A group of black small marijuana business owners are pushing back against claims from Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) and others that passing cannabis banking legislation now, ahead of justice-focused legalization, would only help big operators. Instead, they say the current policy has a “redlining effect” that disproportionately hurts small minority-owned companies while letting large multi-state operators continue to grow.

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves (R) dodged questions about when he will make good on his pledge to call a special session to pass a medical marijuana bill when confronted by patient advocates, including a young boy whose mom says he needs cannabis for seizures.

A Pennsylvania representative filed a bill to create a new category of small medical marijuana cultivators, called farmer-growers. They would face lower taxes, with the aim of expanding patient access to cannabis.

A new study found that legalizing marijuana is “associated with a 6.29% reduction in suicide rates for males in the 40 to 49 age group” and that “no other mental health outcomes were consistently affected by cannabis liberalization.”

The Senate bill to legalize medical cannabis for military veterans got one new cosponsor for a total of eight.

The House bill to deschedule marijuana and fund programs to repair drug war harms got one new cosponsor for a total of 93.

New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R) said he is trying to “look at what has worked and what hasn’t worked” in other states that have legalized marijuana.

The Tennessee House and Senate, prompted by a district attorney’s refusal to prosecute cases concerning simple possession of marijuana, approved legislation to allow the state attorney general to ask for another prosecutor to step in if the one with jurisdiction won’t enforce a certain law.

Indiana lawmakers discussed plans to introduce marijuana bills in 2022.

New York’s top marijuana regulator said she doesn’t expect recreational dispensary licenses to be issued until the spring of 2023 at the earliest.

Illinois regulators are facing another lawsuit over their marijuana business license award process.

Monday is South Dakota’s application deadline for medical cannabis establishments.

The Scottish Parliament’s Criminal Justice Committee held a hearing on drug policy issues.

South Africa’s minister of agriculture, land reform, and rural development opened the application process for hemp permits.

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