Texas bills to decriminalize cannabis and allow cannabis as an opioid alternative for pain patients die in senate
Texas House-passed bills to decriminalize cannabis, facilitate expungements and allow chronic pain patients to access medical cannabis as an opioid alternative are officially dead for the year, reports Marijuana Moment.
Senate leadership refusing to bring up the measures for consideration ahead of Monday’s end of the legislative session, writes the publication, and that Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has continued what has effectively been a years-long blockade on cannabis legislation by not advancing the bills to the floor.
Rep. Stephanie Klick (R), who sponsored the medical cannabis expansion bill, stated: “It’s a really missed opportunity to help patients. We’ll try again next session. This really is something that has changed the lives of some patients, and we need to keep working.”
Q1 cannabis sales in California fall to $1.25M, lowest level since pandemic
MJ Biz Daily reports that First-quarter cannabis sales in California slid to $1,249,584,223, the lowest quarterly total since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sales were down 5.9% from the same quarter a year ago and the publication highlights that , if projections hold true, cannabis sales would fall for the second consecutive year in the world’s largest regulated market.
According to MJ Biz, as well as high taxes, competition from the illicit market and wide swaths of the state still lacking retail access, a credit crises has engulfed the California industry.
To tackle the problems, a number of California cannabis brands, wholesalers and producers have launched Financial Stability for California Cannabis to confront complex debt problems affecting the entire supply chain.
Canada’s Competition Bureau pushes for cannabis legislation changes to boost competition and displace illicit market
Canada’s Competition Bureau has expressed its support for changes to cannabis legislation in order to boost competition and displace the illicit market, Proactive Investors reported.
The bureau is recommending adjustments to THC limits, relaxing restrictions on cannabis packaging and marketing, and easing regulations on promotion and labeling.
It believes that increased competition will lead to innovation, more choices and higher quality products for consumers, and a reduction in illegal market activities.
The bureau also suggests reducing compliance costs and reviewing the excise duties framework. These recommendations come as a response to a survey revealing that nearly half of cannabis users exclusively purchase from legal sources.
