Becoming an elite athlete takes years of dedication — long days, longer nights, pain, and sacrifice. As an Olympic caliber sprinter, Sha’Carri Richardson committed herself to the process, navigating a labyrinth of rules and regulations for the chance to compete at the highest level of her sport. On July 2, the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) dashed her dreams of participating in the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games with a suspension for violating its ban on marijuana, an outdated rule with no basis…

Later this year, Rhode Island could become the 20th state in the nation to approve a law that legalizes cannabis for adults. Though the clock ran out in the regularly scheduled legislative session as lawmakers adjourned late last week, there’s still a good chance Rhode Island will end cannabis prohibition before the end of 2021.

Just last week Connecticut became the 19th state to legalize cannabis for adult use. Today, the law officially goes into effect.

Learn more about the new adult-use legalization laws in effect in New Mexico, Connecticut, and Virginia and the new medical cannabis law in South Dakota.

Virginia became the 17th state to legalize cannabis for adult use in April. Today, the new law officially goes into effect!

It has been another frustrating legislative session for cannabis policy reforms in New Hampshire, but we did manage to make some progress. Several bills impacting the medical cannabis program have passed the House and Senate, and most of them are clear improvements. Some of these bills have already been signed by Gov. Chris Sununu, while others are either on his desk or on their way to his desk.

This year, two House committees approved HB 150 — a bill to legalize and regulate cannabis for adults in Delaware. The bill was cleared and scheduled for a House floor vote on June 10, but unfortunately, that vote was postponed to allow more time to work on amendments. The legislature adjourns today. However, since the General Assembly holds a two-year session, the bill will pick up where it left off in January 2022.

Back in April, New Mexico became the 18th state to legalize adult-use cannabis. Today, the new legalization law officially goes into effect.

In 2016, the New Orleans City Council passed an ordinance to “decriminalize” cannabis possession, replacing possible jail time with a modest fine. Advocates hoped the tickets issued would not count as a conviction for purposes of collateral consequences — such as related to student loans and job applications. Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case.

Great news! Louisiana’s medical cannabis patients will be allowed to use cannabis in flower form instead of being limited to extracts and other more costly preparations. Yesterday, Gov. John Bel Edwards signed HB 391 into law, making it Act 424.