Cannabis Legalization News

Ukrainian lawmakers have passed a groundbreaking bill to legalize medical cannabis, a significant step towards providing relief for patients with cancer and PTSD, awaiting President Volodymyr Zelensky’s anticipated signature.

Going against the will of Ohioan voters who legalized cannabis and assigned its tax revenues to causes like social equity and jobs programs, the Ohio Senate has moved instead to funnel the funds toward law enforcement and the state’s general fund.

According to the 2022 U.S. National Survey on Drug Use and Health, just over 11% of 12- to 17-year-olds reported consuming a cannabis product within the last year; the figure represents an uptick from 2020 and 2021, but a decrease from 2019 levels.

Adults aged 21+ in Ohio can now legally possess, consume, and cultivate cannabis after the majority of state voters last month approved Issue 2, a cannabis legalization ballot proposal.

About 67% of Florida voters plan to vote ‘yes’ on the proposed ballot question to legalize adult-use cannabis in the state, according to a recent poll by the University of North Florida’s Public Opinion Research Lab.

A recent study found that high schoolers in Massachusetts were not more likely to use cannabis after legalization but were more likely to use cannabis if they perceived that their family or friends used cannabis themselves.

There are now two adult-use cannabis legalization ballot measures being proposed in South Dakota; the measures will each require 17,509 valid petition signatures from registered South Dakota voters to qualify for the 2024 general election.

Hawaii Attorney General Anne Lopez has authored a bill to legalize adult-use cannabis; the proposal includes a 10% tax surcharge and 4.25% excise tax on adult-use sales but would not impose taxes on the medical cannabis industry.

The University of Minnesota School of Public Health announced the launch of its Cannabis Research Center, which will assess the impact of adult-use legalization and help inform future cannabis policies.

The Florida Supreme Court seems poised to allow an adult-use cannabis legalization proposal to be put to voters next year, seemingly rejecting arguments by the state Attorney General Ashley Moody that the initiative violates the state’s single-subject rule on ballot questions.

South African lawmakers on Tuesday approved a bill to legalize the personal use of cannabis. The measure does not legalize cannabis sales, meaning if individuals want to consume it legally, they have to grow it.

The Australian Medical Association says that while it supports certain cannabis decriminalization policies, it is opposing a bill to legalize adult-use cannabis due to the potential for increased “health and social-related harms.”

The latest Gallup poll found record-high support for the federal legalization of adult-use cannabis, with 70% of U.S. adults supporting the reforms.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) has called upon the state’s Republican-controlled Legislature to make changes to the state’s voter-approved cannabis legalization measure before it takes effect on December 7.

Ohio voters opted to legalize adult-use cannabis during Tuesday’s election. Under the new law, adults aged 21+ can purchase and possess up to 2.5 ounces of cannabis and grow plants at home.

The Pennsylvania House Subcommittee on Health Care heard arguments from citizens and medical experts relating to the legalization of adult-use cannabis. The issue could see a House vote sometime next year.

Recent research suggests that legalizing adult-use cannabis in Ohio would likely generate about $260 million in “net benefits for society,” ranging from between $200 million in net costs and $1.9 billion in net benefits.

Recent research suggests that home values in states with adult-use cannabis laws have outpaced home values in other states by nearly $49,000 from 2014 to 2023.

Recent polling found that nearly 70% of Kansans support the legalization of adult-use cannabis, including 60% of Republican voters, 72.7% of Democratic voters, and 76.1% of independents.

Republican lawmakers in Ohio have approved a resolution opposing the cannabis legalization question going to state voters next month, urging citizens to vote “no” on the proposal.

Cannabis multistate operator Trulieve has contributed another $500,000 to Smart & Safe Florida — which is leading the campaign to legalize adult-use cannabis in Florida — increasing the company’s total contributions to the campaign to $39.55 million.

The U.S. Census Bureau has released an interactive map outlining the quarterly revenue in cannabis taxes earned by states with cannabis legalization policies in place.

A nearly two-thirds majority of U.S. truck drivers and carriers support changing the federal cannabis testing regulations, according to an American Transportation Research Institute report.