US Cannabis Policy Updates

President Biden received a letter this week signed by more than 150 celebrity entertainers, politicians, law enforcement officials, and advocates requesting clemency for federal cannabis offenders.

Florida’s Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried is facing criticism for late filing a personal financial report which details her six-figure stake in a Florida medical cannabis company.

Ohio cannabis advocates are set to start gathering signatures after the Ohio Ballot Board formally approved a cannabis legalization ballot initiative.

The Wyoming Libertarian Party and the cannabis advocacy organization Together for Responsible Use and Cannabis Education have begun the process of getting medical cannabis legalization on 2022 ballots.

The New Orleans City Council approved language to retroactively and proactively pardon all low-level cannabis cases in the city, effectively nixing some 10,000 cannabis convictions and decriminalizing cannabis moving forward.

A key Senate committee approved language that would let VA doctors make medical cannabis recommendations for veterans in states with medical cannabis programs.

North Carolina’s medical cannabis bill has passed the Senate Finance Committee, its second victory so far on its way to a potential floor vote in the Senate.

Democratic senators unveiled the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act today, which seeks to federally legalize cannabis and contains social justice elements aimed at undoing the harms of prohibition.

The group behind South Dakota’s initiative to legalize cannabis is gearing up for another adult-use proposal while waiting for the Supreme Court to decide whether the state’s successful 2020 bid was constitutional.

Mexico’s highest court on Monday overruled cannabis prohibition, effectively decriminalizing the plant for adults nationwide.

Connecticut is officially the latest state to shed cannabis prohibition this year after Gov. Ned Lamont signed the state’s cannabis legalization bill into law.

Louisiana’s decriminalization measure makes the possession of up to 14 grams of cannabis flower a misdemeanor punishable by a $100 fine with no possibility for jail time.

Connecticut’s legalization bill stalled in the House yesterday but state leaders are planning to hold a special session to consider and pass the legislation.

Cannabis activists and industry representatives in Washington D.C. are disappointed by the Biden Administration’s continued ban on adult-use cannabis sales in the District.

The California Senate has approved a bill to legalize the possession of psychedelics including LSD, MDMA, psilocybin mushrooms, mescaline, and others.

Amazon announced in a blog post yesterday that it supports the MORE Act, a federal cannabis legalization bill, and will stop drug testing prospective employees for cannabis use.

The Texas Senate failed to consider a House-approved bill to reduce the penalties for possessing cannabis concentrate products before the state’s legislative session ended on Monday.

Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) reintroduced the MORE Act on Friday, which seeks to end cannabis prohibition and establish new federal social equity provisions and opportunities.

New Mexico regulators have released first draft rules for the state’s adult-use cannabis marketplace. More draft rules are expected in the coming months, but sales could ultimately launch ahead of schedule.

Connecticut House Majority Leader Jason Rojas (D) said he expects at least one legislative chamber to consider an adult-use cannabis legalization bill next week.

The Illinois House of Representatives passed a social equity cannabis licensing bill this week; the proposal now moves to the Senate for consideration.

Douglas F. Gansler, former prosecuting attorney and two-time former attorney general for Maryland, said he is running for governor and embraced adult-use cannabis legalization during the announcement.

The Texas Senate yesterday advanced House-approved medical cannabis expansions but lawmakers lowered the bill’s proposed THC limits from 5% to just 1%.

Kevin Ne Se Shores, a former Minnesota Grassroots Legalize Cannabis Party candidate for Congress, has accused GOP strategist Kip Christianson of encouraging him to launch his campaign to siphon pro-cannabis votes from Democrats.