MJBiz - July 2023 - 20

INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENTS State by State
Connecticut
State legislators took the first step toward outlawing synthetic marijuana and imposing THC caps
on sleep aids and other consumable products sold in convenience and CBD stores outside the state's
regulated medical and recreational cannabis markets.
Members of the state House of Representatives voted 148-1 for a bipartisan bill that represents the
first of what is likely to be annual regulatory updates to Connecticut's adult-use marijuana market,
which launched in July 2022.
The legislation would ban the unregulated sale of synthetic marijuana, including products containing
chemically induced offshoots of delta-8 and delta-9.
In February, Connecticut's attorney general sued five store operators for allegedly selling illegal
products containing delta-8 THC.
The bill also would place limits on the amount of THC in products sold outside the regulated market.
Delaware
Gov. John Carney said he would allow legislation that legalizes recreational marijuana in the state to
become law, making Delaware the 22nd state in the U.S. to legalize adult-use marijuana and set up a
regulated industry.
Business licenses could be issued as soon as this summer, though it's not yet known when sales
would begin.
Lawmakers say a 15% tax rate established in the pending legislation is among the country's lowest.
This year, after two marijuana reform bills passed the state General Assembly with a veto-proof
majority, the governor faced the choice of vetoing the bills and risking the Assembly overturning the
veto or allowing both bills to become law without his signature.
Carney's choice to legalize via inaction follows a similar path taken in Vermont, where Gov. Phil Scott
also allowed legislation legalizing adult-use marijuana to become law in 2020 without his signature.
Florida
The Florida Department of State said that Smart & Safe Florida, an initiative campaign funded almost
entirely by Florida-based multistate operator Trulieve Cannabis, had collected 967,528 valid signatures
as of June 2, well past the 900,000-signature threshold needed to qualify for the November 2024
ballot.
However, in May, Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody announced a legal challenge intended to
disqualify Smart & Safe Florida from the ballot.
If passed, the constitutional amendment would allow Florida's existing medical marijuana treatment
centers to start selling cannabis to adults 21 and older.
Georgia
Medical marijuana dispensaries are expected to open in Georgia within weeks, nearly eight years after
lawmakers first approved an MMJ program.
More than 26,000 MMJ patients and 19,000 caregivers in Georgia are registered with the state.
Under Georgia law, qualified patients can legally possess up to 20 fluid ounces of " low-THC oil, "
not exceeding 5 milligrams of THC. Flower, edibles and vape cartridges are banned in Georgia's MMJ
program.
The state issued Class 1 production licenses last September to Botanical Sciences and Trulieve
Georgia, which are permitted to open six dispensaries each.
20 July 2023 | MJBizMagazine

MJBiz - July 2023

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