Author Archives: ushempmuseum
Illinois: No Action Taken On Measure To Promote Hemp Commerce
Lawmakers chose not to act on legislation to expand Illinois hemp law to promote hemp-related commerce this legislative session. Senate Bill 2406 would have redefined cannabis under the criminal code so that it excludes strains possessing less than one percent THC. The act also sought to establish regulations for the Department of Agriculture to license persons “desiring … Continue reading
Will The Marijuana Vote Be A Factor This November?
This year’s Presidential election will most certainly be one for the ages. As much of the campaigning prior to Election Day turns negative, NORML is here to remind marijuana law reform advocates that there remains many reasons to remain positive. On November 8, voters in nine states will go to the polls to decide … Continue reading
Maryland: Legislation To Put Marijuana Legalization Question Before Voters Defeated
House Bill 665, legislation that sought to place a constitutional amendment on the November 2018 ballot to regulate adult marijuana use was defeated by members of the House Judiciary committee. The bill would have allowed voters to decide if they wish to regulate the commercial cultivation, processing, and retail of marijuana to adults over the … Continue reading
South Dakota: House Votes Down Senate-Backed Medical Marijuana Measure
Members of the House have voted down Senate Bill 171 by a vote of 43 to 25, killing the measure for this session. Members of the Senate had previously approved the measure, but significantly amended it so that it only only sought to permit patients with intractable epilepsy to possess cannabidiol with a ‘prescription.’ The amended measure … Continue reading
Virginia: House Fails To Act On Bill To End License Suspensions For Minor Marijuana Violators
On February 9th, SB 327, legislation to amend state law so that first time, minor marijuana offenders no longer face the loss of their driver’s license, was approved by the full Senate. Unfortunately members of the House Courts of Justice Committee failed to take action on the bill before the 2016 legislative session came to an end. … Continue reading
Study: Opioid Prevalence Falls Following Medical Cannabis Legalization
The implementation of medical marijuana programs is associated with a decrease in the prevalence of opioids detected among fatally injured drivers, according to data published in the American Journal of Public Health. Researchers at Columbia University in New York and the University of California at Davis performed a between-state comparison of opioid positivity rates in … Continue reading
Federal: Congressional Members Introduce Legislation to Stop USPS Threats
Members from both the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate have joined together to introduce the Marijuana Advertising in Legal States (MAILS) Act, which aims to halt threatening behavior by the United States Postal Service (USPS) toward state compliant newspaper publishers that wish to publish marijuana related advertisements in their publications. Last year, USPS sent … Continue reading
New Jersey: Legislation Seeks to End Workplace Discrimination Against Medical Marijuana Patients
Assembly Bill 2482 seeks to halt employers from taking adverse employment actions against authorized medical marijuana patients who engage in the plant’s use during their off-hours. The legislation states, “Unless an employer establishes by a preponderance of the evidence that the lawful use of medical marijuana has impaired the employee’s ability to perform the employee’s job … Continue reading
New Jersey: Let Farmers Grow Industrial Hemp
Assembly legislation, A 2628, is pending in the 2016 legislative session to redefine industrial hemp as an agricultural crop and establish licensing regulations for the plant’s cultivation. Hemp is a distinct variety of the plant species cannabis sativa L. that contains minimal amounts of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the primary psychoactive ingredient in marijuana. Various parts of … Continue reading
Mississippi: Medical Marijuana Legislation Never Acted On
Senate legislation to permit qualified patients to legally possess and cultivate cannabis was never acted on by members of the Public Health and Welfare committee this legislative session. Senate Bill 2358 sought to permit patients with a “debilitating medical condition” to engage in marijuana therapy in accordance with a physician’s recommendation. The measure would have also rescheduled … Continue reading