Reconciled Farm Bill Includes Provisions Lifting Federal Hemp Ban

Washington, DC: House and Senate lawmakers have agreed to a reconciled version of H.R. 2: The Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (aka the 2018 Farm Bill), which includes provisions lifting the federal prohibition of industrial hemp.

“For the first time in nearly a hundred years, commercial hemp production will no longer be federally prohibited in the United States,” said NORML Political Director Justin Strekal. “This represents a significant and long overdue shift in US policy. Nonetheless, future regulatory efforts will still be required to address emerging consumer issues when it comes to the commercial sale and marketing of certain hemp-derived products, particularly so-called hemp-derived CBD extracts. For years, many of the producers of these products have navigated in a grey area of the law — manufacturing products of variable and sometimes questionable quality and safety. Now it is time for lawmakers to craft simple benchmark safety and quality standards for hemp-derived CBD in order to increase consumer satisfaction and confidence as this nascent industry transitions into a legal marketplace.”

The hemp-specific provisions – which Senate Majority Speaker Mitch McConnell (R-KY) included in the Senate version of the bill, but were absent from the House version – amend federal regulations to further expand and facilitate state-licensed hemp production, research, and commerce. The language also for the first time amends the federal Controlled Substances Act of 1970 so that industrial hemp plants containing no more than 0.3 percent THC are no longer classified as a schedule I controlled substance. (See page 1182, Section 12608: ‘Conforming changes to controlled substances act.’) Certain cannabinoid compounds extracted from the hemp plant would also be exempt from the CSA.

House and Senate lawmakers will need to vote on the engrossed version of the Act, and they are anticipated to do so before the end of the year. Passage of the bill would allow state governments, rather than the federal governments, to be the primary regulators of hemp and hempen products.

Senator McConnell previously shepherded hemp-related language (Section 7606) in the 2014 version of the Farm Bill, permitting states to establish hemp research and cultivation programs absent federal approval. A majority of states have now enacted legislation to permit such programs.

Source: http://blog.norml.org/2018/11/29/reconciled-farm-bill-includes-provisions-lifting-federal-hemp-ban/

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New Jersey Legalization Legislation Moves to Floor Debate After Historic Votes

The full New Jersey legislature will take up legalization of adult use of cannabis in the Garden State in the coming weeks after measures passed in two committees in a widely covered joint hearing of the House and Senate on Nov. 26.

While more work needs to be done, advocates took a breather from pondering the challenges ahead and issued upbeat statements. “This was a historic vote,” Kate Bell, general counsel of the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) tells Freedom Leaf. “It’s the first time it’s gotten this far in New Jersey.”

In a hearing attending by hundreds of spectators, the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee approved S-2703 (sponsored by Sen. Nicholas Scutari) by a 7-2 vote with four abstentions. The Assembly Appropriations Committee cleared A-4497 (sponsored by Assemblywoman Annette Quijano) cleared by a 6-1 vote with two abstentions.

New Jersey appears poised to become the first state legislature to allow retail sales of cannabis to adults.

The measures next go to the full chambers for debate and a vote. Lawmakers meet in their first full session on December 17, but it’s unclear whether the bills will come up for a vote then. Unlike other states, the New Jersey legislature meets year-round, which means the bill won’t languish for months before it gets taken up by lawmakers.

One closely watched component is expungements for people convicted of marijuana offenses. The Assembly bill lays out an accelerated process for those with records to clear their names.

The committee approvals caught the attention of cannabis activists around the country partly because New Jersey ranks as the 11th largest state in the country by population with nine million residents.

With the House, Senate and statehouse all in Democratic control, the legislation has a good chance of becoming law. Since Gov. Phil Murphy won election on a legalization platform last year, the winds have favored legalization in New Jersey.

Gov. Phil Murphy: “I’m very happy that this is moving.”

But, so far, the process has been relatively slow. Advocates who’d hoped for a vote as early as this past spring are now projecting a decision by the end of the year at the earliest. Still, New Jersey appears poised to become the first state legislature to allow retail sales of cannabis to adults.

As proposed, the legislation would permit adults to possess up to one ounce of flower, up to a pound in solid form and 72 ounces in liquid form of marijuana-infused products (edibles) and seven grams of marijuana extracts. It creates five categories of regulated marijuana businesses: growers, product manufacturers, wholesalers, testing facilities and retailers. Some retail sites could include consumption on premises in designated areas. Local municipalities would retain control over the number and types of cannabis enterprises in their jurisdictions and would have the right to enforce local licensing requirements. Some towns and cities have been holding hearings to get public input.

The legislation proposes treating anyone under 21 caught with cannabis in a similar manner as alcohol and erases the stricter criminal penalties currently on the books. It also establishes a five-member Cannabis Regulatory Commission to oversee adult use and existing medical program.

With the House, Senate and statehouse all in Democratic control, the legislation has a good chance of becoming law.

The measures recommend a 12% tax rate on the retail price, including the sales tax and a potential local tax of up to 2%, though Gov. Murphy prefers a rate closer to 25%. Asked by reporters whether he would sign the bill in its current form, Murphy stated at a press conference in Trenton, “We haven’t commented on specifics, but I’m very happy that this is moving.”

Another negative is the ban on home growing in both bills. Washington is the only legal state (there are 10) that doesn’t allow domestic cultivation.

One strong motivator for legalization in New Jersey is sorely needed revenues. The Assembly and Senate budgets include a projected $69 million from marijuana taxes, which is considered a conservative estimate. In most other legal states, tax revenues from cannabis have exceeded expectations.

“This will right several wrongs that have been perpetuated throughout the failed War on Drugs,” New Jersey CannaBusiness Association President Scott Rudder noted in a statement. “It will take cannabis out of the hands of drug dealers and the black market and place it in a well-regulated space that will allow small business owners to create jobs and pump money into our economy.”

Related Articles

New Jersey’s Path to Legalization

Recreational Cannabis Stores Finally Open in Massachusetts

Marijuana Legalization Initiatives Pass in Michigan, Missouri & Utah

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Utah: Make Your Voice Heard; Make Your Vote Count

Lawmakers are planning to convene a special session beginning on Monday, December 3 to debate replacing Proposition 2: The Utah Medical Cannabis Act.

Yet, the reason a majority of Utah voters decided in favor of Prop. 2 was precisely because many of these same lawmakers, year after year, failed to adequately address this issue in a manner that provided adequate access to those patients who could benefit from it. Do you trust them to do the right thing now?

Proposition 2 assures that those patients with qualified debilitating conditions who need medical cannabis have access to lab-tested products via a tightly regulated system of licensed, above-ground state-licensed facilities. Rather than amending this voter-initiated proposition – and removing many of its key provisions (such as enabling patients’ rights to home cultivation) – politicians should respect the will of the electorate and move swiftly to enact medical cannabis access in a manner that comports with both the spirit of the law and the letter of law.

Don’t let politicians rewrite Prop. 2 in a way that serves the best interest of bureaucrats rather than patients. Thirty-three states now regulate medical cannabis access, and many of these programs were similarly enacted via voter-initiated measures. Utah patients should not be forced to wait any longer for safe, above-ground medical cannabis access.

Click here to tell your state lawmakers to move expeditiously to enact Proposition 2 in the manner that voters intended

Source: http://blog.norml.org/2018/11/28/utah-make-your-voice-heard-make-your-vote-count/

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A #GivingTuesday Message from NORML Executive Director Erik Altieri

Thanks to all the work we have done together, our issue of ending marijuana prohibition is no longer a regional one confined to deep blue states on the West Coast or the Northeast, we have gone nationwide. Voters increasingly agree with us that legalization is an important issue of civil liberties, personal freedom, racial justice, and sound economics. We are winning this fight, but that is no reason to relent in our struggle, we must double down and end this war on cannabis once and for all.

This #GivingTuesday can you chip in to help us keep the fight going? We have ten states (plus DC) that have legalized marijuana for adult use and are looking at more potentially joining that list in 2019, but we need the resources to help get those states across the finish line.

Donate today through Facebook and Paypal/Facebook will match your donation, doubling your impact! (If you don’t use Facebook you can donate directly to NORML here)

Together, we have already accomplished so much. When we stand shoulder to shoulder and fight with one voice against these unjust laws, we will cross that final finish line. Together, we WILL legalize marijuana nationwide.

Thank you very much.

 

 

 

Erik Altieri
NORML Executive Director

Source: http://blog.norml.org/2018/11/27/a-givingtuesday-message-from-norml-executive-director-erik-altieri/

A #GivingTuesday Message from NORML Executive Director Erik Altieri was initially published on GigglesNDimples.com

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Growing Change on Giving Tuesday

Today’s the day to give!

We need your help to raise $25,000 that will make advancing common-sense federal marijuana legislation in 2019 possible.

The best referral we can get is from supporters like you. In addition to your donation today, could you also post this on your social pages? As the day goes on, we’ll keep you updated on the progress toward our goal and give special thanks to our supporters. Stay tuned!

It’s time to #LegalizeAmerica.

Source: http://blog.norml.org/2018/11/27/growing-change-on-giving-tuesday/

Growing Change on Giving Tuesday was first seen on The Giggles N Dimples Blog

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New Jersey Lawmakers Move Forward Adult Use Marijuana Legislation

Senate and Assembly lawmakers voted on Monday, November 26, in favor of legislation that seeks to regulate the adult use marijuana market.

Members of a 24-member joint committee decided to move forward the legislation: Senate Bill 2703 and Assembly Bill 4497: The New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory and Expungement Aid Modernization Act. Lawmakers will engage in further debate on the measure prior to voting on the bill on the floor.

“Today’s Senate and Assembly votes are a victory for common sense and for sound public policy in New Jersey. We look forward to lawmakers on the Assembly and Senate floors acting swiftly to approve this legislation to send to Governor Murphy to sign into law.” said NORML Executive Director Erik Altieri, “New Jersey holds the dubious distinction of ranking second in the nation in per capita annual marijuana arrests. This policy disproportionately impacts young people of color, violates civil liberties, and is an egregious waste of public resources that can be reprioritized elsewhere. The people of New Jersey are ready to move forward. Their representatives should approve this legislation this year and replace the failed practice of prohibition with the sensible policy of legalization and regulation.”

Key provisions of the initial drafts of the legislation are available here.

Governor Phil Murphy campaigned on a platform that includes legalizing the adult use marijuana market in New Jersey, stating: “Decriminalization alone will not put the corner dealer out of business, it will not help us protect our kids, and it will not end the racial disparities we see. If these are our goals – as they must be – then the only sensible option is the careful legalization, regulation, and taxation of marijuana sales to adults.”

Fifty-eight percent of voters support “completely legalizing the possession and personal use of recreational marijuana,” and 79 percent support “allowing an individual to clear their record” of a past marijuana possession conviction,” according to an October 2018 Rutgers-Eagleton poll.

NEW JERSEY RESIDENTS: CLICK HERE TO CONTACT YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS IN SUPPORT OF THIS IMPORTANT LEGISLATION

Source: http://blog.norml.org/2018/11/26/new-jersey-lawmakers-move-forward-adult-use-marijuana-legislation/

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Recreational Cannabis Stores Finally Open in Massachusetts

Update: Two years after Massachusetts voters approved Question 4 legalizing the recreational use and sale of marijuana, two stores opened on Nov. 20 – Cultivate in Leicester and New England Treatment Access (NETA) in Northampton. At Cultivate, pot patrons paid from $19 to $420 for flower products.

In Northampton, Mayor David Narcewicz was first on line at NETA; he purchased an infused chocolate bar for $20. “It’s just a historic moment for the commonwealth and for the city,” he crowed. “I’m glad to be a part of it.”

Back in June, the Massachusetts’ Cannabis Control Commission (CCC), tasked by the legislature and governor to draft and implement the establishment of a retail cannabis industry, publicly indicated that their self-directed date to open non-medical cannabis retail outlets, July 1, would not be realized.

The Commission’s intent was to avoid mistake-laden employee background checks, consumer chaos and confusion and product inventory problems that occurred in the six previous states that created commercial cannabis markets (Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Alaska, Nevada and California).

NORTHAMPTON MAYOR DAVID NARCEWICZ: “It’s just a historic moment for the commonwealth and for the city. I’m glad to be a part of it.”

At a meeting on June 15, the CCC acknowledged that nearly 1,100 applications for cannabis-related businesses had been received by the state since the application process officially began on June 1. However, only 53 applications had been fully completed at the time; most of the first 28 applicants were, predictably, retail medical cannabis companies already operating in Massachusetts.

CCC director Steve Hoffman said the Commission wanted to maximize efforts to have safe, compliant and uniformly regulated cannabis retail shops across the entire state. “We’re going to do this right,” he stated. “If that means we have few or no stores on July 1 and it takes a few more weeks, I hope and expect that everybody in the state believes that’s the right thing to do. We certainly believe that’s the right thing to do.”

To many observers of the state’s cannabis industry, the delay in issuing licenses was neither a surprise nor an unexpected burden as the CCC commissioners at their public hearings around the state for the last year consistently reminded the public that the July 1 date was more inspirational than a necessity.

“Other states that rushed to hit an arbitrary deadline ended up with no inventory in some cases, with no licenses in place and no background checks and online inventory being done,” Hoffman added. “We’re not going to do that.”

Related Articles

How Massachusetts Became a Leader in Regulating Marijuana  

Vermont’s Legalization Lite: No Model for Other States

New Jersey’s Path to Legalization

Maine Governor Vetoes Marijuana Regulations

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The post Recreational Cannabis Stores Finally Open in Massachusetts appeared first on Freedom Leaf.

Source: https://www.freedomleaf.com/massachusetts-cannabis-delay/

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