As New Mexico prepares for retail marijuana sales on April 1, the U.S. House of Representatives is expected to vote to decriminalize marijuana on a federal level. We’re rounding up the legal cannabis industry stories we’ve been reading this last month.

House Vote to Legalize Marijuana This Week

This week, the House of Representatives is expected to pass a bill that would decriminalize marijuana use on a federal level. This is a move that is overwhelmingly popular among Americans: An April 2021 poll from Pew Research found that 91% of U.S. adults think marijuana should be legal, either medically, recreationally or both at the federal level. And while the vote would open the door to radically change how weed is used in the U.S., analysts expect it to face hurdles in the Senate. The House is expected to vote on the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act by Friday. Forbes.

Retail marijuana sales across New Mexico begin April 1

Marijuana aficionados and entrepreneurs across New Mexico are bracing for the April 1 start of state-regulated retail marijuana. Starting at midnight on April 1, all adults 21 and up will be allowed to buy up to 2 ounces (57 grams) of marijuana at retail outlets throughout the state. The changes take effect 15 years after the state first began offering medical marijuana to help people endure afflictions including cancer, and a portion of future supplies are being reserved for cannabis patients. US News.

Kentucky House Passes Medical Marijuana Legalization Bill

On March 17, the Kentucky House of Representatives passed a bill to legalize medical marijuana in the state. The legislation now heads to the Senate. The measure, sponsored by Rep. Jason Nemes (R), was taken up by the full chamber about a week after clearing the House Judiciary Committee. Under Nemes’s broader medical cannabis legislation, regulators would set many of the program’s specific rules—for example personal possession limits—during an implementation period later this year if the bill passes.The program would launch in early 2023 if the legislation is ultimately enacted. Marijuana Moment.

France Enters The Medical Cannabis Industry

The French government issued a decree last month that authorizes the cultivation of medical cannabis and the development of its industry. Although the decree entered into force on March 1, 2022, regulators need to implement it. The legislation only specifies the conditions and procedures for the cultivation and production of cannabis for medical use. France has one of the strictest cannabis policies in the European Union (EU), although it has one of the highest cannabis consumption rates in Europe. Forbes.

UK Medical Cannabis Trial to Begin ‘ASAP’

Large-scale trials of medical cannabis in the UK will begin "as soon as possible", the department of health and social care has said. The government's National Institute for Health Research is to oversee the studies - which will look at the effects of the substance on epilepsy sufferers. Independent.

More news:

• Decentralized Opportunities: How Cannabis Could Factor Into Web3, Metaverse
• Bermuda House of Assembly Approves Legislation to Legalize Cannabis
• 1st NY pot sales permits will go to people with convictions
• New Hampshire Lawmakers Approve State-Run Marijuana Legalization Bill
• New Jersey Govener Says Marijuana Sales Only ‘Weeks’ Away, Even After Regulators Delay Approvals

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