will Germany lead the way
Last week, Germany's Ministry of Health published a draft bill to regulate cannabis for personal use. The proposed legislation addresses the first pillar of a comprehensive two-pillar model that will end cannabis prohibition in the European country. Under said bill, adults (18+) can possess up to 25g of cannabis for personal use and cultivate a maximum of three plants. However, the consumption of cannabis near an under-aged individual will be prohibited. The BIG news is the removal of cannabis from the Narcotics Drugs Act and other related laws. This move grants the medical cannabis industry more flexibility, although it should be noted that the proposed legislation does not alter the existing medical cannabis industry substantially. The Ministry of Health's draft bill is expected to be approved by the cabinet by August. If passed, this would give an outline for other European nations to follow suit.
HERE COMES FLORIDA...MAYBE
Yesterday, Trulive said that its campaign had collected more than 965k signatures supporting legalizing adult use of recreational marijuana in Florida. That's enough signatures to get on the 2024 ballot, assuming the ballot language is approved by the state supreme court, a heavily conservative-leaning court. "I have confidence that it's going to pass the Supreme Court review. And then really, you know, it's up to the voters and the people of Florida," said Michael Minardi, an attorney and Chairman of Regulate Florida. The state's Attorney General, Ashley Moody, has already commented that the courts should reject the proposal. If it makes it on the 2024 ballot, it will need at least 60% of the vote to pass, but back in 2016 71% of voters approved of medical cannabis.
Are mushrooms coming east?
Political strategists in Massachusetts have quietly filed paperwork to put a therapeutic psychedelics legalization initiative on the state’s 2024 ballot. A statement from the Massachusetts for Mental Health Options (MMHO) committee filed last week says that the group's purpose will be to “expand mental health treatment options in Massachusetts by providing new pathways to access natural psychedelic medicine therapy.” The filing also says that the forthcoming ballot question will be focused on “creating access to natural psychedelic medicine therapy and removing criminal penalties for personal possession of these medicines.” Over the past few years, we have seen some of the earlier adopters of pro-cannabis legislation start to dabble in the psychedelics space.
