Delaware Rep Wants To Loosen Requirements For Medical Marijuana, New Mexico Has Too Many Weed Operators & More

Mississippi: Testing Lab Owner Comments On Halting Product Sales And Re-Testing 

Mississippi Department of Health (MSDH) last week halted sales of products tested by Rapid Analytics due to concerns about the compliance of these products with regulatory standards. On Tuesday, the testing facility, which is in charge of testing the majority of medical marijuana products in the Magnolia State, spoke about the hold for the first time, writes WLOX. 

Rapid Analytics owner, Mami Henry said that MSDH received an anonymous tip suggesting that the testing lab was not properly conducting pesticide tests for cannabis products. She added that the company sent all the original samples of products tested in the last two months to MSDH, which contracted another company to re-test. 

“We have everything they need to get this done. There is absolutely no reason for them to hire someone else to re-test our product when we have our product available that we would gladly provide for the state,” she said.

New Jersey: Bill To Help Police Enforce Underage Drinking And Cannabis Use 

The measure that was approved by the state legislature and is now waiting for the governor’s signature would help police handle underage alcohol and marijuana possession and use, reported Press Of Atlantic City. 

“This bill (A5610/S3954) revised the deprivation of civil rights penalty threat against officers, which was keeping cops from enforcing the underage drinking laws,” local PBA president Jules Schwenger said Thursday.

Under the existent law, if an officer detains or causes a minor to be searched when they notice alcohol or weed, the officer can be prosecuted, because minors are not legally able to consent to a search. This means that the officers could face imprisonment of three to five years of fine of up to $15,000 or both. 

“This bill requires there be proof of the intention to violate the minor’s rights,” Schwenger said. “It’s a simple but huge change for us. It will ultimately help juveniles in the long run.” 

The legislation also proposes the reinstatement of a civil penalty for underage alcohol use of $50 per violation. 

Delaware: State Rep. Files Bill To Expand Medical Marijuana Program

State Rep. Edward Osienski (D) filed House Bill 285 to amend the Delaware Medical Marijuana Act by removing the requirement that a patient has a debilitating medical condition to qualify for an MMJ card. The new bill would allow health-care providers to determine whether a "patient has a diagnosed medical condition for which the patient would receive therapeutic or palliative benefit from the use of medical marijuana,”  reported Delaware Public. 

“I think it’s a benefit for those that have the ailments that were listed, but now that we’re removing the list of ailments that qualify, that’s a big benefit. So right now, this legislation really focuses more on the improvements to the patient,” said Osienski. 

New Mexico: Lawmakers Want A Temporary Halt On New Retail Licenses

Two lawmakers are working on legislation that would amend the state’s Cannabis Regulation Act in a way that would allow the state Regulation and Licensing Department to place a hold on the issuance of new marijuana retail licenses, reported Las Cruces Bulletin.

The news comes several months after more than 100 marijuana businesses and supporters urged the governor to stop issuing new cannabis retail licenses, due to oversaturation of the market.

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