Reform Efforts Pick Up Speed in Alabama, Texas: Week in Review

While the governor has not yet signed the bill (as of Friday), Alabama looks to be the latest state to pass a medical cannabis bill. It’s a good reminder that there’s much progress to be made for cannabis patients in the U.S.—even as a wave of adult-use legalization measures cruises across the country this year.

“Passing the Compassion Act will allow seriously ill patients to finally get the relief they deserve,” said Karen O’Keefe, director of state policies at MPP. “Alabama is one of only 14 states in the country that continues to criminalize the medical use of cannabis, and while this bill is more restrictive than is ideal, it is a dramatic improvement from the status quo and would improve the lives of thousands of Alabamians. We urge Gov. Ivey to sign it into law.”

We’ve rounded up some of the key cannabis headlines from the week right here.

• Associate Editor Tony Lange reports on Alabama’s 20-year journey to getting a medical cannabis bill passed out of the state legislature. The current bill is heading to the governor’s desk. Read more 
  
• As GrowGeneration zips through a series of acquisitions in the garden supply center world, we caught up with CEO Darren Lampert to learn about the strategy behind the transaction spree. Read more 
  
• As adult-use cannabis sales are on pace to break $1 billion this year in Illinois, plans to roll out 110 new retail licenses are adding fuel to the hot, hot market. Read more 
  
• Assistant Editor Andriana Ruscitto reports on the Texas House of Representatives approving three legislative proposals, which would expand the state's medical cannabis program, reduce penalties for concentrates and decriminalize possession. Read more 
  
• Contributor Chris Kudialis brings us the latest from Las Vegas, where on-site consumptions lounges are coming soon. Read more 
  

And elsewhere on the web, here are the stories we’ve been reading this week:

• Syracuse.com: “With recreational marijuana now legal in New York, Syracuse University is launching a new set of courses to prepare workers for careers in a new and somewhat complicated new field.” Read more 
  
• Spectrum News 1: “The tribal council for the Cherokee in western North Carolina voted Thursday to legalize medical marijuana on tribal lands. The tribal land will be the first area in the state with legal possession of pot.” Read more 
  
• Westword: “The tribal council for the Cherokee in western North Carolina voted Thursday to legalize medical marijuana on tribal lands. The tribal land will be the first area in the state with legal possession of pot.” Read more 
  
• WXYZ: “The Holistic Industries' consumption lounge will be adjacent to their retail dispensary, Liberty Ann Arbor, which has already been operating on Ashley Street.” Read more 
  
• Nevada Current: “As the Nevada Legislature debates a variety of cannabis-related measures, dissension among dispensary owners could impede efforts to take Nevada’s fledgling weed industry to the next level, says Clark County Commissioner Tick Segerblom.” Read more