A Maryland House committee began discussion this week of a pair of bills to legalize and regulate cannabis in the state—one that would ask voters whether legalize cannabis use and possession by adults 21 and older, and another that would begin the work of crafting rules for the would-be legal industry. Both measures are from Del. Luke Clippinger (D), who chairs Maryland’s House Judiciary Committee, which gave the bills an initial hearing on Monday. Last year, Clippinger headed a House working group launched last summer by House Speaker Adrienne Jones (D) to study cannabis legalization in anticipation of the November 2022 ballot question. “I think it’s time for us to start this work now,” Clippinger said at Monday’s hearing. “I think that having this referendum and a clear statement from [voters of] the state of Maryland as to what they want to do will be helpful to the next governor in setting up that new structure.” The committee did not vote on the bills, instead of hearing spending several hours discussing their provisions and hearing testimony from the public. The bills considered by the House Judiciary Committee are among at least five cannabis legalization measures introduced so far this session by lawmakers in Maryland, where a survey last October found that the policy reform was more popular than President Joe Biden (D). Two other legalization bills have been introduced in the Senate, and a competing House measure was filed earlier this month. Clippinger’s two proposals are relatively straightforward. The first, HB 1, would ask voters to approve an amendment to the state’s constitution to legalize cannabis use and possession by adults at least 21 years old. It would further direct lawmakers to set laws to “provide for the use, distribution, regulation, and taxation of cannabis within the state.”

Ben Adlin, Marijuana Moment, 02/14/2022 13:48:00

Open article: https://www.marijuanamoment.net/maryland-lawmakers-take-first-step-to-putting-marijuana-legalization-on-2022-ballot-with-hearing-on-two-bills/

Three years after it was formed, the Michigan Marijuana Regulatory Agency is getting a new name. The agency will be renamed the Cannabis Regulatory Agency and take up the task of overseeing hemp processing, distribution, and sales in addition to its current regulation of the marijuana industry. Governor Gretchen Whitmer said in a press statement that these administrative changes will help the state continue growing the hemp and marijuana economy, create jobs, and invest in local communities. “Consolidating multiple government functions into the newly named Cannabis Regulatory Agency will help us continue growing our economy and creating jobs,” Gov. Whitmer said. “And to be blunt-safe, legal cannabis entrepreneurship, farming, and consumption help us put Michiganders first by directing the large windfall of tax revenue from this new industry to make bigger, bolder investments in local schools, roads, and first responders.” The change, made under the executive order and set to take effect in 60 days, “will allow for a more effective, efficient administration and enforcement of Michigan laws regulating cannabis in all its forms,” Whitmer’s office said in the statement. Michigan is the home state of Benzinga. The Marijuana Regulatory Agency was formed by executive order in spring of 2019 to oversee the regulation of medical and recreational marijuana following the legalization of adult-use cannabis via ballot initiative in 2018.

Benzinga Staff Writer, The Fresh Toast, 02/14/2022 10:00:00

Open article: https://thefreshtoast.com/news/michigan-gov-whitmer-consolidates-cannabis-and-hemp-regulation-to-increase-efficiency/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=michigan-gov-whitmer-consolidates-cannabis-and-hemp-regulation-to-increase-efficiency

Earlier this month, the U.S. House of Representatives formally attached a cannabis banking reform amendment to large-scale legislation dealing with innovation and manufacturing. Following the approval of the amendment from sponsor Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D-CO) on a voice vote as part of an ‘en bloc group’ with other amendments, the chamber passed the package on Feb. 3 in a 262-168 vote. On the heels of its latest and sixth attempt to get the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act across the finish line, Perlmutter discussed some of the prospects of his proposal in an interview with Yahoo Finance on Friday. While Senate leadership has pushed to pass comprehensive legalization first, the congressman is optimistic regarding his bipartisan incremental reform, Marijuana Moment writes. “Every [House] Democrat and at least half the Republicans have supported SAFE Banking, and I am confident that the Senate will take it up,” Perlmutter said. Commenting on efforts of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and his colleagues to legalize the plant and their prioritization of the broad legalization legislation, which they plan to officially file in April, he said that he’s “questioned whether they have the votes to get something of that magnitude through the Senate, which has not even had a hearing really on marijuana in 50 plus years.”

Benzinga Staff Writer, The Fresh Toast, 02/15/2022 06:00:00

Open article: https://thefreshtoast.com/news/sixth-time-the-charm-marijuana-banking-bill-sponsor-optimistic-about-senate-approval/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=sixth-time-the-charm-marijuana-banking-bill-sponsor-optimistic-about-senate-approval

In his SONA on Thursday, President Cyril Ramaphosa said that the government would be looking to ease policies to help the hemp and cannabis sectors grow in South Africa. “We will review the policy and regulatory framework for industrial hemp and cannabis to realise the huge potential for investment and job creation,” Ramaphosa claimed 130 000 jobs could be created if the industry were supported and regulatory processes streamlined. Co-founder of Hemporium Tony Budden, says we should be focusing on developing the market that exists here in South Africa. “We have a local market that deserves to have access to affordable hemp and cannabis products,” he tells Cape Talk.

420 Intel – Marijuana Industry News, 02/13/2022 19:00:00

Open article: https://420intel.com/articles/2022/02/14/south-africa-currently-third-largest-illegal-cannabis-producer-world

Washington’s Social Equity in Cannabis Task Force has been hard at work since its creation in 2020, and new legislation in the state Legislature now aims to incorporate policies recommended by the task force to increase social equity in the state’s cannabis market. The task force, which is made up of lawmakers, government representatives, and industry experts, was charged with making recommendations about issuing and reissuing cannabis dispensary licenses in ways that would promote business ownership among people of color, according to The Seattle Times. A new bill in the Washington Legislature, House Bill 2022, aims to do just that by creating 38 new dispensary licenses, as well as 25 new producer and processor licenses, every year through 2029, the news outlet reported. These licenses may only be issued to social equity applicants through 2030, and then, beginning in 2031, 50% of the licenses must be awarded to social equity applicants. Social equity applicants are defined as those who have lived in areas disproportionately impacted by the war on drugs, or those who plan to open a cannabis business that is majority-owned by a racial group that has been disproportionately affected by arrests for cannabis possession, The Seattle Times reported. H.B. 2022 also earmarks over $22 million annually to provide grants, low-interest loans, and a mentorship program to social equity applicants, according to the news outlet.

Posted Melissa Schiller, Cannabis Business Times, 02/14/2022 15:38:00

Open article: http://www.cannabisbusinesstimes.com/article/washington-state-lawmakers-consider-legislation-to-increase-social-equity-cannabis