Industrial Hemp Legislation
Hawaii: Lawmakers Fail To Act On Legislation To Restrict Home Cultivation
House lawmakers took no action on legislation that sought to eliminate patients’ longstanding rights to cultivate medical marijuana. House Bill 1680 sought to repeal patients’ legal authority to cultivate personal use quantities of cannabis. The legislation was not heard in time for the filing deadline and therefore will no longer be considered by lawmakers during this … Continue reading
New Mexico: Senate Declines to Move Measure to Prohibit Medical Marijuana Insurance Reimbursements
After extremely compelling testimony from injured workers in earlier committees, the Senate Judiciary Committee never scheduled a hearing for House Bill 195, which sought to prohibit workers compensation insurers from reimbursing employees who qualify for medical cannabis access for injuries sustained on the job. This means that the measure, which had been narrowly approved by members … Continue reading
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
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
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
