Cannabis Legalization News

Rhode Island lawmakers passed the state’s adult-use cannabis legalization bill on Tuesday. The bill includes provisions for homegrows and the automatic expungement of prior cannabis possession charges.

A new survey in Missouri found that 62% of adults support cannabis legalization in the state.

A YouGov poll found that 45% of Americans think cannabis should be federally legalized with 21% believing the decision should be left to the states, and 20% opposed.

Delaware’s bill to tax and regulate adult-use cannabis failed by two votes in the House while the decriminalization bill sits on Gov. John Carney’s (D) desk.

Lawmakers in two Rhode Island legislative committees advanced the state’s cannabis legalization bill yesterday, setting the bill up for votes in both the House and Senate.

According to research published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, cannabis legalization in Washington state has not led to increases in the use of alcohol and cigarettes or abuse of pharmaceutical painkillers.

Under a settlement between Ohio lawmakers and advocates behind the state’s latest cannabis legalization effort, lawmakers will consider the proposal in 2023 and if they don’t pass the reforms, the question will go to voters later that year.

Rhode Island’s latest cannabis legalization proposal, which has yet to be released to the public, is up for committee votes this week.

Delaware lawmakers approved a bill to legalize cannabis possession but stopped short of establishing regulated sales; the bill now goes to Gov. John Carney (D), who remains opposed to legalization and has not yet revealed whether he will sign.

Two Arkansas advocacy groups are looking to put adult-use cannabis legalization questions on voter ballots this November.

Germany’s Health Minister Karl Lauterbach said he will begin preparations for setting up an adult-use cannabis market in the country.

New Mexico retailers sold about $22.1 million in cannabis products during the state’s first month of adult-use sales.

Cannabis advocacy group South Dakotans for Better Marijuana Laws has submitted signatures to add a cannabis legalization question to voter ballots for the second time in the state.

Medical cannabis legislation in Kansas has again failed for the year after stalling in the state Senate.

A U.S. District Judge in Maryland granted a pretrial motion by federal prosecutors to exclude any mention of the fact that cannabis has been legalized in 18 states from Jonathan Wall’s upcoming drug trafficking case.

Two bills to legalize cannabis were defeated in the New Hampshire Senate on Thursday, likely the last opportunity for enacting the reforms this year.

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland reiterated his thoughts that enforcing federal cannabis possession laws is “not an efficient use” of government resources.

Ohio legislators have introduced a cannabis legalization bill written by the advocacy group Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol.

Cannabis legalization advocates with New Approach North Dakota are launching a signature-gathering campaign to put the issue on 2022 ballots.

The Democratic Party of Alabama unveiled an adult-use cannabis legalization website on 4/20 to discuss the state’s failed efforts to pass updated policies.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) is looking for options to legalize medical cannabis in the state after the Senate majority leader killed the latest bill last month.

The New Hampshire Senate Ways and Means Committee voted unanimously against a bill that seeks to legalize adult-use cannabis and put the state liquor commission in charge of regulating the industry.

Switzerland is launching an adult-use cannabis pilot program and study which will allow participants to purchase cannabis legally while having their mental and physical health monitored.

The ACLU of Nevada has filed a lawsuit against the state Board of Pharmacy to have cannabis removed from its Schedule I status.