Marijuana reform in Missouri has been a hotly contested topic since at least 2016, as thousands of entrepreneurs and commercial entities have competed for access to commercial licensing. In 2018, the New Approach Missouri campaign won the support of 66% of Missouri voters to put a medical marijuana program into the state’s Constitution. In 2020, controversy erupted as roughly 85% of 2,200 medical marijuana commercial licenses applications were denied. Some applicants lost tens of thousands of dollars in application fees to the state and hundreds of thousands of dollars to consulting firms promising top-tier application writing services. To me, this whole system seems irredeemably inefficient and corrupt. Worse, the New Approach Missouri campaign — now calling itself Legal Missouri 2022 — is proposing a similar approach to recreational marijuana licensing. While others have discussed the licensing issues at length, I have a unique perspective on why these approaches are nonsensical — I’m licensed to legally grow cannabis in Missouri under the agricultural hemp law passed in 2018. Under federal law, hemp is cannabis with less than 0.3% delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (aka delta-9 THC), and marijuana is cannabis with more than 0.3% delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol.

420 Intel – Marijuana Industry News, 01/02/2022 19:00:00

Open article: https://420intel.com/articles/2022/01/03/missouri%E2%80%99s-marijuana-legalization-efforts-should-learn-legal-hemp-industry

New rules governing the manufacture, sale and transport of recreational marijuana in New Mexico are now in effect. The New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department’s Cannabis Control Division made the announcement Tuesday, saying the rules allow the division to continue streamlining the process for cannabis businesses to get licensed as the state moves toward recreational sales over the coming months. Under legislation passed earlier this year, the rules needed to be in place by Jan. 1. Sales are expected to start by April 1. More than 300 applications for licenses across all sectors of the cannabis industry have been submitted so far, according to the Cannabis Control Division. Each one is being reviewed. “Every day brings us closer to the first adult-use cannabis sales in New Mexico,” Division Director Kristen Thomson said, adding that “businesses and consumers can be confident that all necessary support and protection is in place to ensure a thriving cannabis industry in our state.” The rules that took effect Tuesday include final manufacturing requirements that replace emergency rules adopted in the fall to protect workers and improve workplace safety.

Mmp News Author, Medical Marijuana Program Connection, 01/03/2022 04:09:00

Open article: https://mmpconnect.com/rules-in-effect-ahead-of-recreational-sales-of-marijuana-in-nm/

Ganjapreneur reports Colorado Gov. Jared Polis issued pardons for 1,351 people who had been convicted of possessing two ounces or less of cannabis prior to the state’s legalization reforms. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) announced yesterday that he signed an executive order to pardon 1,351 individuals who had been convicted of cannabis possession prior to the state’s historic legalization reforms in 2012. “Adults can legally possess marijuana in Colorado, just as they can beer or wine. It’s unfair that 1,351 additional Coloradans had permanent blemishes on their record that interfered with employment, credit, and gun ownership, but today we have fixed that by pardoning their possession of small amounts of marijuana that occurred during the failed prohibition era.” — Gov. Polis, in a press release The cannabis pardons covered state-level convictions for people who were caught possessing up to two ounces of cannabis, which coincided with an update to Colorado’s cannabis laws earlier this year that raised the legal purchasing and possession limit for adults from one to two ounces.

Cannabis Law Report, 12/31/2021 21:23:00

Open article: https://cannabislaw.report/colorado-gov-pardons-more-than-1300-cannabis-convictions/

New Oregon Cannabis rules let customers buy twice as much per purchase, and from farther away Oregon has approved multiple changes to the regulation of the cannabis industry for the new year, including doubling how much marijuana customers can purchase and allowing home delivery across city and county lines. In a Dec. 28 meeting, Oregon’s Liquor and Cannabis Commission approved new rules that officials say will help streamline oversight of the industry, decrease violations, expand choices for consumers and help prevent children from accessing hemp products containing THC, according to a news release from the agency. The changes are in response to the industry’s rapid growth, and will put Oregon more in alignment with other states on marijuana use rules as well as position the state in the export market if marijuana is legalized nationally, officials said. While some of the new rules took effect on Jan. 1, others kick in later this year. The new rules were driven by two bills passed in 2021. House Bill 3000 established a framework for limiting the unregulated sale of hemp products containing THC. Senate Bill 408 provided the commission with an outline for re-structuring penalties for rule violations by licensees.

Cannabis Law Report, 01/03/2022 06:13:00

Open article: https://cannabislaw.report/new-oregon-cannabis-rules-let-customers-buy-twice-as-much-per-purchase-and-from-farther-away/