Latest Cannabis News: May 25, 2021
Latest Cannabis News: May 25, 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.
Medical
Connecticut: A top Connecticut lawmaker said on Monday that he expects to reach a deal with the governor on a bill to legalize marijuana by the end of the week. For weeks, legislators have been negotiating with Gov. Ned Lamont’s (D) office on the details of the legislation, working to resolve a proposal put forward by the governor earlier this year with a separate measure favored by activists. Now an agreement appears to be imminent.
Louisiana: The Louisiana House rejected a bill Tuesday that would have taxed recreational marijuana if the state ever legalized it. The decision on the tax bill likely dooms the prospect of legalized marijuana in the state this year. It also likely dooms the approval of legalized weed next year, since tax bills cannot be brought up in 2022, as it is not a fiscal session then.
Minnesota: Minnesota’s Legislature approved smokable flower for medical cannabis patients, which could significantly boost sales in what has been a heavily regulated MMJ market that has only two operators. The change, effective no later than March 2022, will provide a more affordable option to customers and might financially strengthen the state’s MMJ program overall. House lawmakers also passed adult-use marijuana during the legislative session, which ended Monday, but that bill died in the Senate. The smokable-flower provision was part of an omnibus health bill, HF 2128. Gov. Tim Walz is expected to sign the bill into law. Flower sales aren’t likely to be fully incorporated into Minnesota’s medical marijuana program until sometime in 2022.
Source: https://mjbizdaily.com/minnesota-lawmakers-ok-medical-cannabis-smokable-flower/
Missouri: Missourians voted to legalize medical marijuana in 2018. But under federal law, growing, transporting or selling marijuana remains a crime. Unsurprisingly, that dynamic has created a lot of headaches for the fledgling industry. One notable example: Unlike every other legal business in the state, marijuana companies are prohibited from deducting business expenses on their taxes. Missouri lawmakers took a step toward easing some of that burden during the recently concluded legislative session. While federal law remains unchanged, a bill allowing medical marijuana companies to deduct ordinary and necessary business expenses on their state tax returns won near unanimous approval and was sent to the governor. The bill now awaits Gov. Mike Parson’s (R) signature of veto.
Recreational
Arizona: The state published new draft rules for the voter-mandated marijuana social equity program last week that expand eligibility requirements for Arizona’s remaining 26 dispensary licenses. Despite the many changes in the latest draft, the coalition is sticking with its previous assessment that the program, which aims to set aside licenses for communities that have been disproportionately impacted by the War on Drugs, is “designed to fail,” said Julie Gunnigle, director of politics for the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws of Arizona.
Colorado: Medical marijuana recommendations could soon be harder to get in Colorado. After an eight-hour hearing at the State Capitol, the thirteen representatives on the House Public & Behavioral Health & Human Services Committee unanimously approved a bill proposing stricter rules for medical marijuana patients and physicians, as well as new packaging requirements for commercial marijuana concentrate and state-funded research into the mental-health effects of potent marijuana products. The possibilities of capping commercial marijuana potency have loomed over Colorado’s pot industry during the 2021 legislative session as lobbies representing parents, public educators and health-care representatives have pushed for more restrictions on concentrated THC products. On May 18 that push went public, when more than 200 people signed up to speak about House Bill 1317.
Source: https://www.westword.com/marijuana/colorado-cannabis-potency-limit-marijuana-legislature-11973142
Illinois: Legislation issuing 115 new cannabis dispensary licenses unanimously passed out of an Illinois House committee last Thursday with vocal support from Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s lead cannabis advisor and a slew of new bill co-sponsors. The 204-page bill would create two new lotteries for 55 new dispensary licenses each, using the pool of applicants obtained in January 2020, and would distribute five unassigned medical licenses in another new lottery. The bill, HB1433, also includes a slew of technical fixes, including allowing cannabis employees to begin work while they wait for a printed state identification card, and allowing existing adult-use dispensaries to move locations.
Michigan: A bill that would close a loophole allowing gas stations and smoke shops to sell products similar to marijuana is headed for a House vote after committee approval Thursday. House Bill 4517, sponsored by state Rep. Yousef Rabhi, D-Ann Arbor, expands the definition of marijuana, which is regulated under the licensing framework and rules put forth by the state Marijuana Regulatory Agency, to include all THC, “regardless of whether it is artificially or naturally derived.”
Montana: Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte (R) last week signed the bill to implement the state’s voter-approved adult-use cannabis law, KTVH reports. The measure was approved by the Legislature last month. The legislation allows only the state’s current medical cannabis operators to obtain adult-use retail license for the first 18 months of sales, which are expected January 1, 2022. Recreational cannabis sales will not immediately commence in counties where voters rejected the reforms – instead, localities will have to hold elections to opt into sales. Counties where the reforms were approved will automatically opted in and would require a local election to opt out. Counties can also hold elections to implement a 3% local tax on cannabis sales. The bill signed by Gianforte maintains a 20% tax on retail cannabis sales, directing up to $6 million annually to a fund for mental health and substance abuse treatment, known as the “HEART Fund.”
Source: https://www.ganjapreneur.com/montana-gov-signs-adult-use-cannabis-implementation-bill/
Nevada: State lawmakers are still considering a bill to legalize marijuana consumption lounges. While cannabis is legal in Nevada, it can only be smoked on private property, though the law is often ignored. Lawmakers have been trying to pass licensing requirements for marijuana lounges since the 2017 legislative session, the first after voters legalized recreational marijuana in 2016. Assemblyman Steve Yeager, D-Las Vegas, is the sponsor of Assembly Bill 341, which passed out of the Assembly Judiciary Committee in early April. The bill, with an amendment Yeager introduced Saturday, would allow for two types of lounges: those attached to dispensaries and independent lounges that would not be able to sell cannabis on site. A dispensary owner would not also be able to own an independent lounge. The bill would allow an equal number of each type of lounge, with the state Cannabis Compliance Board expected to initially issue a total of 40 licenses. There are just days left in the legislative session to pass a bill.
Source: https://lasvegassun.com/news/2021/may/24/nevada-lawmakers-still-considering-bill-allowing-m/
New Jersey: Licenses to sell legal weed are still months away, but there’s a handful of entrepreneurs coming into the scene through a possible legal loophole — “gifting” cannabis. It’s a scheme popular in other states and particularly in Washington, D.C. A company lets you buy cookies, snacks or brownies that come with sticker shock of $50 or more. But when they make the delivery, it comes with a suggested gift: maybe a cannabis edible or an ounce of flower. While a company might only be gifting an ounce of cannabis or less, they likely have more than six ounces at their headquarters in order to meet demand. That could lead to local police pressing charges. The commission has until Aug. 21 to establish rules and regulations for the cannabis industry. It will open up licensing for new cannabis businesses after that.
New Mexico: New Mexico will start recreational marijuana sales no later than April 1, 2022. However, there is a lot of work that needs to be completed before sales can begin. Linda Trujillo, superintendent of the state’s Regulation and Licensing Department, is one of the people overseeing the process. “Our goal would be to take it live with commercial sales before April 1st,” Trujillo said. The Cannabis Control Division will accept and process applications for cannabis producers no later than Sept. 1. It also has to create a Cannabis Regulatory Advisory Committee to oversee the rollout by the same date. The following deadline is Jan. 1. That’s when the division has to start issuing all other licenses and cannabis server permits. All of the dates are listed on the state’s new Cannabis Control Division’s website.
New York: New York state is the latest market to expressly prohibit delta-8 THC and other THC isomers derived from hemp. The delta-8 THC ban, issued by the state health department this week in an updated batch of hemp regulations, covers any THC isomers derived from hemp. The update comes six weeks after Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a law making a first-in-the-nation attempt to regulate hemp operators working with flower and cannabinoid products the same way the state oversees marijuana operators.
Source: https://mjbizdaily.com/new-york-bans-delta-8-thc-resists-calls-to-track-hemp-like-marijuana/
South Dakota: Twelve growers have received hemp licenses in South Dakota as the crop returns to the Great Plains state this year, according to the Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources (DANR). An additional three licenses for hemp processing have been granted to date, the state agency said. The farming licenses awarded so far cover about 300 acres. The DANR said additional licenses are expected to be approved over the next month as farmers see potential for hemp seed (grain) production.
Source: https://hemptoday.net/15-licenses-granted-as-hemp-production-starts-slowly-in-south-dakota/
Vermont: A bill that seeks to improve social equity in the state’s fledgling marijuana market and modify the rollout of legal pot sales has been approved by the Vermont House. The legislation, S.25, which was approved in a voice vote Tuesday afternoon, would establish a fund to help people of color and others affected by past marijuana laws to open businesses in the new marijuana market. The bill was first passed by the Senate in March. The bill would create the “Cannabis Business Development Fund,” and charge state officials designing a system of providing loans and grants to “social equity applicants” — that is, people who were disproportionately hurt by marijuana criminalization. It remains unclear who will qualify as a social equity applicant. Under the legislation, the Cannabis Control Board, the newly minted regulator of the industry, and Vermont’s director of racial equity will propose social equity criteria for lawmakers to consider next year. The bill also introduces some advertising restrictions for marijuana businesses.
Source: https://vtdigger.org/2021/05/18/house-backs-marijuana-bill-with-social-equity-provisions/
Virginia: When recreational marijuana officially becomes legal in Virginia this summer, people who use marijuana to manage health conditions can expect changes to the medical program as well. Virginia’s medical marijuana program will be the only way to legally purchase marijuana in the state until retail sales begin in 2024. For existing medical cannabis patients, there will be some significant changes on July 1, the same day recreational marijuana becomes legal. Patients will be permitted to access a medical marijuana card with a telemedicine appointment instead of visiting a physician in person. Qualifying patients can consult with a physician, be evaluated and recommended for medical marijuana online. These telehealth appointments have been permitted throughout the pandemic and the policy will be permanent on July 1. There’s also no longer a cap on how many individuals a provider can see.
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