[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’s news provides further proof of how difficult it can be to legalize marijuana. New York may be on the verge of legalizing, or it may not. New Mexico’s cannabis bills are coming down to the wire. We look at the Great Plains, which is a hotbed of legalizing and opposition to legalizing. Will the SAFE Banking Act finally have its day in the Senate? And finally, in a victory for effective product placement, the Girl Scouts are back in front of dispensaries.
NEW YORK
Could 2021 be another year of “close but no cigar” for New York cannabis? It’s hard to tell. We’ve heard that a vote on legalization is imminent – maybe next week! We’ve also heard that the talks are at an impasse, and the New York Assembly speaker thinks they’re closer than they were, but not quite there yet. Further bulletins as events warrant.
NEW MEXICO
The clock is ticking in the Land of Enchantment; their legislative session ends at noon tomorrow. A Senate committee passed a bill allowing adult-use Thursday; this sets up a floor vote. Politico reports this apt commentary: “Instead of calling this a sausage-making process, can we call this the doobie-rolling process?” asked Sen. Daniel Ivey-Soto (D) during the deliberations.
THE GREAT PLAINS
There’s a lot of green action going on in the Plains, even outside of South Dakota. North Dakota (as we’ve said before, do not mix up your Dakotas!) could send a legalization bill to the governor, if the Senate approves a bill passed by the House. Meanwhile, in Wyoming, the House Judiciary Committee passed an adult-use bill, after a medical marijuana measure failed to garner support. And in Nebraska, a medical cannabis bill has attracted the attention of the governor, who says legalizing marijuana will kill your kids.
BANKING
The SAFE Banking Act returns for another shot at enactment. Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D-CO) is the sponsor, hoping it will succeed in 2021, where it failed in 2020.
AND FINALLY
The opportunity to purchase Girl Scout cookies in front of a cannabis dispensary seems like a great way to accomplish some “one stop shopping.” And a troop in Michigan sold over 1,000 boxes (in one weekend!) that way. Then, the regional Girl Scout council stopped the sales, saying it was “against policy.” Happily, it was all a misunderstanding, and the cookie sales will continue. Business lesson: meet your customers where they are!
Stay safe and be well everyone – we’ll see you next week!
