Legislative & Licensing Update: Week of June 20, 2021

Major cannabis announcements from Connecticut and Rhode Island. Progress, opportunities, and developments to watch in 10 other states.

 

Photo credit: Elaine Brewer via Unsplash

Connecticut legislature legalized adult-use cannabis last week! The governor signed it into law yesterday. Possession is legal starting July 1st and sales could start around the end of 2022. 

 

Rhode Island legalization legislation passed the Senate this morning. 

 

Florida regulators are preparing to open a licensing round to award medical cannabis business licenses, starting with the licensing round for a black farmer. 

 

Utah RFP (request for proposal) tentatively scheduled for July for one medical cannabis pharmacy license. 

 

In Mississippi the governor anticipates calling a special session for lawmakers to pass a medical cannabis bill “sooner rather than later,” but it’s dependent on the legislature’s agreement. 

 

New York’s governor and top lawmakers failed to make appointments to the state’s new marijuana regulatory body by the end of the legislative session, raising questions about when the legalization law will start being implemented. We’ve unofficially heard of plans to call a special session after the July 4th weekend.

 

New Jersey’s attorney general sent cease and desist letters demanding that four companies stop circumventing the state’s marijuana laws by offering free “gifts” of cannabis along with purchases of overpriced products like cookies, brownies, and stickers.

 

Ohio held a medical marijuana committee meeting on Thursday where they announced streamlining the upcoming dispensary application with a Request for Application (RFA) expected in the coming months. 

 

In Texas, the governor signed a bill to expand the state’s limited medical marijuana program —-adding cancer and post-traumatic stress disorder to the list of qualifying conditions and doubling the amount of THC concentration allowed, from 0.5% to 1%.

 

The Louisiana governor signed a bill to decriminalize marijuana last week and the bill to legalize smokable medical cannabis flower yesterday. 

 

In Missouri, A federal judge placed a preliminary injunction on Missouri’s residency requirements for medical cannabis business ownership. 

 

Delaware’s governor signed a bill allowing certified nurse practitioners and physician assistants to issue medical cannabis recommendations, which was previously only allowed by physicians.