State cannabis laws have always been tricky; in most cases, they arise from voter-approved initiatives, and their structures are usually determined by lawmakers who largely aren’t fans of cannabis. The result is a lot of push and pulls between Republicans and Democrats while consumers sometimes have to contend with a wide variety of subpar, contaminated and even unsafe cannabis products. In Florida, both sides of the political spectrum are setting aside their differences to work on a major cannabis reform bill that would potentially fix an oversight left by the 2018 farm bill. The farm bill legalized the cultivation and sale of industrial hemp and its derivatives, including CBD. Cannabidiol (“CBD”) has been found to have a variety of medical properties and has even been approved for use in an epilepsy drug called Epidiolex. The federal legislation described industrial hemp as cannabis with less than 0.3% delta-9 THC and required that all hemp products have the same amount of delta-9 THC. However, thanks to a loophole in the bill, hemp products with plenty of delta-8 THC aren’t as regulated, although delta-8 THC is also psychoactive and can cause intoxication.

CannabisNewsWire, 12/20/2021 04:20:00

Open article: https://www.cannabisnewswire.com/420-with-cnw-florida-bipartisan-bill-seeks-to-reform-medical-cannabis-program/

Mexico could be one of the biggest players in the North American cannabis market, according to Xebra Brands (, the first company allowed to commercialize cannabis per a Mexican Supreme Court ruling. Even better, according to Xebra Brands President Robert Giustra, as quoted by Reuters, “Mexico is clearly legalizing. It’s going to happen, probably next year.” Once that happens, Mexico could become one of the biggest cannabis markets in the world, and could secure a big piece of an estimated $73.6 billion global market, as estimated by Grand View Research. In addition to Xebra Brands, the news could be a major catalyst for Aurora Cannabis (NASDAQ:ACB)(TSX:ACB), Canopy Growth (TSX:WEED)(NASDAQ:CGC), Tilray Inc. (NASDAQ:TLRY)(TSX:TLRY), and OrganiGram Holdings (NASDAQ:OGI)(TSX:OGI). Even more exciting, “Xebra is moving quickly to take advantage of its absolute first mover advantage. Discussions are underway to secure up to 300 hectares of suitable land for cultivation, and multiple Canadian and American companies with cannabis processing and extraction expertise have expressed an interest in partnering in Mexico. Manufacturing joint-venture opportunities with established Mexican parties have been identified, and distribution channels are being explored,” as noted in a press release.

Mmp News Author, Medical Marijuana Program Connection, 12/20/2021 11:29:00

Open article: https://mmpconnect.com/this-major-cannabis-ruling-is-already-seeing-significant-international-coverage/

California Attorney General Rob Bonta (D) is urging the prosecuting attorneys throughout the state to expedite their overdue processing of past marijuana convictions in order to allow eligible individuals to have their sentences reduced or removed and past records sealed from public view. Proposition 64, which California voters passed in 2016 to legalize cannabis for adults, allowed people with certain prior convictions to petition to the courts for relief, an effort to undo criminal consequences of conduct that is no longer illegal. The plan rolled out inconsistently across the state and into repeated delays, so in 2018 lawmakers passed separate legislation to streamline the process. Bonta, a state assembly member at the time, was that bill’s lead sponsor. “Since this law went into effect,” he said in a statement Wednesday, “tens of thousands of Californians have been able to turn the page and make a fresh start—but unfortunately there are still some who are waiting for relief. I urge counties to prioritize processing their records so that these Californians can finally get the relief they deserve.” Prosecutors had until July of last year to review eligible cases and decide whether to challenge them, but some have still not forwarded necessary information to courts, the attorney general’s office said.

Ben Adlin, Marijuana Moment, 12/16/2021 08:25:00

Open article: https://www.marijuanamoment.net/california-ag-pushes-county-prosecutors-to-stop-delaying-relief-for-past-cannabis-convictions/

Criminal justice reform wasn’t a priority for state Rep. Shamed Dogan, R-Ballwin, when first elected to the Missouri legislature in 2014. As he enters his final year before term limits end his tenure in the House, the pre-filed a ballot resolution to legalize marijuana and expunge civil and criminal records pertaining to all non-violent, marijuana-only offenses. House Joint Resolution 83 would place before Missouri voters next November an amendment to the state Constitution allowing the legal adult use of marijuana, subject to state regulation, taxation and local ordinance. If passed, all those incarcerated or on probation for non-violent offenses will be immediately released and not subject to supervision. During Empower Missouri’s “Clean Slate Town Hall” webinar on Monday, Dogan said he expects to face the same obstacles encountered by those who legalized medical marijuana in 2018. Dogan, the only Black Republican in the Missouri legislature, announced he will run for St. Louis County Executive in November 2022. “There’s a lot of hesitancy among Republicans in general, but especially in the Senate where it only takes a few people who have a strong opposition to prevent it from moving anywhere,” Dogan said. “Even if we were able to pass something in the House, it was dead-on-arrival in the Senate. We ended up with a [medical marijuana] ballot initiative. We made the argument at the time that if you don’t like what we’re passing legislatively, what’s on the ballot is going to be much less favorable. And you as a legislator aren’t going to have any ability to impact it since it’s going to be in the Constitution.”

Marijuana Moment, Marijuana Moment, 12/16/2021 10:29:00

Open article: https://www.marijuanamoment.net/pro-legalization-missouri-gop-lawmaker-addresses-marijuana-resistance-in-his-party/