The New Hampshire House is once again considering adult-use cannabis legalization and, this time, lawmakers want to allow state-run liquor stores to serve the market. House Bill 1598, sponsored by Rep. Daryl Abbas, R-Salem, would allow liquor stores to sell cannabis flower, but not other products, such as THC-infused edibles, according to a WCAX report. “I think the state in the next couple of years will realize that we can’t miss out on this market,” Rep. Tim Egan, D-Sugar Hill, told the news outlet, adding, “It’s a different model. It is sort of the first step.” H.B. 1598 would authorize the New Hampshire Liquor Commission to regulate and oversee the cultivation, manufacturing, testing, and sale of adult-use cannabis to adults 21 and older, according to the Concord Monitor. The legislation would allow municipalities to limit or prohibit adult-use cannabis businesses within their jurisdictions, the news outlet reported. The bill would direct 50% of the tax revenue generated from adult-use sales to offset municipalities’ contributions to the statewide education property tax, while 30% would help pay off the state’s retirement system debt, 10% would go to drug and alcohol treatment programs, and the rest of the funds would be funneled to first responders and behavioral health programs, according to the Concord Monitor.

Posted Cbt Staff, Cannabis Business Times, 04/04/2022 11:18:00

Open article: http://www.cannabisbusinesstimes.com/article/new-hampshire-house-approves-legislation-to-legalize-adult-use-cannabis

Indiana’s Senate Bill 209 died in the 2022 legislative session because of worries that the bill’s language would go as far as to outlaw CBD oil. Republicans proposed the bill to the General Assembly which sought to change the definitions of drug schedules in Indiana by altering “delta-9 THC” in Indiana law to simply say “THC,” thus removing the legal grey area that allows delta-8 products, also known as “weed light” to some in the industry, to be sold by CBD retailers across Indiana. If the bill passed, individual hemp farmers and retailers risked losing $1 million dollars in business. From a federal standpoint, delta-8 is legal if it’s derived naturally from hemp plants. However, in 2021, the FDA announced warnings about the potential health risks of delta-8 products. “The CDC states that the health effects of delta-8 THC have not yet been researched extensively and are not well-understood,” the statement says. “However, delta-8 THC is psychoactive and may have similar risks of impairment as delta-9 THC.” The CDC also cites other warnings including mislabeled products that don’t appropriately advertise the psychoactive effects of delta-8, an increase in calls to the center of poison control after taking delta-8 products, risks of contamination during manufacturing, and marketing that appeals to children.

Allison Troutner, Cannabis Business Times, 04/04/2022 13:47:00

Open article: http://www.cannabisbusinesstimes.com/article/indiana-lawmakers-drop-thc-ban-bill

The U.S. House of Representatives on Friday approved a bill to federally legalize marijuana for the second time in history, also adopting a pair of amendments to the legislation before final passage. Following an hour of debate on the Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act from House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY)—and the approval of two amendments and the rejection of a third—the full chamber voted 220-204 to end federal cannabis prohibition and promote social equity in the industry. The vote fell largely along party lines with only three Republicans supporting the measure and two Democrats opposing it. A nearly identical version of the MORE Act passed in 2020, but it stalled in the Senate. It passed through the sponsor’s panel again this session in September. Nadler opened Friday’s floor debate, calling the MORE Act “long overdue legislation that would reverse decades of failed federal policies based on the criminalization of marijuana.”

Kyle Jaeger, Marijuana Moment, 04/01/2022 09:18:00

Open article: https://www.marijuanamoment.net/house-begins-final-debate-on-federal-marijuana-legalization-bill-with-floor-vote-imminent/

The New Hampshire House on Thursday approved a bill to legalize marijuana through a state-run model—but the chamber tabled a separate bill that would have decriminalized possession of psilocybin mushrooms. This is the second time that the House has taken up the state-run cannabis legalization bill, HB 1598, sponsored by Rep. Darryl Abbas (R). It passed on the floor last month but needed to go back to the Ways & Means Committee because it involved economic components. That panel met several times and made amendments, sending it back to the floor, where the full-body passed it again in a 169-156 vote. It now heads to the Senate. “The primary objective of this bill is the policy of legalization of cannabis for both possession and personal use and was passed by the House earlier this session,” Rep. Timothy Lang (R) said in a statement included in the House calendar. “This bill accomplishes that primary objective, so New Hampshire will no longer arrest and prosecute New Hampshire citizens for possession of personal use quantities of cannabis.”

Kyle Jaeger, Marijuana Moment, 03/31/2022 17:38:00

Open article: https://www.marijuanamoment.net/new-hampshire-house-approves-state-run-marijuana-legalization-bill-and-rejects-psilocybin-decriminalization-measure/