[author: Susan Ryan]

Welcome back to The Week in Weed, your Friday look at what’s happening in the world of legalized marijuana.

This week, we see action on a federal CBD bill. Kentucky advances a medical marijuana bill, while Kansas decides against. In other medical news, the DC Medical Cannabis Amendment Act went into effect. And finally, a marijuana company gives its employees a company holiday on 4/20.

FEDERAL CBD BILL

Regular readers will recall that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) declined to issue regulations for CBD, calling on Congress to do so. Last Friday, Reps. Morgan Griffith (R-VA) and Angie Craig (D-MN) stepped up to the plate and introduced two bills directing the FDA to regulate CBD products, using the current regulatory framework.

The Food and Drug Administration has dragged its feet in properly regulating CBD and hemp-derived products on the market, creating confusion about its legal uses

Rep. Morgan Griffith (R-VA)

KENTUCKY

We’ve got a lot of medical cannabis news this week – we’ll start in Kentucky. Residents of the bluegrass state have been able to use medical marijuana since January, when Governor Andy Beshear’s (D) executive order went into effect. The governor had called on the legislature to enact legislation on this topic, and the Senate did so late last week. Prospects look good for the bill to pass the House, as it has passed in prior sessions.

KANSAS

There was a different turn of events in Kansas, where a medical marijuana bill died in committee. Senators voted to table the measure after a hearing featuring activists on the “pro” side and law enforcement officers on the “con” side. Governor Laura Kelly (D), a supporter of the proposal, urged voters to contact their representatives to urge that the measure be reconsidered.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

The DC Medical Cannabis Amendment Act officially went into effect this week. Among other provisions, the bill allows patients to self-certify and sets up a process for unlicensed establishments (the “gray market”) to obtain licenses.

AND FINALLY

April 20 is one of the biggest sales days of the year for cannabis dispensaries. Which makes it all the more surprising that an outlet in Massachusetts, Temescal Wellness, announced that starting this year, 4/20 will be a paid company holiday.

While 4/20 is one of our most profitable days, we hope making it a paid holiday off for our team elevates it as a day for everyone to celebrate cannabis and the community around it.

Sian Leininger, Temescal Wellness Director of Retail and Customer Engagement

Stay safe and be well everyone – we’ll see you next week!