Cannabis Legalization News

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) recently restated his opposition to cannabis legalization and said he would not sign a reforms bill were one approved by state lawmakers.

The Mississippi Senate passed a bill to legalize medical cannabis. The bill, which the governor has threatened to veto, now moves to the House for final approval.

Ohio advocates submitted nearly 30,000 new signatures in an attempt to make state lawmakers consider cannabis legalization after falling short of the required signature total earlier this month.

Several Virginia GOP state lawmakers have pre-filed measures to strip social equity funding and other criminal justice initiatives from last year’s cannabis legalization bill.

A group of Maryland state senators is looking to craft a second cannabis legalization bill separate from a recently announced equity-focused proposal.

Washington State Democratic Senators Jesse Salomon and Liz Lovelett have introduced a bill to legalize the assisted adult use of psilocybin.

Alabama gubernatorial candidate Chad “Chig” Martin will be including cannabis legalization as a main component of his election campaign.

Maryland state Sen. Jill Carter (D-Baltimore) plans to file an adult-use cannabis legalization bill next week which emphasizes social equity, home cultivation, and criminal justice reforms.

The New Hampshire House of Representatives passed a bill to legalize personal cannabis possession and cultivation.

Indiana state Sen. Greg Taylor (D) has crafted a medical cannabis legalization bill to be introduced in the coming legislative session.

The combined sales from Montana’s new adult-use cannabis marketplace surpassed $1.5 million over its launch last weekend.

Virginia Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin (R) said in a recent interview he will not seek to overturn the adult-use cannabis law signed by his predecessor but will look to adjust certain elements of the program, including a “forced unionization” clause.

Ohio cannabis advocates were 13,062 valid signatures short of the amount required to force lawmakers to consider adult-use cannabis legalization.

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves (R) has threatened to veto the state’s medical cannabis reform bill because he would like for patients’ proposed daily allowance to be cut in half from 3.5 grams daily to 1.75 grams.

The recent National Drug Strategy Household Survey in Australia found that 41.1% of respondents believe cannabis should be legalized.

Lawmakers in Maryland are set to consider legislation that would put a referendum to legalize adult-use cannabis before voters during the 2022 election.

Democratic Iowa state senators have called for a constitutional amendment to legalize adult-use cannabis. Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds opposes the plan.

Toi Hutchinson, who was Illinois’ top cannabis official as senior advisor to Gov. J.B. Pritzker, joined the Marijuana Policy Project last week as the organization’s new president and CEO.

Cannabis legalization advocates in Ohio have collected enough signatures to make lawmakers consider the proposed reforms, which include cannabis possession and personal cultivation.

Malta President George Vella signed the country’s national cannabis legalization bill into law in the face of opposition from Malta’s conservative party and more than 50 religious organizations.

Some 24% of New York municipalities have now opted out of allowing adult-use cannabis operations.

The government-funded Monitoring the Future survey — which is an annual check-in with eighth, 10th, and 12th-graders around the U.S. — found adolescent cannabis use plummeted this year despite the proliferation of new state-legal cannabis markets.

Lawmakers in Malta have approved the country’s cannabis legalization proposal, making it the first EU member nation to legalize adult-use cannabis.

A cannabis legalization bill in Malta is expected to be formally approved by lawmakers today.