US Cannabis Policy Updates

The Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority has designated $2 million from medical cannabis taxes to fund youth substance abuse programs in the state.

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) approved bills this week seeking to ban delta-8 THC and eliminate requirements for medical cannabis patients to register with the state Board of Pharmacy.

A new survey found the majority of voters in North Carolina support legalizing cannabis for medical and adult use.

Mississippi announced regulations to govern the state’s qualifying conditions, patient access, and physician recommendations for medical cannabis.

The Massachusetts Senate passed provisions to create a cannabis social equity fund, license social consumption spaces, and establish a commission to tackle stoned driving.

New York lawmakers and Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) have agreed to let licensed cannabis companies take normal business tax deductions like any other industry.

The D.C. Council this week rejected an emergency bill targeting cannabis gifting operations over concerns that the crackdown would disproportionately affect Black residents.

A new bill in New York would require multi-state cannabis operators to have a plan to invest in communities disproportionally affected by the war on drugs.

The U.S. House approved a bipartisan cannabis research bill this week that would expand research possibilities and let researchers study cannabis products acquired through state-legal markets.

The White House has not clarified whether or not President Biden would sign the House-approved MORE Act, which seeks to end federal cannabis prohibition.

A Colorado House Committee halted a bill that would have protected employees for off-the-clock recreational cannabis use and workday consumption by medical cannabis patients.

Lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives today passed the MORE Act to federally legalize cannabis in a bipartisan vote.

The Pennsylvania Senate Banking and Insurance Committee advanced a measure to give state-legal cannabis businesses more access to banking, finance, and insurance services.

The Kentucky Senate will not vote on the state’s House-approved medical cannabis legislation because, according to Senate Majority Leader Damon Thayer (R), there are “not enough votes” to pass the bill.

Kentucky lawmakers are seeking to ban delta-8 THC products in the state; the move is being contested by the Kentucky Hemp Association.

After decriminalizing low-level cannabis possession last year, a Louisiana proposal is seeking to reimplement the threat of jail time for minors caught with small amounts of cannabis.

The U.S. House scheduled a vote this week for the MORE Act, which would federally legalize cannabis.

The Tuscaloosa, Alabama City Council Public Safety Committee advanced a provision to lower penalties for low-level cannabis crimes to a ticket instead of the maximum penalty of 180 days in jail.

Iowa Senate Republicans rejected a Democratic bid to add an adult-use cannabis provision to a bill concerning heroin penalties.

A bipartisan federal bill would instruct the U.N. to deschedule cannabis, arguing the war on drugs has negatively affected human rights, health, security, and development on a global scale.

The Alabama Senate introduced a bill that would require women of ‘childbearing’ age to submit a state-certified negative pregnancy test before purchasing medical cannabis.

New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R) said that he doesn’t think it is the right time to legalize cannabis in the state because they are just getting the opioid crisis under control.

Kentucky’s GOP-controlled House of Representatives voted 59-64 to pass a bill giving patients with certain severe illnesses access to a state medical cannabis program.

Virginia’s Senate unanimously approved a bill to regulate delta-8 THC products with labeling, potency and purity testing, licensing, and age limit requirements.