Lawmakers advance legal pot bill, but more changes promised
3 years, 8 months ago

Lawmakers advance legal pot bill, but more changes promised

Associated Press  

Connecticut lawmakers on Tuesday advanced Gov. Members of Lamont’s administration tried to assure the committee back in February that the governor’s bill — which creates a framework for a new legal system — was the starting point for discussion. The revised version up for a vote on Tuesday adds new legislative appointments to a proposed Social Equity Council charged with making sure that potential social equity applicants, including people with prior marijuana-related drug offenses, have access to marijuana business-related licenses and that individuals from communities disproportionately impacted by drug laws get jobs in the new legalized industry. It also allows only social equity applicants and the existing medical marijuana operators to open recreational establishments between July 1, 2021, and Jan. 1, 2024. Of the state revenues generated by the new industry, the bill requires 55% be used toward “social equity efforts,” 15% for drug prevention and recovery services, and 30% to cover administrative costs.

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History of this topic

Harris pledges to federally legalize marijuana to bolster Black communities. Will it work?
2 months, 1 week ago

Harris pledges to federally legalize marijuana to bolster Black communities. Will it work?

Salon  

On Monday, Vice President Kamala Harris became the first major presidential candidate to endorse the federal legalization of cannabis, pledging to ensure “the safe cultivation, distribution and possession of recreational marijuana is the law of the land.” Though many states have legalized cannabis and its marijuana extracts, the drug still remains illegal at the federal level. It also states Harris …

The drug war devastated Black and other minority communities. Is marijuana legalization helping?
8 months ago

The drug war devastated Black and other minority communities. Is marijuana legalization helping?

Associated Press  

ARLINGTON, Wash. — When Washington state opened some of the nation’s first legal marijuana stores in 2014, Sam Ward Jr. was on electronic home detention in Spokane, where he had been indicted on federal drug charges. “Social equity programs are an attempt to reverse the damage that was done to Black and brown communities who are over-policed and disproportionately impacted,” …

North Carolina senator pushing medical marijuana bill describes smoking pot during cancer fight
1 year, 6 months ago

North Carolina senator pushing medical marijuana bill describes smoking pot during cancer fight

Associated Press  

RALEIGH, N.C. — The North Carolina General Assembly’s chief advocate for legalizing medical marijuana in the state revealed publicly on Tuesday how he smoked pot over 20 years ago to withstand discomforts of intense chemotherapy during a fight with cancer. He said he told his local police chief and sheriff that “I’m going to have to buy drugs illegally to …

Kentucky House gives final passage to medical marijuana bill
1 year, 8 months ago

Kentucky House gives final passage to medical marijuana bill

Associated Press  

FRANKFORT, Ky. — Medical marijuana advocates achieved a long-sought victory Thursday, when Kentucky lawmakers gave final passage to a measure to legalize access to medical cannabis for people suffering from a defined list of debilitating illnesses. “This is a truly historic day here in the commonwealth and one that many people deserve — especially the constituents who’ve approached me over …

Delaware lawmakers give final approval to marijuana bills
1 year, 8 months ago

Delaware lawmakers give final approval to marijuana bills

Associated Press  

— The Delaware Senate gave final approval Tuesday to bills legalizing recreational marijuana use by adults in the state and authorizing the establishment of a state-licensed and regulated cannabis industry, setting up a potential battle with Democratic Gov. Buckson, however, led the opposition to the industry-creation bill that calls for state officials to issue up to 30 initial retail marijuana …

Minnesota bill to legalize marijuana gets major rewrite
1 year, 9 months ago

Minnesota bill to legalize marijuana gets major rewrite

Associated Press  

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Legislation to legalize recreational marijuana for adults in Minnesota underwent a major rewrite Tuesday with the addition of new language to regulate and protect the state’s burgeoning industry in low-potency edibles and drinkables. “It has had incredible costs for our communities, especially for communities of color.” The 142-page amendment adopted Tuesday deals extensively with regulatory and …

Medical pot proposal gets bipartisan support in NC Senate
2 years, 6 months ago

Medical pot proposal gets bipartisan support in NC Senate

Associated Press  

RALEIGH, N.C. — Marijuana would be legalized for medical use in North Carolina with a physician’s prescription and purchased through dozens of tightly regulated dispensaries in a measure receiving initial approval Thursday in the Senate. The legislation, which received strong bipartisan support, could help people facing more than a dozen different “debilitating medical conditions” in which their doctor declares the …

Medical pot bill resurfaces in NC Senate, heading to floor
2 years, 6 months ago

Medical pot bill resurfaces in NC Senate, heading to floor

Associated Press  

RALEIGH, N.C. — Legislation authorizing marijuana for medical use in North Carolina and developing a system to grow, sell and regulate cannabis was recommended by a state Senate committee Wednesday, nine months after it last surfaced. The measure, which now heads to the Senate floor for the first of two required votes Thursday, would allow patients with at least one …

Bills to expand access to medical marijuana advance
2 years, 8 months ago

Bills to expand access to medical marijuana advance

Associated Press  

— Legislation aimed at expanding patient access to medical marijuana in Louisiana was advanced Tuesday by a state House committee. Rep. Joe Marino, an independent from Gretna, won approval of a bill that would expand the number of licenses from 10 to 25 with 30% of the new licenses set aside for minorities and women. Republican Speaker Pro Tempore Tanner …

House revives bill striking defense for medical pot
2 years, 10 months ago

House revives bill striking defense for medical pot

Associated Press  

— South Dakota House Republican lawmakers on Thursday revived a bill to rid the state’s medical marijuana law of a provision that allows patients with debilitating medical conditions to avoid criminal charges for pot possession if they have not obtained a marijuana identification card. The bill is one among dozens of changes lawmakers are considering to the state’s medical marijuana …

Marijuana bills stall in Virginia’s GOP-controlled House
2 years, 10 months ago

Marijuana bills stall in Virginia’s GOP-controlled House

Associated Press  

RICHMOND, Va. — As the Virginia General Assembly reaches the halfway point of this year’s session, one of the year’s most complicated issues — possible changes to the state’s new law legalizing recreational marijuana — has stalled in the GOP-controlled House. Another bill The legislation, which appeared to be the main marijuana bill offered by House Republicans, also called for …

Virginia Republicans push for changes in marijuana law
2 years, 10 months ago

Virginia Republicans push for changes in marijuana law

Associated Press  

RICHMOND, Va. — Newly empowered Republican lawmakers in Virginia who opposed legalizing simple possession of marijuana say they don’t want to scrap the law, but they do want to make significant changes. Democrats who supported legalization and advocates for people convicted of marijuana crimes are concerned the changes proposed by Republicans will strip the law of “social equity” provisions designed …

Medical marijuana advances with Mississippi senate vote
2 years, 11 months ago

Medical marijuana advances with Mississippi senate vote

Associated Press  

— Mississippi senators voted Thursday to advance a bill that would create a medical marijuana program, sending it to the House for more work. Blackwell has been one of the lead negotiators the past several months on creating a medical marijuana program for Mississippi residents with debilitating medical conditions such as cancer, AIDS and sickle cell anemia. Tate Reeves has …

Medical marijuana proposal moves to Mississippi Senate
2 years, 11 months ago

Medical marijuana proposal moves to Mississippi Senate

Associated Press  

— A bill to create a medical marijuana program is headed for debate in the Mississippi Senate in coming days. In November 2020, a wide margin of Mississippi voters approved an initiative to allow medical marijuana, and a program was supposed to be in place by the middle of 2021. In May, the state Supreme Court ruled that the initiative …

Agenda in Pierre: Marijuana, federal windfall, social issues
2 years, 11 months ago

Agenda in Pierre: Marijuana, federal windfall, social issues

Associated Press  

— South Dakota’s rapid-fire legislative session kicks off Tuesday with lawmakers prepared to debate legalizing marijuana, how to spend nearly $1 billion in federal coronavirus relief and what to do with a spate of bills touching on some of the nation’s most incendiary social issues. Schoenbeck, who represents the party’s old guard, describes some House members as “crazies” for their …

Group forms to help give equal access to new cannabis market
3 years, 1 month ago

Group forms to help give equal access to new cannabis market

Associated Press  

HAMDEN, Conn. — A new association has been formed to ensure Black and other under represented communities will have an opportunity to participate in Connecticut’s new legalized recreational marijuana industry, as state legislators had promised. The Alliance for Cannabis Equity, or ACE, created by two local workforce and economic development organizations, will host various programs to help aspiring businesses owners …

Reeves: Put tighter limits on medical marijuana proposal
3 years, 1 month ago

Reeves: Put tighter limits on medical marijuana proposal

Associated Press  

Tate Reeves says he wants legislators to make more changes in a proposal to create a medical marijuana program in the state. The Republican said at a news conference Monday that he wants tighter limits on the amount of marijuana people could buy and he wants to reduce the content of THC, the compound that produces a high. Reeves said …

South Dakota lawmakers craft proposal for recreational pot
3 years, 2 months ago

South Dakota lawmakers craft proposal for recreational pot

Associated Press  

— South Dakota lawmakers on Tuesday advanced a proposal to legalize recreational marijuana use for adults while repealing much of the state’s new medical marijuana law. The Adult-Use Marijuana Study Subcommittee, which has been studying the issue since June, voted to recommend a bill that would allow people over 21 to purchase up to 1 ounce of cannabis for recreational …

Reeves: Work still happening on medical marijuana proposal
3 years, 2 months ago

Reeves: Work still happening on medical marijuana proposal

Associated Press  

Tate Reeves said Tuesday that he and legislative leaders are continuing to negotiate changes in a proposal to create a medical marijuana program, including putting tight limits on how much of the medicine one person could buy. “I believe very strongly that if we’re going to have a medical marijuana program, it’s very important that we get it done right,” …

Mississippi session requested on medical marijuana proposal
3 years, 3 months ago

Mississippi session requested on medical marijuana proposal

Associated Press  

— Mississippi legislative leaders said Friday that they are asking Republican Gov. Tate Reeves to call the House and Senate into special session to enact a medical marijuana program and approve financial help for hospitals. They also want legislators during the session to authorize death benefit payments for law enforcement officers and first responders who die of COVID-19 and set …

Mississippi lawmakers work toward medical marijuana program
3 years, 5 months ago

Mississippi lawmakers work toward medical marijuana program

Associated Press  

— Two Mississippi lawmakers say they’re continuing to work on proposals to create a medical marijuana program, two months after the state Supreme Court invalidated one that voters had approved. Yancey said a House bill would be similar to Initiative 65, which voters approved in November to allow medical marijuana use by people with some debilitating conditions. Initiative 65 was …

Lawmakers working to complete medical marijuana bill draft
3 years, 5 months ago

Lawmakers working to complete medical marijuana bill draft

Associated Press  

— Lawmakers working on a proposal to bring a medical marijuana program to Mississippi plan to have a draft of the legislation ready later this summer, Mississippi Gov. The state Supreme Court ruled in May that a voter-approved medical marijuana initiative is void because Mississippi’s initiative process is outdated. Delbert Hosemann, have said the Legislature should honor the will of …

Connecticut governor signs recreational marijuana into law
3 years, 6 months ago

Connecticut governor signs recreational marijuana into law

Associated Press  

HARTFORD, Conn. — Gov. People age 21 and older will be allowed to possess and consume marijuana beginning on July 1 under the new law, which also lays the groundwork for a new cannabis industry in the state and attempts to address racial inequities stemming from the nation’s war on drugs. “We had a chance to learn from others, and …

What’s next as Connecticut looks ahead toward legal cannabis
3 years, 6 months ago

What’s next as Connecticut looks ahead toward legal cannabis

Associated Press  

Connecticut is poised to become the 19th state to legalize adult, recreational use of cannabis, now that a long-awaited bill has cleared the General Assembly and Democratic Gov. Connecticut’s Department of Consumer Protection began working in earnest on new state regulations and licensing applications needed for the legalized marijuana industry a couple months ago. Seagull said her agency plans to …

Legal cannabis bill clears state Senate, Lamont to sign it
3 years, 6 months ago

Legal cannabis bill clears state Senate, Lamont to sign it

Associated Press  

HARTFORD, Conn. — The Connecticut Senate voted Thursday to legalize the recreational use of cannabis for adults, the final legislative action for a bill that lays the groundwork for the new industry in Connecticut and attempts to address racial inequities stemming from the nation’s war on drugs. “This measure is comprehensive, protects our children and the most vulnerable in our …

House passes marijuana legalization bill, sends it to Senate
3 years, 6 months ago

House passes marijuana legalization bill, sends it to Senate

Associated Press  

HARTFORD, Conn. — Proponents of legalizing the adult use of marijuana in Connecticut dodged a threatened veto on Wednesday, advancing a revamped bill that Gov. “We take the next step, as this chamber, in recognizing the war on drugs has failed us and the criminalization of cannabis was the wrong course of action for our state and for our nation.” …

Marijuana social equity: Seeds planted but will they grow?
3 years, 7 months ago

Marijuana social equity: Seeds planted but will they grow?

Associated Press  

DENVER — Terrence Hewing was working for a package delivery company in 2007 when police approached his cargo van in suburban Denver. It makes you almost feel kind of outcast.” Hewing, 39, recently became one of only a few Black entrepreneurs to receive a business license in Colorado’s recreational marijuana industry. States are making progress toward a more diverse marijuana …

Virginia governor seeks to accelerate marijuana legalization
3 years, 8 months ago

Virginia governor seeks to accelerate marijuana legalization

Associated Press  

RICHMOND, Va. — Adults in Virginia could legally possess and grow small amounts of marijuana beginning in July, about three years sooner than initially envisioned, under changes the governor proposed Wednesday to legislation passed earlier this year. “Virginia will become the 15th state to legalize marijuana — and these changes will ensure we do it with a focus on public …

Lamont making big push for marijuana legalization this year
3 years, 10 months ago

Lamont making big push for marijuana legalization this year

Associated Press  

Ned Lamont is making a major push to legalize the adult use of recreational marijuana after COVID-19 upended the 2020 legislative session, arguing now is the time to finally enact a regulated system that generates new state and local revenue while addressing racial equity issues. Rep. Michael D’Agostino, D-Hamden, co-chairman of the General Assembly’s General Law Committee, said he believes …

Medical pot advocates ask lawmakers for ‘compromise’
3 years, 10 months ago

Medical pot advocates ask lawmakers for ‘compromise’

Associated Press  

— Supporters of a successful ballot measure to make medical marijuana legal in South Dakota urged state lawmakers on Monday to allow users to avoid criminal charges during any delay in implementing the program. The Republican governor’s proposal to delay was another setback for pro-pot groups after they saw a voter-passed constitutional amendment legalizing recreational marijuana struck down by a …

Advocates promote social equity in Virginia marijuana bills
3 years, 10 months ago

Advocates promote social equity in Virginia marijuana bills

Associated Press  

RICHMOND, Va. — Mike Thomas earned a college degree in accounting, but has never worked in his field. Democrats in the General Assembly frame this as a social equity issue, a necessary step to ending the disparate criminalization of people of color under the state’s current marijuana laws. Virginia’s new Democratic majority already decriminalized marijuana last year, making simple possession …

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