Welcome back to The Week in Weed, your Friday look at what's happening in the world of legalized marijuana. This week, we check in on ballot initiatives, or rather, lawsuits surrounding ballot initiatives. Then we see a new report has come out, exploring the role of the federal government in cannabis. Senator Rand Paul has a new hemp bill. And finally, we have an update on California's cannabis cafes.
NEBRASKA
Nebraska is currently one of a handful of states where cannabis is illegal for any purpose. Two ballot initiatives that would allow the use of medical marijuana are currently under review. When we reported on this last month, we indicated that those initiatives were "likely" to appear on the ballot. Good thing we hedged our bets a bit, as the courts are now involved. Lancaster County District Judge Susan Strong recently allowed one complaint, concerning signatures, to move forward, while dismissing another complaint dealing with the ballot sponsor statement and Nebraska's single subject rule. Further bulletins as events warrant.
ARKANSAS
In other ballot initiative news, a lawsuit in Arkansas will keep a medical marijuana expansion initiative off the 2024 ballot. Secretary of State John Thurston made the decision based on insufficient signatures; 90,074 verified signatures are required to appear on the ballot, and Arkansans for Patient Access fell short at 88,040. Medical cannabis is legal in the state, and this measure would have allowed more medical professionals to issue prescriptions, expand the number of eligible conditions and made MMJ cards valid for three years. Supporters have filed a lawsuit contesting Thurston's determination. Stay tuned!
NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES REPORT
A report recently released by the National Academies Press and sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) advocates for a greater federal role in the cannabis industry. Among the report's recommendations is a statement by Congress that intoxicating hemp is subject to the Controlled Substances Act, following standards set by the U.S. Pharmacopeia for product quality, the CDC issuing best practices for state regulation, a removal of restrictions on research, and state requirements for retail employee training and certification.
PAUL BILL
Following up on last week's hemp discussion, we see that Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) has introduced a new bill that would change the legal definition of hemp. The HEMP Act would define hemp as those products with up to 1% THC, rather than the current 0.3% THC limit. The bill would also mandate the testing of hemp-derived products, rather than the flower or plant itself.
AND FINALLY
Woody Harrelson, Bill Maher and John McEnroe will be happy to hear that California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) has signed a bill allowing for the creation of cannabis cafes. As we reported two weeks ago, the celebrities were among many cannabis lounge owners looking to expand the products they are able to offer to customers. The law takes effect on January 1, 2025.
Be well, and we'll see you next week.
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