The Council recently passed emergency legislation that will create a recreational marijuana market by allowing adults to possess up to one ounce of cannabis. This move follows a new study that found auto insurance premiums declined in states that legalized medical marijuana. The volume of studies on marijuana has also grown significantly over the past two decades, with the California State Fair awarding 60 trophies and medals to the winners of its first state-approved marijuana competition. The MLB is now allowing league baseball teams to sell sponsorships to cannabis companies that market CBD, while the Governor of Connecticut is playing a new country song about all the good things about his state, including its legal marijuana companies.
These companies could soon go public on national stock exchanges and access key financial services under a proposed bill. Other recent developments include psychedelic CO ballot signatures being filed, Congress pushing for a review of psilocybin, hemp being used as a plastic alternative, Los Angeles government signing labor protections for marijuana, military marijuana amendments being passed, and the White House bypassing cannabis safety clearances questions. New Jersey has introduced a bill to legalize the possession, home cultivation and gift of psilocybin mushrooms for adults, while Illinois has granted funds to repair damage caused by the War on Drugs. The House Appropriations Committee Leaders have called for a federal review of psilocybin policy, using hemp as an alternative to Chinese plastics and leaving researchers to study marijuana.
Meanwhile, a proposal is moving forward in Congress to stop denying people security clearances in the past due to their use of cannabis. Colorado activists have submitted what they believe are more than enough signatures to place a measure on the state ballot that would legalize recreational marijuana use by adults. The House Appropriations Committee has included even more marijuana provisions in recently released spending bills and accompanying reports, including a novel section encouraging sports regulators. A key Senate committee has also approved a bill that would prohibit the federal government from denying people the security clearances they need to work on cannabis-related projects.
A bipartisan bill has been reintroduced in Congress to provide military veterans with access to medical marijuana, while Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and Brian Mast (R-FL) have proposed amendments to the SAFE Banking Act that would allow marijuana businesses access to banking services. However, Delaware's Democratic governor John Carney vetoed a bill that would have legalized possession of up to an ounce of marijuana by adults for recreational use. The House of Representatives voted against annulling this veto, likely ending efforts this year to establish a statewide marijuana industry in Delaware. Since marijuana use has become legal in several states, it remains illegal under federal law, making it difficult for licensed companies that sell marijuana to use the banking system. This is why it is important for lawmakers and activists alike to stay informed about the latest developments in cannabis legislation.
