Cannabis Legalization News

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves (R) does not plan to call lawmakers back for a special session, tabling the medical cannabis initiative until the regular session begins in January.

A Republican-led cannabis legalization effort is aiming to federally deschedule cannabis and expunge some nonviolent cannabis crimes but stops short of social equity considerations.

U.S. Senate hopeful Thomas McDermott Jr., from Indiana, revealed on a podcast that he consumed cannabis at two recent “Grateful Dead” concerts and said he would work to legalize cannabis if elected to office.

Support for cannabis legalization in the U.S. has maintained a record high, first reached last year, of 68%.

New Mexico’s medical cannabis program patient count increased 72% over the last two years with the program reaching a total of 124,463 registered patients.

The head of New York’s Cannabis Control Board said last week she does not anticipate the state will begin issuing industry licenses until the spring of 2023 at the earliest.

Arkansas advocates are gathering signatures to put a cannabis legalization constitutional amendment on next year’s ballot.

Connecticut Attorney General William Tong sent a letter to seven Massachusetts cannabis companies asking them to remove their billboards from along Connecticut highways.

Cannabis cultivation-related cases are down 67.5% this year in New York after lawmakers approved legalization in March.

Costa Rica’s Congress voted to legalize cannabis for medical use despite opposition from President Carlos Alvarado.

The South Dakota Legislature’s subcommittee on adult-use cannabis voted 8-2 to move forward with a proposal to enact legalization reforms, despite opposition by Republican Gov. Kristi Noem.

A survey published Monday by real estate brokerage firm Redfin found that 46% of respondents would “prefer to live” or “will only live” in a place where cannabis is legalized broadly.

An Ohio bill being circulated by Republican Rep. Jamie Callender would allow sales and possession for adults 21-and-older and levy a 10% tax on retail sales.

Once a hippy hideaway for cannabis before it was made illegal in the 1970s, activists are pushing legislation to legalize cannabis in Nepal.

German police unions voiced opposition to national cannabis legalization following election victories by Social Democrats, the Greens, and the Free Democrats, all of which support the reforms.

Protestors gathered across Mississippi on Saturday to demand that Gov. Tate Reeves (R) call a special session to pass the Mississippi Medical Cannabis Act.

Sen. Mike Regan, who helped write Pennsylvania’s 2016 medical cannabis law, is circulating a memorandum seeking to add co-sponsors to a cannabis legalization bill.

Oklahoma cannabis advocates have filed ballot initiatives aiming to legalize adult-use cannabis and replace the state’s medical cannabis oversight agency in 2022.

During their first meeting on Tuesday, the board in charge of implementing New York’s legalization bill enacted medical cannabis reforms including waiving application fees, allowing for whole flower, and raising supply limits.

Cannabis advocates have formed the Kansas Cannabis Chamber of Commerce which will push for industry reforms.

Florida advocates are launching a campaign to legalize cannabis cultivation and use for adults. They need to submit 891,589 valid petition signatures by February 1 to get the question on 2022 ballots.

The FBI’s latest stats show a 36% drop nationwide in cannabis-related arrests from 2019 to 2020.

Researchers found that less than 2% of people living in states that have legalized cannabis have been diagnosed with “cannabis use disorder” and that the reforms were not linked to increased cannabis consumption among youths aged 12-20.