New Year Brings Employment Protections for California Cannabis Users

California workers who use cannabis will gain new employment protections under two laws that go into effect beginning on January 1. Under legislation passed by the California legislature last year, employers will be barred...

2w

High Times

Washington Senate Passes Bill Banning Hiring Discrimination for Pot Use

The Washington Senate this week approved a bill that would protect cannabis users from pre-employment job discrimination. The measure, Senate Bill 5123, was passed by the state Senate on Wednesday by a vote of 28-21 and will...

2w

High Times

New Washington Law Protects Job Applicants Who Use Weed

Applicants for employment in Washington gained new protections on Monday as a new law barring discrimination based on a worker’s off-duty cannabis use went into effect throughout the state. The legislation, Senate Bill...

2w

High Times

Republican Senators Say Cannabis Rescheduling Violates International Treaties

Senator Mitt Romney of Utah and two of his Republican colleagues have sent a letter to the Drug Enforcement Administration, urging the law enforcement agency to decline a bid to reschedule marijuana under federal drug laws....

3w

High Times

Iowa Lawmakers Approve Bill To Regulate Consumable Hemp Products

An Iowa legislative panel this week approved a bill that sets limits on consumable hemp products sold in the state. The measure, House Study Bill 665, was approved on Wednesday by the House Public Safety Subcommittee by a...

3w

High Times

Ohio Legislators Still Working To Implement Changes to Adult-Use Cannabis Law

Ohio’s progress on cannabis has come to a temporary halt after House legislators fail to move the bill forward. Last week Ohio House Speaker Jason Stephens spoke to reporters, calling cannabis a “complex issue.” Voters...

6w

High Times

South Carolina Bill Would Tax, Regulate Delta-8 THC

The delta-8 THC market is bigger than ever before, regulated like hemp, but South Carolina could change that if one proposal takes root. Rep. Rosalyn Henderson-Myers (D-Spartanburg) filed a bill under South Carolina’s upcoming...

6w

High Times

Senate Panel Approves Cannabis Research Bill

A U.S. Senate panel last week approved a bill that directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to conduct research into cannabis as a treatment for chronic pain and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The bipartisan...

7w

High Times

Washington Bill Aims To Tackle Cannabis Store Robbery Spree

In a string of robberies, several cannabis retail shops have reported various tactics criminals have been using to get into their businesses in recent months. As these get worse, lawmakers are cranking up the punishments...

8w

High Times

New Law Brings Secret Shoppers to Oklahoma Weed Dispensaries

A new law in Oklahoma gives the state’s cannabis regulators the authority to launch a medical marijuana dispensary secret shopper program. The legislation, which was passed by state legislators and signed into law in 2022,...

10w

High Times

Cannabis and the Second Amendment: A Word of Warning

The ATF released clarification on May 30 to firearm owners after the passage of cannabis legalization in Minnesota, reminding them that until federal law changes, they no longer have a right to own or possess guns or ammunition,...

12w

High Times

Proposal in Washington Seeks to Raise Legal Cannabis Age to 25

In 1996, California was the first state to legalize medical marijuana. Following this, 40 states along with the District of Columbia have legalized the medical application of cannabis. Additionally, the District of Columbia...

13w

High Times

California Governor Vetoes Cannabis Cafes Bill

California Governor Gavin Newsom last week vetoed a bill that would have allowed cannabis cafes to offer weed, food and beverages to patrons at licensed establishments reminiscent of the famed coffee shops in Amsterdam. The...

14w

High Times

New York Gov. Hochul Vetoes Measures To Allow Hemp Seeds in Animal Feed

Hemp has a number of uses that we are only now beginning to take advantage of. Two New York measures would allow for hemp seeds to be part of animal feed meant for pets, horses and camelids, like llamas and alpacas and got...

15w

High Times

Missouri Foster Parents Can Now Legally Possess, Grow Cannabis in Their Homes

Foster parents in Missouri can now legally possess and grow cannabis in their homes. This news results from an emergency rule the state Department of Social Services filed last week. However, of course, there are guidelines....

15w

High Times

Republican Congressman Reintroduces Bill To Move Cannabis to Schedule III

As many advocates are pushing for decriminalization and completely descheduling cannabis at the federal level, one Republican congressman is pushing to simply downgrade cannabis from schedule I to schedule III, which would...

16w

High Times

Oklahoma Moratorium on New Cannabis Businesses Extended to 2026

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt recently renewed a moratorium on new medical cannabis businesses. Stitt originally signed legislation for the ban in May 2022, which took effect in August 2022 and was set to expire in August 2024....

19w

High Times

New Hampshire Senate Votes Down Cannabis Legalization Bill

The New Hampshire state Senate on Thursday voted down a bill to legalize recreational marijuana, with senators on both sides of the aisle citing concerns for children’s safety. The measure, which was passed by the New Hampshire...

21w

High Times

Delaware Senate Approves Cannabis Legalization Bills

The first measure, House Bill 1, which would legalize cannabis for adults, passed the Senate with a vote of 16-4, while House Bill 2, legislation to set up a framework for regulated recreational marijuana sales, was approved...

21w

High Times

California Gov. Gavin Newsom To Review 17 Cannabis, Psychedelics Bills

As of the California State Legislature ended on Sept. 14, more than 17 cannabis or psychedelic bills were sent to California Gov. Gavin Newsom to potentially be signed. The bills include a wide variety of proposals, which...

24w

High Times

Legalization Bill Moving Along in Hawaii Legislature

A bill to make Hawaii the next state to legalize recreational cannabis cleared a legislative hurdle this week. The legislation “advanced out of two state Senate committees Thursday — and is now moving to the full senate,”...

26w

High Times

Congressman Introduces Bill To Withhold Federal Funding From States With Legal Weed

Rep. Chuck Edwards, who represents a district in western North Carolina, unveiled the “Stop Pot Act” on Friday, saying that the bill “will withhold 10 percent of federal highway funds for governments that violate federal...

27w

High Times

Wisconsin Supreme Court Rules Cannabis Odor Enough To Justify Search

The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled this week that the scent of cannabis alone constitutes probable cause to justify a search by police, despite the legalization of other products such as hemp that have similar odors. The court’s...

30w

High Times

House Lawmakers Reintroduce Bipartisan Cannabis Expungement Bill

Two House lawmakers this week reintroduced bipartisan legislation to support states that enact policies to expunge convictions for past cannabis offenses. The bill, the Harnessing Opportunities by Pursuing Expungement (HOPE)...

31w

High Times

Maryland Governor Approves Bills on Cannabis Reform, Abortion Protection, Gender-Affirming Treatment

Maryland Governor Wes Moore signed six new bills into law on Wednesday, CBS News reports. The bills, in a win for social liberals across the state and country, collectively cover protections for gender-affirming health care,...

31w

High Times

German Cabinet Approves Plan To Liberalize Pot Laws

Germany took a major step toward marijuana reform on Wednesday when the country’s cabinet approved a bill that will liberalize its cannabis laws. The approval comes a month after the country’s ministry of health released...

32w

High Times

Minnesota House Approves Adult-Use Cannabis Legalization Bill

The Minnesota House of Representatives this week passed a bill to legalize cannabis for adults and establish a regulatory system for recreational marijuana production and sales. The bill, House File 100, passed by a vote...

33w

High Times

Nevada Judge Orders State Board to Remove Cannabis from Schedule 1

Despite the legalization of cannabis for medical and recreational purposes in Nevada, police continue to arrest people for possession as the state’s Board of Pharmacy refuses to reschedule cannabis—but that could soon...

35w

High Times

Court in France Tosses Out Ban on Hemp Flower

Not only is CBD legal in France, but hemp flower as well, if the latest court ruling in the country stands. French outlet RFI reports that On 30 December 2021, the French government legalized the sale of hemp-derived products...

36w

High Times

New York Governor Signs Legislation To Reign In Illicit Weed Market

New York Governor Kathy Hochul on Wednesday signed legislation to rein in the state’s illicit marijuana market that includes penalties for unlicensed cannabis retailers of up to $20,000 per day. The legislation, which increases...

40w

High Times

GOP Senators Kill Veterans Cannabis Research Bill

Republicans in the U.S. Senate voted this week to block a bill that would have directed the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to conduct research into cannabis as a treatment for chronic pain and post-traumatic stress disorder...

41w

High Times

U.K. Police Chiefs Call for Decriminalization of First-Time Drug Offenses

A group of police chiefs in the United Kingdom is developing a plan to effectively decriminalize the possession of drugs including cannabis and cocaine. If adopted by the government, the use and possession of small amounts...

41w

High Times

Legalization Bill Advanced in New Hampshire House

Lawmakers in the New Hampshire House of Representatives on Wednesday voted to move forward with legislation that would legalize recreational cannabis in the Granite State. Members of the House voted 234-127 to advance the...

42w

High Times