NATIONAL NEWS nwlEAF.COM
14
the south
LEGALIZATION
NEW ORLEANS DECRIMINALIZES CANNABIS
MISSISSIPPI LAWMAKERS ‘VERY, VERY CLOSE’ TO MEDICAL MARIJUANA DEAL
ew Orleans is ending penalties for people found with small amounts of Cannabis. The law takes effect September 15, reports The Lens. The City Council passed several agenda items to end marijuana penalties, reports the Associated Press. City officials said their goal is to increase community trust of police. Another aim is to allow New Orleans police to focus on reducing violent crime in the city. Those who get a summons pertaining to simple possession are immediately forgiven with no additional action necessary by the accused, the officer, or the court. No court appearance and no police report are needed. Smoking weed in public will remain prohibited. But instead of the cops issuing a drug summons, it will be a ticket in violation of the Smoke-Free Air Act – which is not a drug charge.
ississippi legislative negotiators are working on a medical marijuana program to replace the one canceled by the State Supreme Court. And they now say they’re close to a deal. According to the lawmakers, that could prompt a special legislative session as early as this month, reports Mississippi Today. “I believe we have basically most of the major issues resolved,” said GOP Sen. Kevin Blackwell, the Southaven Republican who’s leading the Senate’s medical marijuana work. “We’re very, very close,” he said. Mississippi lawmakers, by popular demand, are trying to reach a deal on a medical marijuana program because the State Supreme Court shot down the one overwhelmingly passed by voters last year. The State Supreme Court ruled in May that the medical marijuana initiative and the entire ballot initiative process was invalid. Interestingly, the Court left previous ballot initiatives intact – even those passed under the same process. Gov. Tate Reeves has sole authority to call lawmakers into a special session. He has said he would do so for a medical marijuana bill – but refuses to do so before the House and Senate agree, to avoid a drawn out session.
N
SEPT. 2021
Harold Long, a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee, and Nancy Long, plant hemp at their farm in Murphy, N.C.
M
(Photo courtesy Long Family Farms and Gallery)
east coast
N.C. CHEROKEES SAY THEY’LL SELL MEDICAL MARIJUANA
M
edical marijuana was legalized on Cherokee land in Western North Carolina back in May. And now the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians has announced it will actually sell the herb to non-tribe members. The move comes after six years of debate among the tribe, reports The One Feather. The Cherokee maintain a sovereign nation in Western North Carolina known as the Qualla Boundary, reports the Winston-Salem Journal. The move establishes the first location in North Carolina where medical marijuana is both legal and for sale, reports WFMY News 2. The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Tribal Council approved an ordinance on August 5 to legalize the cultivation, sale and usage of medical marijuana on the Qualla Boundary. The boundary is about 45 miles west of Asheville. The Cherokee haven’t announced a timeline for their medical Cannabis program – when cultivation will begin or when marijuana will become available for purchase, reports The Charlotte Observer.
