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Pending legislation in Nebraska that would have established a medical cannabis industry failed by two votes, a frustratingly tight margin for advocates. The vote needed 33 yes votes to pass, and only received 31, making it unable to break a filibuster. LB 474 is officially off the table. 

Nicole Hochstein, a mother of a child with epilepsy, described herself as: “Devastated. Broken. In pieces because they literally voted my child’s life away” following the missed opportunity.

This isn’t the first time medical cannabis advocates in Nebraska have been let down. Back in September, the ballot measure to legalize medical cannabis through a vote was pulled by the Nebraska Supreme Court, who claimed the measure violated the single-subject rule. This was even after those supporting it had collected 196,000 signatures. 

“It’s beyond frustrating. This is literally our children’s lives here,” Hochstein said.

State Senator Anna Wishart backed LB 474, and now plans to start a petition to add the issue to the 2022 ballot. 

Zimbabwe abolished a rule which requires co-ownership between government and private investors in the cultivation of cannabis for medicinal use, seeking to encourage what the country sees becoming the biggest cash crop.

“Investors can have 100% ownership of their investments and locate their facilities anywhere in the country without prescription,” Douglas Munatsi, chief executive officer of the Zimbabwe Investment & Development Agency, said Wednesday in an emailed statement.

The decision is in line “with government’s investor-friendly stance to attract capital and to be competitive,” Munatsi went on to say by phone.

Zimbabwe sees export earnings from cannabis outstripping those of tobacco this year with sales expected to reach $1.25 billion, according to a Treasury forecast given in November. That may help boost an economy that’s been desperately stretched for some time.

The government also said it will guarantee the protection of property rights and ring fence investments against expropriation. The country in 2000 took over land without compensation from White farmers, displacing almost 4,500 people.

The latest study goes against the grain of previous research that shows how property values increase with the onset of legalization.

Marijuana legalization is happening across the United States. Naysayers have predicted that a veritable apocalyptic moment is coming on the heels of the movement, screaming about how ending marijuana prohibition would increase crime, minor consumption rates and contribute to the overall decline of civil society. Yet, the only thing that most of these people have proved is that they are no Nostradamus.

Marijuana legalization is working for the most part, and it hasn’t led to any drastic uprising in dread and downtrodden. However, if there has been a downfall to this progress, it’s that it seems to be lowering property values in neighborhoods that open dispensaries.

A recent study in the journal Regional Science and Urban Economics found that Washington state, one of the first jurisdictions to legalize for recreational use, has experienced a decline in property values in districts with cannabis dispensaries. Researchers found a 3-4% decrease in property values in homes that were .36 miles from retail pot shops. Although the study focused specifically on Washington state, it provides a glimpse into what might be expected nationwide as legalization spreads.

Photo by Kindel Media from Pexels

Mexico is very close to becoming the third country in the world to legalize all uses of cannabis . The end of the approval process for the Federal Law for the Regulation of Cannabis in Mexico is approaching . Let us remember that the law was approved by the Senate in November 2020 and by the Chamber of Deputies in March 2021.

Due to the multiple modifications and changes that the deputies made to the bill, the bill had to return to the Senate for the changes to be validated and thus finally become a reality.

Back in the Senate, the project seemed to have the necessary consensus to move forward, so much so that it was taken advantage of by two of the three ruling committees; Justice and Legislative Studies.

However, the claim of errors and unconstitutionalities resounded in the leadership of the parliamentary majority, which through Ricardo Monreal completely stopped the advance of the project. In this way, the Senate made changes to the errors claimed, again the bill will go back to the lower house to ratify the modifications.

​What can happen?

There are several scenarios, the first is that the Senate requests, for the fourth time, an extension to the SCJN, hoping that this time will be the last, and that the issue will be discussed again in the next regular period of sessions, that is, of September to December 2021.

Medical marijuana is legal in New Hampshire, but patients have to buy their therapeutic cannabis at one of a handful of Alternative Treatment Centers. Now, legislators are considering allowing patients to grow their own marijuana at home.

The law as it stands

Back in 2013, New Hampshire legalized the use of marijuana as a medical treatment. Under that law — RSA 126-X — patients with certain symptoms can be prescribed the use of cannabis by their healthcare provider. Some of these include:

■suffering from chronic severe pain;

■diagnosed with a qualifying medical condition such as cancer, glaucoma, or HIV;

■a terminal medical condition resulting in at least one of a list of specific symptoms, such as seizures or severe nausea.

After a long legacy of having a medical cannabis program that barely took care of patients, the governor of Georgia has finally signed SB 195—a law that will expand the medical cannabis program to license retailers of low-THC cannabis 

Republican Governor Brian Kemp signed Senate Bill 195 into law last week, and now, up to 30 state-licensed businesses can become sellers of high-CBD cannabis, as long as they keep the THC to a minimum. SB 195 will officially go into effect July 1. 

While medical cannabis first got passed in Georgia in 2015, it just exempted patients from criminal prosecution as long as they needed the cannabis for verified medical reasons, and as long as the cannabis possessed was in the form of oil extracts at 5 percent or less THC. Effectively, all it did was decriminalize possession. Without crossing state lines, there was no legal way for medical patients to obtain cannabis oil. 

And there is already a customer base in place. As of now, about 15,000 residents are registered to qualify for the use of high-CBD, low-THC oils, and are just waiting for a legal way to purchase cannabis in their home state. 

The Road Leading To SB 195

In 2019, House Bill 325, also known as the Georgia’s Hope Act, came up with a regulatory commission that would oversee the industry when it did finally get off the ground. However, while putting that framework in place was a big step, it still didn’t take things far enough and create a legal industry.

Destination Germany is the watchword for those in the international cannabis industry—but it is still a rocky path to gaining access for most. Specifically, there is a lot of confusion surrounding API and cannabis classification and issues from a lack of consistent standards.

One of the most intriguing aspects of the process currently is how flower is categorized (especially for imports) once it gets to the country. For a country of rules, this is surprisingly all over the place right now. There is no one single answer—which rules apply depend on both the regulatory requirement at point of cultivation as well as distribution (on a state, not federal, level).

This can also be frustrating even within Germany and the EU—namely because of a lack of homogeneity still, that exists in the treatment of cannabis flower—both within the region and at a sovereign level. This is especially true where pharmaceutical guidelines cross those for irradiating anything bound for consumption by consumers. 

According to the most recent data available, the vast majority of irradiated food within the EU is frozen frogs legs (at 65.1%). The second, at just over a fifth of the market, is poultry. And the third is for dried aromatic herbs, spices, and vegetables (at 14%). According to data from the European Commission, this sterilizing process is also on the decline for food at least, although Belgium is the EU state with the most irradiation regulations.

The Louisiana House of Representatives passed a bill on Tuesday that effectively decriminalizes possession of small amounts of marijuana. Under the measure, House Bill 652 (HB 652), possession of up to 14 grams (about a half an ounce) of cannabis would be punished by only a fine of up to $100 on the first and second offense. Minor marijuana possession offenses would still be classified as misdemeanors but would no longer carry the threat of time in jail.

“We don’t need to be filling up our jails with misdemeanor offenses of marijuana,” Democratic Rep. Denise Marcelle, a supporter of the bill, told local media.

The bill was approved last week by the House Committee on Administration of Criminal Justice in advance of this week’s floor vote. The full House approved HB 652 on Tuesday with a vote of 67 to 25. The measure sponsored by Rep. Cedric Glover received significant support from both his Democratic colleagues and members of the GOP majority.

“I think it’s a fairly good compromise,” said Rep. Alan Seabaugh, a Republican and one of the most conservative members of the Louisiana House of Representatives.

Some of Louisiana’s largest cities, including New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and Shreveport, have already taken action to reduce the penalties for low-level marijuana possession. In New Orleans, penalties for a first cannabis possession offense are capped at a fine of only $40, while some city leaders are calling for the fine to be dropped even further to $1. In 2018, Baton Rouge eliminated jail time as a possible penalty for possession of less than 14 grams of marijuana. Instead, a fine of between $40 and $100 will be assessed, depending on the number of prior offenses for a particular defendant. Shreveport’s revised ordinance is similar to HB 652.

Mississippians could soon see a ballot initiative aimed to fully legalize marijuana during the next general election.

During the past general election, Mississippians voted in droves for initiative 64, which allows regulated medical marijuana.

"I mean it really is time a lot of states are already ahead us there’s no reason why we shouldn’t be doing it," said David Nelms.

Some want to take it a step further. Dr. David Alan, the author of initiative 77, wants to fully legalize the possession, use, and cultivation of marijuana up to 99 plants.

Dr. Alan's reasoning behind it is to both decriminalize and research the plants potential medical benefits.

Governor Ralph Northam and his administration celebrated the day he signed the bill legalizing marijuana in Virginia.

"This is yet another example of Democrats, yes Democrats listening to Virginians and taking action on the will of the people," Northam said.

However, David Lewis isn't celebrating the new pot laws. He's been in recovery for more than three years and knows first-hand the dark side of marijuana.

"One night I was at a party," Lewis said. "Someone had just passed me a joint and I hit it. Almost immediately I felt different. It just didn't feel like a normal high from marijuana. I asked the guy what it was and he said it was laced with K -- Special K. Once that happened I really don't remember anything."

Lewis admits he probably should have been hospitalized that night.

Nebraska Aims To Legalize Medical Marijuana

Beyond just marijuana stocks and cannabis investing more states around the U.S. are working towards legalizing marijuana. Currently, more than have the United States have voted to go legal in some form. Although there is much more work to be done on the state and federal level. Overall cannabis reform has come a long way. However many are waiting for the day politicians can bring an end to cannabis prohibition. By legalizing marijuana on the federal level or even federally decriminalizing cannabis would still be a win. Whether nationwide legalization or federal decriminalization the U.S. cannabis industry would be able to reach other markets and conduct business that was once federally illegal.

Yet marijuana is still illegal under federal law. But hopefully, with more states going legal it will provide a bit of pressure for politicians to advance federal cannabis reform. In recent reports, state lawmakers in Nebraska are working on legislation to legalize medical marijuana as early as this week. Sen. Anna Wishart, who is sponsoring this new cannabis bill spoke on it. The Senator said it will “be debated by the full legislature” on May 12th.

This new cannabis proposal has arrived just 16 weeks after the initial bill was introduced. Back in March, this bill was subject to revisions. During this revision period, it was given the green light by the Judiciary Committee. Some of these specifications would permit patients to buy and hold up to 84 grams of marijuana. As well it must be 2 and a half ounces purchased from licensed dispensaries. However, it does not permit cannabis patients to smoke marijuana which is a situation to be dealt with at a later point in time.

Cannabis Reform In Nebraska Takes A Big Step Forward

At first, this new cannabis bill would have given patients access to cannabis for any condition. This bill was amended in the committee to adhere to a list of certain medical conditions. Conditions patients would need to obtain cannabis. These health issues consist of 17 qualifying conditions, including cancer, Crohn’s disease, glaucoma. As well as HIV/AIDS, post-traumatic stress disorder, chronic pain, and epilepsy. The hurdle this bill will need to get over is the GOP-controlled unicameral body.

A bill that would legalize marijuana for recreational use in Minnesota is headed to the House floor for the first time.

Spearheaded by House Majority Leader Ryan Winkler, marijuana legalization has made its way through various legislative committees in past years, but it has yet to advance to a vote in the full chamber.

The bill passed the House Ways and Means Committee Friday – the 12th House committee it has passed during this session.

It would allow adults age 21 and older to buy and possess marijuana in Minnesota. Adults would be allowed to possess up to two ounces of marijuana in public and ten pounds in their homes under the bill.

The bill ultimately passed the committee 16-10. While the legislation is likely to pass the Democrat-controlled House, it faces further challenges in the Senate. Top GOP leadership, including Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka, have opposed the legislation in years past.

Members of the Kansas House of Representatives voted to approve a bill on Thursday that would legalize the medicinal use of cannabis. The measure, Senate Bill 158 (SB 158), was passed in the House by a vote of 79 to 42.

The Kansas Senate approved SB 158 on March 25 and then sent the measure to the House, where it was amended by lawmakers. The bill will now head back to the upper chamber so that senators can consider the changes made in the House.

“The state of Kansas is finally catching up to the twenty-first century,” said Rep. Louis Ruiz, the ranking Democrat on the House Federal and State Affairs Committee. “Kansans need to have access to all possible health options available to them, especially if they are experiencing chronic illnesses. This bill will do exactly that. Many of our neighboring states have passed similar legislation. It’s time for us to do the same.”

Under SB 158, registered patients and caregivers would be permitted to buy up to a 90-day supply of medicinal cannabis products at a time. Patients would not be permitted to smoke or vape medical marijuana. The specific amount of cannabis would be determined by state officials, who would be tasked with drafting the rules and regulations for the medical marijuana program by July 1, 2023.

According to the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Farms, and Markets (AAFM), all hemp products containing Delta 8 THC are illegal, a change that went into effect on April 23 of this year.

The Vermont AAFM sent out an email to all registered hemp farmers to inform them of the new statute. As of now, Vermont is one of 12 states that have banned the production of Delta 8 THC products. The other states are: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Idaho, Iowa, Mississippi, Montana, Rhode Island, and Utah.

Are you familiar with the THC that’s not as psychoactive as delta-9, but with the same general medical benefits? Delta-8 is gaining popularity now, and we’re committed to bringing you the best products available. Mail ban or not, we’ve got tons of awesome products, like delta 8 syringes, so check out these great delta-8 THC deals, and get started with the ‘other’ THC.

Vermont’s new legislation

On their website, the agency even acknowledged that hemp plants naturally produce Delta 8 THC. However, because it’s only present in trace amounts, products that are high in Delta 8 are usually made through a method known as isomerization, which synthetically converts CBD to THC.

The Vermont Hemp Rules state that, “A processor shall not use synthetic cannabinoids in the production of any hemp product or hemp-infused product”. With this new ruling, the manufacturing, labeling, or sale of any Delta-8 product would violate Vermont state law. As with any other Schedule 1 narcotic, anyone caught producing, distributing, or possessing Delta 8 products will face criminal charges.

The ruling has the statewide Delta 8 THC industry up in arms and scrambling to figure out what they will do when such a large part of their inventory is suddenly prohibited. This update is expected to negatively impact their newly established revenues in a major way.

Idaho has become the last state to legalize industrial hemp, more than two years after the passage of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (2018 Farm Bill) legalized it as a commodity crop.

On April 16, Idaho Gov. Brad Little signed House Bill 126 into law, legalizing the production, processing, research and transportation of industrial hemp with up to 0.3% tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in the state, beginning with the spring 2022 growing season, the legislation states.

Since the passage of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (2014 Farm Bill) and the 2018 Farm Bill, the conversation of hemp legalization in Idaho has been an ongoing debate. The state focused on how it could create a bill that would provide Idaho farmers the opportunity to grow hemp while still maintaining an enforceable drug policy, said Braden Jensen, the deputy director of governmental affairs and national affairs coordinator at the Idaho Farm Bureau Federation, a grassroots organization affiliated with the American Farm Bureau Federation that advocates for the agricultural community.

"The state wanted to be methodical, careful and cautious as they went forward with legalization," he said. “That was kind of the balance that attempted to be struck with the bill that passed this year, and we have seen different variations of the bill over time that have tried to have that appropriate balance."

Compared to other state's hemp laws, Jensen said the bill is very "narrowly tailored," as it only applies to licensed growers and processors. He also notes that the sale of hemp products containing any amount of THC to Idaho consumers is still prohibited, as was the case before the law passed.

Consumers have been forced underground with the herb all their lives and now that it is finally being recognized as a legal substance, they refuse to keep hiding.

It’s getting to the point where it is almost impossible to be anywhere in the United States and not catch a whiff of marijuana coming from somewhere at some point. More than half the nation has legalized the leaf for medicinal and recreational use.

Even though cannabis users aren’t supposed to smoke the stuff in public, the odors seem to be out there, invading everyone’s olfactory senses, regardless of whether they like it or not. For some folks, the scent of marijuana wafting through the air is not a problem. But the smell can get others noticeably offended.

And it’s not just the old-time conservatives well-adjusted to the ways of pot prohibition taking a stand. Younger people are among those who think marijuana odors in this country are out of control.

Photo by Tunatura/Getty Images

In a move that could limit the options of advocates promoting cannabis legalization initiatives, the Idaho Senate approved a bill on Wednesday that would ban advertising for marijuana in the state. The Senate passed the measure, SB 1218, with a vote of 21 to 14, sending the legislation to the state House of Representatives for consideration.

During debate on the bill, Sen. Scott Grow, the sponsor of the measure, said that billboards in western Idaho advertise cannabis businesses just over the border in Oregon, where recreational marijuana is legal for adults.

“People are being encouraged to violate the law,” Grow said. “They’re being encouraged to go over and get something they know is illegal in Idaho.”

Earlier on Wednesday, the bill had been placed on a fast track for approval, receiving a committee hearing with little notice for the public to participate. Nonetheless, four citizens appeared at the meeting to oppose the measure, while no one showed up to speak in favor of the bill. Their efforts were in vain, however, with the panel’s Republican majority approving the bill with a vote of 7 to 2 along party lines.

Serra Frank, a cannabis activist and the organizer of Boise Hempfest, told High Times that anti-cannabis lawmakers are going to extreme measures to thwart reform.

As Judge Richard A. Licht (quoting a slightly more famous source) said in a 2017 court opinion: “I get high with a little help from my friends.” Four years later, employers may be asking themselves which of their employees are getting high and what can they do about it.

States have been busy when it comes to marijuana laws. Before the mid-2010s, employers tended not to worry about state marijuana laws because of marijuana’s illegal status under federal law. However, those days are over, and state marijuana legalization laws continue to affect how employers can run their workplaces.

In 2020, and even as state legislatures were unable to proceed with typical legislative sessions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, two states (Mississippi and South Dakota) approved voter ballot initiatives legalizing medical marijuana and four states (Arizona, Montana, New Jersey, and South Dakota) legalized recreational marijuana. Already in 2021, New Mexico, New York, and Virginia have passed laws legalizing recreational marijuana, and other state legislatures are still considering medical or recreational marijuana legalization laws or amendments to existing laws to create employment protections or otherwise expand the coverage of existing laws. These include Alabama, California, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida, Hawaii, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas.

Even employers in jurisdictions that haven’t yet legalized marijuana for any purpose, should take note that change is likely coming. If a state has legalized marijuana but maintained an employer-friendly landscape, that could also change. For many states, the legalization of marijuana has followed a predictable timeline. First, these states legalize cannabidiol (CBD) and other low- tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) products. Then, they legalize medical marijuana, sometimes with employment protections for medical marijuana cardholders and sometimes not. Then, they amend existing medical marijuana laws to add employment protections. Finally, they legalize recreational marijuana. Perhaps most worrisome for employers are new provisions in New Jersey’s and New York’s laws that provide recreational marijuana users with direct or indirect employment protections.

As this trend continues, it will be challenging for employers to stay ahead of developments and compliant with state and federal laws. Employers may have employment-related concerns stemming from the legalization of marijuana and the possibility of employees being in the workplace while under the influence. These concerns extend beyond the nuances of the marijuana laws themselves and include disability discrimination and accommodation issues, drug testing rights and responsibilities, state and federal statutory and regulatory compliance matters, workplace safety questions, varied obligations pertaining to government contractors, workers’ compensation implications, employee privacy protections, and more. The differences in laws from state to state make it even more difficult for employers, which must develop policies and procedures that are compliant in each jurisdiction where they have employees and worksites. To further complicate matters, federal and state disability discrimination and accommodation requirements apply across the board.

The pandemic might be fading in the U.S., but Americans are still toking up in record numbers. Two states where recreational marijuana is permitted just published April sales numbers, and the results provided a nice contact high for the cannabis industry.

In Oregon, the first state to decriminalize cannabis (before making it fully legal many years later), total weed sales topped $110.5 million in April, setting a new monthly record and exceeding $110 million for the first time. That's saying something in a market that has effectively been open only since 2016.

That breaks the previous all-time high, which happened to be the preceding month. The April peak was 5% over the March result ($109 million, to be exact). While Illinois is still fairly new to the recreational legalization game (it flipped the switch in January 2020), it's far more populous than Oregon; given that, plus the newness of the recreational market, the state theoretically has much greater potential for growth.

Considering these developments, one company for marijuana stock investors to keep an eye on is sprawling multistate operator (MSO) Curaleaf (OTC:CURLF), which has dispensaries in both states. Of the two, the stronger presence by far is in Illinois, where Curaleaf operates 10 dispensaries, including one on -- believe it or not -- West Weed Street in Chicago.