RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — The Virginia Senate passed a bill to start recreational sales of marijuana this September. If signed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin as written, the measure would allow certain medical providers to sell cannabis to adults starting Sept. 15 until the fully legal market opens in 2024. Under the current law, only adults with a medical license can purchase marijuana from a dispensary. The bill would require pharmaceutical and industrial hemp processors to pay a one-time fee to set up shop for recreational sales. Pharmaceutical processors would have to pay $6 million and hemp processors would have to give $500,000 to the Department of Taxation. The legislation still needs to go through the House of Delegates, where it is expected to face charges from the Republican-led chamber. The bill, which passed Tuesday on a bipartisan 23-16 vote, establishes the regulatory framework for the recreational market after Virginia lawmakers legalized simple possession and limited home cultivation for adults last year without one in place.

Cannabis Business Executive – Cannabis and Marijuana industry news, 02/15/2022 19:51:00

Open article: https://www.cannabisbusinessexecutive.com/2022/02/virginia-senate-passes-bill-to-start-recreational-marijuana-sales-in-september/

Missouri is trying to introduce legal cannabis. It remains to be seen if it will pass or remain unattainable for the state. A Missouri lawmaker introduced a comprehensive bill to legalize recreational cannabis on Tuesday. The measure, titled the Cannabis Freedom Act (HB 2704), was introduced in the Missouri House of Representatives by Representative Ron Hicks, a Republican from St. Charles. If passed, the bill would legalize cannabis for adult use, regulate recreational cannabis commerce and expunge convictions for past cannabis-related offenses. In a statement, Hicks acknowledged the assistance from interested parties and an Oklahoma colleague in drafting the legislation. “The Cannabis Freedom Act is the product of input from many different stakeholders including members of law enforcement and those who have endured incarceration for conduct that society now deems acceptable,” Hicks said. “I am particularly grateful for input from Oklahoma State Representative Scott Fetgatter for his assistance in creating a free market program that is also strictly regulated.” Bill Legalizes Recreational Cannabis Possession and Sales Under the bill, adults 21 and older would be permitted to purchase and use recreational cannabis.

420 Intel – Marijuana Industry News, 02/16/2022 19:00:00

Open article: https://420intel.com/articles/2022/02/17/missouri-introduces-recreational-cannabis-legalization-measure-0

A Republican Missouri lawmaker on Tuesday unveiled a bill to tax and regulate adult-use marijuana in the state. It would provide opportunities for expungements, authorize social consumption facilities and permit cannabis businesses to claim tax deductions with the state. Rep. Ron Hicks (R) filed the omnibus legislation, titled the “Cannabis Freedom Act.” He said in a memo to colleagues that the measure was drafted in a way that thoughtfully incorporates elements from “every marijuana bill filed this session” to create a “free but tightly regulated market for legal marijuana.” Here’s what the cannabis legislation would accomplish as drafted: Possession, home cultivation, and licensing The bill would allow adults 21 and older to purchase and possess cannabis from licensed retailers. There doesn’t seem to be a possession limit in the measure; it simply does away with existing statutes criminalizing the activity. Adults could also cultivate up to 12 plants for personal use. The Missouri Department of Agriculture would be responsible for regulating the adult-use program, just as it currently does for hemp. It would be required to develop rules to issue temporary and annual licenses for cannabis retailers, growers, processors, transporters, and wholesale distributors.

Kyle Jaeger, Marijuana Moment, 02/15/2022 13:53:00

Open article: https://www.marijuanamoment.net/gop-missouri-lawmaker-unveils-wide-ranging-marijuana-legalization-bill-as-others-pursue-2022-ballot/

The Virginia Senate voted to speed up the timeline for retail marijuana sales Tuesday, approving a plan that would allow existing medical dispensaries to open sales to the general public in September. And, in what senators framed as a bid to give Virginia farmers a piece of what is expected to be a lucrative recreational market, the legislation also opens early sales to a handful of large industrial hemp processors. “This ensures consumers can purchase safe, regulated products legally,” said Sen. Adam Ebbin, D-Alexandria, the bill’s patron. The proposed timeline represents a 16-month head start for the businesses over the 2024 start date still contemplated for the broader industry. But while the legislation cleared the Senate on a bipartisan, 23-16 vote, its final passage remains far from assured at the halfway point in Virginia’s legislative session.It and other marijuana bills still have to make it through the House of Delegates, where the GOP majority remains divided on how to proceed and was unwilling to even docket marijuana bills filed by its own members. The legislation also faces criticism from legalization advocates who accuse Democratic lawmakers of abandoning racial justice commitments made last year, which the party made central to its legalization push.

Marijuana Moment, Marijuana Moment, 02/15/2022 17:13:00

Open article: https://www.marijuanamoment.net/virginia-senate-votes-to-start-recreational-marijuana-sales-this-september-through-current-medical-dispensaries/

Legislation introduced in Wyoming this week with the support of the House speaker and other leaders would remove criminal penalties for possessing small amounts of cannabis, replacing the state’s current misdemeanor charge with a $100 fine. Filed Tuesday by state Rep. Mark Baker (R), the multipartisan bill so far has 11 co-sponsors, including House Speaker Eric Barlow (R) and House Majority Whip Jared Olsen (R). Democratic leaders, specifically Minority Caucus Chair Rep. Mike Yin, and Senate Minority Floor Leader Chris Rothfuss, have also signed onto the bill, as having Independent Rep. Jim Roscoe and Libertarian Rep. Marshall Burt. The policy change, which would require a two-thirds majority vote of the legislature to pass, comes as activists ready a pair of ballot proposals for 2024 that would decriminalize cannabis possession and legalize medical marijuana. Lawmakers in Wyoming’s last legislative session considered a bill to legalize and regulate marijuana for adult use, but that measure stalled after advancing out of a House committee in March. The new bill is considerably simpler than last year’s proposal, however. It would carve out an exception to the state’s criminal drug laws, removing the state’s current misdemeanor penalty for possession of small amounts of cannabis. The existing penalty carries a sentence of up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine.

Ben Adlin, Marijuana Moment, 02/16/2022 07:12:00

Open article: https://www.marijuanamoment.net/wyoming-house-speaker-backs-new-bill-to-decriminalize-marijuana/