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“Dangerously, retailers exploited the agriculture law to sell life-threatening, unregulated forms of THC to the public and made them easily accessible.” By Jasper Scherer and Alejandra Martinez, Texas Tribune Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R) announced Wednesday that lawmakers in the state Senate would move to ban all forms of consumable tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, in Texas. Patrick, who presides over the Senate and largely controls the flow of legislation in the chamber, said the THC ban would be designated as Senate Bill 3—a low bill number that signals it is among his top priorities for the upcoming legislative session. The Republican-controlled…

In an August 2 op-ed, Ken Griffin, the billionaire investor and CEO of Florida-based Citadel Hedge Fund, announced he donated $20 million in support of candidates that oppose the proposed adult-use cannabis constitutional amendment.  In the op-ed, Updated by the Miami Herald, Griffin called the proposal “a terrible plan to create the nation’s most expansive and destructive marijuana laws.”       “Passage of Amendment 3 would create a monopoly for large marijuana dispensaries and permit pot use in public and private areas throughout Florida. That will help no one other than special interests – and it will hurt us all, especially…

A three-year implementation report by the New York Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) and Cannabis Control Board (CCB) documenting the state’s adult-use cannabis reforms process was released on Thursday, highlighting industry trends, the successes and shortcomings of the state’s equity program, and more. According to the report, 1,342 adult-use cannabis licenses have been issued, including more than 200 retailers, and 67% of New York-based cannabis consumers reported having purchased from a legal source. Additionally, the state-wide adult-use market generated $653.9 million in revenue in 2023. The report also noted that 54.7% of the adult-use licenses have been awarded to applicants…

New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R) this month gave final approval to a measure to add generalized anxiety to the state’s list of qualifying conditions for medical cannabis, the New Hampshire Bulletin reports. Sununu also vetoed a bill that would have allowed the state’s medical cannabis dispensaries to build greenhouses on their cultivation sites if approved by the state Department of Health and Human Services.  In his veto message, Sununu said that he rejected the legislation because it “provides scant detail regarding safety, security and location requirements” which he said “are necessary to ensure appropriate controls on a regulated substance.”    …

The ruling follows another recent decision by the high court that the odor of burnt cannabis is not probable cause for a search. By Kevin Bessler, The Center Square Even though marijuana is legal in Illinois, the state’s highest court has ruled that the smell of raw cannabis is enough for police to search a vehicle. The case stems from a 2020 traffic stop in Whiteside County when a trooper said he smelled fresh cannabis, conducted a search of the vehicle and found several joints of marijuana in a cardboard box. Victor Molina of Moline was a passenger in the…

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday tabbed Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) as her running mate. Walz, 60, pushed for cannabis legalization in his home state and signed the reforms into law last year.  Walz has earned an A rating from NORML after ordering state agencies to begin preparing for adult-use cannabis reforms in 2019 – sales began last August.   During the bill signing, Walz called legalization “the right move for Minnesota.” Walz has publicly supported cannabis reforms since 2017. During his time in the House of Representatives, Walz co-sponsored the VA Medicinal Cannabis Research Act…

Delaware’s Office of the Marijuana Commissioner has received more than 1,260 adult-use cannabis business applications ahead of the September 30 deadline, the Delaware News Journal reports. The state made more than $4 million from application fees as open application fees cost $5,000, microbusiness fees run $3,000 and social equity fees cost $1,000.  The state will hold a lottery to deal out the licenses, the first round, for cultivation licenses, is set for October 24. The applications will first be reviewed by regulators.  More than half of the applications were for “Open Retailer” and social equity retail licenses. Open licenses are…

The Philippines House of Representatives passed a bill on Tuesday to legalize medical cannabis but the proposal faces an uncertain future in the Senate, the Philippine Daily Inquirer reports. The proposal was passed in the House with 177 lawmakers in support, nine in opposition, and nine abstaining from the vote. If passed, the bill would legalize medical cannabis access for patients with specific qualifying conditions and only One of the bill’s co-sponsors, Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, said the bill is intended only to benefit patients; the chair of the House Committee on Dangerous Drugs, meanwhile, said the…

“It’ll strengthen the bottom line of our business and make us more competitive and more attractive.” By Bhaamati Borkhetaria, CommonWealth Beacon After a years-long wait, the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission has presented a new regulatory framework for getting social consumption for cannabis up and running in the state. But without an executive director, the road ahead remains uncertain. The new proposed framework for social consumption has three different license types—a “supplemental” license for existing marijuana businesses to add a social consumption component like a “tasting room” for people to consume cannabis they purchase on the site; a “hospitality” license for…

Cannabis use among U.S. high schoolers has declined significantly over the last 10 years, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) outlined in a recent NORML report. The data was pulled from the CDC’s latest report, Youth Risk Behavior Survey: Data Summary & Trends Report 2013-2023, which highlighted “ten-year trends” of improvements in adolescent health and well-being. Specifically regarding cannabis, the report found that the percentage of high school students who identify as cannabis consumers fell 26% between 2013 and 2023. Notably, the country’s first states to legalize adult-use cannabis — Colorado and Washington —…