Marijuana Legalization

[jdaniele]

https://patch.com/new-jersey/newarknj/nj-marijuana-legalization-delayed-again-more-towns-ban-it

NJ Marijuana Legalization Delayed, Again, As More Towns Ban It
..
"We really had our first significant conversation today on it," Sweeney told nj.com. "I wouldn't classify anything today as negative. We had a pretty healthy conversation."

Last month, the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee vote was 7-4 in favor, while the Assembly Appropriations Committee voted 7-3 to advance the bill. The move was significant because New Jersey had planned a full Legislature vote by Oct. 29, but continued disagreement over the legislation delayed it.

The "Marijuana Legalization Act" would allow users 21 years old and up to possess up to an ounce of pot.

Sweeney's office has acknowledged that the senate president doesn't have an agreement with the Murphy administration on how the legislation should proceed.

Conflicts over how much marijuana should be taxed – among other issues – have impeded the legislation's progress. Sweeney has said that the tax should be no more than 12 percent.
Murphy's deputy press secretary, Alyana Alfaro, released a statement last month, saying: "Governor Murphy remains committed to legalizing adult-use marijuana, a critical step in eliminating racial disparities in our criminal justice system.

"The governor is committed to working with the Legislature to legalize adult-use marijuana the right way, one that makes the state fairer, prioritizes the safety of New Jersey residents, and ensures that some of the economic benefits go the communities hardest hit by the war on drugs."
Murphy, meanwhile, was recently asked about marijuana legalization during a recent Facebook live interview, and he told the audience that he's looking at signing something "sooner than later."

"We've had good exchanges with both the legislative leadership sponsors and, most importantly, the teams in the trenches crafting this," Murphy said. "I think it's sooner than later."

Murphy said there will be several pieces to the legislation, including expansion of the medical marijuana program. The "biggest mountain to climb," he said, will be legalizing the drug for recreational use.

Just don't expect pot to be sold in stores right away. The regulatory and licensing process could take another six months after the legislation is passed, health officials say. That schedule could move a lot more quickly if medical marijuana dispensaries are allowed to meet the demand.

https://www.nj.com/expo/news/erry-2018/12/aa9191e4006330/legal-weed-15-minimum-wage-dep.html

https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/2018/Bills/S3000/2703_I1.HTM

This is pretty real now.

[jdaniele]

"Marijuana Legalization Bills Are Advancing In Several States"

https://www.forbes.com/sites/tomangell/2019/02/27/marijuana-legalization-bills-are-advancing-in-several-states/amp/

Three separate New Mexico House and Senate committees have approved two different legal marijuana bills in recent weeks. One proposal that would create a legal system of licensed private businesses to sell cannabis to adults cleared both the House Health and Human Services and Judiciary Committees. A separate Senate bill that would legalize marijuana but allow it to be sold only in state-run stores was approved by the chamber’s Public Affairs Committee.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) supports legalization and has said she would sign a bill into law as long as it contained adequate protections for public health and safety.

Looks like this will pass and they'll have options.

In New Hampshire, the House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee acted last week to advance a marijuana legalization bill. A floor vote before the full House of Representatives is scheduled for Wednesday.


Gov. Chris Sununu (R) said he would veto any cannabis legalization bill that reaches his desk, but the House speaker believes he has enough votes in his chamber, and perhaps in the Senate as well, to override any veto.

An override shows there's a HUGE amount if tension. NJ governors have the item line veto so this would've been killed just like it has in the past.

In Hawaii, the Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously voted to approve a cannabis legalization bill on February 7. Although floor action hasn’t yet been scheduled, the body’s president said in a speech at the start of the legislative session that considering ending marijuana prohibition would be a priority for 2019.


Gov. David Ige (D) isn’t especially supportive of marijuana law reform, however, so advocates aren’t sure that he would sign a full legalization bill if one reaches his desk. That said, lawmakers are also advancing more modest legislation to simply decriminalize possession of small amounts of cannabis, and supporters are more hopeful the governor would be on board with that reform.

And in Vermont, where lawmakers legalized low-level possession and home cultivation of cannabis last year, the Senate Judiciary, Finance and Appropriations Committees all voted this month to approve a bill to add in a system of legal marijuana sales. A floor vote in the full Senate, which has on several occasions in past sessions already approved similar bills, is expected on Thursday.

Gov. Phil Scott (R), who signed Vermont’s existing noncommercial legalization policy into law, says he is reluctant to go further until the state has better technology to detect impaired driving. But with such strong support in the legislature—where half of the Senate and more than a third of the House have proactively signed on as cosponsors of the bills—a veto override is not out of the question, nor is the notion that Scott could feel sufficient pressure to let the measure go into law without vetoing it in the first place.

This seems to be a hot question in most places. How do you prove it? Something needs to be figured out.

This month, House Financial Services subcommittee held a hearing on draft legislation to allow marijuana businesses to access banking services, a key concern for the industry as well as policymakers who understand that forcing cannabis providers to operate on a cash-only basis poses risks to public safety.

The financial services legislation, which could clear the congressional panel within the next several weeks, is part of a step-by-step plan that Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) laid out in what he called a “blueprint” for how Congress can end federal marijuana prohibition in 2019.

This seems to be a key factor. Legal or not how do you protect the money being used in these transactions? This becomes a safety issue. Everyone agrees this isn't the greatest of ideas but if a product is wanted and is safe to a controlled way then setup the system needed. Banks protect the communities from the dangers of theft of funding so that part alone shouldn't even be a question. At least in theory.

[jdaniele]

This only pertains to NJ but it mostly reads, "Marijuana Ban Would Be 'Null And Void' Under State Bill" so basically local government gets no say in the matter.

LINK TO ARTICLE

The bill pending in the state Legislature to make adult recreational marijuana use legal may make that five-hour meeting and unanimous vote by the council meaningless.

Senate Bill 2703 (and its companion, Assembly Bill 4497), the bills that would legalize recreational marijuana includes a provision that would make "null and void" any ordinances that have been passed in towns across the state to ban the sales of either or both.

"... any ordinance enacted by a local governmental entity prior to the effective date of this section addressing the issue of prohibiting one or more types of cannabis-related activities within the jurisdiction of the local governmental entity is null and void," the bill says.

[jdaniele]

"In the age of legal marijuana, many employers drop ‘zero tolerance’ drug tests"

https://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-marijuana-drug-test-hiring-20190412-story.html

When Rye Electric was founded in Orange County five years ago, it screened all prospective workers for drugs. If a test showed traces of cannabis, the applicant was nixed.

But the fast-growing construction company, which has a millennial-heavy workforce, has since adapted to the times. “We still do the tests,” Chief Executive Chris Golden said, “but we choose to look the other way on marijuana.”

Some 20 of the company’s 150 workers were hired despite flunking a pre-employment screening for cannabis. “We let them know they can’t do it on the job and we trust them not to,” Golden said.

Honestly, most companies just wanted to be compliant. Due to the nature of this subject, why do some companies still screen for it? Are times changing or are opinions still heavily involved?

[jdaniele]

https://www.theverge.com/platform/amp/2019/4/19/18507811/marijuana-legalization-drugs-federal-policy-enforcement

This year, April 20th feels different. Marijuana enthusiasts have long celebrated 4/20, but now that businesses are seeing profit potential, they are getting involved, too, with things like $4.20 Lyft credits and CBD-infused Carl’s Jr. hamburgers. Marijuana is a big business, even if it’s not legal everywhere yet. So what’s the current state of marijuana legalization?

"According to Gallup, for example, 66 percent of Americans supported legalization in 2018, compared to about 60 percent just two years earlier."

https://news.gallup.com/poll/243908/two-three-americans-support-legalizing-marijuana.aspx

https://content.gallup.com/origin/gallupinc/GallupSpaces/Production/Cms/POLL/1o2qtqypukk-li_-wury3w.png

Legalizing the use of pot was an unpopular idea when Gallup first asked Americans about it in 1969 -- just 12% at that time said it should be made legal. Support grew in the 1970s but stagnated in the 20% range until the new millennium, when momentum for legalization picked up again. Since 2000, support for legalizing marijuana has trended steeply upward, reaching majority support for the first time in 2013 -- a year after Colorado and Washington voters legalized recreational use of marijuana via ballot initiatives, making them the first states to do so.

[jdaniele]

https://www.forbes.com/sites/mikeadams/2019/04/23/federal-marijuana-legalization-is-close-suggests-canopy-acreage-deal/

Interesting...

[jdaniele]

https://www.nj.com/marijuana/2019/05/njs-marijuana-bill-is-nearly-dead-that-means-you-may-get-to-vote-on-making-weed-legal.html

It’s now all but certain that New Jersey voters, and not lawmakers, will decide whether to legalize recreational marijuana in the state, three legislative sources confirmed to NJ Advance Media late Thursday.

A plan for the state Legislature to pass bill that would make recreational pot legal for those 21 and older in the Garden State is likely “dead,” said the sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private negotiations.

Although Gov. Phil Murphy and his fellow Democrats who lead the Legislature were gunning for a vote this month, one source said there’s “no hope” for that now because they still have not secured enough votes for the measure to pass.

[jdaniele]

Look like Illinois is next. They definitely did it right in my opinion.

https://abc7chicago.com/politics/illinois-house-passes-marijuana-legalization-bill/5324375/

When the Illinois House convened Friday morning, the first bill called was the recreational marijuana bill, which passed out of a House committee Thursday night.

Recreational marijuana is expected to bring in $58 million in 2020, largely from licensing fees and more than double that the next year.

The bill would allow adults 21 and older to purchase and possess up to 30 grams or about an ounce.

"It's a little surreal still. I knew that we were in good shape. I never put a number on it, but this is higher than anything I imagined," said state Rep. Kelly Cassidy, a Democrat from Chicago who sponsored the bill.

The bill was pushed as one emphasizing criminal justice reform first, promising expungement for those convicted of low-level pot possession offenses.

[jdaniele]

So who's next to Legalize Recreational Marijuana?

https://www.fool.com/amp/investing/2019/06/09/after-illinois-these-states-could-legalize-recreat.aspx

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration legalized its first-ever cannabis-derived drug, support for legalization hit an all-time high, and more states than ever have waved the green flag on weed from a medical and/or adult-use perspective, with 33 medical marijuana-legal states, 10 of which also allow adult consumption.

...Illinois Legislature overwhelmingly voted in favor of House Bill 1438, which is a measure that will legalize recreational marijuana throughout the Land of Lincoln by Jan. 1, 2020. The bill allows adults aged 21 and over to purchase and possess up to 30 grams of cannabis, with nonresidents allowed to possess up to half the amount of state residents.

The [next] two most logical choices would be New Jersey and New York, both of which have advanced legislation to legalize adult-use marijuana. Unfortunately, both states may have to wait until 2020 before they get their chance at redemption.

In March [2019], New Jersey looked like a near-sure thing to legalize, with Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy and state lawmakers seemingly coming to an agreement on excise tax rates after protracted debates. However, talks abruptly fell apart after Republican lawmakers in the state failed to support the legislation, and in-party squabbling among Democrats over social aspects of the bill removed the majority support needed for it to pass.

[jdaniele]

"Nevada is the first U.S. State to Make It Illegal to Refuse Employment for Marijuana Usage--and It Won't Be the Last. How to Adjust Your Drug Screening Policies."

http://www.evilhrlady.org/2019/06/nevada-is-the-first-u-s-state-to-make-it-illegal-to-refuse-employment-for-marijuana-usage-and-it-wont-be-the-last-how-to-adjust-your-drug-screening-policies.html

https://www.inc.com/suzanne-lucas/nevada-is-first-us-state-to-make-it-illegal-to-refuse-employment-for-marijuana-usage-and-it-wont-be-last-how-to-adjust-your-drug-screening-policies.html

That's not the language used in the bill, but that's what the law does. Instead of leaving it up to an employer to determine if they want a drug free workplace, you have to treat marijuana users as equals to non-users.

New York City has similar legislation which will go into effect shortly after Nevada's, even though New York doesn't have legalized recreational marijuana.

There is logic to this change because unlike alcohol, which clears out of your system relatively rapidly; you can test positive for marijuana when you aren't remotely high. Blood and saliva tests can show if you are under the influence, but not the degree, as you can determine with alcohol. Urine tests will only show that there has been usage. The idea is why worry about what someone did Saturday night when they won't be to work until Monday?

The new law (which goes into effect on 1 January 2020) has exceptions for the following positions:

• Firefighters,
• Emergency medical technicians
• Employees who operate motor vehicles and who are subject to other state or federal laws,
• People who "in the determination of the employer could adversely affect the safety of others."

https://legiscan.com/NV/bill/AB132/2019

[jdaniele]

https://www.vox.com/2019/6/25/18650478/illinois-marijuana-legalization-governor-jb-pritzker

https://www.apnews.com/7b793d88f3c84417b83db0f770854960

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/illinois-recreational-marijuana-governor-legalizes-governor-j-b-pritzker-signs-bill-today-2019-06-25/

Illinois' new governor, J.B. Pritzker, delivered on a top campaign promise Tuesday by signing legislation that makes his state the 11th to legalize small amounts of marijuana for recreational use and the second to approve it through the Legislature rather than the ballot box. The bill, HB 1438, goes into effect Jan. 1, 2020.

Legalization in Illinois also means that nearly 800,000 people with criminal records for purchasing or possessing 30 grams of marijuana or less may have those records expunged, a provision minority lawmakers and interest groups demanded. It also gives cannabis-vendor preference to minority owners and promises 25% of tax revenue from marijuana sales to redevelop impoverished communities.

[jdaniele]

Add Hawaii to that list... sorta

This is different from marijuana legalization. Under decriminalization, possession of small amounts of pot no longer carries jail or prison time but can continue to carry a fine, and possession of larger amounts, repeat offenses, and sales or trafficking can still result in harsher sentences. Under legalization, penalties for marijuana possession are completely removed, and sales are typically allowed.

https://www.vox.com/platform/amp/policy-and-politics/2019/7/9/18623492/hawaii-marijuana-decriminalization-legalization

http://www.forbes.com/sites/sarabrittanysomerset/2019/07/10/hawaii-decriminalizes-cannabis/

[jdaniele]

Gonna post then update my post with sited paragraphs.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/mikeadams/2019/11/05/reasons-marijuana-legalization-seems-to-be-failing/

One of the biggest arguments made by cannabis advocates when trying to sell their spiel to politicians and voters was that legal weed would eliminate the black market. This, they said, would make it more difficult for children to get their hands on pot than in decades past while also generating significant tax revenue for the states. But the underground pot trade hasn’t really gone anywhere. In fact, it is only growing stronger now that criminal organizations have the luxury of being domestically based instead of running distribution from Mexico.

Furthermore, the black market in legal states is carrying over to areas of prohibition, as well. It is part of the reason that the counterfeit vapes said to be making so many people severely ill (and even killing some) have become so prevalent. Law enforcement agencies all across the country have also been complaining that people trafficking pot in from legal states is making their jobs more difficult.

Diehard cannabis advocates might argue that all of the black market madness exists because of conflicting federal and state law. There was even a point where I would have been inclined to agree that federal prohibition is the real monster behind all of this ruckus. But I’m not convinced at this juncture, at least not 100 percent. Why? Well, just take a look to the north in Canada, where marijuana has been legal nationwide for the past year. It’s black market pot trade is still way stronger than the legal sector.

Marijuana legalization, at least as far as the United States is concerned, hasn’t even accomplished the modest task of reducing the number of arrests made in this country for pot possession.

Believe it or not, in spite of more states bringing weed into the mainstream, the latest FBI crime data shows that police forces in America still busted more people for pot last year than they did in 2016 and 2017. Well over a half a million people went to jail for marijuana possession during that time.

Considering all of the insanity surrounding the cannabis trade, it’s hard to argue that marijuana legalization is working. It should be, but the scene is just too convoluted. What’s scary is some 2020 presidential candidates, like Bernie Sanders, have proposed ending federal prohibition using the same types of taxed and regulatory models where high taxes and increased spending are all part of the plan. It’s difficult to imagine, though, knowing what we know now, that the American people are ready to support such a high-dollar scheme. Sure, the polls show the majority of the U.S. population supports marijuana legalization. But that doesn’t mean they will buy it legally once it happens.

EDIT: Ok cited what I was reading mostly. It's a chunk of the article itself but some info could've been left out which I did.

[jdaniele]

https://www.nj.com/marijuana/2019/11/another-state-has-legalized-marijuana-sales-begin-dec-1.html

Michigan adults 21 and older will be able to buy marijuana starting Dec. 1, the state Marijuana Regulatory Agency announced on Wednesday.

Michigan is one of 11 states and the District of Columbia which have legalized the use of marijuana for recreational purposes. The other states are Alaska, California, Colorado, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Nevada, Oregon, Vermont and Washington.

Michigan’s medical marijuana dispensaries will be permitted to sell up to 50 percent of cannabis products on the recreational market if they are at least 30 days old, according to a bulletin from the state regulatory agency.

[jdaniele]

https://www.fool.com/investing/2019/11/17/6-states-trying-to-legalize-recreational-marijuana.aspx