On Nov. 3, 2020, Montanans voted in favor of two legislations that would make the possession of cannabis in the state legal. The first, Initiative 190, legalized the possession and sale of small amounts of cannabis and levied a 20% tax on recreational cannabis sales. The second, Constitutional Initiative 118, would amend the constitution to allow either voters or state…
A legislator from Missouri is calling for the legalization of recreational cannabis as a way to generate revenue for the state of Missouri while also eliminating the cannabis black market. This is the first time a Missouri Republican representative is calling for the legalization of recreational cannabis. If the proposed amendment is approved, it would also expunge the records of…
In the last two years, the debate over the legalization of cannabis for adult use has dragged on in New York State. However, this may take a turn for the better next year as the state’s legislature goes back to Albany, despite the Democrats being divided on various aspects on the issue, which may make negotiations a tad bit difficult.…
Cannabis was one of the clear winners in the November 2020 ballot, with voters in five states approving legislation that allowed some form of cannabis use. Arizona was one of those states. Before to the elections, the traditionally red state had some of the most punitive cannabis policies in the country, with possession of even small amounts of marijuana classified…
A group that was campaigning for the medical cannabis initiative on the November ballot in Nebraska is now planning to seek a vote on legalizing the use of recreational cannabis in the state. While their earlier initiative was unsuccessful, officials with Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana stated recently that in January 2021 they would be introducing the ballot language for the…
In January of this year, activists behind the Make It Legal Florida campaign announced that they would postpone their pursuit of cannabis legalization in the state until 2022. The campaign had raised and spent more than $8 million, ultimately collecting 555,000 valid signatures. However, this was more than 200,000 signatures shy of the required 766,000 signatures, and the marijuana legalization…
Ontario’s Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk says there is a lack of transparency and oversight with the operations of the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO), the agency responsible for regulating the alcohol, gaming, horse-racing and private cannabis retail sectors throughout the province. With nearly 80,000 licensees across four industries in its purview, Lysyk’s report states that “the AGCO does not have…
Five states have approved measures to legalize medical or recreational cannabis during the 2020 general election, according to the Associated Press, which means that about one-third of Americans now have legal access to recreational cannabis. Arizona, New Jersey, Montana and South Dakota voted to legalize recreational marijuana for adults over the age of 21 while Mississippi voted to allow doctors…
Since 2012, eleven states have legalized cannabis use for adults, with many voters across the country considering the same measures on 2020 ballots in numerous states. The first states to legalize the drug were Washington and Colorado; California followed suit. Most concerns about legalization center on whether making the drug legal would cause more young people to use it or…
Two years after recreational cannabis sales became legal in Canada, the industry is flourishing. Amidst the coronavirus pandemic, the Great White North’s legal marijuana industry is celebrating increased sales, more brick and mortar stores, and competitive pricing. Although the industry has struggled to compete with the black market ever since Canada legalized recreational cannabis in October 2018, it has recently…
In an effort to curb black-market sales, Michigan is planning to ease access to the recreational cannabis market next year. In March, Michigan will remove a prerequisite that was included with good intentions but has unintentionally complicated the fight against unlicensed, black market cannabis, the state Marijuana Regulatory Agency announced. From March next year, certain licensed recreational marijuana businesses will…
In July, sales of adult-use marijuana in Canada were recorded at CA$231 million, which is a 15.2% growth. The retail sales, which equate to $175.6 million, beat the previous months’ sales record of CA$201 million ($151 million). This shows that the annual Canadian cannabis market may be worth about CA$2.8 billion ($2.1bn). Statistics Canada reported last Friday that the monthly…