midwest
cannabis NEWS
Politics
DELAWARE SEES RENEWED OPTIMISM FOR LEGALIZATION
BIDEN ADMINISTRATION FIRES DOZENS OF STAFFERS FOR PAST CANNABIS USE
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ozens of young staffers in the Biden White House have been suspended, asked to resign or placed in remote programs due to past Cannabis use, reported multiple news outlets in March. The news disappointed staffers and activists who were pleased by initial indications that past recreational marijuana use wouldn’t be immediately disqualifying for jobs in the administration, A NUMBER OF according to people YOUNG STAFFERS WERE EITHER “PUT familiar with the ON PROBATION” OR situation, reported OUTRIGHT CANNED The Daily Beast. BECAUSE THEY The policy even ADMITTED PAST affected staffers CANNABIS USE IN A DOCUMENT THEY whose Cannabis FILLED OUT AS PART use was exclusive to OF THEIR LENGTHY areas where the herb BACKGROUND CHECK. is legal. A number of young staffers were either “put on probation” or outright canned because they admitted past Cannabis use in a document they filled out as part of their lengthy background check. “I find it absurd that, in 2021, marijuana use is still part of a security background check,” said Tommy Vietor, who was on the 2008 Obama team and subsequently worked as a National Security Council spokesperson. “To me, marijuana use is completely irrelevant when you’re trying to decide whether an individual should be trusted with national security information.”
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medical Cannabis dispensaries were open in New Jersey as of March 19, under new decrim laws.
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“Medical Marijuana Treatment Centers,” were open in Florida as of March 19.
NE GOVERNOR CLAIMS MARIJUANA IS ‘GOING TO KILL YOUR KIDS’
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ebraska Governor Pete Ricketts’ remarks on the supposed dangers of marijuana were widely condemned after he said at a press conference, “If you legalize marijuana, you’re going to kill your kids.” “These words didn’t elevate the discussion,” scolded the Lincoln Journal-Star in an op-ed. “Rather, his oversimplification of the topic ignored the pleas of parents with sick children – and that the legislation being debated later that day was specific to medical uses.” Despite the mild-mannered nature of the newspaper’s rebuke, the fact remains that Gov. Ricketts’ remarks weren’t just an “oversimplification,” of course – they were an outright falsehood. Nebraska, along with Idaho, is one of just two states left that have absolutely no protection for medical Cannabis patients, not even a lowly CBD law.
MIDWEST
MISSOURI DISPENSARIES ALLOWED TO SELL VAPES
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ight Missouri medical Cannabis dispensaries on March 19 started selling vape pens and cartridges for the first time. Customers had requested them for some time, despite varying opinions on their safety, reports Fox 4 Kansas City. Many patients prefer vape pens for their convenience and quick effects. “This is by far our number one request,” CEO John Mueller of the Greenlight chain of dispensaries said. “It’s an exciting day for the industry.” Missouri dispensaries said they will be working to meet a big, pent-up demand from customers for the vape products.
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bags of THC edibles, a pound of Cannabis and a gun, were seized in a Tennessee traffic stop.
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awmakers on March 18 filed the latest bill to legalize Cannabis in Delaware. Pressure is greater than ever before on the General Assembly to pass it, according to Delaware Online, with neighboring states moving to legalize and with advocates citing the need for job growth to recover from the economic effects of the pandemic. House Bill 150, introduced by Rep. Ed Osienski (D-Newark), would allow adults 21 and older to buy up to an ounce of weed from a licensed seller. It would tax Cannabis at 15 percent, which is lower than most states that have legalized. Lawmakers want to remain competitive with nearby states such as New Jersey, and to cut down on illegal sales. State Auditor Kathy McGuiness’ office estimated Delaware could bring in $43 million a year from legal weed. The bill’s sponsors stress that Cannabis revenues are not a “stable revenue source,” especially with nearby states also establishing legal marijuana markets.
LEGALIZATION
ADVOCATES PUSH MD LAWMAKERS TO LEGALIZE
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he lack of progress on two bills to legalize marijuana in Maryland has advocates fuming – with organizers in late March going as far as confronting lawmakers 66 PERCENT OF MARYLANDERS with a 51-foot inflatable joint at the State House on SUPPORT THE LEGALIZATION March 18. OF CANNABIS The bills are still under ACCORDING TO consideration. According to A GOUCHER POLL. demonstrators, the House version, House Bill 32, is superior because it allows the unfettered sale of marijuana and personal use of plants and seeds. Bill sponsors said legalizing would generate $300 million a year in tax revenue. The legislation would also expunge past marijuana related offenses.
10 k $8.5m $435m
commercial medical Cannabis licenses are currently active in Oklahoma.
was the value placed on 1,200 pounds of marijuana seized by Indiana State Police on March 16.
in assets and cash was the value placed on a Cannabis merger between NewLake Capital Partners and real estate investment trust GreenAcreage.
STORIES by STEVE ELLIOTT, AUTHOR OF THE LITTLE BLACK BOOK OF MARIJUANA
