Cannabis Legalization News

Lawmakers in the North Dakota House of Representatives yesterday advanced a bill that would legalize cannabis for adult use.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, months after the state voted to legalize, has finally accepted and signed into law the legislature’s cannabis legalization language.

Montana state Rep. Bill Mercer (R) has proposed delaying the state’s voter-approved cannabis legalization initiative until 2023, saying the voters’ decision, “doesn’t make any sense.”

For the first time ever, a proposal for legalizing adult-use cannabis has passed through a legislative committee in Minnesota.

New Jersey police have issued over 6,000 arrests for simple cannabis possession since voters overwhelmingly approved legalization reforms last November.

Kentucky state Rep. Rachel Roberts has filed a bill that would legalize cannabis use and cultivation and expunge low-level cannabis crimes.

A recent poll found that 54% of North Carolina residents support legalizing cannabis for adult use and 73% support legalizing cannabis for medicinal purposes.

Virginia’s House and Senate have each passed broad cannabis legalization bills that must be reconciled and combined into final legislation, which would have to then pass both chambers again.

As Mississippi awaits a Supreme Court decision on its medical cannabis legalization amendment, state Sen. Kevin Blackwell (R) has proposed a separate bill to legalize the medicinal use of cannabis.

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem is further impeding the will of voters after calling for delaying implementation of the state’s voter-approved medical cannabis law by one year.

Lawmakers in South Dakota are still considering rules and regulations for a legal cannabis market in case the recent court decision blocking the state’s voter-backed legalization bid is successfully appealed.

A South Dakota judge has ruled in favor of nullifying a cannabis legalization constitutional amendment approved by voters last November. The dispute moves next to the state’s Supreme Court.

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers (D) revealed his anticipation of cannabis legalization in the state after including revenue from legal cannabis taxes in his 2021-2022 budget proposal.

The Idaho Senate approved a measure to constitutionally ban any statewide legalization of non-pharmaceutical psychoactive drugs (including cannabis). The proposal still has to pass the House in a two-thirds vote and would then move to voters via a ballot initiative next year.

A bill to legalize medical cannabis in Alabama has advanced from the state’s Senate Judiciary Committee.

Minnesota Democrats are cranking up their efforts to enact sensible cannabis reforms with Democratic House Majority Leader Ryan Winkler calling adult-use legalization a “mainstream, bipartisan, broadly supported issue.”

New Mexico lawmakers have pre-filed two cannabis legalization bills for the coming session. Each measure would essentially do the same thing but differ on operational and enforcement details.

Kansas Gov. Kelly Chambers (D) has proposed adopting medical cannabis legalization in the state and using funds from the program to pay for expansions to Medicaid.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sens. Cory Booker and Ron Wyden have announced the forming of a Senate coalition dedicated to legalizing cannabis at the federal level.

Lawmakers in Idaho are set to consider a bipartisan bill to legalize medical cannabis even after a proposal to constitutionally ban all psychoactive drugs (including cannabis) was advanced from the Senate State Affairs Committee.

Lawmakers in the New Jersey Assembly Community Development and Affairs Committee have approved a piece of so-called “clean-up” legislation aimed at getting Gov. Phil Murphy to approve the state’s voter-backed legalization plan.

Cannabis industry analytics firm Headset released a new report estimating the annual value of Mexico’s legalized cannabis market at about $843.7 million.

New Mexico Gov. Lujan Grisham called for the legalization of adult-use cannabis in her State of the State address on Tuesday.

Minnesota Sen. Majority Leader Paul Gazelka (R) said he has no plans to work toward cannabis legalization this year and that such reforms aren’t “right for the state.”