Cannabis Regulatory Update: Nebraska, Washington D.C., Ohio, Missouri, Wisconsin

Nebraska Medical Cannabis Campaign Needs More Money As Deadline To Submit Petition Approaches

A campaign to get a medical cannabis proposal on the Nebraska ballot later this year is desperate for funding, as a summer deadline to submit a petition to the state is approaching, reported High Times.

Crista Eggers, the organizer behind the petition drive for Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana, said this week that the campaign lacks money.

“I’d say devastating is an understatement,” Eggers told local television station WOWT. “We’re pleading with you to help.”

Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana first revealed its intentions to circulate a petition to get a pair of medical cannabis proposals on the ballot last September.

The first one would require lawmakers to pass laws protecting physicians who recommend medical cannabis treatment and patients who use it. The other would impose legislature to set up rules for the medical cannabis program.

The Nebraska group needs to collect a minimum of 87,000 valid circumstances by July 7 for each initiative to qualify for the ballot.

Democratic state Sen. Anna Wishart, a co-sponsor of the Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana, said the last month that she was confident that the group could achieve the goal of garnering $500,000 by May 1.

D.C. Bill To Provide Workplace Protections For Marijuana Consumers Gets Its First Green Light

Those working in Washington, D.C., are closer to avoid being fired or punished for marijuana use by their employer.

The local lawmakers advanced a bill on Tuesday that would ban most workplaces from taking such steps against employees who use cannabis. The measure was previously green-lighted by the Labor & Workforce Development Committee, reported Marijuana Moment.

Sponsored by Councilmember Trayon White (D), the Cannabis Employment Protections Amendment Act was slightly amended before being unanimously approved by the Committee of the Whole, which includes all 13 members of the full Council.

The bill builds on previous legislation the D.C. Council passed to help local government employees who face workplace discrimination due to their use of medical marijuana.

In the meantime, Police, safety-sensitive construction workers, and people with jobs that require a commercial driver’s license or work with childcare and patients and positions “with the potential to significantly impact the health or safety of employees or members of the public” could still be fired or punished for cannabis use, however.

Ohio Lawmakers File Bill To Legalize Marijuana, $375M In Marijuana Tax Revenue Post Legalization

A bill to legalize marijuana in Ohio that is virtually identical to a citizen initiative from the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol (CTRMLA) was filed on Wednesday.

Reps. Casey Weinstein (D) and Terrence Upchurch (D), who sponsored the legislation, announced a plan for the unofficial cannabis holiday 4/20, Marijuana Moment writes.

Activists recently submitted more than enough valid signatures (about 133,000) for Ohio lawmakers to consider its proposal, which would allow Ohioans age 21 and older to buy and possess up to 2.5 ounces of cannabis, 15 grams of concentrates, and grow up to six plants individually and no more than 12 per household. Lawmakers were given four months to act on the proposal.

If lawmakers don’t take the opportunity to pass the reform by May 28, CTRMLA will need to garner an additional 132,887 valid signatures to qualify for the ballot.

In the meantime, new research from Ohio State University revealed that recreational marijuana in Ohio could generate up to $375 million in annual tax revenue for the state. The study used tax estimates from an initiated statute effort to legalize marijuana in the state via the November 2022 ballot.

The researchers estimated the Buckeye State would earn somewhere between $276 million to $375 million by the fifth year of operation.

GOP-Led Bill To Legalize Marijuana In Missouri Advances To House

A GOP-led bill to legalize marijuana advanced to the floor after clearing a second House committee on Tuesday reported Marijuana Moment.

Cannabis Freedom Act – sponsored by Rep. Ron Hicks (R), advanced out of the Rules – Legislative Oversight Committee in a 6-4 vote.

With the legislative session set to end in May, the proposal faces a tight deadline, same as a separate activist- and industry-led campaign to put legalization on the ballot.

It “really comes down to whether we have the will to tackle it,” Hicks said.

The bill is poised to legalize the possession of cannabis, and provide opportunities for expungements, authorize social consumption facilities and permit cannabis businesses to claim tax deductions with the state.

Wisconsin Takes Another Step To Legalize Cannabis

On April 20, an annual day of celebration for cannabis activists, the Wisconsin Senate Committee on Insurance, Licensing and Forestry held a public hearing on the legislation (SB 1034), which is poised to legalize medical cannabis.

During five hours of testimony, dominated a call to end all cannabis prohibition in the Badger State, Marijuana Moment writes.

The 2022 medical cannabis bill was first introduced four years ago by now-Sen. Mary Felzkowski (R-Irma) - then a member of the Assembly, provides the foundation for a limited-use medical marijuana market.

Under the bill – which excludes the use of flower - cannabis can be recommended by physicians, physician assistants, and advanced practice nurses who must be registered in Wisconsin and certified to recommend cannabis.

“We are open to amendments to this bill,” said Felzkowski. “As many of you know, having been in the legislature for quite some time, the bill proposed is usually not the bill passed. So this is a starting framework.”

Senator Melissa Agard (D-Madison) recently responded to the hearing notice, saying that the Wisconsin residents are ready for cannabis reform.

“It is supported by the majority of the residents of our state, including a majority of Republicans,” Agard said. “While I’m encouraged people will have the ability to come testify at a public hearing, it is disappointing that we had 15 months of session in which we could have rolled up our sleeves and worked in a bipartisan manner on this important and complex policy. Sadly, Republicans are all talk and no action when it comes to legalization efforts in Wisconsin.”

Photo: Courtesy of Tim Foster on Unsplash