Cannabis Legislation In US Senate, Regulators In CO, MO Weed Lounges, Labs In MT & MMJ Policy In FL

Lawmakers To Meet And Discuss Cannabis Legislation

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and other Democratic lawmakers recently met to discuss cannabis legislation, confirmed two Senate sources to Marijuana Moment.

"New: Sen. Schumer will meet this afternoon [Feb.1] with Sens. Cory Booker, Sen. Sherrod Brown, Jeff Merkley, and Sen. Jacky Rosen to talk cannabis legislation, per Dem aide," wrote on his Twitter, co-founder of Punchbowl News, John Bresnahan.

Before the meeting, Booker told NBC News, “I think that Senator Schumer and I and Wyden last Congress announced a vision for cannabis reform, and this was a discussion about how do we make progress in this Congress (...) We were realistic. You know, we’ve got a divided Congress, but we’ve got to work on something that can get done.”

More Control Over Contaminated Weed In Colorado

In Colorado, cannabis regulators are asking lawmakers for help to keep contaminated marijuana far from users, reported Westword.

Although laboratory testing on retail cannabis is required since 2015 in the state, "enforcement mechanisms are rather lengthy and cumbersome," Rep. Marc Snyder recently said during a Colorado House committee hearing.

"We're worried that people have a lag time between the time a product is tested to be unsafe and the time it can be actually removed from the shelves and not be available to the public," Snyder added.

Cannabis Lounges Ready To Be Discover In St. Louis County, MO

Next Monday, recreational marijuana legalization takes effect in Missouri and St. Louis County is getting ready for it.

St. Louis County Planning Commission recently introduced a bill "recommending new regulations to the city ordinance for Amendment 3, outlining rules for marijuana facilities in unincorporated parts of the county," reported Fox 2 Now.

Jacob Trimble, the director of planning for St. Louis County said, “While the county is unaware of any immediate plans for such facilities, we want to be prepared should an applicant come to us with a development application for such use."

Cannabis consumption facilities or lounges would have to be at least 1,000 feet from a school, church or childcare center, 500 feet away from another dispensary and liquor store and replace the word “medical" with “adult-use,” per planning commission guidance. The commission will discuss the proposal in the coming weeks.

Lawmakers In Montana Seek To Modify State’s MMJ Legislation

A Montana House panel hearing recently focused on a series of cannabis bills regarding the role of labs that test marijuana samples, reported Daily Montanan.

Laboratories under the supervision of the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services would be turned over to the Department of Revenue (DOR), per Bill HB128.

Not everyone agreed. “We’re the proxy regulators, and we feel that job of public safety has to be independent of revenue,” said Ron Brost, the director of Stillwater Laboratories, one of the four in the state. “DOR is not and never will be about public safety (...) It’s a system that’s working now.”

Florida Governor Seeks To Increase Funds To Office Of MMJ Use

Gov. DeSantis proposed a budget boost to medical marijuana policies in the state, reported Florida Politics.

"This commitment comes at a critical juncture," said DeSantis, who proposed an increase in funding by $38.6 million for the Office of Medical Marijuana Use.

The FL Legislature now will have to consider the budget recommendation, "as it prepares to meet in its annual 60-day Legislative Session, slated to start March 7," per the local news outlet.

The Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference Is Back!

The most successful cannabis business event in the world, the Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference, returns to Miami for its 16th edition. This is the place where DEALS GET DONE, where money is raised, M&A starts, and companies meet investors and key partners. Join us at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach Hotel in Florida on April 11-12. Don’t miss out. Secure your tickets now. Prices will surge very soon.

Image By El Planteo