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“I do not support recreational marijuana. I think the current regulatory system around medicinal use is fine.” By Mitch Perry, Florida Phoenix The issue of whether Florida should legalize recreational cannabis went away as a significant campaign issue earlier this year after Smart & Safe Florida, the organization behind an initiative to put it back before voters this November, fell short of the nearly 880,000 verified petition signatures required to qualify for the statewide ballot. That failure came a year-and-a-half after nearly 56 percent of Floridians voted to legalize adult use of recreational marijuana on the November 2024 ballot, a clear majority but short of the 60 percent required for passage. While it’s not something voters will decide this year, Floridians might want to know where their candidates for statewide office stand. Speaking during a “Business Women for Byron” campaign event Tuesday at the Getaway, a waterfront restaurant and Tiki bar in St. Petersburg, the first question asked by an audience member to GOP gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds was his position on the topic. “I do not support recreational marijuana,” Donalds replied. “I think the current regulatory system around medicinal use is fine.” Donalds has previously acknowledged that he was arrested for possessing “a dime bag of marijuana” as a teenager, and admitted to CBS Miami recently that he actually had sold small amounts of cannabis as a youth. He now says that he doesn’t support expanding the legal use of weed beyond the 924,820 Floridians listed as qualified medical marijuana patients, according to the state Office of Medical Marijuana Use. Acceptance On Medical, But Never For Recreational The other Republicans running for governor share Donalds’s sentiments. “I oppose recreational marijuana in Florida,” investment firm CEO James Fishback told the Phoenix in a text message. “I have seen what it has done to cities that have already tried it, from New York to Chicago to Washington D.C. The foul stench of pot in public parks and outside our schools can never come to Florida.” However, Fishback says he will always protect the right of those “with a legitimate medical purpose, including our U.S. military veterans.” “No one should be denied herbal medicine and pushed toward addictive big pharma prescriptions for pain,” he said. “As Governor, I will protect medical marijuana. But I won’t tolerate hoodlums smoking pot in a public park, just as we already don’t tolerate them drinking in one.” “I’ve been clear from day one. I am completely against legalizing marijuana,” Lt. Gov Jay Collins said in a video posted on social media on April 26. “We’ve seen the impact in other states, and that’s not where Florida is headed. I stand with Governor DeSantis on this. No compromises, and no money from the marijuana industry. That can’t be said for all of my opponents.” “I’m against full blown recreational marijuana,” former House Speaker Paul Renner said Wednesday during a roundtable discussion of high energy prices in Hillsborough County. “We have medical. It was put in the Constitution [in 2016]. If people want to get it, they can get it. And we opened that up to the extent where it needs to be, but I’m opposed to recreational. Period. If it came back on the ballot, I would campaign against it like Gov. DeSantis did.” DeSantis announced in June 2024 that he would use a political action committee to fight the constitutional amendment on recreational marijuana, saying he could not believe that the Florida Supreme Court allowed the language of the measure to qualify for that November’s ballot. He later used tens of millions of taxpayer dollars to campaign against both that proposal and another measure that would have enshrined abortion rights in Florida, according to a report by the Tampa Bay Times. Where Are The Democrats? The Phoenix reached out to the two major Democrats running for governor this year: former GOP U.S. Rep. David Jolly and Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings. “I think the governor’s role is to represent the majority of the state, and the majority of the state asked for it, and I think that we should do it,” Jolly told the Phoenix in a phone call Tuesday. The Pinellas County Democrat says he actually voted against Amendment 3 in 2024, the one calling for legalizing adult use of recreational marijuana. But since he announced his candidacy last year, Jolly has emphasized that he would work to implement all recent constitutional amendments that have been passed by a majority of Floridians but failed to get the high 60 percent margin required for passage. “Recreational marijuana got more than 50 percent of the vote in the constitutional amendment process and I pledged to support the enactment and introduce legislatively any amendment that got more than 50 percent of the vote. That includes open primaries, recreational marijuana, and Amendment 4 on reproductive freedom,” he said. The only major gubernatorial candidate whose stance the Phoenix was unable to clarify was Demings. While serving as the police chief for the city of Orlando in the 2010s, Demings opposed the constitutional amendments that would have legalized medical marijuana in both 2014 and 2016. The Phoenix reached out by phone and by email to the Demings campaign for two days this week but did not receive a response. Calls to the phone number listed on the most recent press release from the Demings campaign were answered by a recording saying that the person with the number had not set up a voice mail system. President Trump Endorsed Amendment 3 One prominent Florida Republican who supported Amendment 3 in 2024 was President Donald Trump. “As I have previously stated, I believe it is time to end needless arrests and incarcerations of adults for small amounts of marijuana for personal use. We must also implement smart regulations, while providing access for adults, to safe, tested product,” Trump posted on Truth Social in September 2024. “As a Floridian, I will be voting YES on Amendment 3 this November.” In that post, the president promised that if elected back to the White House he would work towards changing marijuana from a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act to a Schedule III drug—which he did in December in an executive order. The U.S. Department of Justice announced last month that it would immediately move FDA-approved marijuana products, along with items regulated by a state medical marijuana license, to Schedule III. That puts medical cannabis into the group of regulated drugs with recognized medical uses, such as Tylenol, rather than Schedule I drugs, like heroin and LSD, which are considered to have no medical use and have a high potential for abuse. This story was first published by Florida Phoenix. Photo courtesy of Philip Steffan. The post Florida Republican Governor Candidates Are United In Opposing Marijuana Legalization appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

An Idaho medical marijuana campaign has announced that it turned in more than 150,000 signatures for a proposed legalization initiative it wants to qualify for the state’s November ballot. The Natural Medicine Alliance of Idaho (NMAI) announced on Wednesday that it submitted the petitions ahead of last week’s deadline. County clerks across the state now have until June 30 to verify the signatures and report to the secretary of state’s office. Amanda Watson, a spokesperson for the group, said that the petitions come from all 44 of the state’s counties and are the result of a “rigorous signature gathering effort that stretched to every corner of Idaho.” “During the work our teams did on the ground to reach Idahoans and obtain the necessary signatures (and well beyond), we were moved and inspired by the many individuals who expressed support, shared their stories and reiterated their appreciation for the democratic process that allows for their voice to be heard through a citizen-led effort,” she said. “This milestone belongs to the tens of thousands of Idahoans who signed,” Watson said. “Together, we have moved the Idaho Medical Cannabis Act one step closer to the ballot and one step closer to a decision made by the people of Idaho themselves. Now we await the count, and the chance to bring this issue before voters in November.” At this stage, it’s unclear how many signatures the campaign has collected to far are valid and whether activists have met a separate requirement for regional distribution of petitions. To be certified for the ballot, the team needs to submit signatures from at least 6 percent of registered voters as of the state’s last general election, which currently amounts to 70,725. They also need to meet that 6 percent threshold in at least 18 of the state’s 35 legislative districts. While NMAI has pursued ballot access, Idaho lawmakers have pushed back. Both the Senate and House of Representatives passed a resolution this session urging voters to “reject” the medical marijuana petition. The measure, sponsored by the Senate State Affairs Committee, claims that cannabis legalization in other states has led to a host of harms, including “increased cartel activity, development of black market marijuana production, human trafficking, and increased crime rates” as well as “increased rates of serious health issues,” environmental harms and “safety concerns on job sites.” It argues that the marijuana initiative would not only increase costs to the state but that its list of approved medical conditions is “so broad that almost anyone could qualify.” “The Idaho Medical Cannabis Act lacks safeguards to such an extent that it would effectively legalize widespread recreational use of marijuana,” the resolution claims. “The legalization of marijuana would have devastating impacts on Idaho children and their families… The Legislature urges the citizens of Idaho to reject any effort to bring the Idaho Medical Cannabis Act to the ballot.” A statement of purpose filed with the legislation says it “addresses the devastating impact that legalizing marijuana has had on other states” and “identifies the significant problems” with the ballot initiative. Contrary to the claims made about marijuana reform in the legislative resolution, advocates often point to data showing that legalizing and regulating cannabis diminishes the size of the illegal market and has not led to increases in youth use. Meanwhile, NMAI recently released an analysis showing that Idaho could see more than $100 million worth of medical marijuana sold on an annual basis and up to $28 million in new yearly revenue for state coffers if voters approve the legalization initiative. The Idaho Medical Cannabis Act, which NMAI unveiled last October, would provide patients with qualifying conditions access to marijuana from a limited number of dispensaries and provide a regulatory framework for the market. Here are the main provisions of the Idaho Medical Cannabis Act: Health practitioners would be able to recommend medical cannabis to patients with conditions that include, but are not limited to, cancer, anxiety and acute pain. Medical marijuana patients or their designated caregiver could purchase up to 113 grams of smokeable cannabis, or 20 grams of THC extract for vaping, per month. The state would be start by issuing three vertically integrated cannabis business licenses, after which point it could license up to six total. Marijuana would be reclassified under state law as a Schedule II, rather than Schedule I, controlled substance. State and local law enforcement would be barred from assisting in federal drug enforcement activities related to the state-legal cannabis program. There would be anti-discrimination protections for those who use or sell marijuana in compliance from state law, preventing adverse actions by employers, landlords and educational institutions. It does not appear that there would be any equity-centered reforms, nor would the initiative provide for a home grow option. “We believe Idahoans deserve access to legal, compassionate, natural care right here at home,” NMAI’s website says. “Our mission is to give patients a legal pathway to natural medicine that can ease suffering and restore dignity without the fear of addiction.” “The Idaho Medical Cannabis Act is our first step forward. It creates a safe, tightly regulated medical program that allows qualified Idahoans to seek medical cannabis treatment with a valid diagnosis from a healthcare provider,” it says. “It supports Idaho agriculture, generates tax revenue to reinvest locally, and ensures that patients can find natural relief.” The campaign in February also released the results of a statewide poll showing that 83 percent of likely voters back medical cannabis legalization, including 74 percent of Republicans, 95 percent of Democrats and 92 percent of independents. Asked how they would vote if the current medical cannabis legalization does appear on the November ballot, 76 percent of respondents said “yes.” Of that cohort, 50 percent said they would “definitively” vote yes, and just 21 percent said they’d vote “no.” After the medical cannabis initiative was unveiled last year, a separate campaign that launched in 2024, Kind Idaho, told supporters that it would be suspending its own signature gathering for a ballot initiative to legalize the personal possession and cultivation of marijuana by adults. Kind Idaho previously introduced medical marijuana ballot measures intended to go before voters in both the 2022 and 2024 elections, but the efforts proved unsuccessful. Meanwhile, voters this year will see a different kind of proposal on the ballot: A constitutional amendment that the legislature approved to make it so only lawmakers could legalize marijuana or other controlled substances. — Marijuana Moment is tracking hundreds of cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters pledging at least $25/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don’t miss any developments. Learn more about our marijuana bill tracker and become a supporter on Patreon to get access. — Legislators separately held a hearing last year to discuss a bill to enact medical cannabis legalization legislatively, but there hasn’t been meaningful action on the issue in the months since. Separately, a bill from Rep. Bruce Skaug (R) last year would have set a $420 mandatory minimum fine for cannabis possession, removing judges’ discretion to apply lower penalties. Skaug said the bill, which ultimately stalled in committee, would send the message that Idaho is tough on marijuana. House lawmakers also passed a bill to ban marijuana advertisements, though the Senate later defeated the measure. The post Idaho Medical Marijuana Campaign Turns In 150,000 Signatures For Legalization Ballot Measure appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

A Louisiana Senate committee has approved a House-passed bill that threatens to send people to jail for up to one year if they smoke marijuana within 2,000 feet of a school property—including a college campus. The legislation from Rep. Gabe Firment (R) cleared the Senate Judiciary B Committee in a 3-2 vote on Tuesday, weeks after being passed by the House of Representatives. HB 568, which could receive a Senate floor vote soon, applies to people who violate drug laws “while smoking, vaping, or otherwise abusing such controlled dangerous substance while on any property used for school purposes by any school, within two thousand feet of any such property, or while on a school bus.” Firment told senators that his bill “strengthens enforcement of Louisiana drug-free school zone laws by creating a clear behavior-based offense, so that when someone is openly smoking or vaping illegal drug in the school zone, law enforcement can act and prosecutors can prove the case.” “For marijuana, the bill establishes a clear and consistent penalty—up to a year in jail and $1,000 fine, ensuring that violations in school zones result in real, enforceable consequences,” he said. Kevin Caldwell, Southeast legislative manager for the pro-legalization Marijuana Policy Project (MPP), testified that “Louisiana already has serious penalties for drug offenses.” “This bill would add a mandatory minimum jail sentence for public consumption—not distribution, not intent to sell—simply for being within 2,000 feet of the school,” he said. “This radius covers an enormous portion of most neighborhoods in our cities and towns.” “This is not justice. This is geography used as a trap,” he said, adding that research has shown that “mandatory minimum sentences do not reduce drug use or drug trafficking.” “What they do accomplish is well documented. They strip judges of discretion, they fill jails at taxpayers expense and they fall disproportionately on communities of Black and brown Louisianans who live in denser urban neighborhoods where school zone radius covers virtually every street corner. Louisiana already incarcerates more people per capita than almost any jurisdiction on Earth. This bill would make that worse without making one single child safer.” Facing questions from Democratic senators, Firment defended his bill, arguing that “common sense tells us that the stiffer the penalty, the less inclined people are to participate in that behavior.” Sen. Royce Duplessis (D) said that “while I do believe your intent is to deter, I believe that there’s mounds of data…that will suggest that this type of bill actually does not deter and that it does not lead to the outcome that you might be seeking, no matter how good your intentions might be.” A representative of Gov. Jeff Landry’s (R) office appeared alongside Firment at the hearing in support of the legislation. In 2021, then-Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) signed a bill decriminalizing marijuana by removing the threat of jail time for possessing up to 14 grams. — Marijuana Moment is tracking hundreds of cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters pledging at least $25/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don’t miss any developments. Learn more about our marijuana bill tracker and become a supporter on Patreon to get access. — Meanwhile, the Louisiana Senate also recently passed a bill to let patients with terminal and irreversible conditions use medical marijuana in hospitals. The Senate separately approved legislation to create a psychedelic-assisted therapy pilot program, using opioid settlement dollars to fund clinical trials aimed at developing alternative treatments such as psilocybin and ibogaine. Another lawmaker also recently introduced a bill to create an adult-use marijuana legalization pilot program in the state to determine whether the reform should eventually be expanded and permanently codified. Rep. Candace Newell (D)—who has long championed legislation to end cannabis criminalization and filed a similar legal marijuana pilot program measure last session—is sponsoring what’s titled the “Adult-Use Cannabis Pilot Program Regulation and Enforcement Act.” Getting the bill across the finish line could prove complicated in the conservative legislature, however. Newell’s earlier version of the pilot program legislation didn’t advance to enactment last year, and lawmakers that session also rejected other marijuana reform proposals such as one that would have established a tax system to prepare the eventual legalization of adult-use cannabis. The post Louisiana Bill To Jail People For Smoking Marijuana Near College Campuses Advances In Senate appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

Major retailer Target is deepening its involvement in the hemp-derived THC beverage market by launching sales in three more states—significantly expanding beyond a pilot program it rolled out in Minnesota last year—even as a federal law is set to ban the products later this year. Last year, the company began a pilot program involving sales of cannabis drinks at 10 select stores in Minnesota. It later applied with state officials for licenses to sell THC beverages at all 72 of its stores in the state, where the company is headquartered. Now, according to BevNET, Target is expanding cannabis beverage sales to more than 300 stores in Illinois, Florida and Texas. That includes every store in the latter two states and select stores in Illinois, due to the fact that some municipalities in the state have restricted hemp product sales. “At Target, we’re always exploring new ways to meet our guests’ evolving preferences, grounded in our merchandising authority and focus on thoughtfully curating a relevant assortment,” a spokesperson told the beverage industry trade publication. The outlet also reported that while the company’s initial launch in Minnesota only included cannabis drinks with a maximum of 5 milligrams of THC, it is now selling beverages with up to double that potency. Target’s expansion of hemp THC beverage sales into the second, third and sixth most populous U.S. states comes months after Congress passed and President Donald Trump signed legislation that will recriminalize hemp-derived products containing more than 0.4 milligrams of THC per container. Bipartisan lawmakers in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives have pushed for a delay in the scheduled ban, which is set to take effect in November, but those efforts have not gained traction with congressional leadership. “Sources report that Target is believed to be hedging against this potential ban by planning to mark down its intoxicating hemp inventory in October if there is no regulatory solution in place at that point,” BevNET said. THC drink brands that were included in Target’s initial launch in Minnesota included Birdie, Cann, Find Wunder, Gigli, Hi Seltzer, Indeed, Señorita, Stigma, Surly, Trail Magic, Wyld and Wynk. A poll from the cannabis telehealth platform NuggMD last year found that marijuana consumers were encouraged by Target’s decision to start selling THC beverages—with a majority saying the marketing move makes them more likely to shop at the retail giant’s stores. Respondents were asked: “Does knowing this make you more likely to shop at Target in the future?” A total of 50.5 percent said they would be more likely—though that notably includes 34.4 percent who said they’d only be more inclined to patronize Target if their local store carried the THC beverages. Another 16.1 percent said “yes” because they “want to support the retailer more now regardless of which locations sell the products.” About half of respondents (49.5 percent) said Target’s embrace of a THC drink pilot program wouldn’t affect where they shop. The mainstreaming of cannabis beverages comes as recent poll shows that a majority of Americans believe marijuana represents a “healthier option” than alcohol—and that most also expect cannabis to be legal in all 50 states within the next five years. Another survey found that four in five adults who drink cannabis-infused beverages say they’ve reduced their alcohol intake—and more than a fifth have quit drinking alcohol altogether. Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America this week called out Congress for failing to address the pending federal recriminalization of hemp THC drinks in the Farm Bill that was recently passed the House of Representatives. Target isn’t alone in joining the cannabis train as state laws continue to evolve. Home Depot, one of the largest employers in the United States, last year shifted its employee drug testing policies to remove cannabis from screening panels entirely and stop pre-employment drug testing of most of its workers, according to a document obtained by Marijuana Moment. In 2022, Amazon, the second largest private employer in the U.S., also backed a Republican-led bill to federally legalize, tax and regulate marijuana. It previously expressed support for a separate, Democratic-led legalization bill. Amazon has also worked to adapt to changing marijuana policies internally as it’s backed congressional reform, enacting an employment policy change in 2021 to end drug testing for cannabis for most workers, for example. Meanwhile, Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) of the United States recently entered a first-of-its-kind partnership with a hemp THC beverage company, with a licensing branding deal that will support a variety of veterans services and promote cannabis drinks as a potential alcohol alternative with the drinks being available at VFW posts across the country. Separately, while Target is apparently moving into the THC drink space, the airline Virgin Atlantic denied satirical and false claims earlier this year from a cannabis beverage company about a deal to sell its THC-infused beverages on flights. The post Target Is Launching Hemp THC Drink Sales In Three Of The U.S.’s Most Populous States appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

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An Arizona campaign that had been seeking to place an initiative on the ballot to repeal of key provisions of the state’s voter-approved marijuana legalization law has given up the effort. Under the “Sensible Marijuana Policy Act for Arizona” which was being spearheaded by Sean Noble, president of the political strategy firm American Encore, commercial recreational cannabis sales would have been eliminated while possession and personal cultivation would have continued to be legal. Noble, however, is no longer pursuing the measure, telling local media that he has “adjusted my viewpoints on the threat to kids” posed by the legal marijuana industry. He told Capitol Media Services that while he launched the campaign due to concerns about marketing of cannabis to children, he has come to realize that marijuana businesses in Arizona have “not done some of the things that I thought they were doing.” “I went into it with a pretty profound belief that it was happening,” Noble said. “I was kind of relying on things that I had seen or read from other people.” “I don’t think that they’re specifically marketing gummies and candies and that kind of thing the way that I was led to believe that they were doing,” he said. “Maybe they’re doing that in other states. But it’s not happening here in Arizona.” According to Capitol Media Services, Noble also came to realize that there wasn’t broad public support for rolling back marijuana legalization in the state, raising questions about whether the time and money that would go into such a campaign would end up being worth it. In January, two Republican members of Arizona’s U.S. House delegation spoke with Marijuana Moment about the proposed ballot measure to eliminate commercial cannabis sales in the state, voicing opposition to legalization. Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) said he would like to see voters approve the rollback initiative. “We need to really take a comprehensive look at cannabis all the way across the board. Science tries to commit one way or another to us, and we’re not getting the full background on it,” he said, adding that he still regards marijuana as a “gateway drug” to other illicit substances and arguing that the cannabis industry has “resisted every which way with the regulations.” Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) said that “the drug legalization movement kind of fails on me because of the social social construct and how much it costs us.” Meanwhile, this year has seen a series of attempts to scale back adult-use legalization laws. Anti-cannabis activists in Maine filed a ballot initiative to repeal state laws allowing recreational marijuana sales, but missed a deadline to turn in signatures for the 2026 ballot. A similar anti-cannabis measure in Massachusetts could potentially go before voters this year, but is currently subject to litigation. The Arizona measure was distinct from those proposals in at least one significant policy area: It would not have taken away the rights of adults to grow their own marijuana. Also, it would explicitly preserve components of the law aimed at expunging prior marijuana records. Like the anti-cannabis proposals in other states, possession would have remained lawful if the initiative were passed—and Arizona’s medical marijuana program would have remained intact—but the commercial market for recreational cannabis that’s evolved since voters approved an adult-use legalization measure in 2020 would have been quashed. A findings section of the initiative states that “the proliferation of marijuana establishments and recreational marijuana sales in this state have produced unintended consequences and negative effects relating to the public health, safety, and welfare of Arizonans, including increased marijuana use among children, environmental concerns, increased demands for water resources, public nuisances, market instability, and illicit market activities.” “Arizona’s legal marijuana sales have declined for two consecutive years, resulting in less tax revenue for this state, while some patients have relied on recreational use of marijuana instead of utilizing the benefits of this state’s medical marijuana program,” it says. “Sensible marijuana policy in this state requires a partial repeal of the Smart and Safe Act and authorization of the Arizona Legislature to make conforming changes to other Arizona laws, including those that relate to advertising requirements and taxation of marijuana and marijuana products, to effectuate the stated purposes and provisions of this Act.” The initiative would have also instructed the legislature to make conforming changes by amending existing statute regulating the commercial industry, including tax and advertising rules. In order to make the ballot, the campaign would have needed to collect 255,949 valid signatures by July 2. — Marijuana Moment is tracking hundreds of cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters pledging at least $25/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don’t miss any developments. Learn more about our marijuana bill tracker and become a supporter on Patreon to get access. — Sixty percent of the Arizona electorate approved marijuana legalization at the ballot in 2020. A poll from last year found majority support for medical cannabis legalization (86 percent), adult-use legalization (69 percent) and banking reform (78 percent). Arizona lawmakers are considering legislation this session to penalize people who create “excessive” amounts of marijuana smoke or odor. The post Arizona Anti-Marijuana Campaign Drops Effort To Put Legalization Rollback On Ballot appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

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Congressional researchers are laying out the scope and limitations of the Trump administration’s marijuana rescheduling action—explaining that while certified patients who possess medical cannabis from state-licensed dispensaries now have certain protections, the industry as a whole isn’t “immediately” considered to be in “full compliance” with federal law, particularly as it concerns recreational products. In a report published by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) last week, analysts described the parameters of the recent final order issued by the Justice Department that moved medical marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) and scheduled a hearing for later this summer to consider broader rescheduling. CRS emphasized that the order “does not immediately bring the state-legal marijuana industry into compliance with federal law, but it appears to make it possible for some entities handling medical marijuana to come into compliance with the CSA.” By placing medical cannabis in Schedule III, the federal government is acknowledging that the plant and its constituents hold currently accepted medical value that can be used for therapeutic purposes. That “opens the possibility that manufacturers, distributors, dispensers, and end users of covered marijuana products may be able to comply with the CSA,” the report said. Additionally, DOJ’s order specifically directed the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to create “expedited procedures to register holders of state medical marijuana licenses and to approve early applications within six months.” To the end, DEA last week launched an online form that allows state-legal medical cannabis businesses to apply for federal protections. However, the CSA generally stipulates that controlled substances that are available as prescription drugs “may only be dispensed via a valid prescription,” and “marijuana is not” a pharmaceutical controlled substance by that standard, CRS explained. The rescheduling order does, however, permit the dispensing of medical marijuana with a doctor’s certification under state programs “as long as the certifications satisfy certain requirements.” “Thus, the order appears to authorize end users to possess marijuana for medical use without a CSA-compliant prescription,” the congressional report said. As it concerns non-end users participating in the state-legal cannabis industry, however, “the final order may make it possible for them to comply with the CSA, but may not bring them into full compliance with federal law.” That said, outside of the CSA, the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic (FD&C) Act makes clear that it’s “unlawful to introduce an unapproved drug into interstate commerce.” And while the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved certain cannabis-derived drugs such as Epidiolex, “marijuana itself is not an FDA-approved drug.” That means certain legal liabilities, including possible criminal penalties, could still come into play for marijuana businesses regardless of the scheduling change under the CSA. That’s especially true as it concerns recreational marijuana, CRS said, which was excluded from the immediate policy change under the DOJ order—and it would still be the case even if broader rescheduling takes place following hearings later this year. “With respect to the manufacture, distribution, and possession of recreational marijuana, even if marijuana were completely moved to Schedule III, such activities would remain illegal under federal law and potentially subject to federal prosecution regardless of their status under state law,” CRS said. The congressional analysis also briefly discusses a longstanding appropriations rider that’s prevented DOJ from using its funds to interfere in the implementation of state-legal medical marijuana laws. It said that rescheduling cannabis “does not directly alter the medical marijuana appropriations rider, but may render it redundant for state-legal medical marijuana businesses that register with DEA.” “To the extent those businesses now comply with the CSA, they do not need the rider to shield them from prosecution,” it said. Further, as congressional researchers noted in prior reports before the rescheduling action was finalized, certain “criminal penalties for CSA violations depend on the schedule in which a substance is classified.” “To the extent marijuana is moved to Schedule III, applicable penalties for some offenses would be reduced. However, CSA penalties that apply to marijuana specifically, such as the quantity-based mandatory minimum sentences discussed above, would not change as a result of rescheduling. The CSA does not require DEA to set annual production quotas for Schedule III controlled substances, but the final order states that DEA will continue to apply quota requirements to marijuana as required by the Single Convention.” Although there are notable limitations to the rescheduling move, CRS highlighted two key impacts that advocates and stakeholders have long awaited as different administrations reviewed the classification of marijuana under federal law: Reduced research barriers and the ability of state-licensed cannabis businesses to take federal tax deductions under an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) code known as 280E. “With respect to research, CSA registration requirements for Schedule III controlled substances are generally less stringent than the requirements for Schedule I controlled substances,” the report says, adding that legislation enacted under the Biden administration “created specialized procedures for DEA approval of marijuana research and manufacture of marijuana for research purposes.” “Substance-specific registration requirements continue to apply to marijuana following rescheduling, which might limit the impact of rescheduling on marijuana research,” it said. “However, the final order appears to seek to facilitate marijuana research by allowing researchers to use state-legal marijuana rather than relying on existing DEA-registered sources.” Concerning 280E, CRS said: “Because the provision applies only to activities involving substances in Schedule I or II, to the extent marijuana is moved from Schedule I to Schedule III, marijuana businesses can deduct business expenses on federal tax filings. Other collateral legal consequences may continue to attach to marijuana-related activities to the extent they violate the CSA or other federal laws.” The U.S. Department of the Treasury and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recently said they plan to issue new tax guidance for the marijuana industry following the rescheduling announcement. At the same time that stakeholders have celebrated the rescheduling action, the White House has separately given certain mixed signals about marijuana in the weeks since. For example, the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) released a new National Drug Control Strategy on Monday that raises alarm about “high-potency” marijuana and expresses concerns that international cartels and crime groups “exploit” state cannabis legalization laws. It also discussed the forthcoming federal recriminalization of hemp THC products that is scheduled for later this year under a law signed by President Donald Trump. — Marijuana Moment is tracking hundreds of cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters pledging at least $25/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don’t miss any developments. Learn more about our marijuana bill tracker and become a supporter on Patreon to get access. — While the president recently called on Congress to take action to alter the hemp cannabinoid ban language he signed into law in order to allow continued sales of full-spectrum CBD products, it’s not clear how far he wants to scale back the scope of the scheduled federal restrictions and what kinds of revised THC rules and limitations he would prefer to sign into law. ONDCP Director Sara Carter Bailey has previously voiced support for medical cannabis, while stating that she doesn’t have a “problem” with legalization, even if she might not personally agree with the policy. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that the administration is moving forward with marijuana rescheduling because cannabis reform is “overwhelmingly popular” with voters and because doing so will help people who need access to the drug for medical purposes. During a press event in the Oval Office, Trump spoke about the medical benefits of marijuana. “A lot of people are suffering from big problems, which this seems to be the best answer,” he said. “They’re very happy about it. So the rescheduling is starting, and that’s a big thing, rescheduling.” The president noted that his administration’s actions on cannabis rescheduling came after his friend Howard Kessler told him about how he used medical marijuana. “He had some medical difficulties, and he came upon this by accident, in a way,” he said. “He had to go through a lot of different medications, and he said this was the one that was much better than anything else. And so he experienced that. He didn’t benefit by it, other than from the standpoint that he lives a much better life now.” “So hopefully you don’t need it,” Trump said. “But if you do need it, I hear it’s the best of all the alternatives.” Days earlier, Trump had complained that federal officials were “slow-walking” following through on his cannabis rescheduling order. Photo courtesy of Chris Wallis // Side Pocket Images. The post Congressional Report Explains Implications—And Limitations—Of Trump’s Marijuana Rescheduling Move For Users And Industry appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

GOP senator on marijuana banking; PA cannabis regulatory vote; SC medical marijuana access; NC cannabis ballot bill; Groups push VA gov on legal sales Subscribe to receive Marijuana Moment’s newsletter in your inbox every weekday morning. It’s the best way to make sure you know which cannabis stories are shaping the day. Get our daily newsletter. Email address: Leave this field empty if you're human: Your support makes Marijuana Moment possible… Your good deed for the day: donate to an independent publisher like Marijuana Moment and ensure that as many voters as possible have access to the most in-depth cannabis reporting out there. Support our work at https://www.patreon.com/marijuanamoment / TOP THINGS TO KNOW Prohibitionist organization Smart Approaches to Marijuana and the National Drug and Alcohol Screening Association filed a lawsuit seeking to reverse the Department of Justice’s cannabis rescheduling move—and they are represented by a firm at which former Trump administration Attorney General William Barr is a partner. Senate Banking Committee Chairman Tim Scott (R-SC) said the marijuana industry’s financial services access issues are a “quandary” that he thinks “we’ll get to a solution” on. “Congress is going to have to make it legal, because today even though the president has declassified it or reduced its impact, the truth is it is still illegal.” The Pennsylvania Senate Law & Justice Committee again approved a bill to create a Cannabis Control Board to oversee medical marijuana, hemp and potentially recreational cannabis if it is legalized—with new amendments. A South Carolina Republican senator said that “medical marijuana is now legal” in the state following federal rescheduling—but U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC), who is running for governor, says he has a “problem with marijuana,” calling it a “gateway drug.” North Carolina senators filed a bill that would put two marijuana questions on the November ballot, allowing voters to decide whether to legalize cannabis for personal or medical use. A coalition of marijuana reform advocacy groups sent a letter urging Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) not to veto legislation to legalize recreational cannabis sales, even after lawmakers rejected her proposed amendments. / FEDERAL The Drug Enforcement Administration promoted an article about a study purporting to show a connection between marijuana use and slower development of memory, focus and thinking speed in teenagers. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) tweeted, “Washington wants to ban hemp overnight and wipe out a $28 billion American industry. My Hemp Safety Enforcement Act stops that by giving states full authority to regulate hemp-derived THC, banning synthetic cannabinoids, and keeping this market away from cartels and black markets.” Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL) tweeted, “DOJ’s reclassification of cannabis is some good news for veterans & VA doctors. Next step: let’s get the Veterans Equal Access Act passed to create better access to healing and recovery.” Rep. Morgan Griffith (R-VA) discussed what he sees as the differences between American and foreign cannabis products. / STATES Georgia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jason Esteves tweeted, “Cannabis legalization and criminal justice reform must go hand-in-hand. One without the other falls short. The people who have been negatively impacted by Georgia’s outdated cannabis laws deserve justice and to have their records expunged. As governor, I’ll put this issue before the voters.” Connecticut lawmakers sent Gov. Ned Lamont (D) a bill to increase THC caps for cannabis beverages. The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court held a hearing on a lawsuit seeking to keep an initiative to roll back the state’s marijuana legalization law from appearing on the November ballot. Nevada regulators filed proposed changes to cannabis rules. Colorado regulators published guidance on federal marijuana rescheduling. Illinois regulators are extending the deadline for cannabis craft grower businesses to become operational. — Marijuana Moment is tracking hundreds of cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters pledging at least $25/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don’t miss any developments. Learn more about our marijuana bill tracker and become a supporter on Patreon to get access. — / INTERNATIONAL The top Bahamian cannabis regulator said the country’s marijuana business licensing platform is ready to launch. / SCIENCE & HEALTH A study found that “prenatal exposure to cannabis, alone or with tobacco, was not associated with disrupted cognitive or language development during the first three years of life in this sample of high-risk children.” A study of chickens found that “CBD represents a promising candidate for therapeutic intervention against [infectious bronchitis virus] infection.” / ADVOCACY, OPINION & ANALYSIS Conservative commentator Tucker Carlson compared being subjected to President Donald Trump’s “spellbinding” powers of influence to “smoking hash or something”—saying there “there may be a supernatural component to it.” The Marijuana Policy Project published an FAQ about cannabis rescheduling. / BUSINESS Cresco Labs, Green Thumb Industries, Verano Holdings and Curaleaf are facing class action litigation that alleges they made false medical claims about their products. Nabis is acquiring Hudson Distribution Services, LLC’s New Jersey cannabis distribution license and warehouse lease. Curaleaf Holdings, Inc. reported quarterly net revenue of $324.2 million. Rhode Island retailers sold $29.5 million worth of legal marijuana products in the first quarter of 2026. / CULTURE John Oliver did a segment on “gas station drugs.” Make sure to subscribe to get Marijuana Moment’s daily dispatch in your inbox. Get our daily newsletter. Email address: Leave this field empty if you're human: The post Lawsuit seeks to reverse cannabis rescheduling (Newsletter: May 6, 2026) appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

124. Psychedelic Integration and Intuition: What Actually Changes After Ayahuasca Explore psychedelic integration and intuition through ayahuasca, grief, and leadership. What really changes after plant medicine? Episode Summary What actually happens after the ceremony ends? In this episode, April sits down with Lizzi Cutler to explore psychedelic integration and intuition beyond the peak experience. From ayahuasca integration to 5-MeO-DMT, Lizzi shares how plant medicine didn’t “fix” her—but instead revealed who she already was. The conversation moves through grief and identity, including the emotional reality of not becoming a mother, and expands into how intuition can be applied in unexpected places like business and leadership. This episode will help you understand how to integrate psychedelic experiences into daily life, trust your intuition, and rethink personal growth as an ongoing, nonlinear process. Key Takeaways Psychedelics don’t fix you—they reveal patterns you’re already living inside True ayahuasca integration happens over years, not days or weeks Intuition isn’t mystical—it’s a skill that can be applied to leadership and hiring Grief and identity are deeply intertwined, especially around missed life paths Intuitive leadership may be the missing link in building aligned teams and cultures Timestamps [00:00] Intro, disclaimer, and April’s context on consciousness + intuition[01:00] Introducing Lizzi Cutler and the theme of integration[02:00] Psychedelics and grief + upcoming salon context[03:00] Lizzi’s early work: yoga, meditation, and intuitive sensing[04:00] Naming subconscious patterns and how change begins[05:00] April’s narration: awareness, observation, and the double slit experiment[06:00] Applying intuition to business, hiring, and leadership[08:00] First ayahuasca invitation and entering ceremony work[09:00] Ayahuasca + San Pedro explained (context + risks)[10:00] First ceremonies: “feeling nothing” and frustration[10:30] Dieta explained: preparation, digestion, and intuition[12:00] First breakthrough experience and community bonding[13:00] Divorce, feeling “broken,” and seeking transformation[14:00] 30–40 ceremonies later: what ayahuasca actually revealed[15:00] “Own your power” and letting go of imitation[16:00] The apprenticeship dynamic + April’s ethical commentary[18:00] Surrendering to intuition and first real validation[19:00] Bringing intuitive work into real-world practice[20:00] Shifting from personal coaching to stress + behavior change[21:00] Breakthrough moment: intuition applied to business[22:00] Alignment, investing, and intuitive due diligence[23:00] Oneness, source, and early 5-MeO insights[24:00] Psychedelics don’t give gifts—they reveal them[25:00] Intuition as a natural ability vs learned skill[26:00] 5-MeO-DMT explained + non-dual awareness[26:30] “I am enough”: the end of the “I’m broken” narrative[27:00] Embodiment, love, and kintsugi (wholeness through integration)[28:00] Integration over time + relationships and emotional growth[29:00] Building an intuitive business model (CEO-focused work)[30:00] “Intuitive analysis” and reading organizational culture[31:00] AI vs intuition: human pattern recognition[32:00] Leadership decisions, restructuring, and team alignment[33:00] Working with investors, philanthropy, and impact[34:00] Money as energy + alignment in giving[35:00] Closing reflections + where this work is going[36:00] Outro + resources + psychedelic grief salon Resources Micro-Psyched 12-Week Microdosing Program Women in the Wild gatherings - Reserve your spot in Seattle Upcoming Psychedelic Salon tickets Follow April on Substack Original Microdosing for Midlife Substack post: https://aprilpride.substack.com/p/psychedelic-integration-and-intuition-ayahuasca-leadership Hosted by April Pride @aprilpride_ Follow on IG: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@getsetset⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ / YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠youtube.com/@getsetset⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ / X: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@getsetset Get full access to SetSet with April Pride at aprilpride.substack.com/subscribeCatch the full episode here

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Opponents of marijuana reform have filed a lawsuit challenging the federal cannabis rescheduling action announced by President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice last month—using a law firm at which a former Trump administration attorney general is a partner. Prohibitionist organization Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) and the National Drug and Alcohol Screening Association (NDASA) on Monday asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to review and set aside the cannabis rescheduling action, alleging that they have been “aggrieved” by the reform. Under an action announced by Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche last month, marijuana products regulated by a state medical cannabis license immediately moved from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) to Schedule III, as did any marijuana products that are approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). An administrative hearing scheduled for this summer will consider broader cannabis rescheduling, including for recreational products. “The AG Rescheduling Order violates the rulemaking requirements of the Administrative Procedure Act, 5 U.S.C. §§ 551 to 559, and section 201 of the CSA, 21 U.S.C. § 811, exceeds the statutory authority of the Attorney General under the CSA, and is otherwise arbitrary and capricious and not in accordance with law,” the brief two-page petition challenging the rescheduling action claims. It is signed by attorneys at Torridon Law PLCC, where former U.S. Attorney General William Barr, led DOJ during Trump’s first term in office, is a partner. SAM had announced in January that it was hiring Barr’s firm to legally combat cannabis rescheduling after Tump signed an executive order directing officials to complete the process expeditiously. “SAM and NDASA respectfully request that the Court review and set aside the Order in whole, and that SAM and NDASA receive any further relief to which they may be entitled,” the new petition says. Named defendants in the suit are the Department of Justice, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Blanche and DEA Administrator Terrance Cole. SAM CEO Kevin Sabet said in a press release that the cannabis rescheduling order “contravenes both law and science.” “This order gave federal approval to a new Big Tobacco industry selling cookies, gummies, and sodas laced with highly potent marijuana,” he said. “The public-health carnage wrought by these products is not ‘medical’ and that word should never be associated with them. This is a fight for the next generation. We are continuing our fight to take a step back toward sanity and justice in federal marijuana policy.” Meanwhile, a House appropriations subcommittee last week voted to block federal officials from taking further steps to carry out cannabis rescheduling. Last month, SAM and other plaintiffs filed a lawsuit seeking to block a Trump administration program to cover certain hemp-derived products through Medicare. Read the full marijuana rescheduling lawsuit below: Photo courtesy of Mike Latimer. The post Marijuana Opponents File Lawsuit To Block Trump Administration’s Federal Rescheduling Move appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

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The Republican senator who heads up the Banking Committee says the fact that marijuana remains illegal at the federal level while more states legalize it has created a “quandary” for cannabis businesses and banks that wish to serve them. “Congress is going to have to make it legal, because today even though the president has declassified it or reduced its impact, the truth is it is still illegal,” Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), who chairs the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, said on Tuesday, referring to the Trump administration’s recent move to federally reschedule marijuana. “Therefore the banking system cannot allow access to our federal banking system. You can on the state level—but on the federal level, until it becomes a legal conversation, until that’s solved,” you can’t, the senator said. Scott said he does think the issue will get solved, pointing to legislation called the Secure and Fair Enforcement Regulation (SAFER) Banking Act that would provide federal protections to banks that work with state-legal cannabis businesses. Versions of that legislation have been passed by the House of Representatives several times but have never received a vote on the Senate floor. The bill would “allow for the banking question to be solved by making it legal to bank it,” Scott said. “What you don’t want is to have a situation where you have these cash rooms where you have hundreds of thousands of dollars cash sitting in a location. Everyone knows you can’t bank it and therefore the criminal activity is much higher in these places.” Despite articulating the main argument for the reform in his new comments at the Milken Institute’s Global Conference, Scott has opposed cannabis banking legislation in the past—including when it advanced through the panel he now chairs under prior Democratic control in 2023. The SAFER Banking Act has not yet been refiled in either chamber during the current 119th Congress, which began in January 2025. Scott also spoke on Tuesday about how he’s “not agnostic” on the broader cannabis issue, saying he’s “got a strong opinion” and raising concerns about what he called the “synthetic nature of marijuana and how it’s 300 percent stronger than it was naturally.” “That’s a different conversation,” he said. “The real conservations we’re having though is about about access to the banking system.” “There is a quandary that we have to solve,” the senator said. “I think we’ll get to a solution.” — Marijuana Moment is tracking hundreds of cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters pledging at least $25/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don’t miss any developments. Learn more about our marijuana bill tracker and become a supporter on Patreon to get access. — Scott, who ran for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024, previously served in the House, where he voted against an amendment to protect state medical cannabis programs from federal interference. At an American Bankers Association (ABA) Washington Summit in 2023, Scott said that the federal-state marijuana banking conflict will “come to a conclusion likely in this Congress.” He stressed the importance of addressing the SAFE Banking Act during regular order, calling it “an important decision, as opposed to rushing it to the floor.” “There are Republicans who’ve come out very positively on behalf of the SAFE Act. I’m not one of those Republicans, but there is a bipartisan coalition who wants to have a serious conversation about the challenges that it would solve,” he said at the time. “And the question is: does that legislation actually solve more challenges than it creates harm?” Scott also said that lawmakers need to take on the broader debate about federal marijuana legalization, which is “something that we’re going to have to wrestle with as a nation and as a Congress and get to an answer there.” “But there is a bipartisan coalition who wants to have that conversation, so I think that’s good news,” he said. “Both sides want to go through regular order—that’s better news. I think we’ll come to a conclusion likely in this Congress.” The post Marijuana Industry Banking Access Is A ‘Quandary’ That Needs To Be Solved With Legalization, Key GOP Senator Says appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

A Pennsylvania Senate committee has approved a bill to create a new Cannabis Control Board (CCB) to oversee the state’s medical marijuana program and intoxicating hemp products—for the third time, with new amendments. The body could also one day oversee recreational cannabis if it is legalized in the state. The Senate Law & Justice Committee voted 7-4 on Monday to advance the legislation back to the floor for consideration. The panel had previously done so in March and, before that, in October—but its sponsor Sen. Dan Laughlin (R), who is also the committee’s chair, has repeatedly brought the measure back to be altered. This time, senators adopted two amendments to the bill. One amendment, from Laughlin, specifies that the three members of the CCB who would be appointed by the governor would need to have certain backgrounds—one with law enforcement experience, another with expertise in dealing with addiction and a third with experience in “cannabis matters.” Laughlin’s amendment also specifies that nothing in the bill “shall be construed to allow the board to authorize the sale of recreational marijuana absent approval by the General Assembly,” and additionally makes technical changes to the legislation. For too long, intoxicating hemp products, or ‘gas station weed,’ have been sold with virtually no oversight and far too few safeguards. Moving this bill out of committee puts us on the path to finally bringing order and accountability to this space. pic.twitter.com/DlaHjXxPK3 — Senator Dan Laughlin (@senatorlaughlin) May 4, 2026 A separate amendment from Sen. Devlin Robinson (R) was also adopted by the committee. It specifies that regulators could award additional dispensary permits to companies that were medical cannabis grower/processors prior to April 12, 2024 and that meet other conditions. Previously, in March, the panel amended the cannabis regulation bill to add new provisions banning the sale of most hemp THC products to align state law with a pending federal policy change that’s set to take effect in November. “For too long, intoxicating hemp products, or ‘gas station weed,’ have been sold with virtually no oversight and far too few safeguards,” Laughlin said in a social media post on Monday. “Moving this bill out of committee puts us on the path to finally bringing order and accountability to this space.” In a separate post, the senator criticized Democrats on the panel who are cosponsoring the bill but voted against it. Kinda weird that we moved my Cannabis Control Board bill out of committee today, and all 4 democratic cosponsors of the bill voted no. — Dan Laughlin (@VoteLaughlin) May 5, 2026 Its not clear why those lawmakers voted the way they did, but the action on the cannabis regulatory bill, SB 49, comes amid a partisan dispute in the state over broader marijuana legalization. Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) has repeatedly called on lawmakers to send him a marijuana legalization bill and for the last several years has included the reform in his budget requests to the legislature. Stacy Garrity, a Republican who is running for governor and who currently serves as the state treasurer, recently said she would veto a cannabis legalization bill if lawmakers approved one—though she also shared her view that the legislature is “never going to pass it…not as long as Senate Republicans are in control of the Senate.” Last month, the Democratic-controlled Pennsylvania House of Representatives passed budget legislation proposed by Shapiro that relies on revenue that would be generated from recreational marijuana sales, which has yet to be legalized in the state. The House of Representatives last year passed a bill to legalize marijuana and put sales in state-owned dispensaries, but the Republican Senate majority has criticized that plan while also not advancing a cannabis legalization model of its own. — Marijuana Moment is tracking hundreds of cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters pledging at least $25/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don’t miss any developments. Learn more about our marijuana bill tracker and become a supporter on Patreon to get access. — A spokesperson in the governor’s office separately said last month that the Trump administration’s federal marijuana rescheduling move is an “important step” that “adds support” to his push to legalize cannabis in the state. The governor also used last month’s unofficial cannabis holiday 4/20 as an opportunity to press lawmakers once again to send him a bill to legalize marijuana. Meanwhile, the CCB established by the bill that is now advancing in the Senate would regulate medical cannabis and hemp, while preparing to eventually handle the adult-use marijuana market as well if that reform is ultimately enacted. Laughlin, who is also sponsoring bipartisan legislation to legalize adult-use marijuana previewed the regulatory measure last May, writing that Pennsylvania should take initial steps to make sure the state is “ready to act when legalization becomes law” by establishing a CCB now. In a cosponsorship memo circulated last year, Laughlin said his bill would “transfer regulatory control of the Medical Marijuana Program to the CCB, ensuring continuity, efficiency, and improved oversight of medical cannabis businesses and patient access.” It would further “establish uniform safety standards to protect consumers from untested and potentially harmful products.” The original bill text itself also doesn’t contain an explicit references to adult-use, or recreational, marijuana, and it would not enact legalization on its own. But the description indicates that the sponsors feel the current regulatory regime under the Pennsylvania Department of Health should be replaced with a more targeted agency that would ostensibly be suited to oversee an adult-use market if lawmakers move to end prohibition. “By consolidating oversight under a single regulatory board, we can eliminate inconsistencies, enhance transparency, and provide the structure needed to responsibly manage this industry,” the memo says. Separately last month, the House Health Committee approved a bill to allow terminally ill patients to use medical cannabis in hospitals and other healthcare facilities The legislative developments come as a recent poll shows that seven out of ten Pennsylvania likely voters support legalizing adult-use marijuana—including majority backing for the reform across party lines. When asked whether they “support or oppose the regulation and taxation of legal cannabis for use by adults 21 and older in Pennsylvania,” 69 percent of respondents said yes. Support was strongest from Democrats, at 72 percent, but also includes 67 percent of Republicans and 64 percent of independents. Meanwhile, Shapiro is continuing to pressure on lawmakers to send him a bill to legalize marijuana in the state, saying that doing so would generate new revenue that could be invested in key programs. “While some in Harrisburg claim we can’t afford to make bigger investments in our kids, public safety, and our economy, know this: If we legalized and regulated adult-use cannabis, we’d bring in $1.3 BILLION in revenue for our Commonwealth over the first five years,” the governor said in another recent social media post. “Those are dollars that can be invested back into our people and our communities,” he said. “Stop with the excuses. Let’s get this done.” The state’s Independent Fiscal Office (IFO) reported in February that legalizing cannabis in Pennsylvania would generate nearly half a billion dollars in annual revenue by 2028, an estimate that is a significantly larger cash windfall compared to projections from Shapiro’s own office. With a proposed 20 percent wholesale cannabis excise tax, 6 percent state sales tax for retail and licensing fees, IFO said the governor’s legalization plan would generate $140 million in tax revenue in the first year of implementation from 2027-2028 and increase to $432 million by 2030-2031. That’s a much higher revenue estimate than what the governor’s office put forward in the latest executive budget. According to his office’s analysis, legalization would generate about $36.9 million in tax dollars in its first year from a 20 percent wholesale tax on marijuana—rising gradually to $223.8 million by 2030-2031. In February, a coalition of drug policy and civil liberties organizations urged Shapiro to play a leadership role in convening legislative leaders to get the job done on cannabis legalization this session. The post Pennsylvania Senate Panel Approves Bill To Regulate Marijuana And Hemp, With New Amendments appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

North Carolina senators have filed a new bill that, if enacted, would allow voters to decide whether to legalize marijuana for personal or medical use at the ballot box this November. The legislation, filed by Sens. Kandie Smith (D), Caleb Theodros (D), Paul Lowe Jr. (D) and Joyce Waddell (D), seeks to place two separate cannabis questions before voters. The first, if approved, would add this new section to the state Constitution: “Section 39. Right to possession of limited amounts of cannabis for personal use. The possession of limited amounts of cannabis for personal use shall not be a criminal offense in this State. The General Assembly shall enact general laws governing the possession of limited amounts of cannabis for personal use consistent with this section.” The second would read: “Section 39. Right to medical use of cannabis. The possession of limited amounts of cannabis for medical use by patients with qualifying conditions shall not be a criminal offense in this State. The General Assembly shall enact general laws governing the possession of cannabis for medical use consistent with this section.” “We wanted to put it up to the voters,” Theodros told WNCN-TV. “I think for over a decade now, the General Assembly has failed to act on this question. The only folks who are willing to act are voters.” “When we talk about even the potential to legalize medical marijuana or even recreational marijuana use, we also need to go back and start to take a look at what has marijuana or the disproportionate application of the law, if you will, of marijuana laws have done to people,” Theodros separately told The Charlotte Post. “What has it done to their ability to get jobs after they’re removed from jail or whatever the case may be. It’s not my personal belief when it comes to the legalization of marijuana. It’s not simply needing to just legalize it,” he said. “It’s to rectify some of those negative policies that we pushed in North Carolina and the United States in general.” Lowe said legal medical cannabis could provide South Carolinians with a safer alternative to prescription drugs. “When it comes to medicine, we use opiates a lot. Opiates are extremely dangerous on so many different levels,” he said. “To get people off of opiates, cannabis has proven to be a pathway to help moving people away.” If SB 1027 is approved, voters would see the marijuana questions on the November 3 ballot. — Marijuana Moment is tracking hundreds of cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters pledging at least $25/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don’t miss any developments. Learn more about our marijuana bill tracker and become a supporter on Patreon to get access. — Meanwhile, North Carolina’s Senate president pro tempore recently said that lawmakers will take a more serious look at legalizing medical marijuana following the Trump administration’s move to reschedule cannabis at the federal level. The North Carolina Senate has passed medical cannabis bills in a number of past sessions that have later stalled out in the House of Representatives. “We’ll have a conversation within our caucus as to whether or not we do something, if they’re interested in continuing to pursue that,” Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Berger (R) said. If the Senate does pass a medical cannabis bill again, it’s not yet clear how House leadership would react this time. The Senate leader’s comments and the bill constitutional amendment bill come weeks after a governor-appointed cannabis commission in North Carolina issued a report recommending that the state move away from a criminalization-based approach to the plant and toward a system of “robust” regulations that provide for adults’ legal access to THC products. The North Carolina Advisory Council on Cannabis, which Gov. Josh Stein (D) convened last year, says in the new document approved in April that the current “absence of regulation for North Carolina’s intoxicating cannabis market raises numerous concerns,” noting that hemp products are readily available yet largely unregulated and that marijuana remains prohibited altogether in the state, even for medical use. “Compared to regulated marijuana frameworks in other states, this environment presents identifiable risks,” the interim report says. “While some operators voluntarily implement consumer protection protocols, these safeguards are not required under state law.” Stein, for his part, thanked the group for its “expertise, hard work, and thoughtful deliberation” in a press release and reiterated his support for legalizing marijuana. “Last year, I charged this group with developing a comprehensive solution to the unregulated sale of cannabis that is grounded in public health and public safety, with a special focus on keeping young people safe,” the governor said. “This report provides the General Assembly with guidance and makes clear that a well-regulated market, including both oversight and enforcement authority, is a safer market for our state.” “Our state’s unregulated cannabis market today is the Wild West and is crying for order,” he said. “Let’s get this right. Let’s protect our kids and create a safe, legal, and well-regulated market for adults.” The interim report recommends that rather than construct separate frameworks for hemp and marijuana, the state should enact molecule-based regulation focused on THC itself, saying that “the plant source is irrelevant and should not drive different treatment when the intoxicating compound is the same.” It also suggests that when choosing how to regulate THC and cannabis, North Carolina should enact “an adult access market with protections for medical consumers.” The panel, however, “does not view a medical-only program as an effective interim step or compromise solution,” and the state should proceed to adult-use access immediately while considering the “availability of medical-consumer protections” as “an important component of a broader regulatory structure.” The group’s report notes that “ultimately, the authority to bring order to the unregulated, unsafe cannabis market rests with the General Assembly.” The advisory council was formed after Stein issued an executive order last year, and is comprised of legislators, law enforcement officials, agriculture industry stakeholders, health experts, tribal representatives, advocates and others charged with exploring possible regulatory models for adult-use marijuana and hemp. The governor’s order said there’s a need for reform because the “current lack of regulation, including age, potency, and purity limitations, poses a threat to all North Carolinians, particularly our youth.” And “rather than allowing this unsafe and unregulated market to continue, smart and balanced regulation presents an opportunity not only to protect the health and well-being of our people, but also to generate revenue that can benefit our state.” Members are tasked with developing and submitting initial recommendations on a “comprehensive cannabis policy, including any proposed legislation,” with a final report due by December 31 of this year. During his time as the state’s attorney general, Stein led a separate task force under then-Gov. Roy Cooper (D) that examined racial injustice issues and ultimately recommended decriminalizing marijuana and studying broader legalization in response to racially disparate enforcement trends. Meanwhile, a tribe in North Carolina, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, launched the state’s first marijuana dispensary in 2024—despite the protests of certain Republican congressional lawmakers. The post North Carolina Voters Could Decide To Legalize Marijuana At The Ballot In November Under New Senate Bill appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

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A Republican South Carolina state senator says that “medical marijuana is now legal” in the state following the Trump administration’s move to enact federal rescheduling—but a GOP congressman who is running to be the next governor says he has a “problem with marijuana,” calling it a “gateway drug.” State Sen. Tom Davis (R), who has sponsored bills to legalize medical cannabis over a number of sessions, said that under a little-known state law he believes was triggered by federal rescheduling, “we have just become the 41st state that has a legally authorized medical marijuana program.” “Medical marijuana is now legal in South Carolina,” he told Charleston City Paper. Meanwhile, U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC), who is running in next month’s primary for his party’s gubernatorial nomination, has concerns about cannabis. “From day one, medicinal cannabis never ends up like that, [and] always ends up opening it up to everybody,” he told Marijuana Moment in an interview last week. “I’ve got a problem with that. It’s a gateway drug, and there other options other than marijuana for veterans or anybody who needs it for that matter.” But regardless of Norman’s opposition, some patients in South Carolina may soon be able to get legal medical marijuana access under state law, thanks to the Trump administration’s action to remove medical cannabis from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) to Schedule III. An existing state law says that “if a substance is added, deleted, or rescheduled as a controlled substance pursuant to federal law or regulation,” officials then have 30 days to reschedule the drug in the “appropriate schedule” under state law. A separate law, the South Carolina Controlled Substances Therapeutic Research Act, passed in 1980, sets up a program through which certain patients could obtain medical cannabis “through whatever means” the state health commissioner “deems most appropriate consistent with federal law.” Current Gov. Henry McMaster’s (R) office confirmed to local media that South Carolina law will “require the State to mirror the new federal order” on marijuana rescheduling. And the South Carolina Department of Public Health (DPH) said that officials are “aware of the proposed rescheduling of medical marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act” and are “assessing the impacts to DPH and the state of South Carolina.” Davis, the GOP state senator who has sponsored reform bills, told the City Paper that “Dr. [Edward] Simmer, as the DPH director, is in charge — he ‘shall’ provide that marijuana to those patients” under the law. He added that “the legislature, quite frankly, has been derelict in its duty” in failing to enact his comprehensive medical cannabis legalization proposal, which has twice passed the Senate but continually stalled in the House of Representatives. The senator said the measure would “put some safeguards in place to allow doctors to provide their patients with this product” beyond the scope of the limited access that is contemplated by the current state law triggered by federal rescheduling. “My position has always been that this is a potentially dangerous substance,” Davis said. “We need to regulate it. We need to have physicians authorizing it. We need to have pharmacists dispensing it with proper labeling. And all that’s missing now.” He also suggested that state officials could face litigation over any failure to take steps to provide legal medical marijuana access in line with current law. “I’m not encouraging this, but I expect there will be some legal actions filed by individuals who want to access marijuana for medicinal purposes,” the senator said. “And they’re going to compel, or attempt to compel, DPH to discharge the duty it has been statutorily directed to do.” “Doing nothing is a choice,” he said. “And doing nothing has consequences.” Norman, the congressman who is running for governor, separately praised President Donald Trump’s recent executive order focused on accelerating therapeutic access to psychedelics. “For the veteran who’s having problems and the veterans dealing with PTSD, that’s a good thing,” he told Marijuana Moment. Last year, South Carolina’s current governor said there’s a “compelling” case to be made for legalizing medical marijuana in the state, despite reservations from law enforcement. McMaster said at the time that he thinks supporters of the reform have a “very compelling situation,” despite the fact that “law enforcement, almost end-to-end, still have grave concerns.” “I think what we need to do is study it very carefully, get as much information as we can and try to do the right thing,” he said. The office of House Speaker Murrell Smith (R) tempered expectations, however, referencing what he viewed as insufficient support within the GOP caucus to advance the reform through his chamber. An earlier version of Davis’s cannabis measure passed the Senate in the 2024 session but was never taken up in the House. He filed a new version for the 2025 session, but it did not advance. “It requires doctors in patient authorization, doctor supervision,” Davis said at the time. “It requires pharmacists to dispense it. It is a very conservative bill, because that’s what South Carolinians want.” As introduced, the legislation would allow patients to access medical marijuana from “therapeutic cannabis pharmacies,” which would be licensed by the state Board of Pharmacy. Individuals would need to receive a doctor’s recommendation for the treatment of certain qualifying conditions, which include several specific ailments as well as terminal illnesses and chronic diseases where opioids are the standard of care. Among the public, medical marijuana legalization enjoys overwhelming bipartisan support in the state, with a 2024 poll finding that 93 percent of Democrats, 74 percent of Republicans and 84 percent of independents back the reform. The state Senate passed an earlier version of the legislation in 2022, but it stalled in the opposite body over a procedural hiccup. — Marijuana Moment is tracking hundreds of cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters pledging at least $25/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don’t miss any developments. Learn more about our marijuana bill tracker and become a supporter on Patreon to get access. — When senators began debating the medical marijuana legislation in 2024, the body adopted an amendment that clarifies the bill does not require landlords or people who control property to allow vaporization of cannabis products. As debate on the legislation continued, members clashed over whether the current version of the legislation contains major differences from an earlier iteration that the body passed in 2022. Certain lawmakers have also raised concerns that medical cannabis legalization would lead to broader reform to allow adult-use marijuana, that it could put pharmacists with roles in dispensing cannabis in jeopardy and that federal law could preempt the state’s program, among other worries. After Davis’s Senate-passed medical cannabis bill was blocked in the House in 2022, he tried another avenue for the reform proposal, but that similarly failed on procedural grounds. The lawmaker has called the stance of his own party, particularly as it concerns medical marijuana, “an intellectually lazy position that doesn’t even try to present medical facts as they currently exist.” The LCB contributed reporting from Washington, D.C. The post ‘Medical Marijuana Is Now Legal In South Carolina,’ GOP Senator Declares As Republican Governor Candidate Calls It A ‘Gateway Drug’ appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

A coalition of marijuana reform advocacy organizations and businesses are calling on Virginia’s governor not to veto legislation to legalize recreational cannabis sales even after lawmakers rejected her proposed changes to the measure. “Together, these bills address the real issues surrounding cannabis in the Commonwealth today: an already-existing, unregulated marijuana market operating openly across the state while consumers, communities, and law enforcement are left without the protections of a legal framework,” the groups wrote in a letter to Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) on Monday. “Let’s be clear: these bills do not create a marijuana market in Virginia. That market already exists,” the letter says. “What these bills do is replace today’s predatory and unaccountable illicit operators with a regulated marketplace, enforceable rules, oversight, product safeguards, age verification, and the strict consumer safety standards already in use for Virginia medical cannabis.” The letter is signed by Virginia NORML, Marijuana Justice, Virginia Cannabis Association, Marijuana Policy Project and other groups. It goes on to detail how the legislation lawmakers passed this year, and which the governor requested amendments to, was informed by extensive study by state bodies, including the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission, the Marijuana Legalization Work Group, the Cannabis Oversight Commission, the Joint Commission to Oversee the Transition of the Commonwealth into a Retail Cannabis Market and the Virginia Cannabis Control Authority. “That matters because the bills before you reflect the lessons of that process,” the letter, which was also signed by Jushi, Law Enforcement Action Partnership, National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, Nolef Turns, Virginia Minority Cannabis Coalition and others, says. “They are not theoretical. They are solutions tailored to Virginia’s actual conditions. They respond to the widespread sale of unregulated intoxicating products, the lack of consumer protections, the absence of retail oversight, and the need for effective enforcement tools aimed at bad actors rather than responsible adults.” “Virginia did its homework. Experts were consulted. Stakeholders were heard. Real problems were identified,” the groups wrote. “These bills deliver the real solutions Virginia demands. We respectfully urge you to allow the Commonwealth to move forward with a safer, smarter, and more accountable cannabis policy.” Personal marijuana possession and home cultivation of marijuana has been legal in Virginia since 2021, but former Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) twice vetoed bills to provide consumers with a way to legally purchase regulated adult-use cannabis. The House of Delegates and Senate approved legislation this year from Sen. Lashrecse Aird (D) and Del. Paul Krizek (D) that would establish a legal and regulated marijuana for recreational marijuana sales. Spanberger then suggested changes to the cannabis commerce legalization measure—including delaying the start date for sales by six months, increasing taxes and instituting new criminal penalties for cannabis consumers. That drew strong pushback from reform supporters, including the lawmakers who sponsored the legislation, and both chambers ultimately declined last month to adopt the governor’s amendments. The bills are now back with Spanberger in their original form, and she has until May 23 to either sign or veto legislation, or allow it to become law without her signature. Spanberger, for her part, responded to criticism of her cannabis amendments from the bill sponsors and advocates by saying the suggested changes came after she spoke to the leaders of other states that have already implemented adult-use marijuana markets. Here are the other key details of the cannabis bills—SB 542 and HB 642—as approved by lawmakers and with the governor’s suggested amendments: Lawmakers voted to allow adults to be able to purchase up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana in a single transaction, or up to an equivalent amount of other cannabis products as determined by regulators. That represents an increase from the limit in current law of 1 ounce. The governor, however, wants the amount increased to only 2 ounces. Under the legislature’s plan, legal sales could begin on January 1, 2027, but the governor is proposing to push that back to July 1, 2027. Lawmakers voted to impose an excise tax of 6 percent on cannabis sales as well as a 5.3 percent retail sales and use tax, while allowing municipalities to set an additional local tax of up to 3.5 percent. The governor’s plan is largely the same, though it would increase the excise tax to 8 percent starting on July 1, 2029. Under the legislation as approved by lawmakers, revenue would be distributed to the Cannabis Equity Reinvestment Fund (30 percent), early childhood education (40 percent), the Department of Behavioral & Developmental Health Services (25 percent) and public health initiatives (5 percent). The governor, however, wants to put all revenue into the general fund while earmarking it “for purposes such as early childhood education, behavioral health, public health awareness, prevention, treatment, and recovery services, workforce development, reentry, indigent criminal defense, and targeted reinvestment in historically disadvantaged communities.” The Virginia Cannabis Control Authority would oversee licensing and regulation of the new industry, and would also take on oversight of hemp, which is currently under the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Local governments could not opt out of allowing marijuana businesses to operate in their area. Delivery services would be allowed. Serving sizes would be capped at 10 milligrams THC, with no more than 100 mg THC per package. The governor is proposing to make public marijuana use a class 4 criminal misdemeanor instead of civil violation punishable by a $25 fine as under current law. She also wants to make possessing cannabis by people under the age of 21 a class 1 misdemeanor, punishable with a mandatory minimum fine of $500 or 50 hours of community service, as well as the suspension of drivers licenses for at least six months. Illegally selling or distributing 50 pounds or more of marijuana would be a class 2 felony punishable by life in prison. The governor is seeking to eliminate support for the Cannabis Equity Reinvestment Fund. Existing medical cannabis operators could enter the adult-use market if they pay a licensing conversion fee that is set at $10 million. Cannabis businesses would have to establish labor peace agreements with workers. As passed by lawmakers, the bill would have directed a legislative commission to study adding on-site consumption licenses and microbusiness cannabis event permits that would allow licensees to conduct sales at venues like farmers markets or pop-up locations, but the governor is proposing to remove that language. Meanwhile, Spanberger also suggested significant amendments to separate legislation that would provide resentencing relief to people with prior marijuana convictions, but lawmakers rejected those changes. Meanwhile, the governor signed several other reform bills this month—including measures to protect the parental rights of marijuana consumers and allow patients to access medical cannabis in hospitals. Read the full marijuana letter to the governor below: The post Marijuana Groups Urge Virginia Governor Not To Veto Sales Legalization Bill, Even After Lawmakers Rejected Her Amendments appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net