Tag: legalized marijuana

Legal Marijuana States Are Moving To Increase Possession Limits, Allowing Consumers To Carry More Cannabis Without Fear Of Criminalization

Lawmakers in at least three states have passed legislation this year to significantly increase the amount of marijuana that adults can legally possess.

These expansions of existing state cannabis legalization laws are advancing as part of broader legislation that addresses various aspects of marijuana regulatory programs that will change how licensed businesses operate within their markets.

But for everyday consumers, the possession limit increases mean they will be able to buy more marijuana when they go to the store and will be protected from potential criminal penalties for carrying certain amounts of cannabis.

Illinois lawmakers this month, for example, passed omnibus cannabis legislation that would allow residents of the state who are over 21 years of age to possess up to 60 grams of marijuana flower—double the amount in current law. They will also be able to have up to 10 grams of cannabis concentrates and infused products with up to 1,000 mg of THC—also double the current limit.

Possession amounts for adult non-residents would also be doubled under the bill.

Aside from numerous other proposed changes to rules for marijuana and hemp businesses that are included in the legislation, SB 3222 would also allow people with convictions for possession of up to 60 grams of marijuana to have those records expunged—double the current cutoff allowing only those with convictions for up to 30 grams to be eligible.

The bill cleared the Senate and House of Representatives and now awaits action from Gov. JB Pritzker (D), who in 2019 signed the state’s marijuana legalization policy into law.

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Federal Marijuana Prosecutions Hit Another Record Low In 2025 As State Legalization Expands, Government Report Shows

Federal marijuana trafficking cases fell to another record-low in 2025, with a new report from the U.S. Sentencing Commission (USSC) revealing a continued trend amid the expanding state-level reform movement that has given consumers more places to buy legal cannabis.

A recently published USSC fact sheet on drug prosecution trends shows just 383 federal cannabis trafficking cases in the last fiscal year. That marks a decline from the 471 cases reported in 2024.

More broadly, USSC said, marijuana trafficking prosecutions have dropped 62 percent from fiscal year 2021 to 2025.

Shifting federal priorities, which seem to have coincided with state-level marijuana reform efforts, have gradually pushed cannabis near the bottom of the list of drug trafficking cases.

The 383 cases from last year stands in stark contrast to the nearly 3,500 cannabis trafficking cases that were reported in 2015. Just two years before that, in 2013, the marijuana prosecutions amounted to approximately 5,000.

Colorado and Washington State became the first two states to approve recreational marijuana legalization in 2012.

Methamphetamine trafficking cases have dominated the list over the past decade, the USSC document published last month shows. In 2024, cases targeting fentanyl took over as the second most common drug trafficking target, followed by crack cocaine and powder cocaine. The number of heroin trafficking cases (356) was marginally lower than marijuana last year.

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Feds Would Develop ‘Impairment Standards’ For Marijuana And Other Drugs Under New Bipartisan Transportation Bill In Congress

Bipartisan leaders of a key House committee have released the text of transportation legislation containing provisions to require federal officials to study the issue of driving of driving under the influence of marijuana and other drugs and propose “evidence-based impairment standards.”

Reps. Sam Graves (R-MO) and Rick Larsen (D-WA), who are, respectively, the chair and ranking member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, announced the new bill on Sunday.

The 1,005-page “Building Unrivaled Infrastructure and Long-term Development (BUILD) for America’s 250th Act” covers broad areas of transportation, including roads, bridges, rail and highway programs.

The proposal’s section on drug issues would require the secretary of transportation to collaborate with the heads of other relevant federal agencies to “study the effect that marijuana and polysubstance impairment has on driving” and to analyze measures for detecting and reducing impaired driving.

The federal officials would then need to “propose evidence-based impairment standards for marijuana or polysubstance use,” and the transportation secretary would need to provide Congress with a report describing progress on the effort.

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Colombian Lawmakers Approve Bill To Legalize Marijuana

Lawmakers in Colombia have advanced a bill to legalize marijuana through its first step in the legislative process.

The First Committee of the House of Representatives approved the measure from Rep. Alejandro Ocampo on Tuesday, sending it to the full chamber for consideration. If approved there, the legislation would then go to the Senate for two additional votes.

“We just approved the regulation of cannabis in the first debate. It’s time to regulate. We’re going to regulate everything from seed to finished product,” Ocampo said in a social media post. “We’re going to keep marijuana off the streets so that it can only be sold in places where you have to show your ID, have a permit, and have a license.”

The bill will “help homeless people, help farmers and indigenous and Afro-Colombian communities who have lived with this plant for many years,” he said.

Colombian lawmakers have considered cannabis legalization legislation over multiple recent sessions, with one such proposal to insert the reform into the nation’s constitution falling short at the final stage of the process in 2023.

A separate bill to legalize marijuana advanced through the first stage of the process last year, but then stalled.

President Gustavo Petro, for his part, is supportive of legalizing cannabis—and he’s put pressure on legislators to advance the reform. He said in late 2023 that lawmakers who voted to shelve a legalization bill that year only helped to perpetuate illegal drug trafficking and the violence associated with the unregulated trade.

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Democrat Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger Responds to FBI Raid on Office of Ally State Senate Pro Tem L. Louise Lucas

Democrat Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger on Wednesday afternoon responded to the FBI raid on her friend and ally L Louise Lucas.

The FBI on Wednesday raided the office of Virginia’s Democrat Senate President Pro Tempore L Louise Lucas in connection to a major corruption probe, Fox News reported.

Federal agents served multiple search warrants, approved by a federal judge, at Lucas’ office and the cannabis dispensary next door, Fox News’ Bill Melugin reported.

Lucas is a close ally of Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger.

Fox News reported that Lucas showed up on the scene as the FBI raided her office.

Fox News and The New York Times are reporting that the corruption probe into Lucas was opened by the FBI during the Biden Administration.

Federal officers raided the cannabis dispensary with their weapons drawn.

Three people from the cannabis dispensary were taken into custody.

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New Buffalo Township tries to rein in cannabis boom it helped create

A booming cannabis market that turned New Buffalo Township into one of Michigan’s busiest marijuana destinations is now prompting local leaders to ask a difficult question:

How much is too much?

Recent reporting by Crain’s Chicago Business and Crain’s Grand Rapids Business highlights a community trying to regain control of an industry it once aggressively welcomed — even as it continues to benefit from the revenue those businesses generate.

From opportunity to overload

In just a few years, New Buffalo Township has gone from cannabis newcomer to one of the most concentrated retail markets in the state.

Today, nearly 30 dispensaries operate within the township — a remarkable number for a community of roughly 2,500 residents. Several more have been proposed or approved, creating a level of density that has drawn attention well beyond Southwest Michigan.

The location tells much of the story. Positioned along the I-94 corridor near the Indiana line, the township has become a convenient stop for out-of-state customers, particularly from Illinois, where prices and taxes are typically higher, and Indiana, where cannabis is still illegal.

That steady stream of traffic helped fuel rapid growth — and a steady flow of revenue.

A shift in tone at the Township Hall

Now, township officials are signaling that the rapid expansion may have gone too far.

According to Crain’s reporting, local leaders have begun taking steps aimed at reducing the number of dispensaries, not by banning cannabis outright, but by tightening oversight and enforcement.

Those efforts include:

  • Reviewing and, in some cases, seeking to revoke special land use permits
  • Holding public hearings tied to compliance concerns
  • Working more closely with the state on enforcement actions involving individual operators

The approach reflects a notable shift — from encouraging development to managing its consequences.

The revenue reality

Complicating the picture is the financial upside.

Cannabis sales have generated significant tax revenue for Michigan communities, and New Buffalo Township has been among the biggest beneficiaries due to its unusually high concentration of stores.

That revenue supports local services and budgets, making it difficult to simply shut the door on the industry.

At the same time, more dispensaries mean the pie is divided into smaller slices. As additional licenses come online, the amount of state-distributed revenue tied to each location can decline — raising questions about whether continued growth actually benefits the township in the long run.

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NJ recreational marijuana could put PA buyers in legal trouble

Recreational marijuana is legal in 24 states and Washington D.C., but Pennsylvania has yet to approve its use

But while it is readily accessible nearby, especially in Bucks County with easy borders to New Jersey, a short trip over the bridge to purchase fun weed could still get you a long prison term and may force you to forfeit your gun rights and face fines.

The law allows for drug trafficking charges up to $250,000 under the federal Controlled Substances Act, since it still classifies marijuana as a “Schedule I” narcotic as dangerous as heroin.

While there’s been a shift in the public’s attitude toward marijuana, penalties for possessing it have not eased with the federal government or with Pennsylvania.

Here’s what you should know if you buy New Jersey recreational weed, but live in Bucks County.

Can I buy recreational marijuana in New Jersey if I’m from Pennsylvania?

Yes. Since 2022, when NJ legalized recreational marijuana, any shop will sell it to you. Five shops this news organization visited this spring said they have no idea how many out-of-state buyers they have, and take a don’t ask-don’t tell attitude.

“Our busiest days are Fridays when everyone’s coming home from work, (after 5 p.m.) and Sunday’s right before Eagles games,” said a Willingboro shop employee, who asked that his name not be published.

Do NJ weed shops require identification?

The shops we visited require a current driver’s license or government issued ID to enter. In New Jersey, you must be 21 to use recreational marijuana. Your ID is digitally scanned and, if you’re purchasing medical marijuana, it’s sent to Trenton, the state capital where the the Cannabis Regulatory Commission controls sales.

Is there a record of my purchase?

Yes. For medical marijuana, time, date and what you bought is recorded and retained for four years, but not for recreational cannabis, according to the state website, and those records are kept for four years. Weed shops aren’t permitted to copy your ID or retain record of your purchase “beyond what is required for the completion of that single financial transaction.” If you put your name on a mailing list for customer programs, that’s considered voluntary and can be subject to review by the authorities.

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3 Disasters That Legal Weed Didn’t Unleash—Despite the Forecasts

Happy 4/20 to the millions of people across the country who celebrate, including much of the Reason staff. As someone who’s never been interested in pot—save for one summer in college—or drugs in general, I’ve always found the day a bit strange. But as I’ve grown older (and more libertarian), I’ve come to appreciate it as a celebration of personal freedom. 

I’m not the only one who has changed his mind. In 2025, 64 percent of Americans thought marijuana should be legal for both medical and recreational use (up from 31 percent in 2000), according to Gallup. Meanwhile, 40 states have legalized medical use of cannabis, including 24 that also allow recreational use. Late last year, President Donald Trump ordered that marijuana be reclassified from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act, putting it in the same category as prescription drugs such as “ketamine, anabolic steroids, and Tylenol with codeine,” explains Reason‘s Jacob Sullum.

Prohibitionists warned that legalization would have dire consequences. Here are some of their predictions that have yet to come true. 

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Law now bans Ohioans from using Michigan’s cheaper cannabis

Despite changes to Ohio and Michigan’s cannabis laws, it is still cheaper for Ohioans to drive from Columbus to a Michigan dispensary than to buy marijuana in-state.

Ohio’s cannabis market was subject to legislative changes in the past month as Senate Bill 56 went into effect. The bill banned intoxicating hemp products like THC drinks and increased penalties and restrictions for adult-use cannabis. Data shows central Ohioans would save about $76.63 by driving to Michigan to purchase cannabis, but S.B. 56 now makes possessing cannabis purchased out of state illegal. See previous coverage of S.B. 56 in the video player above.

Because cannabis is federally illegal and state borders are federal jurisdiction, it has always been illegal to cross state lines with cannabis. Previously, the law prevented Ohioans from bringing cannabis from Michigan into Ohio, but not from using cannabis purchased in Michigan within the Buckeye state.

S.B. 56 changes the legality of consuming or possessing cannabis purchased out of state. Under S.B. 56, legal cannabis only extends to legal home-grown marijuana or cannabis purchased at a licensed Ohio dispensary. The law means any cannabis purchased out of state is illegal possession.

Although Ohioans have been able to legally purchase and use recreational cannabis since August 2024, some Ohioans still crossed the border to purchase marijuana more cheaply. Four months into legalization, an ounce of marijuana flower cost more than $200 in Ohio and around $91 in Michigan. At the time, Ohioans would save over $100 on average by driving to Michigan.

Over a year later, Ohioans still save if they purchase in Michigan. NBC4 averaged sales data for one ounce of flower for each month of 2026 in both Michigan and Ohio. The closest Michigan dispensary to Columbus is around 174 miles away, so the average vehicle could make a round trip using about one tank of gas. Gas costs were calculated using the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s average gas pricing data for each month.

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