Welcome back to The Week in Weed, your Friday look at what's happening in the world of legalized marijuana.
This week, Congress wants to know why there are no federal regulations governing hemp and CBD. Speaking of CBD, Google makes changes to its advertising policies. Maryland lawmakers make plans for an adult-use market. And finally, if you're looking for a cannabis-friendly hotel in Las Vegas, there's a new place in town to stay.
CBD REGULATIONS
Regular readers will doubtless recall that the 2018 Farm Bill legalized hemp and called for the Food and Drug Administration to promulgate regulations for a legal market. Fast forward to 2023, and we're still waiting for those regs. Now Congress, specifically Rep. James Comer (R-KY), wants that wait to end. Comer plans to investigate the lack of regulation – he has a few questions for FDA Commissioner Robert Califf.
CBD ADVERTISING
If you've wondered why you've never seen CBD advertising when you're searching Google (even if you blog about cannabis news every week...), the answer is that the products are currently on Google's Unapproved Pharmaceuticals and Supplements list. But that's about to change, at least a little bit. Now users in California, Colorado and Puerto Rico will see ads for FDA approved pharmaceuticals with CBD and topical, hemp-derived products with less than 0.3% THC. Google's official language is available here.
MARYLAND
Our nation's capital is Washington, DC, as we all know. But the DC metropolitan area includes parts of both Maryland and Virginia, in addition to DC. The three jurisdictions, known collectively as the DMV, have had very different laws as regards cannabis as long as this blog has been around. As of this writing, cannabis is legal to possess and use in DC, but only medical marijuana is legal to sell. Virginia legalized adult-use cannabis in 2021, but there's no legal market yet. Maryland legalized last November, and plans are underway to set up a market by July 1. It's a big job and summer will be here before we know it; time will tell if they make the deadline.
AND FINALLY
Are you planning a trip to Sin City? Would you like to stay in a hotel that allows cannabis consumption, including smoking? Check out The Lexi, opening this spring.
Stay safe and be well everyone – we'll see you next week!
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