Government

ArkansasGovernment

Voters in Arkansas are likely to approve the legalization of adult-use marijuana in November.
This November, Arkansas may become the 20th state to legalize cannabis for adult use and the first among its six adjacent states. That's because, according to ABC station KATV, ballot initiative group Responsible Growth Arkansas filed more than 190,000 signatures on July 8 to the secretary of state's office for its petition requesting that voters be given the opportunity to decide whether to completely legalize the plant. According to BallotPedia.org, that is more than twice the 89,151 valid signatures required, or 10% …
Screenshot 2022 02 28 at 9.53.32 PMGovernment

The Evolution of Cannabis Laws
For the benefit of our Irish and European readers, we examine the history of the cannabis industry in this first of three pieces. Let's evaluate the recent, but rapidly growing regulation of a legal cannabis sector in Europe and how our laws have started to shift away from blanket prohibition in the context of a thriving and increasingly sophisticated industry in North America and other nations across the Atlantic. The Cannabis Industry: What Is It? It is a general term that can …
StatesGovernment

Regulators in Washington State are switching the term “marijuana” to “cannabis.”
The Center Square writes that the Washington State Cannabis Control Commission on Wednesday approved a move to execute legislation passed in March that changes the word "marijuana" in state law to "cannabis." Gov. Jay Inslee (D) stated during the law signing ceremony that "marijuana" had "a racist history in the United States." In the early 20th century, the phrase was frequently used in anti-immigrant discourse. State lawmakers approved the measure, finding that "use of the term'marijuana' in the United States has discriminatory …
North CaGovernment

Hemp legislation is approved by the North Carolina governor, but medical cannabis legislation is still pending in the house.
Gov. Roy Cooper signed the North Carolina Farm Act of 2022, allowing hemp production to continue lawfully beyond a five-year pilot program, even if medicinal cannabis legalization stalled once more this year. In North Carolina, efforts to legalize medical cannabis again this year came to a standstill, but legislation allowing hemp production to continue in the state after a five-year pilot program was passed. The North Carolina Farm Act of 2022 became a law on June 30, according to a Port City …
CarolinaGovernment

The North Carolina Senate approves a bill to legalize medical marijuana.
By a resounding 35-10 vote on Thursday, the North Carolina state Senate gave its initial approval to a restrictive, limited-license medical marijuana law, bringing that state one step closer to becoming the 40th in the nation to legalize MMJ. Despite fears from activists and one senator that the state's domestic hemp growers, processors, and merchants would be financially challenged by the medical cannabis sector, the measure received significant support. Senate Bill 711, often known as the North Carolina Compassionate Act, was approved …
MississippiGovernment

Mississippi begins medicinal cannabis license; sales will commence before the end of the year.
The licensing application process for growers, processors, testing facilities, and transporters in Mississippi launched last week, but it might not be until the end of the year before sales begin. That corresponds to the timetable anticipated when lawmakers established a stringent medicinal cannabis bill in January. Although the law gave communities the option to not grant licenses, there is no cap on the total number that can be issued. According to information from the state Department of Revenue as of May 23, 80 …
FlagGovernment

The governor of Louisiana signs numerous legislation to strengthen the medical marijuana program.
Over the past week, the governor of Louisiana signed several legislation that will support the state's medical marijuana business by permitting more shops and allowing out-of-state citizens to purchase MMJ. Gov. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat, approved the following MMJ laws: House Bill 697 permits an eventual rise in the number of dispensaries, or pharmacies as they are known in Louisiana, from nine to thirty. The currently operating medicinal marijuana dispensaries have the choice to grow. But if a current dispensary declined …
judicialGovernment

By the fall, Alabama hopes to accept applications for medical marijuana licenses.
Prospective According to state authorities, medical marijuana businesses in Alabama might be allowed to start applying for a range of licenses in the autumn, with sales expected to begin as early as next spring. According to AL.com, the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission (AMCC) modified its preparations for implementing the somewhat tight MMJ program that lawmakers passed last year. Growers, processors, merchants, transportation firms, and testing facilities will all need the new permits. The ideal time for business owners to start requesting license applications …
joe biden marijuanaGovernment

The White House Drug Czar acknowledges marijuana’s medical value and says the Biden administration remains committed to cannabis reform.
On Monday, the White House drug czar acknowledged marijuana's therapeutic potential in pain treatment and stated that the Biden administration remains committed to incremental reforms such as cannabis descheduling. He went on to say that the president believes current federal marijuana policies "have not worked." He also addressed how Biden's annual budget proposals have kept a rider that prevents Washington, D.C. from legalising commercial marijuana sales in the nation's capital, despite his campaign pledge to respect states' autonomy to set their …
cannabis sativa 1296x728 headerGovernment

House passes bill to decriminalize marijuana
The House on Friday voted to decriminalize cannabis on the federal level and allow for the expungement of some marijuana convictions. Why it matters: The legislation would monumentally reshape U.S. drug policy and the decades-long war on drugs, keeping pace with states across the country that have legalized marijuana. The same bill was passed by the House in 2020 but stalled in the then-Republican-controlled Senate. Driving the news: The bill passed the House 220-204. Three Republicans joined all but two Democrats in passing the bill: Reps. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), Tom …