A key Maryland House committee advanced a Senate-approved budget bill last week, adding new amendments that would allocate tens of millions of dollars in funding to implement marijuana legalization with the expectation that the reform will ultimately be enacted this year. The House Appropriations Committee cleared the amended legislation on Friday. It would provide about $52 million to support the implementation of cannabis legalization, facilitate expungements for prior cannabis convictions and fund a “disparity study” to “better understand the barriers to entering the cannabis market.” This comes one month after the full House of Delegates separately passed bills to put marijuana legalization on the state’s 2022 ballot and set initial rules if voters approve the reform in November. All of the funding that the Appropriations Committee proposed setting aside for cannabis reform implementation is contingent on the enactment of the latter bill, HB 837. Del. Luke Clippinger (D) is sponsoring both measures and said last month that lawmakers are “at the beginning of an important process.” His bills are scheduled for a Senate Finance Committee hearing on Wednesday.

Kyle Jaeger, Marijuana Moment, 03/21/2022 15:59:00

Open article: https://www.marijuanamoment.net/maryland-lawmakers-approve-millions-in-funding-to-implement-marijuana-legalization-if-reform-is-enacted/

The proliferation of the shops has beaten New York’s own plans to open dispensaries after the state Legislature legalized recreational marijuana last year. State officials said it is legal for the tribes across New York to sell marijuana before regulators have adopted their own rules because the tribes have sovereignty. Therefore, tribal governments have been able to develop and implement their own rules and regulations around retail sales and cultivation of marijuana, outpacing the statewide plans and reaping the financial benefits. New Yorkers on the other hand must wait until the state finishes developing regulations in the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act — with regulated sales expected before year’s end. “There’s a considerable amount of money to be made in the industry, especially with New York lagging behind,” tribal lawyer Lee Redeye said. But doing so has raised a series of questions about how the tribes are procuring the marijuana, how it may ultimately be regulated, and whether the tribes could have to reach a compact with New York to tax sales. For many in Western New York, the Seneca reservation is the closest place to purchase legal weed, far from other legal destinations like Massachusetts or Canada.

Politics, Policy, Political News – POLITICO, 03/18/2022 20:00:00

Open article: https://www.politico.com/news/2022/03/19/native-american-tribes-new-york-cannabis-00016488

The Mississippi Cannabis Trade Association is trying to ensure medical cannabis access for all those who need it—even patients in cities that have opted out of the state’s medical cannabis program. The industry group is holding signature drives in local municipalities that have opted out of hosting medical cannabis businesses to give voters a chance to opt back in, according to a local WAPT report. Mississippi voters approved medical cannabis legalization by more than a two-thirds majority in the 2020 election, but the state’s Supreme Court overturned the measure in May 2021 due to a signature-gathering technicality. Sen. Kevin Blackwell and Rep. Lee Yancey then fought to restore the will of their constituents through legislation to legalize medical cannabis. The bill cleared the Legislature in January and Gov. Tate Reeves signed it into law in February. The law allows Mississippi’s counties and municipalities to opt-out of hosting medical cannabis cultivators, processors and dispensaries within three months of the bill being signed into law, but residents can petition for a special election to overturn their city’s decision. Residents must collect 1,500 signatures to get a special election, WAPT reported, and once the signature requirement is met, the city has 60 days to hold the election.

Cannabis Business Times, 03/21/2022 16:31:00

Open article: http://www.cannabisbusinesstimes.com/article/mississippi-cannabis-trade-association-holds-petition-drives-for-special-elections-on-medical-cannabis