national news
THE NEWS IN BRIEF
MEDICAL POT DEBATE CONTINUES IN N.C. politics
SENATE COMMITTEE APPROVES CANNABIS RESEARCH FOR VETS
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U.S. Senate committee approved a bipartisan bill on February 18 to promote Cannabis research for military veterans. It is the first piece of standalone marijuana legislation to ever advance through a committee in the chamber. Because the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee did not have a quorum present to act on the bill, members instead approved the legislation in a more informal “off the floor” session later in the day. The VA Medicinal Cannabis Research Act was sponsored by panel Chairman Jon Tester (D-MT) and Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK). It is intended to mandate studies by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to explore the therapeutic potential of marijuana for veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and chronic pain.
8 THE SOUTH
MARIJUANA SALES BILL FAILS TO PASS IN VIRGINIA
leafmagazines.com
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irginia won’t begin Cannabis sales by 2024 after the last remaining bill to set up the market failed, reports WRIC. A GOP-controlled House of Delegates subcommittee voted 5-3 along party lines February 14 to kill legislation from Sen. Adam Ebbin (D-Alexandria) that would have paved the way for adult-use sales to begin next year. Under current law, people 21 and up in Virginia can have up to an ounce of weed on them or grow up to four plants in their homes. Virginians can also buy marijuana for medicinal purposes “The axed bill would have with a medical authorization, but paved the way there’s no way for adults to purchase for adult-use sales to begin it for recreational use. next year.” The bill passed in 2021 to allow marijuana possession included a reenactment clause, which requires the General Assembly to approve the measure again and set a framework for retail sales. Lawmakers set a 2024 target for legal sales – but the efforts to create a regulatory framework for the market have continued to fail in the Republican-controlled General Assembly.
21
U.S. states have legalized Cannabis. The first states to ever do so were CO and WA in 2012, and most recently in RI, MD and MO in 2022.
MAR. 2023
DEBATE ON the legalization of medical Cannabis in North Carolina resumed in the state senate on February 15, reports WLOS. A very similar bill creating the framework for its sale and use passed the full chamber by a wide margin just eight months ago. The Senate Judiciary Committee debated but did not vote on new legislation, which was filed at the start of the new twoyear General Assembly session. Sen. Bill Rabon, a Brunswick County Republican, said he and his fellow sponsors wanted to review amendments before a committee meeting next week. Prospects for passage again in the Senate are strong this year. But the bill's future will likely rest in the House – which declined to take up the previous proposal before going home last summer. Speaker Tim Moore suggested recently that support was possible in his chamber this year for legalizing medicinal pot and would be particularly true with tight controls.
TWITTER CHANGES MIND ON POT ADS TWITTER WILL NOW allow Cannabis advertising. The change comes as the social media platform struggles for new revenue. The company updated its policies on February 5 to allow marijuana ads to run on its services in the states where weed is legal. While other platforms have allowed marijuana-adjacent products, such as cannabidiol (CBD) to be advertised, Twitter has adopted the most explicit advertising opportunity for marijuana users within federal guidelines.
LEGALIZATION HAS CREATED 30K JOBS FOR ILLINOIS RESIDENTS
pounds is the amount of an Arkansas man’s illegal marijuana bust back in February.
increase in Florida medical marijuana patients has been seen in two years.
$
50k
was the fine for an unlicensed marijuana store called Jungle Boyz, located in lower Manhattan, according to the New York Post.
NEW HAMPSHIRE PANEL APPROVES LEGALIZATION
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New Hampshire legislative committee put its finishing touches on a revised bill to legalize marijuana, approving it February 15. Members of the House Commerce and Consumer Affairs Liquor Subcommittee have been working on the legislation for weeks over a series of meetings. They debated a variety of provisions and amendments to the original measure that was filed “...the state’s by bipartisan House leaders. existing Liquor Commission will The full committee accepted final be in charge amendments on February 15 and of regulating passed the bill in a 17-3 vote. the marijuana A major change to the legislation market.” from its introduced form would put the state’s existing Liquor Commission in charge of regulating the marijuana market, rather than create a new independent commission to do so, as was proposed in the original version of HB 639. The body would also be renamed the Liquor and Cannabis Commission.
NORMALIZATION
MINNESOTA D.A.R.E. READIES FOR LEGALIZATION
T
he D.A.R.E. program in Minnesota is preparing for the potential legalization of marijuana in the state. “Ackerman said “It’s becoming normalized, just the D.A.R.E. program will like alcohol is and tobacco is by refrain from so many families,” fretted Executive telling kids not to do Director Kathi Ackerman. “Other marijuana, kids are going to do it.” which they’ve Ackerman said the D.A.R.E. found to be program will refrain from telling kids an ineffective strategy.” not to do marijuana, which they’ve found to be an ineffective strategy. They’ll continue to teach decision making habits that they hope will stray kids from early adoption. “We want to delay, delay, delay the use of some of these chemicals,” Ackerman said.
THE GOVERNOR OF ILLINOIS says that the state’s marijuana legalization law has created more than 30,000 jobs since the market launched in 2020. “Illinois is During his State of the State and home to the Budget address on February 15, Gov. country’s most diverse J.B. Pritzker, a Democrat, touted the Cannabis job creation figure, adding that “Illinois industry and some of is home to the country’s most diverse the largest Cannabis industry and some of the companies.” largest companies.” He also included the marijuana company 4Front in a list of the “large businesses” that are “moving to and expanding in Illinois.”
53 71%
east coast
$
5.5m
was donated by Tallahassee, FL-based MMJ company Trulieve last month to the Florida adult-use legalization campaign for the 2024 ballot.
$
20m
was announced in grants for underserved marijuana retail areas in California.
STORIES by STEVE ELLIOTT, AUTHOR OF THE LITTLE BLACK BOOK OF MARIJUANA