In September, many in the marijuana industry were buoyed by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s efforts to coordinate with his counterparts in New Jersey (Phil Murphy) and Connecticut (Ned Lamont) on recreational marijuana legalization.
Read MoreWhile most jurisdictions considering changes to cannabis laws in North America are trending toward relaxing restrictions, Quebec just reminded us that this trend is not universal and there are still strong opposition forces. This week, the provincial government passed a law that raises the legal consumption age from 18 to 21 effective January 1, 2020. All other provinces permit cannabis use at 19, except in Alberta where the legal age is 18.
Read MoreThe deaths and injuries traced to vaping have rattled Americans generally and the cannabis industry particularly, as at least some of the cases appear traceable to cannabis vaping products. According to an article in Forbes, however, the vaping incidents have not yet dampened American support for legal marijuana, which remains steady at 66% in a recent Gallup survey.
Read MoreIn the recently-passed Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act, Illinois legalized recreational marijuana effective January 1, 2020. The legalization of recreational marijuana will have a significant impact on workplace drug policies in Illinois.
Read MoreLast week, two Pennsylvania state senators (Daylin Leach (D-Montgomery/Delaware) and Sharif Street (D-Philadelphia)) introduced Senate Bill 350 that would legalize recreational marijuana in the Keystone State. This comes on the heels of Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman’s recent marijuana “listening tours” to gauge public interest for legalization, which he came away from saying support is high.
Read MoreThe Chicago City Council passed its Cannabis Zoning Ordinance last week—but not before a battle royale with the Aldermanic Black Caucus.
Read MoreMexico is set to take a significant step toward legalized recreational cannabis on October 23, when the Senate votes on a bill to establish a federal cannabis regulatory body, regulate individual use, cannabis sales, and cannabis research, and establish cannabis cooperatives for cultivation. It is anticipated the bill will pass and proceed to the lower chamber, where supporters are bullish, even if the prospects are not certain.
Read More“In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” The Works of Benjamin Franklin, 1817. That idiom remains true today, and with the legalization of recreational marijuana markets, it was widely accepted that the taxes would allow state and local governments to plug budgetary shortfalls.
Read MoreA new study published by Justice Quarterly suggests that recreational marijuana legalization did not have a statistically significant impact on violent and property crime rates in Colorado and Washington. The study, titled “The Cannabis Effect on Crime: Time-Series Analysis of Crime in Colorado and Washington State,” was conducted by researchers from Washington State University, Stockton University, and the University of Utah.
Read MoreIllinois is ramping up for its January 1, 2020 go live date for “adult use.” The Illinois Cannabis Tax and Regulation Act set some aggressive deadlines and so far, to its credit, the State is meeting those head on. In particular, the past few days have come with significant activity from the State on a variety of cannabis-related fronts
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