September 29, 2020
Bill could limit CBD, hemp products
A bill has been drafted in the Wyoming Legislature that would tighten regulation of cannabidiol (CBD) and hemp products in retail settings and restrict the variety of these products that can be sold.
Learn more
September 29, 2020
Study – Marijuana Taxes Could Net State $45-$52 Million Per Year
“We'd looked at the experience of other states and the bottom line is that we think the revenue potential from a 20% sales tax on legalized recreational cannabis, but the size that revenue varies. It's roughly between $45 and $52 million per year, which is comprised of a resident share and a tourist share which is expected to grow in the coming years.”
Learn more
September 29, 2020
Arkansas medical marijuana millions
Since the state’s first dispensary opened about 16 months ago, Arkansas patients have purchased more than $131 million worth of medical marijuana. These sales have generated more than $13 million in state tax revenue, contributing to the state’s goal of achieving a coveted cancer institute designation for the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.
Learn more
September 28, 2020
Top Illinois And Michigan Officials Give Marijuana Legalization Advice To Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor
The lieutenant governors of Illinois and Michigan recently gave their counterpart in Pennsylvania some advice on how to approach marijuana legalization in his state.
Learn more
Many state and local agencies are now expecting revenue shortfalls, or, at the very least, battling uncertainty and hesitation. As we respond to these challenges and plan a path forward, it can be helpful to look back at similar situations and the tools used in the past.
Learn more
September 27, 2020
Utah’s new medical marijuana program more popular than officials expected
Six months after medical marijuana became legal for purchase inside Utah for the first time, the program has already surpassed enrollment projections.
Learn more
September 26, 2020
Draft Regulations For Delivery Cannabis Licenses Approved In Massachusetts
The Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission on Thursday approved draft regulations that would create licenses for adult-use cannabis delivery companies in the Commonwealth.
Learn more
September 26, 2020
Largest California wildfire threatens marijuana-growing area
Firefighters battling the state’s largest wildfire braced for the change in weather by constructing fuel breaks on Friday to keep the flames from reaching a marijuana-growing enclave where authorities said many of the locals have refused to evacuate and abandon their maturing crops.
Learn more
September 25, 2020
Massachusetts marijuana regulators close in on cannabis home delivery plan
The Cannabis Control Commission filled in the blanks Thursday of its long-discussed marijuana home delivery rules, agreeing upon a framework that creates two types of delivery licenses and settling on a timeline that would have new cannabis industry rules in place in about a month. The CCC adopted draft delivery regulations Thursday that would create two distinct delivery license types: a “limited delivery license” that would allow an operator to charge a fee to make deliveries from CCC-licensed retailers and dispensaries, and a “wholesale delivery license” that would let an operator buy marijuana wholesale from cultivators and manufacturers and store it in a warehouse. The licensees would augment retail stories and serve as a new means for people to acquire recreational marijuana. “What we’ve done in addition to creating those two license types is also to establish new fees and fee structures, to require warehousing for wholesale delivery licensees, to authorize white labeling for wholesale delivery licensees, we’re defining specific operational requirements that will be in addition to the general operational requirements, and we are amending existing relevant regulations to incorporate the license types and the activities that they can undertake,” Commissioner Britte McBride, who led the regulation writing process, said. McBride said the limited delivery license “isn’t much of a change at all from the delivery-only license that had been included in our regulations.” When it started this latest round of regulatory revisions earlier this year, the proposed rules would have limited delivery operators to a courier role, sourcing marijuana and marijuana products from CCC-licensed retailers and making same-day deliveries. Several prospective cannabis delivery operators told commissioners during a public hearing that the framework for delivery would not work as initially written.
Learn more
September 25, 2020
These States Will Be The Next To Legalize Marijuana
Hopes were at an all-time high for sweeping cannabis policy reform and industry expansion as 2019 turned into 2020. With widespread, and bi-partisan, public support, the MORE ACT passing the House Judiciary Committee, and the prospect of nearly a dozen cannabis policy votes in 2020, there was plenty of reason for optimism. I even wrote in this column that “2020 was shaping up to be the biggest year ever for marijuana policy reform.” All bets were off when the Covid-19 pandemic plunged us into global uncertainty this past spring. Individuals, families, and corporations were left scrambling towards a proverbial “new normal,” with the majority of policy initiatives taking a backseat to the public health crisis demanding our attention. This meant that qualifying ballot initiatives became vastly more challenging, with traditional signature gathering, and the amount of social contact it requires, no longer considered acceptable or safe. Montana ordered 150,000 pens so each petition signer could have their own. Other states, however, weren’t so lucky, with Arkansas unable to meet their July 3rd signature deadline for adult- use cannabis legalization and Idaho preemptively anticipating the same fate, opting to suspend their medical cannabis campaign in early April (they needed 55,057 by May 1 to qualify). California, Missouri and Nebraska also saw cannabis related policy efforts halted by Covid-19. Efforts to legalize cannabis in state legislatures similarly suffered, with state legislatures shutting down for months at a time, and most only reconvening virtually to handle essential business. Anticipated legislative pushes to legalize in states like New York, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New Mexico all stalled due to Covid-19 related legislative paralysis.
Learn more
