New marijuana laws are coming into effect in several states, affecting everything from packaging to employment protections.
The cannabis legislation that affects at least five states is set to take effect on Monday. This legislation was the result of a hectic 2023 legislative session, which saw major changes in marijuana laws across the country.
Consumers, regulators, and stakeholders need to be aware of the changes being made at the beginning of this year.
This is a list of marijuana laws that will be in effect starting Monday:
California and Washington State implement cannabis workplace protections
California employers cannot ask job applicants if they have ever smoked marijuana. They also can’t penalize employees for using marijuana lawfully outside the workplace.
Washington State’s newly-effective law protects workers against discrimination in the hiring process because of their legal use of cannabis.
One of California’s laws states that “it is illegal for an employer to ask an applicant for a job about the applicant’s previous use of cannabis.”
In the separate complementary law that Gov.Gavin Newsom signed in 2022, it states that employers are prohibited from discriminating against an employee in terms of hiring, termination or any condition or term of employment or penalizing them in other ways if they discriminate based on off-duty marijuana usage or drug tests which reveal cannabinoid metabolism.
Workers “in the construction and building trades” and those who require federal background checks or security clearances are exempt from the policy.
The Washington legislation only applies to job candidates. Gov. Jay Inslee, a Democrat, noted that employers could still maintain drug-free work environments or prohibit cannabis use by employees after they were hired.
Nevada’s possession limits have more than doubled as businesses expand.
The limit on marijuana for adults in Nevada has been increased to 2.5 ounces as of Monday. Recreational retailers are now allowed to sell medical cannabis to patients without needing a separate license.
A large-scale reform bill on marijuana that was signed into law by Gov. Joe Lombardo, a Republican, signed the bill into law in June. The law also expands the eligibility of people with previous felony convictions to participate in the market.
The law has a key provision that increases the limit on cannabis possession and purchases from 1 ounce to 2 ounces. Adults can now possess twice as much cannabis concentrates, from an eighth of an inch to a quarter of an inch.
It also means that adult-use marijuana stores will not need a separate license for medical cannabis to serve their patients. Retailers who sell recreational marijuana will be automatically granted a dual license.
After Monday, regulators will not be able to renew or issue medical marijuana licenses unless the applicant lives in a jurisdiction which has chosen not to allow adult-use facilities. Patients who use medical cannabis would not be subject to the state excise taxes at recreational retailers.
Virginia has a new marijuana regulator
Virginia lawmakers were not able to pass a bill that would have allowed for regulated recreational cannabis sales in the New Year as advocates had hoped. However, the newly effective legislation shifts regulatory responsibility for the medical cannabis program currently underway to the Virginia Cannabis Control Authority.
CCAs were required by 2021 legislation to legalize home cultivation and possession of cannabis for adults over 21. The two chambers of Congress have yet to pass complementary legislation on sales, although one senator is “confident” that they will do so in the next year .
Colorado marijuana products are required to be labelled with a “use by” date
Cannabis products in Colorado will have to include “use-by” date labels starting Monday. These dates indicate that they are best consumed within 9 months after packaging. Regulators proposed the policy change in 2022 and gave the industry one year to adopt it.
The Colorado Marijuana Enforcement Division’s (MED) initial proposal to limit the “use-by date” of marijuana products by six months was rejected. The mandate states that businesses may also petition for an extension of the timeline for best use, if they can prove that their product has a shelf-life longer than nine month. Westword reported.
The new rule will take effect on January 1, 2014, the 10th anniversary of the first legal adult-use cannabis sales in Colorado.
Oklahoma’s medical marijuana industry receives numerous regulatory updates
Oklahoma’s medical marijuana industry will be affected by several new laws that take effect on Monday.
This includes a measure which will allow the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority to hire “secret shoppers” who can discreetly perform oversight activities, such as investigating compliance with regulatory standards at cannabis businesses and providing dispensary samples to quality assurance laboratories.
OMMA will be required to send secret shoppers into at least 50 dispensaries of medical marijuana each year in the first year. The law states that by the next year, regulators will have to inspect at least 10% of randomly selected dispensaries.
A new law will go into effect Monday allowing licensed marijuana laboratories to validate their testing processes. This is a voluntary measure that aims to show strict compliance with the rules and objectives of labs. KOCO 5 News reported that a new law will also promote the development of industry standards for laboratories.
A new Oklahoma law, which takes effect Monday, requires that regulators develop a system to certify workers in licensed medical cannabis businesses. This will ensure that these workers meet minimum standards to remain employed in the industry.
Johns Hopkins researchers to follow a ‘Nationally representative cohort’ of 10,000 marijuana patients in a federally funded study
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