Author: Marijuana Moment

[ad_1] “I am a little nervous about our total signature count. I think it’s really important that supporters of cannabis reforms are not complacent.” By John Hult, South Dakota Searchlight Cannabis advocates in South Dakota hope the weekend’s unofficial pot holiday and its associated concerts and dispensary discounts will improve the odds of getting recreational marijuana on the general election ballot in November. April 20 is widely celebrated in the cannabis community as 4/20, and dispensaries in South Dakota took advantage of the date to offer special deals to medical marijuana patients. The number began its evolution from an inside…

[ad_1] “Legislators also made clear that we should continue using marijuana revenue to fund addiction and recovery services, law enforcement, veterans, wildlife habitat and state parks and trails.” By Blair Miller, Daily Montanan Nearly a year after Gov. Greg Gianforte vetoed (R) a widely supported, bipartisan bill to redistribute Montana’s marijuana revenue and send millions to fund county road projects just as the Senate adjourned for the session, the veto will stand. Lawmakers failed to override the veto of Senate Bill 442, according to polling results released Friday afternoon by the Secretary of State’s Office. Just 24 senators and 41…

[ad_1] “These victims of the war on drugs deserve to have their names cleared now, today.” By Emma Davis, Maine Morning Star The Maine Legislature passed two bills that would expand eligibility for sealing criminal records, one that drops the age requirements for record sealing and another that allows for sealing now-legal marijuana crimes. While these plans require people to apply to have records sealed, another proposal that would have automated the process failed after criticism that doing so would violate the First Amendment. That bill specifically applied to criminal records for marijuana possession and cultivation that’s since been legalized…

[ad_1] “As one of the few majority-Black-owned licensed manufacturers, this support holds profound significance.” By Bhaamati Borkhetaria, Commonwealth Beacon After nearly two years of delays, a social equity fund designed to help struggling marijuana businesses finally began dispensing some money, with Gov. Maura Healey (D) handing out $2.3 million in grants and laying plans to build the fund up to $27.4 million later this year. The Cannabis Social Equity Trust Fund was signed into law in 2022 to steer a portion of marijuana tax revenues to “entrepreneurs from communities that have been disproportionately harmed by marijuana prohibition and enforcement.” The…

[ad_1] “I look forward to the conference committee discussion and continued good work on this bill, particularly on the provisions surrounding the proposed changes to the lottery.” By Peter Callaghan, MinnPost The Minnesota House approved changes to the recreational cannabis law this week on a near party line vote. That does not, however, mean the issues surrounding the law’s update have been resolved. Backers, as well as state regulators, have said they are still considering how to respond to two significant issues: how licenses will be distributed if demand exceeds the number of licenses allotted, and whether to let growers…

[ad_1] “While cannabis has arguably gained mainstream acceptance, driving high has not, thankfully.” By Glenn Davis, Colorado Department of Transportation Highway Safety Office As the wave of legalization continues to roll across the U.S., more people are embracing cannabis. And while cannabis has arguably gained mainstream acceptance, driving high has not, thankfully. In a 2022 Colorado survey, 85 percent of cannabis consumers said they do not drive after partaking. However, the state did see 101 fatalities in 2022 involving a vehicle operator with Delta-9 THC above the legal limit at the time of the crash, which illustrates the seriousness of…

[ad_1] “The implications of your decision are very important, because the state Legislature is watching.” By Michelle Griffith, Minnesota Reformer The Legal Marijuana Now Party on Tuesday fought for its right to major party status before the Minnesota Supreme Court, arguing the state’s election laws infringe on its First Amendment rights. The pot party argued its case after the Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party in February asked the state Supreme Court to yank the Legal Marijuana Now Party’s major party status, alleging the party hasn’t met the requirements enacted during the 2023 legislative session. Major party status confers significant advantages over minor…

[ad_1] “Now is the time to ramp up momentum on concentrated efforts to strengthen and protect the collective cannabis industry that we have earnestly toiled for years to build.” By Vince C. Ning, Nabis If there’s one thing I’ve learned in the cannabis industry, it’s that radical self-reliance has been crucial to success—but so are collaboration and a strong sense of community. Since the Controlled Substances Act was passed in 1970, the do-it-yourself ethos that has long defined cannabis culture has only intensified due to a significant amount of capital investment in the space and a lack of trust amongst…

[ad_1] “The reason I’m bringing this forward is to make certain hemp is hemp and hemp growers do not get out of their lane.” By Tim Carpenter, Kansas Reflector State law enforcement, local prosecutors and a lobbyist convinced legalization of medical marijuana posed the greatest threat to quality of life in Kansas tried to quietly squeeze into a bill lowering fees on industrial hemp producers an amendment that could send wayward farmers to prison for years. The threshold between freedom and incarceration under the amendment advocated by the executive director of Stand Up for Kansas, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation…

[ad_1] “The Cannabis Commission has had three years to get this program going and it’s still dead in the water.” By Alander Rocha, Alabama Reflector An Alabama Senate committee Wednesday approved two bills aimed at restarting the state’s medical cannabis licensing process. The Senate Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry Committee approved SB 306, sponsored by Sen. Tim Melson (R-Florence) which would restart the licensing process and take away some of the powers of the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission (AMCC). “This will just be starting over. All applicants that had application in by the original deadline will be allowed to apply again,…

[ad_1] The legislation initially would have enacted drug decriminalization, but it was scaled back amid opposition from Gov. Janet Mills. By Evan Popp, Maine Morning Star The Maine Legislature this week approved a measure to study the issue of drug decriminalization—a far cry from the original version of the bill, which would have decriminalized personal possession of illicit drugs and used the savings to improve treatment options in the state. LD 1975 passed by unanimous consent in both chambers of the Legislature. As amended, the bill establishes a task force to study changes to the legal status of scheduled drugs—including actions taken by…

[ad_1] “Workplace policies, and those that regulate federal workers specifically, must adapt to this new reality and cease punishing employees for activities they engage in during their off-hours that pose no legitimate workplace safety threat.” By Paul Armentano, NORML Tens of thousands of workers are leaving the commercial trucking industry because the federal government refuses to update its antiquated marijuana policies. Fewer truckers on the road results in supply chain shortages and higher prices for the goods Americans rely on. At issue are federal regulations adopted in 1988 mandating all federally contracted workers to refrain from the use of certain…