John Schroyer
Political wrangling over legalizing both medical and recreational marijuana in various U.S. states continues as it does every year, but thus far in 2023, at least five states have formally defeated various attempts at creating new cannabis markets.
Indiana
The Hoosier State’s legislature shot down a swath of bills to do everything from legalize recreational marijuana to creating limited medical programs, the Indiana Capital Chronicle reported last week. None of the bills received a vote in either chamber, both of which are controlled by Republican supermajorities.
Lawmakers even rejected an attempt to regulate the federally legal hemp trade. Indiana remains one of the few national state holdouts, with essentially no functional cannabis market of any type.
Mississippi
Another deep red state that has long been wary of cannabis reform, Mississippi’s Republican legislature defeated a trio of marijuana bills that would have legalized adult use, according to the Marijuana Policy Project’s bill tracking site.
Medical marijuana sales launched in January after the GOP legislature approved a restrictive market in 2022, which only came after a voter-approved MMJ ballot measure from 2020 was thrown out by the state Supreme Court.
Tennessee
The Volunteer State’s latest attempt at setting up a limited medical marijuana market was again met with defeat on the last day of February, when a Republican bill was shot down by the state Senate Judiciary Committee in “nearly a party-line vote,” WKRN reported.
The issue remains a deeply partisan one, with other Democratic-led attempts at legalizing MMJ meeting with even quicker defeat, according to WKRN. However, the Republican sponsor of the latest bill, Sen. Janice Bowling, told the news outlet she plans to reintroduce the measure in 2024, so the issue may have a toehold of bipartisanship.
Virginia
Perhaps the toughest hit for the cannabis industry to absorb so far this year is the failure of Virginia lawmakers to approve a re-enactment bill this year, to finish off what state Democrats began in 2021 with a legalization bill signed by then-Gov. Ralph Northam.
The lack of a bill means that the state won’t make its self-imposed deadline of 2024 to launch recreational sales, and leaves Virginia with a quagmire of a gray market, since possession and consumption are now already legal.
After Democrats lost both the governor’s mansion and the House of Delegates in the 2021 election, Republicans walked back the timeline the Democrats had put in place under Northam, and now it’s up in the air when lawmakers will put together a framework for legal recreational sales. Medical marijuana sales in Virginia launched in 2020.
Wyoming
Another of a few national state holdouts that maintain total cannabis prohibition, Wyoming’s strict petition system has again defeated cannabis activists who were attempting to get a pair of legalization initiatives onto the 2024 ballot, the Casper Star-Tribune reported.
Wyoming NORML and the state Libertarian Party had been collecting signatures, but told reporters that they wouldn’t be able to clear the petition system hurdles to make a deadline this month. Wyoming NORML pledged to attempt legalization through the legislature, but lawmakers adjourned on March 3 and won’t be back until the next session begins in 2025.
One comment
Corwin Richardson
March 6, 2023 at 8:32 am
Good morning, my name is Corwin Richardson. Owner of Cultivating Better Days Hemp Farm in Oconomowoc. A woman (my wife) owned farm that I am a tenant farmer for my market vegetable and closed hemp farm that I operated until i surrendeed my h3mp licenseafter being poisonedand left for dead by the fda.. I was poisoned by unregulated hemp after being forced to destroy my crop. I lost 30 pounds in 2 months and was on my death bed waiting for help. I contact the fda and left a voice mail pleading for help, I also filed an official fda adverse health effects claim on the government website due to me already have whistleblown illegal and deadly products I found online. They ignored my whistleblowing about the narcotics trafficking, but neglected to contact me about my current near death status marked on the claim. The dea chose to obstruct my justice against that deadly hemp company and changed the hemp law to fit their narrative. We in Wisconsin due to our geographical location and states political views, have left our rights extorted, much like the hundreds of millions of state funds extorted and profiteered into cannabis companies by the state of Wisconsin Investment Board. I will get justice for being poisoned and left for dead by our own government. We deserve our right to health in Wisconsin, not offered poisoned hemp as a safer alternative. I will be putting all of this in my book aswell. Due to being over prescribed deadly pharmaceuticals and hooked on alcohol at 11yrs old due to my geographical location and prohibition. The book is about how hard it is to be a crippled farmer in a gerrymandering fraudulent state like wisconsin. They have mentally abused us just like domestically abusive alcoholic relatives. We were raped as children, we don’t need to be raped by our so called protectors of our state as well. Enough dehumanizing us and leaving us for dead all while they commit ethics violations and go against the constitution. We have the fundamental human right to health. Not be poisoned and left for dead by the fda, dea, state and federal government. The DATCP even told me they could not help me when I was poisoned. I was hung up on by the farmer crisis 911 woman. This country has failed farmers and our safety in this country. We deserve health, not a death sentence motivated by political attacks. Was horrified to recently see that the deadly drug bextra that they over prescribed me aswell was recalled and I was never notified of it wrecking hearts. Nice to see that years after having heart surgery. The fda and dea must be held accountable for abandonment and attempting to silence me by death. Inaction is negligence. Thank for your time and God bless. This is the deadly company kandy boy that i told Fiona fromt the usda months ago about the deadly and illegal hemp all over and she ignored my pleads for help, so did the fda and dea on all of my official whistleblowing attempts at getting medical help from the government on what to do to save my life due to being poisoned due to prohibition.
I was poisoned by a bad hemp product thc-o and was on my death bed. I filed an official fda whistleblower complaint aswell as an official fda deadly adverse health effects due to an fda overseen product. The fda also neglectednto have time to respond to my voice-mail pleading for what to do to survive being poisoned. After the fda abandoned me dying, the dea chose to turn a blind eye and obstruction of justice seemed more important than an Americans fundamental human rights and life. My civil rights were violated when the agricultural disposition interview was cut short and I was deemed exempt from my devastating h3mp season resulting in me being sidelined in my recovery as an addict and as an american that has suffered many health issues. They chose majority capital gains over ethics, morals and constitutional obligations. The state of Wisconsin is also guilty of acreage theft from a woman owned farm. This is absolutely devastating especially after being hung up on by the farm whole family wellness 911 crisis line. Lack of oversight and the unintended consequences of prohibition has came to an ugly deadly head. And now I fear for my life due to unethical, politically motivated attacks on us in burdened health states. God bless amd stay safe. I never thought I would see the day the government turns there back on a dying American pleading for help and blowing every whistle I could find. Left to die an inhumane end to a conflict of interest the fda and dea hold. I have filed for a Supreme Court of appeals case for the attempt on my life via changing the law on thc-o afterni had blown whistles for months, profiteering and conspiracy to defraud an american. My book will shed light on the profiteering and extortion of our rights and health for politically motivated financial gains. Shed light into how neglected and pillaged us wisconsinites are unethically treated in a con ran gerrymandering fraudulent state like wisconsin. My farm, woodworking business, family and health all died due to the fraudulent cons of the republic and the federal government. We are coming for your pensions as reparations for your unethical treatment and bullied dehumanizing domestically abusive practices and culpable negligence. See you cons in federal courtI was poisoned by a bad hemp product thc-o and was on my death bed. I filed an official fda whistleblower complaint aswell as an official fda deadly adverse health effects due to an fda overseen product. The fda also neglectednto have time to respond to my voice-mail pleading for what to do to survive being poisoned. After the fda abandoned me dying, the dea chose to turn a blind eye and obstruction of justice seemed more important than an Americans fundamental human rights and life. My civil rights were violated when the agricultural disposition interview was cut short and I was deemed exempt from my devastating h3mp season resulting in me being sidelined in my recovery as an addict and as an american that has suffered many health issues. They chose majority capital gains over ethics, morals and constitutional obligations. The state of Wisconsin is also guilty of acreage theft from a woman owned farm. This is absolutely devastating especially after being hung up on by the farm whole family wellness 911 crisis line. Lack of oversight and the unintended consequences of prohibition has came to an ugly deadly head. And now I fear for my life due to unethical, politically motivated attacks on us in burdened health states. God bless amd stay safe. I never thought I would see the day the government turns there back on a dying American pleading for help and blowing every whistle I could find. Left to die an inhumane end to a conflict of interest the fda and dea hold. I have filed for a Supreme Court of appeals case for the attempt on my life via changing the law on thc-o afterni had blown whistles for months, profiteering and conspiracy to defraud an american