Tag: Reject Recreational

10/26/20--Kristi Noem, the first-term governor of South Dakota, talks a lot about personal freedom while also defending her hands-off approach to the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, she doesn't support a libertarian approach to the use of drugs such as marijuana, which voters will decide whether to legalize for both medical and recreational use in next week's election. Read

10/27/20--If recreational marijuana becomes legalized in Arizona, the Town of Sahuarita will prohibit strictly recreational dispensaries from opening within town limits. The council on Monday voted, 6-1, to adopt an ordinance placing restrictions on recreational marijuana should Prop. 207 pass Nov. 3. Under the ordinance, marijuana will be prohibited on public property and marijuana establishments will be prohibited in town limits, unless they are medical marijuana dispensaries or those with a dual license operating both a nonprofit medical dispensary and recreational dispensary in the same space. Read

10/28/20--The small town of Sahuarita, Arizona has passed an ordinance to ban recreational marijuana, but only partially. Prop 207 is expected to pass, so anti-marijuana towns are starting to ban the industry as best as they can. Sahuarita has become the second town — with Gilbert being the first — that has passed a new anti-cannabis law. Read

11/1/20--The town of Payson in Arizona has decided to create some recreational marijuana restrictions. Payson’s new Ordinance 923 would prohibit cannabis on public property, enact “reasonable regulations” for residential cannabis cultivation, and give extra control to the town over where cannabis businesses may operate. Read

10/16/20--Opponents of two ballot initiatives to legalize recreational marijuana sales to adults 21 and up in Montana are mounting a last-minute legal challenge to block the measures being voted on. Read

10/24/20--In an open letter published in The Clarksdale Press Register, Phil Bryant encourages readers to vote NO to Initiative 65, and Bryant further states that Big Marijuana is money-focused and just wants to leave Mississippi families, teachers, healthcare workers, and law enforcement with the mess they help create. Initiative 65 would empower an un-elected group of 11 Mississippians to run this industry with unprecedented taxing, spending and regulatory authority inconsistent with their system of government and not answerable to the State Legislature or any elected official. Read  

10/26/20--Governor Kristi Noem of South Dakota doesn't support a libertarian approach to the use of drugs such as marijuana, which voters will decide whether to legalize for both medical and recreational use in next week's election. Noem said she opposes legalizing marijuana in any fashion because it would hurt South Dakota families in the long run. Read

10/8/20--Anti-marijuana activist and Billings auto dealership owner Steve Zabawa filed a complaint with the Montana Commissioner of Political Practices demanding that a 501(c)(4) nonprofit group called North Fund be required to disclose its donors. Read

9/27/20--Apparently, the question of who paid to keep a medical marijuana initiative petition off the November ballot remains a mystery. Even the challenger — Lancaster County Sheriff Terry Wagner — says he doesn't know who paid for the work to get the issue in front of the Nebraska Supreme Court, and when Lincoln attorney Mark Fahleson was asked, he said the answer was a matter of attorney-client privilege. Read

9/28/20--Initiative 65 will allow voters will decide on Nov. 3 if medical marijuana will become legal in Mississippi. This alternative measure created by Mississippi lawmakers would allow registered physicians to prescribe cards to patients with debilitating medical conditions. The issue has sparked debate in the medical community and among Mississippians. Read

8/24/20--The Democrat-controlled House of Representatives and Democratic Party leaders have seemingly offered their support for marijuana legalization and decriminalization policies. On Friday, the House passed legislation that, if enacted, would block the Department of Justice from enforcing the federal marijuana ban in states that have legalized recreational use. Read

9/28/20--Leaders at the University of Mississippi Medical Center do not support Initiative 65, according to a post on social media. The ballot initiative will allow voters to decide on Nov. 3 if medical marijuana will become legal in Mississippi. Initiative 65 would also allow registered physicians to prescribe cards to patients with debilitating medical conditions. Read

9/10/20--On Thursday, the Nebraska Supreme Court has released opinions on medical marijuana and expanded gambling ahead of both issues appearing on the November ballot. The court decided medical marijuana would not appear on the November ballot. Read

9/10/20--The Nebraska Supreme Court has issued a ruling on whether medical marijuana and expanded gambling will be on the ballot in November. The court voted to block medical marijuana from being on the ballot but approved the expansion of gambling. Read

9/10/20--Montana Contractors Association CEO David Smith expressed the group's opposition to marijuana legalization: workplace safety and a good labor supply. The group opposes Initiative 190, which would legalize, regulate and tax marijuana, and a complementary proposal in Constitutional Amendment 118, which would set the legal age of consumption at 21. Read

8/30/20--A New Zealand survey ahead of October's referendum on legalizing recreational cannabis shows a big surge in opposition to a law change, with 46 percent now against legalizing the drug. Read

8/24/20--In an editorial published in the Washington Examiner written by Kyle Reynolds, an Indiana University correspondent for Campus Reform, he candidly expresses his views on how disconcerting it is that the Democratic Party is moving with such force to decriminalize and legalize marijuana. Read

7/21/20--Opponents of cannabis legalization have filed a lawsuit against the Safe & Smart Arizona initiative in an attempt to keep it off the November 2020 ballot. The complaint, filed in Maricopa County Superior Court on July 20, alleges that the 100-word summary statement used by petitioners to solicit signatures for the measure was misleading and left out key information. Read

7/13/20--Californians had high expectations when they overwhelmingly voted in 2016 to legalize adult-use cannabis with Proposition 64: the Control, Regulate, and Tax Adult Use of Marijuana Act. However, high taxes and stringent regulations are squeezing nearly every sector, say frustrated cannabis entrepreneurs, who warn that the burden is making their businesses unsustainable. Read

7/2/20--A ballot committee has been formed in South Dakota to oppose an amendment on the November ballot that would legalize recreational marijuana. Dave Owen, President of the state Chamber of Commerce and Industry, will head up the “No Way on Amendment A” committee. Read

5/26/20--In an op-ed by Dr. Kevin Sabet, president of Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM), he urges Arizonians to beware and emphasizes that Big Marijuana is peddling a ballot measure in Arizona that will benefit their own and leave the state facing a host of health and societal ills. Read

4/29/20--The Keep Cannabis Away from Kids coalition hit a speedbump last week in its quest to curtail cannabis businesses in Mount Shasta when Siskiyou County Clerk Laura Bynum rejected all 380 signatures submitted on their initiative because an affidavit wasn’t submitted to the city in the required timeframe. Read

3/31/20--Gov. Andrew Cuomo said legalizing recreational marijuana is not going to be part of the state budget this year. Cuomo made his comments as the budget deadline approached with no agreement on how to close a $15 billion budget gap, caused by the fallout from the coronavirus. Read

4/1/20--Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker ordered the temporary closure of nonessential businesses, including recreational marijuana stores, last week in response to the coronavirus outbreak. However, medical marijuana dispensaries in her state, which have been allowed to stay open, reportedly saw massive lines as people feared worse things could be coming, like the potential need to self-quarantine. On Tuesday, Baker extended his order until early May. Read

4/3/20--As the cannabis industry in Massachusetts has been jolted by the COVID-19 pandemic, halting the sale of recreational marijuana through at least early next month, there has been a spike in the number of registrations for new medical patients. However, with that increase comes concern about the marijuana supply chain. Read

3/12/20--According to an op-ed written by Sen. Paul Gazelka, one inconsistency regarding legalization is that the same people promoting recreational marijuana also support laws restricting tobacco use and vaping. Gazelka states they led the charge for stricter laws regulating the distribution of opioids and hands-free driving, but it raises the question that while distracted driving, tobacco, vaping and opioids are dangerous and bad for our youth, why isn't marijuana considered to be? Read

3/3/20--With one week to go before the election, the campaign over whether to allow recreational marijuana in Clinton Township is heating up. Clinton Township voters will decide during the March 10 presidential primary whether to approve amendments to a township ordinance that would "authorize and limit the type and number" of marijuana establishments allowed," and asks voters if the proposal should be adopted. Township officials have twice opted out of allowing recreational pot. Read

1/19/20--On Friday, New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced her support for a proposal to legalize recreational marijuana for adults 21 and older. But, Las Cruces Mayor Ken Miyagishima says choosing to legalize recreational marijuana is not what the city or state needs right now. Read

1/17/20--On Friday, the Virginia Sheriff’s Association gave a presentation to members of the Public Safety Committee weighing in on proposed criminal justice reform stating they did not support decriminalizing marijuana and opposed outright legalization. Read

1/2/20--According to an editorial published in The Tribune, Indiana may avoid the trend toward legalizing marijuana — at least for now. The Associated Press reported recently Republican leaders are firmly against taking any steps during the upcoming session toward legalizing marijuana use. While nearly two-thirds of states have legalized marijuana, mainly for medical uses, federal health officials issued a warning in August that smoking marijuana is dangerous for adolescents, pregnant women and their developing babies. Read

12/6/19--On Dec. 5, the National Association of County Behavioral Health & Developmental Disability Directors (NACBHDD), together with the National Association for Rural Mental Health (NARMH) and the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), hosted a Congressional briefing for Hill staff on the need for improved regulation of cannabidiol (CBD) products by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Read

12/2/19--The Minooka Village Board voted to prohibit marijuana business establishments its meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 26. Trustees Chad Hrechko, Dennis Martin, Ric Offerman and Dick Parrish voted in favor of the ban, and Trustees Terry Houchens and Barry Thompson voted against it. Read

11/15/19-Recreational marijuana sales will become legal in Illinois beginning Jan. 1. However, many municipalities have voted to restrict or ban the sale of marijuana in some manner already. Illinois Policy provides a guide as to where you can and cannot buy marijuana beginning in 2020. Read

11/6/19--On Tuesday night, the Sugar Grove Village Board Tuesday night banned the sale of recreational marijuana in the village. The board deadlocked 3-3 on the issue, with Village President Sean Michels breaking the tie by voting against marijuana sales. Michels said before the Tuesday night meeting that “each board member was entitled to speak” about the issue and that “everybody knew their position” on the matter. Read

11/6/19--Vernon Hills has become the most recent Lake County community to ban the sale of marijuana for recreational use. The village board on Tuesday unanimously approved an ordinance prohibiting cannabis businesses in town when the sale and possession of recreational marijuana becomes legal in Illinois on Jan. 1. Read

11/2/19--Dueling grass-roots movements of suburban residents are rising up to make their voices heard on the presence of recreational marijuana stores. At issue are the locations of 75 dispensary licenses the state of Illinois will award by May 1, with more to come later, to sell recreational marijuana to adults 21 and older. At the heart of the opt out effort, supporters say, is a desire to protect children from the potential harms of normalized marijuana use. Read

11/2/19--Residents in some Wayne County municipalities will vote for mayor, city council, judge, library board, school board and proposals. In Allen Park, a proposed ordinance would limit the number of state-licensed marijuana establishments within city limits. Read

11/4/19--A meta-analysis recently published in The Lancet Psychiatry found that using medicinal cannabinoids to treat mental health disorders cannot be justified, due to a lack of evidence of effectiveness and known risks of the substances. Read

7/15/19--According to an editorial published in the Arkansas Democrat Gazette, the people who demanded medical marijuana for years just really wanted a foothold in Arkansas, and the next item on their agenda would be recreational marijuana. That's how they got there in other states. Then, once voters fall for it, requests to support full legalization follows. Now they're pushing for a vote on recreational pot in Arkansas. Emphasis on pushing. Read

7/11/19--Despite the fact that CBD is everywhere, it still exists partly in a legal gray area. Some states are cracking down on sales of CBD products, while others are allowing CBD to be sold widely under certain conditions. The almost-unprecedented scale of the business potential in the CBD market is what’s causing the rush. Sales of products infused with hemp-derived CBD are expected to reach $5 billion this year, according to recent industry estimates. That represents a 700 percent increase from last year. Read

5/10/19--According to Scott Van Der Kar, an avocado grower in the Carpinteria foothills, avocado growers were “broadsided” by the news that the Oxnard-based pest control companies that treat their crops would no longer spray the insecticides that work best on avocados, for fear of contaminating cannabis crops with the slightest trace of residue and getting sued. The growers’ quandary has sent county officials scrambling to find a solution, and time is of the essence. Read

5/13/19--Seemingly, voters in Denver have approved Measure 301, which will decriminalize the use of so-called “magic mushrooms,” better known as psilocybin. Psilocybin has been outlawed in the U.S. since the 1960s; some researchers warn that it should only be used under medical supervision and can prompt paranoia and anxiety. The federal government classifies psilocybin as a Schedule I drug, with no medical purpose and a high potential for abuse. Read

5/8/19--Voters in Denver appeared to have voted down a first-in-the nation plan to decriminalize the use and possession of "magic mushrooms" known for sending users on psychedelic journeys. Unofficial results suggested Measure 301 was on track to fail, with 46.5% in favor and 54.5% opposed. Read

4/13/19--CFAM Management Group, a large cannabis business in Nipomo, is being forced to shut down after the county Board of Supervisors stripped its permitting Tuesday, citing multiple code violations and saying it was intentionally thwarting regulations and would likely continue to operate in bad faith. Read

4/13/19--In an exclusive interview, US Attorney Billy Williams weighs in on banking, hemp, overproduction, black-market diversion—and marijuana regulators who fail to think things out. Williams’ advice to lawmakers and regulators considering legalization? “Slow down, wake up, and get serious about what you’re doing.”  Read

3/24/19--Several elected officials voiced their opposition to a proposal to legalize recreational marijuana in the state. They say regulations are needed to address marijuana use in public areas the same way cigarettes are currently regulated. Yet, some Brooklyn residents cite health reasons as why marijuana should be legalized. Read

3/21/19--The effort to regulate and tax adult-use marijuana has hit stumbling blocks in Albany amid disputes over revenue, who will have access to licenses, and an intensifying counteroffensive by marijuana opponents. Read  

3/22/19--Groups representing doctors in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Delaware released a rare joint statement opposing the legalization of recreational marijuana in their states. “We have serious concerns about the lack of scientific evidence that supports recreational marijuana use by adults and young adults. Most importantly, not enough research has been done to prove marijuana is safe,” the presidents of the four state medical societies said. Read

3/20/19--The United Nations’ Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) opted to indefinitely postpone a vote on the World Health Organization’s recommended changes to the scheduling of cannabis in international drug control conventions. The recommendations, prepared by the WHO’s Expert Committee on Drug Dependence, call for cannabis and cannabis resin to be deleted from Schedule IV of the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotics Drugs. Read  

3/25/19--Even as the legalization push gains momentum, scientific journals report mounting evidence of the drug’s harmful psychological effects and social consequences, and pockets of resistance to the pot movement are emerging. According to Steven Malanga, senior editor of City Journal, the inherent contradiction of a country facing growing addiction problems in tandem with states rushing to legalize marijuana has not been lost on everyone. Read

3/21/19--Gov. Phil Murphy and two fellow Democrats, Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin and Senate President Steve Sweeney, support the measure, which would legalize recreational marijuana for people 21 and older. But lawmakers have expressed reluctance, and the vote’s outcome Monday is uncertain. Forty-one votes are needed in the Assembly and 21 in the Senate. Read

3/16/19--A group of state and local elected officials held a rally on the steps of Town Hall Saturday morning in opposition to proposed legislation legalizing recreational marijuana. Republican Mayor William Dickinson Jr. called into question of legalization “a great debate.” He claimed there is not conclusive evidence that marijuana usage is not harmful, citing reports from the Food and Drug Administration and other state and local agencies. Read

3/8/19--Cynthia Bell and Mike Karl, of Eaton Rapids, recently opened Doobie's Tavern, a marijuana social club with a strict BYOB (bring your own bud) policy. However, Doobie's has also raised concerns among residents in Elsie, which has a population of fewer than 1,000 people, that their community will never be the same. Read

3/8/19--The Texas Police Chiefs Association is urging lawmakers to proceed with caution and to recognize what they believe is a harmful drug, legalized or not. In a report prepared by the Texas Police Chiefs Association called "The Impact of Marijuana Legalization on State and Local Governments and Communities, TPCA proposes to "address the myths vs. the facts" on marijuana production, cannabis use, legalization and long-term effects on a community's quality of life. Read

3/12/19--Although recreational marijuana became legal in December, more than 200 communities across the area have already notified the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs that they will not allow recreational marijuana businesses in their area. Every city has the right to opt out of commercial businesses for recreational marijuana. Here is a list of each community in each county that has opted out of selling marijuana. Read

3/7/19--At least one district in New York has issued a resolution in opposition of legalized marijuana, and statewide school organizations are increasingly raising concerns over New York's move toward recreational marijuana. Educators' criticisms focus largely on the potential impact on students already enticed by vaping, cigarettes, and opioids. Read

2/22/19--As part of the Nov. 6 ballot proposal, communities have to take a vote to  ban recreational marijuana businesses in their borders, and nearly 300 communities across Michigan have voted to prohibit those businesses, according to an unofficial list compiled by the state's Licensing and Regulatory Affairs Department, which is charged with creating the rules and regulations covering the legal weed market. Read

3/1/19--In New Jersey, dozens of localities have outlawed sales or possession of the drug even before the legislature legalizes it. New Jersey lawmakers are widely expected to legalize pot this year. They have determined that the drug is relatively benign and undeserving of criminal penalties. Yet, quite a few local leaders in the state are determined to do what they can to keep marijuana out of their towns. Read

2/25/29--As New York state moves forward with plans to legalize the recreational use of marijuana, some counties in the state are expressing skepticism and considering whether to “opt out” of recreational marijuana. If marijuana is legalized in New York, counties may be able to stop marijuana businesses from operating within their boundaries, according to WKBW Buffalo. Read

2/15/19--Governor Andrew Cuomo wants New York State to legalize recreational adult-use marijuana in the next 45 days. On Friday, several area police chiefs came out and said they’ll work to curb the governor’s efforts. Cuomo has called for legal pot in the budget due on March 31st. The plan would also allow individual counties and larger cities to opt out of legal marijuana and ban sales outlets from opening. Read