Latest Cannabis News: May 11, 2021
Latest Cannabis News: May 11, 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
Alabama: Alabama’s State Legislature voted to legalize medical marijuana late Thursday, becoming the most recent state to possibly approve its use amid ongoing talks over revamping cannabis laws. The measure would create a medical cannabis commission to regulate, license and oversee distribution of medical marijuana. Doctors could prescribe medical marijuana for several conditions including cancer, a terminal illness, epilepsy and chronic pain. Patients would receive medical cannabis cards, and vaping or smoking of medical marijuana would be prohibited while products including gummies, oils or creams are allowed. The legislation now heads to Gov. Kay Ivey’s desk for her signature.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2021/05/06/politics/alabama-medical-marijuana/index.html
Georgia: Republican Governor Brian Kemp signed legislation into law last week, Senate Bill 195, permitting the establishment of up to 30 state-licensed retailers of high-CBD/low-THC oil products to qualified patients. The new law takes effect on July 1, 2021. About 15,000 Georgians are registered under the law to qualify for the use of high-CBD/low-THC oils. State regulators are expected in the coming months to award licenses to eligible applicants to begin cultivating cannabis and manufacturing oil extract products. Senate Bill 195 permits those awarded production licenses to also possess up to five retail dispensing licenses.
Indiana: The governor of Indiana signed a bill into law that amends the state’s zero tolerance per se approach to drivers found with even trace amounts of THC in their system while operating a motor vehicle. Under Indiana’s zero tolerance per se DUI laws, it’s a misdemeanor to drive with any detectable amount of THC or its metabolites in the driver’s blood or urine. Doing so can result in stiff penalties, even if there’s no indication the driver was intoxicated at the time the sample was taken. The bill signed into law by Gov. Eric Holcomb – SB 201 – is sponsored by Rep. Jim Lucas, Rep. Cindy Ledbetter and Rep. Health Van Natter. It ensures drivers found with THC in their blood or urine can provide an affirmative defense to Indiana’s per se laws on two bases: that the driver was not responsible for a traffic accident and that they showed no signs of being intoxicated. Following Gov. Eric Holcomb’s approval of the measure, the law change will take effect on July 1, 2021.
North Carolina: The tribal council for the Cherokee in western North Carolina voted Thursday to legalize medical marijuana on tribal lands. The tribal land will be the first area in the state with legal possession of pot.
The vote makes possession of up to one ounce of marijuana by people 21 and older legal on tribal land, called the Qualla Boundary. It’s still illegal to grow or sell pot on the tribe’s land. But Principal Chief Richard Sneed said this vote is just the first in what will be a series of moves to legalize marijuana on tribal lands.
South Carolina: The sponsor of South Carolina’s medical marijuana bill claims “the votes are there” to pass medical marijuana despite the bill not getting to the governor’s desk in 2021.
The South Carolina Compassionate Care Act would allow non-smokable forms of pot for people with illnesses, including cancer, multiple sclerosis, glaucoma, sickle cell anemia and autism. Its sponsor, state Sen. Tom Davis calls it “the most conservative medical cannabis bill in the country.” Davis said as recently as January the bill would become law in 2021. After seven years of fighting for the legislation, his timeline has shifted again to 2022.The bill already passed the Senate Medical Affairs Committee 9-5, with four Republicans and two Democrats against it. The legislation “will be the first debated when the SC Senate reconvenes next January,” Davis wrote on Twitter Thursday.
Tennessee: A bill that opponents call a weak medical marijuana law passed through the state legislature Wednesday. The bill decriminalizes cannabis oil with up to 0.9% THC content for people suffering from particular medical conditions. Nine medical conditions are covered. Epilepsy was already included under current law, but conditions such as cancer and Alzheimer’s disease were also added to the list. The bill also creates a cannabis commission that would make decisions on medical marijuana in the state should cannabis be deregulated as a schedule one substance federally. The oil has to be obtained by patients outside of Tennessee. Opponents of the bill said it doesn’t go nearly far enough.
Texas: Last week, the Texas State House of Representatives passed House Bill 1535 to expand permissive medical use of low-THC cannabis by patients with a medical condition approved by the Health and Human Services Commission. The bill would broaden the State’s medicinal cannabis program, or the Compassionate Use Program.
Last week was eventful for cannabis reform in Texas, as the House of Representatives approved three legislative proposals, which would expand the state’s medical cannabis program, reduce penalties for concentrates and decriminalize possession. The state’s current medical cannabis program is limited to patients with the qualifying conditions: intractable epilepsy, terminal cancer, seizure disorders, multiple sclerosis, spasticity, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, autism or an incurable neurodegenerative disease; however, the House approved House Bill 1535 in a 134-12 vote on April 28, which would expand the qualifying conditions in the program to include cancer, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and chronic pain, The Texas Tribune reported. The bill would also permit the Department of State Health Services (DSHS) to add additional qualifying conditions through administrative rule-making, The Texas Tribune reported.
Source: https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/texas-house-bill-1535-a-mild-expansion-4913538/
Source: https://www.cannabisdispensarymag.com/article/texas-house-approves-three-cannabis-reforms/
Wisconsin: A GOP-led Wisconsin joint committee on Thursday voted to scrap the governor’s budget proposal to legalize marijuana in the state—one of nearly 400 provisions that were eliminated. In a vote of 12-4, the Joint Finance Committee removed language that would establish an adult-use cannabis market and medical marijuana system. The move was widely anticipated in the Republican-controlled legislature, and it’s led to calls from Gov. Tony Evers (D) and other Democratic policymakers to have residents put pressure on their representatives to support the administration’s agenda.
Wyoming: Tribal leaders in Wyoming have announced a special general meeting this month to vote on the legalization and decriminalization of medical marijuana.
The Eastern Shoshone General Council will vote on May 15 at Rocky Mountain Hall on the Wind River Reservation, about 145 miles (230 kilometers) west of Casper, the Casper Star-Tribune reported Tuesday. A public meeting will be held two days before the vote to receive more information on medical marijuana. Tribal member Bobbi Shongutsie will present agenda items to decriminalize medical marijuana by removing it from the Shoshone and Arapaho Law and Order Code, legalize medical marijuana and create a regulatory commission.
Medical
Arkansas: Arkansas medical marijuana patients will soon be able to buy the product in Oklahoma.The Arkansas Department of Health announced Wednesday it anticipates issuing registry ID cards within the next 30 days, pending next week’s Medical Marijuana Commission (MMC) meeting where commissioners plan to award the state’s 32 dispensary licenses. The more than 6,700 patients approved in Arkansas have only received letters. The health department planned to print the cards one month prior to the product’s availability at dispensaries. “We didn’t want the patients to have their cards expire and have to pay again to renew a card when they hadn’t even had an opportunity to purchase any medical marijuana,” said Melton. The renewal fee is $50.
Source: https://armoneyandpolitics.com/arkansas-medical-marijuana-oklahoma/
Hawaii: This year, Hawaii lawmakers rejected calls to legalize marijuana for recreational use. A new Civil Beat-Hawaii News Now poll shows the issue remains divisive among voters. The poll shows an even split — 43% in support and 42% opposed to legalize weed. That’s within the margin of error. Of those surveyed, 16% said it didn’t matter to them or were unsure. But recreational marijuana is supported by 54% of neighbor island voters, 57% of voters under 50, 59% of Caucasian voters and 52% of Democrats.
Louisiana: In a 73 to 26 vote, the Louisiana House of Representatives approved a bill that will allow “smokable” medical cannabis, according to The Advocate. The bill, sponsored by House Speaker Pro Tempore Tanner Magee (R), will allow patients to purchase up to 72 grams of “smokable” product at a time. Currently, Louisiana patients can only purchase non-smokable forms of cannabis like tinctures or gummies.
Proponents and opponents of legalizing recreational marijuana are both mounting a furious last-minute lobbying effort ahead of a potentially decisive vote Monday on a bill before Louisiana’s conservative House of Representatives. The state’s sheriffs, who enjoy huge influence at the State Capitol, are asking lawmakers to vote “no” on Rep. Richard Nelson’s House Bill 699, which would legalize the drug for recreational use by adults over 21. They claim the measure, which has shown surprising viability, is rushed and ignores the downsides of legalization other states have experienced. On Saturday, the Louisiana Republican Party, which rarely wades into legislative issues, issued a “call to action” urging people to contact their lawmakers to get them to vote down the bill.
Source: https://www.ganjapreneur.com/louisiana-house-passes-smokable-medical-cannabis-bill/
Mississippi: The Mississippi secretary of state says signature gathering will be delayed for a broad-based marijuana legalization proposal because of an error in notifying the public. Initiative 77 would legalize cultivation, possession and use of marijuana in Mississippi. It would replace Initiative 65, the medical marijuana ballot measure that voters approved in November. A notice about the summary and ballot title was published in some — but not all — of the required newspapers because of an error by the Mississippi Press Association and Press Services. The secretary of state says the one-year timeline for gathering signatures will start after publication in five additional newspapers.
Source: https://www.wlbt.com/2021/05/07/mississippi-marijuana-proposal-hits-snag-over-public-notice/
Pennsylvania: Merger and acquisition activity is sizzling in Pennsylvania, with more than $400 million worth of deals announced since March alone, as local cannabis businesses cash out and multistate operators seek or expand footholds in the rapidly growing mid-Atlantic market. Cultivation and processing operations are fetching $100 million and more. And dispensary licenses are commanding prices of $20 million-$35 million for each storefront as the state’s retail sector consolidates. M&A activity is brisk in other marijuana states such as Illinois, Massachusetts and New Jersey. But Pennsylvania particularly stands out because of a variety of factors – including the expectation the state will approve adult use, though probably not this year. Chicago-based Verano Holdings, TerrAscend, which has offices in Toronto and New York, and Florida-headquartered Trulieve are among the MSOs angling to set up shop or expand in Pennsylvania through acquisitions.
Source: https://mjbizdaily.com/cannabis-mergers-and-acquisitions-surge-in-hot-pennsylvania-market/
West Virginia: Nearly four years after West Virginia voters legalized medical cannabis, state officials are allowing eligible patients to register for the program. According to Charleston TV station WOWK, the state’s Office of Medical Cannabis has begun encouraging patients who are eligible to register, much to the elation of patients who have been waiting years to access MMJ.
Regulators have been awarding business permits since October, most recently to a testing lab. People seeking medical marijuana as a treatment must first obtain a recommendation from a physician before signing up for the program.
Source: https://mjbizdaily.com/west-virginia-opens-medical-marijuana-patient-registration/
Recreational
Colorado: Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) has signed the bill allowing the storage and administration of non-smokable medical cannabis by school personnel on K-12 school property. The law change removes school principals’ authority to allow or deny medical cannabis on school grounds and allows children with complicated medical conditions to access their medicine.
Source: https://www.ganjapreneur.com/colorado-gov-signs-bill-allowing-medical-cannabis-in-schools/
Illinois: Illinois marijuana sales set another record high last month with more than $150 million worth of recreational and medical cannabis sold in the state’s dispensaries, state data shows.
For the second month in a row, state tax revenue from adult-use cannabis exceeded the tax money brought in from liquor in April, according to data from the Illinois Department of Revenue. In the first four months of 2021, recreational weed has generated about $121 million in state revenue, compared with nearly $99 million for liquor.
Source: https://patch.com/illinois/evanston/illinois-marijuana-tax-revenue-outpaces-liquor-amid-record-sales
Montana: While the bill that establishes the framework of recreational cannabis in Montana is still waiting for Gov. Greg Gianforte’s signature, the department that will implement the program is wasting no time getting ready. Officials at the Montana Department of Revenue are already preparing to take over the state’s medical marijuana program, which is currently part of the Department of Public Health and Human Services, and establish a newly legalized adult-use market as outlined in House Bill 701, which was passed by the Legislature in late April. Following the passage of Initiative 190 in November, it became legal on Jan. 1 for adults to possess no more than one ounce of marijuana for personal use in the state of Montana. Presently, the only legal way to acquire cannabis for adult-use purposes is to grow it yourself — traveling to a state where recreational cannabis is legal to buy and bringing it back to Montana would break federal law. I-190 allows residents to have up to four marijuana plants of their own, but that will be reduced to two plants per person or four plants per household once HB 701 is signed.
Source: https://montanafreepress.org/2021/05/07/legal-cannabis-whats-next-and-what-can-you-do-now/
New Mexico: New Mexico officials have released the names of dozens of people who are vying to be appointed to the state’s new Cannabis Regulatory Advisory Committee. The list of 161 people was posted online Friday, with state officials saying they’re committed to ensuring a transparent process as the state prepares for recreational marijuana sales. Under state law, the advisory committee must be established no later than Sept. 1. The panel will be charged with advising the Cannabis Control Division on the development of rules covering best practices, public health and safety, and the promotion of economic and cultural diversity when it comes to licensing and employment opportunities. Retail sales of adult-use cannabis in New Mexico are to begin no later than April 1, 2022.
Source: https://www.krqe.com/news/marijuana/new-mexico-releases-list-of-applicants-for-marijuana-panel/
Oregon: The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation have removed a barrier to accessing tribal housing. The Tribes announced this week that they amended their housing department’s drug elimination policy to allow tribal members to test positive for marijuana during the application process, The East Oregonian reported. The news release said cannabis is still illegal on the reservation, but changing the policy was an acknowledgment that marijuana was legal to consume in Oregon and Washington.
South Dakota: South Dakota’s school districts wouldn’t be required to allow students to receive medical cannabis, according to proposed rules that came out Monday, May 3. The state Board of Education Standards plans a public hearing on Monday, May 17, at 9 a.m. CT at the MacKay Building, 800 Governors Drive, Pierre. One of the rules proposed by the state board says, “Medical cannabis shall be in the form of non-smokable marijuana. ”Nearly 70% of South Dakota voters said yes to IM 26 in the November 3 election. The new law takes effect July 1, although it likely will take longer for dispensaries to open in communities. Under the proposed rules, all students, including those age 18 and older, would be prohibited from possessing or administering medical cannabis on school property or at a school-sponsored activity. Instead, they would need to have a designated caregiver provide it to them.
Vermont: Despite the recent hiring of Pepper and the two additional Cannabis Control Board Commissioners, and despite the fact that the tax-and-regulate bill passed last year has yet-to-be implemented, the bill S.25 is receiving the House Government Operations Committee full attention this week. However, the political reality of Governor Scott’s steady opposition to cannabis reform and willingness to revisit the issue, could end up nullifying any legislative efforts to clean up a bill that just spent three years in the spotlight. The House Government Operations Committee focus on S.25 continues throughout the week with testimony from the Vermont League of Cities and Towns, Vermont Racial Justice Alliance, Vermont Growers Association, NOFA-VT, Rural Vermont, the Vermont Cannabis Nurses Association, as well as individual medical patients and businesses.
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