Welcome back to The Week in Weed, your Friday look at what’s happening in the world of legalized marijuana. This week, the big news is the possibility that Virginia could have a retail market after all! An initiative to make cannabis illegal in Massachusetts takes another step towards appearing on the November ballot. Ohio’s intoxicating hemp ban is facing yet another challenge. And finally, we visit Morocco’s Temple of the Plant.
VIRGINIA
Just last month, it seemed as if Virginia’s retail market plans were dashed yet again. Now, times have changed. Governor Abigail Spanberger (D) and members of the Virginia legislature have agreed to add in a retail market provision to the upcoming budget bill. The legislature still needs to vote on the bill, which should happen very soon, but it looks as if, in Virginia at least, Charlie Brown is going to kick that football.
MASSACHUSETTS
Massachusetts was an “early adopter” of legal adult-use cannabis; could it now be on the road to getting rid of it? A prohibitionist group is working to place a measure on the ballot this fall that would rescind legalization (delegalize? recriminalize?) of cannabis. The group beat back a legal challenge this week and are now cleared to collect more signatures in order to secure a place on the state’s November ballot. Opponents of the measure argued that the state’s Attorney General should not have approved the language, as it contained unrelated subjects and an unfair summary. The state’s Supreme Judicial Court were unmoved by these arguments. The Coalition for a Healthy Massachusetts now has until next month to collect over 12,000 additional signatures.
OHIO
Earlier this year, Ohio enacted a ban on intoxicating hemp beverages. A group of ten hemp companies recently challenged the ban in court, and they won. This means that their beverages will now be allowed to be sold, but not those of any other company. Stay tuned, as it seems likely there will be future developments!
AND FINALLY
High Times has an article describing the challenges facing Berber farmers who have grown cannabis for hundreds of years. Now that there’s a legal market to export hashish, the question is: will those farmers benefit?
Be well everyone – we’ll see you next week!