Author Archives: ushempmuseum
New Hampshire: Lawmakers Table Legalization Measures
Lawmakers failed to consider two pieces of legislation related to the legalization of marijuana before the end of the 2016 legislative session. HB 1610 and HB 1675 both sought to permit the personal cultivation and commercial retail sale of marijuana in the state. Members of the House rejected a separate measure, HB 1694 in a … Continue reading
Tennessee: Cities Move To Reduce Marijuana Possession Penalties
Members of the Nashville metro council and the Memphis city council have given final approval to municipal legislation providing police the discretion to cite rather than arrest minor marijuana offenders. Nashville city council members voted 35 to 3 in late September in favor of the new ordinance. It provides police the option of issuing $ … Continue reading
Missouri: Senate Fails To Vote On Industrial Hemp Measure
Members of the Senate failed to consider pending legislation, House Bill 2038, to expand the state’s industrial hemp research program, before the legislative session came to an end. House Bill 2038 was previously approved by members of the House on April 11th, 2016 in a 123 to 29 vote. Other pending measures, House Bill 1973 and Senate Bill 584, also failed … Continue reading
New Mexico: Lawmakers Fail To Consider Hemp Legislation
Legislation has been tabled, SB 3 and HB 148, to permit the state Department of Agriculture to license farmers to grow industrial hemp for “research and development purposes.” 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
New Mexico: Senators Vote Down Cannabis Regulation
Members of the Senate voted down Senate Joint Resolution 5 which sought to put legalization before a public vote this November. Although 17 Senators stood in favor of the measure, 24 voted against it. However, the vote marks the first time that such a measure has ever been debated on the floor of either chamber of … Continue reading
Study: Medical Marijuana Laws Associated With Greater Workforce Participation Among Older Americans
The enactment of statewide medicinal cannabis programs is associated with greater participation in the workforce by adults age 50 and older, according to the findings of a working paper published by the National Bureau of Economic Research, a non-partisan think-tank. Researchers at the John Hopkins School of Public Health in Baltimore and Temple University in … Continue reading
Marijuana Smoking Up, Marijuana Arrests Down
It’s a great time to be alive if you are a marijuana smoker. We are finally working our way out of the shadows of prohibition and into the mainstream. Following the reign of terror that resulted in more than 25 million Americans being arrested on marijuana charges since 1937, the country is at last looking … Continue reading
Adult Use Ballot Initiatives Leading In Latest Polls
Voters favor legalizing the adult use of cannabis in the five states where the issue will appear on the ballot this Election Day. Here is a summary of the latest polling data. ARIZONA: Half of Arizona voters intend to vote ‘yes’ in favor of Proposition 205: The Arizona Legalization and Regulation of Marijuana Act, according … Continue reading
Tennessee: Measures To Reclassify Minor Marijuana Offenses Defeated
Legislation that sought to reduce marijuana possession penalties was unfortunately defeated this legislative session. House Bill 873 was previously passed by members of the Criminal Justice Committee on April 1st but members of the Finance Ways & Means Subcommittee and Committee failed to ever consider it. The companion Senate bill, Senate Bill 1211, was never considered by members … Continue reading
Iowa: Medical Marijuana Expansion Measure Killed
Senate legislation to expand the physician-authorized use and dispensing of marijuana-related products for therapeutic purposes was killed by members of the House of Representatives in a 31-63 failed vote. Under a 2014 law, adolescents with intractable epilepsy, but no other qualifying condition, may possesses limited quantities of cannabidiol-extracted oils. The law provides no legal supply … Continue reading