#legislature.

(Repost, apologies) Semi-serious Utah redesign. I just want an alternative to the DezNat one making the rounds in my state's legislature.

Check out... https://legalweed.gq/420/thursday-new-hampshire-legislature-passes-recreational-cannabis-bill-sends-to-senate/

Thursday: New Hampshire legislature passes recreational cannabis bill, sends to Senate

NPR Report

The bill would appropriate $2 million to a Cannabis Control Commission to launch administration of the law, with “priorities for the allocation of the remaining funds subject to appropriation,” starting with $100,000 annually to the Department of Safety for a drug monitoring initiative and data collection on health impacts. The remaining funds would be split:

29 percent for use in substance abuse-related education, prevention, treatment, and recovery; and for public education campaigns.

33 percent for aid to municipalities, providing that the commission may consider allocation based on towns or cities that may have cannabis business in their boundaries.

5 percent to public safety agencies for hiring/training drug recognition experts.

33 percent to the state’s general fund.

The proposed change in how New Hampshire would tax recreational marijuana did not sit well with everyone on the committee. State Rep. Fred Doucette of Salem was one of them: “Now we’re talking clearly about a sales tax,” he said.

Matt Simon, New England Political Director of the Marijuana Policy Project, said calling it a sales tax is a dubious interpretation because the proposed retail tax is modeled after the state’s meals and rooms tax.

“Five percent tax rate on cultivators and a 9 percent tax at the retail level, and that’s somewhat lower than other states,” Simon said. “Legislators are keenly interested in eliminating the illicit market and that’s been driving this discussion.”

The House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee previously passed the bill, and the House sent it to Ways and Means because of the proposed tax. The House of Representatives will consider the amended bill sometime in April.

Source: https://www.nhpr.org/post/nh-house-panel-passes-marijuana-legalization-bill-reworks-tax-structure#stream/0

Original Bill at

http://gencourt.state.nh.us/bill_status/billText.aspx?sy=2019&id=28&txtFormat=html

Here’s the amendment that got the bill over the hump

Legalization_0328192019-1310h

Here’s the MJ Biz report

Check out... https://legalweed.gq/420/guam-legislature-passes-bill-that-would-legalize-recreational-marijuana/

Guam legislature passes bill that would legalize recreational marijuana.

Check out... https://legalweed.gq/420/nj-legislature-votes-on-legalization-monday-here-are-the-60-towns-that-have-already-said-no/

NJ Legislature Votes On Legalization Monday Here Are The 60 Towns That Have Already Said No

NJ.com’s list gets ever bigger.

Barnegat

County: Ocean County

Population: 22,783

Date passed: July 3, 2018

Berkeley

County: Ocean County

Population: 41,554

Date passed: Jan. 22, 2018

Brick

County: Ocean County

Population: 75,506

Date passed: March 12, 2019

Bridgeton

County: Cumberland County

Population: 24,505

Date passed: Nov. 6, 2018. Bridgeton voters opposed allowing marijuana businesses from operating in their town. While the vote is non-binding, it gives town officials an idea of what the people want.

Bridgewater

County: Somerset County

Population: 44,999

Date passed: Sept. 6, 2018

Brigantine

County: Atlantic County

Population: 9,042

Date passed: June 20, 2018

Carlstadt

County: Bergen County

Population: 6,249

Date passed: May 3, 2018

Chatham Township

County: Morris County

Population: 10,528

Date passed: April 12, 2018

Chester Township

County: Morris County

Population: 7,931

Date passed: Nov. 20, 2018

Clifton

County: Passaic County

Population: 86,607

Date passed: Sept. 4, 2018

Cranbury

County: Middlesex County

Population: 3,803

Date passed: March 12, 2018

East Rutherford

County: Bergen County

Population: 9,928

Date passed: July 17, 2018

Elmwood Park

County: Bergen County

Population: 20,429

Date passed: Oct. 18, 2018

Emerson

County: Bergen County

Population: 7,739

Date passed: Aug. 14, 2018

Fair Haven

County: Monmouth County

Population: 5,950

Date passed: May 29, 2018

Franklin Lakes

County: Bergen County

Population: 11,255

Date passed: June 19, 2018

Freehold

County: Monmouth County

Population: 11,894

Date passed: Oct. 9, 2018

Garfield

County: Bergen County

Population: 31,456

Date passed: Feb. 27, 2018

Harding Township

County: Morris County

Population: 3,887

Date passed: Sept. 20, 2018

Hasbrouck Heights

County: Bergen County

Population: 12,124

Date passed: Feb. 13, 2018

Hawthorne

County: Passaic County

Population: 18,950

Date passed: March 23, 2018

Hazlet

County: Monmouth County

Population: 20,108

Date passed: Feb. 20, 2018

Jamesburg

County: Middlesex County

Population: 6,068

Date passed: Sept. 19, 2018

Lodi

County: Bergen County

Population: 24,961

Date passed: June 19, 2018

Lumberton

County: Burlington County

Population: 12,390

Date passed: Oct. 23, 2018. According to town minutes, Lumberton banned pot shops but would allow cultivators as a conditional use in industrial areas.

Mahwah

County: Bergen County

Population: 26,759

Date passed: May 31, 2018

Mansfield Township

County: Warren County

Population: 7,507

Date passed: Oct. 24, 2018

Mannington

County: Salem County

Population: 1,721

Date passed: Feb. 7, 2019

Manville

County: Somerset County

Population: 10,414

Date passed: May 14, 2018

Midland Park

County: Bergen County

Population: 7,384

Date passed: May 10, 2018

North Caldwell

County: Essex County

Population: 6,519

Date passed: Feb. 27, 2018

North Haledon

County: Passaic County

Population: 8,570

Date passed: Feb. 21, 2018

Oakland

County: Bergen County

Population: 13,224

Date passed: Nov. 24, 2018

Oceanport

County: Monmouth County

Population: 5,763

Date passed: April 19, 2018

Old Bridge

County: Middlesex County

Population: 66,573

Date passed: April 23, 2018

Old Tappan

County: Bergen County

Population: 6,042

Date passed: Nov. 19, 2018

Palisades Park

County: Bergen County

Population: 20,988

Date passed: Sept. 25, 2018

Parsippany-Troy Hills

County: Morris County

Population: 53,515

Date passed: March 20, 2018. Parsippany’s resolution doesn’t outright ban marijuana businesses from the borough but strongly opposes marijuana legalization.

Pleasantville

County: Atlantic County

Population: 20,732

Date passed: Aug. 6, 2018

Point Pleasant Beach

County: Ocean County

Population: 4,594

Date passed: Dec. 19, 2017

Ramsey

County: Bergen County

Population: 15,242

Date passed: March 28, 2018

Ridgewood

County: Bergen County

Population: 25,692

Date passed: Oct. 24, 2018

Saddle Brook

County: Bergen County

Population: 14,169

Date passed: Sept. 6, 2018

Sea Girt

County: Monmouth County

Population: 1,774

Date passed: March 14, 2018

Secaucus

County: Hudson County

Population: 20,215

Date passed: July 24, 2018

Shrewsbury

County: Monmouth County

Population: 4,122

Date passed: Oct. 3, 2017. Shrewsbury’s ordinance bans medical marijuana facilities. The town has yet to take a stance on recreational marijuana.

Spotswood

County: Middlesex County

Population: 8,418

Date passed: Feb. 21, 2018. Like Parsippany, Spotswood’s resolution doesn’t outright ban marijuana businesses from the borough but strongly opposes marijuana legalization.

Surf City

County: Ocean County

Population: 1,178

Date passed: March 14, 2018

Union City

County: Hudson County

Population: 70,387

Date passed: Feb. 13, 2018

Upper Freehold

County: Monmouth County

Population: 6,975

Date passed: March 1, 2018

Upper Pittsgrove

County: Salem County

Population: 3,397

Date passed: Nov. 13, 2018

Upper Saddle River

County: Bergen County

Population: 8,415

Date passed: June 7, 2018. The Upper Saddle River resolution is like a few other towns on this list in that it opposes legalization but doesn’t outright ban sales.

Wall

County: Monmouth County

Population: 26,000

Date passed: Feb. 28, 2018

Wayne

County: Passaic County

Population: 55,072

Date passed: Sept. 5, 2018

Weehawken

County: Hudson County

Population: 15,342

Date passed: Feb. 28, 2018

West Caldwell

County: Essex County

Population: 11,021

Date passed: Sept. 11, 2018

West Long Branch

County: Monmouth County

Population: 7,972

Date passed: June 6, 2018

Westwood

County: Bergen County

Population: 11,326

Date passed: Oct. 2, 2018

Woodcliff Lake

County: Bergen County

Population: 5,903

Date passed: June 4, 2018

Wyckoff Township

County: Bergen County

Population: 17,322

Date passed: July 17, 2018

Check out... https://legalweed.gq/420/i-do-like-dont-like-mondays-its-going-to-be-a-big-day-in-the-nj-legislature/

I Do Like / Don’t Like Mondays ? It’s Going To Be A Big Day In The NJ Legislature

Here’s what is next with the landmark bill:

Key test Monday

After successful, if controversial, votes by legislative committees earlier this week, the full Senate and Assembly are scheduled to vote on the legalization bill Monday.

The sweeping, 175-page bill would allow possession of small amounts of cannabis by adults over 21 and clear the records of those with marijuana-related convictions. It also would lay the framework for regulating and taxing a new billion-dollar industry.

But with Republicans largely unified against the measure and several rank-and-file Democrats opposed or wavering, it appears just as likely that legislative leaders scrap the vote for lack of support.

Lobbying effort underway

Which way it goes depends on how successful Murphy, Senate President Stephen Sweeney and Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, all Democrats, are in enticing lawmakers to cast a “yes” vote.

They have plenty of inducements at their disposal, from appointments to money for lawmakers’ districts. But many legislators have firm beliefs on the topic of marijuana and may be difficult to sway.

Source:  https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/new-jersey/marijuana/2019/03/20/nj-legal-weed-whats-next-marijuana-legalization-bill/3211042002/

Also read about the 3 women in NJ pushing the legislation through

With New Jersey on the brink of approving the most detailed marijuana reform bill of any state, some observers say three women were integral to getting the process this far.

They include Assemblymember Annette Quijano, the prime sponsor of the legalization bill in that chamber; Dara Servis, the executive director of the New Jersey Cannabis Industry Association; and Dianna Houenou, described as an effective advocate as part of the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey (ACLU-NJ), particularly as part of the New Jersey United for Marijuana Reform.

“These women are trailblazers,” said Kelli Hykes, the director of government relations for Weedmaps. Each in their own ways, these three women not only helped move New Jersey to the brink of legalization, but were part of a process that has kept issues of social justice at the forefront.

More at Weedmaps . https://news.weedmaps.com/2019/03/3-women-are-leading-new-jerseys-marijuana-legalization-equity-efforts/

Check out... https://legalweed.gq/420/new-jersey-legislature-advances-bill-to-legalize-recreational-marijuana/

New Jersey legislature advances bill to legalize recreational marijuana

Check out... https://legalweed.gq/420/90-cannabis-related-bills-in-front-of-the-ca-legislature/

90 Cannabis Related Bills In Front of The CA Legislature

They write

California Legislature: Lawmakers to consider nearly 60 marijuana-related bills

There are 58 bills pending before the California Legislature in 2019 that include the word “cannabis” or “marijuana,” which means the state’s industry could be in for another tumultuous year of big changes.

Many of the measures touch on significant industry hurdles, ranging from the lack of banking access to reducing state tax rates to an ongoing debate over statewide MJ delivery.

Not all the bills are major legal changes, however, and many are not industry-related.

Full story

Check out... https://legalweed.gq/420/medical-cannabis-is-a-high-priority-in-md-legislature/

Medical cannabis is a high priority in Md. legislature