Skip to main content

Hawaii Lawmakers Debate Marijuana Legalization Bill

More than 50 bills to legalize marijuana have already been introduced in state legislatures across the country for 2019 sessions. These far-reaching pieces of legislation typically generate the biggest headlines and attract the most attention, but outright legalization efforts are far from the only cannabis-related proposals that lawmakers are considering in 2019.

Less wide-ranging, but also important, marijuana reform bills are cropping up by the day. Here’s a look at some of the most interesting cannabis legislation filed this year that you might have missed:

In Colorado, a bill would give large marijuana companies a boon by repealing provisions that require background checks on initial investors and allowing publicly traded companies to obtain cannabis licenses.

Connecticut lawmakers are looking at a bill that would protect veterinarians from punishment if they discuss using cannabis therapeutically for pets. Another piece of legislation, which many legalization advocates are likely to oppose, would protect employers who terminate or decline to hire workers because they tested positive for marijuana from being sued.

Health insurers would be required to cover hemp-derived CBD oil under legislation introduced in Hawaii this month. Another bill would let Hawaiian medical cannabis patients bring transport their marijuana from island to island.

Maine lawmakers are pushing a bill that would create an open container policy for marijuana similar to laws that are already in effect for alcohol. Individuals would not be allowed to keep an open container of cannabis in the passenger seat; instead, it would have to be secured in a trunk, behind the last upright seat of the vehicle or somewhere else “not normally occupied by the operator or passenger.”

A bill that would allow medical cannabis patients to purchase, possess and carry firearms is making its way through the Maryland legislature. Prospective firearm buyers still have to submit a federal application that inquires about the use of cannabis, and federal law prohibits marijuana consumers from purchasing guns regardless of state law, however. Lawmakers in Oklahoma and Colorado are considering similar bills.

Child adoptions wouldn’t be delayed or denied just because a prospective adoptive parent has a medical marijuana card or works in the cannabis industry under legislation introduced in Missouri earlier this month Another bill would allow individuals enrolled in the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program to maintain their benefits even if they’re registered medical cannabis patients.

New Mexico senators filed a bill that would allow the government to “enter into an intergovernmental agreement with any sovereign Indian nation, tribe or pueblo located in New Mexico that elects to implement the provisions of the medical cannabis program.”

New York lawmakers introduced legislation that would require insurers to cover medical cannabis like any other prescription drug.

—
Marijuana Moment is already tracking more than 500 cannabis bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters pledging at least $25/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don’t miss any developments.


We followed more than 900 pieces of cannabis legislation in 2018. Learn more about our marijuana bill tracker and become a supporter on Patreon to get access.
—

In Oregon, a Senate bill would grant the governor authority to enter into an agreement with another state “for purpose of cross-jurisdictional coordination and enforcement of marijuana-related businesses.” Separately, lawmakers in the state want to prohibit transplant centers from denying organ donations to medical cannabis patients simply because they test positive for marijuana metabolites.

In Texas, one representative filed a bill to replace instances of the word “marihuana” in state laws by using “cannabis” instead.

Licensed marijuana businesses would be allowed to deliver cannabis products to adults 21 and older in Washington state under a House bill filed earlier this month.

These are just a small handful of the more than 500 cannabis-related bills that have already been filed for 2019 legislative sessions that in most cases began less than a month ago.

Find out more about what marijuana reform proposals lawmakers in your state are considering with Marijuana Moment’s bill tracker and hearing calendar.

These 10 States Are Most Likely To Pass Marijuana Legalization Bills In 2019

Marijuana Moment is made possible with support from readers. If you rely on our cannabis advocacy journalism to stay informed, please consider a monthly Patreon pledge.

Original Article Source: https://www.marijuanamoment.net/hawaii-lawmakers-debate-marijuana-legalization-bill/

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

New York City Adds More Exceptions To Pre-Employment Marijuana Testing Ban

An ambitious campaign to decriminalize psychedelics in Washington, D.C., is one step closer to placing their measure on the November ballot with the formal submission of tens of thousands of voter signatures. Organizers have been scrambling for weeks to collect enough signatures from D.C. voters by Monday’s deadline amid historically difficult circumstances: a global pandemic, months of stay-at-home orders and protests over racism and police violence that filled the streets of the nation’s capital. But with the help of innovative signature-gathering techniques and allies flown in from across the country, advocates said they had successfully submitted upwards of 35,000 signatures—more than enough to qualify the initiative. If approved by voters, Initiative 81 would make enforcement of laws against plant- and fungus-based psychedelics among the “lowest law enforcement priorities” for the Metropolitan Police Department. It would not, however, legalize or reduce penalties for the subs
Post a Comment
Read more

Charlotte Figi The Girl Who Inspired A CBD Movement Has Died At Age 13

Charlotte had recently been hospitalized due to pneumonia, breathing problems and seizures. She was treated as a likely case of Covid-19, her mother, Paige Figi, said Wednesday, although she tested negative for the virus. “Charlotte is no longer suffering. She is seizure-free forever,” a family friend wrote on Paige Figi’s Facebook page, announcing Charlotte’s death. “Thank you so much for all of your love.” Charlotte became a symbol of the possibilities of CBD after CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta told her story in the documentary “Weed.” In the film, Charlotte was shown to be a playful child who was overcome by horrific seizures, which were quelled with Charlotte’s Web, a marijuana strain named in her honor. Charlotte had Dravet syndrome, a rare form of epilepsy which was not controlled by medication. The Stanley brothers, marijuana growers in Colorado, were crossbreeding a strain of marijuana high in CBD and low in THC, its psychoactive ingredient. After Charlo
Post a Comment
Read more

Virginia CBD Program Criticized As Multistate Medical Cannabis Operators Gain Edge

Seven companies are challenging a CBD licensing process in Virginia that resulted in multistate medical marijuana operators getting a majority of available licenses. The appeals called the process “wildly prejudicial.” Out of 51 applicants for five vertically integrated CBD and THC-A licenses, multistate operators received three, a situation that spurred the appeals, The Virginian-Pilot reported. Applicants filing the appeals complained the closed-meeting review process lacked fairness and transparency. One consultant to an applicant said the selections felt “predetermined.” The Virginia Board of Pharmacy reportedly sent information to the applicants in December explaining its selections, but some applicants weren’t satisfied. A board spokeswoman wrote in an email to the Pilot that the board “does not comment on pending litigation.” The five winning applicants , called “pharmaceutical processors,” have a year from winning the licenses to become operational. The multistate
Post a Comment
Read more