30th October 2024
Cannabis – medical
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Global business and regulatory news covering the cannabis industry
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Daily regulatory updates of legal changes in the cannabis sector, including monthly compilations
6th November 2024
- US - Nebraska: Nebraska voters supported a pair of statutory initiatives to legalise medical cannabis and establish regulations for the industry, with 71% and 67% majorities. Measure 437, which aims to shield medical cannabis patients from penalties for possessing and using cannabis when they have a written recommendation from a healthcare practitioner, as well as to shield prescribing doctors, was favoured by 71% of voters. Additionally, with 67% support, measure 438 aims to establish the Nebraska Medical Cannabis Commission and require it to promulgate regulations for the production and distribution of medical cannabis.
6th November 2024
- Ukraine: The government has regulated the procedure for obtaining quotas for the circulation of medical cannabis for 2025, the Ministry of Health reports. The business entity must submit an application to determine the quota to the State Medical Service by 15th December 2024. The updated procedure also regulates other elements of the circulation of medical cannabis, including the procedure for the destruction of medical cannabis waste and the procedure for cultivation, among others.
5th November 2024
- US - Federal: Today, voters in Florida, North Dakota and South Dakota will vote on ballot initiatives to legalise recreational cannabis in their states while those in Nebraska will vote on medical cannabis measures. The election represents the third time that voters in both North Dakota and South Dakota will decide on this issue. Meanwhile, in Nebraska, voters will vote on a pair of measures that would legalise medical cannabis and establish regulations for the industry.
4th November 2024
- Ukraine: According to deputy health minister Maryna Slobodnichenko, medical cannabis is not currently cultivated or imported in Ukraine, media reports. While the regulatory regime is in place, manufacturers have yet to enter the market – likely due to economic considerations. At the informational meeting with around 80 companies, 10 expressed interest in growing medical cannabis.
31st October 2024
- Australia: The expert consultation report “Medicinal Cannabis and Driving in Victoria” has recommended that patients under treatment with medical cannabis should no longer lose their licence if they’re found to be driving with traces of the drug in their system and that courts should decide on a case-by-case basis whether or not to impose any punishment. The report, which was drafted based on consultations with members of the judiciary, as well as experts in law, policy, medicine and law enforcement, was discussed yesterday at the Parliament of Victoria and was largely backed. It also stated that a law should be introduced concerning this issue.
31st October 2024
- Brazil: The National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) board of directors has approved the prescription of cannabis-based products for veterinary use. Qualified veterinarians can prescribe registered products, products with an Anvisa health authorisation and products for exclusive animal use regulated by the Ministry of Agriculture. Products will require a special prescription.
30th October 2024
- US - Arizona: The Arizona Dispensaries Association (ADA) has announced that starting 1st November 2024, the state will begin to allow recreational cannabis deliveries. Previously, legal cannabis delivery services were only available to the state’s medical cannabis patients. Delivery will be offered through individual dispensaries or third-party delivery services who will have to partner with a state-licensed dispensary to legally deliver the cannabis. Details of the new delivery programme are included in updated adult-use and medical cannabis rules posted by the state Department of Health Services. The changes take effect on 1st November.
29th October 2024
- Pakistan: On 31st October, the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) will hold a meeting of its implementation committee for the agriculture sector to discuss establishing the Cannabis Control and Regulatory Authority (CCRA). This follows the passage in September of related legislation in the parliament. The committee will address the processing of cannabis policy, approval of the CCRA’s organogram and other related matters.
28th October 2024
- Costa Rica: On 18th October the regulations to law 10113, which regulated the medical and industrial use of cannabis, were published in the Official Gazette. The regulations set rules for cultivation and production licences, authorise magistral preparations, and add a traceability system and recording keeping requirements. The regulations distinguish between non-psychoactive cannabis (with a THC content of less than 1%) and psychoactive cannabis (with a THC content of 1% or more).
25th October 2024
- Australia: Medical cannabis prescriptions have reached an all-time high in the country, press reports. Around 300,000 prescriptions have been granted in Australia since it legalised medical cannabis in 2016. There are over 3,000 medicinal cannabis providers operating in the country, placing more than 1,000 different products in the market.
24th October 2024
- Costa Rica: Pharmacies will start selling the first medical cannabis products in January 2025, press reports. According to Thomas McCullen, executive director of the pharmaceutical company Green Mountain Medical, the range of products available will be broad and will include cannabis flowers, extracts, gummies and cookies.
22nd October 2024
- US - Arkansas: The Arkansas Supreme Court has rejected the state’s “Medical Marijuana Amendment of 2024”, stating that any vote for the proposed amendment would not be counted because the measure’s name and title are misleading. In September, secretary of state John Thurston said the group had not submitted enough valid signatures to get the amendment on the November ballot. In reply, organisers of the ballot petition filed a lawsuit against Thurston seeking to overturn his decision. The court agreed that the measure’s title is misleading because it fails to adequately explain that – beyond expanding the state’s medical cannabis programme – it would also more broadly legalise possession of cannabis if a federal policy change is made.
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