As more states move toward legalizing cannabis, the push for legalization has faced legal challenges in some states. From the Florida attorney general's bid to halt a marijuana legalization campaign to the North Carolina House lawmakers taking up a Senate-passed medical marijuana legalization bill, efforts to legal cannabis face opposition from various quarters.
The Florida attorney general's bid to halt a marijuana legalization campaign could be heard by the state Supreme Court as soon as June. The challenge seeks to invalidate a proposed constitutional amendment that would legal recreational cannabis in the state. The proposed amendment, backed by Make It legal Florida, would allow adults 21 and older to possess, use, and buy cannabis for recreational use.
In Ohio, House Bill 168 would rename Ohio's medical marijuana Control Program to the Division of Marijuana Control and it would be in charge of regulating both medical and recreational marijuana. The bill would also create a licensing system for recreational cannabis businesses.
Meanwhile, in California, the state Senate has voted to shield marijuana use history in job applications. The bill, which now heads to the Assembly, would prohibit employers from using marijuana use as a reason not to hire someone.
In Colorado, Governor Jared Polis signed cannabis professional development legislation into law. The law allows cannabis industry workers to access training and education to improve their skills and advance their careers.
In Minnesota, Democratic Governor Tim Walz signed a bill to legal recreational cannabis. The law takes effect on January 1, 2022, and allows adults 21 and older to possess up to 1.5 ounces of cannabis in public and up to 10 pounds at home.
In New Hampshire, lawmakers appear to be at an impasse over legislation to legal marijuana through a multitiered system of state-controlled dispensaries. The Senate has already passed a bill, but the House has yet to take it up.
Similarly, New Hampshire lawmakers on Tuesday gave up on an effort to hammer out an agreement on legal cannabis under a state-control model. The state Senate had passed a bill to legal cannabis for adults 21 and older, but the House failed to approve it.
In North Carolina, House lawmakers took up a Senate-passed medical marijuana legalization bill in committee on Tuesday. The bill would allow patients with qualifying conditions to access medical cannabis with a doctor's recommendation.
As more states move toward legalization, some law enforcement officials are facing the challenge of what to do with police K-9s trained to detect marijuana. In states that have legal marijuana for personal use, police K-9s trained to alert to the drug have been retired early.
