Cannabis Legalization News

Cannabis activists in North Dakota have submitted language for a legalization ballot initiative to the secretary of state; if approved, the group will need to collect 13,452 signatures by July 6 to put the issue on the 2020 ballot.

New Zealand citizens will get to choose next year whether or not to legalize adult-use cannabis; lawmakers there just revealed parts of their legalization plan if the vote were to pass.

Separate New Hampshire Senate committees have pushed back against cannabis reform legislation, effectively killing the state’s legalization opportunities for 2020.

Gov. Albert Bryan of the U.S. Virgin Islands is considering adult-use cannabis legalization as a means of reinforcing the Government Employees’ Retirement System with $20 million in annual tax revenue.

As the first piece of federal legislation that would end cannabis prohibition to make it through committee, the MORE Act deserves a closer look; unfortunately, the bill is expected to be dead on arrival if it ever reaches the Senate.

The Eastern Shoshone Tribe in Wyoming is pursuing a plan to legalize hemp and medical cannabis in an effort to diversify the Wind River Reservation economy and offer alternative medical treatments.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy has started a push for statewide cannabis decriminalization, even as lawmakers are positioning to put the legalization question to voters next year.

Two cannabis advocacy groups in Florida have submitted petition signatures for two different cannabis legalization proposals; prohibitionist advocates, meanwhile, have formed their own campaign to push back against cannabis reforms.

New Jersey lawmakers proposed legislation this week that would have voters in the state decide whether or not to legalize cannabis for adults via the 2020 ballot.

A key congressional committee approved the Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment, and Expungement (MORE) Act today in a historic vote, setting the legislation up for consideration on the full House floor.

In a landmark occasion for cannabis reform, federal lawmakers in the House Judiciary Committee are expected to vote tomorrow on the Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment, and Expungement (MORE) Act tomorrow; the bill aims to federally legalize adult-use cannabis.

Proposed changes to Thailand’s cannabis laws would allow citizens to cultivate up to six plants and sell their harvests back to the government, who would process it into medical cannabis products.

Former vice president and presidential hopeful Joe Biden said he would not support cannabis legalization without stronger evidence that the plant is not a “gateway drug.”

Experts predict that Minnesota could generate up to $300 million in annual tax revenue via by legalizing and regulating adult-use cannabis.

Cannabis advocates in India have filed a suit challenging the nation’s federal cannabis prohibition as unconstitutional, arguing that cannabis should be regulated and “reasonably” restricted.

A recent investigation based on research by Cowen and Co. found that binge drinking rates in states where adult-use cannabis has been legalized have fallen 9 percent below the national average.

UN officials have sent a letter warning Australia’s federal government that the cannabis legalization language recently adopted in the Australian Capital Territory breaches at least three international drug conventions signed by the nation.

Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders has outlined his plan for federally legalizing adult-use cannabis within 100 days of next year’s election if he wins the presidency.

Gallup polling data suggests that 66 percent of American voters continue to support the nationwide legalization of cannabis; when Gallup first asked the question in 1969, just 12 percent of voters supported such reforms.

Mexican lawmakers are poised to pass adult-use legalization legislation as early as this week; an early look at the bill’s language shows that adults 18 and older would be able to access the legal market.

Recent cannabis reforms legalizing possession and home cultivation in the Australia Capital Territory will have “no effect” because it does not address differences in federal law, says Australian Attorney-General Christian Porter.

Pennsylvania lawmakers have proposed an adult-use cannabis legalization bill that includes home cannabis cultivation, delivery, social-use, and expungement; the bill would also establish commercial micro-grow permits capped at $250 per year, with large-scale grows costing $10,000 annually with a $100,000 application fee.

The Pennsylvania American Civil Liberties Union filed suit against Lebanon County after officials decided to stop allowing people who are on parole or probation from participating in the state medical cannabis program.

Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring said in a tweet last week that it is time for Virginia to “move toward legal, regulated adult use” cannabis. 61 percent of Virginians support legalization.