Welcome back to The Week in Weed, your Friday look at what's happening in the world of legalized marijuana.
This week, just like last week, we start with state ballot news. Missouri puts adult-use cannabis on the November ballot. Arkansas initiative supporters go to the state's Supreme Court. Then, we look in on how Kentucky is dealing with hemp. And finally, we give a big thumbs up to the name of DC's cannabis inspection group.
missouri
Regular readers will doubtless recall that, in last week's installment of The Week in Weed, we were uncertain as to whether the adult-use initiative in Missouri would make it onto the November ballot. Good news for advocates of the measure: the Secretary of State certified the initiative this week. Will the Show Me State become the 20th to legalize? Stay tuned...
arkansas
We have yet another follow-up to a story from last week. After the Board of Election Commissioners rejected an adult-use ballot initiative, supporters of adult-use in that state petitioned the state's Supreme Court to overturn the decision. The group is looking for a preliminary injunction that would put the issue on the ballot, as it seems unlikely that the Court would reach a decision before the August 25 deadline for certification. Again, stay tuned...
kentucky
It's not all follow-up stories this week! We have a new story coming out of Kentucky, concerning hemp products. A state judge has ruled that Delta-8 THC products made from hemp are legal. In case you have a hard time remembering which Delta is which, the University of Buffalo has a piece here explaining that Delta-8 is like Delta-9's "nicer, younger sibling." Surely, this court decision must be welcome news for Kentucky hemp's biggest proponent, Senator Mitch McConnell (R). To continue the family analogy, McConnell famously described marijuana as hemp's "illicit cousin."
and finally
You all know how much we love cannabis-related puns here at The Week in Weed. The more the merrier! The bigger the groaner, the more we are there for it. This week, we offer for your amusement a new DC city government entity, the Joint Cannabis Task Force. Yes, surely all organizations that involve members from several agencies are known as "joint" groups. But still – nice. The group will be visiting dispensaries to ensure that they are complying with city laws.
Stay safe and be well everyone – we'll see you next week!
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