[author: Susan Ryan]

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

As is so often the case, the states were the big newsmakers this week. In Maine, the Office of Marijuana Policy will start accepting applications for retail sales on December 5. As of today, it’s been three years exactly since voters approved legalization.

Business license applications are also a hot topic in Michigan. The Marijuana Regulatory Agency started accepting them on November 1. In Wisconsin meanwhile, legislators introduced a decriminalization and expungement bill. It would also ban police searches of vehicles based on smell alone.

And lots is going on in South Dakota. Two different ballot initiatives are under consideration, one that would legalize medical marijuana, and one that would legalize adult-use. Lawmakers are also writing new legislation to legalize hemp, after the governor vetoed an earlier bill.

On the federal level, the protections for medical marijuana businesses in what used to be called the Rohrabacher-Blumenauer Amendment have been included in the text of both the House and Senate DOJ appropriations bill, for the first time ever.

What’s going on with hemp this week? The U.S. Hemp Authority, the people who certify hemp, have released new standards for the industry. Information on “Guidance Procedures 2.0” is available here.

And finally, how do sellers of high-end properties distinguish themselves in the real estate market? By throwing a “cannabis open house.”

See you next week!