Cannabis Policy

New Zealand voters appear to have rejected a voter referendum to legalize adult-use cannabis by a 53 to 46 percent margin.

Cannabis advocates in Nebraska are regrouping for 2022 after their medical cannabis initiative was struck down in September by the state Supreme Court.

Both South Dakota’s medical cannabis and adult-use cannabis legalization voter initiatives are currently polling over 50% among likely voters.

Montana’s Supreme Court has rejected a legal bid by Wrong for Montana — an anti-cannabis group — that attempted to invalidate the legalization voter initiative appearing on state ballots this year.

President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign has filed a cease-and-desist letter against Mississippi cannabis activists, claiming they are deceptively using two Trump quotes from 2015 and 2019 in which the president expressed support for medical cannabis and state policy reforms.

Kurt Alme, the Trump-appointed US Attorney for the District of Montana, has penned an anti-cannabis op-ed ahead of the state’s legalization vote. The editorial hinges on “Reefer Madness” tropes such as addiction and the gateway theory, as well as an unsubstantiated claim that legalization leads to more traffic fatalities.

Washington state is one of the latest to address social equity in the cannabis industry, but business owners and potential social equity applicants say they have concerns about the state’s plan.

A bill under consideration by Washington, DC City Council would allow people with cannabis-related convictions to serve as an employee, director, agent, or member of a medical cannabis business.

Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont has signed a bill to expand the state’s pilot hemp program and align its rules with those of the federal government.

The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear a high-profile cannabis case that challenged the constitutionality of federal cannabis prohibition. Advocates behind the case said they were disappointed, but not surprised.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has signed a piece of legislation creating an automatic process for the expungement of criminal activity that would now be legal under the state’s 2018 legalization initiative.

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves has signed a bill into law giving patients access to FDA-approved cannabis medications, though the governor said he opposes efforts to make cannabis “mainstream.”

Likely voters in New Jersey indicated they support the state’s cannabis legalization initiative by a two-to-one margin, according to a recent poll.

Two Arizona polls suggest that the state’s cannabis legalization initiative is likely to pass this November — the vote looks close, however, and undecided voters could still make or break the campaign.

Vermont Gov. Phil Scott says he’s facing pressure to veto the legislation recently approved to establish an adult-use cannabis market in the state.

New Zealand voters appear to be turning away from cannabis legalization, according to the latest poll which found just 35 percent of respondents supported the reforms.

Medical associations in Mississippi are encouraging voters to reject the activist-led Initiative 65 — which would legalize medical cannabis — in favor of Initiative 65A, which was approved for ballots by the legislature and would enact a less comprehensive cannabis program.

Officials in Rock County, Wisconsin have reduced the fine for cannabis possession to just one dollar; the fines previously ran from $150 to $500 depending on the offense.

Minnesota’s Second Congressional District election has been delayed due to the unexpected death of the Legal Marijuana Now Party candidate Adam Charles Weeks.

The Lancaster County Sheriff who challenged and blocked Nebraska’s medical cannabis voter initiative said he doesn’t know who paid for the legal work to get the issue in front of the court.

Federal lawmakers have introduced a measure that would give the cannabis industry access to federal disaster relief programs after wildfires in the west destroyed multiple cannabis farms.

The Michigan Senate has approved legislation that would automatically expunge thousands of criminal records for low-level crimes and even some felonies.

The Ann Arbor, Michigan City Council has unanimously passed a resolution to decriminalize naturally occurring psychedelics, including mushrooms and ayahuasca.

Arizona medical cannabis patient Nathan Freddy was charged with possession after a Bureau of Land Management ranger smelled cannabis in his pack while he was hiking on federal land.