Conservative SC Lawmaker Says He Is Committed To MMJ Program And More Cannabis Updates

Minnesota Lawmakers Are Polishing Up Nascent Marijuana Market

Minnesota regulator is seeking public input on cannabis packaging and labeling as well as the state's system for cannabis tracking, inventory and verification, reported Marijuana Moment.

The latest survey, which opened late last month by Minnesota's Office of Cannabis Management follows the agency's third survey that covered retail business operations, retail sanitary standards (facilities and handling) and expedited complaint process for local governments.

The cannabis regulator has already sought input on issues such as cultivation, processing, manufacturing, pesticides, fertilizers and environmental control. Initially, it planned to conduct a total of five cannabis industry-focused surveys.

The deadline for OCM's fourth survey is Friday, Jan. 12.

Minnesota legalized recreational marijuana in May when Gov. Tim Walz (D) signed an expansive cannabis legalization bill into law.

In the meantime, OCM, law enforcement, and local government associations convened on Thursday to address policy gaps in the state’s recent recreational marijuana law, which permits the unregulated sale of cannabis flower with high levels of THC marketed as hemp flower.

Conservative Bill Seeks To Legalize Medical Cannabis In South Carolina

The South Carolina Statehouse is once again embroiled in the debate over medical marijuana, with the chairman of the Senate medical committee pushing for a fresh start, while the measure that seeks to legalize medical cannabis is stuck in the chamber.

"I'm committed to a medicinal cannabis program that is for the health and well-being of South Carolinians," Senate Medical Affairs Chairman Danny Verdin told reporters earlier this week.

The amended legislation, the S.C. Compassionate Care Act, which had undergone numerous hearings in over a dozen subcommittees over eight years was referred to the State Committee on Medical Affairs in 2023. This bill would allow patients to access marijuana sold by state-licensed dispensaries upon a doctor’s recommendation for the treatment of qualifying conditions.

Interestingly, the bill is "very conservative," according to its sponsor Sen. Tom Davis, as it would still ban the smoking of marijuana, reported the South Carolina Daily Gazette.

Now, advocates are urging for an early vote in the legislative session that commenced on Tuesday.

"This bill is about providing what South Carolinians want," Davis said. "What they want is to empower doctors and to give patients access to medical treatments that the American Journal of Medicine right now has conclusively said is a benefit."

When and if the bill gets final approval by the state Senate, it will go to House members for a review, where committee leaders already expressed their opposition.

"Once you open Pandora's box, it's open and you cannot close it," said Rep. Bill Sandifer, R-Seneca.

Washington State’s New Bill Hopes To Give Adults The Power To Cultivate Marijuana

Once more, Washington state lawmakers are looking to grant adults the freedom to cultivate their marijuana, under a newly introduced bill.

HB 2194 seeks to allow the growing of up to six plants at home. The bill's lead sponsor Rep. Shelley Kloba argued that cannabis production at home should be legal the same as beer and wine production are, "in your home as a hobbyst."

"I just see it as a fundamentally illogical thing that we're doing," Kloba told Marijuana Moment. "We've made it criminal to grow a plant whose products you can walk into a retail store and purchase."

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