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This week, Gov. Andrew Cuomo called on New York state to fully legalize recreational marijuana, which would open the door for legal sales, government regulation and taxes on the drug. Elsewhere, Tilray signed a research partnership with Budweiser maker Anheuser-Busch InBev SA to research cannabis-infused beverages.
Here, we’ve rounded up the 10 headlines you need to know before this week is out.
- Federal: U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner had hoped to attach an amendment to the proposed First Step Act to remove the threat of federal prosecution in states where cannabis is legal and lift restrictions on federally insured banks. However, Gardner and other senators hoping to offer amendments of their own were blocked by a procedural maneuver from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who has made criminal justice reform a priority during the lame-duck session. Read more
- New Jersey: State Senate President Stephen Sweeney said state lawmakers won’t vote on a proposal to legalize recreational marijuana in New Jersey before the end of the year. Sweeney and New Jersey’s other leading lawmaker, Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, were holding out slim hopes of reaching a compromise during a high-stakes policy meeting with Gov. Phil Murphy Dec. 13. Read more
- Meanwhile, six more businesses were given the green light prepare to open shop in New Jersey as state regulators effectively doubled the size of the medical marijuana market. This latest announcement builds on a running campaign to expand access to cannabis for the state’s approximately 40,000 registered medical marijuana patients. Read more
- North Dakota: Republican State Rep. Steve Vetter has drafted a bill with the help of the Legislative Council that would allow doctors to state the condition of a patient who may benefit from medical marijuana. Vetter said this will help put doctors’ fears of liability at ease when they recommend the substance. Read more
- New York: Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Dec. 17 called on New York state to fully legalize recreational marijuana, which would open the door for legal sales, government regulation and taxes on the drug. Outside of California, New York would be the largest state to legalize to date. Read more
- Washington: Washington state will not ban cannabis-infused candies and gummies (as an earlier policy stated) but the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board has finalized a policy that limits the colors and shapes of edibles. As expected, the new rules stipulate that marijuana companies must avoid bright colors, working instead with a “standard pantone color book that sets the list of colors and specified ranges within those colors” for both products and packaging. Read more
- Indiana: State Sen. Karen Tallian filed two cannabis-related bills on Dec. 18—one to legalize recreational marijuana possession of less than two ounces, and another to set up a Cannabis Compliance Commission. “Since marijuana programs cannot be approved by a ballot initiative, it is up to the legislature to follow the will of the people,” said Tallian. Read more
- Missouri: The state of Missouri has begun the move toward medical marijuana, naming an outgoing lawmaker to a leadership role and announcing the start of the process for those who want to grow, make or sell marijuana products. The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services said it will begin accepting application fees for cultivation, infused product manufacturing and dispensaries on Jan. 5. Read more
- Canada: Just three days after signing an exclusive supply arrangement with Farmacias Magistrales S.A. in Mexico, Canadian producer Aurora Cannabis announced that it has entered into a letter of intent to acquire all issued and outstanding shares of the company. The initial supply deal, announced Dec. 7, was significant in that it connected Aurora directly with the first and only licensed importer of medical cannabis products exceeding 1-percent THC in Mexico. Read more
- Marijuana producer Tilray Inc. announced Dec. 19 that it has signed a research partnership with Budweiser maker Anheuser-Busch InBev SA, as the Canadian cannabis industry continues to strike deals with legacy industries. The joint venture will run through Anheuser-Busch’s subsidiary Labatt Breweries of Canada, and each company intends to invest up to $50 million to research beverages infused with THC and CBD. Read more
