MJBizMag May-June 2023 - 22

INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENTS State by State
Pennsylvania
Medical cannabis costs incurred in Pennsylvania as a result of work-related injuries are eligible for
reimbursement, a state court ruled.
The Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court sided with the plaintiffs in two separate cases, the
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported.
In each case, the plaintiff's " claims were denied, and the appeals board upheld those denials, " the
newspaper reported, " but the Commonwealth Court reversed the appeals boards' decisions. "
According to the Post-Gazette, the Commonwealth Court pointed out in both rulings that
Pennsylvania's MMJ statute did not require insurance firms to cover the cost of MMJ.
However, the court said, the law does say that Pennsylvania's MMJ patients shouldn't be " denied
any rights for lawful use of medical marijuana. "
Virginia
Gov. Glenn Youngkin amended a contentious bill that would have limited hemp-derived products in
the state to 2 milligrams of THC per container.
Youngkin's amendments, which state lawmakers approved, will allow hemp-derived products to
contain a CBD-to-THC ratio of 25 to 1.
The governor removed another provision in the bill that would require producers to add a bittering
agent to hemp topicals.
The Virginia Cannabis Association had advocated for more amendments to the bill, which they said
would hurt the local economy and kill jobs.
Hemp operators said that the new 25-to-1 ratio limit is not enough and will still take a toll on
their businesses. " A 10-to-1 ratio would be more workable, " said Savana Griffith, owner of the Hemp
Spectrum in Virginia Beach.
Washington state
The Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (LCB) has put a handful of marijuana licensees
on " administrative hold " as it investigates pesticide contamination in the soil of a specific area of
Okanogan County.
The regulatory halt affects cannabis companies on " a stretch of former fruit orchards in northcentral
Washington, " where the pesticide DDT was once used, the Associated Press reported.
Random testing of cannabis from that area found " detectable levels " of
dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE), a " remnant product " of now-banned DDT.
The holds apply to cannabis products from five licensees so far, a spokesperson for the LCB told
MJBizDaily. Up to 13 other licensees could be affected by further administrative holds, according to
an LCB spokesperson, who noted that a single marijuana business can have more than one license per
location.
The LCB said it was " securing and testing on-shelf products from all 18 licensees in the geographical
area " and has asked licensees " with DDE tests above actionable limits " to start a recall.
The regulator said marijuana plants are particularly vulnerable to environmental contamination
because they " can absorb contaminants such as pesticides and heavy metals to a much higher degree
than many other plants.
" Cannabis that is concentrated into oils may subsequently concentrate any contamination by five to
tenfold. "
Note: Entries sourced from MJBizDaily and other international, national and local news outlets. These developments
occurred before this magazine's publication deadline, so some situations might have changed.
20 May-June 2023 | MJBizMagazine

MJBizMag May-June 2023

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