A Florida Republican lawmaker files a bill to cap THC limits in legal weed if voters approve an initiative, the new Thai government attempts to rein in recreational marijuana sales and use, and more.

[image:1 align:left caption:true]Marijuana Policy

Florida GOP Lawmaker Files Bill to Cap THC Content if Voters Approve Marijuana Legalization. Rep. Ralph Massullo (R) has filed a bill that would cap the potency of recreational marijuana in the event it is approved by voters in November. The measure, House Bill 1269, would set a limit of 10 percent THC for smokeable marijuana products, a level far below what is generally available in most legal state markets.

The bill also caps THC at 60 percent in other forms of marijuana, such as extracts, and limits edibles to 200 milligrams of THC, with individual servings containing no more than 10 milligrams.

Most states with legal markets see marijuana flowers at between 20 and 30 percent THC, and that is the case in Florida's medical market as well. Massullo's bill only applies "potency limits for adult personal use," meaning that if it and the legalization initiative both passed, Floridians with medical marijuana cards could buy full-potency marijuana, but recreational users could not.

Hawaii Attorney General Releases Formal Report on Marijuana Legalization Concerns. The state attorney general's office on Friday released a report detailing its concerns as the state moves toward marijuana legalization. The office said it has two main concerns about legalization, centered on public safety and health.

The Department of the Attorney General stressed it does not support the legalization of cannabis. The Department said if legalized it has two main concerns regarding public safety and health.

"It has been commonly said in the past is that cannabis is a harmless drug. Every health professional that we've spoken to on the subject says that's not the case, particularly with respect to children and the way their brains develop," said Dave Day, the special assistant to the attorney general. "One of the things that we've seen in other states that have legalized cannabis is the increased prevalence of driving while high or impaired driving. That's something that is a difficult thing to address."

The attorney general's office also released a draft bill for marijuana legalization, with provisions including a robust regulatory agency that would investigate and enforce those who are not acting within the confines of the law and creating consequences for drivers to face if they're caught driving high.

The Report Regarding the Final Draft Bill Entitled "Relating to Cannabis" can be found here. The draft bill can be found here.

Medical Marijuana

Wisconsin GOP Assembly Speaker Announces Limited Medical Marijuana Bill. Wisconsin is an outlier on marijuana policy, one of a dozen states that has neither recreational nor medical marijuana, but that could be about to change as leading Republicans signal an interest in finally moving on medical marijuana.

On Monday, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R) announced a medical marijuana bill that would restrict access to the drug to a series of specified medical conditions and not allow for smokeable medical marijuana but would allow for state-run dispensaries to distribute medical marijuana products.

"The people of Wisconsin have said they want us to try to find solutions for the problems that vex our society," Vos said. "There are very few Republicans that I know, and I would say most employers and even an awful lot of citizens, that do not want to see this become an end-around to get us toward recreational marijuana."

State Democrats have for years called for marijuana legalization and medical marijuana, and Gov. Tony Evers (D) has signaled support for any medical marijuana legislation that does not include "poison pills." But Republicans control the legislature, and it is unclear whether there is support for Vos's measure in the state Senate.

"The governor will be reviewing Assembly Republicans' proposal, and he looks forward to hearing from Wisconsinites and other stakeholders as the bill moves through the legislative process," Ever's spokesman Britt Cudaback said.

Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu (R) did not say whether he supported the Assembly GOP's plan, but said "specific details of the proposal are important and need to be thoroughly vetted before the Senate decides how to proceed. The Assembly's medical marijuana proposal will move through the normal legislative process, including committee action, before being considered by the full Senate," LeMahieu said.

International

Thai Public Health Minister Signs Draft Proposal Specifying that Marijuana Can Only Be Used Medicinally. Public Health Minister Cholnan Srikaew has signed proposed marijuana legislation as he emphasized that marijuana cannot be used for recreational purposes.

"The new law will clearly stipulate that cannabis must be used for medical purposes only. It will also encourage the use of cannabis for a range of health benefits," Cholnan said on Saturday after signing the bill. "Regarding the using of cannabis for recreational purposes, there will be a clear measure to control and prevent this. The measure may come in the form of a ministerial regulation passed by the cabinet, or from a panel," he said.

The bill now goes to the cabinet to approve it in principle. Once that occurs, the bill moves to the Lower House for consideration. It comes as the new government attempts to rein in a widespread marijuana market that emerged in the wake of ambiguous liberalizing legislation under the previous government.

There are currently hundreds -- if not thousands -- of licensed and unlicensed marijuana retailers, and Cholnan said there were no plans to revoke the licenses of legally-registered shops. But once the new law is in place, the shops would be allowed only to low-THC marijuana products.