As legal hemp cultivation in Kansas enters its third year, licensed farmers can look forward to growing the crop commercially in 2021 rather than participating in the pilot program that has been in place since 2019.
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January 15, 2021
Virginia moving to legalize marijuana sales, Northam says in proposed bill - The Virginian-Pilot
Virginia took one step closer to legalizing marijuana sales Wednesday due to legislation proposed by Gov. Ralph Northam’s team. Backed by state Sens. Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth, and Adam Ebbin, D-Alexandria, the legislation would allow licensed people 21 and older to sell the drug starting on Jan. 1, 2023.
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January 15, 2021
Bill creating 75 more pot shops dies in Springfield, yet another failure in bid to diversify white weed industry
A push to create 75 additional cannabis dispensary licenses fell short on Wednesday, further stymying state lawmakers’ lofty goal of diversifying Illinois’ overwhelmingly white weed industry. Though state senators approved the measure earlier Wednesday, their counterparts in the House failed to call it for a vote before the lame duck session ended. State Rep. La Shawn Ford, a Chicago Democrat who was part of a legislative working group that contemplated the additional licenses, said the bill fell flat because legislators “failed at the art of compromise.” “Because of that the state of Illinois continues to lock Black people out of an emerging economy,” said Ford, who previously said the state’s social equity efforts have amounted to “an epic failure.” Ford said the major sticking point was the prospect of allowing existing medical dispensaries to relocate without losing their ability to sell recreational weed — something some major pot firms have long been pushing for. Industry insiders have estimated the state is missing out on roughly $100 million in tax revenues by blocking dispensaries from moving.
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An Indiana senator introduced two new bills last week, which would legalize and regulate marijuana in the state. Sen. Karen Tallian introduced SB 87 and 223 which would allow for the regulation and legalization of marijuana.
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January 11, 2021
Democratic-led Senate could clear a path to marijuana legalization
Democrats taking control of the Senate — decided Wednesday by Democratic candidate Jon Ossoff's win over GOP Sen. David Perdue in the Georgia Senate runoff election — significantly changes the prospects for passing cannabis legislation in the new Congress.
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January 11, 2021
N.J. legal weed bill with penalties for underage use advances. Lawmakers hope it’s close to becoming law.
Two legislative committees Thursday approved a bill (A5211) that seeks to address issues in bills to legalize and set a market for marijuana (A21) and decriminalize weed (A1897). The votes by the Assembly Appropriations Committee and the Senate Judiciary Committee set up both bills for full floor votes in the Senate and Assembly Monday. If passed, they go back to Murphy’s desk to become law.
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Every ballot initiative involving the decriminalization or legalization of marijuana passed in the 2020 election. Voters in New Jersey and Arizona chose to legalize marijuana for adult recreational use. Mississippi voted to legalize medical marijuana use, and South Dakota legalized the drug for both recreational and medical use.
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January 8, 2021
Bill to legalize marijuana in Virginia reintroduced by Hampton Roads Del. Steve Heretick
After years of attempts, could 2021 be the year local Del. Steve Heretick’s marijuana legalization bill passes in the Virginia General Assembly? Heretick (D-Portsmouth), who’s proposed both decriminalization and legalization bills in the past, reintroduced his signature legislation to “legalize the cultivation, sale, and consumption of marijuana in Virginia.”
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January 8, 2021
Legalized Marijuana in New York: This Could Be the Year
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo renewed his vow on Wednesday to legalize the recreational use of marijuana in New York, proposing a new office to regulate the market and licensing opportunities for communities most affected by the disparate enforcement of drug laws.
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January 8, 2021
Cuomo Calls for Legalizing Recreational Marijuana in NY
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is calling for the legalization and regulation of marijuana for recreational use by adults, his third attempt in as many years to get the drug fully legalized in the state. Cuomo, a Democrat, planned to announce his proposal Wednesday as part of his upcoming State of the State agenda for the year.
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