Author: Marijuana Moment

[ad_1] “We’ve doubled the amount that we were projecting to see in three years within two years.” By Makenzie Huber, South Dakota Searchlight More than 11,500 South Dakotans hold medical marijuana cards two years after medical cannabis became legal in South Dakota. That’s well ahead of projections made by the state when the program first started in 2021, said Jennifer Seale, the state Department of Health’s medical cannabis program administrator. The state began issuing cards in November 2021 after South Dakotans voted to legalize medical marijuana in 2020. Originally, the state had anticipated 6,000 cardholders by 2024, Seale told members…

[ad_1] “Its decision to ‘void’ previously awarded licenses without following the Legislature’s—and its own—clearly established rules and regulations, exceeds and violates the statutory authority it has been granted” By Alander Rocha, Alabama Reflector A medical cannabis company sued the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission (AMCC) on Monday, alleging the AMCC cannot revoke licenses and that its exercise of power “both exceeds and conflicts with the authority provided to it by the Alabama Legislature.” Verano Holdings, a Chicago-based company with an Alabama chapter, received an integrated facility in the first round of awards in June. It did not get a license in…

[ad_1] “DeSantis has taken a far more extremist position in his run for president, adopting a full-tilt Reefer Madness approach to marijuana rhetoric and policy.” By: Justin Strekal, BOWL PAC Believe it or not, Ron DeSantis used to be one of the coolest Republicans when it came to weed. Unfortunately, spineless Ron DeSantis has capitulated and fallen in line with the majority of his fellow career-politician Republican prohibitionists. The facts show he is now squarely opposed to the super-majority of Americans (including a majority of Republican voters) who support legalization. This is yet another reason why he must not be…

[ad_1] “Youth smoking rates in Washington State have significantly decreased, but more work is needed.” By Timothy Schumann, The Center Square The Washington State Department of Health has announced $1.3 million in funding to 11 different community-based organizations to be spent on “youth cannabis and commercial tobacco use prevention.” “​​Nine out of 10 smokers start before age 18 and 99 percent start before age 26. Youth smoking rates in Washington State have significantly decreased, but more work is needed,” according to the Tuesday Department of Health news release. The Center Square reached out to the Department of Health about the…

[ad_1] “I don’t think there’s any possibility we get through the ’24 session without some tweaking on the cannabis. This is not going to be ‘We fixed it and we’ve solved all the issues and we’ll never have a bill on this subject again.’” By Bryan P. Sears, Maryland Matters Maryland’s cannabis industry is less than two months old and lawmakers and regulators are already contemplating tweaks in the coming General Assembly session. Since July, the new recreational adult-use industry has recorded sales of almost $90 million. The expectation is that sales will surpass $1 billion. Will Tilburg, acting director…

[ad_1] “It is misleading at best and disingenuous at worst to imply that cannabis smoke exposure is either equal to or more hazardous to health than tobacco smoking.” By Paul Armentano, NORML A growing percentage of Americans perceive smoking cannabis to be less dangerous than smoking tobacco cigarettes. They’re correct, but you wouldn’t know it from reading the recent slew of media headlines. “Many Americans wrongly believe exposure to marijuana smoke is safer than tobacco,” screamed CNN. Coverage of the survey data in Everyday Health warned, “People Underestimate the Health Risks of Smoking Marijuana.” Syndicated coverage of the study by…

[ad_1] “Rhode Island’s cannabis legalization law is aimed at more than simply ending the policy of prohibition. It is also about righting past wrongs, and building a new industry in as fair and equitable a manner as possible.” By Christopher Shea, Rhode Island Current Rhode Island’s cannabis industry can begin getting new regulations as early as this fall as the state now has chosen the people to craft them. Gov. Dan McKee (D), along with House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi (D) and Senate President Dominick Ruggerio (D) on Thursday announced their long-awaited picks for the Cannabis Advisory Board. The 19-member…

[ad_1] “The delay has been caused by their refusal to follow the law every time. They keep on doing things they shouldn’t do. And they keep on being stuck.” By Alander Rocha, Alabama Reflector A Montgomery County Circuit Judge Thursday put a hold on Alabama’s medical cannabis program amid a lawsuit alleging the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission (AMCC) violated the state’s Open Meetings Act at its most recent meeting. The stay, issued by Judge James Anderson, followed a heated hearing where an attorney for the AMCC suggested the commission would air applicants’ “dirty laundry.” Applicants denied a license won’t be…

[ad_1] “Since this law came into effect starting July 1, we’ve removed over 80,000 packages from around the state.” By Mitch Perry, Florida Phoenix The hemp industry in Florida—concerned about its livelihood—sighed with relief earlier this year when lawmakers ditched a proposal to limit the amount of THC in hemp-derived products. Now, sponsors of that legislation–Polk County Republican Colleen Burton in the Senate and Manatee County Republican Will Robinson in the House—hinted Wednesday that they may revisit the hemp limits in the 2024 legislative session. “This summer we were hoping to see a reenactment of the Farm Bill at the…

[ad_1] A company is accused of bringing illegal marijuana product into the Missouri market and obstructing the state’s investigation by staging a robbery at its facility. By Rebecca Rivas, Missouri Independent Twice this summer, Andrew Mullins emailed state marijuana regulators to make sure they knew about a potential problem. Mullins, the president of the Missouri Cannabis Trade Association, feared that licensed Missouri cannabis companies may be tempted to add illegal marijuana products brought in from other states to their own products in order to keep their production numbers up—a process known as “inversion.” “We understand that production is still catching…

[ad_1] “They told the judge they would comply with the act, and then they didn’t.” By Alander Rocha, Alabama Reflector A medical cannabis company Tuesday filed a lawsuit against the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission (AMCC), alleging the commission violated the state’s Open Meetings Act (OMA) at its August 10 meeting. Alabama Always, which sued the commission last month over the appointment of former chair Steven Stokes, alleged that commission members privately nominated companies for public votes on license awards during an executive session. The lawsuit alleges that commission members were instructed to seal their nominations in an envelope during the executive session,…

[ad_1] “Recognizing the litigation surrounding cannabis and the risk of judiciary employees or a judge or otherwise having any interest as operators obviously compromises partiality.” By Sophie Nieto-Muñoz, New Jersey Monitor People who work for New Jersey courts can no longer take any jobs in the medical or recreational cannabis industry. Chief Justice Stuart Rabner last week approved an amendment to Canon 5, which deals with outside employment for judicial employees and exists to avoid impropriety and conflicts of interest. The change makes employment in the cannabis industry off-limits for judiciary employees, as it is for jobs in the casino…