South Carolina lawmakers on Thursday approved a Senate-passed bill to legalize medical marijuana in the state. A subcommittee of the House Medical, Military, Public, and Municipal Affairs Committee advanced the measure, sponsored by Sen. Tom Davis (R), in a unanimous vote after adopting a couple of amendments. Now it will move to the full committee, which will hold a public hearing on the measure on Monday. The Compassionate Care Act passed the full Senate last month. It was prefiled in late 2020 and passed out of the Senate Medical Affairs Committee last March, but alone senator blocked it from reaching the chamber floor in 2021. Since then, Davis redoubled his efforts to get the bill across the finish line, arguing that South Carolina voters are ready for what he’s repeatedly called “the most conservative medical cannabis bill in the country.”. The senator said in January that House Speaker Jay Lucas (R) agreed to “allow the bill to go through the House process” if it advanced through the Senate, but a spokesperson for the speaker later told The Charleston Post and Courier that “Sen. Davis doesn’t speak for Speaker Lucas.”

Kyle Jaeger, Marijuana Moment, 03/31/2022 09:33:00

Open article: https://www.marijuanamoment.net/south-carolina-house-lawmakers-approve-senate-passed-medical-marijuana-legalization-bill-in-subcommittee/

A Missouri House committee on Thursday narrowly approved a GOP-led bill to tax and regulate adult-use marijuana in the state. The legislation from Rep. Ron Hicks (R), titled the “Cannabis Freedom Act,” cleared the House Public Safety Committee in a 5-4 vote, with amendments. It now heads to the Rules Committee before it could potentially advance to the floor. Besides legalizing possession and sale of cannabis, the bill would further provide opportunities for expungements, authorize social consumption facilities and permit cannabis businesses to claim tax deductions with the state. While advocates had hoped that the panel would advance the bill without revisions, members ultimately adopted three amendments. The changes concern licensing caps, regulatory authority over the cannabis market and a proposal described by one lobbyist as a “poison pill” that imposes restrictions on who would qualify for equity benefits. Hicks told Marijuana Moment in a phone interview on Thursday that he’s “disappointed” by the committee amendments, particularly a change pushed by Rep. Nick Schroer (R) that the sponsor said represents a “poison pill” that’s already causing cosponsors of the original bill to pull back. The revision unnecessarily plays into partisan divides over rights for transgender people, Hicks said.

Kyle Jaeger, Marijuana Moment, 03/31/2022 17:01:00

Open article: https://www.marijuanamoment.net/missouri-lawmakers-approve-gop-led-marijuana-legalization-bill-in-committee/

A Minnesota lawmaker wants to double the number of licensed medical cannabis operators in the state. Sen. Mark Koran, R-North Branch, introduced legislation on March 29 that would allow the Minnesota Department of Health to license at least two more vertically integrated companies in the state, according to a 5 Eyewitness News report. Currently, Minnesota has two licensed cannabis operators: LeafLine Labs and Vireo Health, which does business as Green Goods in the state. Koran told 5 Eyewitness News that his proposal could help increase medical cannabis production, promote more competition and drive prices down for patients.m “There could be a lot of benefits to adding two more medical cannabis producers by 2024,” Koran said. “More competition can lead to better prices for patients and then we have to ask ourselves, ‘What does success look like?’ so that we are careful to not dilute the market.” A new law went into effect on March 1 to allow Minnesota’s medical cannabis patients to access flowers, and Dr. Stephen Dahmer, chief medical officer at Green Goods, told 5 Eyewitness News that the company’s average unit price dropped by nearly 30% since the rule change. He added that he does not believe that licensing more medical cannabis operators in the state is necessary at this time.

Posted Melissa Schiller, Cannabis Business Times, 03/31/2022 12:28:00

Open article: http://www.cannabisbusinesstimes.com/article/new-legislation-would-authorize-more-medical-cannabis-operators-minnesota

In the 2022 South Dakota legislative session, lawmakers introduced 47 bills dealing with the legalization, regulation, and taxation of marijuana. On Wednesday cannabis groups released their report card on individual lawmakers and how they voted on marijuana issues. The report cards show that 10 house members and 4 senators got A-plus regarding their support and understanding of cannabis issues in South Dakota. 8 house members and one senator got an F. Lawmakers passed a number of cannabis-related bills in the session that just wrapped up on Monday. Many of them centered around clarifying regulations pertaining to the legalization of medical marijuana. A recreational marijuana bill passed the Senate but failed in the house. “The South Dakota legislature came the closest they ever have to pass legalization I believe this is because the voters spoke loud and clear in 2020 in their support for Amendment A,” said Ned Horsted the Executive Director, Cannabis Industry Association of South Dakota South Dakotans approved Amendment A with 54 percent of the vote in 2020 but it was thrown out by a judge on the grounds that it violated the state’s single-subject rule for ballot initiatives.

Cannabis Business Executive – Cannabis and Marijuana industry news, 03/31/2022 10:13:00

Open article: https://www.cannabisbusinessexecutive.com/2022/03/expect-recreational-marijuana-back-on-ballot-in-south-dakota/

Marijuana legalization is effectively dead this year at the State Capitol. That means Tennessee could be left behind as the states surrounding it are passing some form of cannabis legalization. However, It’s no secret that Tennessee lawmakers have been reluctant to decriminalize and legalize marijuana. “The issue of marijuana has been contentious and divisive up here for years and years,” said Rep. Bruce Griffey (R-Paris). The last-ditch effort by Representative Bob Freeman (D-Nashville) to enact cannabis legislation has reached its end in the House for this year, as he pulled the bill (HB 1968) from notice. “There is a very real possibility that, by the time we come back next year, we will be the only state that touches Tennessee that has not done some sort of legalization,” Freeman said. With the slow-moving process toward considering full legalization, Tennessee could be left out of the revenue marijuana could provide. “Having debates with departments and other members, it was a nonstarter the amount of money that we were getting was not even relevant,” Freeman said. According to the fiscal review of the bill, Tennessee could net between $65 to $130 million per year in revenue.

Cannabis Business Executive – Cannabis and Marijuana industry news, 03/31/2022 20:23:00

Open article: https://www.cannabisbusinessexecutive.com/2022/03/tn-bill-to-fully-legalize-marijuana-effectively-dead-for-2022-legislative-session/