U.S. senators representing Colorado are adding their voices to calls for marijuana banking reform to be included in must-pass defense legislation. In a letter sent to Senate committee leadership on Wednesday, Sens. John Hickenlooper (D-CO) and Michael Bennet (D-CO) noted that the House passed its version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) with the banking amendment, and argued that language should be adopted by negotiators in the conference for the final legislation sent to President Joe Biden’s desk. This comes one day after bipartisan members of the Senate Armed Services Committee sent their own letter urging leaders to include the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act in the final NDAA. “Without federally-approved banking services, state-licensed cannabis businesses cannot write checks, make or receive electronic payments, utilize a payroll provider, or accept credit and debit cards,” the new letter from the Colorado senators says. “This is a serious public safety risk for our communities, inviting theft, tax evasion, robberies, burglaries, or worse.” The senators made the case for how the lack of cannabis banking affects their state, which in 2012 became one of the first in the nation to legalize marijuana. “Legalization has had a profound impact on our state’s economy, supporting over 35,000 jobs and bringing in more than $1 billion in tax revenue,” they wrote. “In Denver, cannabis businesses make up less than 1% of all local businesses but accounted for 10% of reported business burglaries from 2012 to 2016. Cash-only industries also complicate tracking revenues for purposes of taxation and regulatory compliance.” The SAFE Banking Act has been approved in some form in the House five times now, but it’s so far languished in the Senate. Stakeholders have held out hope that the chamber would advance the legislation with a Democratic majority, but some key players like Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) have insisted on passing comprehensive legalization—like a reform bill he’s finalizing—first.

Kyle Jaeger, Marijuana Moment, 11/26/2021 08:31:00

Open article: https://www.marijuanamoment.net/more-senators-urge-marijuana-banking-reform-to-be-enacted-through-defense-bill/

A bipartisan coalition of state attorneys general sent a letter to congressional leaders arguing that any effort to federally legalize marijuana should be done in a manner that respects the autonomy of states while providing necessary resources to ensure that cannabis is effectively regulated. Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich (R), Connecticut Attorney General William Tong (D), North Dakota Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem (R), and Vermont Attorney General T.J. Donovan (D) sent the letter last week in response to a request for feedback on a draft legalization bill that’s being finalized by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ). The top law enforcement officials emphasized the need for a “cooperative federal-state regulatory partnership” that prioritizes public health and safety but does not unduly interfere in established cannabis markets that are being overseen by the states. While the attorneys general aren’t endorsing or opposing the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act (CAOA), they said “we recognize that federal legislation, if enacted, will increase the already-pressing need for cooperative federal-state oversight of products that contain cannabis or cannabis-derived compounds.” “Over the past 25 years, numerous states have made the decision to legalize cannabis for medical or recreational uses. More are likely to do so in the future,” the letter says. “It is clear that the rapidly expanding cannabis market should not regulate itself and that a cooperative federal-state regulatory partnership is necessary to govern the industry in a manner consistent with the need for consumer protection.” They added that the “inherent complexity of cannabis and cannabinoids raises legitimate public health and public safety concerns that, absent appropriate federal and state regulation, could put consumers and the public at risk.”

Kyle Jaeger, Marijuana Moment, 11/25/2021 09:52:00

Open article: https://www.marijuanamoment.net/bipartisan-attorneys-general-tell-congress-to-center-federal-state-cooperation-in-marijuana-legalization-plans/

A draft bill to legalize and regulate marijuana sales in Mexico is being circulated among senators, and a top lawmaker says the plan is to vote on the proposal before December 15. While the legislation hasn’t been formally introduced yet, the draft measure largely reflects an earlier version the Senate passed late last year, with some revisions. Senate Majority Leader Ricardo Monreal Avila of the ruling MORENA party has been pushing for the reform and recently said that there’s agreement among leading lawmakers to prioritize legislation to regulate cannabis. The Mexican Supreme Court declared nearly three years ago that the country’s prohibition on the personal possession and cultivation of cannabis was unconstitutional. Lawmakers were then obligated to enact the policy change but have since been unable to reach a consensus on legislation to put in place regulations for a marijuana program. At the request of legislators, the court agreed to extend its deadline for Congress to formally end the prohibition on multiple occasions. But because of the repeated failed attempts to meet those deadlines, justices ultimately voted to end criminalization on their own in June. Monreal previously said that the stage is set for lawmakers to actually pass a marijuana legalization bill during the new session after multiple attempts in recent years fell short of getting over the finish line. Under the draft bill that’s currently being circulated, adults 18 and older would be allowed to purchase and possess up to 28 grams of marijuana and cultivate up to six plants for personal use. Members of the Senate Health and Justice Committees were tapped to formulate the draft of a cannabis bill.

Kyle Jaeger, Marijuana Moment, 11/26/2021 10:47:00

Open article: https://www.marijuanamoment.net/mexican-senators-circulate-draft-marijuana-legalization-bill-with-vote-expected-within-weeks/

The South Dakota Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld a lower court’s ruling that nullified a voter-passed amendment to the state constitution that would have legalized recreational marijuana use. Gov. Kristi Noem instigated the legal fight to strike down the amendment passed by voters in November. Though the Republican governor opposed marijuana legalization as a social ill, her administration’s arguments in court centered on technical violations to the state constitution. The high court sided with those arguments in a 4-1 decision, ruling that the measure — Amendment A — would have violated the state’s requirement that constitutional amendments deal with just one subject. “It is clear that Amendment A contains provisions embracing at least three separate subjects, each with distinct objects or purposes,” Chief Justice Steven Jensen wrote in the majority opinion, which found recreational marijuana, medical marijuana, and hemp each to be separate issues. About 54% of voters had approved the constitutional amendment last year. But Highway Patrol Superintendent Col. Rick Miller sued on Noem’s behalf. Pennington County Sheriff Kevin Thom also joined the lawsuit.

Cannabis Business Executive – Cannabis and Marijuana industry news, 11/25/2021 09:07:00

Open article: https://www.cannabisbusinessexecutive.com/2021/11/south-dakotas-supreme-court-rules-against-legalization-of-recreational-marijuana/

A South Dakota legislative board has adopted a report from a committee dispatched by the Legislature to study draft legislation on medical and adult-use cannabis in the state. The committee drafted nearly two dozen bills that would change South Dakota’s medical cannabis program, according to The Globe, as well as an adult-use legalization bill that committee chairman Bryan Breitling told the news outlet would be a “fail-safe” if the state’s Supreme Court upholds a lower court injunction against South Dakota’s voter-approved Amendment A. The Legislature’s 15-member executive board voted to accept the committee’s report, although the vote does not represent an endorsement of any of the draft bills, The Globe reported. The legislation will likely surface during the state’s upcoming legislative session, according to the news outlet. South Dakota’s cannabis study committee broke into two separate panels, one on adult-use and one on medical cannabis, and received testimony from legal and health experts, cannabis advocates, and local leaders, The Globe reported.

420 Intel – Marijuana Industry News, 11/22/2021 19:00:00

Open article: https://420intel.com/articles/2021/11/23/south-dakota-legislative-board-adopts-cannabis-study-committee%E2%80%99s-report