President Joe Biden received a letter from 37 members of Congress on Thursday urging him to issue a blanket pardon for nonviolent offenders with convictions for federal marijuana crimes. The letter was led by Rep. Barbara Lee and Rep. Earl Blumenauer, the co-chairs of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, and 35 other leaders and members of the House of Representatives including Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler.

In the letter dated February 18, the members of Congress called on Biden to continue efforts that were initiated during his term as vice president to address injustices caused by the failed War on Drugs.

“During your previous tenure at the White House, President Obama understood that decades of harsh and discriminatory federal drug laws unfairly trapped minority individuals and communities in cycles of despair,” they wrote. “That is why he used the tools of justice to grant clemency for 1,927 individuals convicted of federal crimes. Most of these individuals had been convicted on drug charges and would not have been sentenced so harshly, if at all, under today’s standards.”

“Your Administration has the power to expand on this legacy and issue a general pardon to all former federal, non-violent cannabis offenders in the U.S and trigger resentencing for all those who remain federally incarcerated on non-violent, cannabis-only offenses for activity now legal under state laws,” the letter continues.

NORML Praises Leaders In Congress

Justin Strekal, the political director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), expressed his appreciation for the members of Congress leading the charge for cannabis policy reform.

Hawaii Senate Says Yes To Cannabis Legalization

Hawaii Senate Committee on Public Safety, Intergovernmental and Military Affairs voted in favor of two cannabis measures on Tuesday. (h/t Marijuana Moment)

The first bill asks for adult-use cannabis legalization and the other to amend the state’s current decimalization law.

The Aloha State decriminalized the possession of up to three grams of cannabis in 2019, under a law that went into effect in 2020.

The law also replaced criminal penalties with a $130 fine.

The new bill, SB 758, proposes decriminalization for up to 28.5 grams of cannabis. It is now sent over to the Judiciary Committee.

A new bill in Indiana would give more people a chance at beating a flawed system. And police are not happy.

Marijuana decriminalization is the latest buzzword in the weed world. It’s a move that President Joe Biden has said that he would be willing to impose nationwide. The concept typically means the elimination of criminal penalties associated with the possession of marijuana. In most cases, decriminalization lets anyone caught in possession of up to an ounce of weed slide with a small fine. The offender doesn’t get jammed up in the criminal justice system.

However, in parts of the country, those which remain some of the most militant toward marijuana offenders, the definition of decriminalization has changed. It is now being defined by one Indiana state representative as a way to prevent law enforcement from charging motorists with DUI.

Indiana has had it tough when it comes to changing its marijuana laws. For years, lawmakers have proposed various bills intended to lessen the criminal penalties associated with low-level marijuana offenses. But the Republican-dominated legislature has seemingly made it it’s life’s work to stop anything pot-related from going the distance. They’re even opposed to prosecutors tossing out pot cases.

Still, lawmakers keep returning to the drawing board in hopes of concocting some version of a marijuana bill that they believe can become law. The latest one, introduced by Republican State Representative Jim Lucas, is a weird “decriminalization” measure designed to increase the THC-blood intoxication limit to 5 nanograms per milliliter of blood while operating a vehicle rather than zero

State lawmakers in Maryland’s House of Delegates are considering a bill that would legalize marijuana and expunge convictions for some past cannabis offenses. The measure, House Bill 32 (HB 32), went before the House Judiciary Committee at a legislative hearing on Tuesday.

Under the bill, possession of up to four ounces of marijuana would be legalized under state law, and convictions for possession or cultivation of marijuana in amounts made legal by the measure would be expunged. The judiciary committee also discussed how a regulated cannabis market would affect the state.

Before Tuesday’s committee hearing, Del. Jazz Lewis, a Democrat from St. George’s County, said that the bill would help address the harms caused by failed marijuana policy.

“I’m about to testify on HB 32 to end the prohibition on cannabis and create pathways into the industry for those most harmed by the war on drugs,” Lewis said on Twitter. “This bill is equity in action.”

During the House committee hearing, Lewis said that clearing past cannabis convictions is a necessary part of legislation addressing marijuana policy reform.

On February 5th, state lawmakers voted to legalize cannabis in Virginia and establish a recreational market. Both chambers’ initiative would legalize possession of an ounce of marijuana or less, and begin the process of expunging certain cannabis-related misdemeanors on July 1st. Retail sales are predicted to start in 2024, per the plans of both the House and Senate.  

Virginia already has a medical marijuana program, but it’s limited compared to most states. Even so, the medical program is expected to be valued at $50 million in sales by 2024, and the adult-use market is poised to grow even bigger. 

Here’s what you need to know about the newly introduced adult-use legislation in Virginia: 

The vote passed through the Virginia General Assembly on February 5th 

Both chambers passed the bill to legalize cannabis for adult use at the beginning of February. The bill was introduced by Senator Adam Ebbin, who said “I think that Virginia is on a path to an equitable legalization plan for marijuana. There have been a few bumps, but I’m hopeful that we’ll have a polished bill we can agree upon in the next few weeks,” said Sen. Adam Ebbin.

The House passed the bill 55-42 

House Democrats were in favor of the bill, while Republicans were opposing it. The House’s version of the bill would maintain all cannabis criminal penalties until January 1st, 2024, when the first adult-use retail sale is set to take place. 

A total ban on smokable hemp products makes little sense. The state has time to think this through and come up with a better solution.

A few weeks back, I wrote a post entitled “California Tries Again with CBD“, in which I discussed a new piece of legislation (AB-45) introduced to ostensibly provide a regulatory framework for the manufacture and sale of certain hemp-derived products. Those products include foods or beverages that contain cannabidiol (CBD). In that post, I mentioned that provisions in AB-45 contain bans on smokable hemp products, and in this post I’d like to jump a little further into this provision and whether it has any chance of becoming law.

Currently, AB-45 provides in part:

Unless explicitly approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration, industrial hemp shall not be included in products in any of the following categories:

. . .

Cannabis advocates have long called for allowing people to treat pain with marijuana rather than opioids. A new study shows that this is exactly what happens when you give people the freedom to choose between the two.

The study, published in The British Medical Association Journal, found that in United States counties, medical or recreational cannabis is available for purchase, the number of opioid-related deaths declined.

While the declines occurred with all types of opioids, including prescription painkillers, they found a profound decrease in deaths associated with synthetic opioids. 

“While the associations documented cannot be assumed to be causal, they suggest a potential association between increased prevalence of medical and recreational cannabis dispensaries and reduced opioid-related mortality rates,” the researchers wrote. “This study highlights the importance of considering the complex supply side of related drug markets and how this shapes opioid use and misuse.”

What the research shows

University of California-Davis professor Greta Hsu and Yale University professor Balázs Kovács worked together on the study. The pair looked at data from 812 counties in 23 states where the law allowed legal cannabis sales.

A House legislative committee on Monday debated two bills legalizing cannabis for recreational use in New Mexico, ultimately sending one along to the House Taxation Revenue Committee and tabling the other. 

HB 12 and HB 17 both would have legalized cannabis for recreational use in New Mexico while taking different approaches to licensing and regulation. The bills were compared and debated at length in hearings on Saturday and Monday. 

Democratic state Reps. Tara Lujan of Santa Fe and Roger Montoya of Velarde cosponsored the latter bill, which was tabled on a 7-4 vote, effectively killing it, though committee members encouraged them to offer amendments incorporating aspects of their bill into HB 12. 

The version of the Cannabis Regulation Act that emerged from the committee provides a plan for regulating production, distribution and sales of cannabis to adults ages 21 and older through a new Cannabis Control Division at the state Regulation and Licensing Department. 

It would also permit home growing with no plant count limit, and cannabis licenses — unlike New Mexico liquor licenses — would not be limited in number, could not be bought and sold and would require annual renewal. 

Medical cannabis legalization can come in many forms, and as such, not all medical cannabis programs, like dispensaries, are created equal.

On one end of the medical cannabis policy spectrum are countries that only permit limited use of CBD medicines/products.

Technically those countries have legalized medical cannabis, however, only in an extremely limited fashion.

On the other end of the spectrum are countries that have fully embraced cannabis as a medicine and patients have safe access to it, complete with the legal right to cultivate cannabis at home.

One component of a medical cannabis program is particularly important at least when it comes to fighting the opioid epidemic.

Legalizing and taxing commercial cannabis sales in Virginia could generate between $154 and $308 million by the fifth year of sales. Here’s what else you might find interesting.

On February 5th, state lawmakers voted to legalize cannabis in Virginia and establish a recreational market. Both chambers’ initiative would legalize possession of an ounce of marijuana or less, and begin the process of expunging certain cannabis-related misdemeanors on July 1st. Retail sales are predicted to start in 2024, per the plans of both the House and Senate.

Virginia already has a medical marijuana program, but it’s limited compared to most states. Even so, the medical program is expected to be valued at $50 million in sales by 2024, and the adult-use market is poised to grow even bigger.

Here’s what you need to know about the newly introduced adult-use legislation in Virginia:

The vote passed through the Virginia General Assembly on February 5th

Both chambers passed the bill to legalize cannabis for adult use at the beginning of February. The bill was introduced by Senator Adam Ebbin, who said “I think that Virginia is on a path to an equitable legalization plan for marijuana. There have been a few bumps, but I’m hopeful that we’ll have a polished bill we can agree upon in the next few weeks,” said Sen. Ebbin.

The House passed the bill 55-42

House Democrats were in favor of the bill, while Republicans were opposing it. The House’s version of the bill would maintain all cannabis criminal penalties until January 1st, 2024, when the first adult-use retail sale is set to take place.

More than half of North Carolinians who responded to a recent survey said that they supported the legalization of recreational marijuana in their state, according to a poll conducted by Elon University. The survey found even stronger support for reducing penalties for marijuana offenses and the legalization of cannabis for medicinal purposes.

The survey found that 54% of adults in North Carolina supported the legalization of recreational marijuana, while about a third (34%) were opposed. The remaining 12% said that they didn’t know. The results showed a marked increase in support compared to 2017, when about 51% said that they were opposed to recreational marijuana legalization and 45% said they supported the move.

“Opposition to recreational marijuana legalization fell substantially over the last three years,” said Jason Husser, director of the Elon Poll and associate professor of political science. “I suspect this is due in large part to the wave of states that have passed legalization measures. Medical marijuana legalization remains broadly supported in every demographic group we examined.”

Support Varies By Age, Political Party

Support for legalizing recreational marijuana varied significantly among different age groups and by political party affiliation, with younger respondents, Democrats, and those associated with neither major party showing a greater likelihood to approve the change.

“We found a major generational gap for recreational marijuana legalization with those under 44 being about twice as likely as those 65 or older to support legalization,” Husser said. “Notably, these large generational differences do not extend to support for medical marijuana and lowering criminal penalties. Most Republicans also supported reducing penalties and legalizing medical marijuana.”

New York legislators have introduced a bill that would legalize smokable hemp flower, something that was conspicuously left out of the state’s recent suite of hemp regulations. 

Earlier this week, A2682/S4340 passed the state legislature’s Health Committee and advanced to the Codes Committee. The bill, introduced by State Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo and State Sen. Michelle Hinchey, proposes direct sales of hemp flower from producers to consumers. 

Last fall, we spoke with Empire Standard CEO Kaelan Castetter, who said that much of the backlash against the state’s hemp and CBD regulations was focused on the flower ban. “It’s a bright spot in the marketplace,” he said, “and many people have been setting up to grow [flower].”

Allan Gandelman, president of the New York Cannabis Growers & Processors Association provided the following statement:

“The New York Cannabis Growers & Process Association is a coalition of New York based hemp growers and processors who actively advocate for laws and regulations that support and encourage a vibrant, diverse, and sustainable cannabis industry. We express our strong support for the passage of A-2682/S-4340 and our members recognize the urgent need to repair harmful regulations proposed by the NYS Department of Health that would prohibit the sale of hemp flower to the consumer.

Momentum is building towards a decision concerning legalising medical cannabis and industrial hemp in The Bahamas.

The Bahamas is a country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the Atlantic, north of Cuba. Home to around 389,000, it consists of more than 700 islands and cays.

The Bahamas Prime Minister Hubert Minnis  said last week that his Government is in the process of completing legislation for the legalization of medicinal marijuana in the country to table in Parliament. The comments were made at the commissioning ceremony for the Hope Town Shoreline Stabilization Project according to the Office Of The Prime Minister’s Facebook page.

Legalising medical cannabis has strong support in the island nation, including from the Caribbean Association of Pharmacists (CAP).

“Now, we feel that cannabis is a medicine; that all the scientific data going back decades has already proven this,” said CAP President Dr Marvin Smith.

With its neighboring states embracing marijuana legalization, Connecticut is now ready to get in on the act.

The state’s governor, Ned Lamont, outlined his plan to bring recreational pot to Connecticut in his budget address on Wednesday.

“Now our neighboring states are offering recreational marijuana on a legal and regulated basis,” Lamont, a Democrat, said in a pre-recorded address. “Massachusetts dispensaries are advertising extensively here in Connecticut. And, rather than surrender this market to out-of-staters, or worse, to the unregulated underground market, our budget provides for the legalization of recreational marijuana.”

“These additional revenues will go to distressed communities, which have been hardest hit by the war on drugs,” he continued. “Half the tax revenues should be allocated to PILOT payments, in addition to a three percent local excise tax option. And importantly, my proposed legislation authorizes the automated erasure of criminal records for those with marijuana-related drug possession, convictions, and charges.”

As Lamont noted, Massachusetts voters passed a measure legalizing recreational marijuana for adults in 2016. And his call for Connecticut to end prohibition comes a month after New York’s own Democratic governor, Andrew Cuomo, offered up his own legalization proposal. 

At the behest of the Idaho Farm Bureau, the House Agriculture Committee has voted unanimously to introduce new legislation to legalize industrial hemp in Idaho, for production, processing, transportation and research. The vote clears the way for a full hearing on the bill, which supporters said they hope will settle years of debate about how to allow for industrial hemp production by Idaho agricultural producers without running afoul of concerns about hemp’s psychoactive cousin, marijuana.

Idaho is the last state in the nation to take this step; industrial hemp already is legal in 49 states and at the federal level. You can read my full story here at idahopress.com.

Braden Jensen, lobbyist for the Idaho Farm Bureau Federation, told the lawmakers, "Throughout the country, there are 49 states, two territories and 48 tribes that have legalized industrial hemp in some form or fashion. The Idaho Legislature has considered the issue over the past couple of years, and we bring before you today a new proposal for your consideration."

Jensen said the Farm Bureau worked with stakeholders on the issue including the agriculture industry, the trucking industry, state agencies and law enforcement.

"Our first goal is to legalize the production of industrial hemp in the state," he said. "Second, our goal is to maintain a strong and enforceable drug policy; and third, to work to ensure all stakeholders are comfortable with the proposal that we've developed. ... I do not pretend that everybody will love every aspect of the proposal that is before you. Nevertheless, it does represent a certain level of consensus among the stakeholders."

New Zealand is facing a collapse of legal medicinal cannabis supply after March 31, when a deadline to meet stiff new government rules is expected to keep the products of three of the country’s five main importers out of the market, reports NZ Herald’s Kate MacNamara in this Herald Premium article.

Last April, the government unveiled a new regulatory system to create more safe, widespread and affordable access to medicinal cannabis. It has not yet approved a single product.

New Zealand-based importers Medleaf Therapeutics, Nubu Pharmaceuticals, and Eqalis Pharmaceuticals confirmed their products are not likely to be approved under the new standards before the March deadline. Domestic production, still in its very early stages, is not likely to reach the market until late this year.

On March 31, special provisions, which have allowed companies to import under an old, stop-gap system will expire. Shane Le Brun, regulatory and business development consultant at Medleaf, currently estimated to be the country’s largest importer of medicinal cannabis, said his firm is preparing for a hiatus from the market of at least several months. A situation he described as a “looming crisis” for patients.

Even after receiving ministry verification, products will face a lag in reaching New Zealand, Le Brun warned. Companies require licences to both import to New Zealand and export from abroad, these cannot be obtained until after verification, and shipping times are uncertain.

California just overturned a state ruling that allowed for cannabis billboard advertising along state and interstate highways. While cannabis billboards are still allowed, they are prohibited on any highway that crosses state borders, a new restriction for the industry. 

The new regulation, which comes from the California Bureau of Cannabis Control, overturns the previous ruling, which claimed that billboards were allowed unless they were within a 15-mile radius of the border. Obviously, not being allowed on any highways that leave or enter the state is a lot more restrictive than just keeping them away from the border, so this is a blow for cannabis advertising in California. 

“To comply with the law and regulations, licensees may not place new advertising or marketing on any interstate highway or state highway that crosses the California border,” the official notice explains. “Licensees should also begin the process of removing current advertising and marketing that meets this criteria.”  This can also be found in Business and Professions Code section 26152(d). 

Advertising Cannabis

Back when Proposition 64 first passed in California, the California Bureau of Cannabis Control was given the power to regulate the new industry, and the matter of cannabis billboards has pretty much been in debate since the state legalized. Some contend that the billboards are necessary for advertising what is a perfectly legal industry inside state borders, while others feel it’s just asking for tourists to stop at dispensaries and drive back across the border. 

Back in 2019, the regulations were set in place that allowed advertising on interstate and state highways, except for those that were too close to the border. However, this new rule was challenged by a resident from San Luis Obispo County, who claims that the billboards expose his children to cannabis advertising. 

Farmers and researchers across Ohio are learning some of the most basic agricultural information about hemp after the state’s first year of legal cultivation.

Unclear growing conditions coupled with unpredictable market forces mean even if farmers successfully grow a crop they sometimes don’t know much about, processing it into products that consumers can buy could be prohibitive to running a business.

“[Hemp] grows well in Ohio,” said Sano Ti Amo co-owner Karen DeLuca. “We had great success in our field even though it was an experimental field, but you need a place to take it.”

When it comes to the North vs the South in America, there is usually a pretty evident divide when it comes to social issues. From abortion to religion in schools to drugs, the South is generally slower to adopt new policies. In the case of cannabis and the south, a lot of change has happened in the last few years, signaling a massive shift in overall public perspective.

The world of THC is truly an amazing place. Not only is there standard delta-9 THC, but for those who want less psychoactive effect, and less associated anxiety, there’s also delta-8 THC. Not sure which you like more? Check out these great Delta-8 THC deals, and give the other THC a try!

Sometimes change comes slow to the South, and this is evident from resistance to legalized abortion, pushing religion being taught in schools, letting go of slavery (let’s not forget that one), and the decriminalization and legalization of different drugs. But even those slow with the pickup, eventually come around. Whether it’s the changing of society through new generations being born, or the insertion of new information that changes minds. Whatever the case here, and as highlighted by the last election, how cannabis is viewed in the South, has seen much change and improvement in the last few years.

The last US election, and what is the ‘South’?

The last US election was quite the circus, with a persistent battle that continued after results were in, as to who actually won. As it stands, Joe Biden was officially sworn in to the white house in January, effectively ending that conundrum. But perhaps bigger news than a post-election presidential standoff, is the inclusion of several more states when it comes to cannabis legalization. In fact, for the first time, it became evident that cannabis is no longer shunned in the South, with new laws reflecting this change in perspective.

It wasn’t just the South that saw these changes. Four new states became legal for cannabis recreationally: Arizona, Montana, South Dakota and New Jersey. On the medical front, South Dakota (pulling double duty) and Mississippi joined the ranks of the legal for medical use group. Of all these states to change policy, the one that stands out the most, is Mississippi.