Americas

Global business and regulatory news covering the cannabis industry

20th December 2024

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18th December 2024: US - Federal: Congressional House leaders have introduced a continuing resolution to fund the government that includes a one-year extension of the 2018 Farm Bill, press reports. The resolution would fund the government until 14th March but would leave the current Farm Bill in place for at least another year. The status quo would be a boon for the cannabinoid hemp industry, as both parties have previously introduced drafts of a new Farm Bill that would have changed the definition of hemp to reduce the amount of THC that may be contained in hemp. A new Farm Bill is normally passed about every five years, but this would be the second one-year extension after the five-year period.
17th December 2024: US - Ohio: Ohio lawmakers are unlikely to pass a bill restricting delta-8 and synthetic hemp products before the legislative session ends, according to Senate president Matt Huffman. He said the House isn’t interested in the proposal, leaving little time to reach an agreement. Huffman believes the bill is unlikely to move forward, as he said the House showed little interest in a similar effort last December to address issues with the “marijuana initiative”, media reports.
13th December 2024: US - Nebraska: Governor Jim Pillen has signed proclamations that certified the enactment of measure 437 and measure 438. In November, more than 70% of voters across the state approved legalising and regulating medical cannabis. Both measures are now law in the state of Nebraska.
13th December 2024: Brazil: The Attorney General’s Office (AGU) has filed an appeal with the Superior Court of Justice with a request to extend the deadline of six months for the regulation of the import of seeds, cultivation, industrialisation and commercialisation of cannabis plants of up to 0.3% THC for medical, pharmaceutical or industrial purposes. In November 2024, the Superior Court of Justice gave the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) and the federal government six months to issue regulations on the matter. According to the AGU, the regulations are a significant regulatory challenge that requires coordination and political-administrative alignment between several government agencies, which require a longer period to ensure a cohesive, comprehensive and technical approach.
11th December 2024: US - Florida: The Florida Department of Health’s Office of Medical Marijuana Use has published a list of 22 companies that received “letters of intent to approve” their application. In April 2023, 74 applicants initially applied for Medical Marijuana Treatment Center permits. Florida is expanding its medical marijuana market, weeks after the recent failure of Amendment 3 – which aimed to legalise recreational cannabis but fell short of the required 60% approval.
3rd December 2024: US - Federal: The US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has begun hearings to address the Biden administration’s proposal to reclassify cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). According to a DEA advisory released on 26th November, the primary goal was to organise the procedural groundwork for addressing the merits of rescheduling. A key part of yesterday’s hearing was about determining witnesses’ availability for subsequent hearings featuring witness testimony. DEA administrative law judge John Mulrooney said witness testimonies are likely to begin in mid-January.
29th November 2024: Brazil: The National Public Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) has updated its 2024-2025 regulatory agenda. The agenda includes, among other items, a review of the regulation of cannabis products for medical purposes (RDC 327/2019). According to the document, the aim is to “enable safe access to essential products and services for the health of the population”. No more details of the update were provided.
28th November 2024: Costa Rica: The Constitutional Court has declared a bill regulating recreational cannabis unconstitutional, press reports. According to the court, the bill conflicts with international treaties signed by the country, such as the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, the Vienna Convention on Psychotropic Substances, and the United Nations Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances.
22nd November 2024: US - Kentucky: Governor Andy Beshear has announced that, starting 1st December, qualified patients in Kentucky will be able to receive a doctor’s recommendation to access medical cannabis. He said: “Beginning 1st December, the authorised practitioners will be able to begin issuing valid written certifications to Kentucky patients.” The governor’s administration has created a web portal called the Kentucky Medical Cannabis Practitioner Directory to help connect patients with medical providers as it prepares for the start of its medical cannabis programme in 2025.
22nd November 2024: Uruguay: National elections will be held on Sunday (24th November) to determine the next president. Yamandu Orsi of the leftist Broad Front (Frente Amplio) is favoured, though a close race is anticipated, press reports. Notably, cannabis was legalised in 2013 under the Broad Front’s former president José Mujica. Orsi’s opponent, Alvaro Delgado, is from the National Party, which is part of the current ruling Republican Coalition. Both candidates are considered moderate and unlikely to make major reforms, including any significant reforms to cannabis legislation.
19th November 2024: US - Federal: Senate Democrats on the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry have released a draft of the Farm Bill that would introduce changes to federal hemp laws and eliminate most intoxicating hemp-derived cannabinoid (IHDC) products. The bill proposes a change to how hemp is defined. Currently, hemp is federally legal if it contains no more than 0.3% delta-9 THC by dry weight. The new bill would revise this by requiring hemp to be tested for “total THC” content, which includes cannabinoids like delta-8 THC and tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA), rather than only delta-9 THC. The draft bill introduces a definition for “industrial hemp”, which includes fibre, stalks, grain, oil, seeds and other components of the plant that “will not be used in the manufacturing or synthesis of natural or synthetic cannabinoid products”.
14th November 2024: Brazil: The Superior Court of Justice has unanimously decided to authorise the import of seeds, cultivation, industrialisation and commercialisation of cannabis plants of up to 0.3% THC for medical, pharmaceutical or industrial purposes, press reports. The decision is binding, and the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) and the federal government have six months to issue regulations. Hemp is currently prohibited in Brazil.

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