“Today we have an opportunity to chart a new path forward on federal cannabis policy that actually makes sense.
“Meanwhile, more than 600,000 Americans are still arrested each year on cannabis charges, threatening to perpetuate this vicious cycle.
“It also addresses the injustice of it because of what penalties had been before some of this decriminalization took place,” the speaker said.
During the rule debate on the floor, Rep.
“We must reform the banking aspect of .
Republican lawmakers like Rep.
Insiders expect the MORE Act to pass on the floor this week, though it will likely clear the chamber in largely partisan fashion.
His office circulated a letter to other Republican offices ahead of the Rules Committee meeting offering resources on navigating cannabis policy issues but expressing opposition to the MORE Act as drafted.
Nancy Mace is sponsoring that legislation, and she said in a recent interview that she’s received assurances from Democratic leaders that her States Reform Act will receive a hearing following the MORE Act floor vote.
That panel met several times and made amendments, sending it back to the floor, where the full body passed it again in a 169-156 vote.
“The primary objective of this bill is the policy of legalization of cannabis for both possession and personal use and was passed by the House earlier this session,” Rep.
But because the legislation also scraps existing state statute decriminalizing cannabis, the prohibition on edibles created a “legal limbo” where adults could be potentially criminalized for possessing such products, a member said on the floor.
The bill outlines a model where all cannabis dispensaries in New Hampshire would be operated by the state under the State Liquor Commission.
An amendment that concerns setting aside certain tax revenue from marijuana sales for the state’s education fund was adopted on the floor by voice vote.
Advocates for cannabis legalization in the state have been vocal about their concerns with the legislation, saying both the state-run model and imposing a limit on cultivator licenses as proposed in the bill would prevent New Hampshire from reaping the full benefits of legalization in their state.
The House on Thursday also rejected an amendment to an unrelated education bill, HB 1627, that would have attached language simply legalizing the personal possession and cultivation of cannabis for adults.
Still, many felt stung by the fact that the chamber elected to advance that bill a day after narrowly rejecting a preferred, regulated sales model as prescribed in HB 237.
Cushing, who served as House Democratic leader, passed away this month after a battle with cancer.
In order to have advanced any of the proposed constitutional amendments, it would have taken a supermajority 60 percent vote in both chambers.
If legislators had ultimately moved to place a constitutional amendment to legalize cannabis on the ballot, 67 percent of voters would then have needed to vote in favor for it to be enacted.
The governor’s opposition to adult-use legalization has been a constant source of contention.
Ron Hicks , titled the “Cannabis Freedom Act,” cleared the House Public Safety Committee in a 5-4 vote, with amendments.
Hicks told Marijuana Moment in a phone interview on Thursday that he’s “disappointed” by the committee amendments, particularly a change pushed by Rep.
“I want the legislature to be able to handle it so that when there are problems and things need to be changed, it can be changed,” he said.
The Missouri Department of Health and Human Services would be responsible for regulating the adult-use program, just as it currently does for medical cannabis.
As drafted, there would not have been any cap on the number of licensees that could be approved.
Additionally, the measure contains expungement provisions, allowing people with non-violent marijuana convictions over activities made legal under the bill to petition the courts for record clearing.
As part of the licensing amendment that was adopted in committee on Thursday, language was added to create a loan program to support women- and minority-owned businesses participate in the market.
Licensed marijuana businesses would also be able to make tax deductions with the state up to the amount that they’d otherwise be eligible for under federal law if they were operating in a federally legal industry.
Meanwhile, another Missouri Republican lawmaker is again making a push to place cannabis legalization on the ballot.
Another Republican lawmaker in the state, Rep.
A different campaign, Fair Access Missouri, is separately exploring multiple citizen initiatives with the hopes of getting at least one on the ballot next year.
It then advanced to a second reading in the full chamber hours later but still requires a third reading vote before potentially being transmitted to the House.
“There’s plenty of data for the harmful effects of marijuana during pregnancy.