420 with CNW Archives - Page 257 of 293

FridayJun 21, 2019 4:20 pm

420 with CNW – Congress Votes to Stop Feds from Interfering in State Marijuana Programs

The House of Representatives has voted to block the Department of Justice (DOJ) from using its funds to enforce federal cannabis laws within states which have passed their own laws regulating recreational or medical marijuana cultivation, consumption and sales. This measure was one of the several amendments put before the floor for inclusion in the appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2020. The measure, which expands an existing rider that protected medical marijuana programs, was approved on Thursday by a 267-165 vote. Marijuana industry advocates are convinced that the vote tally reflects the broad support for marijuana law reform, and this…

FridayJun 21, 2019 4:20 am

420 with CNW – How Marijuana Legalization Law in Illinois Differs from All Others

If, as is widely expected, Gov. Pritzker signs a bill that was passed to legalize recreational cannabis in Illinois, the state’s legalization law will be different from all others in several aspects. First, Illinois will have defied the odds to legalize adult-use marijuana legislatively. All the other ten states have done so through voter initiatives. Lawmakers in New Jersey and New York at one time seemed poised to pass bills legalizing recreational marijuana but intraparty disagreements have torpedoed those plans. Another way in which Illinois’ law is unique is that it contains provisions which are aimed at promoting social equity…

ThursdayJun 20, 2019 4:20 pm

420 with CNW – Medical Marijuana Dispensary Introduces its Own Credit Cards to Reduce Cash Transactions

Columbia Care, a medical marijuana company, has rolled out its own credit card as the cannabis industry struggles to find alternatives to having to deal in cash only. Just like banks, credit card providers have been reluctant to embrace the marijuana industry because of fears that they would be sanctioned by the federal government since marijuana remains an illegal substance federally. This has compelled most dispensaries to accept only cash, with ATMs being a frequent sight on the premises of dispensaries. Some dispensaries have designed systems which accept ATM or debit cards for making payments for purchases made. Columbia Care…

ThursdayJun 20, 2019 4:20 am

420 with CNW – Texas Governor Signs Bill to Expand Medical Marijuana Program

On Friday last week (June 14), Gov. Greg Abbott signed a bill that is focused on increasing the number of qualifying conditions for which patients can be licensed to use medical marijuana in the state. House Bill 3703 gives doctors permission to recommend any patient who suffers from seizure disorders (intractable epilepsy, for example), spasticity, Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis, autism and several other conditions to access medical marijuana whose THC content doesn’t exceed 0.5 percent from the dispensaries licensed by the state. Joshua Raine, an Army veteran suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, is one of the patients who pleaded with legislators…

WednesdayJun 19, 2019 4:20 pm

420 with CNW – Canadian Companies Forced to Delay Launching “Cannabis 2.0” Products

The effects of the longstanding cannabis shortages in Canada are being felt far beyond the empty shelves in retail outlets. When recreational marijuana was legalized on October 17, 2018, a promise was made that marijuana edibles, vapes, CBD and beverages (so-called cannabis 2.0 products) would be available for purchase exactly one year later. Now the regulator has delayed the start of retail sales of those products citing a procedural requirement for the producers. Health Canada, the regulator of the marijuana industry in Canada, held a briefing on Friday, June 14 in which the regulator informed the public that there would…

WednesdayJun 19, 2019 4:20 am

420 with CNW – Poll Shows Americans want CBD as an OTC Drug

A survey conducted by Gallup has found that the majority of Americans who are familiar with CBD (cannabidiol) want it available as an over-the-counter drug. The results of the survey were released on Friday last week (June 14). The CBD craze traces its roots to the cannabis reform movement, and it gained momentum when the Farm Bill 2018 became law last year. This bill legalized industrial hemp and all its derivatives, including CBD. The survey involving 1,017 participants was conducted over the phone in a bid to get insights into the widespread appeal of CBD. The interviews were conducted from…

TuesdayJun 18, 2019 4:20 pm

420 with CNW – Congress to Consider Several Cannabis Amendments this Week

The House Rules Committee of Congress is set to hear almost a dozen amendments related to marijuana this week. This crucial committee will decide which of those amendments are cleared for a vote by the whole House. The amendments are being considered this week because those that pass will form part of the appropriations bill for funding sections of the federal government in the next fiscal year. Rep. Tom McClintock (R-CA) and Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) have reintroduced an amendment intended to prevent the Department of Justice from using its budget to get in the way of states which have enacted…

TuesdayJun 18, 2019 4:20 am

420 with CNW – Maine Relaxes Residency Requirements for Recreational Marijuana Companies

The Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee of Maine’s Assembly has voted 7-2 approving the draft rules for the legalization of recreational marijuana in the state. The approved rules relax the residency requirements included with the purpose of keeping out-of-state companies from moving in and controlling the recreational market at the expense of local companies. The committee removed language that limited out-of-state players from having majority stake in recreational marijuana companies which operate within Maine. In its place, the committee left a provision to the effect that Mainers who have resided in the state for at least four years will have…

MondayJun 17, 2019 4:20 pm

420 with CNW – New York Legislators Could Vote on Cannabis Legalization This Week

As the countdown to the end of this legislative session in New York State enters the final stages, plans to legalize recreational marijuana have been revived with the possibility of a vote on the matter this week. While momentum to get recreational weed legal appeared to fade once lawmakers in New Jersey announced that they were giving up on trying to use legislative means to end prohibition, advocates in the Empire State are brimming with optimism that lawmakers may have reached a deal and the bill will pass. Democrats in both the Assembly and Senate held conferences last week in…

MondayJun 17, 2019 4:20 am

420 with CNW – Mississippi Medical Cannabis Ballot Measure Close to Attaining Signature Target

Activists in Mississippi have revealed that they are about to reach the required number of voter signatures in order to see an initiative about medical marijuana included on the ballot in 2020. Once the organizers submit that list of signatures, the Secretary of State will go through it and certify that each of the signatures belongs to a valid voter in the state. The organizers have emphasized that they will not stop once they reach the minimum number of signatures required. Instead, they will keep gathering more until the submission deadline in September is reached. The extra signatures will serve…