What Happened in Weed Last Week: July 15-21
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What Happened in Weed Last Week: July 15-21 by Andrew Ward
It was another wild week in the world of weed, with lots of legislative movements and rumblings on the state and national levels. Meanwhile:
Wiz Khalifa got popped in Romania
Florida’s seeing donation drama
Delta-8 is in the crosshairs of many states
Bad news for Minnesota beverages and New York City boof shops
That and a whole lot more. Catch up on what happened in weed last week before it’s too late.
Monday, July 15, 2024
The news and parts of the weed world celebrated the 6th anniversary of the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, with the occasion referred to by some as the day America accidentally legalized weed.
Patrick O’Brien, CEO of medical cannabis worker training venture POB Ventures, told Marijuana Moment he donated $100k to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ anti-legalization over concerns about the bill’s language, not the idea of adult use legalization in the Sunshine State.
Delaware’s adult use market got the green light to start issuing licenses in November, with an earlier-than-expected market launch, possibly as early as April 2025. The licensing effort includes over $6 million earmarked for equity licensees.
The weed and entertainment worlds reacted to Wiz Khalifa’s weekend arrest in Romania for lighting up on stage. The good news is that both Wiz and Romania seem to have squashed the beef.
Some in Arizona, a state that has long struggled with water management and industry use, are wondering if weed cultivation is the best use of their precious aqua asset.
Tuesday, July 16, 2024
President Joe Biden, who may or may not be the Democrat nominee by the time this article publishes, visited the 115th NAACP National Convention, where he stated his administration is “making sure” individuals aren’t arrested for pot possession.
Meanwhile, former President and current GOP nominee Donald Trump chose Ohio Senator JD Vance as his VP, leading to a flood of analysis over Hillbilly Elegy author’s views on issues like cannabis banking and legalization.
The US Food and Drug Administration and the Federal Trade Commission are once again zeroing in on weed brands allegedly using copycat branding, this time targeting delta-8 brands.
Cannabis Business Times reports that over 30,000 comments have been logged regarding the DEA’s rescheduling efforts.
Michigan Senator Gary Peters submitted the DOOBIE Act, which would prevent federal agencies from denying jobs to individuals who’ve previously used cannabis.
Wednesday, July 17, 2024
New Hampshire Governor Chis Sununu approved the addition of anxiety to the state’s approved medical marijuana conditions but vetoed another bill that would have allowed treatment centers to build and operate their own greenhouses.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear wrote a letter urging DEO Administrator Anne Milgram to reschedule cannabis.
California continued its product recall spree, with regulators announcing three additional brands were added to the list as fallout from the pesticide scandal rages on.
Missouri approved increased acceptable levels of vitamin-E acetate, a critical component in the deadly EVALI vape crisis spanning parts of 2019 and 2020.
Thursday, July 18, 2024
Ohio is the latest state to warn consumers of delta-8 products, with the state Department of Commerce Division of Cannabis Control cautioning parents over packaging that may appeal to children.
U.S. National Transportation Safety Board Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy cited a 2022 crash that took the lives of six Oklahoma high schoolers to remind parents about the dangers of driving while high.
Western New York celebrated the one-year anniversary of opening legal rec shops in the area.
Data from MJBizDaily suggests that five years after the market’s launch, half of Illinois’ equity retailers could lose their business.
Friday, July 19, 2024
Citing the recent DEA rescheduling decision, a bipartisan letter signed by nine Senators urged the VA to expand its cannabis guidelines.
Insurance, a difficult-to-find and possibly even harder-to-afford entity in legal cannabis, is reportedly keeping THC-infused drinks off the menus of many Minnesota shops.
The first grower and processor licenses for Ohio’s rec market have been approved.
A federal judge ruled that New York City can continue to crack down on illegal operators, including sprayed terp boof shops.
Sunday, July 21, 2024
President Joe Biden announced that he was halting his reelection bid. Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee. What, if any, impact this has on cannabis will likely be discussed for months on end in op-eds on this publication and beyond. Stay tuned.
That’s a bit of what happened in weed last week. Did we miss anything? Send us a message, and we’ll do our best to round up all the essentials next week.
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