5 Marijuana Questions You’re Too Embarrassed To Ask

-

June 25, 2021

5 Marijuana Questions You’re Too Embarrassed To Ask

One of the most popular questions from people who’ve never tried marijuana before is “what does it feels like to be high?”

Marijuana and the way in which it’s viewed has rapidly evolved over the last couple of years. The drug is now legal in different countries and certain parts of the U.S., and with that comes a reevaluation of it, from the creation of new products, to the study of the plant’s medicinal and recreational abilities.

While most of your marijuana questions can be answered by conducting a thorough Google search, it helps when you have a list of questions that guide you and hold your hand. While marijuana has become increasingly popular over the years, if you don’t know someone who introduces you to it and provides you with your first joint, you may have a lot of stereotypes and information to parse through in order to get answers.

Here are 5 seemingly obvious yet common marijuana questions and their (hopefully helpful) answers:

Smoking More Weed Gets You Higher — Until A Point — Photo by Alex Moiseev via Unsplash

How does it feel to be high?

One of the most popular questions from people who’ve never tried marijuana before is “what does it feels like to be high?” While every person experiences highs in a different way, with some reporting positive experiences and others not so much, marijuana highs are known for their haziness, their giggly fits, the paranoia that they sometimes produce and the deep conversations that they tend to result in. While the experience is often compared to being drunk, marijuana allows you to retain more physical and mental control. (Check out Weed 101: What Does It Feel Like To Be High? And Differences In Marijuana Highs: Flowers, Edibles and Concentrates)

What are marijuana strains?

Businesses Are Better In States With Legal Marijuana — Photo by Zummolo/Getty Images

There are different kinds of marijuana strains, producing different highs. While the marijuana world has traditionally split its cannabis into indicas and sativas, this categorization isn’t as accurate as some would like, with most strains nowadays being a hybrid of the two plants. The best way to get an accurate predictor of your high is to ask your budtender about the properties of the weed they’re selling, letting them know of the high that you want to experience.

What’s the difference between vaping vs. smoking weed?

While you’re consuming the same cannabis through both methods, there are differences, and cannabis users tend to pick a lane and stick to it. Flower smokers might prefer the ritual of preparing their joints or packing their bowls, while vape users might enjoy the discretion that comes with their device. The main difference that exists between these two methods is that vapes use their cannabinoids more thoroughly, meaning that you can get high while inhaling less cannabis than if you were smoking flower. Here’s How To Use Every Single Drop Of Liquid From THC Cartridges.

Where is cannabis legal in the US?

Grading The Presidential Candidates On Marijuana: Overall Rankings — Photo by wildpixel/Getty Images

While cannabis is legal in different states across the U.S., if you’re not keeping up with the news it’s tough to keep track of them, especially when you account for medicinal or recreational marijuana. You can find plenty of maps online, like this one, that is updated whenever a state legalizes the herb to let you know which states have medicinal, recreational or mixed legal marijuana systems in place.

Is marijuana bad for your health?

There’s mixed opinions on marijuana and its negative side effects. While some believe that marijuana addiction is not possible, some experts believe that marijuana addiction is real, particularly is users are spending the majority of their time smoking weed do so to the detriment of other more productive activities. Still, this belief is based on the stereotype that people who consume marijuana are rendered useless after doing so, while evidence points to the contrary. More and more people of all ages show that they can use marijuana regularly and still maintain active lifestyles and stable jobs.

Oregon Senate Approves Sales Tax Hike On Marijuana Consumers

Kevin Jacoby

-

June 24, 2021

0

Oregon Senate Approves Sales Tax Hike On Marijuana Consumers

The measure now moves to the House for consideration and, based on the vote in the Senate, is likely to pass unless constituents make their voices heard in opposition.

On June 23, 2021, the Oregon Senate approved on a vote of 23-6 a measure (SB 864) that, if passed by the House of Representatives and signed by Governor Kate Brown, will allow cities and counties to raise their portion of the sales tax on marijuana items sold in recreational dispensaries from 3%, as allowed under current law, to 10%. This means that the total tax applied at the time of sale could increase from 20% to 27%, representing a 35% tax hike to Oregon recreational cannabis consumers.

While the bill, if it becomes law, will not automatically result in a tax increase, it will allow the governing bodies of cities and counties to raise the marijuana sales tax within their own jurisdictions, much like current law. However, if past experience is predictive, it is nearly certain that most or all local governments will take the necessary steps to enact the tax increase. Customers who present current, valid OMMP cards at the time of sale will continue to be exempt from this tax.

When It Comes To Cannabis Tax, Here Are The States That Win — Photo by 400tmax/Getty Images

The measure now moves to the House for consideration and, based on the vote in the Senate, is likely to pass unless constituents make their voices heard in opposition. If you’d like to make your voice heard, you can use this online tool to look up your representative. The legislative session is set to expire on Sunday, June 27, 2021, so time is of the essence.

Kevin Jacoby is an attorney at Green Light Law Group. He has focused his career on advising small to medium-sized businesses both in litigation matters and in all aspects of administrative compliance and employment relations. In addition to business-to-business litigation, Kevin has devoted a significant amount of his practice to administrative law.

This article originally appeared on Green Light Law Group and has been reposted with permission.

Cannabis Licensee Residency Requirements (Which Are Dumb) Are Probably Unconstitutional

Vince Sliwoski

-

June 24, 2021

0

Cannabis Licensee Residency Requirements (Which Are Dumb) Are Probably Unconstitutional

The Dormant Commerce Clause prohibits state legislation that discriminates against interstate or international commerce. Our favorite example? Residency requirements in the case of cannabis business ownership.

One interesting thing about cannabis law is how so much of it ties into “first principles”, or bedrock tenets of the U.S. Constitution. We lawyers spend our days papering deals and suing folks (always with good cause) and defending clients from lawsuits (which are always B.S.), so we seldom revisit first principles.

But these principles include massively important things like conflicts in law arising from the Constitution’s Supremacy Cause (favoring the federal government), versus the states’ “reserved” rights under the Tenth Amendment. In the case of today’s blog post, the Constitutional issue is the Dormant Commerce Clause (“DCC”) as it relates to cannabis residency requirements. A federal court in Missouri just put a freeze on those requirements.

Cannabis Unionization Efforts Continue To Grow Across Several States — Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

Before I get going on this, I’d like to confirm I’m not a litigator and I’m certainly no great Constitutional law scholar. The closest I get to either of these things is: 1) writing tough letters before handing a file to one of the very smart litigators we are lucky to have at the law firm, and 2) teaching a Cannabis Law & Policy course here at the local law school. Other than that, I mostly give people business advice and help them solve problems out of court.

Anyway, the dormant commerce clause (“DCC”) is a fascinating little point of law we’ve been noodling on this blog since at least 2015. The DCC is sourced from the U.S. Constitution, but is not actually written there. Instead, the DCC is a judicial doctrine that courts have inferred from the (non-dormant) Commerce Clause in Article I. Briefly, the DCC prohibits state legislation that discriminates against interstate or international commerce. Our favorite example? Residency requirements in the case of cannabis business ownership.

In addition to arguing that these nativist requirements are legally questionable, our position generally has been that restrictions on residency are a bad idea. They are terribly hard to draft (and often drafted by lawyers without business chops, to boot); they are harder to enforce; and they seldom achieve their desired, protectionist results. People game them like crazy! But if you goal is to prevent someone from taking a loan from their out-of-state grandmother to launch a small business, or if you want to ensure that minority communities with limited access to capital have an even smaller chance at succeeding, then residency requirements, I suppose, are great.

When we do find ourselves working in residency requirement states (like Washington) what we’ve generally found is that there is simply more work for lawyers and regulators, while industry suffers. In my view, Oregon was basically a fiasco until residency requirements were abolished back in 2016. Everyone ought to follow suit. Eventually, they will. And eventually, cannabis program residency requirements will go the way of federal cannabis prohibition.

marijuana — Photo by Cavan Images/Getty Images

Anyway, back to this federal court ruling. Given what I’ve written above, I was happy to see this important decision come down a few days ago. On June 21, the U.S. District Court for Western District of Missouri, Central Division, preliminarily enjoined (blocked) the local regulatory body from enforcing that state’s ill-conceived 51% residency ownership requirement. The court’s basic rationale is that Mark Togo, the plaintiff suing to strike down the residency requirement, is likely to prevail at the end of this lawsuit on DCC grounds. Because of this ruling, the Missouri Department of Health and Human Services (DHSS) is not allowed to enforce the residency requirement against Mr. Togo or anybody else until the case is fully adjudicated or settled.

I’ll be interested to see if DHSS pursues the time-honored administrative strategy of slow-walking transactions during the pendency of litigation, or if the agency will stand down on this bozo rule. The latter course of action is what Maine followed last year. That state was also sued on a DCC theory with respect to its residency requirement. In response, the state (on advice from its lawyers) decided to cease enforcement of residency rules altogether. Presumably, Maine is now like Oregon or California or Nevada or any of the other common sense states that don’t discriminate against their neighbors.

Is the Missouri lawsuit ultimately going to succeed? Hard to say. Like I said, the ruling is promising in that the court feels Mr. Togo is likely to prevail (and the court only required that he post a $10,000 bond, which is small as far as these things go). That said, other plaintiffs in other states have failed. In Oklahoma, for example, a federal judge recently threw out one of these DCC lawsuits by a Washington plaintiff, holding that the state is protected from the lawsuit by the Eleventh Amendment. So it’s possible we are teed up for a circuit split, as the litigators say.

We’ll keep you posted on this interesting topic. In the meantime, for more on cannabis and the dormant commerce clause, check out the following blog posts:

Vince Sliwoski is an attorney at Harris Bricken, a law firm with lawyers in Seattle, Portland, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Barcelona, and Beijing. This story was originally published on the Canna Law Blog and has been reposted with permission.

Driving High On Marijuana Might Not Be As Dangerous As This

Mike Adams

-

June 24, 2021

0

Driving High On Marijuana Might Not Be As Dangerous As This

DUID cases involving marijuana get tossed out of court a lot of times in legal states simply because impairment cannot be proven.

Ever since states started legalizing marijuana for this reason and that, law enforcement agencies, politicians and anyone else dead set against a pot-progressive America has stood up against the herb. They’re worried that it might lead to an uptick of dangerous drivers on the road. Yep, stoned driving is the new enemy of the nation’s sober soldiers, even though there is no actual proof that operating a vehicle under the influence of marijuana is all that treacherous.

In fact, a new study finds that while driving stoned isn’t necessarily the safest thing a person could be doing, it is actually a lot less hazardous than driving with a head full of prescription drugs.

Could CBD Cause Impaired Driving? — Photo by William Krause via Unsplash

Researchers of the Lambert Initiative for Cannabinoid Therapeutics at the University of Sydney recently set out to get to the bottom of the effectiveness of zero-tolerance cannabis laws. In some parts of the world, it’s against the law to even drive with THC in your system, even though the presence of it doesn’t necessarily mean the driver is impaired. There is no valid device for detecting cannabis impairment, which is why there is so much controversy surrounding stoned driving. Nobody can tell who is driving high and who isn’t. So, 16 states have made it illegal to test positive at all.

However, this particular study, which was published in the International Journal of Drug Policy, shows that driving under the influence of marijuana isn’t as risky as doing it with many other highly prescribed medications “such as antidepressants, opioids and benzodiazepines.” The study shows that drivers motoring around town on prescription drugs are more than twice as likely to have a traffic accident than sober drivers. Stoned marijuana users behind the wheel were only approximately 1-1.4 times as likely to be in an accident than their sober counterparts – showing that while marijuana isn’t exactly safe to use on the roadways, it is more so than opioids and benzos.

“Road safety risks associated with medicinal cannabis appear similar or lower than numerous other potentially impairing prescription medications,” the study authors wrote. “The application of presence-based offenses to medicinal cannabis patients appears to derive from the historical status of cannabis as a prohibited drug with no legitimate medical application. We conclude that in medical-only access models, there is little evidence to justify the differential treatment of medicinal cannabis patients, compared with those taking other prescription medications with potentially impairing effects.”

US Goes To Mars, But Still No Effective Marijuana Breathalyzer — Photo by LeslieLauren/Getty Images

Interestingly, antidepressants, opioids and benzodiazepines are used by tens of thousands of Americans every day who have no qualms whatsoever about driving with them in their system. Why? Because they were prescribed by a doctor, and a medical professional wouldn’t dare give them a drug that could impair their ability to drive. Yeah, right.

Even though these medications come with warnings urging patients to avoid operating motor vehicles or heavy machinery, the labels are mostly ignored. Meanwhile, law enforcement agencies in states where marijuana is legal are hellbent on busting drivers under the influence of drugs (DUID). These offenses come with a lot of the same repercussions as getting busted for driving drunk. There are heavy fines, loss of license and even drug classes.

The only solace is that since there isn’t a standard detecting device for THC impairment, these cases can be (and should be) fought in a court of law. DUID cases involving marijuana get tossed out of court a lot of times in legal states simply because impairment cannot be proven. Unfortunately, these punishments cannot be avoided in zero tolerance states.

Other research published over the years has turned up similar results. In the end, it appears that zero-tolerance laws need to be reconsidered. Indiana recently amended its zero-tolerance policy to provide motorists with an affirmative defense for testing positive for THC. While far from perfect, it at least gives motorists with THC in their system a fighting chance at avoiding a DUID conviction.

The Best Time To Submit A Job Application

Culture
News

Maria Loreto

-

June 23, 2021

0

The Best Time To Submit A Job Application

You have little control over how your job applications are received, but timing can play an important part. Here’s the best time to do it, according to experts.

Unemployment has been steadily improving across the U.S. Still, due to the economic stress prompted by the past year, a large percentage of people remain on the lookout for jobs. Job hunting is a difficult process, mainly because almost everything appears to be out of your control. But according to some hiring experts, when you decide to submit a job application can have an important impact. Here is the best time to submit a job application.

TikTok Also Wants To Be A Job Search App — Photo by Harry Cunningham via Unsplash

The Huffington Post spoke to several recruiting and HR experts who explained some facts that remain in your control when applying to job postings. Several said that the best time to submit an application was either early morning or late at night.

“The early bird gets the worm,” said job search strategist Ashlee Watkins. “I’ve checked applications at all times of the day, but typically the initial check of my applications was first thing in the morning.”

By submitting your application early in the morning or late at night, you’ll allow yourself to stand out, separating yourself from the herd. Being seen first is not much in the grand scheme of things, but it’s a significant boost when so many people are applying for the same job. When paired with the right job experience, it can be a determinant in getting a job interview.

Other factors that help are the amount of time the job posting has been open. Generally, the sooner you apply for the job, the better your odds. If the posting has been on the website for over a month, it’s likely that the company already has a pool of qualified people after the position.

Although the hiring process is never easy, one good thing that the internet has supplied us with is the ease of finding job postings. And while it may seem that the competition for jobs is fierce right now (and it is), you can try your best to stand out in any way possible.

Did Your COVID-19 Vaccine Work? This Will Let You Know

Maria Loreto

-

June 23, 2021

0

Did Your COVID-19 Vaccine Work? This Will Let You Know

COVID-19 vaccines are very effective but this test can provide some certainty for those who need it.

COVID-19 vaccines are very effective in curbing the spread of the virus and most of its variants. The majority of people who’ve been vaccinated can rest easy, knowing that the vaccine has done its job and that they have significant protection against the infection. But, if for some reason you really want to know if the vaccine was effective, there’s a specific test that can help you get some peace of mind.

There’s a wide variety of antibody tests out there, but an Elisa test is the one most experts recommend for the most accuracy. When taking this test two weeks after you’ve been fully vaccinated, it will provide you with a glimpse of the antibodies in your system. An Elisa test is different than a typical antibody test, which would measure only antibodies that were developed when there was an infection, not a vaccine reaction.

This FDA Approved COVID-19 Self-Test Is Available On Amazon — Photo by Mufid Majnun via Unsplash

While an antibody test might be interesting in terms of wanting to know what’s going on in your body, experts discourage the majority of people from taking them.

Dr. Akiko Iwasaki, an immunologist, spoke to the New York Times and explained why: “Most people shouldn’t even be worrying about this. I feel a little bit hesitant to recommend everybody getting tested, because unless they really understood what the test is doing, people might get this wrong sense of not having developed any antibodies.”

For people who have to deal with an autoimmune disease, these tests can provide them with some peace of mind and can also give them protection in different situations, like having some leverage when being asked to return to in-person work.

Despite the differing opinions that there are on these tests, results may not be as conclusive as some would like them to be. “Positive results may also occur after a COVID-19 vaccination, but the clinical significance is not yet known, nor is it known how good this test is at detecting antibodies in those who have been vaccinated,” reads the Quest Diagnostics website, one of the makers of an FDA approved COVID-19 antibody test.

Cannabis Unionization Efforts Continue To Grow Across Several States

Cannabusiness

Benzinga Staff Writer

-

June 23, 2021

0

Efforts to unionize cannabis have been underway for roughly a decade, with United Food and Commercial Workers noted as a leader in the movement.

By Andrew Ward

Cannabis workers continue to unionize in an increased fashion across several states.

The latest example came on Tuesday when the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) announced that cannabis cultivation workers employed at Cresco/Sunnyside in Fall River, Massachusetts, had voted overwhelmingly to approve their first union contract.

Rhode Island Cannabis Workers Go Union — Photo by Add Weed via Unsplash

The UFCW 328 agreement secures guaranteed pay increases, fair scheduling policies, offers important workplace protections and strengthens retirement benefits and employee discounts. Cresco cultivation workers will see up to an 18.7% pay increase over the next three years.

Molly Balbuena, a three-year employee of Cresco in Fall River and a member of the negotiating team, said she was proud that her colleagues stuck together.

“We are so excited to have secured the better future and collective voice we were looking for when we formed our union with UFCW. We urge all cannabis workers to come together and say Union Yes!”

On Monday the UFCW Local 5 in California announced it had unionized its first weed industry workers in an agreement that includes over 500 cannabis manufacturers and lab workers from Santa Rosa-based companies CannaCraft Manufacturing and Sonoma Lab Works.

On June 15, 2021, 39 agriculture workers at Adelanto, California-based Tikun Olam Cannbit Pharmaceuticals Ltd (TLV: TKUN) voted to join the Teamsters Local 1932. The Teamsters said it was “the first Agricultural Labor Relations Board election victory for cannabis workers in Southern California.”

Pandemic Fuels Surge In Cannabis Union Efforts Across America

Efforts to unionize cannabis have been underway for roughly a decade, with UFCW noted as a leader in the movement.

Incremental and notable milestones have been reached, including 2019’s unionization of workers at Philadelphia’s Pennsylvania Medical Solutions, a subsidiary of GOODNESS GROWTH HLDGS INC. (OTC:GDNSF).

finding business opportunities in the cannabis industry — Photo by FatCamera/Getty Images

The pandemic saw efforts surge across various states. MJBizDaily reports that the uptick was brought on by job security fears, increased protection for labor organizing and more aggressive union targeting of the industry.

This year has seen agreements reached in several states, including Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Colorado.

In February, ten members of Somerville, Massachusetts’ Liberty Cannabis joined UFCW Local 1445 in February 2021.

In April, workers at Portsmouth, Rhode Island’s Greenleaf Compassionate Care Center joined UFCW Local 32.

In May, Longmont, Colorado-based employees at Union Harvest and Nature’s Root Labs also agreed to joined UFCW.

The Colorado agreement is considered “a first of its kind, across-the-board unionized CBD joint venture that sets a precedent for even more workers in the industry to unionize,” according to a UFCW press release.

This article originally appeared on Benzinga and has been reposted with permission.

What Does It Feel Like To Be High?

Cannabis

Maria Loreto

-

June 23, 2021

0

A lot of people wonder what cannabis highs feel like. Here are some of the effects that are associated with it.

Still, wondering it feel like to be stoned f is a valid concern for people who are considering adding weed into their lives. If you haven’t done it, you wonder what does it feel like to be high.

For as much as there is cannabis content on the world, it’s difficult to describe its effect without resorting to giggly movie depictions or people who are spaced out. Cannabis’ effects depend on several factors, with the drug being able to produce widely different responses.

Is There A Best Way To Get High? Here's What You Should Know — Photo by Helena Lopes via Unsplash

Clinical studies of cannabis have found that the drug produces feelings like relaxation, loss of inhibition, euphoria, sleepiness and even altered perceptions. When it comes to negative side effects, there’s paranoia, fear, nausea and even hallucinations. Studies show that cannabis is linked with a little bit of everything.

Cannabis is very individualized, with the same strain being able to produce different effects depending on the person and how they’re feeling. If you’re mood is high and positive before smoking and you choose the right strain, you’ll likely experience euphoria, a term that encapsulates a large horde of positive moods. If you’re stressed out or anxious before smoking, you might feel a rise of paranoia and unease that will make your experience unpleasant.

Some lucky people claim to feel very creative after consuming weed, being able to read, paint, write, with an engagement that allows them to carry this out for hours. For other people, the opposite occurs; they may be having a great time, but their memory is impaired and they can’t really commit to activities that demand a lot of engagement.

Hallucination is a strong word when applied to cannabis, but there is some truth in how cannabis alters your perceptions and senses. Places and objects can look different than normal, sounds and music can grow into more powerful experiences and meals can become much more appetizing.

Bad trips are distinct possibilities for cannabis users, whether they have experience with the drug or not. New smokers have higher odds of feeling them since they don’t know their right dosage yet and their bodies are still figuring out how highs work. In this case, the best thing to do is to consume THC slowly, checking in with yourself periodically in order to manage how you’re feeling.

Describing someone’s cannabis experience is almost impossible. Unlike alcohol, which usually follows a clearer trajectory, cannabis interacts with many factors before it produces an effect. Your mood, genes, the strain you’re consuming, the setting you’re in and more have a hand in determining your experience.

This Company Is Having A Hard Time Finding Workers Due To Its Weed Testing Policy

Benzinga Staff Writer

-

June 23, 2021

0

This Company Is Having A Hard Time Finding Workers Due To Its Weed Testing Policy

Leaders at the United Auto Workers (UAW) have apparently learned that many potential hires have “walked away from interviews” once they realized GM is testing for cannabis.

By Nina Zdinjak

The iconic American automaker and one of the largest in the world, General Motors (NYSE:GM), is reluctant to jump on the cannabis-friendly bandwagon and, some say, the consequences are proving to be negative for the company. The Motown-headquartered corporation that happens to be located in a state with fully legalized marijuana, is having problems finding workers.

In addition to no longer being among the country’s higher-paying blue-collar jobs, another reason for not attracting workers is GM’s weed testing policy, according to Merry Jane magazine.

Applicants Walking Away From Interviews

The company, at the moment, is looking for 725 temporary part-time employees for two of its assembly plants — one in Flint and the other in Fort Wayne — but leaders at the United Auto Workers (UAW) have apparently learned that many potential hires have “walked away from interviews” once they realized GM is testing for cannabis.

Michigan state law permits every adult resident to consume marijuana for either recreational or medical purposes — a right that many young workers are not prepared to give up for a low-paying temporary job.

This leads to another problem with General Motors: their compensation package. Temporary positions needing to be filled are only paying $16.67 an hour, while a local Pizza Hut delivery driver earns $20 per hour.

Another issue irking potential GM workers is the way the company is testing for weed. It is using the hair follicle testing method, which reveals only that someone has been using cannabis in the last several weeks, but not exactly when, that is to say, consuming while on the job may be suspected but not necessarily the case. Also, testing for CBD in a person’s system is known to be vulnerable to a false positive.

Science Continues To Confirm Cannabis Combats Cancer — Photo by 3 Pelos/Getty Images

United Auto Workers Push The Company To Stop Testing

The UAW is urging General Motors to abolish its weed testing policy and raise hourly wages to at least $18.

Whether the company will take the demands seriously remains to be seen, but the word is that GM is considering them and is in talks with UAW officials.

Another corporate giant, this time in the online retail business, Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN), recently decided it was time to change its outdated policy and declared it will no longer test for cannabis in most job positions.

Amazon also expressed support for the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act of 2021 (MORE Act).

While some states with legalized cannabis have forbidden businesses to drug test their employees, federal agencies such as the Veterans Affairs department, NASA and every branch of the armed services, must continue to follow strict federal regulations and not allow their employees to use even CBD, writes Merry Jane.

This article originally appeared on Benzinga and has been reposted with permission.

Recreational Marijuana Now Legal In Connecticut As Gov. Signs Bill Into Law

Benzinga Staff Writer

-

June 22, 2021

0

Recreational Marijuana Now Legal In Connecticut As Gov. Signs Bill Into Law

“People have been working on this for 10 years,” Gov. Ned Lamont said. “It’s been a long time coming. I think we have a good bill that puts public health first.”

By Jelena Martinovic

Connecticut just became the 18th state in the union to legalize marijuana for recreational purposes and the 4th just this year, as Gov. Ned Lamont signed the bill into law on Tuesday.

The bill, which allows adults 21 and older to possess up to 1.5 ounces of cannabis, goes into effect on July 1 and the sale of recreational marijuana is planned to kick off in May 2022.

Connecticut Marijuana Legalization Bill Sent To Governor's Desk After Days Of Fierce Debate — Photo by FotografiaBasica/Getty Images

Finally Signed

The long process was not without conflict and many held their breath in the hope the legalization bill would make it to the governor’s desk unscathed.

“People have been working on this for 10 years,” Lamont said. “It’s been a long time coming. I think we have a good bill that puts public health first.”

Lamont said more work needs to be done to achieve social equity, but that he’s satisfied with the bill he just signed.

“History will tell us if that’s true or not, but I feel confident in saying this is the best bill in the country and it’s going to move us in the direction of ensuring that we provide a well-regulated marketplace for adult-use cannabis for adults who want to participate in that kind of activity,” Lamont said.

Have You Seen The New Ad Linking Marijuana And Satanic Cults? — Photo by Javi Julio Photography/Getty Images

“It’s an important thing to do on a number of fronts. Number one, in terms of equity and social justice. I think it is a model for the rest of the nation. We had a chance to learn from others,” the governor added.

The bill was originally introduced by House Speaker Matt Ritter (D) and Senate President Martin Looney (D).“I think it’ll be the most comprehensive and best cannabis legalization bill in the country,” House Majority Leader Jason Rojas (D) said at the small signing ceremony, reported Marijuana Moment.

Speaking Of Social Equity – Another Bill Signed

Connecticut made news last week when it became the first state to make all prison phone calls free after Gov. Lamont signed the bill into law, thus helping incarcerated men and women and their families to stay in touch.

This article originally appeared on Benzinga and has been reposted with permission.

The Fresh ToastThe most trusted name in cannabis

5 Marijuana Questions You’re Too Embarrassed To Ask

One of the most popular questions from people who’ve never tried marijuana before is “what does it feels like to be high?”

How does it feel to be high?

What are marijuana strains?

What’s the difference between vaping vs. smoking weed?

Where is cannabis legal in the US?

Is marijuana bad for your health?

Oregon Senate Approves Sales Tax Hike On Marijuana Consumers

The measure now moves to the House for consideration and, based on the vote in the Senate, is likely to pass unless constituents make their voices heard in opposition.

Cannabis Licensee Residency Requirements (Which Are Dumb) Are Probably Unconstitutional

The Dormant Commerce Clause prohibits state legislation that discriminates against interstate or international commerce. Our favorite example? Residency requirements in the case of cannabis business ownership.

Driving High On Marijuana Might Not Be As Dangerous As This

DUID cases involving marijuana get tossed out of court a lot of times in legal states simply because impairment cannot be proven.

The Best Time To Submit A Job Application

You have little control over how your job applications are received, but timing can play an important part. Here’s the best time to do it, according to experts.

Did Your COVID-19 Vaccine Work? This Will Let You Know

COVID-19 vaccines are very effective but this test can provide some certainty for those who need it.

Cannabis Unionization Efforts Continue To Grow Across Several States

Efforts to unionize cannabis have been underway for roughly a decade, with United Food and Commercial Workers noted as a leader in the movement.

Pandemic Fuels Surge In Cannabis Union Efforts Across America

What Does It Feel Like To Be High?

A lot of people wonder what cannabis highs feel like. Here are some of the effects that are associated with it.

This Company Is Having A Hard Time Finding Workers Due To Its Weed Testing Policy

Leaders at the United Auto Workers (UAW) have apparently learned that many potential hires have “walked away from interviews” once they realized GM is testing for cannabis.

Applicants Walking Away From Interviews

United Auto Workers Push The Company To Stop Testing

Recreational Marijuana Now Legal In Connecticut As Gov. Signs Bill Into Law

“People have been working on this for 10 years,” Gov. Ned Lamont said. “It’s been a long time coming. I think we have a good bill that puts public health first.”

Finally Signed

Speaking Of Social Equity – Another Bill Signed

Don't Miss Your Weekly Dose of The Fresh Toast.