A medical marijuana legalization bill cleared a Missouri Senate committee on Wednesday, just a day after it was introduced. If the long-awaited legislation becomes law this session, a medical cannabis program could be up and running in the state by later this year. The Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee approved the measure by a voice vote, and it is expected to be taken up on the floor as soon as Thursday. Sen. Kevin Blackwell (R), the bill’s sponsor and a member of the committee, said that he tried to retain the spirit of a 2020 voter-passed initiative while making provisions more conservative to garner broad support in both chambers. “There’s been a great deal of hours that have gone into this,” Blackwell said at Wednesday’s hearing, acknowledging that it’s “probably not a perfect bill.” “We’ve tried to be conservative,” he added, pointing to track-and-trace rules and other restrictions that weren’t included in nearby Oklahoma’s medical marijuana law. “We tried to take…the intent of [Initiative] 65 and keep that within this framework.” The bill’s route to passage remains precarious. Gov. Tate Reeves (R) has already threatened to veto the measure over its proposed purchase limits, which he says are too high, and some other state officials remain wary. But supportive lawmakers have said they’re confident they’ll have the votes to override any veto and push the legislation through.

Mmp News Author, Medical Marijuana Program Connection, 01/12/2022 22:57:00

Open article: https://mmpconnect.com/mississippi-senate-committee-approves-medical-marijuana-bill-despite-governors-veto-threat/

Florida marijuana activists have officially turned their attention to putting adult-use legalization on the state’s 2024 ballot, rather than 2022 as previously planned. Regulate Florida faced several significant hurdles as they worked to qualify the reform initiative for this year’s ballot. That includes the state Supreme Court rejecting the language of an earlier version, forcing the campaign to go back and rewrite the petitions. While the group filed a revised version in September and hustled to collect the required signatures, it wasn’t enough. “When we began this attempt at legalization and home cultivation, we told you that time was short,” the campaign said in an email blast to supporters on Tuesday. “It appears that time has run out for this election cycle, but we have momentum and we have laid the groundwork for a successful campaign for 2024.” That campaign will start on February 2, Regulate Florida said. Activists will then have two years to first gather 222,898 valid signatures to prompt a judicial and fiscal impact review, and then they will need a total of 891,589 signatures to make the ballot. As filed this year, the measure would allow adults 21 and older to use and possess cannabis. They could also grow up to nine plants for personal use. The initiative would not provide for retail sales, however.

Kyle Jaeger, Marijuana Moment, 01/11/2022 12:14:00

Open article: https://www.marijuanamoment.net/florida-marijuana-activists-pivot-to-2024-for-legalization-ballot-initiative/

Maryland lawmakers are meeting this week to start their 90-day legislative session to discuss topics concerning the $4.5 billion budget surplus, COVID-19, climate change, and legalizing recreational marijuana. The Democratic-controlled Maryland General Assembly will plan how to manage the surplus for the current and upcoming fiscal years, and state Senate President Bill Ferguson said they need to be careful how they approach the budget. “I think people have heard this $4.6 billion like it’s time that we can fund everything possible, but we’ve got to be very, very thoughtful and moderate about how we approach it because we don’t want to set ourselves up for a fiscal cliff in two to three years from now,” Ferguson said. Legalizing recreational marijuana is one of the topics the lawmakers will consider, one with fiscal implications. Ferguson previously pledged that Maryland legislation would work to legalize the use of recreational marijuana, the Baltimore Sun reported. Democratic House Speaker Adrienne Jones voiced her support for adding legalized cannabis to the November ballot, according to WBAL-TV. However, Jones previously said she has concerns when it comes to young adults.

420 Intel – Marijuana Industry News, 01/10/2022 19:00:00

Open article: https://420intel.com/articles/2022/01/11/maryland-lawmakers-debating-whether-legalize-recreational-marijuana-or-put-it

Florida lawmakers are considering changes to the state’s medical cannabis program as they reconvene Jan. 11 for the 2022 legislative session. House Bill 679 contains technical changes to the constitutional amendment that legalized medical cannabis in 2016, according to an ABC News report. “I think the first thing to understand about 679 is this is the first bipartisan marijuana package we’ve really run as a state in five years since the constitutional amendment passed,” Rep. Andrew Learned, one of the bill’s sponsors, told the news outlet. “Just getting both sides to agree on a way forward, I count this as a win already.” The legislation aims to reduce costs for Florida’s medical cannabis patients by requiring fewer doctor’s visits, extending the expiration dates on registration cards from one year to two, and offering telehealth services to help patients refill their prescriptions, ABC News reported. H.B. 679 would also regulate delta-8 THC. Learned told the news outlet that the bill changes some of the definitions surrounding delta-8 and helps ensure that delta-8 products are tested and sold only to adults 21 and older.

Cannabis Business Times, 01/11/2022 11:48:00

Open article: http://www.cannabisbusinesstimes.com/article/florida-lawmakers-consider-changes-medical-cannabis-program