Cannabis Regulatory Update: Hawaii, Louisiana, Nebraska, New Mexico, South Carolina

legalization map by state

Here are the latest updates on cannabis legalization in the United States.

Hawaii Lawmakers Adopts a Resolution to Exempt State Cannabis Market from DEA Regulations

A few weeks ago, the Hawaiin Lawmakers unanimously voted on a proposal that ensures the state's medical cannabis program is left under the state's jurisdiction. With the approval of this resolution, the federal government will no longer be involved in the running of the medical program.

Moreso, with this bill, the cannabis market is now excluded from all DEA regulations.

The US Drug Enforcement Administration will not be allowed to interfere with the operations of the medical cannabis program.

The Senate has to seek a petition which would clarify that the state-level legislation is not overriding the federal drug laws in any way.

In addition to this, the senate also independently asked for thorough research of the medical benefits of psilocybin "magic" mushrooms—This research is to be conducted by state officials. Sooner or later plans will be put in place to grant adult patients access to these medicinal fungi. Although the bill to legalize this mushroom has been introduced since January, it was stalled.

There was a failed attempt to legalize recreational marijuana in April. This Senate-approved bill was unable to process past a House committee before its deadline. The Hawaiin house failed to pass along the modified bill that sought to increase the threshold of cannabis from three grams to 30grams for adult patients.

Louisianians Fully Support Marijuana Legalization and a Bill to Legalize Recreational Cannabis Has Been Presented

The tides seem to be changing as the latest JMC Analytics poll shows clearly that the state's residents favor cannabis legalization. From the polls we can see that support for the drug has grown to 67%, it was at 54% last year.

The percentage of the state's residents that feel medical and recreational cannabis need to be prohibited has dropped from 8% to 4%.

Despite legalizing medical cannabis in 1991 on a technical note, reforms began in 2015. The state actively started work on creating legal cannabis cultivation and dispensary programs for medical patients.

Late April 2021, a bill sponsored by Representative Richard Nelson was presented to the house. The bill includes a proposal to legalize adult-use cannabis.

Several representatives have aired divided views. Rep. Scott Mcknight ( R ) expressed that he was torn over whether to vote for or reject the bill. But he ended up being one of three Republicans to send the proposal out of the house committee. He claimed his vote was swayed by the public's opinion.

The proposal will be debated with the full house in a few weeks as the bill got a landslide vote.

Medical Cannabis Bill Stalls in Nebraska

All hopes of legalizing medical cannabis this year might be dashed.

On May 12, the Nebraska Legislature had a floor vote to determine the next course of action for the medical cannabis legalization bill. The session ended in a deadlock.

The bill had previously been revised to appeal to the unicameral legislature. Despite this, it was unable to amass enough votes to advance past the filibuster.

Just two more votes were needed to overcome the filibuster on Wednesday— 31 cloture votes were gotten.

Sen. Anna Wishart pleaded on the floor for other members to approve the bill. She emphasized that patients in the state also need access to medical cannabis.

In her words, she explained that it would be hard to find someone who does not know a person that has benefitted from the medical benefits of cannabis.

As expected, the public was disappointed in how things turned out. It looks like 2019 all over again. There's a high chance that the bill has been effectively shut down. It is now left to the campaign initiatives to gather enough votes to put the bill on the ballot in 2022.

New Mexico Legalizes Marijuana Use

Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham is known for her support for pro-cannabis reforms. It did not come as a shock when she signed the approved initiatives on the twelfth of April.

Both initiates are unrelated cannabis measures that were approved by the New Mexico House, as well as, the senate.

The first measure is on the legalization of cannabis possession. It decriminalizes the possession, production, and sales of cannabis in the state. While the second measure intends to clear off previous records of low-level cannabis offenders.

This is a key accomplishment by the Michelle Tenure. It paves the way for a progressive economy in the state. Thousands of good-paying jobs will be created for several years to come.

In the official press release, the Governor promised to increase consumer safety, as well as ensure New Mexico's economic future is transformed for the better. This legalization will help to overturn the drastic effect of the pandemic on the economy.

New Mexicans will benefit majorly from this multi-billion dollar project.

The state's cannabis regulatory committee will be established no later than September.

Medical Marijuana Finally Approved by South Carolina Senate Committee

The medical affairs Senate committee approved a medical cannabis bill. This was done after the bill was modified severely. The bill is a proposal for special South Carolina patients to procure and hold up to two ounces of cannabis biweekly.

The bill will be debated in the house and a full floor vote will be carried out in a few days.

Senator Davis is sponsoring this bill. He has made it clear that at least 70 percent of South Carolina residents want to have access to medical cannabis treatments. The bill is solely for medicinal use.

Sen. Davis ensures that the bill is not a means to legalize recreational cannabis.

The bill has been popularly referred to as the most conservative cannabis bill in the U.S. One of the terms in the bill states that all cannabis products approved under this bill will not be smoked.

In the Senator's words; The proposed bill is designed to put these relieving medicines in the hands of people who need them. In no way does it support the adult use of marijuana.