US Cannabis Policy Updates

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) has signed a bill to protect patients’ access to medical treatment even if they test positive for cannabis and the rights of doctors to treat such patients without ramifications from federal law.

Scott Jensen, the Republican nominee for Minnesota’s governorship, said that he supports decriminalizing small amounts of cannabis and letting voters decide whether to adopt legalization reforms.

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf and Lieutenant Gov. John Fetterman have announced the PA Marijuana Pardon Project is accepting applications for a one-time, large-scale pardoning project for people with minor, non-violent cannabis convictions.

Officials in California have passed a law to protect workers who test positive on drug screenings for cannabis consumed outside of work with some exceptions. The bill has been sent to Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) for his signature.

New medical cannabis prescription limits took effect in Florida on Monday, in some cases limiting patients to one-third of their previous maximum amounts.

A new poll found that 54.4% of South Dakota voters disapprove of cannabis legalization ahead of the reforms appearing on state ballots this November.

Multiple Oregon municipalities are planning to put psilocybin therapy bans on November election ballots after state voters opted to legalize the treatment in 2020.

The campaigns to legalize medical cannabis in Nebraska weren’t able to collect enough signatures to qualify for November election ballots, but state Sen. Jen Day (D) said she would introduce legalization legislation in the next session.

The city of Stonecrest, Georgia voted to decriminalize the possession of an ounce or less of cannabis, eschewing jail time for fines of $100.

Oklahoma’s adult-use cannabis legalization question may be blocked from November ballots due to a delay in signature counting by a new vendor contracted by the state.

A recent memo from the Biden Administration suggests that White House applicants who have invested in the legal cannabis industry may be denied security clearances.

A police chief in Arkansas has formed a group to oppose the state’s upcoming cannabis legalization ballot initiative, focusing his argument on drug dogs becoming “useless” if the measure is successful.

A recent survey found that a majority of Texans support both medical and adult-use cannabis legalization.

Internal polling data from Missouri NORML shows that 62% of voters are likely to back the state’s adult-use cannabis reforms during the November elections.

As part of an ongoing legal battle after Arkansas’ Board of Election Commissioners blocked a popular cannabis legalization initiative from November ballots, the state Supreme Court will conditionally allow the adult-use question to move forward.

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker (R) signed a package of cannabis industry reform bills which includes provisions for tax reforms, expungement, social equity, and changes to industry fees.

Missouri’s cannabis legalization initiative has been cleared for November ballots.

Advocates in Florida launched a new campaign this week to legalize adult-use cannabis in the Sunshine State. The effort is backed by Trulieve, the state’s largest medical cannabis company.

The campaign for legalizing cannabis in Arkansas filed a lawsuit in the state Supreme Court last week after the Board of Election Commissioners rejected the initiative’s name and title, effectively blocking it from ballots.

Commissioners in Athens-Clarke County, Georgia approved an ordinance to reduce the penalty for possession of less than an ounce of cannabis to a $35 fine, the lowest in the state.

Arkansas’ election officials rejected the state’s cannabis legalization initiative ballot name and title, effectively blocking it from November ballots; advocates behind the proposal are planning to appeal the decision to the state Supreme Court.

The Marijuana Misdemeanor Expungement Act, a bipartisan House proposal filed last week, would facilitate the expungement of low-level federal cannabis misdemeanors.

Louisiana’s new medical cannabis laws are now in effect, including provisions for protecting state employees who use medical cannabis, putting the Department of Health in charge of the state’s cannabis program, and prohibiting police from searching homes without a warrant based on the odor of cannabis.

Arkansas’ secretary of state said activists with Responsible Growth Arkansas have gathered sufficient signatures to put a cannabis legalization initiative on the upcoming November ballot.