In light of the first year of legalization, NORML Canada has monitored the Canadian cannabis landscape closely, to determine the next steps for crafting achievable and functional reform of cannabis regulations.
Category: legalization
Maine: Regulators Confident That Adult-Use Cannabis Sales Will Begin Next Spring
Regulators at the Maine Office of Marijuana Policy affirmed this week that they expect adult-use marijuana sales to begin in the spring of 2020.
Report: Marijuana Legalization Not Associated with Adverse ‘Spillover’ Effects in Neighboring States
The enactment of adult-use marijuana legalization laws is not associated with any significant increase in cannabis-related activity in neighboring states and counties, according to a federally funded report published by the nonprofit Justice Research and Statistics Association.
Study: No Uptick in Violent Crime Following Adult Use Cannabis Legalization
Investigators from Department of Justice and Criminology at Washington State University reported, “Our results from Colorado and Washington suggest that legalization has not had major detrimental effects on public safety.”
Pennsylvania: Expedited Pardon Process Now Available for Those with Low-Level Cannabis Convictions
The Pennsylvania Board of Pardons has created an expedited process to review and grant pardon applications for those with marijuana-related records. “These people have done no harm to anyone else,” Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman said. “They shouldn’t continue to suffer with employment and housing issues because they were convicted of doing something that most Pennsylvanians don’t even think should be illegal.”
House Members Pass Historic Legislation Legitimizing Retail Cannabis Sales
Members of the House of Representatives voted 321 to 103 in favor, representing 79% of the vote of HR 1595: The SAFE Banking Act, which amends federal law so that explicitly banks and other financial institutions may work directly with state-legal marijuana businesses.
Illinois: Clemency Available for 0 to 30 Grams, Expungement Available for Convictions of 30 to 500 Grams
Illinois has an estimated 770,000 marijuana related criminal records which are now eligible for clemency by Governor Pritzker.
Washington, DC: Mayor Signs Order Expanding Workplace Protections for Cannabis Consumers
Commenting on the policy change, NORML Political Associate Tyler McFadden said: “Employment protections are critical to ensure that law-abiding adults are not unduly discriminated against in their efforts to be productive members of society solely because of their use of cannabis while off the job. This order provides clarity and guidance to employers and peace of mind to the employees who work in the District of Columbia.”
Report: Domestic Hemp Production Soaring in 2019
According to the report, “The number of acres of hemp licensed across 34 states totaled 511,442 in 2019 – more than quadruple the number of acres licensed from the previous year.”
POTUS: Feds “Allowing States” to Choose Legalization
Reacting to the President’s comments, NORML’s Political Director Justin Strekal said, “The reiteration of a non-enforcement policy from the president is a clear sign that states should continue to defy the federal government when it comes to marijuana prohibition.”