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An analysis of state labor shows that, in this state, almost 1 out of 10 jobs was created by the medical marijuana industry.

Legal marijuana is good for business. According to an analysis of state labor from Missouri, nearly 1 in 10 new jobs was linked to the state’s recently functional medical marijuana industry.

The report shows some details of medical cannabis’s first year of operations, calculated between December 2020 and December 2021, showing that medical cannabis created 7,000 new jobs. A total of 77,600 jobs were created overall.

“Missouri’s medical cannabis industry is delivering on its promise of not only providing safe, affordable and convenient access for patients but also helping to infuse the state’s economy with sizable investment and millions in new tax revenue,” said Andrew Mullins, executive director of MoCannTrade.

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According to Jay Patel, CEO of Green Releaf Dispensaries, “Medical cannabis is hands down the most impactful collective investment our state has seen in recent memory.”

The state will give oversight of the medical cannabis program that will include the in-state cultivation, processing and sale of cannabis.

NASHVILLE, TN (WSMV) - State Rep. Jason Powell filed legislation on Monday to propose an amendment to the Tennessee Constitution to allow medical cannabis, according to a news release.

Powell, D-Nashville, said if the constitutional amendment is passed it would allow Tennesseans to use medical cannabis legally for approved medical conditions including cancer, epilepsy and multiple sclerosis.

The state will give oversight of the medical cannabis program that will include the in-state cultivation, processing and sale of cannabis. The House Joint Resolution filed Monday will establish a 4% tax on the retail sale of medical cannabis with a portion specifically directed to assist military veterans’ health care.

“Tennesseans should have access to a comprehensive medical cannabis program in our state. No Tennessean suffering from an approved medical condition should have to drive hours out of state to purchase medical cannabis,” Powell said in a news release. “Furthermore, Tennesseans should be able to legally grow and sell medical cannabis here in Tennessee. I firmly believe an amendment to the Tennessee Constitution is the best path for legalizing medical cannabis in Tennessee. Voters should have the opportunity to decide this issue and I simply ask my legislative colleagues to give Tennesseans the choice to vote on a medical cannabis program.”

HARRISBURG, PA,  State Senator Mike Regan began informational hearings on Monday at the Senate Law and Justice Committee on full cannabis legalization.

“As neighboring states prepare to embrace all the benefits of cannabis reform, we in Pennsylvania are reminded of the continued impact of the criminalization of cannabis here in our state," said Jeff Riedy, Executive Director of Lehigh Valley NORML.

"The only real solution is enacting immediate decriminalization and eventual legalization of cannabis in Pennsylvania," Riedy continued. "Senator Regan’s hearing signals an encouraging shift in thinking among our State Republicans."

The GBI Southwestern Regional Drug Enforcement Office arrested a Warwick Police Officer for selling marijuana while on duty and in uniform.

Two counts of sale/distribution of marijuana, one count possession with intent to distribute marijuana, four counts possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, three counts violation of oath of office, and two counts use of a communication device during the commission of a felony.

The GBI SWRDEO received information that Mitchell was selling marijuana while on duty and in uniform as a police officer for the Warwick Police Department. During the investigation, agents began obtaining marijuana from Mitchell in Worth County and in Lee County.

The SWRDEO would like to thank the investigative support and cooperation provided by the Crisp County Sheriff’s Office, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, the Worth County Sheriff’s Office, and the Warwick Police Department.

The GBI Southwestern Regional Drug Enforcement Office is in Albany, Georgia and services 42 counties in Southwest Georgia and is partially funded with Byrne/JAG grant funds.

The fact that Biden’s Commerce Sec. is not focused on marijuana legalization has provoked cannabis advocates to question the President’s willingness to keep his promise.

President Joe Biden’s Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo revealed in a recent interview with Politico that she has no updates on cannabis decriminalization that was promised during the presidential campaign, reported Marijuana Moment.

When a reporter asked if cannabis should be descheduled, pointing out that some businesses don’t want to see this as it would likely increase competition creating across state markets, Raimondo replied that the matter is “so far afield from anything that I’m working on.” As Raimondo’s focus continues to be trade and supply chain management, marijuana is apparently not yet on her agenda.

Just recently, a new poll conducted by YouGov and The Economist, revealed that more than half of the U.S. adult population concurs that President Biden has made little to no progress on his crucial campaign promise to decriminalize cannabis during his first year in office.

The survey revealed that the majority of U.S. residents also don’t hold out much hope that the president will make progress on this important reform in 2022, which is in line with Raimondo’s response.

Interestingly, Raimondo, who was a governor of Rhode Island before joining the Biden administration, skillfully dealt with marijuana policies, backing a plan in her budget proposal to legalize recreational cannabis via a state-run model. Her successor, Gov. Dan McKee just recently proposed a measure in his budget that would support a more conventional recreational cannabis market.

It’s been a long time coming, and finally, Minnesota will have smokable cannabis available for medical patients.

Medical cannabis patients in Minnesota will see smokable cannabis flower in licensed retailers beginning next month, according to an announcement from state regulators. The Minnesota Department of Health said in a statement on Tuesday that the state’s medical cannabis dispensaries will be able to offer dried cannabis flower on March 1.

Dispensaries will offer pre-packaged dried cannabis flower and pre-rolled joints in a variety of strains and cannabinoid potency levels. Registered patients will be able to purchase up to a 90-day supply of cannabis at one time. Previously, state regulations only permitted patients to use processed cannabis products such as extracts, distillates, capsules and topicals.

It won’t be as easy as visiting a dispensary and picking out a favorite strain of bud, however. Under Minnesota’s medical cannabis regulations, patients must first complete a consultation with a medical cannabis dispensary pharmacist to change the type of medical marijuana they receive. 

“In preparation for the change, registered patients interested in smokable cannabis can make an appointment for a consultation with a medical cannabis dispensary pharmacist beginning Feb. 1 so they will be pre-approved to buy pre-packaged dried flower and pre-rolls once available,” the health department wrote in its statement. Patients have the option of either in-person or virtual consultations to satisfy the requirement.

Smokable cannabis flower will only be available to patients and caregivers ages 21 and older who are registered with the state’s medical cannabis program. Minnesota Commissioner of Health Jan Malcolm urged patients who are considering switching to cannabis flower to seek the advice of a health care professional before making the change.

A claim that cannabis with Fentanyl in it was causing overdoses in Connecticut just got disproved, according to local media.

Another alleged case of fentanyl-laced cannabis in Connecticut has gone up in smoke. 

In this case, the false alarm came out of Connecticut, where an investigation has revealed that “nearly 40 Connecticut overdoses [that] were possibly linked to fentanyl-laced marijuana—sparking widespread attention and concern—turned out to be one confirmed case and was probably caused by accidental contamination,” according to a story by CT Insider.

That marks a major walk back from a bulletin in November issued by the Connecticut Department of Public Health, which said that it had “recently received reports of overdose patients who have exhibited opioid overdose symptoms and required naloxone for revival,” and that the “patients denied any opioid use and claimed to have only smoked marijuana.”

That press release detailed a total of 39 overdoses in the state between July and November of last year. In one such incident that took place in October, police in Plymouth, Connecticut were said to have responded to one overdose scene where they secured a sample of cannabis that later tested positive for fentanyl.

“This is the first lab-confirmed case of marijuana with fentanyl in Connecticut and possibly the first confirmed case in the United States,” said Department of Public Health Commissioner Manisha Juthani.

Woman also ran her vehicle into a snowbank, with police reporting there was a clear cannabis smell coming from the car.

It took only less than two hours for an Iowa jury to find a 23-year-old woman guilty of possessing firearms while being a cannabis user.

The physical evidence may have accounted for the rapid decision-making, including pictures the woman had posted on social media showing her holding a weed blunt and speaking about cannabis use during a recorded telephone call.

“She continued to possess the firearms until law enforcement officers seized them on July 22, 2021,” notes a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Iowa.

The woman faces a possible maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, a $317,500 fine and three years of supervised release following any imprisonment.

Beyond the social media posts and being found with guns, the statement reports law enforcement officials also encountered the woman in February 2021, after she drove her car into a snowbank.

Mississippi is legalizing medical marijuana for people with debilitating conditions such as cancer, AIDS and sickle cell disease.

Republican Gov. Tate Reeves signed the legislation Wednesday and it became law immediately. It could be months before the first marijuana dispensaries open.

"There is no doubt that there are individuals in our state who could do significantly better if they had access to medically prescribed doses of cannabis," Reeves wrote in a statement posted to Twitter.

"There are also those who really want a recreational marijuana program that could lead to more people smoking and less people working, with all the societal and family ills that that brings."

The National Conference of State Legislatures says 36 states and four territories already allowed the medical use of cannabis. Mississippi becomes the 37th state.

The City Council, however, could eventually vote on its own ordinance before voters weigh in.

Redondo Beach voters will decide next year whether to legalize commercial cannabis in the city.

The City Council this week chose to place an initiative on the March 7, 2023, general election ballot that, if approved, would allow a few marijuana dispensaries in the seaside town, repealing the existing ban on cannabis.

This all came about because of an initiative petition.

A petitioner, resident Sam Nicosia — who was solicited by growing dispensary chain Catalyst Cannabis Co., headquartered in Long Beach — served Redondo with an initiative petition last year that sought to get the city to repeal its ban on cannabis and allow up to three dispensaries around town.

The Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder verified more than 6,600 signatures last month; the petition needed signatures from 10% of the city’s nearly 48,000 registered voters — or about 4,800 — for the issue to go before the council.

State Rep. Jason Powell filed legislation on Monday to propose an amendment to the Tennessee Constitution to allow medical cannabis, according to a news release.

Powell, D-Nashville, said if the constitutional amendment is passed it would allow Tennesseans to use medical cannabis legally for approved medical conditions including cancer, epilepsy and multiple sclerosis.

The state will give oversight of the medical cannabis program that will include the in -state cultivation, processing and sale of cannabis. The House Joint Resolution filed Monday conswill establish a 4% tax on the retail sale of medical cannabis with a portion specifically directed to assist military veterans’ health care.

“Tennesseans should have access to a comprehensive medical cannabis program in our state. No Tennessean suffering from an approved medical condition should have to drive hours out of state to purchase medical cannabis,” Powell said in a news release.

“Furthermore, Tennesseans should be able to legally grow and sale medical cannabis here in Tennessee. I firmly believe an amendment to the Tennessee Constitution is the best path for legalizing medical cannabis in Tennessee. Voters should have the opportunity to decide this issue and I simply ask my legislative colleagues to give Tennesseans the choice to vote on a medical cannabis program.”

San Marcans could see a measure on the November ballot aiming to change marijuana enforcement in the city. 

Mano Amiga, a grassroots immigration and legal reform organization, has begun gathering signatures to place an initiative on the ballot that would establish an ordinance eliminating low-level marijuana enforcement in San Marcos. 

“Having a charge for possession of marijuana on your record has the potential to negatively impact a person's life in so many ways,” Mano Amiga Communications Director Sam Benavides said.

“It can be found by employers, landlords, social services, and for students, it can even impact your financial aid. Our neighbors and our peers should not have their lives so needlessly disrupted over something that over half the states in our country have already decriminalized.”

According to the ordinance language, citations and arrests for misdemeanor possession of marijuana would end if the voters approved the proposition. San Marcos police, however, could cite an individual or make an arrest for Class A or Class B misdemeanor possession of marijuana if it’s a part of an investigation involving a felony-level narcotics case or the investigation of a violent felony. 

58 per cent of respondents would support a politician “who occasionally smokes marijuana in their free time.”

People in the U.S. were recently asked if they would vote for a politician who smokes weed? According to a new poll, more than half of respondents report they would be comfortable dong so.

A deeper look into the statistics shows that Democrats were most likely to vote for a politician who smoked weed when compared to Republicans. Still, a significant percentage of Republicans said they would vote for a politician who smoked cannabis if they agreed on most issues.

Despite the somewhat surprising findings, it makes sense that large percentages of people in the U.S. would approve of a politician who consumes cannabis. As time passes, the plant continues to gain ground on the legalization front and, in turn, seems to be gaining approval across all demographics.

Chambers has caused a lot of commotion from his ad, earning his first large endorsement from Rep. Ted James.

Despite suggesting he is in favor of its decriminalization, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis cited the "putrid" scent of cannabis as a reason he may remain opposed to fully legalizing its use in the state, Politico reported. "I think a lot of those other areas that have done it you know have ended up regretting it," DeSantis said Wednesday during a press conference in Tallahassee, according to Politico. "I could not believe the pungent odor that you would see in some of these places and I don't want to see that here. I want people to be able to breathe freely."

Democrat Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, who has publicly acknowledged her use of medical marijuana, is running to unseat DeSantis in 2022 and has incorporated marijuana legalization into her platform. Florida voters passed a constitutional amendment in 2016 that legalized the drug's medicinal use.

"You can still go to jail for weed in Florida because Ron DeSantis doesn't like the way it smells!?!" Fried said in a tweet on Wednesday.

"Sounds like Dictator Karen wasn't having much fun at Yale and Harvard so he's taking it out on the rest of us."

As DeSantis gears up for the gubernatorial race, Democrats have filed at least 10 marijuana-related bills for the 2022 legislative session, Florida Politics reported.

Nebraskans for medical marijuana were out over the weekend trying to get signatures on two petitions that could put the issue on the November ballot.

It's the latest attempt after the Nebraska Supreme Court barred a measure to legalize medical marijuana back in 2020.

As they kick things into high gear, volunteers and campaign managers say they’re feeling confident.

Crista Eggers is one of the people fighting hard to get medical marijuana on the ballot.

Her 7-year-old son Colton is one of the reasons why.

The removal of the SAFE Act from the defense bill is not the end of the road, but rather another indication of the steep climb to federal cannabis legalization.

The majority of cannabis advocates and supporters in the United States were let down by the Senate’s decision to pull out the SAFE ACT from the defense bill last month. Now that the shock of the removal has abated, these groups are rallying together to look for the next way forward. Lawmakers have started work on presenting a singular bill that encompasses the benefits the SAFE ACT could bring to the country.

The removal may happened for a reason, because in the weeks after this disappointment, new and better opportunities have been presenting themselves.

A Step Backward

From the first day, the SAFE Act bill was introduced to the legislature some years ago, passing the bill has always turned out to be a roller coaster journey. The result over the years has been a return to the starting point. Advocates and lawmakers held out hope that last year could be the year of federal cannabis reforms, only for the senate to pull the measure out at the last minute.

Many believe that this bill closes the gap between multistage operators and some small-scale cannabis entrepreneurs who have been unable to obtain private equity. They also think that small cannabis businesses would be allowed to make more profits if the playground were leveled with the SAFE ACT bill. However, the majority of the Senate lawmakers have refused to see the light or accept the benefits vividly written in the bill, claiming the language shows a different outcome.

The reason the Senate cited for striking out the measure from the defense bill is that the measure does little to stamp down on crimes but leans in favor of the MSOs. For a bill that the House had previously passed, the Senate’s reason seems a bit weird. Anyway, it’s the new year. With a new year comes new opportunities and new congressional sessions. Advocates are linking up and working together to have a fresh go at it in Congress. The objective for 2022 is to create a more equitable bill that not only leans towards MSOs but also enhances the safety of communities around the country.

At only two years old in 2016, Jaxsyn Carwile was diagnosed with autism, and the months and years after his diagnosis his symptoms escalated.

“It was like a snowball effect after his diagnosis,” said Jaxsyn’s mother, Tiffany Carwile. “Insomnia, self-injurious behavior, he had silent seizures for a while.”

But Tiffany said the pills that his doctor prescribed him made it worse.

“My son at one point was ingesting about 300 pills a month and he was only five years old,” said Tiffany.

“Every pill caused side effects that deemed more pills.”

The driver of an armored car carrying $712,000 in cash from licensed marijuana dispensaries was heading into Barstow on a Mojave Desert freeway in November when San Bernardino County Sheriff’s deputies pulled him over. They interrogated him, seized the money and turned it over to the FBI.

A few weeks later, deputies stopped the same driver in Rancho Cucamonga, took an additional $350,000 belonging to legal pot stores and gave that cash to the FBI too.

Now, the FBI is trying to confiscate the nearly $1.1-million bounty, which it might share with the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department. The FBI says the money is tied to federal drug or money-laundering crimes, but has specified no unlawful conduct and charged no one with a crime.

The cash seizures — and another from the same trucking company in Kansas — raise questions about whether the Justice Department under President Biden is moving to disrupt the operations of licensed marijuana businesses in California and other states where pot is legal.

The FBI and the U.S. attorney’s office in Los Angeles have been forced to return tens of millions of dollars in cash and valuables seized by federal agents last March from hundreds of safe deposit boxes in Beverly Hills after the government failed to produce evidence to back up its allegations the money and goods were criminal proceeds. Some of that money belonged to owners of state-licensed marijuana businesses.