Marijuana Business Magazine February 2019

Marijuana Business Magazine | February 2019 28 Nebraska Two state lawmakers revealed plans to place a medical marijuana legalization measure on the 2020 ballot. State Sens. Anna Wishart and Adam Morfeld, both Democrats from Lincoln, announced the formation of Nebraskans for Sensible Marijuana Laws. “We arrived at this place because we haven’t seen any action by the Legislature,”Wishart said after filing paperwork to form the committee. Nebraska’s Republican-dominated Legislature has repeatedly rejected attempts to legalize medical marijuana. Nevada The state Supreme Court dismissed a lawsuit that would have required Nevada to license only alcohol wholesalers as distributors of recreational marijuana. The decision doesn’t have an immediate effect, but “it will allow us to select from a broader range of applicants,” said Stephanie Klapstein, spokeswoman for the Nevada Department of Taxation. Nevada has 33 marijuana distribution licensees, including 24 nonalcohol distributors that were licensed before the state Supreme Court filed a temporary injunction in September 2017 prohibiting regulators from issuing more rec MJ distributor licenses. New Jersey Despite the eagerness of Gov. Phil Murphy to sign an adult-use marijuana bill before the end of 2018, New Jersey lawmakers failed to reach a compromise deal before the Legislature’s final session Dec. 17. However, regulators doubled the number of medical marijuana dispensaries that can operate in the state, bringing the total to 12. The move could help alleviate a product shortage that arose from a growing patient pool amid limited business licenses. New Mexico The state’s largest medical cannabis producer is suing the New Mexico health department over regulations that govern edibles, salves, lotions and other products infused with marijuana. Bernalillo-based Ultra Health contends the agency doesn’t have the authority to license legal cannabis manufacturers, which take the raw material from producers and turn it into infused products. The suit says that vertically integrated producers such as Ultra Health must pay licensing fees of up to $90,000 a year, while manufacturers of cannabis-infused products pay only $1,000 a year. Lawyers for Ultra Health say the goal is to come up with a fair fee structure. Industry Developments | International & State