August 13, 2020
Marijuana legalization measure to appear on November ballot
The Montana Secretary of State certified that a measure seeking to legalize recreational marijuana in the state has gathered enough signatures to appear on the November ballot. If passed, the measure would legalize the possession and use of limited amounts of marijuana for adults over the age of 21. The measure would also establish a 20% tax of non-medical marijuana.
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August 13, 2020
Official: S.D. industrial-hemp program should be up and running in time for 2021 growing season
Now that South Dakota’s proposed plan for allowing low-THC hemp is under review at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, farmers and processors can get ready for a crop next year. State officials announced earlier this week they had submitted the plan to USDA. The federal process can take up to 60 days. During that time, USDA staff will look it over, as will the department’s legal office and a department undersecretary. Assuming the plan receives federal approval, the next step in South Dakota will be the state Department of Agriculture setting rules, such as fees for the various licenses.
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August 13, 2020
Where does Kamala Harris stand on marijuana?
US Senator Kamala Harris, chosen Tuesday to be former vice president Joe Biden’s running mate, has a track record on marijuana policy that has evolved significantly over the course of her career. Though she coauthored an official voter guide argument opposing a California cannabis legalization measure as a prosecutor in 2010 and laughed in the face of a reporter who asked her about the issue in 2014, she went on to sponsor legislation to federally deschedule marijuana in 2019.
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August 13, 2020
What proponents aren't telling you about Prop. 207, which would legalize pot in Arizona
The campaign to legalize recreational marijuana in Arizona calls its ballot measure “smart and safe.” It is neither. The misleading title, however, is only the most prominent example of the industry claiming to do one thing while their proposition does the opposite. Start with the first 13 words of Proposition 207’s summary: “This Act permits limited possession, transfer, cultivation, and use of marijuana (as defined) …”
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August 13, 2020
TEXAS PUNISHING PEOPLE, SMALL BUSINESSES FOR THEIR HEMP SCREW-UP
Though Texas lawmakers legalized production and sale of hemp in their last legislative session, they have now created a framework that essentially bans the sale of “smokable” products. Edible goods, tinctures, and topicals remain okay under the new program. But farmers and cannabis activists alike feel lawmakers violated the scope of the original legislation. This week hemp manufacturers and retailers filed a lawsuit against the Texas Department of State Health Services over the new administrative rule, which went into effect August 2.
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August 7, 2020
Cannabis company earns provisional licenses for pot shops
New England Craft Cultivators is one step closer to opening two retail marijuana businesses in two different towns. In a press release issued on Thursday, the company announced it had received provisional licenses from the Cannabis Control Commission to open its first official locations in Pepperell and Dracut. The company wants to open a retail marijuana store at 112-114 Main St., home of the previously-vacant Paugus Plaza in Pepperell and 61 Sylvia Lane in Dracut.
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Marijuana advocates and at least one member of the state's Cannabis Control Commission have been urging the agency to allot more funding for efforts to increase diversity in the industry. Meanwhile, state data shows that the commission has annually handed millions of dollars of unused funding back into state coffers every year since it was founded. Last year, the CCC returned 20% of its budget back to the state. While it's not unusual for an agency to return some unused money back to the state at the end of the fiscal year, in fiscal 2018 and 2019, the commission gave back a higher percentage of its budget than any other state agency, according to a Boston Business Journal analysis of the state's comptroller data.
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August 7, 2020
Needed: Secure system to track electronic nicotine products
Both in the context of the current economic crisis precipitated by COVID-19 – which is stretching state budgets beyond the breaking point – and as part of ongoing efforts to prevent the sale of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) products to minors, the debate in the California Legislature over the sale of ENDS products represents an opportunity for lawmakers to ensure that the state capitalizes on the opportunity to meaningfully addresses public health concerns.
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August 6, 2020
The Importance Of Compliant Cannabis Banking
Thirty-three states and the District of Columbia have legalized the sale or use of cannabis. Yet, the federal government is struggling to keep up, and cannabis legislation has been stagnant. As a result, there is no safe harbor in the cannabis industry, meaning there is no legislation that assures the safety of banking cannabis. So, many who enter the cannabis industry have preferred stealthier ways of banking.
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August 6, 2020
Vermont Will Advance Marijuana Sales Legalization Bill Within Weeks, House Speaker’s Office Says
A bill to legalize marijuana sales in Vermont is set to advance during a special session this month or next, a top lawmaker’s office confirmed to Marijuana Moment on Wednesday. While Vermont legalized cannabis possession of up to one ounce and cultivation of two plants in 2018, there is currently no regulatory system in place that allows for retail sales. A bill to establish that program, S. 54, cleared both the House and Senate in differing forms, but now it must move through a bicameral conference committee charged with reconciling the versions into a single proposal to send to the governor.
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