This is a guest post by Michael Jacobs, details in Author section below
At this time, 29 states have enacted legislation concerning the legalization of either medical or recreational marijuana. With so many states enacting legislation, methods of ingesting cannabis that were previously left only to connoisseurs have become more popular among every-day consumers.
Vaporizers have become a more popular way to consume for many different reasons. The quick innovation of electronic cigarettes and offering multi-functionality are just a couple of good reasons. Upcoming legislation in several states will likely cause vaporizers to become more popular as more states, and potentially the federal government, relax their cannabis laws. Here are a few of the bills we’re watching.
California
Currently, in California, Senate Bill 175 would ensure transparency in the branding of marijuana. Currently, laws prohibit cannabis from being labeled from a certain county unless it was actually grown there. However, the author of the bill, Mike McGuire, believed there needed to be clarification. The concern is that some dispensaries or cultivation companies will use names like Humboldt and Mendocino, counties with a strong association with cannabis cultivation, while only using a small amount of cannabis that is produced there.
Additionally, SB162 would prevent cannabis from being advertised on branded clothing. AB 702 would require drivers to submit to tests to determine cannabis intoxication, and AB 420 would allow marijuana businesses to deduct expenses from their state income taxes.
Finally, there is AB 1578 which would prevent state and local authorities, such as law-enforcement, from aiding the federal prosecution of cannabis businesses that are acting in accordance with state law. This one actually has a high chance of being passed.
Federal
Currently, two of the more important pieces of cannabis legislation in Congress are H.R. 1824 and S. 780, known as the “Responsibly Addressing the Marijuana Policy Gap Act of 2017.” This legislation, if enacted, would provide protection for businesses and individuals from federal penalties as long as they were acting within state laws. It would also allow veterans access to medical marijuana and remove barriers to marijuana testing. While all of these are important facets of the cannabis business, perhaps the removal of barriers to banking access and removing some restrictions on business practices are the most important to business owners.
Another important piece of legislation pending would set back the Obama-era “deeming” rule that deemed e-cigarettes to be tobacco products, and therefore, subject to the same regulations. “Hunter’s Bill” would reverse the ruling and exempt vaping devices from many of these rules. One of the more important rules it would roll back is the requirement that new products be reviewed and approved by the FDA before being sold. Proponents of the new bill say that the FDA-approval process is too expensive and would prevent access to the products to smokers.
Negative Bills and Defeats
The most disheartening thing to occur this year regarding medical cannabis was the House Rules Committee blocking a vote to continue the Rohrabacher-Blumenauer Amendment, formerly known as the Rohrabacher-Farr Amendment. The bill, had it been voted into legislation, would have affected the 2018 fiscal year’s spending bill. In essence, the bill prevents the Justice Department, led by Attorney General Jeff Sessions, from spending federal dollars interfering with state cannabis laws. The current amendment expired on September 30th, but likely would be able to ride until December 15. After this point, patients, customers, and businesses in legal-weed states could be left to twist in the wind.
Unfortunately, 2017 will not be a year where more states legalize either medically or recreationally since it’s not a major election year. But there’s a good chance of it happening in 2018 and an even better chance of more legislation hitting the ballot box in 2020, the next presidential election year. And as we see data regarding the benefits of cannabis legalization continue to pile in, there will be more pressure on cannabis to legalize.
Author
Michael is a marketing and creative content specialist at GotVape.com with a primary focus on customer satisfaction. Technology and fitness combined with healthy lifestyle obsession are his main talking points.
About BillTrack50 – BillTrack50 offers free tools for citizens to easily research legislators and bills across all 50 states and Congress. BillTrack50 also offers professional tools to help organizations with ongoing legislative and regulatory tracking, as well as easy ways to share information both internally and with the public.