Rhode Island appears a step closer to becoming the next state to legalize recreational marijuana use. On Tuesday, two key lawmakers in the House and the Senate introduced identical legislation that resolved a major impediment to passage last year: They defined who would regulate the new industry. The legislation creates an independent three-member cannabis control commission, which would eventually also assume oversight of the state’s medical-marijuana program, currently overseen by the Department of Business Regulation. It also establishes a cannabis advisory board and a cannabis office within the DBR. The Senate last year approved a version of legalization that called for a similar commission, but a House bill kept control of the retail market within the DBR. How many marijuana dispensaries could there be? The new legislation allows for up to 33 retail licenses distributed in six zones statewide, including at nine medical marijuana dispensaries that could be hybrid recreational and medical retailers. Community leaders considering opting out of hosting a retail dispensary would have to place the question before voters on the November ballot. Those communities voting to opt-out would be ineligible for any tax revenue from marijuana sales.

Mmp News Author, Medical Marijuana Program Connection, 03/07/2022 20:45:00

Open article: https://mmpconnect.com/rhode-island-may-change-recreational-pot-laws/

The Alliance for Cannabis Equity (ACE), a collaboration between Connecticut Community Outreach Revitalization Program (ConnCORP) and The WorkPlace, a Bridgeport-based incubator and workforce development board, has released the Cannabis Manifesto, a document designed to aid Black and Hispanic entrepreneurs and workers in understanding how they can take full advantage of the emerging recreational marijuana industry in Connecticut. The 93-page manifesto, which was published online, is designed to lay out the organization’s mission and goals and serve as a reference document for those seeking to understand why people of color should make full use of the opportunities for economic advancement provided by the state’s legalization of recreational use. “Social equity is at the core,” said Fred McKinney, co-founder of the economic analysis and consulting firm BJM Solutions, in a Feb. 24 press conference announcing the manifesto. McKinney praised the state’s efforts to center its marijuana policy on offsetting some of the harms of years of racism and bias in drug enforcement. “But, I know enough about social equity to know that it takes more than words,” he added. “It really takes an effort to make it a reality.

Mmp News Author, Medical Marijuana Program Connection, 03/06/2022 12:43:00

Open article: https://mmpconnect.com/new-initiative-seeks-to-expand-cannabis-industry-to-black-and-hispanic-entrepreneurs/

A Washington, D.C. Council committee on Thursday unanimously approved a bill to ban most workplaces from subjecting job applicants to pre-employment marijuana testing. The legislation, sponsored by Councilmember Trayon White (D), cleared the Labor & Workforce Development Committee. It would expand on previous legislation the D.C. Council approved to protect local government employees against workplace discrimination due to their use of medical cannabis. “This is an important step towards eliminating historic inequities of cannabis use and ensuring that those who use cannabis medically or recreationally are not penalized in their work spaces [for what they do] on their private time,” White said at the committee meeting on Thursday. The new bill stipulates that, with certain exceptions, “it shall be an unlawful discriminatory practice for an employer, labor organization, employment agency, or agent thereof to require a prospective employee to submit to testing for the presence of any tetrahydrocannabinol or marijuana in such prospective employee’s system as a condition of employment.” Police, safety-sensitive construction workers and people with jobs that require a commercial driver’s license or work with childcare and patients and positions “with the potential to significantly impact the health or safety of employees or members of the public” could till be drug tested for cannabis, however.There are also exceptions for workers contracted by the federal Department of Transportation (DOT).

Kyle Jaeger, Marijuana Moment, 03/03/2022 16:41:00

Open article: https://www.marijuanamoment.net/d-c-lawmakers-approve-ban-on-pre-employment-marijuana-testing-for-most-workers/

A proposal to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana won’t come up for a vote this legislative session, according to the bill’s sponsor. The legislation was initially filed last month, Marijuana Moment reported. But state Rep. Mark Baker, R-Rock Springs, told The Center Square that there simply isn’t time to take up the bill in a shortened session devoted to the budget. “The way Wyoming works, we budget biannually, a two-year budget,” he said. “This year, we have a budget session and it’s only 20 days long. We also have redistricting bill. Anything is not budget or redistricting requires a two-thirds vote because of the timeframe.” Legislators were given the opportunity to bring only one bill forward this session, Baker noted. “I chose to not bring that bill [marijuana legislation] forward,” Baker said. “I chose to bring another bill forward.” The legislation would have made possession of small amounts of marijuana a civil violation with a $100 fine, rather than a misdemeanor which carries a potential of a year in jail and a $1,000 fine, Baker said. With the bill off the table for this year, the emphasis is on creating a study committee that would explore the costs and potential tax revenue from legalizing the sale of marijuana, the lawmaker said. According to previous estimates, Wyoming could gain $30 million a year in tax revenue from legal marijuana sales. “Next year will be a 40-day general session of the legislature,” Baker said. However, another stumbling block is that marijuana is still illegal under federal law, he added. “In Wyoming, there doesn’t appear to be an appetite to challenge the federal government on this issue,” Baker said. “Everyone is looking for the Congress and the president to do something. We could expect a vote in Wyoming to be successful only after the federal government does something.”

Marijuana Moment, Marijuana Moment, 03/07/2022 08:43:00

Open article: https://www.marijuanamoment.net/wyoming-marijuana-decriminalization-bill-wont-get-a-vote-this-session-sponsor-says/

House and Senate committees held joint hearings last week to hear from veterans service organizations (VSOs) about how Congress and the federal government can better serve their constituents, and several of the groups brought up the need to ease restrictions on marijuana. Written testimony submitted ahead of the meetings on Tuesday and Wednesday echoes what the VSOs have repeatedly raised with lawmakers. The specifics range in scope between the various groups, but the overall message was made clear: military veterans uniquely stand to benefit from marijuana treatment and it’s time for Congress to do something about it. Among other asks from the organizations are for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to expand research into the therapeutic potential of cannabis, for Congress to lift study barriers for Schedule I drugs that show medical promise and to end prohibition so that veterans can access marijuana recommendations through their VA doctors. “Support for the use of medical cannabis to treat the wounds of war has been growing among the veteran population for years, and [Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America] members have repeatedly voiced their support,” IAVA CEO Jeremy Butler said.

Kyle Jaeger, Marijuana Moment, 03/07/2022 11:54:00

Open article: https://www.marijuanamoment.net/veterans-groups-call-on-congress-to-allow-medical-marijuana-access-through-va/