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The New Hampshire Senate has defeated a House-passed bill to legalize marijuana in the state—the latest blow for advocates in a years-long fight to end prohibition in the Granite State. Weeks after members of the Senate Judiciary Committee rejected the legislation from Rep. Jared Sullivan (D), deeming it inexpedient to legislate, the full chamber killed the proposal by approving a motion to table it in a 15-9 vote on Thursday. The bill cleared the House earlier this year on a 208-135 vote. “Granite Staters overwhelmingly want cannabis legalized,” Sen. Donovan Fenton (D) said ahead of the Senate vote. “This bill would provide roughly $60 million in revenue over three years, money that could help lower costs for New Hampshire residents and provide housing and strengthen services.” If enacted, HB 186 would have legalized possession of up to 2 ounces of cannabis flower, 10 grams of concentrates and products with up to 2 grams of THC for adults over 21 years of age. They could also have grown six plants at home, three of which could have been mature. Past cannabis possession convictions would have been vacated, and non-discrimination protections for consumers would have been established, including for access to medical care, public benefits, child custody and government employment. A new Cannabis Commission would have been established to license and regulate the marijuana industry, along with a Cannabis Advisory Board. Recreational cannabis sales would have been taxed at 8.5 percent, with revenue split between program administration, municipalities, substance misuse programs, public safety agencies and the state general fund. Localities across the state would have had ballot referendums asking voters if they wanted to opt in to allowing retail marijuana sales. Sullivan’s legalization bill is one of several cannabis proposals filed for the 2026 session, including legislation from Rep. Jonah Wheeler (D) that seeks to put a constitutional amendment on the state ballot that would let voters decide if they want to legalize marijuana for adults 21 and older, allowing them to “possess a modest amount of cannabis for their personal use.” Members of the House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee took up that legislation in January. Gov. Kelly Ayotte (R) has already threatened to veto any legalization bill that reaches her desk, though the constitutional amendment proposal would not require gubernatorial action. The governor said in August that her position on the reform would not change even if the federal government moved forward with rescheduling the plant. Since then, President Donald Trump has directed the attorney general to finalize the process of moving cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). At a committee meeting last year, Sullivan ultimately made a persuasive argument for advancing his legalization bill, pointing out that the House has repeatedly passed similar legislation and that the chamber should stand its ground, forcing the Senate and governor to again go on record with their opposition to a policy popular among voters. “We know where it’s going to go. Let’s send a virtue signal,” Sullivan said. “Let them be the ones that are pissing off voters who care about this.” In the Senate, the Judiciary Committee in January also took up a bill from Sen. Donovan Fenton (D) that would allow adults over the age of 21 to legally possess up to four ounces of cannabis in plant form and 20 grams of concentrated cannabis products, as well as other products containing no more than 2,000 milligrams of THC. — 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 New Hampshire House last month approved a bipartisan bill to legalize the regulated use of psilocybin for medical purposes. Last June, the New Hampshire Senate voted to scrap compromise legislation that would have lowered the state’s criminal penalty for first-time psilocybin possession while also creating mandatory minimum sentences around fentanyl. As originally introduced, the legislation would have completely removed penalties around obtaining, purchasing, transporting, possessing or using psilocybin, effectively legalizing it on a noncommercial basis. However a House committee amended the bill before unanimously advancing it last March. Photo courtesy of Philip Steffan. The post New Hampshire Senate Kills House-Passed Marijuana Legalization Bill appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

Arizona senators have dialed back a pair of measures that would penalize people who create “excessive” amounts of marijuana smoke or odor, with members advancing revised versions of the legislation following criticism that, as introduced, they would have added criminalization provisions back into the state’s cannabis use laws. The latest bill and companion resolution, sponsored by Sen. J.D. Mesnard (R), were amended by the Senate Committee of the Whole on Wednesday, with a floor vote on third reading now imminent. While the bill would on its own enact a statutory policy change, the separate resolution would put the issue before voters to decide. As the original proposals moved through the legislative process, advocates and certain lawmakers voiced concerns about undermining the will of voters who passed legalization at the ballot, as well as the ambiguity around enforceability and what constitutes “excessive” marijuana smoke. The legislation was previously amended in committee last month in an attempt to provide a clearer definition of “excessive” smoke and remove a reference to making the offense a “crime.” The latest revised definition of excessive cannabis smoke or odor describes it as “airborne emissions resulting from the burning, heating or vaporizing of marijuana or marijuana products,” according to a summary of the adopted floor amendment. Such emissions must also be “detectable by a reasonable person of ordinary sensibilities on other private property” and “occur for more than 30 consecutive minutes on a single occasion or on three or more separate days within a 30-day period.” Members further revised the legislation in response to criticism that the committee-passed versions continued to lack clarity and would pose the threat of criminalization by making the offense a class 3 misdemeanor, punishable by up to 30 days in jail, a maximum $500 fine and up to one year of probation. That, too, was ultimately changed in the bill (SB 1725) and resolution (SCR 1048) that are teed up to advance through the full Senate. Specifically, the legislation stipulates that “excessive marijuana smoke or odor is a public nuisance if the person’s conduct is intentional or the person knowingly and substantially interferes with the comfortable enjoyment of life or property,” a summary of the amendment says. The proposals also now specify that “lawful possession or use of marijuana does not preclude a finding of nuisance, except that a court may consider possession of a valid registry identification card as a mitigating factor,” and they provide that “a person is not liable for committing a private nuisance unless the person has received notice of the interference and fails to abate it within five days.” Under the revised legislation, the affected party would first have to file a compliant with local officials before they pursue action with the state, but only if the municipality has already adopted an ordinance regulating excessive cannabis smoke or odor. A person would be deemed in violation of the law if a local court has issued a written order directing them to “abate excessive marijuana smoke or odor that constitutes a nuance” and that person “knowingly violates or refuses to comply with the order.” Each day of non-compliance after failing to adhere to the order would be consider a separate offense, and failure to comply would be a petty offense, rather than a criminal violation. “Based on feedback from folks who agree with the premise of the bill but wanted a different approach, this moves the bulk of it into civil statute—makes this a petty offense,” Mesnard said. “It also establishes greater clarity on what we’re talking about.” “So as far as excess marijuana smoke or odor, we’ll be talking about something that’s a lengthy period of time or occurring with greater frequency,” he said. “It walks through the process that you should be reaching out to your local government as a first step, if they have anything on the books regarding this issue, and the only thing left in place on the criminal side is if something is substantial and deliberate that’s occurring.” — 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. — In the background of this legislation, anti-cannabis activists are working to put an initiative on the state’s November ballot that would significantly roll back its voter-approved marijuana legalization law. A GOP congressional lawmaker said recently he’d like to see his state take that action—but he also acknowledged that President Donald Trump’s recent federal rescheduling order could complicate that prohibitionist push. Under the proposal, possession would remain lawful if voters chose to enact the initiative—and Arizona’s medical marijuana program would remain intact—but the commercial market for recreational cannabis that’s evolved since voters approved an adult-use legalization measure in 2020 would be quashed. A findings section on the latest 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. The initiative would also instruct the legislature to make conforming changes by amending existing statute as it relates to the commercial industry, including tax and advertising rules. In order to make the ballot, the campaign will need to collect 255,949 valid signatures by July 2. If the proposal goes to voters and is approved, it would take effect in January 2028. It remains to be seen if there will be an appetite for repeal among voters, as 60 percent of the electorate approved legalization at the ballot in 2020. What’s more a poll from last year found majority support for medical cannabis legalization (86 percent), adult-use legalization (69 percent) and banking reform (78 percent). Meanwhile, senior residents in Arizona independent living communities could soon see a different kind of care service available in their neighborhoods: Kiosks allowing them to view and buy marijuana products from licensed dispensaries. The retailer Life Is Chill and cannabis technology company LoveBud announced last week that they were partnering for the launch of the novel initiative, which will involve deploying the kiosks in participating senior living communities that residents can use to learn about and order marijuana products for delivery. Photo courtesy of Martin Alonso. The post Arizona Senators Scale Back Bills To Punish Marijuana Users Over Excess Smoke Or Odor Complaints appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

“Federal policy must reflect evidence and science, not dispelled myths and tired stereotypes.” By Sasha Kalcheff-Korn, National Compassionate Care Council Recent federal action initiating a review of cannabis scheduling and signaling interest in expanding cannabinoid research reflects a growing willingness to examine how federal policy aligns with emerging evidence and real-world patient experience—but it also highlights a significant research gap that must still be addressed. If approached thoughtfully, this moment represents a rare opportunity to bring scientific rigor, clearer regulatory standards and responsible oversight to a space that has operated within a fragmented, state-by-state system for decades. The new National Compassionate Care Council, announced this week, was formed to help meet that moment. We represent the healthcare-aligned sector of the cannabis industry—from physicians to patients to responsible manufacturers—united around a single mission: turning executive momentum into durable policy that actually reaches people. This is not about advancing an industry for its own sake. It is about ensuring that when patients and healthcare providers discuss cannabinoid therapy, they can do so within a clear, evidence-informed federal framework. Opportunities like this do not move forward automatically. Opponents are already lining up to impede this progress. Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD) declared openly that he hopes the Department of Justice takes two decades to complete rescheduling. At least that position is clear. More concerning are the quieter efforts, procedural delays, bureaucratic slow-walking and political hesitation that can stall reform without ever openly debating its merits. The strategy is the same as it has always been: run out the clock on patients who do not have time to wait. The administration is right that federal policy has suppressed research for too long. But let’s be clear about what that suppression actually means: it means the “lack of evidence” cited by opponents was manufactured by the same regulatory barriers they defend. It is the absence of federally sanctioned research infrastructure, not the absence of therapeutic potential. And the research that has been done has borne that to be true. One of the largest-ever reviews of cancer and cannabis found a 75 percent positive consensus supporting cannabis’s potential benefits for cancer symptoms and tumor-related outcomes. A survey of veterans who used medicinal cannabis found that 91 percent said that medicinal cannabis treatment led to a greater quality of life, and 21 percent additionally reported that their medicinal cannabis use reduced the use of opioids. Another large-scale clinical trial found that patients using a full-spectrum cannabis oil saw a 30 percent reduction in back pain after 12 weeks. The Food and Drug Administration’s own review that produced its Schedule III recommendation saw this reality and acknowledged that medicinal cannabis has demonstrated meaningful relief for patients with chronic pain and other conditions. That conclusion didn’t emerge from a vacuum. It reflects decades of real-world patient experience, observational data collection, and medicinal use that persisted despite federal barriers to research. President Donald Trump’s rescheduling executive order calls for the integration of real-world evidence to inform federal standards of care. That is both appropriate and highly necessary given the stakes. Our members are investing in ethically rigorous and peer-reviewed research, standardized dosing frameworks and compliance infrastructure that can meet that directive. We are not asking policymakers to rely solely on anecdotes. That would just gift our detractors the opening they are looking for. We are actively building the evidence base that patients and providers deserve. Because that is what the moment requires. If this program is allowed to succeed on its merits, it will confirm what millions of Americans already know and create a federal framework that protects patients, holds manufacturers accountable and gives healthcare providers the data they need to make informed recommendations. If it is delayed indefinitely, uncertainty will continue and it will be patients who bear the consequences. For families navigating chronic illness today, this is not an abstract debate. It is the lived reality of not being able to achieve the quality of life that patients deserve when it is abundantly available. Federal policy must reflect evidence and science, not dispelled myths and tired stereotypes. Generational reform has always attracted generational resistance. We are prepared for that fight. But we are not willing to wait decades to have it. For the patients counting on this, the answer cannot be someday. It has to be now. Sasha Kalcheff-Korn is a founding member of the National Compassionate Care Council and executive director of Realm of Caring, a Colorado-based nonprofit that advocates for and connects people to cannabinoid therapy. The post New Cannabis Group Will Help Ground Policy In Science And Patient Experience As Trump’s Rescheduling Move Advances (Op-Ed) appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

The Republican governor of Oklahoma says the state’s medical marijuana program has “failed,” and it’s “time to shut this broken system down” amid reports about youth cannabis use. Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) said on Tuesday that the voter-approved “experiment” with medical marijuana legalization has led him to conclude that the program hasn’t worked, citing a recent report released by the TEXOMA High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA), which was tasked by the legislature to assess the impact of the state’s cannabis laws. “Youth use of marijuana is up. ER visits are up. Cartel crime is up. Massive amounts of oversupply are flooding the black market,” the governor said. “We don’t need more weed shops than pharmacies.” “It’s time to shut this broken system down and protect our kids and communities,” he said, sharing a link to a News 9 report about HIDTA’s recent findings. Oklahoma’s marijuana “experiment” has failed. Youth use of marijuana is up. ER visits are up. Cartel crime is up. Massive amounts of oversupply are flooding the black market. We don’t need more weed shops than pharmacies. It’s time to shut this broken system down and protect… — Governor Kevin Stitt (@GovStitt) March 3, 2026 “As indicated through the data, marijuana legalization in Oklahoma has had a significant impact on the state, with increased marijuana use among both youth and adults,” HIDTA claimed. “Along with a rise in marijuana related health issues such as emergency department visits, hospitalizations, and calls to the poison control center.” How the governor envisions shuttering the program is unclear, but Stitt is echoing points he made prior to the release of the latest report. He said during a State of the State address last month that he wants voters who approved medical marijuana legalization at the ballot to revisit the reform. That’s drawn mixed reactions from lawmakers, including those within the governor’s own party. Senate President Pro Tempore Lonnie Paxton (R), for example, initially expressed openness to the idea—but he ultimately determined it’d be “really hard to completely undo” legalization and unfair to licensed medical cannabis operators who “invested their life savings into this program” and are “trying to do this for the Oklahomans that need that product—not for recreational, but for actual medicinal purposes.” “It’s hard to unring that bell,” he said. “What I’m going to suggest to the governor is that we don’t run a state question on that, but instead we continue to push the regulations [and] we continue to regulate the industry.” House Speaker Kyle Hilbert (R) has also largely dismissed the prospect of upending the state’s medical cannabis program. He said Oklahomans have already drawn a clear distinction: They support medical marijuana and “resoundingly” oppose adult-use legalization, based on past election results. Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond (R) was asked last month about the governor’s call to have voters revisit the state’s medical marijuana program, and he said he’d “love” to see the state’s medical marijuana program wiped out. However, he cautioned that doing so would mean reimbursing the hundreds of licensees participating in the market because the state would be “taking” a revenue source away from them. Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader Julia Kirt (D) said she’s “not into revisiting state questions,” and lawmakers should “trust the people, and we should actually implement them as well.” “This legislature, before our time, could have made a decision to put guardrails in place before this state question passed,” the senator said. “Instead, they stuck their head in the sand and let that question pass and be mayhem.” Chris Anoatubby, the lieutenant governor of the Chickasaw Nation in Oklahoma, aligned himself with Stitt’s position, stating that the medical marijuana program as currently implemented has “been a problem all over Oklahoma.” He added that he’d “absolutely” support “reforming” the cannabis law. During his speech last month, the governor complained that the state has “more dispensaries than we do pharmacies,” adding that marijuana retailers “hide an industry that enables cartel activity, human trafficking, and foreign influence in our state.” While regulators and law enforcement have “done incredible work to hold back the tide of illegal activity,” Stitt said, the industry is “plagued by foreign criminal interests and bad actors, making it nearly impossible to rein in.” “We can’t put a band-aid on a broken bone,” he said. “Knowing what we know, it’s time to let Oklahomans bring safety and sanity back to their neighborhoods. Send the marijuana issue back to the vote of the people and shut it down.” While the governor’s rhetoric signals he may be interested in seeing the medical cannabis industry shuttered altogether, it’s not clear what exactly he wants voters to decide on and his office has not released specific language of a proposed ballot measure. Back in 2022, Stitt similarly used his State of the State address as an opportunity to dig at the voter-approved medical marijuana law, arguing that residents were misled by proponents of the ballot initiative. Meanwhile, in November, Oklahoma activists withdrew an adult-use marijuana legalization initiative that they’d hoped to place on the state’s 2026 ballot. After a short but aggressive signature push to secure ballot placement, Oklahomans for Responsible Cannabis Action (ORCA) ultimately did not turn in its petitions by the deadline, according to the secretary of state’s office. ORCA said following the governor’s speech that the call for an end to the medical cannabis program is “simply an admission of his administration’s failure.” “While we were busy advocating for common sense regulation, his appointees were busy importing thousands of illegal [Chinese Communist Party] grows,” the group said.”Fortunately, the Feds picked up prosecution.. because they weren’t getting held accountable by the State.” “Fortunately, [Stitt] has no power here. It will take a vote of both the House and Senate to propose a vote to cancel SQ 788,” they said.”As we all move forward we must continue to be forward thinking, not backward acting. We look forward to talking and working with lawmakers, now and in the future.” — 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, law enforcement leaders with the Oklahoma Association of Chiefs and Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs have been raising concerns about cannabis. Also in Oklahoma, lawmakers last March advanced a bill aimed at protecting gun rights of state-registered medical marijuana patients, although federal law still bars cannabis users from owning firearms regardless of their patient status. Another state bill filed last year by a GOP legislator would criminalize the use of medical cannabis during pregnancy. Photo courtesy of Chris Wallis // Side Pocket Images. The post Oklahoma Governor Says Medical Marijuana Law Has ‘Failed’ And State Should ‘Shut This Broken System Down’ appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

“While the City Council was permitted to consider all relevant evidence and has wide discretion…we hold that the City Council has to provide a discernible reason for its determination.” By Sophie Nieto-Muñoz, New Jersey Monitor New Jersey’s cannabis industry scored a victory Tuesday when a state appellate panel ruled that municipalities must explain why they deny requests for local support to open dispensaries, a decision that could have implications for legal weed retailers statewide. The 23-page decision rejects an argument by the Burlington City Council that it is allowed to reject those requests without explaining why. The council was sued by the owners of a planned cannabis dispensary after council members denied the owners’ request for a resolution of local support, a document required to open recreational cannabis dispensaries in New Jersey. “While the City Council was permitted to consider all relevant evidence and has wide discretion under its general police powers to deny the issuance of an ROS, we hold that the City Council has to provide a discernible reason for its determination,” reads the ruling by Judge Lisa Perez Friscia. Tuesday’s decision rejects a lower court judge’s ruling that required Burlington to issue the resolution of support to the owners of the planned dispensary, called Higher Breed. The newer ruling requires the Burlington council to reconsider Higher Breed’s request for support and then issue a resolution that provides a basis for the council’s decision. A request for comment from Higher Breed’s attorneys was not returned. New Jersey voters opted in 2020 to legalize cannabis, but the state’s legalization law allowed towns to opt out of cannabis sales, and about 70 percent of towns did so. The Cannabis Regulatory Commission, which is tasked with approving cannabis retail licenses, requires prospective license holders to obtain a resolution of local support from the town where they plan to operate. In December 2023, Higher Breed, owned by Jim and Karen Waltz, applied to the Burlington City Council for a resolution of local support for a store on East Route 130. After hearing from a real estate broker who does not live in Burlington and claimed the property’s owner was “dishonest” and owed him a real estate commission, the council ultimately rejected Higher Breed’s request for a resolution of local support. Higher Breed then sued. Tuesday’s decision agrees that Burlington’s council has the authority to reject a request for a resolution of local support for a cannabis retailer, but the judges said the council cannot do so without providing a reason. State law “offers no exemption for municipalities from providing in an adopted resolution the basis for denying local support,” the decision reads. This story was first published by New Jersey Monitor. Photo elements courtesy of rawpixel and Philip Steffan. The post New Jersey Cities Must Explain Marijuana Business Denials, Court Says appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

Members of a key congressional committee have advanced a large-scale agriculture bill that hemp industry stakeholders hoped could be used to delay a pending federal ban on cannabinoid products containing THC. But while the latest Farm Bill does contain certain hemp provisions, it seems unlikely at this stage that the measure will be used to prevent that market upheaval. The House Agriculture Committee on Tuesday and Wednesday held a markup of the 2026 Farm Bill, ultimately approving it by a vote of 34-17. Despite a push from lawmakers and hemp interests, however, two GOP-led amendments seeking to push back the THC recriminalization timeline were not approved after the chairman determined they were not germane to the underlying legislation. Rep. Jim Baird (R-IN) filed the amendments ahead of the markup, with one proposal to delay the hemp ban that’s currently set to take effect in November by one year and another that would give the industry two additional years as they work to put forward a regulatory alternative for intoxicating cannabinoid products. Baird has separately introduced standalone legislation that would push the implementation back by two years. Baird is not present on Capitol Hill this week due to the recent death of his wife, so Rep. Angie Craig (D-MN), the panel’s minority ranking member, presented the two-year-delay amendment on his behalf—though after a brief discussion she withdrew it without forcing a vote on the issue. “This amendment seeks to delay the last-minute changing of definitions around him that was inserted into a recent appropriations bill, which has caused market uncertainty and widespread economic anxiety among farmers, processors, retailers and consumers back home in Minnesota and of course, in [Baird’s] home state as well,” she said. The way Congress’s GOP majority included hemp THC recriminalization provisions in a spending bill last year was “just plain wrong,” Craig said. “Literally planning decisions are being made right now by hemp farmers. That’s why I called for a comprehensive regulatory framework for the safe production and marketing of hemp the right products, a framework that puts in place clear rules of the road for growers and retailers, includes protections for children and safeguards for consumers, and brings the relevant federal agencies, whether it’s [the Food and Drug Administration], [The U.S. Department of Agriculture] or other related agencies, into the process at the appropriate point for the appropriate product.” “I stand ready to work with my colleagues, both in this committee and in other committees on both sides of the aisle to come together and move forward, not backward on this issue. This is an industry with tremendous room for innovation and growth… This is an industry that we shouldn’t be demonizing and fearing, but it should be brought into the light and smartly regulated to protect the safety and wellbeing of our communities, while giving entrepreneurs, farmers, small businesses opportunities to develop new markets, create new products and meet the needs of consumers. By the way, more than a few Minnesotans have reached out to me about this issue, concerned that big whiskey distillers in Kentucky are trying to restrict consumer choice in Minnesota. That doesn’t sit well with me at all, and it certainly doesn’t sit well with my hockey moms. I think our nation would be better for having a comprehensive regulatory framework in this space, and we in Congress need to come together to figure this out.” Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA), chair of the Agriculture Committee, had reportedly determined in advance of this week’s meetings that Baird’s hemp amendments were not germane to the bill. “The [agriculture] appropriations bill that passed last fall brought clarity to the industry on what is or is not allowable under the definitions of hemp,” he said Wednesday. “Importantly, to many in this room today, that language addressed the issue of final form products that have been the source of many public health concerns since the 2018 Farm Bill because they lacked a federal regulatory structure.” “A comprehensive regulatory framework for these products falls outside the jurisdiction of this committee, and instead of falls within the jurisdiction of our colleagues…on Energy and Commerce,” the chairman said. While the House committee didn’t vote on the hemp THC ban delay amendments, the base bill that was marked up does include several sections that concern cannabis grown by farmers for industrial purposes such as fiber and grain. For example, the legislation would amend existing statute related to the development of industrial hemp production regulatory plans by states and tribes—including surrounding polices for testing, sampling, background checks and record-keeping. “Within this base bill, we do support our hemp farmers in a couple of different ways,” Thompson said at the markup. “We direct USDA to expand and access more laboratories for our hemp farmers to be able to have their commodity tested… Also, we have provided states more flexibility in this space.” Here’s a summary of the hemp language in the 2026 Farm Bill from House Agriculture Committee staff: “Sec. 10005. Hemp production. Section 10006 amends subtitle G of the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946. Subsection (a) amends section 297B to require State and Tribal plans to include a procedure under which a hemp producer shall be required to designate the type of production of the hemp producer; allow State and Tribal plans to include a procedure for the use of visual inspections, performance-based sampling methodologies, certified seed, or a similar procedure when developing sampling plans for industrial hemp; allow State and Tribal plans to include a procedure for eliminating the 10-year period of ineligibility following the date of conviction for producers of industrial hemp with a felony related to a controlled substance; require documentation during inspections that demonstrates a clear intent to produce industrial hemp for producers under a State or Tribal plan that includes procedures for reducing or eliminating sampling or testing requirements for industrial hemp; allow testing if a producer of industrial hemp fails to provide required documentation; require the State or Tribe to report a producer of industrial to the Attorney General and applicable law enforcement officers if that producer violated the State or Tribal plan by producing a crop that is inconsistent with the designation of industrial hemp; and ban any person who knowingly produced a crop that is inconsistent with the designation of industrial hemp from obtaining a hemp license for 5 years. Subsection (b) amends section 297C to require a Department of Agriculture plan to include a procedure under which a hemp producer shall be required to designate the type of production of the hemp producer; allow a Department of Agriculture plan to include a procedure for the use of visual inspections, performance-based sampling methodologies, certified seed, or a similar procedure when developing sampling plans for industrial hemp; allow a Department of Agriculture plan to include a procedure for eliminating the 10-year period of ineligibility following the date of conviction for producers of industrial hemp with a felony related to a controlled substance; require documentation during inspections that demonstrates a clear intent to produce industrial hemp for producers under a Department of Agriculture plan that includes procedures for reducing or eliminating sampling or testing requirements for industrial hemp; allow testing if a producer of industrial hemp fails to provide required documentation; and requires the Secretary to collect information related to the designation of the type of production of hemp producers and the laboratory certificate of analysis for hemp disposed of. Subsection (c) amends section 297D to require the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a process by which the Department of Agriculture can issue certificates of accreditation to laboratories for the purposes of testing hemp.” Meanwhile, Wisconsin’s governor is among the most recent voices to call on congressional lawmakers to urgently take action to block the federal hemp THC ban, which threatens to wipe out much of the state’s cannabis market. It’s an issue he said is “intensified” by the fact that the state has yet to legalize marijuana for medical or adult use. On the other side of the debate, a coalition of law enforcement and anti-drug groups recently implored congressional leaders to oppose efforts to delay the implementation of the hemp THC ban. Hemp and alcohol industry stakeholders are on full alert amid a pending ban on hemp THC products—including increasingly popular cannabinoid beverages—and a former Democratic congressman who owns a major alcohol company recently spoke at Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America’s (WSWA) Access LIVE 2026 event in Las Vegas where he and others discussed the policy landscape around hemp and how to avert an industry-wide upheaval. WSWA, which hosted the event, has been closely monitoring federal hemp policy developments, and the association was among the first in the sector to call on Congress to dial back language in the now-enacted law set to ban most consumable hemp products, while proposing to maintain the legalization of naturally derived cannabinoids from the crop and only prohibit synthetic items. Other major alcohol retailers came together in January to encourage Congress to delay the enactment of the law Trump signed that will federally recriminalize hemp-derived THC beverages and other products. Lawmakers from across the aisle have been raising concerns about the potential consequences of the hemp redefinition, which would eradicate most consumable cannabinoid products that have become commonplace in states across the U.S., including those where marijuana hasn’t been legalized. Rep. James Comer (R-KY) and Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner Jonathan Shell are among the critics of the ban, and they sent a letter to Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) last month imploring him to use his influence to avert the recriminalization, at least on a temporary basis, by supporting the proposed implementation delay. While McConnell championed hemp legalization under the 2018 Farm Bill, however, the former Senate majority leader has supported unraveling the hemp THC market that he’s described as an unintended consequences of the broader agriculture legislation. — 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. — Since 2018, cannabis products have been considered legal hemp if they contain less than 0.3 percent delta-9 THC on a dry weight basis. The provisions set to take effect later this year specify that, within one year of enactment, the weight will apply to total THC—including delta-8 and other isomers. It will also include “any other cannabinoids that have similar effects (or are marketed to have similar effects) on humans or animals as a tetrahydrocannabinol (as determined by the Secretary of Health and Human Services).” The new definition of legal hemp will additionally ban “any intermediate hemp-derived cannabinoid products which are marketed or sold as a final product or directly to an end consumer for personal or household use” as well as products containing cannabinoids that are synthesized or manufactured outside of the cannabis plant or not capable of being naturally produced by it. Legal hemp products will be limited to a total of 0.4 milligrams per container of total THC or any other cannabinoids with similar effects. Within 90 days of the bill’s enactment, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other agencies were supposed to publish list of “all cannabinoids known to FDA to be capable of being naturally produced by a Cannabis sativa L. plant, as reflected in peer reviewed literature,” “all tetrahydrocannabinol class cannabinoids known to the agency to be naturally occurring in the plant” and “all other known cannabinoids with similar effects to, or marketed to have similar effects to, tetrahyrocannabinol class cannabinoids.” However, FDA appears to have missed that deadline. A spokesperson told Marijuana Moment last month that the lists would be posted in the Federal Register when they’re available. Photo courtesy of Brendan Cleak. The post Congressional Lawmakers Approve Farm Bill With Hemp Provisions—But Not The THC Ban Delay Stakeholders Wanted appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

The Trump administration is issuing a reminder to U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) substance abuse professionals (SAPs) about federal drug testing policies—including a directive to disregard attempts to justify positive tests for THC due to a worker’s use of medical marijuana or hemp oil. In a notice published in the Federal Register on Wednesday, DOT said SAPs have a “crucial role to play in recommending the level of treatment an employee may need in their path to returning to performing a safety-sensitive function after violating the DOT’s drug and alcohol testing regulations.” “SAPs represent the major decision point (and in some cases, the only decision point) an employer may have in choosing whether or not to place an employee behind the steering wheel of a school bus, in the cockpit of a plane, at the helm of an oil tanker, at the throttle of a train, in the engineer compartment of a subway car, or at the emergency control valves of a natural gas pipeline,” the notice says. “The SAP’s responsibility to the public is enormous.” The department said the reminder was deemed necessary after it “became aware” of “issues related to the SAP’s roles and responsibilities,” including with respect to when federally regulated transportation workers such as truck drivers may return to duty following a positive drug test. While it’s unclear whether any of those cases involved cannabis-related testing violations, DOT felt the need to specifically reiterate that, when making recommendations related to such violations, SAPs “must not take into consideration” any employee’s attempt to “mitigate the seriousness” of the situation by claiming they used marijuana for medical purposes as a majority of states authorize or hemp oil that’s federally legal but sometimes contains excess concentrations of THC that trigger positive test results. “Contact positives” are also not to be regarded as legitimate defenses against positive drug test results, nor should SAPs let a person’s consumption of food with poppyseeds factor into their recommendations for opioid-related violations, DOT said in the new notice. This doesn’t represent a new policy that’s been instituted by the Trump administration; rather, it simply echoes existing procedure under the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). DOT Rule 49 CFR Part 40 Section 40.293 (Subpart O) states the following: “For purposes of your role in the evaluation process, you must assume that a verified positive test result has conclusively established that the employee committed a DOT drug and alcohol regulation violation. You must not take into consideration in any way, as a factor in determining what your recommendation will be, any of the following: A claim by the employee that the test was unjustified or inaccurate; Statements by the employee that attempt to mitigate the seriousness of a violation of a DOT drug or alcohol regulation (e.g., related to assertions of use of hemp oil, “medical marijuana” use, “contact positives,” poppy seed ingestion, job stress); or Personal opinions you may have about the justification or rationale for drug and alcohol testing.” Meanwhile, last year, DOT proposed a new rule to update its drug testing guidelines, revising terminology around cannabis in a way that provides more specificity related to THC. In a notice published in the Federal Register last September, DOT said it was proposing the rule change to “harmonize” with cannabis terminology adopted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). — 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. — In 2023, the department separately finalized a rule permitting another alternative option to screening urine samples: saliva-based testing. Depending on frequency of use, THC is generally detectable in saliva anywhere from one to 24 hours after use, according to the agency. A 2023 congressional report for a Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (THUD) bill, meanwhile, said that the House Appropriations Committee “continues to support the development of an objective standard to measure marijuana impairment and a related field sobriety test to ensure highway safety.” A year earlier Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-CO) sent a letter to DOT under the Biden administration seeking an update on that status of the federal report into research barriers that are inhibiting the development of that standardized test for marijuana impairment on the roads. The post Use Of Medical Marijuana Or Hemp Doesn’t Excuse Drug Testing Violations, Trump’s Transportation Department Warns appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

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VA marijuana sales & resentencing votes; FL legalization poll & court battle; WA & VA medical cannabis in hospitals; HI psychedelics; MI revenue 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 Texas voters who participated in the Democratic primary election approved a marijuana ballot question that asks whether the state should “legalize cannabis for adults and automatically expunge criminal records for past low-level cannabis offenses”—by a margin of 80 percent to 20 percent. A new poll of Florida likely voters shows that 66 percent support legalizing marijuana, a result that comes as state officials are asking the Supreme Court to uphold their rejection of tens of thousands of signatures on cannabis ballot petitions. The Florida House of Representatives passed a bill to slash medical cannabis registration fees for military veterans—with the sponsor saying that marijuana helps with “managing chronic pain, alleviating the effects of PTSD, improving sleep and reducing the dependency on opioids.” The Virginia House of Delegates and Senate gave final passage to amended versions of each other’s bills to legalize recreational marijuana sales, and the House approved legislation to provide resentencing relief for prior cannabis convictions. The Virginia Senate and House of Delegates passed a bill to allow medical cannabis use in hospitals and create a new state working group to issue guidelines on the issue, teeing it up to be sent to Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) after a technical error in companion legislation is fixed. Washington State lawmakers sent Gov. Bob Ferguson (D) a bill to allow terminally ill patients to use medical cannabis in healthcare facilities such as hospitals, nursing homes and hospices. The Hawaii Senate Ways and Means Committee approved a bill to create a psychedelics task force responsible for studying and making policy recommendations on providing access to breakthrough therapies such as psilocybin and MDMA. The Michigan Cannabis Regulatory Agency announced that the state is distributing nearly $94 million in marijuana tax revenue to 313 municipal, county and tribal governments to support various local infrastructure, education and other programs and services. / FEDERAL The U.S. Embassy and Consulates in Mexico sent a warning to U.S. citizens traveling for spring break that “drug possession and use, including of medical marijuana, is illegal in Mexico and may result in a lengthy jail sentence.” Former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) said positive results in a trial of 5-MeO-DMT benzoate are “great to see. Expanding access to psychedelics was the one legislative collaboration I had with @AOC.” / STATES California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) touted efforts to combat sales of illegal kratom products. Oklahoma’s attorney general said the bond set by a court for the alleged leader of an illegal marijuana operation is too low. Kansas’s House speaker said his chamber will not take up marijuana reform unless the Senate acts first. A Pennsylvania representative is planning to file a bill to regulate hemp THC beverages. A Maryland senator discussed his bill to protect firefighters and rescue workers from being fired for off-duty medical cannabis use. A Michigan senator said the state attorney general could initiate an investigation into Menominee’s marijuana business approval process. A Virginia delegate said he is proud to have voted for a bill to legalize recreational marijuana sales even as a prohibitionist organization is targeting him in an ad. Washington, D.C. officials closed a medical cannabis cultivation facility over alleged violations. Minnesota regulators published a report on tax-delinquent cannabis businesses. The Tennessee Medical Cannabis Commission will meet on Thursday. — 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. — / LOCAL The Los Angeles, California City Council voted to develop an amnesty program for tax-delinquent marijuana businesses. / INTERNATIONAL Canadian officials reported that the cannabis industry contributed nearly $11.6 billion to the country’s gross domestic product in 2025. / SCIENCE & HEALTH A study found that “contrary to the prevailing assumption that cannabis use exacerbates cognitive decline, our findings indicate an unexpected association between cannabis use and preserved cognitive functioning in psychosis.” A study found that “psilocybin sessions delivered under the Oregon regulatory model were associated with clinically meaningful improvements in depression, anxiety, and well-being 30-days post-session.” / BUSINESS RYTHM, Inc. reported quarterly revenue of $10.7 million and a net loss of $13.6 million. Trulieve Cannabis Corp. is laying off 58 employees at a customer service center in Clearwater, Florida. High Tide Inc. has new board of directors members. / CULTURE Wrestler Rob Van Dam said he would consider returning to the WWE now that it no longer drug tests for marijuana. 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: Photo courtesy of Max Jackson. The post Texas voters approve cannabis legalization ballot measure (Newsletter: March 5, 2026) appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

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The Florida House of Representatives has passed a bill to significantly reduce the fee for military veterans to obtain medical marijuana registry identification cards. The measure from Reps. Susan Valdés (R) and Michelle Salzman (R) was approved in a unanimous 113-0 vote on Wednesday. This comes after the proposal cleared three House panels and as separate Senate legislation to reduce medical cannabis costs for veterans is also advancing. If HB 887 is enacted into law, veterans who have been honorably discharged would need to pay a $15 fee to obtain a medical cannabis card—down from the current $75 fee for most qualifying patients. The $15 charge would also apply to any replacement cards, as well as annual renewals. In order to qualify for the reduced fee, veterans would need to supply the state Department of Health (DOH) with a copy of their discharge release form, a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) identification card or a Florida driver license “bearing the veteran designation.” The law would take effect beginning on July 1 of this year. “Medical cannabis has shown promise in alleviating symptoms commonly experienced by military veterans, like managing chronic pain, alleviating the effects of PTSD, improving sleep and reducing the dependency on opioids,” Valdés said on the House floor. “This bill will largely reduce the financial barriers veterans face when accessing medical marijuana, their chosen healthcare solution.” “By reducing the cost of access is not only a symbolic gesture for the veterans that serve us, it directly removes the cost barrier that’s too high often keeps already underserved veterans from participating in this program, and this is a way that we can show how grateful we are to our veterans by lighting that board green,” she said, as first reported by Florida Politics. According to a bill analysis, the reform would have an “indeterminate, negative fiscal impact on DOH.” While there are currently more than 931,000 registered medical marijuana patients in Florida, the “number of veterans who hold active medical marijuana use registry identification cards is unknown,” and so “the amount of revenue reduction is unknown.” That said, the analysis states that the policy change would “have a positive fiscal impact on veterans who will experience a $60 reduction in the cost of the identification card under the bill.” Earlier this month, the Senate Health Policy Committee advanced a bill from Sen. Alexis Calatayud (R) that would also reduce the medical cannabis registration fees for veterans to $15 and enact other reforms to expand medical marijuana access. Under that proposal as amended, a doctor would be able to recommend up to five 70-day supply limits of cannabis or up to 10 35-day supply limits of smokable marijuana products. Under current law, they can only provide recommendations for a maximum of three 70-day supply limits for non-smokable cannabis and six 35-day supply limits for smokable marijuana. The bill, SB 1032, would further make it so doctors would need to evaluate patients for medical marijuana qualification every 52 weeks, rather than the current statutory requirement of evaluations every 30 weeks. Here’s an overview of other pending Florida marijuana bills: A House lawmaker is sponsoring a bill to legalize recreational marijuana that also aims to break up what he calls “monopolies” in the state’s current medical cannabis program by revising the business licensing structure. Another representative’s bill would protect the parental rights of medical cannabis patients, preventing them from losing custody of their children for using their medicine in accordance with state law. Other legislation would also allow doctors to recommend cannabis to any patient who has a condition for which they have been prescribed opioids. A senator is sponsoring a bill to legalize home cultivation of marijuana for registered medical cannabis patients in the state. — 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, a Florida campaign seeking to put marijuana legalization on the ballot is facing complications as it continues to litigate the status of its 2026 signature drive. Advocates are now asking the state Supreme Court to overturn officials’ decision to invalidate tens of thousands of petitions they submitted. A new poll released this week shows that a majority of Florida voters support legalizing cannabis. Photo courtesy of Max Jackson. The post Florida Lawmakers Pass Bill To Provide Discounted Medical Marijuana Cards For Military Veterans appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

Hawaii senators have taken another step to advance a bill that would create a psychedelics task force responsible for studying and making policy recommendations on providing access to breakthrough therapies such as psilocybin and MDMA. About a week after the Senate Health and Human Services Committee unanimously approved the legislation from Sen. Chris Lee (D), members of the Ways & Means Committee followed suit on Tuesday, voting 12-0 to send the measure to the floor. The measure would create a Mental Health Emerging Therapies Task Force that’d be tasked with spending two years reviewing the current scientific literature, supporting additional clinical research and “developing policy recommendations for safe, ethical, and culturally-informed implementation” of a psychedelics therapy program. “The legislature finds that addressing the mental health crisis affecting the residents of the State, particularly among veterans, first responders, and trauma survivors, is urgent,” the bill, SB 3199, states. “Suicide continues to be a leading cause of preventable death, and the State must explore all safe and effective treatment options supported by scientific evidence.” Noting that the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has already designated psilocybin and MDMA as breakthrough therapies in the treatment of serious mental health conditions, which could lend to future rescheduling under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), the Hawaii legislation says the state “must proactively prepare public health, clinical, and research systems for safe and equitable implementation.” Members of the task force would have to include representatives of the state Department of Health (DOH), the attorney general’s office, the Office of Wellness and Resilience (OWR), the University of Hawaii’s medical school and more. As drafted, DOH would have overseen the task force, but that was amended in committee to make it the responsibility of “an entity with demonstrated expertise in primary scientific research and pharmaceutical or medical education.” “Administrative placement of the task force within an entity with demonstrated expertise in primary scientific research and pharmaceutical or medical education shall not be construed to transfer, delegate, diminish, expand, or otherwise modify any regulatory, enforcement, licensing, scheduling, or rulemaking authority vested in the Department of Health, Board of Pharmacy, or any other state agency,” the bill as revised says. “All statutory authority relating to controlled substances, professional licensure, and public health regulation shall remain with the appropriate executive branch agencies as provided by law.” It appears that the bill would build upon prior work conducted by a separate psychedelics task force that convened for the first time in 2023, with a similar goal of exploring pathways for therapeutic access into FDA-approved breakthrough drugs like psilocybin. — 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, Hawaii senators recently approved a bill to legalize low-dose and low-potency marijuana, even as their counterparts in the House of Representatives say cannabis prohibition will not be ended in the state this year. The Health and Human Services Committee also approved a bill to allow patients to immediately access medical cannabis once their registrations are submitted, instead of having to wait until their cards are delivered as is the case under current law. A separate marijuana legalization bill that contained provisions making the reform contingent on changes to federal law or the state Constitution, SB 2421, was deferred for action. Both Senate and House panels additionally deferred action on a measure to allow for the sale of certain hemp-derived cannabinoid products. The Senate committee action comes after key House lawmakers signaled that cannabis legalization proposals would not be advancing in the 2026 session, citing a lack of sufficient support in their chamber. Photo elements courtesy of carlosemmaskype and Apollo. The post Hawaii Senators Advance Bill To Create Psychedelics Task Force And Study Pathways To Access Psilocybin And MDMA appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

Virginia lawmakers are nearing the finish line for a series of marijuana reform bills—including proposals to legalize adult-use sales, provide a pathway for resentencing past convictions and allow patients to use medical cannabis in hospitals. The House on Wednesday approved a Senate-passed measure, SB 542 from Sen. Lashrecse Aird (D), to establish a commercial marijuana market in a 66-33 vote, with amendments to more closely conform it to the House’s own measure. And the Senate cleared that House companion version, HB 642 from Del. Paul Krizek (D), in a 21-19 vote after adopting amendments to conform it to the body’s version. “As we get this bill into conference, Senator Aird and I will continue our work to get this bill to the best posture to ensure Virginia consumers have access to a safe, regulated and taxed product, with public safety at the forefront,” Krizek said ahead of the House vote. Also on the House side, the chamber on Wednesday voted 65-34 to approve an amended version of legislation sponsored by Sen. Louise Lucas (D), SB 62, to give relief to people with prior cannabis-related convictions. Both chambers’ marijuana sales proposals have been aimed at giving adults a legal means of buying cannabis, the possession and home cultivation of which was legalized in the state in 2021—though there are key differences that remain, including with respect to the start date for legal sales and tax rates. Bicameral lawmakers have made progress aligning on other details in recent weeks, however. For example, both bills were amended to stipulate that microbusiness licensees can cultivate, process or conduct retail sales at up to two locations instead of one, so long as they’re located within 10 miles of each other and operate under common ownership and control. Lawmakers have also revised the legislation to clarify that current medical cannabis businesses would only be able to cultivate cannabis indoors, including in secure greenhouses with a total canopy cap of 70,000 square feet. The amendments also make it so they could not have any additional marijuana licenses beyond their medical permits with “dual-use privileges.” Finally, the measures’ conversion fee structure was revised in a way that lets current medical marijuana businesses pay for the privilege to serve the adult-use market in three installments. With respect to the Senate marijuana sales bill, members recently clashed in committee about amendments to the body’s version that would have added new penalties for illegal cannabis activity. The amendments at issue from the Courts of Justice Committee included penalties for consumers who buy from unlicensed sources, the recriminalization of cannabis possession by people under 21 and making sales a class 1 misdemeanor for a first offense and a crime punishable by mandatory jail time for a second offense. As revised, the bill would have also raised the penalty for unlicensed cultivation to a felony punishable by up to five years in jail and made it a felony to transport with intent to distribute cannabis across state lines. But the Finance and Appropriations Committee reversed the amendments last month amid pressure from a coalition of advocacy groups that sent a letter to senators saying they undermined the “intent” of the legislation and the “will of the people” by adding criminal penalties for certain cannabis-related activity. Here are the key details of the Virginia marijuana sales legalization legislation, SB 542 and HB 642: Adults would 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. The House bill sets the state date for legal sales as November 1, 2026, while the Senate measure would allow them to begin on January 1, 2027. The Senate bill would set an excise tax on cannabis products of 12.875 percent, in addition to a 1.125 percent state sales tax and a mandatory 3 percent local tax. The House measure would apply an excise tax of 6 percent as well as a 5.3 percent retail sales and use tax, while allowing municipalities to set a local tax of up to 3.5 percent. Under the House bill, the Virginia Cannabis Control Authority would oversee licensing and regulation of the new industry, while the Senate legislation tasks that to a new combined Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Control Authority. The House bill calls for revenue to be distributed to a new Cannabis Equity Reinvestment Fund (60 percent), early childhood education (10 percent), the Department of Behavioral & Developmental Health Services (25 percent) and public health initiatives (5 percent). The Senate proposal, meanwhile, would put 30 percent toward the equity reinvestment fund, 40 percent for early childhood eduction, 25 percent to the behavioral and developmental health services department and 5 percent to public health initiatives. 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. Existing medical cannabis operators could enter the adult-use market if they pay a licensing conversion fee that is set at $15 million in the Senate bill and $10 million in the House measure. Cannabis businesses would have to establish labor peace agreements with workers. A legislative commission would be directed 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. It would also investigate the possibility of the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority becoming involved in marijuana regulations and enforcement. Overall, both chambers’ commercial sales bills have largely aligned with recommendations released in December by the legislature’s Joint Commission to Oversee the Transition of the Commonwealth into a Cannabis Retail Market. Meanwhile, certain GOP members have found themselves ideologically aligned with their Democratic colleagues throughout this legislative process, breaking with the majority of their caucus in support of creating a regulated marketplace for adults to purchase cannabis. Since legalizing cannabis possession and home cultivation in 2021, Virginia lawmakers have worked to establish a commercial marijuana market—only to have those efforts consistently stalled under former Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R), who twice vetoed measures to enact it that were sent to his desk by the legislature. Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D), for her part, supports legalizing adult-use marijuana sales. Meanwhile, Virginia House and Senate lawmakers have been advancing a pair of companion bills that would provide a pathway to resentencing for people with prior marijuana convictions. The House voted 65-34 on Wednesday to pass Lucas’s version, The legislation as introduced in both chambers would create a process by which people who are incarcerated or on community supervision for certain felony offenses involving the possession, manufacture, selling or distribution of marijuana could receive an automatic hearing to consider modification of their sentences. Separately Virginia lawmakers this week took additional steps toward enacting legislation that would let certain patients use medical marijuana in hospitals, teeing up the reform to be sent to the governor’s desk imminently. — 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, Virginia lawmakers are also advancing a bill to protect the rights of parents who use marijuana in compliance with state law. Under the proposal from Del. Nadarius Clark (D), possession of use of cannabis by a parent or guardian on its own “shall not serve as a basis to deem a child abused or neglected unless other facts establish that such possession or consumption causes or creates a risk of physical or mental injury to the child.” “A person’s legal possession or consumption of substances authorized under [the state’s marijuana law] alone shall not serve as a basis to restrict custody or visitation unless other facts establish that such possession or consumption is not in the best interest of the child,” the text of the bill, HB 942, states. Separately, the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry recently published a new outlining workplace protections for cannabis consumers. Photo courtesy of Mike Latimer. The post Virginia Marijuana Bills Near Finish Line With Votes On Legalizing Sales And Resentencing Prior Convictions appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

As Florida officials defend their decision to invalidate tens of thousands of signatures for a proposed marijuana legalization ballot initiative, a new poll reaffirms that a majority of Floridians want to see the reform enacted. The Smart & Safe Florida campaign behind the cannabis initiative has found itself fighting in multiple court cases in hopes of giving voters another chance to decide on legalization. That currently involves a case challenging state officials over the invalidation of signatures from inactive voters and those collected by non-residents. While the signature count was recently reset to zero by the state Division of Elections, the marijuana campaign hasn’t abandoned the lawsuit, urging the state Supreme Court to intervene. And on Monday, the division and secretary of state’s office submitted a brief urging the justices to deny Smart & Safe Florida’s motion for a discretionary review into the controversy. “Discretionary review is unwarranted,” the officials said in the brief, which was first reported by Law360. “First, the First District’s opinion does not meet any of the criteria for discretionary jurisdiction in Article V, Section 3(b)(3) of the Florida Constitution. Second, the decision below is plainly correct: the Secretary has statutory authority to provide written direction to the Supervisors, and the circuit court’s declarations about the Directives’ legal conclusions constituted impermissible advisory opinions. Third, because Smart & Safe missed the [February 1] deadline for qualifying its petition for the ballot and the disputed signatures have expired, this case is moot.” As the state fights the legal challenge from the cannabis campaign, which has also faced opposition from Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), a newly released survey from the University of North Florida’s Public Opinion Research Lab (PORL) strongly signals that the state it out of step with most residents in the state. The poll found that 66 percent of likely midterm voters in Florida are in favor of legalizing marijuana for adult use, compared to 30 percent who said they oppose the reform. Consistent with past polling on the issue, support was strongest among Democrats (77 percent) and independents (80 percent). But even a slim majority of Republicans (50 percent) back the policy change. “Just as we found throughout much of 2024, marijuana legalization enjoys high cross-partisan support,” Sean Freeder, PORL director and a professor of political science, said in a press release. “However, once Gov. DeSantis began heavily campaigning against the amendment, support soured enough to lead to its failure. This could happen again, though we won’t find out in 2026, given enough signatures were rejected in legal challenges to keep the issue off the ballot.” The survey involved interviews with 786 likely Florida midterm voters from February 21-March 2. Meanwhile, the lawsuit over signatures from inactive voters and those gathered by non-residents came after another court upheld a previous decision to strike about 200,000 signatures that the state said were invalid because the petitions didn’t include the full text of the proposed initiative. The campaign contested the legal interpretation, but it declined to appeal the decision based on their confidence they’d collected enough signatures to make up the difference. Smart & Safe Florida has generally disputed the secretary of state’s signature count, asserting the campaign submitted over 1.4 million petitions—hundreds of thousands more than the 880,062 valid signatures required to go before voters. In a recent filing with the Supreme Court, Attorney General James Uthmeier (R) said his office was withdrawing its earlier request for a legal review in the constitutionality of the proposed cannabis initiative because the state claimed the campaign submitted an insufficient number of signed petitions. The last count, according to the secretary of state’s office, was 783,592 validated signatures. In its reply brief, Smart & Safe Florida said the secretary of state’s office made a determination that the campaign didn’t satisfy requirements for ballot placement based on a “conclusion that the Sponsor failed to meet the requisite signature threshold in light of the invalidations that the Sponsor is contesting.” Ahead of the signature turn-in, Florida’s attorney general and several business and anti-marijuana groups urged the state Supreme Court to block the cannabis initiative, calling it “fatally flawed” and unconstitutional. The Florida Chamber of Commerce, Florida Legal Foundation and Judge Frank Shepherd filed a separate joint brief stating that the parties remain “especially vigilant about the abuse of the citizen initiative process by out-of-state interests that think of Florida as just another market and the citizen initiative process as just another means of exploiting that market.” The Florida Chamber of Commerce has consistently opposed attempts to move forward with adult-use legalization, even as its own polling has shown majority support for the reform. In January, the state attorney general’s office opened dozens of criminal investigations and submitted subpoenas requesting records from Smart & Safe Florida and its contractors and subcontractors over alleged fraud related to the petitioning effort. Activists said in November that they’d collected more than one million signatures to put the cannabis measure on the ballot, but it’s also challenged officials at the state Supreme Court level over delays the certification process, arguing that the review of the ballot content and summary should have moving forward months ago when it reached an initial signature threshold. The state then agreed to move forward with the processing. The governor campaigned heavily against an earlier version of the legalization proposal, which received a majority of voters in 2024 but not enough to meet the 60 percent threshold required to pass a constitutional amendment. Former Attorney General Ashley Moody (R) unsuccessfully contested the prior initiative in the courts. Last March, meanwhile, two Democratic members of Congress representing Florida asked the federal government to investigate what they described as “potentially unlawful diversion” of millions in state Medicaid funds via a group with ties to DeSantis. The money was used to fight against a citizen ballot initiative, vehemently opposed by the governor, that would have legalized marijuana for adults. The lawmakers’ letter followed allegations that a $10 million donation from a state legal settlement was improperly made to the Hope Florida Foundation, which later sent the money to two political nonprofits, which in turn sent $8.5 million to a campaign opposing Amendment 3. The governor said last February that the newest marijuana legalization measure is in “big time trouble” with the state Supreme Court, predicting it would be blocked from going before voters this year. “There’s a lot of different perspectives on on marijuana,” DeSantis said. “It should not be in our Constitution. If you feel strongly about it, you have elections for the legislature. Go back candidates that you believe will be able to deliver what your vision is on that.” “But when you put these things in the Constitution—and I think, I mean, the way they wrote, there’s all kinds of things going on in here. I think it’s going to have big time trouble getting through the Florida Supreme Court,” he said. The latest initiative was filed with the secretary of state’s office just months after the initial version failed during the November 2024 election—despite an endorsement from President Donald Trump. Smart & Safe Florida expressed optimism that the revised version would succeed in 2026. The campaign—which in the last election cycle received tens of millions of dollars from cannabis industry stakeholders, principally the multi-state operator Trulieve—incorporated certain changes into the new version that seem responsive to criticism opponents raised during the 2024 push. For example, it now specifically states that the “smoking and vaping of marijuana in any public place is prohibited.”Another section asserts that the legislature would need to approve rules dealing with the “regulation of the time, place, and manner of the public consumption of marijuana.” In 2023, the governor accurately predicted that the 2024 cannabis measure from the campaign would survive a legal challenge from the state attorney general. It’s not entirely clear why he feels this version would face a different outcome. While there’s uncertainty around how the state’s highest court will navigate the measure, a poll released last February showed overwhelming bipartisan voter support for the reform—with 67 percent of Florida voters backing legalization, including 82 percent of Democrats, 66 percent of independents and 55 percent of Republicans. — 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. — In the background, a recent poll from a Trump-affiliated research firm found that nearly 9 in 10 Florida voters say they should have the right to decide to legalize marijuana in the state. Meanwhile, last month, Florida senators approved an amended bill to increase the amount of medical marijuana a registered patient can buy and slash the fee for medical cannabis identification cards for military veterans. The vote came after the Senate Regulated Industries Committee passed separate legislation to ban smoking or vaping marijuana in public places. Rep. Alex Andrade (R) is sponsoring a similar bill to ban public cannabis smoking in the House, and that recently moved through committee. The post Florida Voters Support Marijuana Legalization, New Poll Shows As State Officials Defend Invalidation Of Ballot Signatures appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

Washington State Senate lawmakers have sent the governor a bill to allow terminally ill patients to use medical cannabis in healthcare facilities such as hospitals, nursing homes and hospices. The legislation, sponsored by Rep. Shelley Kloba (D), was passed by the Senate in a 46-2 vote on Tuesday after having previously been passed by the full House of Representatives in a vote of 89-6 last month. It next heads to the desk of Gov. Bob Ferguson (D). If enacted in to law, the legislation would mandate that hospitals and other specified healthcare facilities allow terminally ill patients to use medical marijuana on the premises beginning on January 1, 2027, subject to certain rules and restrictions. “The medical use of cannabis may support improved quality of life for a qualifying patient…with a terminal condition,” the bill’s text says. “It is the intent of the legislature to promote dignity and comfort for terminally ill patients while maintaining the integrity and safety of health care environments.” Sen. Annette Cleveland (D) said on the Senate floor ahead of the vote that the bill “truly can improve quality of life for patients as they face their final days.” Under HB 2152, patients and their caregivers would be responsible for acquiring and administering medical marijuana, and it would need to be stored securely at all times in a locked container. Smoking or vaping of cannabis would be prohibited, so patients would need to consume it via other methods. Marijuana could not be shared between patients and visitors, and the right to use medical cannabis under the bill would not apply to patients who are in the emergency department. Healthcare facility officials would need to see a copy of patients’ authorization to use medical cannabis, and they would be required to note their use of the drug in medical records. They would also need to establish a formal policy “allowing for the medical use of cannabis” on the premises. Facilities would also be able to suspend permission to use cannabis under the bill if a federal agency such as the U.S. Department of Justice or Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services takes an enforcement action against such use or “issues a rule or other notification that expressly prohibits the medical use of cannabis in health care facilities.” The House Health Care & Wellness Committee adopted an amendment to exempt nursing homes operated by a residential habilitation center from the requirement to allow the medical use of cannabis, to clarify that the bill doesn’t apply to patients who haven’t been formally admitted to a hospital and to specify that patients and their caregivers are responsible for retrieving the medical cannabis (in addition to their responsibilities related to acquiring, administering, and removing the medical cannabis). California and a handful of other states already have laws allowing terminally ill patients to use medical cannabis in healthcare facilities. Known as “Ryan’s Law,” the legislation is partly inspired by the experience of Jim Bartell, whose son died from cancer and was initially denied access to cannabis at a California hospital. The Bartells did eventually find a facility that agreed to allow the treatment, and Jim said Ryan’s quality of life improved dramatically in his final days. Sen. Marcus Riccelli (D) on Tuesday spoke about Ryan’s story on the Senate floor. “He was given fentanyl, which made him basically unable to communicate with his family,” the senator said. “He was able to be moved to a hospital where medical cannabis was used. He was lucid and really got a lot out of the last few weeks of his life. And so the goal here is to provide more opportunities for that for more people.” — 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. — Lawmakers in several other states are also considering and advancing bills to expand medical marijuana access in hospitals, nursing homes and hospices. Meanwhile, Washington State lawmakers this session also filed a bill to legalize the home cultivation of marijuana for personal use by adults. Separate legislation was also introduced to allow short-term rentals like Airbnbs in Washington State would be able to offer guests complimentary marijuana prerolls. Yet another measure that was filed would legalize and regulate therapeutic use of the psychedelic psilocybin. Photo courtesy of Max Pixel. The post Washington Bill To Allow Medical Marijuana Use In Hospitals Heads To Governor’s Desk appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

Michigan officials have announced they are distributing nearly $100 million in marijuana tax revenue to over 300 local governments and tribes across the state thanks to the state’s adult-use legalization law. The $94 million in tax dollars will support various local infrastructure, education and other programs and services in 313 municipalities, counties and tribal areas. That level of cannabis-derived funding is roughly equivalent to what the state allocated last year. “A total of 114 cities, 39 villages, 81 townships, 75 counties, and four tribes will receive payments from the Marijuana Regulation Fund,” officials with the state Cannabis Regulatory Agency (CRA) said in a press release on Tuesday. “For the State of Michigan’s 2025 fiscal year, this means each eligible municipality, county, and tribe will receive $54,017.10 for every licensed retail store and microbusiness located within its jurisdiction,” the agency said. Under the state’s cannabis law, tax dollars from marijuana sales must go to cities and tribes with licensed retailers (15 percent), counties and tribes with retailers (15 percent), the School Aid Fund for K-12 eduction (35 percent) and the Michigan Transportation Fund for repairs and maintenance of roads and bridges (35 percent). The announcement from state cannabis regulators comes amid a contentious battle over a take hike on wholesale marijuana products that was implemented last year and has since faced legal challenges from marijuana businesses in the state. A Michigan court in January denied the state’s request to toss the lawsuit, which targets the 24 percent wholesale tax that’s been embraced by certain state Democratic senators and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D). Recently filed legislation seeks to repeal the new tax. — 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. — Michigan reached a marijuana sales milestone in 2024, with over $10 billion in adult-use cannabis products sold that year. State officials said in late 2023 that tax revenue from legal marijuana grew by 49 percent compared to 2022, surpassing the amount of revenue made from alcohol sales. Marijuana sales incur a 10 percent excise tax—among the lowest rates in the nation—as well as a 6 percent state sales tax. Meanwhile, Michigan legislators this session are looking into a proposal to create a statewide marijuana reference laboratory that would help standardize testing facilities to ensure quality control for cannabis products. Photo courtesy of Chris Wallis // Side Pocket Images. The post Michigan Officials Are Sending Nearly $100 Million In Marijuana Tax Money To Local Government And Tribes appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

Virginia lawmakers have taken more steps toward enacting legislation that would let certain patients use medical marijuana in hospitals, teeing up the reform to be sent to the governor’s desk imminently. On Monday, the Senate signed off on the House of Delegates’s changes to SB 332, sponsored by from Sen. Barbara Favola (D), and the presiding officers of both chambers formally signed the bicameral agreement. It will next head to Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) to be signed, vetoed or sent back with suggested amendments—but first a companion House bill from Del. Karen Keys-Gamarra (D), HB 75, needs to have a procedural error corrected in order to accompany the Senate proposal. The legislation would build upon existing state law protecting health professionals at hospices, nursing homes and assisted living facilities that aid terminally ill patients in utilizing medical cannabis treatment from punishment by adding hospitals to the statute. It would also create a new working group under the Department of Health to “discuss the implementation process for providing cannabis products to patients within medical care facilities.” “The work group shall assess any available federal guidance or proposed regulations on the use of cannabis products or changes to the schedule for cannabis products under the federal Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. § 801 et seq.) as well as interaction with applicable state laws,” the bill says. Its members would include representatives of the Virginia Hospital & Health Care Association and the Virginia Health Care Association, as well as health care providers and palliative, hospice, and hospital volunteers familiar with issues associated with providing care to individuals experiencing chronic illness. The legislation directs the working group to submit a report to key legislative committees including “written guidelines for the use of medical cannabis within medical care facilities and the safe operations of medical care facilities” by November 1. As originally introduced, the Senate measure would have simply directed the state the Department of Health to form a working group to explore the reform, but its scope was expanded in an earlier subcommittee hearing. “Cannabis oil has been effective in ameliorating some severe pain and also helping with nausea and appetite loss,” Favola, the sponsor, said ahead of a Senate vote last month. SB 332 “has a couple guardrails in it, and we’re merely trying to treat patients in hospitals and give them the same options as we’ve currently giving patients in nursing homes and in hospice.” The Senate also approved a substitute version of a House bill on the issue on Monday, but its text was mistakenly replaced with an earlier iteration that would add hospitals to the current medical cannabis law but only “upon the date that marijuana is federally rescheduled from Schedule I to Schedule III under the federal Controlled Substances Act.” That wasn’t supposed to be the plan, however, and the expectation is that the House will reject the revised HB 75 as passed by the Senate and go to bicameral conference where members will make it identical to the Senate bill that’s now been approved in both chambers, with both then heading to the governor’s office together. Meanwhile, the march toward legalizing recreational marijuana sales in Virginia also continues on, with the full House and a Senate committee advancing a pair of companion bills to create a regulated adult-use cannabis market in the Commonwealth. Overall, both chambers’ commercial sales bills have largely aligned with recommendations released in December by the legislature’s Joint Commission to Oversee the Transition of the Commonwealth into a Cannabis Retail Market. Certain GOP members have found themselves ideologically aligned with their Democratic colleagues throughout this legislative process, breaking with the majority of their caucus in support of creating a regulated marketplace for adults to purchase cannabis. Since legalizing cannabis possession and home cultivation in 2021, Virginia lawmakers have worked to establish a commercial marijuana market—only to have those efforts consistently stalled under former Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R), who twice vetoed measures to enact it that were sent to his desk by the legislature. Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D), for her part, supports legalizing adult-use marijuana sales. The Virginia legislature took action on multiple marijuana bills on a key deadline last month—passing proposals to legalize cannabis sales, provide a pathway to resentencing for prior marijuana convictions and allow medical cannabis access in hospitals for seriously ill patients. Lawmakers in both chambers on Monday advanced a pair of companion bills, with amendments, that would provide a pathway to resentencing for people with prior marijuana convictions. Members of the Senate and House Courts of Justice Committees on Monday approved substitute versions of the opposite chamber’s reform legislation, making certain revisions that set the stage for bicameral negotiations as the measures move forward in the legislative process. The legislation as introduced in both chambers would create a process by which people who are incarcerated or on community supervision for certain felony offenses involving the possession, manufacture, selling or distribution of marijuana could receive an automatic hearing to consider modification of their sentences. — 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 Virginia House this month approved a bill to protect the rights of parents who use marijuana in compliance with state law. Under the proposal from Del. Nadarius Clark (D), possession of use of cannabis by a parent or guardian on its own “shall not serve as a basis to deem a child abused or neglected unless other facts establish that such possession or consumption causes or creates a risk of physical or mental injury to the child.” “A person’s legal possession or consumption of substances authorized under [the state’s marijuana law] alone shall not serve as a basis to restrict custody or visitation unless other facts establish that such possession or consumption is not in the best interest of the child,” the text of the bill, HB 942, states. Separately, the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry recently published a new outlining workplace protections for cannabis consumers. The post Virginia Legislation To Let Patients Use Medical Marijuana In Hospitals Set For Governor’s Decision appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

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Texas voters have approved a marijuana legalization question that appeared on the state’s Democratic primary ballot. As part of the primary election on Tuesday, each major party was able to place several non-binding propositions on the ballot that allow voters show how they feel on key issues. The Texas Democratic Party used one of its propositions to find out where the electorate stands on legalizing cannabis and whether past convictions should be expunged. Preliminary results indicate that Texas voters who selected a Democratic primary ballot approved the cannabis question by a margin of 80 percent to 20 percent, with 85 percent of polling locations reporting as of Wednesday morning. The yes or no question on Democratic primary ballots read: “Texas should legalize cannabis for adults and automatically expunge criminal records for past low-level cannabis offenses.” There was no cannabis question on the Republican ballot, but Texas has an open primary system in which voters can opt to participate in either party’s primary regardless of how they are registered. The approval of Democrats’ marijuana question will not on its own change any cannabis laws, but it could send a signal to lawmakers that the reform is popular with voters. For what it’s worth, a statewide poll released last month found that Texas voters don’t like how state leaders and lawmakers have handled marijuana and THC policy issues. In the survey, a plurality of voters (40 percent) said they disapprove of how their elected officials have approached the issue, according to the survey. Just 29 percent said they approve of how cannabis issues have been handled, while 31 percent said they didn’t have an opinion one way or another. A separate poll released last year found that a plurality of Texas voters want the state’s marijuana laws to be made “less strict.” And among the legislative items lawmakers considered during recent special sessions, voters say a proposal to address hemp regulations was among the least important. In the background, officials with the Department of Public Safety (DPS) in December conditionally approved nine new medical marijuana business licenses in December as part of a law that’s being implemented to significantly expand the state’s cannabis program. The department will issue conditional licenses to three additional dispensaries by April 2026. This represents a major change to the program, as there are currently only three dispensaries licensed to operate in Texas. DPS in October adopted additional rules to increase the number of licensed dispensaries, establishing security requirements for “satellite” locations and authorizing the revocation of licenses for certain violations. The Department of State Health Services (DSHS) also recently finalized rules allowing doctors to recommend new qualifying conditions for cannabis patients and creating standards for allowable low-THC inhalation devices. Meanwhile, bipartisan Texas lawmakers say the stage is set to advance legislation next session establishing regulations for hemp THC products, with growing understanding among their colleagues that prohibition fails to effectively address concerns about the cannabis market. In the interim, Texas regulators have taken a series of steps to enact rules around consumable hemp products over recent months, which began after Gov. Greg Abbott (R) vetoed a bill last year that would’ve effectively eradicated the state’s hemp market. In late December, meanwhile, the Department of State Health Services (DSHS) released a set of proposed rules to regulate the state’s hemp market—including provisions related to age-gating, licensing fees, testing requirements, packaging restrictions and more in response to an executive order the governor signed in September. Image element courtesy of AnonMoos. The post Texas Voters Approve Marijuana Legalization Ballot Measure appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

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WI gov pushes Congress on hemp; VA marijuana sales bills advance; CT psychedelics; WA medical cannabis in hospitals 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… Free to read (but not free to produce)! We’re proud of our newsletter and the reporting we publish at Marijuana Moment, and we’re happy to provide it for free. But it takes a lot of work and resources to make this happen. If you value Marijuana Moment, invest in our success on Patreon so we can expand our coverage and more readers can benefit: https://www.patreon.com/marijuanamoment / TOP THINGS TO KNOW Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers (D) sent a letter urging the state’s congressional delegation to work to prevent the federal recriminalization of hemp THC products, saying the need for action is “further intensified by the fact that Wisconsin has not enacted legislation legalizing medical or recreational marijuana, despite multiple attempts by my administration to do so.” A poll of Massachusetts residents found that they overwhelmingly oppose a proposed ballot initiative to roll back the state’s marijuana legalization law, 63 percent to 20 percent. The Virginia House of Delegates and Senate Finance & Appropriations Committee approved bills to legalize recreational marijuana sales, moving the chambers closer to negotiations on a final version to send to Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D). The Washington State Senate Ways & Means Committee approved a bill to allow terminally ill patients to use medical cannabis in healthcare facilities such as hospitals, nursing homes and hospices. The Connecticut legislature’s Joint Committee on Public Health approved a bill to expand the state’s psychedelics pilot program to allow all adults who meet clinical eligibility criteria can participate, instead of just veterans, retired first responders and direct care health care workers. Gennaro Luce and Matthew Myro Rothman of CannaLnx argue in a new Marijuana Moment op-ed that rescheduling won’t stabilize the industry unless it is accompanied by “clear federal guidance on reimbursement pathways, claims administration and benefit integration” for medical cannabis. / FEDERAL A former Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs and the Office of Legal Policy official authored an op-ed about a case before the Supreme Court on cannabis consumers’ gun rights. House Foreign Affairs Committee Democrats criticized President Donald Trump for pardoning former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández for drug charges while at the same time conducting deadly military strikes on suspected drug boats. The Food and Drug Administration Division of Applied Regulatory Science noted some of its cannabis research projects in an annual report. / STATES The Wisconsin Legislative Black Caucus included cannabis legalization in its policy agenda. Alaska lawmakers are considering legislation to revise marijuana taxes. Vermont regulators took action on hemp-derived ingredients, product formulation requirements, labeling standards and packaging waivers. Missouri regulators published guidance on infused marijuana prerolls and infused flower. Ohio regulators published guidance on cannabis weekly inventory report requirements. Washington State published guidance on cannabis transport manifests. The California Legislative Analyst’s Office published an update on cannabis tax revenue. Michigan regulators filed a complaint against a marijuana business over alleged violations. — 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 Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said her country is not waging a “war on drugs” even as it ramps up military operations against cartels. / SCIENCE & HEALTH A review concluded that “CBD engages the endocannabinoid system (ECS) and related receptors to preserve epithelial barrier integrity, regulate gut microbiota composition, and modulate intestinal oxidative stress and inflammation.” A study found that “mystical experiences – particularly experiences of unity, sacredness, and transcendence – during psilocybin sessions are associated with greater [obsessive-compulsive disorder] symptom reduction.” / ADVOCACY, OPINION & ANALYSIS Prohibitionist organization Smart Approaches to Marijuana launched an ad campaign urging Virginia lawmakers not to legalize recreational marijuana sales. / BUSINESS Verdant Partners is acquiring the retail operations of Native Roots. PAX released a newly redesigned cannabis dry herb vaporizer. / CULTURE Ethan Hawke spoke about how his first acting award he ever won was a bong from High Times. 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: Photo courtesy of Max Jackson. The post Anti-cannabis ballot measure lacks support in Massachusetts, poll shows (Newsletter: March 4, 2026) appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

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