Tag: legalized marijuana

Fatal Traffic Crashes Linked To Marijuana Fell By 30% In Ohio Last Year As Legalization Took Effect, Contrary To Opponents’ Fears

As marijuana legalization took effect in Ohio over the last year, the number of fatal traffic crashes in linked to cannabis fell by 30 percent—contrary to warnings from opponents of the policy change who feared it would lead to more deadly car accidents involving stoned drivers. That’s according to new preliminary data from the Ohio State Highway Patrol, which found that proportion of impaired drivers suspected to be under the influence of marijuana also declined compared to 2023.

State voters approved marijuana legalization in November 2023, with use and possession becoming legal the following month. Adult-use cannabis sales, meanwhile, began last August.

State voters approved marijuana legalization in November 2023, with use and possession becoming legal the following month. Adult-use cannabis sales, meanwhile, began last August.

All told, there were 1,067 fatal traffic crashes in Ohio during 2024—the lowest number in at least five years, and down 7 percent from the 1,150 fatal crashes in 2023.

Of those, about 20 percent (215 crashes) were linked to cannabis last year—also the lowest number in years, and down from 27 percent (306 crashes) in 2023.

Impaired driving—referred to in Ohio as operating a vehicle under the influence, or OVI—also decreased from 2023 to 2024, with 644 fewer arrests last year compared to a year earlier. There were 83 fewer cannabis-related OVI arrests in 2024 compared to 2023.

In 2023, authorities logged 15,276 OVI arrests, about 10 percent (1,454) of which were related to marijuana. In 2024, 14,632 arrests took place—a decrease of about 4 percent. Of those, 1,371 were suspected to be linked to cannabis—a drop of approximately 6 percent.

Overall, 242 people died in Ohio last year in crashes believed to involve marijuana use. That’s 28 percent fewer deaths than the 335 logged in 2023. It’s also the lowest number of fatal traffic accidents involving cannabis since at least 2020.

The total number of crashes in general linked to marijuana in 2024—1,171—was also the lowest number since at least 2020 and marked a 12 percent decline since 2023.

Keep reading

New York Democrat Files Bills To Restrict THC Potency In Marijuana And Ban Consumption Within 30 Feet Of Children

A New York Democrat has introduced a pair of bills that would put new restrictions on marijuana in the state. One measure would limit the THC potency of cannabis products, while the other would prohibit cannabis consumption within 30 feet of where any child lives.

Both bills, A977 and A1007, were filed on Wednesday by Assemblymember Phil Steck. The potency proposal would limit marijuana flower to no more than 15 percent delta-9 THC, while all other cannabis products—including concentrates and hemp-derived products—would be capped at 25 percent delta-9 THC.

Growing, processing or distributing products exceeding those limits would be a Class B misdemeanor, punishable by up to 90 days in jail and a $500 fine.

The consumption measure, meanwhile, would outlaw smoking or vaping cannabis “within thirty feet of a child or within thirty feet of any location in which children reside or attend for any recreational or educational purpose.”

The restriction would include “areas separated by walls, closed door or floors within a building,” meaning the change could theoretically limit cannabis consumption even within users’ private residences if their neighbors have kids.

In addition to that provision, the consumption bill would also step up penalties for second and subsequent offenses around unlawful marijuana use, such as consuming near schools or using in areas where smoking or vaping is otherwise prohibited. Currently those activities are civil violations that carry a fine of up to $25 or community service. Under Steck’s bill, that would still be true for the first offense, but subsequent offenses would be charged as Class B misdemeanors.

A legislative memo in support of tighter consumption restrictions says that research has “shown that second-hand smoke from vaping and smoking cannabis are proven to be harmful to the health of adults and children.”

“Most adults have to ability to remove themselves from the area, children may not have the same ability,” the memo says. “This bill requires adults maintain a safe distance from children when smoking or vaping cannabis.”

As for Steck’s proposed THC limit, the memo in support of that proposal says that “the most egregious omission in legalizing adult-use cannabis in New York State is the absence of any cap on its potency.”

“Most people can use cannabis safely,” it says, but with increased availability of higher THC concentrations, there have been more adverse drug reactions.”

The memo also says that in particular, “edibles are trouble,” citing a study out of Colorado that found that edibles accounted for less than 1 percent of statewide cannabis sales but were responsible for 11 percent of emergency room visits.

“With an eye towards public health and safety,” it adds, “this legislation imposes a 15 percent cap on any cannabis flower, and a 25 percent cap on the concentration of the active ingredient delta-9 tetrahydrocannibinol in all manufactured cannabis products in the state.”

Notably, the bill would not adjust the total allowable THC limits in state-legal cannabis edibles, and the percentage-based limits would likely do little to rein in potency of the products. Even at the proposed 25 percent THC limit, a gummy weighing just 2 grams could contain up to half a gram of THC—a massive dose for most consumers.

The advocacy group NORML quickly came out against the new potency bill, A977, calling its proposed limits “arbitrary” in an email to supporters on Thursday.

Keep reading

Youth Marijuana Use Hasn’t Increased In States That Legalize, And Most Actually See Significant Declines, Analysis Of Government Data Shows

Youth marijuana use declined in 19 out of 21 states that legalized adult-use marijuana—with teen cannabis consumption down an average of 35 percent in the first states to legalize a decade ago—according to government data compiled by a leading advocacy group.

The Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) report analyzed multiple studies on how state cannabis laws influence youth use trends, including several led by federal agencies. The group found that the “data is unequivocal,” Karen O’Keefe, director of state policies at MPP, said.

“Legalization does not increase youth cannabis use,” she said, pushing back on an argument often made by opponents of the reform. “In fact, evidence suggests the opposite. By transitioning cannabis sales from the illicit market to a regulated system with age-restricted access, we’ve seen a decrease in youth cannabis use.”

The report cited data from a series of national and state-level youth surveys, including the annual Monitoring the Future (MTF) Survey, which is supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).

The latest version of the MTF released last month found that cannabis use among 8th, 10th and 12 graders is now lower than before the first states started enacting adult-use legalization laws in 2012. There was also a significant drop in perceptions by youth that cannabis is easy to access in 2024 despite the widening adult-use marketplace.

Another recent survey included in MPP’s analysis came from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which also showed a decline in the proportion of high-school students reporting past-month marijuana use over the past decade, as dozens of states moved to legalize cannabis.

At the state level, the cannabis group looked at research such as the Washington State Healthy Youth Survey that was released last April.

Keep reading

California Law Allowing Marijuana Cafes Takes Effect, With First Shops Already Expanding Services

A new California law allowing marijuana cafes officially took effect on Wednesday, authorizing local governments throughout the state to allow cannabis retailers to expand their services. And certain businesses are already leveraging the policy change.

Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed a bill from Assemblymember Matt Haney (D) into law in September. But while local governments can now start the process of allowing the Amsterdam-like cafes, it’s expected to take months before most jurisdictions have rules in place to conform to the state law.

Overall, the legislation will allow on-site marijuana consumption at licensed businesses to also offer non-cannabis food and non-alcoholic drinks and host live events such as concerts if they get permission from their local government.

Newsom vetoed a prior version of Haney’s cannabis cafe bill, saying that while he appreciated that the intent was to “provide cannabis retailers with increased business opportunities and an avenue to attract new customers,” he felt “concerned this bill could undermine California’s long-standing smoke-free workplace protections.”

To that end, the measure as enacted contains changes to create separation between public consumption spaces and back rooms of businesses where food is prepared or stored in order to better protect the health of workers in line with the governor’s concerns.

“I commend the author for incorporating additional safeguards, such as expressly protecting employees discretion to wear a mask for respiration, paid for at the expense of the employer, and requiring employees to receive additional guidance on the risks of secondhand cannabis smoke,” Newsom said in a signing statement in September.

The law makes explicitly clear that hemp-based food items or drinks are not considered “non-cannabis” products that could be sold at the cafes. It also says that non-cannabis items “shall be stored and displayed separately and distinctly from all cannabis and cannabis products present on the premises.”

The legislation will also allow live musical or other performances on the premises of a cannabis retailer in areas where on-site consumption is allowed.

There have been examples of California businesses that have found workarounds to permit on-site consumption while making food available to guests—but they’ve operated in a grey area, partnering with separately licensed restaurants that receive the profits.

The expectation is that—because those cities such as Los Angeles and San Francisco have already established certain regulations around consumption lounges, including ventilation requirements—they may be quicker to the draw to open up the additional services.

Keep reading

States Collected More Than $9.7 Billion In Marijuana Tax Revenue Since Mid-2021, Federal Census Bureau Reports

U.S. states where cannabis is legal have raked in more than $9.7 billion in marijuana tax revenue since the middle of 2021, according to newly updated federal data from the Census Bureau—that’s up nearly $1 billion since the agency last updated its cannabis revenue tracker in September.

During the third quarter of 2024—the most recent period for which data is available—states reported about $734.8 million in total marijuana tax revenue to the federal agency.

The new data, however, also revises upward figures from other recent quarters, adding up to a billion-dollar growth in reported state revenue in the last three months. The second quarter of this year, for example, saw an update from $609.9 million to $840.4 million—a new quarterly record, according to the agency’s tracking.

Individual states reporting the highest dollar amounts during Q3 of 2024 were adult-use jurisdictions with more established markets and larger populations: California ($159.6 million), Michigan ($79.3 million), Washington State ($77.3 million) and Illinois ($72.8 million).

Among the lowest were more restrictive states like Louisiana ($284,000) and Mississippi ($385,000) as well as Washington, D.C., where marijuana is legal for adults but sales of non-medical cannabis remain illegal.

Keep reading

Minnesota Marijuana Regulators Abruptly Cancel Social Equity License Lottery Amid Litigation, Pivoting Toward Wider Lottery Next Year

The Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) Wednesday announced it was canceling the special license lottery for social equity applicants and will instead move toward a lottery next year for both social equity and general applicants.

While no new date is set for license lotteries, a chart released by OCM suggests it will now be in May or June, months later than previous estimates of first quarter of 2025.

The office said it was responding to a Ramsey County court order late last month that put the lottery on hold to give disappointed applicants who were denied entry into that first lottery time to make their case to the court of appeals. At least eight legal actions have been filed with the appeals court seeking review of their cases. A ninth comes from successful lottery entrants who ask the court to let the lottery proceed soon.

Among those denied who have asked for relief from the appeals court is a group that OCM asserts is violating laws against multiple applicants for licenses and so-called straw applicants, that is applicants who are fronts for others.

“I don’t want to sugarcoat this,” said OCM interim director Charlene Briner during a Wednesday press conference. “The 648 social equity applicants who qualified and were expecting to participate in the lottery are understandably disappointed.”

“To avoid further delay and risks to social equity, OCM is ending the license preapproval process and moving forward with opening a standard licensing cycle for both social equity and general applicants beginning early next year,” the agency said in a press release. “This step allows the office to prevent delays to the market launch due to ongoing litigation and retain some benefit to social equity by allowing applicants for license preapprovals to move into this new round.

“Leaving these applicants in limbo is not an acceptable outcome and would diminish their opportunity to succeed in the market,” it said.

Keep reading

Kansas Governor Frees First-Time Marijuana Offender Sentenced To More Than Seven Years In Prison

A Kansas court said Deshaun Durham was supposed to serve more than seven years in prison for a first-time marijuana offense.

Durham tried to sway the state’s Prison Review Board to recommend clemency, and the board denied his application.

But Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly (D) overruled the board’s decision November 6 and commuted Durham’s sentence. Friday, he walked out of the Hutchinson prison where he had spent the last two-and-a-half years.

Durham, of Manhattan, was arrested as a 20 year old in 2020 for possession of more than two pounds of marijuana with intent to distribute. He had no criminal history and was later sentenced to 92 months. In the roughly two years between his arrest and sentencing, Durham worked as a Chinese food delivery driver and stayed out of trouble.

Prison changed him, he said.

Durham said he saw “things I’m going to carry with me for the rest of my life.”

On the outside, he felt people saw him as just a criminal. Inside prison, he wasn’t criminal enough.

“He said, ‘I’m losing myself,’” recalled his mother, Brandi Davis.

“To me it was like, ‘Wow, this kid has shown he can make the right choices, and they still thought he needed to be imprisoned for eight years,’” Davis said.

While Durham was serving his sentence, Davis spent her days advocating for his release. She joined with the Last Prisoner Project, a nonprofit drug policy reform organization, to pursue clemency.

Barry Grissom, a former U.S. Attorney for the District of Kansas under the Obama administration, represented Durham through his work as legal counsel for the Last Prisoner Project. Durham’s plight isn’t new in Kansas, he said in a news release on the day of Durham’s release.

He said Kansas ought to decriminalize marijuana possession, use and production and craft public policies that regulate and tax it like alcohol.

“To fail to do otherwise means taxpayer dollars are wasted on investigation, interdiction, prosecution and incarceration of individuals, thereby depriving law enforcement from utilizing those funds for more meaningful law enforcement measures to keep us safe in our communities,” Grissom said

Keep reading

Workers Can’t Sue Employers Who Violate New Jersey’s Marijuana Anti-Discrimination Law, Federal Court Says, Siding With Walmart

A federal appeals court panel sided with Walmart this week, ruling that although New Jersey explicitly forbids employment discrimination against marijuana users, private individuals are unable to sue employers under that law because it failed to create any specific remedies.

“The lack of an express remedy is better understood as a deliberate choice not to provide a remedy rather than an oversight of an intended remedy,” Judge Peter Phipps, a Trump appointee, wrote in the new opinion for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.

That interpretation, Phipps continued, “is reinforced by the New Jersey Legislature’s comparative responsiveness in enacting safeguards against other forms of employment discrimination.”

The case stems from a 2022 lawsuit filed by Erick Zanetich, whom Walmart denied a job as a security guard after he tested positive for marijuana. Zanetich asserted that the drug screening policy was unlawful under New Jersey’s anti-discrimination law, which is included in the Cannabis Regulatory Enforcement Assistance and Marketplace Modernization Act (CREAMMA).

CREAMMA was passed by New Jersey lawmakers after citizens voted in 2020 to amend the state constitution to legalize marijuana.

At the district court level, Judge Christine O’Hearn, a Biden appointee, had dismissed Zanetich’s case, ruling that only a state cannabis board can enforce the law and that private individuals don’t have a right of action to sue. Zanetich appealed.

The appeals panel’s 2–1 ruling, handed down on Monday, also denied Zanetich’s request to ask the New Jersey Supreme Court to decide the issue.

Phipps wrote that sending the matter to the state’s high court “is an act of judicial discretion…and here none of the common considerations associated with the exercise of that discretion counsels strongly in favor of the certification.”

As for the importance of the case, he said the issues neither “involve questions of state constitutional law, nor are they particularly transcendental.”

Keep reading

GOP Leaders Blocked Schumer’s Push To Include Marijuana Banking Reform In Government Funding Bill, Senate Source Says

Republican House and Senate leadership “openly and solely blocked” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s (D-NY) attempt to include bipartisan marijuana banking legislation in a government funding bill, a Senate source familiar with the negotiations tells Marijuana Moment.

As bicameral lawmakers have worked to put together a continuing resolution to keep the government funded, Schumer repeatedly urged colleagues across the aisle to incorporate the Secure and Fair Enforcement Regulation (SAFER) Banking Act, to no avail. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) killed that prospective deal, the source said.

“Schumer pushed for SAFER Banking at the negotiation table in the CR multiple times. This week, both Speaker Johnson and Leader McConnell strongly rejected it,” they said. “For years some Republicans have done a dance telling marijuana businesses that they supported SAFER, while Republican leadership has openly and solely blocked it at every turn.”

Marijuana Moment reached out to Johnson’s and McConnell’s offices for comment, but representatives were not immediately available.

The majority leader said following the election that he remained committed to moving the SAFER Banking Act during the lame duck session, and that he was eyeing the must-pass stopgap funding legislation to get that done.

Schumer could in theory still put the cannabis banking bill on the floor for Senate consideration as a standalone measure. But even if it did pass with the steep 60-vote threshold to overcome a filibuster in the chamber, the thinking is that it wouldn’t be worth the effort considering Johnson’s obstinance and unlikeliness to bring it to a vote in the House, the Senate source said.

Last month, Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT), the GOP lead sponsor of the SAFER Banking Act, told Politico that he wanted to see the measure “get done before the end of the year.” Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) separately said he’s “hoping to get something done” on cannabis banking through the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), but that prospect is similarly in doubt.

Notably, a Republican senator, Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC), told AskAPol that he considers the SAFER Banking Act a “half-assed” measure that should simply be incorporated into legislation to create a comprehensive federal regulatory framework for marijuana.

Getting the banking reform enacted during the lame duck could be pivotal following last month’s election that put Republicans back in the Senate majority at the same time that they held onto the House. Sen. John Thune (R-SD) was elected by his peers to serve as majority leader, and he’s opposed to the cannabis banking bill, further complicating its pathway to passage under the next Congress.

Keep reading

Top Ohio Lawmaker Wants To Restrict Marijuana Homegrow Rights And Strengthen THC Potency Caps

Republican lawmakers in Ohio are once again aiming to scale back parts of the state’s voter-approved marijuana legalization law, looking to a proposal from last year that would have decreased allowable THC levels in state-legal cannabis products, reduced the number of plants that adults can grow at home and increased costs for consumers at dispensaries.

Those provisions, backed by Senate President Matt Huffman (R), were added to separate House legislation last year and passed by the Senate. House lawmakers ultimately blocked the Senate changes, however, with some members emphasizing the importance of protecting the will of voters, who passed the legalization law on a 53–47 margin in November 2023.

Come next month, however, Huffman will take over as speaker of the House, having won a seat in last month’s election and subsequently being chosen for the leadership role by colleagues. The move is widely expected to give Huffman new power to push his marijuana proposal forward.

“There were some fundamental flaws in the initiative that was introduced and passed by the voters, which you usually have when there’s not a vetting from all sides,” Huffman told reporters last week about the voter-approved marijuana law. “The bill that the Senate passed last December addresses many of those things.”

Initially, changes backed by Hoffman would have eliminated home cultivation rights entirely for Ohio adults and criminalized all cannabis obtained anywhere other than a state-licensed retailer. Those amendments would have also reduced the marijuana possession limit, raised sales tax on cannabis purchases and diverted funding away from social equity programs and toward law enforcement.

Keep reading