
This week, New Jersey quietly took the first steps toward decriminalizing marijuana, with Attorney General Gurbir Grewal asking municipal prosecutors to adjourn all marijuana offenses until Sept. 4. Elsewhere, in Pennsylvania, Rep. Jake Wheatley has plans to introduce legislation to legalize marijuana in the state.
Here, we’ve rounded up the 10 headlines you need to know before this week is over.
- Federal: U.S. Reps. Tulsi Gabbard (HI-02) and Carlos Curbelo (FL-26) led a group of bipartisan lawmakers July 24 in introducing The Marijuana Data Collection Act. The act calls upon the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) to collect and synthesize relevant data and to generate a formal report to Congress quantifying the impact of statewide marijuana legalization on matters specific to public health, safety, the economy, and criminal justice, among other issues. Read more
- California: In early July, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) issued a revised “FAQ” memo that contained a blanket policy on industrial hemp-derived CBD products. In short, the state seemed to be banning them, but what seemed like a blanket ban is far more nuanced than that—essentially, the state policy now aligns with U.S. FDA policy and clarifies the boundaries of California's cannabis market. Read more
- Multiple greenhouses burned in a fiery blaze July 23 at Loudpack Farms in Greenfield, Calif., a small town two hours south of San Francisco on Rt. 101. No injuries were reported, and the cause of the fire has not been confirmed. Read more
- Florida: A joint committee of state lawmakers reluctantly approved another $13.3 million in funding for the state office regulating medical marijuana. The request from the Office of Medical Marijuana Use, made less than a month after the state's new fiscal budget went into effect, will go toward several operations including a computer tracking system for medical marijuana plants "from seed to sale," securing a vendor for patient identification card processing and paying for legal fees. Read more
- Vermont: Selling an item or offering a service that comes with some "free" cannabis is illegal under Vermont's new recreational marijuana law, Attorney General T.J. Donovan declared in an advisory Monday. The interpretation of the law, which went into effect July 1 and is known as Act 86, comes after several businesses cropped up offering cannabis, edibles and vape cartridges in exchange for a delivery fee. Read more
- Oklahoma: New Health Solutions Oklahoma, a trade group for medical marijuana businesses, has unveiled a 275-page sample bill called the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana and Patient Protection Act. Jed Green, the group's political director, said he hopes lawmakers will use it as a starting place in a special session to craft regulations for the medical marijuana market. Read more
- New Jersey: New Jersey has quietly taken the first steps toward decriminalizing marijuana, at least for the rest of the summer. New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal asked municipal prosecutors across the state to adjourn all marijuana offenses until Sept. 4 to allow his office time to develop "appropriate guidance" for handling such cases, with the help of a working group that includes prosecutors and others. Read more
- Michigan: The Grand Rapids City Commission has voted to allow medical marijuana facilities in the western Michigan city, allowing up to 53 provisioning centers and up to 83 medical marijuana facilities, which include growers, processors and others. They'll need proper state licensing and special land use approval from the city's planning commission. Read more
- Massachusetts: Massachusetts cannabis regulators urged city and town officials July 26 to keep within the boundaries of state law when negotiating local agreements with recreational marijuana businesses. The Cannabis Control Commission cited "anecdotal'' evidence of municipalities putting excessive financial demands on companies wishing to locate within their communities, further slowing the already delayed rollout of the state's voter-approved recreational marijuana law. Read more
- Pennsylvania: State Rep. Jake Wheatley (D-19, Pittsburgh) is planning to introduce legislation to legalize marijuana in Pennsylvania, citing a report released last week by state Auditor General Eugene DePasquale that estimated Pennsylvania could receive $581 million in annual tax revenue from legal marijuana for adults. “States from coast to coast have embraced legalization and those states are reaping the economic and criminal justice benefits,” Wheatley said in a statement released July 25. “It is time Pennsylvania joins with those states in leaving behind the ugly stigma of marijuana.” Read more
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