Author: Marijuana Moment
[ad_1] “More medical patients are finding different access, or just rejecting the idea of seeing a doctor in addition to paying for the product.” By Sophie Nieto-Muñoz, New Jersey Monitor As sales for the state’s recreational cannabis industry take off, New Jersey’s decade-old medical marijuana program is shrinking every month. Medical marijuana sales are nearly half of what they were six months ago, and more than 20,000 patients dropped out of the medical program since its peak in May 2022, according to state data. Experts say that’s expected for a state now offering recreational cannabis, but they want the Legislature and state agencies…
[ad_1] “To truly address the inequities caused by marijuana prohibition, we must go beyond rescheduling and fully deschedule marijuana as well as pursue comprehensive criminal justice reform.” By Weldon Angelos, Music Producer and Marijuana Reform Advocate As someone who had their career and personal life derailed by an unjust marijuana conviction, I applaud any steps taken towards rectifying the injustices inflicted upon countless individuals due to marijuana prohibition. In 2004, I was sentenced to 55 years in federal prison for marijuana-related offenses. I was released on May 31, 2016, after a federal court granted me a reduction in sentence, and…
[ad_1] “The fight for cannabis freedom will continue and, given the divided nature of Congress, it will be long.” By: Justin Strekal, BOWL PAC Founder This Fourth of July, cannabis advocates and industry interests alike will likely make wisecracks about celebrating freedom and watching the sky light up with fireworks while it remains federally illegal to light up a joint. But the rest of July offers the reform movement its first real opportunity for a Senate committee markup on a bill that addresses marijuana policy reform. Readers of Marijuana Moment are likely already well-versed in the state of things, but…
[ad_1] “Equity is not really mentioned in the microbusiness program, as far as the constitution is concerned, but I think that’s where we go back to the spirit of things.” By Rebecca Rivas, Missouri Independent Missouri’s cannabis industry is the new “gold rush,” said St. Louis couple Tiffany and Anwar Lee, and they’re considering buying a ticket for the lottery to get in. Their ticket is a $1,500 application fee for a spot in a lottery making them eligible for a limited number of cannabis microbusiness licenses, and it’s refundable if they don’t get picked. The program is meant to boost…
[ad_1] “Perhaps this is the final stretch towards ending the failed war on drugs. If the NCAA is issuing a call for a reasonable, rational drug policy, can Congress be far behind?” By Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) The NCAA Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports is recommending the removal of cannabis from its list of prohibited substances. Likewise, it says that drug testing for college athletes should be limited to performance-enhancing drugs, and that cannabis does not enhance performance. This is one more signal that we are finally nearing the end of the failed “War on Drugs.”…
[ad_1] “We know that many people have been waiting for us to start. And we are looking forward to working.” By Christopher Shea, Rhode Island Current Nearly a year after it was supposed to be formed, Rhode Island’s Cannabis Control Commission is finally getting to work, though it will take at least through the summer until it is truly up and running. The three-member commission met for the first time Thursday at the Department of Administration building to introduce itself to the public, along with listening to a 50-minute presentation from the Rhode Island Ethics Commission — which took up…
[ad_1] “The solution to saving cannabis social equity programs is thus to concentrate relief to those individuals who were actually arrested, convicted and/or incarcerated (and the immediate families they were separated from), in a completely race-neutral manner.” By Khurshid Khoja, Greenbridge Corporate Counsel The U.S. Supreme Court’s move to strike down affirmative action in college admissions on Thursday could have massive consequences for cannabis social equity licensing programs across the country—but there is a solution that can deliver restitution to people harmed by criminalization while also withstanding judicial scrutiny in the wake of the justices’ latest decision. Some existing social…
[ad_1] “The recreational market has tripled reported totals over the medical side for two of the past three months.” By David Abbott, Arizona Mirror Arizona’s recreational cannabis sales hit the $100 million mark in March for the first time since sales began, while the medical market maintained a tenuous equilibrium around the $30 million mark per month. The recreational market has tripled reported totals over the medical side for two of the past three months. The Arizona Department of Revenue reported that, in April, recreational sales reached nearly $86.5 million, while March sales were just shy of $101 million, marking…
[ad_1] “This bill represents the best side of the legislative process—working together across the aisle to solve a problem.” By Mitch Perry, Florida Phoenix Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has signed legislation that may finally allow Black farmers to get involved in the medical marijuana industry, despite years of disrespect and frustration in the Black farmers community. The bill (HB 387) was originally crafted to allow physicians to use telehealth methods to renew medical marijuana certifications for qualified patients. But in the last week of the legislative session, the measure was amended and language was added from Sens. Darryl Rouson…
[ad_1] “We are aware that licensees will need time to come into compliance with some of the new rules, and specifically for packaging.” By Rebecca Rivas, Missouri Independent For decades, there’s been a global movement urging “plain packaging” on tobacco products—or packaging with limited colors and frills—after numerous studies found it makes cigarettes less appealing to young people. Missouri will soon be a testing ground to see if plain packaging has the same impact for recreational marijuana. When voters passed the constitutional amendment to legalize recreational marijuana, it included a provision that labels and packaging for marijuana-related products, “shall not be made to be…
[ad_1] “This vote is a resounding testament that it’s time to stop bickering over the allocation of marijuana tax revenue and instead focus on the will of thousands of Montanans.” By Blair Miller, Daily Montanan Legislators overrode another veto issued by Gov. Greg Gianforte (R) last week, this time an appropriations bill that includes the mechanism to send marijuana tax money to a habitat improvement program through another vetoed bill that several groups have sued over. Representatives for the Montana Association of Counties, Wild Montana, and the Montana Wildlife Federation last week lauded legislators’ override of Gianforte’s veto of the…
[ad_1] “The Legislature, in legalization, has done a lot to advance large, white, rich cannabis businesses and investors, and not enough for Black owners.” By Sophie Nieto-Muñoz, New Jersey Monitor Officials from the Cannabis Regulatory Committee faced more than two hours of grilling from lawmakers Friday during their first hearing in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee in more than a year. Legislators weren’t shy with their criticism. They accused the agency of pulling strings to reinstate the license of a major cannabis operator, being slow to approve applications and holding the cannabis industry back with red tape. Dianna Houenou,…