Rhode Island The upper chamber of the Rhode Island General Assembly approved a bill to legalize recreational cannabis, but the House of Representatives adjourned before approving the bill. Separately, state regulators again delayed a lottery for medical cannabis business licenses because of an ongoing administrative appeal by a rejected lottery applicant. It was the second delay for the lottery, which was originally set to take place last spring. Utah A lawsuit claims that out-of-state marijuana companies were given preference during the application process for eight medical cannabis cultivation licenses the state awarded in 2019. The federal complaint alleges officials at the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food coached multistate marijuana growers on how to succeed in the application process. JLPR, the plaintiff in the suit, also alleges that officials allowed their personal connections to affect their judgment in the scoring process. JLPR is asking the court to order state regulators to grant the company a cultivation permit or " put it first in line for a license when the next one becomes available. " JLPR also is seeking unspecified monetary damages. September 2021 | mjbizdaily.com 35https://www.pattersonfan.com/cannabis.html http://www.mjbizdaily.com