Cannabis Policy

There are significantly more Americans who believe that cannabis legalization reforms have been a success than those who think the policies have failed.

California officials from the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development are disbursing some $30 million in grant funding for local governments to fund low and no-interest loans for social equity cannabis operators.

Lebanese lawmakers have approved the legalization of medical cannabis and industrial hemp; the move was recommended by economic advisors prior to the coronavirus outbreak.

Congressional lawmakers are standing up for cannabis businesses’ right to access traditional financial services and the federal coronavirus stimulus packages that are currently unavailable to the industry.

Florida senators are hoping a new state law — which calls on the state Supreme Court to determine whether a ballot initiative might violate the U.S. Constitution — will block a proposed initiative for the 2022 legalization of adult-use cannabis.

New Approach Montana, a cannabis legalization group, is suing the state saying they should be allowed to collect petition signatures electronically during the coronavirus crisis.

High Times CEO Stormy Simon announced she is running for political office in her home state of Utah.

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam has signed a bill into law that includes the decriminalization of cannabis possession and the sealing of light cannabis convictions in the state.

Legal cannabis businesses spent nearly $11 million in federal lobbying efforts during 2019 — the spending is nearly three times what the industry spent in 2018.

Eleven U.S. senators — all Democrats — have filed a letter asking the federal Small Business Administration to open up loans and other financial assistance to state-legal cannabis companies amid the coronavirus crisis.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo admitted to reporters this week that cannabis legalization was “not likely” to make it into the final budget this year.

Oklahoma state Rep. Scott Fegatter (R) has proposed broad cannabis legalization, which he says would pad the state budget with up to $100 million in annual tax revenue.

Cannabis legalization efforts in Missouri have likely stalled after a stay-at-home order was issued for the state.

Oklahoma’s petition to legalize cannabis is on hold and likely dead for the year amid a 30-day statewide emergency declaration.

The coronavirus crisis in New York is likely to delay lawmakers’ efforts to legalize adult-use cannabis this session as the state reels from a staggering number of new virus infections.

Business analysts at DataTrek Research suggest more states could legalize adult-use cannabis in the near future to help their economies recover from the coronavirus pandemic.

A bill signed by Utah Gov. Hary Herbert (R) will allow cannabis patients to use a letter from their physician to purchase medical cannabis products until the Department of Health issues ID cards at the end of the year.

Washington cannabis regulators have updated their guidelines for medical and adult-use cannabis dispensaries in the state after the governor issued a statewide shelter-in-place order.

Ohio officials rejected a petition to place a cannabis legalization initiative on the November ballot due to invalid signatures: only 271 of the 1,248 submitted signatures were deemed valid.

The DEA has unveiled a new rule proposal that would finally open up the licensing of new research-grade cannabis cultivators.

Kentucky lawmakers have advanced two pieces of hemp legislation: one would establish CBD label requirements and the other would legalize smokeable hemp products.

The Alabama state Senate has approved a bill to legalize limited access to medical cannabis; the bill now heads to the House, where it faces an uncertain future.

Colorado Governor Jared Polis signed a drug reform bill that will re-classify nearly all drug possession charges from a felony to a misdemeanor.

A recent Iowa poll found for the first time ever that a majority of Iowans, 53 percent, would support the statewide legalization of adult-use cannabis.