Author: A.J. Herrington

[ad_1] Hawaii Attorney General Anne Lopez last week released a new plan to legalize adult-use cannabis that one lawmaker characterized as the state’s best effort so far. Under the plan, the state would allow for the production and sale of recreational cannabis while protecting the state’s existing industry for medical marijuana.  Hawaii legalized medical marijuana in 2000, although the state did not license medicinal cannabis dispensaries until 2018. Earlier this year, the Hawaii Senate passed a bill to legalize recreational cannabis, but the bill failed to gain the support of the state House of Representatives. State lawmakers who have seen…

[ad_1] A group of Democratic lawmakers has written a letter to federal financial regulators calling on them to update rules that hinder cannabis business owners with past convictions for marijuana-related crimes. In the letter to the Treasury Department, 20 Democratic Senators and members of the House of Representatives wrote that the proposed change “would be an important step to promote fairness in the provision of financial services to marijuana businesses that participate in state-sanctioned marijuana activity.” Under current guidance from the Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) first issued in 2014, banks and credit unions are asked to consider…

[ad_1] A Montana judge has ordered state cannabis regulators to delay the enforcement of steep new fees for marijuana dispensary business licenses while a suit challenging the new fee structure is heard by the courts. The 60-day preliminary injunction was ordered by Lewis and Clark County District Court Judge Mike Menahan, with the move agreed to by attorneys for the state and three cannabis businesses that filed the legal action in August. The plaintiffs in the case are challenging new fees established by the Montana Department of Revenue’s Cannabis Control Division under a law passed by the state legislature earlier…

[ad_1] Canadian cannabis advocates are calling on the federal government to relax strict limits on the potency of cannabis edibles with a petition seeking a tenfold increase in maximum permitted THC levels.  Canada legalized cannabis through an act of Parliament in 2018, and retail sales of cannabis extracts and edibles were authorized for licensed operators one year later. Regulations on edibles set strict potency limits, however, with a cap of 10 milligrams of THC per product. In contrast, California, the largest regulated market in the United States, limits THC to 100 milligrams per package, with a per-serving cap of 10…

[ad_1] Massachusetts Governor Maura T. Healey last week filed legislation to increase benefits and modernize services for the state’s military veterans that includes a proposal to study the medical benefits of psychedelic drugs. The bill, known as an Act Honoring, Empowering and Recognizing Our Servicemembers and Veterans (HERO Act), was unveiled on November 9 by Healey and Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll at the Massachusetts Executive Office of Veterans Services. The Healey administration said in a statement that the legislation would positively impact the lives of hundreds of thousands of military veterans living in Massachusetts, including nearly 30,000 women and LGBTQ+…

[ad_1] A key Wyoming legislative committee last week voted to advance a bill that would ban hemp products with substances that have psychoactive properties such as delta-8 THC, despite reservations from some members of the panel that the bill has shortcomings. The bill, which seeks to ban psychoactive hemp products, was approved by the legislature’s Joint Judiciary Committee on November 6 by a vote of 8-6. The advancement of the bill comes despite reservations expressed by some members of the committee, including Republican committee co-chair Representative Art Washut, who said the bill was “not ready for prime time,” according to…

[ad_1] Researchers in Italy have found evidence that cannabis was used by residents of Milan hundreds of years ago by studying bones from a 17th-century cemetery. In a report on the research, the scientists surmise that weed was likely used recreationally, noting that hospital records from the time do not include cannabis in an inventory of medicinal plants used in Milan in the 1600s. Medical records from the Middle Ages show that cannabis was used in Europe as an anesthetic and as a treatment for gout, urinary infections and other medical conditions. But in 1484, cannabis was banned in what…

[ad_1] A group of Alaska hemp growers and manufacturers has filed a lawsuit against the state challenging its new hemp regulations, arguing that they are unconstitutional and contrary to federal law. The new rules, which were approved in October and went into effect last week, are designed to regulate intoxicating hemp products. The lawsuit brought by plaintiffs including the Alaska Industrial Hemp Association and four businesses, was filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Anchorage, naming the Alaska Department of Natural Resources (DNR), its commissioner, the state director of agriculture and Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom as defendants in the case.…

[ad_1] Connecticut’s cannabis regulatory agency announced last week that it is increasing the amount of cannabis that can be bought in a single transaction by doubling the state’s limit on recreational marijuana purchases. Under the new regulations approved by the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection (DCP), adult-use cannabis consumers will be permitted to purchase up to a half-ounce (about 14 grams) of cannabis flower or its equivalent beginning next month.  The limit on purchases of medical marijuana has not been changed. It remains at 5 ounces of cannabis flower or the equivalent monthly, with no limits on purchases in a…

[ad_1] Home values in states that have legalized cannabis were higher and grew at a faster rate than in non-legal states, according to a recently published study. The research examining residential real estate prices found that home values in states with recreational cannabis have outpaced home values in other states by $48,983 over the past ten years. Property values in the 23 states that have legalized recreational weed have risen by an average of $185,075 since 2014, according to the study from Real Estate Witch and Leafly. By comparison, real estate values in states that have not yet legalized adult-use…

[ad_1] A cost-benefit analysis of the impact of a proposed cannabis legalization measure in Ohio has determined that legalization would generate a net economic benefit of $260 million per year. Ohio voters go to the polls next week to decide on Issue 2, which would legalize marijuana for adults 21 and over and set the stage for a regulated cannabis industry. In a study released last week, Columbus-based Scioto Analysis attempted to quantify the net economic impact of Issue 2 if it prevails at the polls. To complete the analysis, researchers used studies from Colorado and Washington, two states with…

[ad_1] California Governor Gavin Newsom last week vetoed a bill that would have allowed cannabis cafes to offer weed, food and beverages to patrons at licensed establishments reminiscent of the famed coffee shops in Amsterdam. The measure, Assembly Bill 374 (AB 374), was passed by the California legislature last month after being introduced earlier this year by Democratic Assemblymember Matt Haney. Under current California law, cannabis consumption lounges cannot sell freshly prepared food to their patrons. A rule change adopted in November of last year allows lounges to offer prepackaged food and beverages and for customers to bring their own…