As part of a fall legislative proposal, Governor Tom Wolf called on the Republican-controlled legislature to legalize recreational marijuana to help existing small business grants and restorative justice programs. "We've had a little more time to see what's happened in places like Colorado for revenue," Wolf said near Harrisburg Tuesday. "This might be one way to fill a hole."
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August 26, 2020
Legalizing Medical Marijuana Could Free Up Federal Medicaid Dollars, American Samoa Official Says
Officials in American Samoa are considering legalizing medical marijuana to generate funds for a government health care program in the U.S. territory. The proposal was originally floated by the jurisdiction’s Medicaid director, Sandra King Young, who said enacting the policy change could help fill a revenue gap that’s preventing the territory from accessing federal dollars for health care.
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Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf is asking state legislators to legalize recreational marijuana, saying the government could use the tax revenue to support small businesses and to fund restorative justice programs. The governor's call to legalize the sale and use of marijuana is part of a broader plan that Wolf says will help Pennsylvania's economy, which is suffering from months of shutdowns and slowdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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August 25, 2020
Lawmakers poised to pass expansion of marijuana expungements
As lawmakers in the House and Senate attempt to hammer out a deal on legislation to create a legal marketplace for pot, they are also poised to pass a major expansion of the state’s marijuana expungement laws. Leaders in the House and Senate say they support a measure that would automatically expunge the criminal records of those convicted of possessing two ounces or less of the drug. It would also decriminalize possession of up to two ounces of the substance — currently, possession of only up to one ounce is legal.
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August 25, 2020
How Should Hemp Production Be Regulated in Indiana?
Hemp represents a growth opportunity for Hoosier farmers, but how should its production and sale be regulated? That question came up at the Lt. Governor Debate on Agriculture last week. All three candidates support the growing of hemp but differ widely on how the crop should be regulated. Democrat Linda Lawson said only certain types of hemp should be permitted.
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Four state attorneys general and a broader group of law enforcement professionals are calling on Congress to pass a marijuana legalization bill next month. Plus, a new poll shows majority voter support for the proposal to deschedule cannabis and fund programs to repair the harms of the war on drugs—even from Republicans...
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August 24, 2020
This Western Massachusetts city has more cannabis licenses than any other in the state
Once upon a time, Worcester had been forecast to be the cannabis capital of Massachusetts, as its number of licenses grew. The state’s industry regulators even moved their headquarters from Boston to the state’s second largest city. But now, a different city an hour's drive west of Worcester — and 90 minutes from Boston — is the new leader in terms of the number of completed license applications, according to a Boston Business Journal analysis of submitted recreational marijuana licenses through July 9.
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The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) on Thursday unveiled proposed rules for hemp and CBD to put the federal agency officially in compliance with the 2018 Farm Bill. While DEA stressed that the policies laid out in this interim final rule have already been in effect since hemp was federally legalized, it said the new filing to be published in the Federal Register on Friday will codify those regulations.
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August 24, 2020
Vermont Lawmakers Approach Legal Marijuana Sales Agreement Amid Conference Negotiations
Vermont lawmakers are another step closer to finalizing a bill to legalize marijuana sales after finishing a conference committee meeting where they discussed the economics of the proposed system and outstanding issues between the two chambers of the legislature. While the state legalized possession of up to one ounce of cannabis and cultivation of two plants in 2018, there are currently no regulations in place that allow for retail sales. The cannabis commerce bill cleared both the House and Senate this session, albeit in different forms, and so a six-member bicameral panel is tasked with resolving those differences.
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Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and his vice presidential running mate Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) discussed marijuana decriminalization and other drug policy reforms during their first joint interview as a ticket this weekend. Harris was pressed on her prosecutorial record, specifically as it concerns her previous call for more law enforcement officers in the streets. She talked about policing reform but went on to state that, under a Biden administration, there will be a “policy that is going to be about decriminalizing marijuana.”
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