legal cannabis

Virginia House Lawmakers Amend Senate-Passed Marijuana Sales Bill, Setting Stage

Virginia lawmakers have advanced a bill to legalize marijuana sales along another step in the bicameral legislative process, with a House committee approving a substitute version of a Senate-passed reform measure. The House General Laws Committee on Tuesday took up the legislation from Sen. Lashrecse Aird (D) and replaced its contents with the text of…

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Virginia Republican Lawmakers Explain Why They Voted To Legalize Marijuana

As Virginia lawmakers push ahead with an effort to legalize marijuana sales in the commonwealth, certain GOP members are finding themselves ideologically aligned with their Democratic colleagues, breaking with the majority of their caucus in support of creating a regulated marketplace for adults to purchase cannabis. In a series of recent interviews, Republican legislators explained…

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What The New York Times Got Wrong—And Right—About Marijuana Legalization (Op-Ed)

“The Times fixates on the fact that among some consumers, cannabis use is surpassing the use of alcohol. This is neither surprising nor troublesome.” By Paul Armentano, NORML The New York Times has a pot problem. In a recent commentary, the Times editors opine that states have rushed to legalize the substance “without adequately regulating it.” However, state marijuana markets…

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What NY Times Gets Wrong About Marijuana Legalization

The New York Times has a pot problem. In a recent commentary, the Times editors opine that states have rushed to legalize the substance “without adequately regulating it.” However, state marijuana markets are already highly regulated and many of options proposed by the Times editors are either redundant or would inadvertently strengthen the illicit marketplace.…

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Pennsylvania Lawmakers Should Legalize Marijuana This Year, Pittsburgh City Council

Local officials in Pennsylvania’s second most populous city are calling on state lawmakers and the governor to urgently agree on a plan to legalize marijuana this year. The Pittsburgh City Council on Tuesday adopted a resolution noting that despite legalization being enacted in surrounding states and the Trump administration’s “historic” move to federally reschedule marijuana,…

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Hawaii Senators Take Up Marijuana Legalization Bills After Key House

Hawaii senators have taken up a pair of bills to legalize marijuana—with one proposal contingent on federal reform or changes to the state Constitution and the other omitting provisions allowing for commercial sales. Members of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee and Commerce and Consumer Protections Committee took up the measures—SB 2421 and SB…

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Virginia Lawmakers Pass Bills To Legalize Marijuana Sales, Resentence Past

Virginia’s legislature took action on a series of marijuana bills on a key deadline Tuesday—advancing proposals to legalize cannabis sales, provide a pathway to resentencing for prior marijuana convictions and allow medical cannabis access in hospitals for seriously ill patients. On Tuesday’s crossover deadline to move bills from one chamber to the other, the House…

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Massachusetts Hits $9 Billion Recreational Marijuana Sales Milestone With Surge

Massachusetts has reached another marijuana milestone, with officials announcing that the state has surpassed $9 billion in adult-use cannabis purchases since the market launched in 2018. According to the Cannabis Control Commission (CCC), Massachusetts recreational marijuana sales hit the $9 billion mark as of February 4. The update also notes that the state saw $1.65…

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Pennsylvania Must Not Over-Tax Marijuana If Legalization Is Going To

“The evidence from other states is unambiguous: over-taxation kills cannabis markets’ ability to displace illicit sales and generate sustainable revenue.” By Max Jackson, Cannabis Wise Guys Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s (D) 2026/27 budget proposal to legalize marijuana projects $729 million in first-year cannabis revenue to address Pennsylvania’s $4.8 billion structural deficit. It’s a politically appealing…

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Virginia House And Senate Approve Differing Marijuana Sales Legalization Bills,

Virginia’s House and Senate have given initial approved to two differing versions of bills to legalize marijuana sales in the Commonwealth—teeing up final votes and bicameral negotiations on the reform while also advancing separate legislation to provide a pathway to resentencing for people with past cannabis convictions. On Monday, the House passed a marijuana sales…

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