Illinois Cannabis News
Florida Congressman Wants To Downgrade Controlled Substance Scheduling For Marijuana
On Thursday, Congressman Greg Steube, who represents Florida’s 17th district, introduced a bill that would downgrade the controlled substance scheduling for marijuana. Steube’s bill, the Marijuana 1-to-3 Act of 2019, would reclassify cannabis as a Schedule...
Marijuana banking bill appears headed to landmark US House vote
A measure that would enable financial institutions to serve the cannabis industry and ancillary companies without fear of federal punishment could be put to a historic full vote in the U.S. House of Representatives later this month. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer,...
Florida Lawmakers File Bill To Expand Medical Marijuana Research
Two members of Florida’s delegation to the U.S. House of Representatives introduced a bill on Thursday that would expand research into the medicinal use of marijuana. The measure, titled the Expanding Cannabis Research and Information Act, was filed by...
Teva Israeli subsidiary signs cannabis distribution deal
A subsidiary of multinational pharmaceutical giant Teva Pharmaceuticals signed a deal with Israeli medical marijuana company Canndoc to distribute its products to pharma customers that include pharmacies and hospitals. While the deal is not exclusively for products in...
Marijuana industry donations to DC lawmakers already top 2018
The cannabis industry donated more than $305,000 to U.S. congressional members in the first half of 2019, exceeding last year’s total of about $248,500 by more than 20%. The data was collected from federal filings by Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM), an...
Michigan Pharmacies To Distribute Free Naloxone Kits This Saturday
Pharmacies across Michigan will be giving away free naloxone kits on Saturday in an effort to stem the tide of overdose deaths resulting from the ongoing opioid crisis. More than 50,000 of the emergency overdose-reversing drug kits, sold under the brand name Narcan,...
Lawmakers In New Jersey And Massachusetts Address Dangers Of Vaping
The worsening outbreak of vape-linked illnesses and deaths has spurred lawmakers across the U.S. to take action, with officials in New Jersey and Massachusetts the latest to propose bans and other measures to curb vaping. In New Jersey, Gov. Phil Murphy and...
Senate panel chair wants cannabis banking vote by year-end
Senate Banking Chair Mike Crapo wants his committee to vote on a marijuana-related banking measure this year, in what would be a landmark development for the marijuana industry. The Idaho Republican, in an interview with Politico, indicated, however, that he might...
Denver police warn marijuana businesses of ‘uptick in burglaries’
The Denver Police Department warned Colorado cannabis businesses that it’s seeing an increase in burglaries at dispensaries and is encouraging operators to report any suspicious activities. In an online bulletin, the department wrote, “Dear Marijuana...
Oregon cannabis retailers pulling vaping products in wake of health scare
Marijuana stores in Oregon began taking vaping products off their shelves and offering returns on previously purchased vape pens. The move comes amid a nationwide scare over severe lung illnesses and deaths tied to electronic cigarettes, the latest sign that the...
Aurora plots ‘significant’ US marijuana entry in ‘very short period’
Canada’s largest medical cannabis company by revenue and production is planning to make a “significant” splash in the near future on another point of entry in the U.S. market, one of the company’s executives said in an interview. Aurora, based in Edmonton, Alberta,...
Cannabis Branding: New Rule Requires U.S. Attorney for Foreign Applicants and Registrants
Earlier this summer, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) announced that as of August 3, 2019, all foreign-domiciled trademark applicants, registrants, and parties to Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) proceedings must be represented by an...
California’s Illegal Cannabis Industry Three Times Bigger Than Regulated Market
It has been nearly three years since California voters overwhelmingly approved a measure legalizing recreational marijuana use, opening the door for boutique pot shops and cannabis bakeries. But a report this week found that the state’s illicit market is still plenty...
Wisconsin Man Allegedly Sold Bootleg Vape Cartridges Filled With THC
Now that the recent, unexplained vaping-associated death toll in the United States has risen to six victims, tensions are running high when it comes to illegal vaping products. Today, such unlicensed THC products have a poster boy: 20-year-old Tyler Huffhines of...
Ohio Medical Board Rejects Anxiety And Autism As Medical Cannabis Conditions
The State Medical Board of Ohio rejected petitions on Wednesday to add autism spectrum disorders and anxiety to the list of conditions qualifying a patient to use medical marijuana. The board’s vote follows a recommendation last month from the state Medical...
MedMen, Surterra put up $1 million for adult-use marijuana push in Florida
MedMen and Surterra each contributed $545,000 to a campaign to legalize recreational cannabis in Florida. The two cannabis companies are backing Make it Legal Florida, which is seeking to collect the 766,000 signatures needed to put a constitutional amendment on the...
Amazon Removes Vape Packaging Following Vaping Hospitalizations and Deaths
Without making an announcement or statement of any kind, online retail giant Amazon has removed a range of products for assembling and packaging THC vape cartridges. Such products, which include everything from branded boxes and labels to warning stickers and...
Maryland’s medical cannabis commission chief resigns
Joy A. Strand, the executive director of the Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission, is stepping down, effective Oct. 1. Strand, a health-care executive, led the commission for almost two years. The commission oversees the regulations and implementation of the...
Marijuana labs adding tests targeting vitamin E acetate in response to vaping health scare
Cannabis testing labs around the country are adding more specific tests targeting an additive that’s been linked to the string of recent illnesses and deaths health authorities say are related to marijuana and tobacco vaping devices. Although no definitive cause...
Ohio balks at adding anxiety and autism for medical marijuana
The Ohio medical board dealt a blow to the state’s medical cannabis industry when it rejected petitions seeking to add anxiety and autism spectrum disorders as qualifying conditions. The board voted down those additions Wednesday after a Medical Board committee...
Grading the Presidential Candidates on Marijuana: Donald Trump
Over the course of of ten weeks, we recently ran a series of blog posts that take a close look at the Democratic Party candidates for President in 2020. We examined each candidate’s historic approach to marijuana law and policy, and we also canvassed their current...
Illinois providing safety training to adult-use cannabis sellers
Illinois officials authorized 26 businesses to provide health and safety training to recreational marijuana retailers, including existing medical cannabis operators, in advance of the adult-use program launch on Jan. 1. The Department of Financial and Professional...
Trump Administration Officials Meet To Discuss Possible Ban On Flavored Vapes
Officials with the Trump administration said on Wednesday that the federal government would ban the sale of most flavored e-cigarettes, according to media reports. Alex M. Azar II, the secretary of Health and Human Services, and Dr. Ned Sharpless, the acting...
Germany Receives First Medical Cannabis Imports From Portugal And Australia
Germany received its first imports of medicinal cannabis from Portugal and Australia this week. Two German companies took delivery of the shipments that will be used for testing purposes and to supply the country’s growing demand for medical marijuana, which was...