From Our Writers

A tax-and-regulate legalization plan has advanced from the Illinois Senate to the House of Representatives. The bill has the support of Gov. J.B. Pritzker and, if fully approved, would make Illinois the 11th state to legalize cannabis for adult use.

Applications are flooding in for Maryland’s 14 new medical cannabis operator licenses; the additional licenses are aimed at increasing the number of minority- and women-owned businesses in the industry.

At 100 acres, 48North’s new 250,000-plant outdoor cannabis cultivation facility in Brant County, Ontario is set to be the country’s largest cannabis cultivation site.

The bill — which expands medical cannabis in the state by adding seven new conditions to the program’s qualifying conditions list and removing a requirement for patients to have two doctors’ recommendations before accessing the program — now goes to Gov. Greg Abbott for his signature.

A unanimous ruling for the Arizona Supreme Court clarifies that medical cannabis extractions are indeed legal, shielding (and exonerating) patients and dispensaries from hardliner lawmakers and regulators.

Expecting another 2020 ballot initiative legalization bid, lawmakers in North Dakota plan to study the implications of adult-use cannabis regulations in the event voters there decide to embrace reform.

The Transportation Security Administration recently clarified that air travelers can bring certain cannabis-derived products aboard their flights; the change, however, only allows for hemp-derived CBD products and Epidiolex — an FDA-approved, cannabis-based epilepsy medication.

Hoping for the governor’s support, New York lawmakers have raised the proposed tax rate, lowered possession limits, and added expungement for low-level cannabis convictions to the state’s pending adult-use legislation.

Alabama lawmakers appear unlikely to advance a bill expanding the state’s limited medical cannabis options; instead, they may establish a commission for studying the effects and efficacy of cannabis medicine.

Under a bill signed into law last week in Colorado, doctors can now recommend medical cannabis to treat any condition for which they might have otherwise prescribed opioids.

The bill, which passed 96-3 in the House and 40-7 in the Senate, would have expanded multiple aspects of Iowa’s limited medical cannabis program.

The earmarked funds will cover research into cannabis as a migraine treatment, harm reduction for youth, education, and an investigation into the rare condition cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome, which can lead to severe nausea and vomiting after cannabis use.

Utah Gov. Gary Herbert (R) accused the federal government this week of “lack of action and attention” on medical cannabis policies. The governor, however, originally opposed the creation of Utah’s medical cannabis industry.

Massachusetts regulators have approved the first sale of a licensed cannabis operator in the state. Under the deal, Sira Naturals will be purchased by Canadian firm Cannabis Strategies Acquisition Corp.

The Texas Senate has advanced a bill containing several expansions to the state’s medical cannabis program; the measure still needs reconciliation by the House, however, who could seek further amendments to the legislation.

Hemp farms in Washington are expected to expand from last year’s 140 acres to more than 6,000 acres of hemp this year now that the crop has been federally legalized via the 2018 farm bill.

New Jersey Senate President Stephen Sweeney says he’s skeptical of a proposal to decriminalize cannabis possession in the state, saying he would rather pass a statewide legalization law.

The bill, which would create state-chartered banks that would work with the state’s cannabis industry, passed the Senate 35-1 and now moves to the Assembly for consideration.

A study in the American Journal of Psychiatry has shown CBD to be effective in reducing the cravings of opioid addicts, with participants citing a two- to three-fold reduction in cravings on average compared to participants who received a placebo.

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly has signed Claire and Lola’s Law, which legalizes low-THC cannabis oils for patients with “debilitating medical conditions.” Under the law, patients would be able to access oils containing no more than 5 percent THC.

The NFL and NFLPA are creating a joint committee to investigate pain treatment and the use of cannabis and cannabinoids in pain management.

Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart has announced the creation of cannabis pre-roll brand Mind Your Head, the rock legend’s new collaboration with Left Coast Ventures in California.

Cannabis industry investment firm Northern Swan Holdings has announced that former federal lawmakers Rep. Joseph Crowley and former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle have been added to the company’s advisory board.

Lawmakers in California have rejected legislation to reduce the state’s cannabis tax but also advanced a bill that would require municipalities to allow industry operations.