Cannabis Legalization News

Lawmakers in Pennsylvania filed a bipartisan bill on Monday to legalize adult-use cannabis. The bill, which calls for regulating the adult-use industry and expunging past cannabis crimes, was filed on state lawmakers’ first day back from recess.

Having access to legal medical cannabis in all 50 U.S. states could save Americans up to $29 billion per year in reduced healthcare expenditures, according to a recent study.

A former Nebraska state senator has filed a lawsuit to invalidate two medical cannabis petitions — one to legalize medical cannabis and one to regulate the industry — that were approved for November ballots earlier this month.

A Senate committee in Pakistan unanimously advanced a proposal to regulate the cultivation and production of cannabis.

A recent study published in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence Reports found that cannabis use in the U.S. increased from 7.59% to 11.54% from 2013 to 2020, but youth rates remained statistically constant.

Licensed cannabis dispensaries in Ohio sold more than $44 million worth of cannabis during the first month of adult-use sales, according to state data.

Cannabis advocates in Idaho are preparing for a 2026 cannabis legalization campaign after another petition to put a medical cannabis legalization question before voters failed to gather enough signatures

The Indigenous Cannabis Industry Association and Wisconsin Tribal Task Force on Cannabis this week announced the launch of the Wisconsin Wellness campaign to push for legalizing medical cannabis in the state.

Nebraska’s secretary of state said the state’s campaigns to legalize and regulate medical cannabis have qualified for the November ballot.

North Dakota Tax Commissioner Brian Kroshus estimates the state could generate $7.281 million every two years in adult-use cannabis taxes based on a 5% sales tax rate.

Ukraine’s medical cannabis legalization policy took effect last Friday as the country continues to defend itself against the aggression of neighboring Russia. Under the new policy, military veterans with PTSD and cancer patients are allowed access to medical cannabis products.

With about three months until the November election, two recent polls came to competing conclusions about the upcoming cannabis legalization vote in Florida.

Ohio dispensaries approved to serve adult-use customers sold more than $11.5 million worth of recreational cannabis products during the market’s first five days.

Two organizations linked to North Dakota medical cannabis companies have provided the vast majority of the funds behind New Economic Frontier, the campaign pushing the state’s current adult-use legalization initiative.

North Dakota voters will consider adult-use cannabis reforms this November for the third time after rejecting similar proposals in 2018 and 2022.

Recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that cannabis use among U.S. high schoolers has declined significantly over the last 10 years. The period encompasses the launch of each of the country’s state-based cannabis legalization experiments.

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris this week tabbed Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate. Having supported and signed into law his home state’s adult-use cannabis reforms, Walz has earned an A rating for cannabis policy from NORML.

Florida billionaire Ken Griffin announced he donated $20 million to support candidates who oppose the state’s proposed adult-use cannabis constitutional amendment.

Another Florida poll found the state’s adult-use cannabis legalization amendment is on-track with 64% of likely voters saying they plan to vote for the reforms this November.

Lawmakers in the Philippines House of Representatives this week voted 177-9 to legalize medical cannabis. The proposal, however, faces an uncertain future in the Senate.

Multistate medical cannabis company Trulieve has contributed another $5 million to the Smart & Safe Florida campaign seeking to legalize adult-use cannabis; Trulieve’s latest contribution brings the company’s total to $60.39 million.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said this week that the cannabis legalization ballot amendment appearing before voters this November should not have been approved for the state ballot.

The public comment period for cannabis rescheduling to Schedule III ends July 22, with over 37,000 submissions received so far.

Hemp executives with Save Florida Hemp say they have pledged to donate $5 million to the Republican Party of Florida to help defeat the upcoming cannabis legalization vote after Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed a proposal that would have wiped out the hemp industry almost entirely.