Search Results: bill/ (44)

New Jersey state Sen. Nicholas Scutari.

New Jersey is wasting millions of dollars on the enforcement marijuana laws and blowing millions in tax revenue that could be generated if the plant was taxed and regulated. Because of that, New Jersey state Sen. Nicholas Scutari says that New Jersey should follow the lead of Colorado and legalize the use, sales and cultivation of limited amounts of cannabis for adults 21 and up.
Of course, as long as Chris “Tollbooth” Christie is in office, actually getting the measure passed and signed into law is a very long shot.

The Georgia Senate last night approved a limited medical cannabis bill that will allow for CBD-based oils for children with severe seizure disorders at the very last minute, saving the measure from dying out for the session. But the controversial addition of a completely unrelated measure requiring health insurers to cover behavioral therapy for children under six who have autism ended up killing the bill outright.

Washington patients have been under attack by their state legislature, which has pushed a bill that would pretty much end the state’s medical marijuana program and force patients into the highly-taxed recreational model. House Bill 2149 deservedly should die a quick death.
And at least state Sen. Ann Rivers recognizes the flaws. Late last week Rivers introduced Senate Bill 5887 which addresses some of the major issues patients have with the other bill – though it still needs some tweaking to be palatable to Washington medical marijuana supporters.

CBD-rich oil from Colorado’s Kind Love dispensary.

A bill legalizing just CBD and only for seizure disorders was unanimously sent to the Georgia state House this week, advancing what would arguably be the country’s most restrictive medical cannabis laws to date.
The bill, sponsored by Georgia Republican state Rep. Allen Peake, is aimed at helping the families of children suffering from rare disorders. Peake says he wrote the bill after meeting several sick Georgia children.

A Quinnipiac University poll released this week says that 88% of New York residents are in favor of legalizing medical marijuana in the state, sparking the debate that perhaps the Empire State is finally ready for a nice heavy dose of indica dominant cannabis. This is up 17% in just two years.

vagueonthehow/Flickr
New York residents are high on the idea of fresh pot laws


Only 9% of New Yorkers are against the idea, but hell, only 39% of residents think that full recreational legalization of weed is a bad idea, with over 57% in favor of just skipping the “medical” step, and making pot legal for all adults.

There’s growing talk about a medical marijuana bill being submitted in West Virginia in the coming months, with Del. Mike Manypenny announcing last week that he will make a fourth attempt at winning over his fellow lawmakers.
While the bill does face considerable challenges in the conservative state, Manypenny’s last bill in 2013 managed to get nine co-sponsors as well as a hearing before the House Health and Human Resources Committee before failing to move forward to the House floor.

A San Francisco lawmaker has introduced legislation in California that would create statewide regulations for medical marijuana dispensaries for the first time. Currently, medical collectives are governed by local municipalities, which recently won the right to ban the centers outright in the state supreme court.
Assemblyman Tom Ammiano says the bill will help the state stave off federal raids, pointing to the recent memo released by U.S. Deputy Attorney General James Cole that asks federal prosecutors to respect state marijuana rights in states with robust regulatory systems in place. Ammiano doesn’t have much time to get Assembly Bill 604 passed this session, though, as Sept. 13 is the last day for each house to pass bills according to the state legislative calendar.

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon.

After his federal industrial hemp bill failed to move forward late last week, Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden wagged his finger in shame not at the closed-minded Senate that wouldn’t work with Wyden, but at marijuana users.
See, Wyden thinks that because marijuana users are prone to being pro-hemp that the two issues are seen as one in the same. And it’s clearly the pot smoker’s fault according to Wyden, not the ignorant elected officials.

In an attempt to add clarity to California’s oft misconstrued medical marijuana laws, the state Senate voted 22-12 yesterday in favor of Senate Bill 439, which aims to provide protection for dispensary owners in exchange for much more strict regulation.
The new legislation cuts through any previous confusion on compensation, making it clear that dispensaries cannot operate at a profit. Owners of dispensaries would be allowed to receive reasonable compensation and reimbursement of certain expenses, and would also be able to offer pay and benefits to their employees.

Often lost in the debate over marijuana legalization is the role that industrial, commercialized hemp production could potentially play in mainstream American society, as well as in our economy. But because all cannabis varieties, including hemp, fall under Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, the many industrial and even medical uses for hemp-based products here in America depend almost solely on foreign imports – mostly from China.