Iowa Democrats are done waiting for the GOP-controlled legislature to act on marijuana reform. So on Tuesday, a group of legislators announced that they will soon be introducing a constitutional amendment to let voters decide on the issue of regulating cannabis “in a way similar to the way we regulate the use of alcohol by Iowans over the age of 21.”Sens. Joe Bolkcom (D), Janet Petersen (D), and Sarah Trone Garriott (D) unveiled the plan during a virtual briefing, emphasizing that since conventional, legislative measures to end prohibition have so far stalled in the state, a new approach is necessary. The effort will center on putting a constitutional amendment on the ballot. But in order to do so, the General Assembly will need to pass the proposal twice during two separate sessions, meaning the soonest voters will get to weigh in would be during the November 2024 election. It also means that the Republican-controlled legislature will need to get on board with the idea of a referendum on the issue. Bolkcom told Marijuana Moment in a phone interview on Tuesday that the plan is to pass the measure during the 100-day session that starts next month and then again in 2023. Asked whether he expects his GOP colleagues to resist a constitutional amendment on the issue as they have with standalone proposals, the senator said it’s a “jump ball” and “we’re trying to ascertain that at the moment.” Legislative leaders and the governor have maintained staunch opposition to reform efforts in the past, which is partly the reason that even Iowa’s medical cannabis program is especially limited compared to other states, Bolkom said.

Kyle Jaeger, Marijuana Moment, 12/21/2021 16:52:00

Open article: https://www.marijuanamoment.net/iowa-democrats-announce-plan-to-let-voters-decide-on-marijuana-legalization-amid-gop-resistance/

A bill to require the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to conduct clinical trials into the therapeutic potential of marijuana for military veterans would have a negligible fiscal impact, according to a new analysis from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). However, just as when the agency issued its last analysis on the costs of an earlier version of the VA Medicinal Cannabis Research Act in 2020, CBO pointed to ongoing VA cannabis studies and said it “expects that those efforts would satisfy the bill’s requirement for research,” even though it’s not clear that’s actually the case. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Lou Correa (D-CA), cleared the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee for the third time last month. Earlier versions of the measure were approved by the panel in 2020 and 2018 but were not enacted into law. It would mandate that the department launch a series of studies on using medical marijuana to treat PTSD and chronic pain. While VA has expressed opposition to the reform proposal—as well as other modest cannabis- and veterans-related legislation—because it says the measure is overly prescriptive, CBO suggested in its analysis published on Tuesday that the department has already taken the basic steps to implement it. Specifically, it pointed to “several studies examining risks and benefits of using cannabis to treat PTSD and chronic pain” that VA has approved. One that was previously referenced in CBO’s score of the earlier bill evaluates the “effects of medical cannabis use among 136 participants with PTSD and other health conditions.” However, the text of the legislation itself indicates that the ongoing study would not satisfy its research requirements, for several reasons. First, the cited study only covers post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The bill mandates that VA shall conduct clinical trials not just into PTSD, but also specifically on chronic pain as well as “other conditions.” Second, the bill calls for studies involving multiple cannabis forms and varieties. The study CBO pointed to looks exclusively at synthetic CBD.

Kyle Jaeger, Marijuana Moment, 12/22/2021 08:35:00

Open article: https://www.marijuanamoment.net/congressional-analysis-finds-veterans-marijuana-research-bill-would-come-at-little-cost/

With Illinois and Michigan legalizing marijuana for recreational use in 2020, Ohio passing some medical marijuana measures, and Kentucky’s governor saying he’s open to medical marijuana legalization, Indiana may soon find itself alone if marijuana initiatives being pushed through the Statehouse by Democrats during the next legislative session don’t pan out. Where our neighboring states are signing off on marijuana legalization in some capacity, legalizing weed for certain medical use or making recreational weed legal for adults, that’s not the case in Indiana yet. A 2016 poll conducted by WTHR and Howey Politics Indiana showed 73 percent of Hoosiers supported legalizing medical marijuana. That support cut across party lines, with about 60 percent of Republican respondents and more than 80 percent of Democrats voicing approval for medical cannabis. Two years later, that number jumped to 81 percent, according to a statewide poll by Ball State University. Forty-two percent of Hoosiers polled said marijuana should be legal for medical use only and an additional 39 percent said it should be legal for all personal use, including medical.

Cannabis Business Executive – Cannabis and Marijuana industry news, 12/21/2021 09:25:00

Open article: https://www.cannabisbusinessexecutive.com/2021/12/indiana-trails-neighboring-states-in-move-to-legalize-marijuana/

Last month marked five years since Massachusetts voted to legalize recreational marijuana, but state lawmakers find themselves weeding through proposed restrictions on a product that researchers say can harm the health of youths. On a 2016 ballot question, Massachusetts residents approved legalization, joining California, Maine and Nevada voters in doing so that year. Colorado, Washington, Alaska, and Oregon previously had legalized recreational marijuana. Under Massachusetts law, adults older than 21 are permitted to use, grow and sell marijuana in limited quantities without legal consequences. The state began allowing licensed recreational sales in 2018, bringing 14 recreational dispensaries, out of a total of 165 in the state as of Sept. 1, to Berkshire County. But, some state lawmakers are proposing restrictions. State Rep. James O’Day, D-Worcester, has proposed raising the minimum age for recreational use to 25, citing a desire to keep young people safe. Separately, state Rep. Bradford Hill, R-Ipswich, filed a bill to limit serving sizes, flavors and levels of THC, the main psychoactive ingredient in marijuana. Gov. Charlie Baker had expressed concerns when he signed the legalization bill into law in 2017. “I don’t support this,” Baker said. “I worry terribly about what the consequences over time will be … [but] the people voted this, and I think it’s really important that we put the program in place and deliver a workable, safe, productive recreational marijuana market for them in Massachusetts.”

420 Intel – Marijuana Industry News, 12/21/2021 19:00:00

Open article: https://420intel.com/articles/2021/12/22/five-years-after-massachusetts-voters-approved-marijuana-legalization-some