Cannabis Reg Update: Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Dispensaries Fined, Denver's Weed-Friendly Ghost Tour & More

Colorado: Denver’s First Cannabis-Friendly Ghost Tour

This October, every Wednesday, the Cannabis Experience mobile lounge will drive passengers via Denver’s most “haunted parts” and less-known places. The weed touch? The lounge will first stop at the dispensary for gearing up.

The Dark & Dank Side of Denver is a partnership between Dark Side of Denver Tours, the Cannabis Experience, and Native Roots dispensaries.

Smoking weed usually doesn't end well for characters in scary movies, but you'll find safety in numbers during Denver's first cannabis-friendly ghost tour.

"I'm very interested and intrigued in how it will play out. I think there can be elements of open-mindedness that occur, and an openness — maybe into the spirit realm,” ghost tour guide Rachel Beckemeyer told Westword.” Maybe they're more in tune. Cannabis could add to the element, for sure. Our intention isn't to scare anyone, but it happens. Things happen on this tour sometimes that you just can't explain."

Ohio: Marijuana Legalization Initiative Favored In Several Polls

The majority of adult Ohioans are in favor of a citizen’s initiated measure to legalize the possession, home cultivation and retail sale of marijuana for 21 or older, reported Norml. This August, the Ohio Ballot Board approved ballot language for a proposal to legalize recreational marijuana that will go before voters on November 7. The proposed marijuana law will be known as State Issue 2.

A recent poll, released last week, revealed that the majority of Ohioans would “definitely” or “probably” vote yes on the measure. The findings go in line with previous polls, which also confirmed the majority support for recreational cannabis legalization in the Buckeye State.

Oklahoma: Medical Marijuana Dispensaries Fined For Selling More Than Allowed

As many as 161 medical marijuana dispensaries in Oklahoma are being fined for selling more products than the legal limits allow it, first reported KFOR New 4.

“As the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority, we are responsible for regulating the medical cannabis industry in our state,” OMMA said in a statement. “That responsibility includes upholding the highest standard of compliance. Our agency recently filed petitions against 161 licensed dispensaries for sales over the legal limit. Of those 161 cases, 39 seek fines and revocation of licenses; 122 seek fines. Enforcing legal limits on sales is essential to maintaining the integrity of our medical market, preventing unauthorized use or distribution, and controlling oversupply.”

Under current state law, the purchase limit for a single transaction is 84 grams or three ounces, and some dispensaries are being fined $5,000 for surpassing the limit. 

New Jersey: $5.5M From Marijuana Revenue To Support Hospital-Based Violence Intervention Program

Governor Phil Murphy and Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin announced that $5.5 million would be made available through a competitive grant process to support the continuation of the New Jersey Hospital-Based Violence Intervention Program (NJHVIP). Funding for this program is provided by the Cannabis Regulatory, Enforcement Assistance, and Marketplace Modernization Fund, which is dedicated to reinvestment in communities most impacted by cannabis criminalization. Grant awards for this cycle will begin in 2024. 

“Through the New Jersey Hospital-Based Violence Intervention Program, our Administration is making progress on our commitment to creating a safer state for all New Jerseyans,” stated Governor Murphy. “These innovative violence intervention programs allow providers to tend to vulnerable victims of violent crimes in the early days of their road to recovery in order to break the patterns of violence that have tragically taken the lives of too many New Jerseyans. We will continue to do what we can to support this work to prevent and overcome violence in our communities across the state.” 

South Dakota: Petition To Repeal Medical Marijuana Law Violates The Law, Argues Other Side 

South Dakotans for Better Marijuana Laws, a nonprofit political organization working to improve cannabis laws in the state claims that a petition to repeal South Dakota’s medical marijuana law has an error. 

This August, South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley (R) released a draft ballot explanation for a proposal that would repeal the state’s medical marijuana program. The measure is proposed by Republican activist Travis Ismay.

Now, Matthew Schweich executive director at South Dakotans for Better Marijuana Law is arguing that the repeal measure is in violation of section 2-1-1.2 of the South Dakota Codified Laws. In a letter sent on Sep. 20 to Secretary of State Monae Johnson, Schweich asked for Ismay’s approved petition to be revoked and Ismay directed to refile it.

“Specifically, we believe the phrase “See Exhibit A for the 95 sections that will be repealed,” violates SDCL 2-1-1.2, which requires that petitions ‘Contain the full text of the initiated measure in fourteen point font,’“ the letter reads. “Our interpretation of this statute is that a reference to additional text, in this case, an exhibit, is not permissible.” 

Florida: Jacksonville Sheriff's Office Reports False Cocaine Positives With Field-Testing Kits 

The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office announced last week that the field-testing kits for cocaine showed false positives, reported New4Jax. The agency confirmed that various over-the-counter substances were indicating false positives while using the Scott Company Presumptive Field-Testing Kits for Cocaine.

The Sheriff’s Office requested all officers stop using those kits, which previously worked appropriately and were used for a long while, but only as presumptive filed tests and not for evidence purposes at trials. 

Photo: Courtesy of CRYSTALWEED cannabis via Unsplash