On April 19, 2021, the Ohio Board of Pharmacy voted unanimously to issue 73 new dispensary licenses, increasing the state’s current total from 57 to 130. The announcement comes in light of strong demand among state residents for product as well as significant growth in patient population since the inception of the state’s program in late 2018. Initially, state officials [...]
The Ohio Department of Agriculture has extended the deadline for applications to grow industrial hemp from April 9th to May 28th. The change comes in light of multiple requests from hemp farmers to push back the deadline due to difficulty in sourcing land and seeds necessary to plant a spring crop. All individuals submitting an application may find a detailed [...]
On March 30, 2021, Governor Andrew Cuomo signed Senate Bill 854-A, the “Marihuana Regulation and Taxation Act,” making New York the 15th state to legalize recreational cannabis use. Under the Act, New Yorkers will be allowed to possess three ounces of cannabis and are permitted to grow up to three mature plants at home with a limit of six per [...]
During the Ohio Medical Marijuana Advisory Committee’s meeting last week, the Board of Pharmacy signified that it will reopen a second dispensary application process in the near future. The new application process, titled “Request for Applications for New Dispensaries (RFA II),” seeks to add to the current list of 52 dispensaries with certificates of operation. The Board’s move coincides with [...]
The Ohio Supreme Court was recently forced to task the Ohio Department of Commerce to do its job in responding to a request by a medical marijuana cultivator, Fire Rock, Ltd. Trying to meet customer demand, Fire Rock was forced to file in the Supreme Court when the Department of Commerce had failed to rule on its request to expand [...]
While cannabis legalization is now a bipartisan issue and enjoys a majority of support in both parties, the issue has historically been framed as a Democrat policy. And now, with a Democratic President, House, and Senate, many observers are asking, “what’s next for cannabis in the United States?” Cannabis legalization at the federal level remains unlikely. President Joe Biden has [...]
Industry insiders are likely aware that the 2018 Farm Bill amended federal statute to effectively authorize the hemp industry at the federal level by removing cannabis testing below 0.3% THC from the definition of “marihuana,” and redefining it as hemp. However, they might not be aware that the U.S. Department of Agriculture was tasked with creating and implementing rules to [...]
In the midst of national political drama in the past several weeks, you may not have noticed proposed federal legislation introduced last month by Kentucky Senator Rand Paul. The legislation is intended to help industrial hemp farmers in their efforts to comply with laws distinguishing industrial hemp, which is legal at the federal level, from cannabis plants containing excessive THC, [...]
Earlier today, The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill decriminalizing cannabis at the national level and implementing a sales tax on cannabis products sold throughout the U.S. The Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act, otherwise known as the MORE Act, was approved in a chamber vote of 228-164. Five Republican representatives joined the Democratic majority while six Democrats dissented [...]
The rise of medical cannabis use across the country leaves many employers in a state of confusion. As it stands, 36 states have legalized medical cannabis for patients with qualifying conditions. Though these states allow for the legal use of cannabis, the overarching federal prohibition remains a significant obstacle. The dichotomy between state legalization and federal prohibition has left many [...]
