“These products are unregulated and untested, readily available on the internet and unlicensed sources, and pose significant threat to public health and safety.”
Lawmakers in many states have started to pre-file marijuana law reform legislation and some sessions have already begun holding hearings. This week’s update highlights legislative developments in Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Dakota, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah and Washington.
“A robust, above-ground retail marijuana market is necessary in order to disrupt the unregulated marketplace and to assure that consumers have adequate access to lab-tested, high quality products at competitive prices,” NORML’s Deputy Director Paul Armentano said.
“Cannabis has established efficacy in the treatment of multiple conditions, including chronic pain, and it possesses a safety profile that is either comparable or superior to other controlled substances. So it is no wonder that those with legal access to it are substituting cannabis in lieu of other, potentially less effective and more harmful substances.”
“Because the use of marijuana under AMMA ‘must be considered the equivalent of the use of any other medication under the direction of a physician,’ the exposure of [the plaintiff’s] infant to marijuana resulted from medical treatment and did not constitute neglect under A.R.S. § 8–201(25)(c).”
During his State of the Commonwealth Address delivered Wednesday evening, Democratic Governor Andy Beshear called for the legalization of medical cannabis in Kentucky
“The adoption of this law will make it so that tens of thousands of Ohioans are no longer stigmatized and disenfranchised by the collateral consequences resulting from a minor marijuana violation,” said Jax James, NORML’s State Policy Manager.
Oklahoma voters will decide on a citizens’ initiated measure (State Question 820) legalizing the adult-use marijuana market in a special election to be held on Tuesday, March 7, 2023.