Proposed laws on the cusp of passage in Brazil and Argentina could lead to “a radical change in the global dynamics of production of industrial hemp and medicinal cannabis,” according to Latin America’s leading hemp industry group. Lorenzo Rolim da Silva, president of the Latin-American Industrial Hemp Association said if the new cannabis laws are enacted, they will let the two countries realize their full potential in international markets. “Both designs are quite robust and modern, and would bring both countries in line with current regulations in the European Union and North America,” Rolim da Silva said. In Brazil, a vote expected before the end of 2021 means regulations could be in place sometime next year. Argentina’s proposed law, already approved by legislative committees on agriculture, finance, and national security, awaits the final step of passage by the country’s senate, with the chance it may also become effective in 2022. Both countries would treat industrial hemp the same as common crops such as soybeans and corn, with oversight by the Argentinian and Brazilian ministries of agriculture only, and no involvement by drug agencies. With agriculture playing a critical role in each nation’s economy, the new laws would let hemp move into the farming mainstream in two of the world’s major agricultural nations, both of which are advantageously located for hemp growing.

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

Open article: https://420intel.com/articles/2021/11/23/new-laws-brazil-argentina-could-signal-%E2%80%98radical-shift%E2%80%99-global-markets

St. Louis lawmakers have given preliminary approval to a local measure to broadly decriminalize marijuana in the city. The proposal cleared the near-final “perfection” stage by the Board of Aldermen on Friday after passing on second reading earlier this month. It now requires a third reading vote for final passage. While the measure from Alderman Bret Narayan (D) wouldn’t change Missouri state laws that continue to criminalize cannabis, local ordinances penalizing low-level possession and cultivation would be repealed. Adults 21 and older could possess up to two ounces of marijuana without facing the civil penalty that’s currently in place. It would also make it so that “no resources” could be spent to punish adults for cultivating up to six flowering plants. The proposal would additionally allow city employees who are medical cannabis patients to present their state-issued ID cards “to avoid adverse employment actions based on a positive drug test for marijuana.” The measure, which has 11 cosponsors, is also supported by Mayor Tishaura Jones (D). A spokesperson for the mayor told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that the “intention is to free up police resources so they don’t even have to worry about arresting someone for a victimless crime.”

Kyle Jaeger, Marijuana Moment, 11/22/2021 13:36:00

Open article: https://www.marijuanamoment.net/st-louis-lawmakers-move-to-decriminalize-marijuana-possession-and-cultivation/

A strong majority of Texans—including most Republicans—support legalizing marijuana for adult use, according to a recent poll. The survey from the University of Houston and Texas Southern University found that 67 percent of Texas residents back the broad reform. Fifty-one percent of participants who identified as Republican said them back legalization. Pollsters also asked about the legalization of other controlled substances such as heroin and meth. Respondents generally opposed that policy change, with just 16 percent saying they support it. That said, 20 percent of independents, 24 percent of millennials, and 26 percent of Gen Xers said they’re on board with holistically ending the drug war. With respect to marijuana, there were some common themes. As in most polling to date, Democrats and young people were the most likely to back recreational legalization. Seventy-nine percent of Democrats and 70 percent of independents favor the policy. But in a state where comprehensive cannabis reform has consistently stalled in the GOP-controlled legislature, the finding that 51 percent of Republicans agree that marijuana should be legal for adult use is notable. And while young people are more likely to say they want to end cannabis criminalization, 50 percent of Baby Boomers and the Silent Generation said they back marijuana legalization.

Kyle Jaeger, Marijuana Moment, 11/22/2021 15:10:00

Open article: https://www.marijuanamoment.net/majority-of-texas-republicans-back-marijuana-legalization-poll-finds/