Kansas And Arkansas: One Step Forward, One Step Back?
While in Kansas the Senate Federal and State Affairs Committee held a primary listening to on a medical marijuana legalization invoice launched in February, the Delta-8 ban strikes ahead in Arkansas legislature.
Arkansas Senator Tyler Dees (R) filed laws, SB 358 that will regulate delta-8 THC merchandise. The invoice, co-sponsored by senators Justin Boyd (R) and 4 different lawmakers, would “prohibit the growth, processing, sale, transfer, or possession of industrial hemp that contains certain delta tetrahydrocannabinol substances,” reported journalist Daniel Breen for NPR.
Cannabis In Alabama
Melissa Mullins, founder of the advocacy group Alabamians for Medical Cannabis Freedom, stated that their group has included five requests in their list of priorities for the 2023 legislative session, in order to “improve the cannabis industry in the state,” reported wbrc.com.
The group is asking for a review of the testing procedures, and removal of the 75-milligram dosage. The group believes that physicians should have the discretion to determine the most suitable dosage for their patients.
According to Mullins, the cost of acquiring a license can be quite substantial, which can create challenges for locally-owned businesses to compete effectively. “We just felt like that a small farmer or a small business in Alabama would have a very hard time coming up with 40, 50, 60, 70 on up into hundreds of thousands of dollars for a license.”
Delaware Lags Behind
The Delaware Senate Health & Social Services Committee approved two bills that seek to legalize marijuana and establish regulations for adult-use sales. Introduced by Rep. Ed Osienski, the bills were passed in the House of Representatives and supported by Sen. Trey Paradee, who argued that the state’s current law that only decriminalizes low-level cannabis possession is inadequate. Paradee stressed that cannabis possession arrests continue, particularly affecting people of color, and preventing many from accessing job opportunities. He further added that Delaware is lagging behind neighboring states by maintaining a prohibitionist stance on cannabis, reported Marijuana Moment.
Toxic Pesticides Smuggled By Cartels Targeted In Bipartisan Legislation
The TOXIC Act, reintroduced by Reps. Scott Peters and Doug LaMalfa aim to tackle illegal cannabis cultivation on public lands in California and other states where growers frequently use banned pesticides that are hazardous to human health. The TOXIC Act seeks to impose stricter penalties on growing cannabis using banned pesticides and address the environmental damage caused by them on public lands. These pesticides also pose a health risk to U.S. Forest Service agents tasked with removing illegal crops.
“Our wildlife, habitat, and public well being pay the value for the actions of unlawful hashish growers who typically work with cartels,” said Rep. Peters.
“Across the west, cartels are illegally rising marijuana in essentially the most environmentally devastating methods, and at a scale that ought to concern any group or governor that claims to be pro-environment,” Rep. LaMalfa said. “The key to this environmental degradation is the usage of unlawful pesticides -pesticides that aren’t allowed close to any authorized farming operation- which seep into the soil and watershed, poisoning wildlife and endangering residents who inadvertently devour it.”
Photo by Donald Giannatti on Unsplash.
