Grow Life 420

#KahliBuds #MMJ #CBD #THC

The governor of New Mexico spoke with the head of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) this week and expressed concern about a recent surge of Border Patrol seizures of marijuana from state-licensed businesses, Marijuana Moment has learned exclusively. But the top Biden official simply reiterated that federal cannabis laws haven’t changed, indicating that the seizures will continue.

The office of Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) shared details about the conversation with Marijuana Moment, adding that her administration is “working on a strategy to protect New Mexico’s cannabis industry” from adverse federal enforcement actions.

The governor spoke with DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Wednesday and “expressed her concern about the federal seizure of cannabis from licensed distributors in New Mexico,” Michael Coleman, the governor’s communications director, said.

“During the conversation, the governor noted that industry operators in border states where cannabis is legal appear to be at greater risk of scrutiny and arrest by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents than those in non-border states that have legalized cannabis,” he said.

“Secretary Mayorkas assured the governor that federal policies with respect to legalized cannabis have not changed,” he said. “Regardless, the governor and her administration are working on a strategy to protect New Mexico’s cannabis industry.”

The conversation happened in response to recent reporting, including that of Marijuana Moment, about U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) seizing hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of marijuana from state-licensed cannabis businesses in New Mexico in recent weeks—detaining industry workers in what appears to be a localized escalation of national prohibition enforcement even as the federal government has largely refrained from interfering with the implementation of state legalization laws in recent years.

Marijuana Moment reached out to DHS and CBP for comment on the secretary’s conversation with the governor, but representatives did not respond by the time of publication.

New Mexico marijuana businesses report that the more than dozen CBP seizures, particularly at interior checkpoints around the Las Cruces area, are a relatively new phenomenon. Since adult-use marijuana sales launched in the state in 2022, the operators say they’ve generally been able to transport their products to testing facilities and retailers without incident.

Starting around two months ago, however, the agency has evidently taken a more proactive approach to enforcing federal prohibition, taking hundreds of pounds of cannabis at the checkpoints inside the state. CBP is able to carry out its activities within 100 miles of the U.S. border.

“Although medical and recreational marijuana may be legal in some U.S. States and Canada, the sale, possession, production and distribution of marijuana or the facilitation of the aforementioned remain illegal under U.S. federal law, given the classification of marijuana as a Schedule I controlled substance,” a CBP spokesperson told Marijuana Moment last week. ”Consequently, individuals violating the Controlled Substances Act encountered while crossing the border, arriving at a U.S. port of entry, or at a Border Patrol checkpoint may be deemed inadmissible and/or subject to, seizure, fines, and/or arrest.”

CBP “wants to remind the public that while traveling through any U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint, to include New Mexico, being in possession of marijuana is illegal under federal law,” they said.

It’s unclear how widespread the cannabis industry seizure trend is, but stakeholders say they haven’t heard similar stories out of states like Arizona and California, which also have regulated marijuana businesses operating near the U.S.-Mexico border.

For now, there’s no clear solution to the New Mexico cannabis industry’s CBP problem—or clear answers about why it’s happening two years after the state’s adult-use market first opened. In the meantime, businesses have been reaching out to members of New Mexico’s congressional delegation for support.

“Federal law does supersede state law. Unfortunately, as regulators, we don’t have much authority over this… Again we are just trying to collect enough data to make sure we get accurate facts to the governor and her team to make the best decision possible,” New Mexico Cannabis Control Division (CCD) Director Todd Stevens told KRQE.

“This is a concern for the Division and the cannabis industry in New Mexico,” Andrea Brown, spokesperson for the CCD, told CRB Monitor. “We are working to collect as much information as we can related to this issue and hope to work with authorities at the federal level towards a proper resolution.”

CBP’s actions against state-legal marijuana business is getting pushback in Congress as well.

“The Biden-Harris Administration is not doing enough to protect states who are not waiting for the federal government to catch up,” Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), founding co-chair of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, told Marijuana Moment last week.

“These seizures underscore the confusion and harm caused by the growing gap between the federal government and state-legal operations,” the congressman said. “Absent descheduling, President Biden urgently needs to issue guidance to prevent this type of infringement from happening again.”

Ahead Of 4/20 White House Says Biden Has Been ‘Very Clear’ In Supporting Marijuana Decriminalization, But Admin Is Awaiting DOJ Rescheduling Action

Photo courtesy of Chris Wallis // Side Pocket Images.

The post New Mexico Governor Presses Biden Official About Spike In Federal Marijuana Seizures From Licensed Businesses appeared first on Marijuana Moment.

420GrowLife

via www.KahliBuds.com

Kyle Jaeger, KahliBuds, 420GrowLife

#KahliBuds #MMJ #CBD #THC

Lawmakers across the U.S. are adding their voices to the chorus of marijuana reform supporters celebrating the cannabis holiday 4/20 on Saturday.

As mainstream brands and advocacy groups promote various campaigns that seek to leverage the popularity of the expanding reform movement, elected officials are touting their work to advance legalization and other policy changes around cannabis.

Saturday might be a time of celebration within the cannabis community, but politicians have increasingly used it as a platform to advocate for more reform as the issue gains more bipartisan support.

Officials at various levels of government are again playing into the culture and using 4/20 to talk about marijuana policy—underscoring how the legalization movement has helped shift cannabis from a controversial taboo to an accepted societal norm.

This year’s holiday also comes amid heightened expectations about federal marijuana reform, as the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) works to complete a review into cannabis scheduling under President Joe Biden’s 2022 directive.

DEA is considered a recommendation from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to move marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), which wouldn’t federally legalize marijuana, but industry stakeholders are eagerly anticipating the potential incremental reform nonetheless.

Advocates and congressional lawmakers have amplified their push for reform in the days leading up to 4/20, with calls to advance comprehensive legalization, as well as modest proposals to free up banks to work with state-legal marijuana businesses, for example.

For what it’s worth, Congressional Cannabis Caucus founding co-chair Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) predicts that this Saturday will be the “last 4/20 celebration that cannabis will be on Schedule I.”

Here’s what politicians are saying on 4/20 this year:

Members of Congress and national political parties

I was so proud to meet with the Marijuana Justice Coalition as we work to reintroduce the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act in the Senate!

We will not stop working together to end the federal prohibition on cannabis and reverse the harms of the War on Drugs. pic.twitter.com/2pQI0iJcVt

— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) April 20, 2024

I'm one of the top advocates for #marijuana legalization in Congress. But on #420day let's remember: as some profit from legalization, thousands of Black men, women & families in my district still suffer from the failed "war on drugs". Legalization should come with justice.

— Steve Cohen (@RepCohen) April 20, 2024

It's no secret that public support for responsible cannabis reform has reached an all-time high. If members of Congress relied on their constituents rather than their personal opinion, they'd see the war over a plant isn't what people want. #StatesReformAct #420 pic.twitter.com/wtDR4rKEko

— Rep. Nancy Mace (@RepNancyMace) April 20, 2024

As a reminder: Our bill, the States Reform Act, a common-sense initiative puts states in the driver's seat when it comes to cannabis reform, it protects our kids and military veterans. It now sits in a drawer somewhere in the Capitol. #420https://t.co/zd7ym1eFds pic.twitter.com/hbok53Gxji

— Rep. Nancy Mace (@RepNancyMace) April 20, 2024

Cannabis justice is racial justice, economic justice, & restorative justice – and the time to act is NOW.

On this 4/20, we need to legalize marijuana, expunge records, & end the War on Drugs that has ravaged Black & brown communities. pic.twitter.com/e2sUCAKERe

— Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (@RepPressley) April 20, 2024

When it comes to cannabis justice and the War on Drugs, clemency must be part of the solution.@POTUS must use his clemency authority to end mass incarceration and set our communities on a pathway to healing. pic.twitter.com/mH9FPvLViu

— Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (@RepPressley) April 20, 2024

This #420day, remember,
No one should be in jail just for using or possessing marijuana.
The cannabis industry is good for our economy & should be equitable

I’m working to bring opportunities to the cannabis industry while helping those harmed by marijuana criminalization…

— Congressman Troy A. Carter (@RepTroyCarter) April 20, 2024

Happy 4/20 to all who celebrate.
Today would be a great day for the Biden administration to fully deschedule & legalize marijuana, expunge records, and repair the harms of the failed war on drugs.

— Cori Bush (@CoriBush) April 20, 2024

Good morning! Today would be a GREAT day to decriminalize and legalize marijuana and invest in the communities of color that have been disproportionately harmed by the war on drugs.

— Rep. Pramila Jayapal (@RepJayapal) April 20, 2024

State and local elected officials and political parties

Happy canni-versary, New Jersey!

Tomorrow marks two years since the start of adult-use marijuana sales in New Jersey. Over the past year, we have proudly grown from just over 30 dispensaries to 130 dispensaries statewide. pic.twitter.com/9ernW5RfgU

— Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) April 20, 2024

Happy 420, @SenWarrenLimmer.
No one rolls like you do. pic.twitter.com/9dJEje08Vl

— Minnesota DFL Party (@MinnesotaDFL) April 20, 2024

Time to end cannabis prohibition! Free the . Happy 4/20 https://t.co/ymiCstsfyO

— Nikki Fried (@NikkiFried) April 20, 2024

Ahead Of 4/20 White House Says Biden Has Been ‘Very Clear’ In Supporting Marijuana Decriminalization, But Admin Is Awaiting DOJ Rescheduling Action

The post Politicians Tout Marijuana Policy Progress On 4/20 Amid Heightened Expectations About Federal Reform appeared first on Marijuana Moment.

420GrowLife

via www.KahliBuds.com

Kyle Jaeger, KahliBuds, 420GrowLife

#KahliBuds #MMJ #CBD #THC

A new survey of Americans’ habits, opinions and expectations around cannabis finds that nearly 6 in 10 adults are “surprised marijuana hasn’t been legalized across the United States yet.”

The new Harris Poll report, released on Thursday, further found that 4 in 10 U.S. adults are current cannabis consumers, with about a quarter of those using the substance at least weekly. Meanwhile nearly two thirds (64 percent) said that “marijuana no longer carries the stigma it used to have.”

“The numbers speak volumes,” Libby Rodney, chief strategy officer and resident futurist at The Harris Poll, a market research and consulting company, said in a statement about the group’s findings. “With 4 in 10 Americans using marijuana, it’s not a trend—it’s a cultural shift. What was once taboo is now mainstream, reflecting changing attitudes and norms.”

“It’s not just about usage; it’s about acceptance,” Rodney said, “signaling a new era in how we perceive and interact with this once controversial substance.”

Fifty-nine percent of those surveyed said they were “surprised marijuana hasn’t been legalized across the United States yet.”

The results come on the heels of a separate Gallup poll this week indicating that rates of marijuana use are nearly the same in states that have legalized marijuana versus those that still prohibit it, which Gallup said suggests “criminalization does little to curtail its use.” That survey found that 1 in 10 adults reported using marijuana 10 or more times in the past month, while 1 in 5 used cannabis at least once in the past month.

The Harris Poll findings are from a March 22–24 online survey of 2,043 U.S. adults.

Among the poll’s other findings, the survey showed that more than seven in 10 people who use marijuana reported preferring it over both cigarettes and alcohol.

People were also asked about what they would give up to make or keep marijuana legal for adult use. Among millennials, nearly half (45 percent) said they’d give up alcohol, for example, while 34 percent said they’d give up coffee and 32 percent said they’d give up social media. Younger Gen Z respondents, by comparison, were less likely to give up any of those indulgences in favor of marijuana (alcohol: 38 percent; coffee: 25 percent; social media: 21 percent).

More than a quarter of respondents (27 percent) reported living in a jurisdiction where cannabis is legal for medical and adult use, while 13 percent said marijuana was completely illegal and 13 percent said only medical was legal (although another 9 percent said medical was legal and adult use was decriminalized).

Twenty-four percent of respondents said they weren’t sure of the legal status of marijuana in their location.

Pollsters also said their findings show that zero-tolerance workplace marijuana policies “are losing their grip on the workplace,” with 38 percent of respondents reporting that their workplace has a zero-tolerance policy.

By contrast, 15 percent said use for medical reasons was permitted outside work hours, while 23 percent said either medical or adult use were allowed.

Nearly a quarter (24 percent) said they were unsure of their workplace’s policies.

Employees, meanwhile, “are looking for jobs that follow suit,” The Harris Poll said, with 1 in 5 saying they’ve left an employer due to their marijuana use policy.

Two thirds (66 percent) of Americans reported thinking marijuana products are overpriced—a number that jumped to 79 percent among marijuana users and 82 percent among heavy users.

Despite the poll itself showing that perceptions are changing, Americans are still hesitant to share their marijuana habits. Nearly two thirds (64 percent) of marijuana users said they’re selective about revealing use, with more than half (56 percent) saying they “wouldn’t disclose my marijuana usage on the first few dates.”

Looking forward, most Americans think cannabis reform will continue in the country, with 64 percent saying that it “won’t be long before marijuana is fully legalized.” The same proportion said 2024 would be “a good year for the marijuana industry,” while 56 percent said the industry “will fuel the American economy.”

As for whether to structure legalization in a way that benefits those most harmed by the drug war, a majority (56 percent) said that “social equity programs should be implemented to address historical injustices related to marijuana criminalization.”

That includes 68 percent of Democrats surveyed and 46 percent of Republicans.

While a minority of Americans report regularly using marijuana, polls have consistently found that there’s increasingly bipartisan majority support for legalizing cannabis.

For example, nine in 10 Americans say marijuana should be legal for recreational or medical purposes, a Pew Research Center poll that was released last month found. And most agree that legalization bolsters local economies and makes the criminal justice system more fair.

An earlier Gallup poll from last year, meanwhile, found that support for marijuana legalization reached a new record high nationally, with seven in 10 Americans—including a sizable majority of Republicans, Democrats and independents—backing an end to prohibition.

Another survey released last month found that a strong majority of voters in three states—including more than 60 percent of Republicans—support congressional legislation to protect states’ rights to set their own marijuana laws.

Pew also released a separate report in February that found eight in 10 Americans now live in a county with at least one marijuana dispensary. The analysis also shows that high concentrations of retailers often “cluster” near borders abutting other states that have “less permissive cannabis laws”—indicating that there’s a large market of people who live in still-criminalized jurisdictions who cross state lines to purchase regulated products.

This Will Be The ‘Last 4/20 Celebration’ With Marijuana Still In Schedule I, Congressman Says, While Predicting House Action On Cannabis Banking Bill

The post 6 In 10 Americans Are ‘Surprised’ Marijuana Hasn’t Been Legalized Across The U.S. Yet, Poll Finds appeared first on Marijuana Moment.

420GrowLife

via www.KahliBuds.com

Ben Adlin, KahliBuds, 420GrowLife

#KahliBuds #MMJ #CBD #THC



420GrowLife

via www.KahliBuds.com

NORML, KahliBuds, 420GrowLife

#KahliBuds #MMJ #CBD #THC

While uncertainty remains around how New Hampshire’s Senate will receive a House-passed measure to legalize adult-use cannabis, lawmakers separately took up a batch of bills this week that would make changes to the state’s existing medical marijuana system.

Among them are proposals to allow patients to grow marijuana at home, expand qualifying conditions for the state’s therapeutic cannabis program and permit any doctor who can prescribe other drugs to humans to also recommend marijuana.

None of the six bills heard this week were acted upon in committee, with House and Senate panels instead taking testimony and leaving action for a later date. Each measure has already been approved by its full originating chamber and is now being considered by the opposite body.

On Thursday, the Senate Health and Human Services Committee heard comments on four cannabis related bills:

HB 1278

Sponsored by Rep. Wendy Thomas (D), who is also a cancer survivor and medical marijuana patient, HB 1278 would allow doctors to recommend marijuana for any condition they believe would be improved through cannabis use. Specifically, it would add to the state’s qualifying conditions for medical marijuana “any debilitating or terminal medical condition or symptom for which the potential benefits of using therapeutic cannabis would, in the provider’s clinical opinion, likely outweigh the potential health risks for the patient.”

Thomas told the panel that during her time as a medical marijuana patient, she’s used cannabis to manage chronic pain, insomnia, eating issues, gastrointestinal issues, PTSD and anxiety. “I found relief from all of these symptoms,” she said, “some of which are not covered in the program.”

The bill would not do away with the enumerated list of qualifying conditions, which Thomas said was a useful way for clinicians who are less familiar with cannabis to navigate the system.

“The point of this is that they would be allowed to…refer a patient to the program for any condition that they think would fit and benefit the patient,” she said.

In support of the bill, Thomas noted that a recent federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) report recommending that marijuana be moved to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act “identifies additional uses that cannabis has been found helpful for. These conditions include ALS, autism, muscle wasting, cancer, chronic pain, Crohn’s disease, epilepsy or conditions causing seizures, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS, [multiple sclerosis], Parkinson’s disease, persistant severe muscle spasm, persistent severe nausea, PTSD and spasticity.”

Another lawmaker who is a registered medical cannabis patient, Rep. Heath Howard (D), told members that “we as a legislature have designated it acceptable for being a member of therapeutic cannabis program, but in terms of having changes being made to that list, we have to come back here every single time we want to make a change.”

“This legislation would help eliminate that by giving doctors a say,” he said.

HB 1231

A medical marijuana homegrow bill, HB 1231 would allow registered therapeutic marijuana patients and their caregivers to grow up to three mature cannabis plants, three immature plants and 12 seedlings. They could also keep up to eight ounces of usable marijuana.

The proposal is also sponsored by Thomas, who said Thursday that the bill would reduce costs for patients, provide easier access to medicine for those who can’t easily access one of the state’s seven dispensaries—known in New Hampshire as alternative treatment centers (ATCs)—and ensure patients can obtain products that best treat their conditions.

“Why do we need this bill?” Thomas said. “One reason is the cost cannabis is not covered by insurance. If you are a patient who uses a lot to keep your symptoms under control, it can be expensive. And remember, this is a vulnerable population.”

“Secure home cultivation is not causing any problems” in states where it’s allowed, she added. “Fourteen of the 18 states that have legalized adult use cannabis, and about half of the medical cannabis states, allow for personal cultivation. In the states that have reasonable safeguards, home cultivation has not been a problem. No state has repealed home cultivation.”

The proposal has the support of the state’s Therapeutic Cannabis Medical Oversight Board as well as some existing ATCs.

“We think it will help with affordability, accessibility and availability of specific strains,” said the board’s chair, Jerry Knirk, a former surgeon and Democratic state lawmaker.

Matt Simon, director of public and government relations at the ATC GraniteLeaf, told the panel the company supports the reform on philosophical grounds, not because it expects to make money from the change.

“We would very much like to be able to help patients with this and assist them,” he told the committee. “Our cultivation staff would love to teach classes if this becomes legal. Our dispensary staff would love to connect patients with seedlings. We’d love to be able to provide that service.”

“I’ve been advocating for homegrow for 15 years, and I’ll keep doing it,” added Simon, who helped pass the state’s existing medical marijuana law. “I didn’t have any gray hairs when we started. Now I have a lot of them. I really hope this will be the year.”

(Disclosure: Simon supports Marijuana Moment’s work with a monthly Patreon pledge.)

HB 1349

Sponsored by Rep. Howard, HB 1349 would add generalized anxiety disorder to the state’s list of qualifying conditions for therapeutic cannabis. It has bipartisan co-sponsors and is supported by the state’s Therapeutic Cannabis Medical Oversight Board.

Howard spoke in favor of his bill Thursday, saying that it builds on the “tremendous amount of success in especially veterans and their treatment of PTSD with medical cannabis” and adding that marijuana may also provide a less risky alternative to benzodiazepines, “which are pills like Xanax, and they can be highly addictive.”

HB 1581

Under current law, ATCs in New Hampshire are required to grow marijuana in secure, indoor locations. The use of semi-outdoor structures, like greenhouses, is prohibited. HB 1581, sponsored by Rep. Suzanne Vail (D)—another medical marijuana patient—would change that, expanding where cannabis can be grown and explicitly allowing cultivation in greenhouses.

“Using greenhouses for cultivation will reduce the electricity costs and decrease the cost to the alternative treatment centers when they are cultivating the raw product that they’re going to use to make the products that they have in the dispensaries,” Vail said. “So this is another way to reduce costs for the patient.”

Simon, at GraniteLeaf, said the goal isn’t necessarily to grow more cannabis but for ATCs to use different, more efficient cultivation methods.

“What we want is to grow differently,” he told the panel. “We want to have at least some of our cultivation take place outside so that it can be much more energy efficient and so that we can make lower-cost cannabis available to patients.”

“To grow cannabis indoors, you basically have to simulate an entire outdoor growing season inside under high intensity lights,” he added. “It costs a lot.”

Legislative panels also considered some cannabis bills on Wednesday:

SB 357

The House Health and Human Services Committee took testimony on SB 357, a measure that would allow any provider who is licensed to prescribe drugs to humans to also recommend medical marijuana. The bipartisan bill, led by Sen. Rebecca Whitley (D), would put into law that “any New Hampshire resident who is licensed to prescribe drugs to humans and who possesses an active registration from the United States Drug Enforcement Administration [DEA] to prescribe controlled substances.”

The bill also requires that two providers, including one pediatric care provider, submit written certification for issuance of a medical marijuana card to a minor.

SB 426

The House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee, meanwhile, heard comments on SB 426, which would impose a $150 fine and suspend a person’s driver’s license if they’re found with marijuana in a vehicle that’s not in its “original container and with the seal unbroken” or not stored in a trunk or similarly inaccessible area. The goal is to treat accessible marijuana in a vehicle more like an open container of alcohol under state law.

—
Marijuana Moment is tracking more than 1,400 cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters pledging at least $25/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don’t miss any developments.

Learn more about our marijuana bill tracker and become a supporter on Patreon to get access.
—

Meanwhile in New Hampshire, the House recently passed a marijuana legalization bill from Rep. Erica Layon (R), who’s spent months trying to hammer out a proposal that can win broad support in the legislature and a signature from Gov. Chris Sununu (R), a legalization skeptic. But Sununu and some in the Senate have said Layon’s proposal is a nonstarter because it doesn’t give the state day-to-day control over retail operations like the governor’s preferred state-run or state-franchise models.

Layon has said that day-to-day control could expose the state to legal risk, and she’s argued the state shouldn’t be in the business of setting prices on marijuana products.

Following the House of that bill, however, Sununu signaled that he’s against the legislation in its current form—but could still ultimately get on board if changes are made in the Senate.

“Governor Sununu has been crystal clear about the framework needed for a legalization bill to earn his support, focusing on harm reduction and keeping it out of kids’ hands,” his office said in a statement on the day of the vote. “The legislation passed today doesn’t get us there but the Governor looks forward to working with the Senate to see if we can get it done.”

Layon, the bill’s sponsor, said she’s repeatedly reached out to the Sununu’s office in recent months to discuss provisions of the proposal. But so far she’s been snubbed by the governor, even as his office communicates with other lawmakers about the bill.

“The bill that passed the House reflects the Governor’s guidelines as I understood them, until his last minute embrace of a franchise model,” she told Marijuana Moment last week. “I made dozens of attempts to meet with the Governor and his staff to get into the policy details, but the best meeting I achieved was a walk-and-talk with him through the halls of the Capitol.”

The situation has pitted Republicans against Republicans, with Layon and supporters at odds with Sununu and his allies in the Senate. Failure to reach agreement could threaten the legalization bill entirely despite what appears to be majority support for the policy change.

Last year Sununu said he supported a system of state-run retail stores, but lawmakers on a state study commission instead pivoted to the idea of a franchise system, which the governor has said he’s willing to entertain. But the study commission ultimately failed to arrive at a consensus or propose final legislation, as it was initially charged to do.

Officials at the Liquor Commission have said it would be far less costly for private franchisees to build out a system of retail stores than to ask the Liquor Commission to take on that task itself.

Lawmakers worked extensively on marijuana reform issues last session and attempted to reach a compromise to enact legalization through a multi-tiered system that would include state-controlled shops, dual licensing for existing medical cannabis dispensaries and businesses privately licensed to individuals by state agencies. The legislature ultimately hit an impasse on the complex legislation, however.

The Senate defeated a more conventional House-passed legalization bill last year, HB 639, despite its bipartisan support.

Last May, the House removed marijuana legalization language that was included in a Medicaid expansion bill. The Senate also moved to table another piece of legislation that month that would have allowed patients and designated caregivers to cultivate up to three mature plants, three immature plants and 12 seedlings for personal therapeutic use.

After the Senate rejected the reform bills in 2022, the House included legalization language as an amendment to separate criminal justice-related legislation—but that was also struck down in the opposite chamber.

Americans Use Marijuana At Nearly The Same Rate In Legal And Non-Legal States, Suggesting Criminalization Doesn’t ‘Curtail’ Consumption, Gallup Poll Finds

Photo courtesy of Philip Steffan.

The post New Hampshire Lawmakers Weigh Medical Marijuana Expansion Bills Amid Recreational Legalization Debate appeared first on Marijuana Moment.

420GrowLife

via www.KahliBuds.com

Ben Adlin, KahliBuds, 420GrowLife

#KahliBuds #MMJ #CBD #THC

Michigan's Booming $3 Billion Cannabis Industry Faces Pricing Challenges on 4/20 Image Cannabis News April 19, 2024 Michigan's Legal Weed Market Soars to $3 Billion, But Pricing Challenges Loom as 4/20 Approaches. Marijuana has had a growing impact on the state and with the stoner holiday of 4/20 here, let's take a look at the state's legal $3 billion weed industry. It's bigger than ever, with prices dropping and Marijuana Politics Marijuana Business News Lansing State Journal

Image

Cannabis News April 19, 2024

• Marijuana Politics
• Marijuana Business News

420GrowLife

via www.KahliBuds.com

Cannabis News, KahliBuds, 420GrowLife

#KahliBuds #MMJ #CBD #THC



420GrowLife

via www.KahliBuds.com

Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director, KahliBuds, 420GrowLife

#KahliBuds #MMJ #CBD #THC

Rates of marijuana use are nearly the same in states that have legalized versus those that maintain prohibition, which suggests that “criminalization does little to curtail its use,” a new Gallup survey found.

As advocates have long pointed out, debates about the merits of legalization often ignore the fact that the war on drugs has not stopped people from using cannabis. The difference largely comes down to whether the products are regulated by states or not. And the Gallup polling data released on Thursday reinforces that point.

Overall, one in 10 American adults say they’ve used marijuana 10 or more times in the past month, while one in five have used cannabis at least once in the past month.

Gallup shared more granular data from the survey with Marijuana Moment on Thursday, revealing that six percent of people reported using cannabis every day, four percent consumed 10-29 days of the last month, five percent used 3-9 days, five percent used 1-2 days and 81 percent didn’t consume any cannabis.

Broken down by state legal status, Gallup found that 9.7 percent of adults identify as regular cannabis consumers in states that have enacted legalization, compared to 8.6 percent in non-legal states.

“The narrow gap in cannabis consumption among residents of states where it remains illegal compared with those in states where it is legal suggests that its criminalization does little to curtail its use among American adults,” the research firm said.

Among people who reported using marijuana 10 or more times in the past month, there are no differences in consumption rates between adults aged 18-29, 30-39 and 40-49, all of which average at 12 percent. A smaller portion of adults 50-64 use marijuana regularly (8 percent), followed by those 65+ (6 percent).

While average use is comparable between legal and non-legal states, there are “statistically significant differences in consumption trends based on region, with the highest usage rates observed in the Middle Atlantic (New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey). Only Pennsylvania has maintained prohibition for adult use.

Eleven percent of adults in the East North Central divisions (Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio) use cannabis regularly. In that region, Wisconsin and Indiana continue to prohibit marijuana.

Notably, the usage rate in the West (California, Oregon and Washington State) is slightly lower, at 10 percent, despite all three states having established adult-use cannabis markets.

“The lowest usage rates (7 percent) are reported in the East South Central (Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi and Alabama) and the West North Central (North Dakota, Minnesota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas and Missouri) divisions,” Gallup said.

The survey accounted for the fact that people now consume marijuana through a variety of methods, asking respondents to answer “how many days in the last month have you used cannabis products (such as smoking marijuana, vaping liquid THC, or consuming baked goods or gummies) to alter your mood and help you relax?”

That caveat about the intention behind use could potentially skew the findings, as there’s a wide variety of reasons beyond mood alteration and relaxation that people use cannabis. For example, it’s commonly used to stimulate appetite or for medical purposes.

The survey involved interviews with 6,386 U.S. adults from November 30, 2023 to December 8, 2023.

While a minority of Americans report regularly using marijuana, polls have consistently found that there’s increasingly bipartisan majority support for legalizing cannabis.

For example, nine in 10 Americans say marijuana should be legal for recreational or medical purposes, a Pew Research Center poll that was released last month found. And most agree that legalization bolsters local economies and makes the criminal justice system more fair.

A separate Gallup poll from last November found that support for marijuana legalization reached a new record high nationally, with seven in 10 Americans—including a sizable majority of Republicans, Democrats and independents—backing an end to prohibition.

Another survey released last month found that a strong majority of voters in three states—including more than 60 percent of Republicans—support congressional legislation to protect states’ rights to set their own marijuana laws.

Pew also released a separate report in February that found eight in 10 Americans now live in a county with at least one marijuana dispensary. The analysis also shows that high concentrations of retailers often “cluster” near borders abutting other states that have “less permissive cannabis laws”—indicating that there’s a large market of people who live in still-criminalized jurisdictions who cross state lines to purchase regulated products.

Senator Files Marijuana Expungements Bill That Schumer Has Discussed Including In Banking Reform Package

Photo courtesy of Martin Alonso.

The post Americans Use Marijuana At Nearly The Same Rate In Legal And Non-Legal States, Suggesting Criminalization Doesn’t ‘Curtail’ Consumption, Gallup Poll Finds appeared first on Marijuana Moment.

420GrowLife

via www.KahliBuds.com

Kyle Jaeger, KahliBuds, 420GrowLife

#KahliBuds #MMJ #CBD #THC

LEEF Brands, Inc. (CSE: LEEF)(OTC: LEEEF) (formerly Icanic Brands) released its audited financial statements for the year ended 2023 along with the interim financial statements for the quarter ending March 31, 2024. In the fourth quarter revenue rose sequentially to $5.9 million versus the third quarter revenue of $5.7 million.

Leef Brands sales in 2023 increased by 13% to $30.5 million over 2022’s revenue of $27 million. Total operating expenses were $46 million for the year, which was higher than 2022’s operating expenses of $39 million. The net loss for the year increased to $33 million versus 2022’s net loss of $27 million.

Leef Brands ended 2023 with an accumulated deficit of $96,363,268, a net loss of $33,888,782, and net cash provided by operating activities of $990,985. Despite filing its earnings as a going concern, the company estimates it will continue to meet its obligations as they become due in the short term.

“I am proud of the team and their performance in the past year and specifically in this quarter” Anderson continued. “We’ve seen stronger margins and EBITDA in the first quarter of the year and believe Q1 results are the beginning signs of success stemming from the efforts to reduce redundancies after our merger with Icanic Brands. We’re right on schedule for planting at Salisbury Canyon Ranch this spring. This project is not only expanding our operations but also building strong momentum for continued financial health and growth.”

Looking ahead

The company gave a heads-up to investors regarding the first quarter of 2024 earnings. Leef said its net sales increased sequentially by 35% to $7.9 million, however, this was lower than the first quarter of 2023, which had sales of $9.6 million. The company also reported that it had record gross margins of 40.6% in the first quarter of 2024.

Leef Brands also reported it had a net loss in the first quarter of $1.5 million versus $1.4 million for the same period in 2023. Cash has dropped to $4.5 million at the end of the first quarter versus $6.4 million at the end of 2023.

On August 3, 2023, the company bought the 1,900-acre Salisbury Canyon Ranch in Santa Barbara, California for cannabis cultivation. This property was financed by a $7 million note payable. The company said it is on track to plant by late spring, targeting a fall harvest.

“We’ve achieved record gross margins of 40.6% in Q1 2024, alongside positive cash flow from operations throughout 2023 and into the first quarter of 2024” added Kevin Wilson, Chief Financial Officer. “These milestones are a testament to the LEEF team’s exceptional management of our supply chain and our commitment to partnering with high-quality customers. The dedication and strategic focus have been crucial in reaching these financial highs. As we move forward with our plans to plant at Salisbury Canyon Ranch, we’re confident in our team’s ability to sustain and build on this momentum throughout the year and into 2025.”

The post LEEF Brands sales rise in 2023, but net losses remain high appeared first on Green Market Report.

420GrowLife

via www.KahliBuds.com

Debra Borchardt, KahliBuds, 420GrowLife

#KahliBuds #MMJ #CBD #THC

The post Maine lawmakers pass bill to study psychedelic regulation appeared first on Green Market Report.

420GrowLife

via www.KahliBuds.com

Adam Jackson, KahliBuds, 420GrowLife

#KahliBuds #MMJ #CBD #THC



420GrowLife

via www.KahliBuds.com

Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director, KahliBuds, 420GrowLife

#KahliBuds #MMJ #CBD #THC

A Senate committee has approved a resolution calling for the release of a U.S. citizen incarcerated over marijuana in Russia, emphasizing that he was a lawful medical cannabis patient in Pennsylvania using state-legal products as an opioid alternative.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee passed the legislation sponsored by Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) during an executive session on Tuesday. The concurrent resolution also calls on President Joe Biden’s federal government to step up efforts to secure his release.

The measure says the 14-year sentence that Marc Fogel received after being convicted of “drug smuggling” over possession of a half-ounce of cannabis is politically motivated and disproportionate, especially when taking into account the fact that he was using marijuana for medical purposes in accordance with a doctor’s recommendation.

“Marc Fogel has undergone three back surgeries, a spinal fusion, a hip replacement, and two knee surgeries to correct various injuries and health issues, which have left him with chronic back pain and a permanent limp,” the measure says. And he “did not wish to use opioids to manage his pain and was instead prescribed medical marijuana for pain management in a manner consistent with the State law of Pennsylvania.”

Fogel “stated he intended that marijuana solely for personal consumption, and the Government of the Russian Federation has presented no evidence to the contrary,” the resolution reads, yet he received a 14-year sentence following a “politicized show trial.”

The resolution also points out that a Russian lawyer informed Fogel’s family that the typical sentence for the low-level cannabis possession offense in the country is five years of probation, and that Russia has levied lesser sentences on people charged with possession of 1,500 grams of “various narcotics.”

“Marc Fogel’s sentence is vastly disproportionate to the severity of his nonviolent crime, wildly dissimilar to the typical punishments for comparable offenses in Russia, and clearly motivated by ongoing political tensions between Russia and the United States,” it says.

The measure calls on Russia to immediately release Fogel and for the White House and State Department to “press for his immediate release in all interactions with the Government of the Russian Federation.”

It further “urges the Government of the Russian Federation to desist from issuing outlandishly disproportionate criminal sentences to nonviolent United States citizens” and “condemns the Government of the Russian Federation’s continued use of detentions and prosecutions of citizens and lawful permanent residents of the United States for political purposes.”

The resolution was introduced last July shortly after family of Fogel visited the White House to meet with high-level officials and also raise attention to his case with members of Congress. While the Senate version next heads to the Senate floor, a House companion version has not yet advanced in that chamber.

Casey, the Senate sponsor, said the resolution “sends a clear, bipartisan message to Vladimir Putin and dictators like him that the United States won’t stand for the imprisonment of Americans like Marc Fogel.”

“Marc is a loving father and schoolteacher who’s devoted his life to educating students around the world. The United States must do everything possible to bring Marc home and show our enemies that Americans aren’t to be used in their political games,” he said.

Meanwhile, a separate coalition of more than 20 U.S. senators filed a different resolution this month condemning the arrests of American citizens in Russia, including  Fogel.

—
Marijuana Moment is tracking more than 1,400 cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters pledging at least $25/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don’t miss any developments.

Learn more about our marijuana bill tracker and become a supporter on Patreon to get access.
—

Lawmakers have made repeated pleas for the State Department to escalate Fogel’s case, including by formally designating him as wrongfully detained. The resolution also urges that designation.

They’ve pointed out that his situation is comparable to that of WNBA player Brittney Griner, who also served time in a Russian prison over possession of cannabis oil that she also lawfully obtained as a medical marijuana patient in Arizona before being released as part of a prisoner swap that the Biden administration negotiated.

Signatories also filed a bill last June that would require the State Department to explain to Congress why it has not designated Fogel, as well as other Americans detained abroad, as “wrongfully detained.”

Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) and former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul also sent a letter to the secretary of state, imploring the administration to “immediately” escalate diplomatic efforts to secure Fogel’s return.

In 2022, more than two dozen members of Congress called on the State Department to step up diplomatic efforts to secure the release of Fogel, calling his incarceration over marijuana that he used to treat chronic pain “unconscionable.”

The White House said that year it was actively investigating Fogel’s case, and lawmakers have been keeping the pressure on to ensure it’s doing all that it can to secure his release.

When asked about the administration’s work to secure the release of other Americans like Fogel who are imprisoned abroad, Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre deferred to the State Department, arguing that “every case is different” and saying she didn’t want to get ahead of any ongoing diplomatic efforts.

Casey also led a letter with other senators that similarly asked the State Department to classify the citizen, an American teacher, as “wrongfully detained.” That came shortly after other bipartisan members of Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation again pleaded with the State Department to escalate Fogel’s case, drawing parallels between his and Griner’s cannabis-related convictions.

As State Department spokesperson Ned Price explained, officials take into account 11-point criteria when determining whether a given case amounts to a wrongful detention. For example, if the U.S. has reason to believe that due process is being impaired, that the person was arrested solely because they are a U.S. national or that they are innocent of the stated charges, that would warrant a wrongful detention designation.

Russia, for its part, has taken a particularly strong stance against reforming cannabis policy at the international level through the United Nations. And it condemned Canada for legalizing marijuana nationwide.

Hemp Market Saw Growth In 2023 After Major Declines In 2022, USDA Report Shows

The post Senators Approve Resolution Condemning Russian Imprisonment Of American Who Used Medical Marijuana As Opioid Alternative appeared first on Marijuana Moment.

420GrowLife

via www.KahliBuds.com

Kyle Jaeger, KahliBuds, 420GrowLife