[author: Susan Ryan]
Welcome back to The Week in Weed, your Friday look at what’s happening in the world of legalized marijuana.
We have the latest news on the Ohio ballot initiative, along with a look at medical marijuana in North Carolina. A new governor in New York brings new energy to setting up a cannabis market. The Ninth Circuit opines on rescheduling marijuana. And finally, did The Bard smoke weed?
OHIO
As we reported earlier, the Ohio ballot initiative legalizing adult-use cannabis has had its up and downs. It’s now on another upswing. The state Attorney General has approved the initiative’s revised language, meaning it now moves on to the state’s Ballot Board. This group will determine if the initiative contains one subject or many, and as we’ve seen in other states, that’s something you want to get right.
NORTH CAROLINA
Medical marijuana is on the move in the Tarheel State. The North Carolina Senate Judiciary Committee recently advanced a bill that would allow medical cannabis. It added language concerning requirements doctors would have to meet before prescribing marijuana to patients. But we’re a long way from the finish line – the bill has to get through two more committees before a floor vote.
NEW YORK
With a new governor has come some new movement regarding legal cannabis. In an extraordinary session of the state legislature which started this week, the Governor announced her appointments to the state’s Office of Cannabis Management and Cannabis Control Board.
NINTH CIRCUIT
The Ninth Circuit has dismissed a petition asking the court to review whether the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) should reschedule marijuana. The court did not rule on whether cannabis should be rescheduled or not. Instead, they held that the plaintiffs had not exhausted their administrative remedies.
AND FINALLY
Researchers examining fragments from William Shakespeare’s pipes think the playwright may have smoked cannabis, and possibly referenced it in his Sonnet 76. Frankly, the evidence seems pretty shaky, but it’s fun to speculate…
Stay safe and be well everyone – we’ll see you next week!
