Despite the abrupt death of the bill to legalize medical marijuana in South Carolina this year, supporters and advocates say their hope for the legislation is still alive. The “SC Compassionate Care Act,” S.150, advanced further this year than it ever had before, passing the state Senate and making it all the way to the House of Representatives floor for debate, where it was one key step away from reaching the governor’s desk. But before that debate really got underway in the House, Rep. John McCravy, R- Greenwood, who had put up around 1,000 amendments in an attempt to stall the bill, raised a question about its constitutionality. The state constitution requires bills that create a new tax must originate in the House, but S.150 was a Senate bill. House Speaker Pro Tem Tommy Pope, R – York, ruled the bill was unconstitutional because of this and could not be further debated, killing it. An attempt to appeal Pope’s decision was voted down. Sen. Tom Davis, R – Beaufort, who has been pushing for this legislation for years, disagreed with Pope’s ruling, arguing the bill’s revenue-raising component was ancillary to its primary purpose, to establish a medical cannabis program in the state.

WCSC, Live 5 News, The Lowcountry’s News Leader – Live5News.com, 05/19/2022 20:00:00

Open article: https://www.live5news.com/2022/05/20/south-carolinians-still-left-waiting-after-push-legalize-medical-marijuana-falls-short-2022

Minnesota lawmakers rejected an effort to bring a marijuana legalization bill to the Senate floor for consideration on Wednesday. The procedural vote ended with a 31-33 tally, with 41 needed to pass the motion. It failed to move forward by 10 votes. Out of the 33 votes, 31 were Republican, with three legislators from the party not voting. One vote to strike it down came from DFL Sen. Gregory Clausen and another came from Independent Sen. Thomas Bakk, who has been caucusing with the Republican Party since leaving the DFL. Last year, a bill to legalize adult-use recreational marijuana passed the Minnesota House of Representatives with a 72-61 vote. The vote marked the first time a legalization bill had reached the state House floor, but the effort’s companion bill died in the Republican-controlled Senate. Wednesday’s effort by the Senate DFL would have forced a debate and vote on a legalization bill that has been stalled in committee. “It’s something all Minnesotans are talking about, and they are speaking about it unequivocally — they are demanding we catch up with these other states and demanding we legalize cannabis now,” said DFL Sen. Aric Putnam.

Cannabis Business Executive – Cannabis and Marijuana industry news, 05/19/2022 08:15:00

Open article: https://www.cannabisbusinessexecutive.com/2022/05/minnesota-senate-shoots-down-latest-marijuana-legalization-attempt/

Massachusetts lawmakers seem poised to tackle some of the cannabis industry’s biggest woes in this legislative session. The House voted 153-2 May 18 to pass a bill that would promote greater diversity in the market, increase oversight on the host community agreements that cannabis businesses must enter into with the state’s municipalities, and establish a regulatory framework for on-site cannabis consumption lounges, according to a GBH News report. “Since the passage of legal recreational cannabis, the creation and growth of the legal industry in the commonwealth has been, in most cases, a success, leading to hundreds of new businesses, thousands of new jobs, and the creation of new revenue streams for the commonwealth and its municipalities through this new and innovative industry,” Rep. Dan Donahue, D-Worcester, the House chair of the Cannabis Policy Committee and the bill’s sponsor, said, according to the news outlet. “It is, however, time to revisit the initial legislation to provide clarity on the intent of the legislation and to work to ensure we continue to remove barriers to entry into this unique industry for those communities who are so disproportionately harmed and impacted by the prohibition of marijuana.”

Posted Melissa Schiller, Cannabis Business Times, 05/19/2022 15:50:00

Open article: http://www.cannabisbusinesstimes.com/article/massachusetts-house-passes-bill-to-promote-diversity-cannabis-industry

The House Committee on Labor and Industrial Relations unanimously advanced a bill Thursday that would protect Louisiana’s state employees who are legally treated with medical marijuana. House Bill 988, sponsored by Rep. Mandie Landry, D-New Orleans, protects state employees from negative consequences if they are diagnosed with a condition for which their doctor recommends medical marijuana that is used in accordance with state law. The law would protect employees from being fired and would protect prospective employees from being discriminated against for their use of medical marijuana. The bill would not apply to law enforcement, firefighters or other public safety officials. The Louisiana Board of Pharmacy reported that there are over 43,000 medical marijuana users in the state. The first medical marijuana dispensaries in the state began operating in 2019. “There are a lot of people who don’t want to take opioids for their long-term PTSD and pain management because of the high possibility of addiction to opioids,” Landry said. “This has proved to be a better option than them.” Rep. Larry Frieman, R-Abita Springs, raised concerns that the issue should be addressed by state agencies, not by the Legislature. Jacques Berry, communications director for the Louisiana Department of Administration,

420 Intel – Marijuana Industry News, 05/19/2022 20:00:00

Open article: https://420intel.com/articles/2022/05/20/proposal-would-shield-louisiana%E2%80%99s-state-employees-who-use-medical-marijuana