March Cannabis News
Cannabis news is exciting! At this point in time, there is a momentum building in Cannabis. Sometimes Cannabis evolution is fast, other times it can seem to drag on. As a patient, waiting for certain news can require tremendous patience. The news means legislation, ingenuity, and political headway.
March has been no different! Below are some of the top Cannabis-related stories. Pharmaceuticals, Cannabis-related farming, and even a Cannabis soda!
Congress Proposes Change
It’s no secret that the Cannabis industry operates inside a set of legally irritating constraints. Cannabis businesses may not even have a safe place to store the wheelbarrows of cash from Cannabis sales. In terms of change, even the feds are beginning to recognize the need. Congress plans to take action in spring. Democrats in Congress are actively pursuing plans to modernize the Feds' interaction with weed. Decriminalizing Cannabis will be prominent on the agenda in addition, access to the banking system and expungement for past offenses.
“The federal proposals seek to establish 21st-century banking services for the nearly $18 billion industry and purge the criminal records of thousands of marijuana offenders. “The growing bipartisan momentum for cannabis reform shows that Congress is primed for progress in 2022, and we are closer than ever to bringing our cannabis policies and laws in line with the American people,” Reps. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) and Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) wrote in a memo to the Congressional Cannabis Caucus on Thursday.
Cannabis-infused Sodas
Jones Beverage company is rolling out a new line called “Mary Jones”- a play on the Mary Jane nickname marijuana has. The products—including 12-ounce bottles of soda infused with 10 milligrams of cannabis, 16-ounce cans of soda infused with 100 milligrams of cannabis, syrups with 1000 milligrams of cannabis per bottle, and mini Jones Soda bottle-shaped gummies infused with five milligrams of cannabis—will roll out in an official launch on April 1 in California, one of the states that allow residents to legally use marijuana on a recreational basis.
“We’re a small player in soda, but we’re going to be the biggest national player when it comes to recognizable [consumer-packaged goods] name in cannabis,” Jones Soda marketing chief Bohb Blair told CNBC.
Washington DC
Formally the District of Columbia, Washington DC is a mess when it comes to Cannabis! The voters obviously want legal, safe access to Cannabis. In November 2014, District voters approved the Legalization of Possession of Minimal Amounts of Marijuana for Personal Use Initiative (commonly known as Initiative 71). The new law became effective on February 26, 2015.
As a result, it is legal for a person who is at least 21 years old to:
Possess two ounces or less of marijuana;
Transfer one ounce or less of marijuana to another person who is at least 21 years old, so long as there is no payment made or any other type of exchange of goods or services;
Cultivate within their residence up to six marijuana plants, no more than three of which are mature;
Possess marijuana-related drug paraphernalia – such as bongs, cigarette rolling papers, and cigar wrappers – that is associated with one ounce or less of marijuana; or
Use marijuana on private property.
Evolving in the criminalization of Cannabis is where the progress stalled. There is no legally regulated framework for dispensing adult use in D.C. Washington DC is still the seat of this nation's politics. There are a number of politicians resisting Cannabis change in the District of Columbia.
New York
Humungous changes are taking place in New York! Full legalization and a plan to regulate Cannabis across the state. The first licenses in retail Cannabis will go to ones who had a Cannabis record. “It's really encouraging to see New York is taking the lessons learned from other states,” said Melissa Moore, Drug Policy Alliance.
Russia
Russia has been in the news due to the violence the Russian military is doing in Ukraine. Russia and Cannabis are a no-no! Sometimes you can tell a lot about a country based on how it treats its most vulnerable. Medical Cannabis is non-existent in Russia. Possession of Cannabis comes with stiff penalties! Just ask two-time Olympic champion, Brittney Griner. Brittney is being detained in Russia because of an empty Cannabis vape cartridge.
"In February 2022, an athlete who flew to Moscow from New York went through the green corridor," the statement read. "The service dog of the Sheremetyevo Customs indicated that drugs may be in the carry-on luggage of a U.S. citizen. After scanning the bag, the customs officers noticed vapes. The experts found that the cartridges for them contain liquid with hash oil."
Griner is anticipating spending between 5-10 years in prison for the “smuggling of narcotic drugs in a significant amount.’ Griner’s legal team is in regular contact with Russian authorities.
Ukraine
On the other hand, Ukraine has forward momentum in Cannabis access. Ukraine recently approved access to two different Cannabis Pharmaceuticals! Dronabinol and Nabiximols. Ukraine laws on Cannabis possession and personal farming are more relaxed. According to Article 106-2 Code of Administrative Offenses in Ukraine, cultivation (without intent to sell) up to 10 cannabis plants qualifies as an administrative violation, with a fine of from 18 to 100 and the seizure of plants.
The limit for possession without intent to sell, for which no criminal liability is given, is up to 5 grams of cannabis. However, there are plans to raise this limit to 10 grams. Ukraine is headed in a less restrictive direction with regards to Cannabis reform.
Our hearts go out to the refugees of Ukraine! We pray for a swift end to all injustice!
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