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This week, lawmakers reintroduced the Marijuana Justice Act, legislation originally introduced last session by Rep. Barbara Lee and Sen. Cory Booker to end federal cannabis prohibition and allow states to regulate it within their borders. Elsewhere, in California, San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón announced that his office will wipe out more than 9,000 marijuana-related convictions in an unprecedented step following California’s cannabis legalization more than two years ago.
Here, we’ve rounded up the 10 headlines you need to know before this week is over.
- Federal: On Feb. 28, lawmakers reintroduced the Marijuana Justice Act, which would end federal cannabis prohibition and allow states to determine their own cannabis policies without the threat of federal interference. The Marijuana Justice Act was originally introduced by Rep. Barbara Lee and Sen. Cory Booker and garnered 43 cosponsors in the House and six in the Senate in the last session. It is currently the most far-reaching and comprehensive cannabis policy reform legislation being considered in Congress. Read more
- New Mexico: Very different visions for legalizing recreational cannabis in the state advanced in legislative hearings Feb. 23. A bill that would legalize recreational cannabis for adults over 21 and task the state with licensing retailers to sell the product is headed to a vote of the full House of Representatives after winning the approval of a key committee. Just a few hours later, a Senate committee backed a Republican-sponsored proposal to legalize cannabis and allow for sales from state-owned stores. Read more
- California: San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón announced Feb. 25 that his office will wipe out more than 9,000 marijuana-related convictions in an unprecedented step following California’s cannabis legalization more than two years ago. Gascón last year teamed up with Code for America—a nonprofit focused on using open-source technology to improve government—to find every marijuana case eligible for expungement or resentencing under Proposition 64. San Francisco will be the first city in the country to clear all eligible cannabis convictions. Read more
- West Virginia: Two years after Gov. Jim Justice signed it into law, West Virginia still does not have a medical marijuana program, but lawmakers are gathered at the State Capitol in hopes of correcting the flaws during this legislative session. Currently, people can be growers, distributors or run dispensaries, but not a combination of those roles, and the House is considering a bill that would allow people to multi-task in the cannabis industry. Read more
- Missouri: Missouri's Department of Health and Senior Services posted its first draft of rules for the medical marijuana system that state voters overwhelmingly approved as a constitutional amendment in Nov. 2018. The first batch of draft rules lists requirements and responsibilities related to ID cards for the program, and state officials are writing other medical marijuana rules, too, which must be completed by early June. Read more
- Oklahoma: The Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority has temporarily closed its customer service center to free up more staff to respond to the high volume of applications for medical marijuana cards. The number of applications received per week rose from 1,200 in September to around 5,000 in February, agency officials said. Read more
- Arizona: A House committee voted Feb. 27 to ensure that edible forms of marijuana remain available for sale in Arizona, no matter what the Arizona Supreme Court eventually decides. HB 2149 would spell out that the 2010 voter-approved law that allows marijuana to be used for medical purposes also legalized anything made from the resins. Read more
- Iowa: The Iowa House likely will consider changes to the state’s medical cannabidiol law, including increasing the number of practitioners who can give Iowans access. “There are things that can be done, things we will do, that make it a little easier, a little safer and give the board a little more latitude,” House Speaker Linda Upmeyer (R-Clear Lake) said Tuesday after meeting with members of the Medical Cannabidiol Board. Read more
- Florida: Two Florida lawmakers have filed bills related to legalizing and taxing recreational marijuana in the state. House Bill 1117 is sponsored by Rep. Michael Grieco (D-Miami Beach) and Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith (D-Orlando), and would allow people 21 and older to purchase and use limited amounts of marijuana in their homes or other private places. Grieco also proposed House Bill 1119, which would impose an excise tax on recreational marijuana. Read more
- Vermont: A bill to regulate and tax marijuana for adult use in Vermont passed on second reading in the state Senate Thursday with a veto-proof majority (23-5). It will receive one more vote in the Senate, which is expected March 1, before heading to the House of Representatives for consideration. Read more
