Cannabis News

[Gunky]

And all this business about the parties are all the same, all politicians are bad, voting is pointless etc - whether you know it or not, you are pushing ideas that the Russians are pushing.

 

[Tranquility]

I disagree with the bold part of your statement. If the only way to limit the reality in which power benefits those who wield it is to limit government, that implies that government is the only place where power concentrates. However, should we limit government power, there's other hierarchical structures still in place. These structures benefit from limiting government power, as this removes the limits government currently puts on these structures. The hierarchical structure I'm most worried about becoming the next monster after government has been dealt with, is that of big business. Even now their influence on government and policy, or even on seemingly objective institutions such as education, is noticeable to say the least. Without the government controlling them, and in the hands of a vastly wealthy and powerful elite, there's nothing standing in the way of unrestricted exploitation of workers and the environment. Don't get me wrong, I'm 100% anti government. But getting rid of a hierarchy under a government to see it replaced with a hierarchy under big business hardly seems like an improvement. The limiting of the power of government doesn't benefit the people as long as the power of the wealthy is unrestricted.

This will be all I say because this can get too off-field, I agree that "We the People" are the ones who have to be in charge. The "wealthy" are a part of the People. It is said I am in the top 10% in the world's wealth if I have food in a refrigerator and clothes in a closet. Income disparity, however, depends on so many factors like national, state and local boarders, police protection, rule of law, right of contract, trust in monetary system, education, access to capital, individual effort ect., ect. ect. it is hard for me to arbitrarily group a segment like "the wealthy" and determine we need to hinder them through group effort. It's not a zero sum game. Some produce more than others and some create things that help others produce even more. The pie gets bigger for everyone if we can motivate that.

I think, before that, we consider what We the People want. It seems an assumption is that we (want some/gonna get some) control, either by government or by wealthy or by big business or by objective institutions in our lives. What control are we talking about?

[If we were to get all realpolitik for a second, what makes you think it is NOT the wealthy that runs the government that uses the power to control us? Who picked Kamala? For that matter, who picked Joe?]

 

[Drug]

I get your point and I do tend to get a bit utopian thinking about these things. My ideal offers all members of a community participation in the decision making concerning them. This can pretty easily be implemented in a small community of somewhat likeminded people. The large scale community (or sense thereof) that has become dominating in recent centuries on the other hand offer major challenges with manageability.

I also get your reaction to my use of the wealthy, this was a generalization for the sake of argument. I should clarify that, even at the top 1%, I don't see all wealthy people as equally ghoulish. For example, though both billionaires, a guy like Chuck Feeney seems incomparable to the likes of Charles Koch.

[By the by, if we were to get all technical, what makes you think it is NOT the wealthy that runs the government that uses the power to control us? Who picked Kamala? For that matter, who picked Joe?)

For sure, that's what I was getting at when I mentioned the influence of 'the wealthy' on politics and policy. Undemocratic influence (like through lobbying) on liberal democracies are proof to me that they are no longer capable of serving the people as they were intended.

 

[Summer]

First-of-kind marijuana microbusiness approved to open in northern Michigan

Michigan issued the very first recreational marijuana microbusiness license this week.

www.mlive.com

 

[ClearBlueLou]

I disagree with the bold part of your statement. If the only way to limit the reality in which power benefits those who wield it is to limit government, that implies that government is the only place where power concentrates. However, should we limit government power, there's other hierarchical structures still in place. These structures benefit from limiting government power, as this removes the limits government currently puts on these structures. The hierarchical structure I'm most worried about becoming the next monster after government has been dealt with, is that of big business. Even now their influence on government and policy, or even on seemingly objective institutions such as education, is noticeable to say the least. Without the government controlling them, and in the hands of a vastly wealthy and powerful elite, there's nothing standing in the way of unrestricted exploitation of workers and the environment. Don't get me wrong, I'm 100% anti government. But getting rid of a hierarchy under a government to see it replaced with a hierarchy under big business hardly seems like an improvement. The limiting of the power of government doesn't benefit the people as long as the power of the wealthy is unrestricted.

Very well said: I have for many years wondered if those who are blind to the power that adheres to wealth - Bezos wealth, Farouk wealth, Queen of England wealth, Putin wealth - are also blind to the abuse of power so easily purchased BY wealth.

The American Revolution wasn’t fought against the British government: it was fought against THE KING, *HIS* taxes, *HIS* rule. We’re so far divorced from reality that many have forgotten that the US constitution was designed to be a PUBLIC government - “of, by, and for the *people*” as very much opposed to the PRIVATE governments run by monarchs, dictators, warlords, autocrats, *and the wealthy*. The soul of our nation is, and was envisioned by the Founders as, an ACCOUNTABLE government, accountable to the ELECTORATE - were supposed to be, and MUST be, educated, well-informed, and ACTIVE CITIZENS...not wage slaves, not disinterested drones struggling to keep up & keep their heads above water.

if our government is “bad” it’s because WE have failed in our duty to our country and our fellow citizens, WE have failed to prevent liars, thieves and self-servers from entering government, taking control of it, and turning it against us.

Just in case anyone actually CARES about how we got into our current state - and how to fix it: I learned all of this in GRADE SCHOOL, in the 1950s. If any of us didn’t learn this in school, then they are either miseducated or uneducated - civics was eliminated as a *required* school subject after the Supreme Court declared that “separate but equal” is inherently UNequal and ordered that black and white children attend school and be educated *together*. They removed civics from public education to *prevent* black children from learning how our nation and government work and are *supposed* to work; at the same time, states began to give state-funded vouchers to students in private, all-white schools, began closing school systems that integrated, and set us on our current road to *private government dominated by wealthy private interests* - which it just so happens is how we got to our current situation.

I’m sure some will argue all this; please do - but don’t do it by posting memes and quoting people like Warren Williams: do it by digging in and doing some factual research into the history of the US from 1957 to today. The facts are there, in the public record, available to anyone with the will, the curiosity, the motivation, the honest purpose to educate themselves. Too many of us are too willing to simply repeat what we’ve heard - and not bother to *learn*.

No doubt this will sound “political” to some, but there’s nothing partisan or political about being a well-informed, honest citizen who loves their country and wants to set things right. If we want our government to “do the right thing”, we need to know how it was made, why it was made the way it was so we can KNOW why the “right thing” *is*...and DO OUR DUTY.

Our nation requires that we do so: for each of us, for ALL of us, and for our children’s children’s children.

First-of-kind marijuana microbusiness approved to open in northern Michigan

Michigan issued the very first recreational marijuana microbusiness license this week.

www.mlive.com

Thanks for that link, Summer: that seems like a very GOOD sign and hope for the future; hopefully, the skyrocketing cost of retail space will not make it infeasible.

 

[Tranquility]

If we were to go to origins of the real issue, I might point to the time when we shifted from Melting Pot to American Quilt/Salad Bowl theory of America. That's when we stopped working together towards common goals and started wandering around going "moo".

Since I was there, I don't need to dig that deep to educate myself on the issue--so will post a meme:

 

[Stu]

This is all getting quite OT folks. Let's please stick to cannabis news, ok?

Here's some news about cannabis: I just did some.

 

[Gunky]

‘Vote Democrat to legalize it,’ Sen. Chuck Schumer tells Leafly
David DownsSeptember 14, 2020


Voters have the power to end the federal war on weed this election, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) said in a recent exclusive interview with Leafly. But only a Democrat-controlled House, Senate, and White House will do it.
Speaking late last week, the Senate’s top Democrat urged Leafly readers to vote for a Democratic senator in their home state to flip the Senate blue, and ensure one of several pending legalization bills gets to the White House.

“I am fervently committed to getting [legalization] done.”
Sen. Chuck Schumer, Senate Minority Leader

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), is “totally opposed” to legalization, Schumer said. McConnell remains the main obstacle standing in the way of federal reform. “It’s like night and day, the difference between the two parties on the issue of marijuana.”


Read the article:
Schumer goes all in for legalization.

 

[bulllee]

‘Vote Democrat to legalize it,’ Sen. Chuck Schumer tells Leafly
David DownsSeptember 14, 2020


Voters have the power to end the federal war on weed this election, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) said in a recent exclusive interview with Leafly. But only a Democrat-controlled House, Senate, and White House will do it.
Speaking late last week, the Senate’s top Democrat urged Leafly readers to vote for a Democratic senator in their home state to flip the Senate blue, and ensure one of several pending legalization bills gets to the White House.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), is “totally opposed” to legalization, Schumer said. McConnell remains the main obstacle standing in the way of federal reform. “It’s like night and day, the difference between the two parties on the issue of marijuana.”


Read the article:
Schumer goes all in for legalization.

JAJAJA Then why didn't the dems put legalization on their platform ? Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.

Americans will spend $60 billion on illicit marijuana this year, report says
Bruce BarcottSeptember 16, 2020
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An estimated 72% of all U.S. marijuana sales happen on the illicit market, due to cannabis prohibition enforced by 39 states. (AdobeStock)

Studies estimate that between 12% to 14% of adult Americans enjoy cannabis. That’s a massive group of consumers—and they spend billions of dollars every year on marijuana. Unfortunately, according to a new report, more than 71% of that spending goes to the illicit market, due to various forms of cannabis prohibition enforced in 39 states.

A new report by the website GrowCola, using data from New Frontier Data’s U.S. Cannabis Report, notes that the American illicit market encompasses roughly $60 billion in annual sales. That compares to around $23 billion in legal medical and adult-use cannabis sales. (State-legal cannabis sales figures are often disputed, as there is no government tally of the federally-prohibited products. Leafly’s 2020 jobs report estimated the size of the legal American cannabis market at around $14 billion.)

View full data here

Source: GrowCola via New Frontier Data. Note: Washington D.C. is counted as a state in the above graphic.

That’s a lot of illicit weed, Texas
Texas leads all non-legal states in its purchases. The report estimates that the Lone Star State accounts for 7% of all illicit cannabis sales in the United States. That’s roughly $4.2 billion, or more than three times the size of Colorado’s legal market.

Next on the list: North Carolina, Georgia, Virginia, and Indiana, which each account for roughly 3% of the nation’s illicit sales.

Everything’s bigger in Texas, including the state’s appetite for cannabis. (Source: GrowCola/New Frontier Data)600,000 jobs and $6 billion in tax revenue foregone
If the illicit market is about 2.5 times the state-legal market, as the GrowCola/New Frontier data suggests, America is missing out on hundreds of thousands of legal jobs and billions of dollars in tax revenue.

Today’s $14 to $23 billion legal cannabis market supports 243,700 full-time American jobs. Doing the math, a fully captured illicit market would add more than 600,000 full-time jobs to the national economy.

At a relatively conservative 10% tax rate, capturing $60 billion in sales would yield $6 billion in cannabis tax revenue every single year. That’s as much as New Hampshire’s entire annual state budget.

 

[C No Ego]

all that @bulllee and the plant grows free ... at least it did before man found it and made it his bitch

 

[Gunky]

JAJAJA Then why didn't the dems put legalization on their platform ? Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.

Who cares if it's on the platform? Party platforms are largely meaningless and do not carry the force of law or contract. They are strictly aspirational and after the election will seldom be mentioned until the next presidential election. This year the repubs didn't even bother to create a platform and instead put out a paragraph of mush saying they will continue to support the Dear Leader. But senate majority leader - now that is a gatekeeper position. Let me just spell that out for you. If the repubs keep their senate majority McConnell will keep doing the same thing he has been doing for the last five years: preventing any cannabis bills from making it to the floor.(Do some research if you don't believe me). Schumer, on the other hand, if made majority leader, has just promised to bring cannabis legalization bills to the floor. Meet the new boss, completely different and way better than the old boss.

Saying the parties are the same and it doesn't matter who you vote for is exactly what the Russians are hoping you will do and precisely the attitude they are trying to cultivate in their misinformation campaigns. In case you haven't noticed, the repubs are about to ram in a Supreme Court justice who will enable them pull the pins out from underneath Obamacare and protections for patients with pre-existing conditions. They didn't have the votes to legislate that but another justice is just the ticket they are looking for.

The parties aren't the same. Not on cannabis and not on much else. Saying they are the same only helps the Russians who want you to believe democracy is a sham and your vote is meaningless. They want to neutralize the left so their boy can win again.

 

[Tranquility]

If the repubs keep their senate majority McConnell will keep doing the same thing he has been doing for the last five years: preventing any cannabis bills from making it to the floor.(Do some research if you don't believe me).

U.S. Senate votes to continue medical marijuana protections

The U.S. Senate on Thursday approved a spending bill that includes a provision that would continue to protect state-legal medical cannabis programs.

mjbizdaily.com

"Any" is not the correct term. (See link.) But, assuming there are specifics to the allegation, what bills have been blocked by McConnell's fiat?

----------
The (cannabis) money men would prefer neither Biden nor McConnell be elected:
The 2 Big Obstacles for Marijuana Stocks: Mitch McConnell and Joe Biden

------
Cocaine Mitch might be a good thing for the cannabis consumer in drug warrior states.
Marijuana Mitch? How McConnell’s hemp push has made pot busts harder
That does not mean he is in favor of cannabis. What it does mean is that you are not going to vote democrat until we get legalization. The only way legalization/rescheduling moves forward is by convincing people on both sides of the aisle.

(As to Russian disinformation, start with something like

to see disinformation's purpose. It is just as easy to consider that YOU have fallen for China's propaganda. The goal is not specific results, but disruption in general.)

 

[Tranquility]

The BMJ thinks doctors need to prescribe cannabis. The people are self-medicating anyway and it would be better if they had good information.
It is time to embrace cannabis for medicinal use, say experts

Attitudes towards cannabis products for medicinal use need to change with much greater appropriate use of such products to help alleviate patients' pain, suggests research published in the journal BMJ Open.


Researchers found that hundreds of thousands of UK patients were self-medicating with illegal cannabis-based products for medicinal use due to the fact that much of the medical and pharmacy professions have so far not embraced and prescribed legal cannabis-based products for their patients.
In November 2018 when the UK made cannabis-based products for medicinal use (CBPMs) legal, most people assumed these would immediately be made available to patients, but this has not happened.
In the year since then, almost no NHS prescriptions have been issued and less than a hundred have been made available from private providers at a cost of at least £1,000 a month.
Consequently, some parents of children with severe epilepsy continue to go overseas to get their children access to the only treatment which has proven to be effective for their condition -- cannabinoid medication.
In addition, it is estimated that the vast majority of the estimated 1.4 million medical cannabis users source from the black market with its problems of illegality, unknown quality, content and provenance.

This is despite that fact that there is existing substantial evidence of effectiveness with cannabis products for medicinal use in many disorders as identified in the US National Academy of Sciences review in 2017....

 

[Summer]

http://instagr.am/p/CFhuT-jhyE9/

 

[ClearBlueLou]

Thanks...nice to have a little GOOD news these dark days

 

[macbill]

Marijuana Arrests Decline Nationally For First Time In Four Years, FBI Data Shows

Marijuana arrests in the U.S. declined in 2019 for the first time in four years, a new federal report shows.

While many expected the state-level legalization movement to reduce cannabis arrests as more markets went online, that wasn’t the case in 2016, 2017 or 2018, which each saw slight upticks in marijuana busts year-over-year. But last year there was a notable dip, the data published this week shows.

===================================================================================================
Researchers Reveal How Curing Cannabis Affects Terpene Levels
The study was focused on monitoring the patterns of terpene change throughout the cannabis life cycle in hopes of revealing the phytochemical difference between cured and live plant profiles.

=================================================================================================
New recreational cannabis markets are seeing quicker starts to sales

As public opinion changes and state regulators learn from those who have gone before them, the time it takes from the approval of medical marijuana by voters or lawmakers to the first recreational sales in a market is getting shorter.

That could bode well for new adult-use markets that take root in the months and years ahead. And it would stand in sharp contrast to states such as California.

=================================================================================================
Study: THC in marijuana could help avert fatal COVID-19 complications

Researchers at the University of South Carolina believe the most potent chemical found in cannabis, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), could be effective in treating some potentially lethal COVID-19 complications, according to a preliminary study published in Frontiers in Pharmacology,

 

[Polarbearboy]

As you know, our Mighty President, a 74 year old slug, has contracted the coronavirus. I've suggested to the White House that, since he has no symptoms, he replace his Adderall with a vape. It will make him a bit less agitated and make the quarantine pass more easily. I specifically suggested that he try a vapcap M, a quality item for newbies like him. If he does develop symptoms, some nice edibles would be the way to go.

Send Mike Pence to a quality weed shop in a legal state. Yah, I know carrying across state lines is a no-no, but don't these people like rule breaking?

 

[BrianTL]

^^ You can get legal weed in D.C. No need to cross state lines.

 

[macbill]

Scientists Demand DEA Reconsider Marijuana’s Federal Status In New Court Briefing

On Tuesday, the attorneys filed the petitioners’ brief to officially set the case in motion. The 117-page document goes over background information on marijuana’s scheduling and past requests to reclassify the plant. It also makes the legal argument that DEA’s justification for maintaining its strict prohibition on cannabis is unconstitutional.

 

[macbill]

Billions at stake as voters decide on medical, adult-use marijuana markets in five states

Voters in five states will decide whether to legalize medical and recreational cannabis on Nov. 3, with billions of dollars of market opportunities hanging in the balance.

 

[bulllee]

Election 2020: Arizona cannabis legalization initiative guide​

Max Savage LevensonJuly 29, 2020
On Nov. 3, Arizona looks to join the solid block of cannabis-legal states in the American West. (Illustration: Joshua Titus for Leafly)

Latest news on the Smart and Safe Act Arizona​

July 22 (AP) — A group opposed to legalized recreational marijuana in Arizona filed a lawsuit to halt an initiative that would allow adults in the state to possess up to 1 ounce of adult-use cannabis. Voters see the summary when they sign petitions to qualify an initiative for the ballot. The lawsuit challenges the 100-word summary of the Smart and Safe Arizona Act, saying it misleads voters about key provisions of the initiative.

The lawsuit was filed by several voters belonging to a group called Arizonans for Health and Public Safety, a political committee opposed to legalizing marijuana. The challenge to the marijuana legalization initiative claims the summary of the proposal failed to tell voters who signed petitions that the proposed law:

• Would cover more potent forms of marijuana.
• Doesn’t specifically say that a 16% tax on cannabis sales can’t be increased by the Legislature.
• Change state law on driving under the influence.

The lawsuit will be heard in the coming weeks under expedited scheduling orders. Arizonans for Health and Public Safety’s primary funding comes from the Center for Arizona Policy, a conservative organization that backs traditional families and promotes religious freedom and anti-abortion legislation.

Legalization measure​

Read the full text of the initiative here: Smart and Safe Act Arizona

Medical or recreational?​

Recreational

What the latest polls say​

65% in favor (June 1, 2020, HighGround Public Affairs poll, 5% margin of error)

What the law would do​

The Smart and Safe Act would legalize the possession of cannabis for Arizonans 21 years or older, and create a market for regulated sales. Furthermore, it would require that fixed amounts of tax revenue be allocated to various education, public health, and public safety programs.

Campaign sponsors​

• Smart and Safe Arizona is a citizen-led initiative.
• Strategies 360 is running the campaign. Former Rep. Chad Campbell and political consultant Stacy Pearson are leading the charge.

Local legalization advocates​

• MITA-AZ, the Marijuana Industry Trade Association
• Arizona NORML

Local legalization opponents​

• Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry
• Arizonans for Responsible Drug Policy
• Arizonans for Health and Public Safety

How many stores would be licensed?​

The Act calls for the licensing of about 160 retail cannabis stores in the state. The majority of the licenses would go to the pre-existing 130 licensed medical dispensaries. The state would allocate 26 additional social equity licenses, and a handful of new licenses in rural counties that currently fewer than two medical dispensaries.

Would marijuana be taxed?​

All retail cannabis products would be subject to a 16% excise tax, in addition to the state’s preexisting sales tax.

5 things to know about the proposed law​

• Adults will be able to possess 1 ounce of marijuana (with no more than 5 grams of it being marijuana concentrate)
• “The law limits home cultivation to 6 plants at an individual’s primary residence and 12 plants at a residence where two or more individuals who are at least 21 years old reside at one time.”
• Employers will have the right to maintain a drug (and alcohol)-free workplace.
• The state cannot consider rule changes to allow for delivery services until January 1 2023.
• “Beginning on July 12, 2021, people convicted previously of possessing less than an ounce of marijuana or six or fewer plants or paraphernalia can petition to have the record expunged.”

Current cannabis law in Arizona​

• The Arizona Medical Marijuana Act (AMMA) was approved by voters in 2010.
• $700 million in estimated medical marijuana sales in 2020
• 220,000 patients as of December 2019

Quotes from legalization advocates​

• “It will qualify [for the ballot], and it’s inevitable that Arizonans will legalize adult-use marijuana.” – Stacy Pearson, spokesperson for Smart and Safe Arizona
• “Arizonans are ready to legalize cannabis and this is the right policy for our state…New jobs and revenue are even more critical today than when we embarked on this campaign last year.” – Steve White, president, Arizona Dispensary Association

Quotes from legalization opponents​

• “Despite the assurances of marijuana proponents, more harm than good will result from legalization…The potential consequences of legalization are severe, ranging from an uptick in workplace accidents and lower overall workplace productivity, to jeopardizing our workforce development efforts, to costs that come with drug treatment and rehabilitation…We’re already navigating a global pandemic; we don’t need to put even more stress on the public health system.” – Garrick Taylor, senior vice president of government relations and communications for the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry
• “I think there’s a lot here to worry about. If you have a vote that says it’s OK to use it, I think those kids who might be on the fence might be more likely to say ‘The voters say it’s a good thing to have, it can’t be bad for us.’ I think it makes it more legitimate in the eyes of a teenager.” – Robert Leger, spokesperson for Arizonans for Responsible Drug Policy

 

[ClearBlueLou]

No grower’s rights, I see - and no chance to reconsider until ‘23...

...and some short stick is worried about legal weed seeming “legitimate” to teens (??) but clearly doesn’t remember being one....

 

[bulllee]

No grower’s rights, I see - and no chance to reconsider until ‘23...

...and some short stick is worried about legal weed seeming “legitimate” to teens (??) but clearly doesn’t remember being one....

“The law limits home cultivation to 6 plants at an individual’s primary residence and 12 plants at a residence where two or more individuals who are at least 21 years old reside at one time.”

 

[Silver420Surfer]

Vermont becomes 11th state to legalize recreational marijuana market​

Vermont becomes 11th state to legalize recreational marijuana market

Vermont Gov. Phil Scott, a Republican, announced that he would permit legislation to regulate and tax recreational cannabis sales to become law without his signature.

mjbizdaily.com

The adult-use marijuana club of the United States just grew to 11 with the addition of Vermont on Wednesday.

Gov. Phil Scott, a Republican, announced that he allowed legislation to regulate and tax cannabis sales to become law without his signature, according to a news release from the governor’s office.

The news, which sets the stage for yet more growth of the U.S. cannabis industry, was hailed by the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) as a major victor, especially considering that Vermont is only the second state in the nation to legalize adult use via the legislature and not at the ballot box. Illinois did so in 2019.




Recreational sales in Vermont are not expected to begin until October 2022.
Although Vermont legalized the possession and use of recreational marijuana in 2018, lawmakers at the time declined to authorize any framework for the legal production and sale of adult use cannabis.

Vermont lawmakers in September gave final approval to S. 54, which picks up where the 2018 law left off.

“The significance of Vermont’s decision to legalize and regulate cannabis sales, especially in a state with a Republican governor and through the legislative process, cannot be overstated,” MPP Executive Director Steven Hawins said in a news release.

“This is an historic move that adds to the momentum of our movement and underlines its breadth and depth, and importantly, it comes as other state legislatures are poised to seriously consider legalization in the very near future.”

MPP’s summary of the bill can be found here.

Although Scott declined to sign into law a bill that establishes a formal framework for the production and sale of recreational cannabis, he nevertheless allowed the measure to become law without a veto.

In a letter to the president of the state Senate, he wrote that Vermont lawmakers still have work to do.

Scott said he declined to sign the bill because it didn’t address multiple concerns he has, including:

• An “inequitable playing field,” which he said “will disproportionately benefit Vermont’s existing (MMJ) dispensaries.” (Protesters gathered last weekend outside the capitol to draw attention to the lack of a social equity program.)
• The allowance of marijuana vaping products when he’s not satisfied that vaping does not pose a threat to public health.
• Adding stricter marketing prohibitions to ensure cannabis isn’t made attractive to minors.
• An “aggressive” timeline for the appointment of cannabis control board members by Jan. 8, 2021.
• Increasing law enforcement funding and training to handle a possible uptick in impaired drivers.

 

[BuzzDanklin]

Montana (not the first state you would expect right?) will have the chance to vote on 2 bills this November. The first is a statutory initiative that would legalize marijuana in Montana for adults aged 21 and over and establish a regulatory framework for cultivation and sales. The second is a constitutional amendment that would allow the legal minimum age for marijuana consumption to be 21.

If the statutory measure is approved by voters, possessing up to an ounce of cannabis would be allowed, and people could cultivate up to four plants and four seedlings at home.

The Montana Department of Revenue would be in charge of regulating the legal industry and would issue business licenses by January 1, 2022. Existing medical cannabis businesses would be first in line to enter the adult-use market.

There would be a 20 percent sales tax on recreational marijuana, while the tax on medical cannabis products would be reduced from two to one percent. Revenue from legal sales would go toward land, water and wildlife conservation programs, veteran services, substance misuse treatment, health care, local governments that allow cannabis businesses and the state general fund.

A fiscal note from the Governor’s Office of Budget and Program Planning estimates that legal cannabis retail taxes will generate $38.5 million a year by Fiscal Year 2025. [1]

Our medical program has gotten much better over the last few years, and so I have high hopes this might actually pass. This is also sort of a light recreational program since its only up to 1 oz and 4 plants so that increase the odds of getting passed in this state.

There has not been many polls with the most recent one I can find happening in February, but the poll found that 54% of participants said they agreed marijuana should be legal, while only 37% disagreed. [2]