Cannabis Regulatory Update: New York, Nebraska, Ohio, Louisiana & Poland

NY Bill Stimulating Business To Utilize Hemp For Industrial Purposes Heads To Gov. Hochul

The bill that seeks to stimulate hemp use in packaging, construction and other industrial purposes got the green light from the New York Senate and Assembly.

Following final procedural steps, the measure will now head to the governor's desk, reported Marijuana Moment.

Under the bill, passed in the Senate Tuesday in a 63-0 vote, the Agriculture Commissioner would need to collaborate with the Urban Development Corporation, hemp workgroup and stakeholders who use or plan to use hemp "to develop and promote the use of hemp by businesses for purposes such as packaging, construction, and other uses."

Sen. Michelle Hinchey's (D) proposal was substituted for an identical Assembly-passed measure sponsored by Assemblymember Donna Lupardo (D), which was also approved in a 133-5 vote earlier this year.

"New York is a leader in the cultivation and processing of hemp, especially for cannabinoid hemp," the bill stipulates. "The market for New York industrial hemp is still developing, and the state needs to take an active role in researching, identifying, and promoting hemp to industries that may incorporate it into their products."

Nebraska Medical Cannabis Activists File Lawsuit Over Ballot Rules Amid Financing Difficulties

Medical marijuana activists teamed up with the ACLU of Nebraska in filing a federal civil rights lawsuit in U.S. District Court.

On Monday, ACLU and Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana set in motion a legal action against the state's requirement that 5% of registered voters in 38 counties sign a petition to place the measure on the ballot.

The organizations are requesting a decision on the law's constitutionality by July 7 and a court order that would put a hold on the requirement at that point, which is also the signature submission deadline, according to an ACLU press release.

"Nebraska's counties vary widely in population," the lawsuit says. "As a result, Nebraska's signature distribution requirement gives disproportionate influence to voters in sparsely populated counties."

In the meantime, Crista Eggers, the organizer behind the petition drive for Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana, revealed recently 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."

The campaign first revealed its intentions to circulate a petition to get a pair of medical cannabis proposals on the ballot last September.

Under the state law, both petitions must garner 87,000 signatures each to be put before voters on the statewide ballot.

Ohioans To Wait Until 2023 To Vote On Marijuana Legalization

Ohioans will have to wait until November 2023 to vote on a citizens' initiated marijuana measure since it will not appear on the state's ballot this year, said the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol (CTRMLA).

In January, Ohio cannabis activists submitted more than enough valid signatures (about 133,000) for state lawmakers to consider the proposal.

The measure would have allowed Ohioans age 21 and older to buy and possess 2.5 ounces of cannabis and 15 grams of concentrates. They could have also grown up to six plants individually and no more than 12 in a household with multiple adults.

The CTRMLA filed a complaint about declaratory judgment in the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas recently, hoping to avoid a potential legal argument that could threaten the initiative over the timing of the group's initial signature submission to the state.

Lawmakers were given four months to act on the proposal, but they refused to take any action on it.

Activists reached a compromise with the secretary of state and other lawmakers to bring the reform measure before voters next year.

Louisiana House Committee To Review Measure To Protect Workers Who Use Medical Marijuana

Louisiana lawmakers will review a bill this week that would protect workers who use medical marijuana from being fired.

The Louisiana House Labor Committee will consider a measure that would ban the state from subjecting employees to face negative consequences for having a positive drug test for marijuana if the workers are prescribed to use it by a physician, reported Marijuana Moment.

Private employers or local government, including law enforcement agencies, would not be subjected to the House Bill 988, which is sponsored by Rep. Mandie Landry (D).

"This would basically be a first step to having laws on the books to protect people who have medical marijuana cards," Landry said. The companies that do the testing don't know what to do with a positive marijuana result, so they send it to the agency, and from what I understand, each situation is handled individually."

Poland Helps Hemp Producers Streamline Cultivation

The new rules imposed by Poland's National Agricultural Support Center (KOWR),  which became effective this month, further normalized industrial hemp in Poland, Hemp Today reported.

KOWR's updated rules raised the THC level from 0.2% to 0.3% and streamlined permitting process.

Under the new regulations, farmers and buyers are obliged to register only when starting a business. Moreover, annual permits are no longer required, KOWR said in a recent policy announcement.

In addition, farmers are required to let their local KOWR office know if and when they change the varieties they're cultivating, expand the area they're farming or change the location of their fields.

"Apart from less bureaucracy, the bigger news is that this shows political will, a sort of mainstream acceptance of the hemp industry as such," said Maciej Kowalski, CEO at leading Polish hemp company Kombinat Konopny. "The wide 'left-to-right' support among MPs for this project promises hope for further changes that could create business opportunities, jobs and tax revenue."

Photo: Courtesy of Jeff W on Unsplash