Welcome back to The Week in Weed, your Friday look at what’s happening in the world of legalized marijuana.
Let’s start with politics, with the latest in the “Where The Candidates Stand on Marijuana” series. Senator Cory Booker (D – NJ) has introduced the Marijuana Justice Act of 2019 that would legalize cannabis at the federal level, remove it from the schedule of controlled substances and expunge federal marijuana-related criminal records.
The biggest news from the states came from Florida, where legislation has been introduced to legalize recreational marijuana. Obviously, introducing a bill is a long way from opening stores, but it is a step in that direction.
Other states moving to legalize include New Hampshire, where the bill is progressing in the House before it moves to the Senate, but may have problems in the Governor’s office and Vermont, where recreational use is already legal, but buying and selling is not. This legislation would set up a retail marketplace.
Legalizing cannabis doesn’t necessarily mean smooth sailing, as the state of Michigan is finding out. The governor has abolished the board that approves or denies applications for licenses for medical marijuana businesses and a new agency will take its place.
The Food and Drug Administration will convene a public meeting to discussion CBD regulation in April. Of course, the FDA’s chief, Scott Gottlieb, is resigning in April, so the exact date of the meeting is now up in the air.
In international news, the Caribbean nation of St. Kitts and Nevis has announced changes in their cannabis laws: medical marijuana will now be legal and recreational use will be decriminalized. Meanwhile, Switzerland has announced that it will begin a 10-year study of recreational marijuana; we’ll check back in with them towards the end of the next decade.
And if you were wondering what Martha Stewart’s latest business venture is, wonder no longer. She is forming a CBD partnership with Canopy Growth. Their first products will be pet remedies. Who brought these two together? Snoop Dogg, of course.
See you next week!
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