Dispensaries are finally coming to Georgia (though product choice is limited), a trio of 4/20 week polls show continuing strong support for marijuana legalization, and more.

Washington state lawmakers can't agree on how to replace the state's drug felony law. (Pixabay)

Three New Polls Show Continuing Strong Support for Marijuana Legalization. Polls from CBS News, YouGov, and Civic Science released during 4/20 week all show continuing strong support for marijuana legalization. CBS News had 64 percent of respondents wanting marijuana legalized in their states, including 73 percent of Democrats, 66 percent of independents, and even 53 percent of Republicans. YouGov had support for legalization in the respondents' state at 58 percent, while Civic Science had 64 percent supporting legalization.

South Carolina Bill Would Pardon One-Fifth of Marijuana Possession Inmates Each Year. Introduced on informal marijuana holiday 4/20, a bill from Rep. JA Moore (D-Berkeley, Charleston), House Bill 4358, would pardon one fifth of people convicted of simple marijuana possession each year on 4/20. Under state law, simple possession is possessing less than an ounce and typically involves a jail sentence of no more than 30 days, but a second offense can garner up to six months. "We need to make sure that people that are doing petty crimes, like simple possession of marijuana, aren't filling up our justice system; we need to save those spaces for violent criminals or people that are victimizing our community," Moore says. The state has the second-highest marijuana possession arrest rate in the country, and Black people are 3.5 times more likely to be arrested for it.

Medical Marijuana

Georgia Medical Marijuana Dispensaries Finally Coming, Maybe Next Month. Nearly eight years after the state first approved a medical marijuana program, dispensaries are finally set to open their doors within weeks, as early as late May. But the state's 26,000 registered patients will be limited in their purchases to "low THC oil" with less than 5 milligrams of THC. Buds, edibles, and vaping cartridges are banned under the state's limited program. The state issued production licenses to two firms last September, but legislators and regulators have been slow to pass laws to implement the program. Under rules approved in January, the state will eventually license up to six companies to make and sell the oil.

Sentencing

Washington Drug Sentencing Deal Fix Falls Apart. After the state Supreme Court threw out the state's felony drug possession law, legislators had until July to come up with a replacement. They thought they had one in Senate Bill 5536, which would have made simple drug possession a gross misdemeanor, but the bill unexpectedly failed in the House Saturday night as several Democrats joined 40 Republicans in voting no. The dissident Democrats felt that the bill was too harsh, while the Republicans thought it was too soft. Now, with no chance of passing the bill before the regular legislative session ends, pressure is mounting on Gov. Jay Inslee (D) to call a special session to clean up the mess. Without legislative action, the state would no longer have a uniform policy on drug possession, leaving localities to set their own laws.

There will be no marijuana law reform in Alabama this year, senior senators introduce a package of criminal justice reform bills, and more.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro was at the White House Thursday to discuss drug policy, among other topics. (Creative Commons)

Alabama Legislative Leaders Dismiss Any Action on Marijuana Legalization. Even as the Alabama Cannabis Coalition demonstrated outside the capitol on Thursday to call for marijuana law reform, Republican House and Senate leaders made clear that reform bills filed this year are going nowhere. "I have zero interest in that legislation coming up," Sen. President Pro Tem Greg Reed said, adding "I don't see any appetite for the legislature being able to modify or change expanding anything associated with marijuana in this session." House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter also said those bills won't come up in the House. Indeed, they have not even been scheduled for committee.

Minnesota Marijuana Legalization Bill Gets House Floor Vote Monday. After a final committee vote in the House Ways and Means Committee this week, the House version of the state's marijuana legalization bill, House File 100, is set for a House floor vote Monday. The Senate version of the bill is also nearing the finish line, with just one more committee vote remaining before it, too, heads for a floor vote. The bills are expected to pass in both chambers and then be signed into law by Gov. Tim Walz, who also supports legalization.

Criminal Justice

Durbin, Grassley Reintroduce Criminal Justice Reform Bills. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), the lead sponsors of the landmark First Step Act (FSA), reintroduced three pieces of criminal justice reform legislation today to further implement the FSA and advance its goals. The First Step Act, which was signed into law in 2018, is bipartisan criminal justice reform legislation designed to make our justice system fairer and our communities safer by reforming sentencing laws and providing opportunities for those who are incarcerated to prepare to reenter society successfully. On Thursday, Durbin and Grassley reintroduced the First Step Implementation Act, the Safer Detention Act, and the Terry Technical Correction Act.

The first bill allows courts to apply the FSA sentencing reform provisions to reduce sentences imposed prior to the enactment of the FSA and broadens the safety valve provision to allow courts to sentence below a mandatory minimum for nonviolent controlled substance offenses, if the court finds the defendant's criminal history over-represents the seriousness of the defendant's criminal record and the likelihood of recidivism. The second bill would reform the Elderly Home Detention Pilot Program and compassionate release by clarifying that good conduct credits should be included in the calculation of time served and expanding eligibility to include nonviolent offenders who have served at least 50 percent of their terms of imprisonment. The third bill clarifies that all offenders who were sentenced for a crack cocaine offense before the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010 can apply for its retroactive application under Section 404 of the First Step Act, including individuals convicted of the lowest level crack offenses.

Foreign Policy

US and Colombian Presidents Issue Statement After White House Meeting. President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. of the United States and President Gustavo Petro Urrego of the Republic of Colombia met Thursday to advance bilateral cooperation on issues of mutual interest, including climate change, clean energy transition, migration, drug trafficking, and peace. President Biden reiterated his support for President Petro's peace efforts, and for rural and agricultural development in Colombia, as essential to effectively advance the implementation of the 2016 Peace Agreement in its international accompaniment of the accord's Ethnic Chapter.

On drugs, Biden and Petro committed to a holistic approach to address the harmful impacts of drug use and drug trafficking on both our peoples' health, safety, the environment, the economy, rule of law, and the strength and transparency of democratic institutions. They vowed to redouble efforts in terms of demand reduction through science-based prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery support. They did not address Petro's oft-stated critique of US prohibitionist drug policy.

The end is in sight.

After surviving a perilous passage through more than two dozen House and Senate committees, companion marijuana legalization bills, House File100 and Senate File 73 are nearing the finish line. The House bill has passed all 15 committees that examined it and awaits a House floor vote on Monday. The Senate bill has but one committee vote to go before it, too, heads for a floor vote.

(Tony Webster via Wikimedia Commons)

What a difference an election makes. Two years ago, similar legislation passed the House only to be blocked by the Republican-controlled Senate. But this year, the DFL is in control, and the Republicans will not be able to stop them.

The bills have been sliced and diced during the committee process. So, now that Minnesota is on the verge of becoming the next state to legalize marijuana (although Delaware could beat it with legalization bills already on the governor's desk), what is legalization going to look like there? Here are the key provisions in the latest versions of the bills:

• The bill originally allowed adults to possess up to 5 pounds of marijuana at home, but the House bill now sets that limit at 1 ½ pounds and the Senate versions sets it at 2 pounds, so this will be hashed out in conference committee.
• Home cultivation of up to 8 plants is allowed.
• People 21 and over can purchase up to 2 ounces of buds, 8 grams of concentrate, and 800 milligrams of edibles at one time. They can also possess these amounts in public.
• Gifting up of up 2 ounces without remuneration is allowed.
• On-site consumption at special events will be allowed.
• Marijuana deliveries will be allowed.
• A state agency, the Office of Cannabis Management, will oversee licensing of recreational and medical marijuana enterprises. The House bill allocates $73 million for administrative and educational costs through 2026, when revenues from legalization are expected to sustain such costs.
• Cities and counties can reasonably regulate but not prohibit marijuana businesses.
• Cities or counties can operate their own retail marijuana shops.
• Expungements for past misdemeanor marijuana offenses will be automatic, while past pot felonies will be examined on a case by case basis.
• The House bill sets an 8 percent gross receipts tax on marijuana products for the next four years, while the Senate bill has been amended to set that rate at 10 percent, so this will be hashed out in conference committee.
• Social equity applicants will get preferential scoring on applications, with social equity applicants defined as veterans with marijuana convictions and residents of low-income neighborhoods.
• Commercial marijuana growers will pay a $10,000 application fee, a $20,000 initial license fee and $30,000 to renew their licenses. Retailers would pay $2,500 in application fees and $5,000 for renewals, while "microbusinesses" will pay no initial license fee, a $500 application fee, and $2,000 for annual renewal.
• There is a special category of low-potency hemp retailer and processor licenses to preserve the state's existing CBD edibles and drinks market.
• Vertical integration allowing medium-sized businesses to operate grows, processing facilities, and retail shops will be allowed under a "mezzobusiness" license. Hemp companies and marijuana "microbusinesses" will also be allowed to vertically integrate.

If and when Minnesota legalizes marijuana, it will blow a gaping hole in regional pot prohibition. All of the states it borders -- North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, and Wisconsin -- are prohibition states. In the Upper Midwest, Minnesota will lead by example.

Canada's Supreme Court upholds a Quebec ban on home marijuana cultivation, the Illinois Senate approves bills deepening marijuana legalization, and more.

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) signs a bill creating lengthy mandatory minimums around fentanyl. (ar.gov)

Candidate Trump Suggests "Genetically Engineered" Marijuana May Be Linked to Mass Shootings. During a campaign speech before America's most powerful gun lobby, the National Rifle Association (NRA), former President Donald Trump suggested that "genetically engineered" marijuana could be behind some mass shootings. But marijuana is just one of the blame agents Trump pointed to instead of addressing the proliferation of weapons in the country. "We have to look at whether common psychiatric drugs, as well as genetically engineered cannabis and other narcotics, are causing psychotic breaks" that lead to gun violence, he said. He would direct the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to investigate, he added. He also pointed a finger at "transgender hormone treatments and ideology," Above all, he argued, don't blame the guns: "This is not a gun problem. This is a mental health problem," he said. "This is a social problem. This is a cultural problem. This is a spiritual problem."

Illinois Senate Approves Marijuana Search, Probation Bills. The Senate has passed a pair of bills aimed at deepening marijuana legalization in the state. Senate Bill 125 would bar police from searching a vehicle based solely on the odor of marijuana, while Senate Bill 1886 would allow some people on probation to consume marijuana and alcohol. Both bills now await action in the House.

South Dakota Poll Suggests Marijuana Legalization Could Win in 2024. A South Dakota State University poll released Monday had support for marijuana legalization at 49 percent, with 41 percent opposed. State voters approved a marijuana legalization initiative in the 2020 election by a margin of 54-45 only to have the measure overturned by the state Supreme Court. Legalization was on the ballot again last year, only to be defeated 53-47. The pollsters noted that 2022 turnout was much lower than 2020 and that a higher turnout in 2024 could lead to another marijuana legalization victory.

Psychedelics

Nevada Senate Committee Approves Bill to Create Psychedelic Working Group. The Senate has approved Senate Bill 242, which would create a working group to study psychedelics and create a plan to allow for access for therapeutic purposes. The bill originally would have legalized psilocybin and promoted research on it, as well as MDMA, but was significantly narrowed in the Senate Health and Human Services Committee. Now, instead of legalization, the bill would create a Psychedelic Medicines Working Group to examine the use of the substances "in medicinal, therapeutic, and improved wellness." The bill now awaits a Senate floor vote.

Sentencing Policy

Arkansas Governor Signs Bill Allowing for Drug Sellers to Be Charged with Murder in Cases of Overdose Death. Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) has signed into law House Bill 1456, popularly known as the "Death by Delivery" bill. Under the bill, people who sell a drug that leads to an overdose death face a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years and a maximum sentence of life in prison. The same sentence applies to those who package fentanyl in a way that "entices" minors or who sell to minors, regardless of whether a fatal overdose takes place.

Harm Reduction

Vermont Senate Committee Amends Overdose Prevention Bill to Include Drug-Checking Sites. The Senate Health Committee has amended an overdose prevention bill, House Bill 222, to include a statewide network of drug-checking sites where street drugs can be tested for deadly concentrations of illicit drugs. Approved by the committee last Friday, the amendment would grant immunity from arrest and prosecution for people running the sites and collecting samples, as well as the drug users who bring their stashes to be tested. If the bill now passes the Senate, it will have to go back to the House for a concurrence vote on the new language.

International

Canada Supreme Court Rules Quebec Ban on Home Marijuana Cultivation Can Stand. Under federal marijuana law, people can grow up to four plants at home, but the province of Quebec barred home grows in 2019. Now, after a Quebecer challenged the ban, the Canadian Supreme Court has ruled that the provincial ban is constitutional. "The Quebec legislature saw the possession and personal cultivation of cannabis not as a social evil to be suppressed, but rather as a practice that should be prohibited in order to steer consumers to a controlled source of supply," the court held. That controlled source of supply is held by the state -- in this case, the Société québécoise du cannabis (SQDC), the government agency that operates cannabis stores in the province.

The court also held that even though the federal law permits growing up to four plants at home, there is no "positive right to self-cultivation," writing that: "It is true that, in everyday language and even in the speeches of some parliamentarians, the creation of exceptions or exemptions under a scheme of criminal offences is often described as a 'legalization effort,'" the ruling reads. However, this way of speaking is incorrect and falsely suggests that positive rights authorizing particular conduct have been granted to the public."

Taiwan Reaffirms Strong Opposition to Marijuana Legalization. Responding to street demonstrations calling for marijuana decriminalization, the Taiwanese Ministry of Justice on Saturday reaffirmed the government's strong opposition to marijuana legalization. The reformers, organized as Wave Green, rallied in front of the presidential office in Taipei Saturday, urging the Justice Ministry to "stop the war against cannabis." But the ministry said prohibition would remain and is aimed at keeping people healthy and keeping society safe and stable. It asserted that long term marijuana use damages people's health and causes other harm to them. Under current law, marijuana use is punishable by up to three years in prison, while growers and sellers face up to life in prison and a $491,000 fine.

(This article was prepared by StoptheDrugWar.org's 501(c)(4) lobbying nonprofit, the Drug Reform Coordination Network, which also pays the cost of maintaining this website. DRCNet Foundation takes no positions on candidates for public office, in compliance with section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and does not pay for reporting that could be interpreted or misinterpreted as doing so.)