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This week, the Utah Department of Health announced the 10 companies that will ultimately be licensed to sell medical cannabis at 14 locations across the state beginning in March. Elsewhere, Illinois dispensaries grappled with supply issues in the state’s nascent adult-use market, with some retailers halting adult-use sales.
Here, we’ve rounded up the 10 headlines you need to know before this week is over.
- Federal: The House Small Business Committee advanced the Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment, and Expungement (MORE) Act (H.R. 3884), making it the second House committee to advance the legislation, which would end federal cannabis prohibition. The House Judiciary Committee passed the bill Nov. 20 in a vote of 24 to 10. Read more
- Utah: The Utah Department of Health announced the 10 companies that will ultimately be licensed to sell medical cannabis at 14 locations across the state beginning in March. The medical cannabis pharmacy licenses were divided among four geographic regions and will open in two phases, with eight retailers opening in March and the remaining six launching sales in July. Read more
- Illinois: At least six Chicago cannabis dispensaries halted sales to adult-use customers Jan. 6 due to supply issues, while others placed limits on adult-use sales. Illinois saw nearly $3.2 million in adult-use cannabis sales Jan. 1, the first day of sales. Read more
- Meanwhile, the Illinois Department of Agriculture has released the applications for Cannabis Infuser, Transporter and Craft Grower licenses. The department will begin accepting completed applications Feb. 14 and will award licenses by July 1. Read more
- Massachusetts: The state drew $420 million in total cannabis sales in 2019, with adult-use sales only just beginning in November 2018. As of January, Massachusetts has more than 30 licensed adult-use cannabis retailers. Read more
- South Dakota: South Dakota’s Secretary of State officially certified an adult-use legalization initiative for the 2020 ballot Jan. 6, and, in December, a separate medical cannabis ballot initiative was also certified. South Dakota will now be the first state in American history to vote on medical and adult-use cannabis legalization initiatives on the same ballot. Read more
- Florida: Rep. Shevrin Jones is backing a cannabis decriminalization bill that would reduce criminal penalties for the possession of 20 grams or less of cannabis and make first-time juvenile offenders eligible for civil citations or diversion programs. Under current law, the possession of 20 grams or less of cannabis is a first-degree misdemeanor, but many Florida cities and counties have granted law enforcement the option to issue a civil citation in these cases. Read more
- New Hampshire: The New Hampshire House passed legislation Jan. 8 that would add insomnia and opioid use disorder to the state’s list of qualifying conditions. The same day, the Senate voted against a more expansive bill that would have legalized medical cannabis for any condition that a medical provider determined could be helped by the substance. Read more
- Tennessee: Sen. Janice Bowling has reintroduced a bill this legislative session that would legalize medical cannabis in the state. Bowling introduced similar legislation last year, but the bill ultimately stalled in the legislature. Read more
- Mississippi: A medical cannabis initiative will appear on Mississippi’s 2020 ballot after Mississippians for Compassionate Care submitted more than the required number of signatures in September. The secretary of state’s office certified the signatures as Ballot Initiative 65, and the initiative was formally filed with the state legislature Jan. 7. Read more
