Austin, Texas voters will have a chance to decide on a ballot initiative to locally decriminalize marijuana, city officials announced on Monday. Ground Game Texas, an organization working to advance progressive causes including cannabis reform, said it turned in more than 33,000 signatures for the measure—about 10,000 more than required to qualify for the May 7 election. The city clerk’s office said that, according to its internal review of the validity of the submissions, “the petition is determined to be sufficient.” The group also told Marijuana Moment on Monday that they will be launching signature campaigns for cannabis decriminalization initiatives in Killeen and Harker Heights this month, and activists in San Marcos began a similar campaign in September. Those three efforts are aimed at putting marijuana reform before voters in November. While Austin, as well as other Texas cities like Dallas, have already independently enacted law enforcement policy changes aimed at reducing arrests for cannabis-related offenses by issuing citations and summons, the new Austin Freedom Act would take the reform a step further. The initiative seeks to end arrests and citations for misdemeanor marijuana possession within Texas’s capital city.

Kyle Jaeger, Marijuana Moment, 01/10/2022 11:11:00

Open article: https://www.marijuanamoment.net/austin-officials-certify-local-marijuana-decriminalization-initiative-for-may-ballot/

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

The proven perks of taxable marijuana sales that benefit legalized states are beginning to outweigh the antiquated “gateway drug” mentality in many areas of the nation. When liberal-leaning states like California, Washington, and Colorado sparked the movement towards marijuana legalization it hardly invoked many surprises. Marijuana legalization seemed closely connected to progressive liberal ideals at the time. It was also not earth-shattering news when recreational marijuana sales in these Democratic states skyrocketed and these states all reaped tangible benefits. Recently, the Republican-leaning state of Montana legalized recreational marijuana, and it has already posted impressive sales numbers. In the first weekend alone, the 20% sales tax on recreational cannabis raised $313,396 in tax revenue for the state. This may come as a slight shock to those who see marijuana legalization as a solely partisan issue. Montana, however, is simply a friendly reminder that in 2022 some Republican-leaning states enjoy marijuana just as much as their blue state neighbors. Montana is not the first red state to embrace recreational marijuana. Alaska, although Republican-leaning, has embraced marijuana decriminalization for decades. Then in 2014 Alaska became the third state in the U.S. to legalize recreational marijuana.

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

Open article: https://420intel.com/articles/2022/01/11/more-red-states-are-going-wild-weed

What’s in store for the new year and the future of weed. The U.S. cannabis market continues to boom to little surprise, but some experts caution that growth may decline in 2022. With U.S. sales topping $37.4 billion in 2021, according to a Prohibition Partners’ report, most see the new year as another success for pot. Still, regulations on federal and local levels could kneecap America’s full potential. Another Strong Year Expected, But Growth Could Slow: Sources across the board told Benzinga that they agreed with the optimistic projection for 2022. Jessica Billingsley, CEO of enterprise cannabis tech platform Akerna Corp, said the first week of January helped bolster optimism, noting Montana’s strong adult-use opening. She also highlighted positive signs in the medical space, with Louisiana now allowing cannabis flowers in medical products. Billingsley said the U.S. would continue to provide a massive market impact, but its potential remains stymied by federal prohibition. “An entire untapped national economy in the U.S. can come from legal cannabis, including job creation and tax revenue, that we are missing out on by not federally legalizing cannabis,” Billingsley said. Andrew Fuller, senior market research analyst for data firm Headset hopes that bipartisan citizen support propels at least some form of federal reform in 2022.

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

Open article: https://420intel.com/articles/2022/01/11/us-cannabis-sales-topped-37-billion-2021-will-sales-decline-2022