed in a single serving. The proposed change, under consideration by the state Marijuana Control Board, would increase the allowed content in a single serving from 5 to 10 milligrams of THC, and for a single package of edibles from 50 to 100 milligrams of THC total. So, for example, a package of cookies could contain up to 100 milligrams of THC, and each cookie could contain a 10 milligram dose.
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California: Five years after California legalized recreational cannabis, one state lawmaker has proposed a bill that would make pre-employment pot testing a thing of the past for the majority of jobseekers in the state. If AB 1256 passes, most California workplaces would be prohibited from using evidence of past pot use, such as the results of hair and urine tests, to deny someone employment, or to fire them.
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Colorado: A Colorado bill under consideration by the state Legislature aims to make life easier for kids and their families. It would require schools and school districts to have a policy allowing their employees to store and administer medical cannabis recommended for a student by a doctor. Senate Minority Leader Chris Holbert, a Republican from Douglas County, said Senate Bill 21-56 is more important to him than any other legislation he’s sponsoring this session. The seven lawmakers on the Education Committee approved the bill unanimously on February 24, sending it to the Appropriations Committee for review on a yet-to-be-determined date.
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Illinois: Illinois dispensaries unloaded nearly $2.9 million worth of recreational marijuana each day in February, outpacing a record set just a month earlier. Average daily sales in February hit a new high of roughly $2.88 million, up from the $2.86 million a month earlier, according to figures released this week by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation.
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Maine: After years of revisions, Maine’s marijuana regulators are finally putting the state’s medical marijuana program in synch with state laws. The Maine Medical Use of Marijuana Act has been amended by at least eight separate pieces of legislation since rules were last revised in February 2018, said Erik Gundersen, director of the Maine Office of Marijuana Policy. The act’s administrative regulations need to reflect current laws, he said. The marijuana policy office has filed a proposed rule with Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows and must now conduct a public hearing and written comment period. The public hearing will be March 22 and it will be conducted via Zoom.
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Massachusetts: Buying legal marijuana has become a convenient reality in Massachusetts but finding someplace to legally smoke it is a different story. A bill aims to address that predicament by authorizing licensed cannabis lounges. State Sen. Julian Cyr, who represents the Cape and Islands, proposed the bill that he believes is a practical concept. It’s unclear how long it will take for the bill proposed by Cyr to move through the Massachusetts legislature. He predicts the earliest it will see traction is in the second year of the legislative session in 2022.
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Michigan: Michigan is among the top 10 in terms of the number of jobs, jobs added in 2020 and cannabis sales in 2020. There are 18,078 legal cannabis jobs in Michigan — 9,216 were added in 2020, a doubling. Cannabis sales in Michigan fell just shy of $1 billion in 2020 — $989,642,000. Michigan doubled its legal cannabis workforce in a single year. There are now more cannabis workers than cops in Michigan. In a state known for its auto industry, the number of cannabis workers is now roughly equal to the number of auto repair mechanics.
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Montana: In the background of the first half of the Montana Legislature, lawmakers have been quietly cultivating the bill to bring recreational marijuana’s implementation to life. Legislators in the majority party said last week they hope to reach a consensus-worthy bill — a reflective but revised version of the initiative voters passed last year — and have continued to hold high-level meetings with the governor’s office. The bill could surface by the end of this week, a spokesperson for the House GOP said.
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Vermont: The Evansville Trading Post, a general store in the small town of Brownington, has adapted over the years to stay afloat. These days, its wares include food, fuel, fishing licenses and furniture. Thanks to the town’s voters, store owners Andrew and Kelly Swett hope to add cannabis to that list — not the CBD that’s already available on the counter, but the THC-containing products that people use to get high. About two dozen Vermont towns considered similar measures on Town Meeting Day, and almost all passed them.
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Washington: Washington state lawmakers have once again tabled a bill that would have allowed residents to grow cannabis at home. Despite early momentum for the measure, House Bill 1019 didn’t make it past a key mid-session deadline to pass out of its house of origin.
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