Bernie Sanders Dismayed At Teen Cannabis Interest As Nevada Accepts Marijuana Lounges And More Regulatory Updates

Nevada Begins Accepting Cannabis Consumption Lounge Applications

Nevada officially started accepting applications for cannabis consumption lounges on Friday, and will continue to do so until October 27, reported Marijuana Moment.

Last June, the Nevada Senate approved the cannabis consumption lounges legalization bill in a 17-3 vote, sending it to the governor’s desk. About a week later, Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak (D) signed legislation into law. Under the new law there are two new licensing categories for cannabis businesses - 1) ”retail cannabis consumption lounges and 2) “independent cannabis consumption lounges.”

Under the rules, existing marijuana retailers can apply for one lounge license category to expand their services.

Regulators are expecting to see 40-45 applications from retailers, and don’t offer a projection on how many independent lounge applications will be submitted. They are allowed to issue up to 20 independent cannabis lounges licenses, out of which half must be for social equity applicants.

Czech Regulators Think About Legalizing Cannabis Sales And Taxing Vices

The regulated cannabis market was one of the first topics the Czech cabinet discussed on Monday. National anti-drug coordinator Jindřich Vobořil presented the plan at a cabinet meeting that seeks to also tackle taxation of addictive substances based on their harmfulness and to raise the budget on addiction prevention and treatment, reported expats.cz.

Previously Vobořil told the Czech News Agency that he plans to draft legislation that would legalize cannabis sales in the Czech Republic with strict regulations. According to him, a regulated marijuana market could yield billions of crowns in taxes.

The new plan comes as part of the strategy to deal with growing addiction problems by 2027. The strategy was created by the cabinet of then Prime Minister Andrej Babiš.

Sen. Sanders Frowns Upon High School Students’ Interest In Cannabis Topics 

Senator Bernie Sanders visited Mount Anthony Union High School students in Bennington, Vermont on Wednesday where he answered various questions, including those concerning cannabis, reported Reformer.

“I’m here because, you know, I believe it’s very important that kids have an opportunity to ask questions of their senator and to get a sense of what we’re trying to do in Washington,” said Sanders. Later on, he said that the MAU students “asked good questions about some of the important issues facing the country.”

One student asked Sanders about the impact of President Biden’s pardons for cannabis offenses – a question welcomed by the audience with audible excitement and Sanders’ frowning. 

Sanders said this topic often comes up at high school events, adding “that worries me, to tell you the truth.”

After he discussed cannabis, Sanders moved on to heroin and fentanyl, explaining how dangerous these substances are.

“Heroin is a killer drug,” he said. “Fentanyl is even worse, and fentanyl sometimes gets mixed in with the heroin. ... Marijuana is not heroin, it is not fentanyl, it should be not lumped together.”

Indiana US Senate Candidates McDermott And Young On Cannabis Legalization

Indiana U.S. Senate candidate Thomas McDermott (D) challenged his opponent Senator Todd Young (D) on Sunday criticizing some of his positions on various matters such as cannabis legalization, federal spending and abortion, writes NewWestminister Record.

McDermott, an attorney and U.S. Navy veteran is supporting federal cannabis legalization. He said that Indiana’s law that prohibits marijuana is an “ancient policy” retained by Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb and GOP legislative leaders and which threatens people who go to other states to legally buy cannabis with jail once they come back.

For Young, cannabis legalization would “probably be a third-tier priority” as inflation, crime and national security should come first.

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