The following press release was drafted by longtime NORML activist Chris Goldstein. The first hearing on the future of adult-use cannabis legalization was held before members of the Pennsylvania Senate Law and Justice Committee on February 7, 2022. Senator Mike Regan (R-York) who chairs the committee, specifically sought the view of police and prosecutors. A former US Marshall who backed Pennsylvania’s medical marijuana law in 2016, Regan is now offering plans to advance adult-use regulation. He won the support of Rep. Amen Brown (D-Philadelphia), who appeared as a witness and pledged to co-sponsor Regan’s forthcoming legalization bill. Although full language hasn’t been introduced yet, the official memo seems to outline that a large portion of cannabis taxes from retail sales would be directed to the State Police. Regan personally selected all the witnesses who testified at the informal hearing. These included two sitting county prosecutors, Philadelphia City Councilman Curtis Jones Jr., and a panel of former cops who now work security for Pa. medical cannabis dispensaries. Regan, and all of the panelists, seemed to agree that arresting people for simple cannabis possession was a bad idea.

NORML, 02/14/2022 19:00:00

Open article: https://norml.org/blog/2022/02/15/lawmakers-cops-consider-adult-use-cannabis-legalization-in-pennsylvania/

Ascend Wellness Holdings Inc. (AWH), a multistate, vertically integrated cannabis operator, filed an amended complaint against MedMed Enterprises Inc. and a motion to dismiss “baseless counterclaims” on Feb. 14 in New York. The filings are the latest in Ascend’s legal battle with MedMen, which stems from a roughly $73-million definitive investment agreement between the two companies on Feb. 25, 2021. Under the signed agreement, Ascend was to acquire 86.7% interest in MedMen NY Inc. (MMNY), MedMen’s subsidiary in New York, through investing $35 million in cash and issuing a senior secured promissory note in favor of MMNY’s senior secured lender in the principal amount of $28 million. In addition, Ascend held an option to acquire the remaining equity in MedMen’s New York operation through an additional investment of $10 million, which also was intended to be used to repay MMNY’s senior secured lender if adult-use cannabis sales commence in MMNY’s dispensaries, according to a February 2021 AWH press release. Ascend would have acquired one of New York’s 10 licenses to distribute medical cannabis through the transaction.

Posted Melissa Schiller, Cannabis Business Times, 02/15/2022 17:32:00

Open article: http://www.cannabisbusinesstimes.com/article/ascend-wellness-files-amended-complaint-against-medmen

Maryland lawmakers on Monday began delving into the details of how to legalize the recreational use of marijuana, should voters support it on the ballot this fall. Democratic leaders in the House of Delegates are advancing a plan to put the issue to voters in a referendum, which would trigger a series of changes in criminal law and automatic expungements of past marijuana possession convictions. And then lawmakers would work out details of who would get licenses for growing and selling the drug, how much it would be taxed and how the money would be used. They’d also study the health effects of the broad use of marijuana. “Marylanders deserve to have their voice heard on the question of cannabis legalization,” said Del. Luke Clippinger, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee and lead sponsor of marijuana legalization legislation. Clippinger and other top Democrats worked at the behest of House Speaker Adrienne A. Jones to develop a legalization plan centered around a voter referendum this fall. Clippinger, a Baltimore Democrat, said they’re charting the “best, most equitable path forward.” There’s long been a growing interest in legalizing the recreational use of marijuana in Maryland, which already has a medical cannabis program. Polls have shown ample support for legalization, including 60% in a Goucher College Poll last fall, up from 50% support in 2014.

Cannabis Business Executive – Cannabis and Marijuana industry news, 02/15/2022 11:38:00

Open article: https://www.cannabisbusinessexecutive.com/2022/02/maryland-lawmakers-get-first-look-at-plan-for-full-marijuana-legalization-2/

Key members of the New York Assembly and Senate recently filed bills that would provide provisional marijuana cultivator and processor licenses for existing hemp businesses that take certain steps to promote equity in the emerging industry. The bicameral legislation is being led by Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes (D) and Sen. Michelle Hinchey (D). Peoples-Stokes sponsored the adult-use legalization law that took effect last year along with Sen. Liz Krueger (D), who is listed as a co-sponsor of the new licensing bill.\ The measure is meant to simultaneously expedite the process of standing up New York’s adult-use market while supporting efforts to reach ambitious equity goals with respect to cannabis business participation.\ As it stands, adults 21 and older can possess and publicly consume cannabis, as well as gift marijuana to other adults as long as they aren’t being compensated. But regulators are still finalizing licensing rules, and there are currently no retailers that are authorized to sell cannabis for adult use in the state. The justification section for the bill says that it is “necessary to allow for a timely establishment of the adult-use cannabis market by allowing for the temporary conditional cultivation and processing of adult-use cannabis as soon as is feasible.” Unlike a separate temporary licensing bill that was filed in the Senate last year, this one puts a strong emphasis on equity objectives. Not only would prospective conditional license holders need to have been authorized by the state Department of Agriculture to grow hemp as of December 31, 2021—and have grown the crop for two of the past four years—they would also be required to “participate in an environmental sustainability program and a social equity mentorship program.”

Kyle Jaeger, Marijuana Moment, 02/14/2022 15:18:00

Open article: https://www.marijuanamoment.net/new-york-bill-would-give-temporary-marijuana-licenses-to-hemp-growers-to-prepare-for-sales-and-promote-equity/