Legislative proposals that seek to legalize the adult-use cannabis market have advanced in several states in recent days. In Delaware, House lawmakers recently moved HB 305: the Delaware Marijuana Control Act, to the floor. The bill permits adults to legally possess up to one ounce of marijuana and establishes a framework for licensed businesses to commercially cultivate cannabis and engage in retail sales. It awaits a vote from the full chamber, where it will require a 60 percent super-majority in order to advance to the Senate. Similar legislation stalled last year. If advanced by the House, it would still need super-majority support from the Senate, and it could face resistance from Democratic Gov. John Carney, who has been noncommittal on the subject. In Maryland, members of the state’s House of Delegates have given preliminary approval to a pair of legalization bills. The first, House Bill 1, would let voters decide on whether to legalize cannabis possession and sales via a binding referendum question on the November ballot. Statewide polling from October finds that Maryland residents support such a plan by a margin of nearly 2 to 1. A second bill, HB 837, is also expected to be advanced. It compliments

NORML, 02/23/2022 19:00:00

Open article: https://norml.org/blog/2022/02/24/adult-use-legislative-efforts-advance-in-delaware-maryland-and-south-dakota/

A bill to legalize medical cannabis in Nebraska went up in smoke this week. It’s unclear if someone in the legislature will speak up for it. The legislation was dealt a sequence of setbacks that dimmed its prospects: its sponsor, Republican state Senator Mike Groene, resigned abruptly on Monday, and at a hearing held at the capital of Lincoln on Wednesday, “No one spoke in favor of it,” according to local television station WOWT. “The only reason it got a hearing at all is that State Senator Anna Wishart of Lincoln, one of the most vocal medical marijuana supports [sic] in the Legislature, picked up the bill—not that she likes it, but because she wanted to give people who had circled this date to still have a chance at addressing the Judiciary Committee,” the station reported. Now, according to WOWT, the bill is “dead on arrival.” The outcome does not come as a great surprise. It was only a week ago when Groene, prior to his sudden resignation, said that the legislation was “just a shell bill” that he intended to replace with a more comprehensive proposal.

420 Intel – Marijuana Industry News, 02/24/2022 19:00:00

Open article: https://420intel.com/articles/2022/02/25/nebraska-medical-cannabis-bill-fizzles-committee-0

An ambitious new bill called the Cannabis Freedom Act from Missouri state Rep. Ron Hicks (R–St. Charles County) aims to legalize recreational marijuana consumption, provide relief to nonviolent offenders who used the drug, and allow restaurants, bars, and other private venues to sell cannabis. The bill would allow adults aged 21 or older to purchase and possess cannabis from licensed sellers. The bill intends to get rid of the existing statutes that criminalize marijuana activity and does not specify a possession limit for the drug. The bill would also make home growing legal with a limit of up to 12 plants, and home growers could contract out their own products to licensed sellers. State Rep. Richard Brown (D–Kansas City), the bill’s co-sponsor, says he supports legalization because “it’s just time” to stop punishing those who use marijuana. He also said that the bill’s bipartisan support (which currently includes eight Republican sponsors and six Democrats) means it could make it to the House floor for debate. Brown says that during his six-year tenure in office, a House debate on marijuana legalization has never occurred

Cannabis Business Executive – Cannabis and Marijuana industry news, 02/25/2022 08:50:00

Open article: https://www.cannabisbusinessexecutive.com/2022/02/missouri-marijuana-legalization-bill-aims-high-but-expectations-remain-low/

The application window opened Thursday for Connecticut retailers who want to participate in the recreational and medical cannabis markets. The state plans to license two general applicants and two social equity applicants as hybrid retailers. The application window for the lottery is open for 90 days and will close on May 25. Social equity status is determined by income and residency. The state has established its Social Equity Council, a group that’s charged with ensuring those who were most impacted by the war on drugs benefit from the recreational market. Medical dispensaries that are already licensed and want to add recreational sales will not be subject to the lottery system. They also will be required to maintain their medical programs. Application windows for other types of cannabis businesses started opening early in February. Open application windows include retailers, delivery services, and micro-cultivators, among other business types.

420 Intel – Marijuana Industry News, 02/24/2022 19:00:00

Open article: https://420intel.com/articles/2022/02/25/retailers-seeking-offer-recreational-and-medical-cannabis-can-now-apply-ct