South Carolina Medical Cannabis Bill Moves Forward – Feb 8, 2024

– The Virginia House General Laws Committee has approved a bill to legalize recreational marijuana sales starting on January 1, 2025. The South Carolina Senate is debating a bill to legalize medical cannabis and the Florida Senate Health Policy Committee has approved a bill to enact a THC potency limit on recreational marijuana. In addition, the European Commission has given the green light for activists to launch a signature drive for a multinational initiative promoting research into the therapeutic potential of cannabis and improving access to medical marijuana.
– Senator Elizabeth Warren has expressed her views that it “shouldn’t be that hard” for the U.S. to legalize marijuana and join the 21st century. Meanwhile, a new scientific review has shed light on the “entourage effect” of cannabis, revealing how the combined action of cannabinoids and terpenes can result in a greater therapeutic effect than their individual impacts. The Hawaii House Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs Committee and Health & Homelessness Committee have both approved a bill to create legal protections for the therapeutic use of psilocybin.
– In business developments, The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company’s cannabis-focused Hawthorne unit reported quarterly sales of $80.1 million. Charlotte’s Web Holdings, Inc. has appointed a former Ben & Jerry’s CEO to its board of directors and STIIIZY INC. has appointed a new Chief Financial Officer. In cultural news, former football player Calvin Johnson has admitted to smoking marijuana before games.

Virginia Approves Recreational Marijuana Sales; Florida Caps THC Potency; Hawaii Okays Psilocybin Use

VA legal sales advances; FL marijuana potency cap; HI psilocybin; Sen. Warren on legalization; Europe cannabis initiative; Entourage effect study

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Key Developments

The Virginia House General Laws Committee passed an amended bill legalizing recreational marijuana sales, beginning January 2025. A separate cannabis commerce bill is pending in the Senate.

South Carolina’s Senate initiated debates on a bill to legalize medical cannabis, with a vote expected on Thursday.

Florida’s Senate Health Policy Committee approved a bill to implement a THC potency limit on recreational marijuana if a legalization initiative is approved in November.

A bill providing legal protection for therapeutic psilocybin use was approved by Hawaii’s House Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs Committee and Health & Homelessness Committee.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) discussed the ease of marijuana legalization in the U.S., avoiding Stephen Colbert’s question about her personal cannabis use during their interview.

The European Commission cleared a multi-national initiative to promote medical marijuana use and therapeutic cannabis research, granting activists permission to begin signature collection for a transnational cannabis research initiative.

A psychedelics decriminalization resolution was passed by the Medford, Massachusetts City Council. The resolution also requests changes to a proposed statewide legalization initiative that could be on the 2024 ballot.

A new scientific review highlights the “intricate interplay between cannabinoids, terpenes, and flavonoids”—known as the entourage effect—as the key to unlocking the full therapeutic potential of cannabis. The review concludes, “The concept of the entourage effect suggests that the combined action of cannabinoids and terpenes may result in a synergistic or additive therapeutic effect greater than the sum of their individual effects.”

An initial version of a ballot initiative to allow medical cannabis homegrow, remove the specific list of qualifying conditions, and trigger recreational marijuana legalization following federal reform was rejected by Arkansas’s attorney general. Activists submitted a redrafted ballot initiative in response to the rejection.

The Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party is requesting the state Supreme Court to decertify the Legal Marijuana Now Party as a major political party.

Marijuana Moment is tracking over 1,000 cannabis, psychedelics, and drug policy bills across state legislatures and Congress this year. Learn more about our marijuana bill tracker and become a supporter on Patreon to gain access.

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