The Pennsylvania Senate rejected it lEGISLATION to remove oversight of the state’s medical cannabis program from the Department of Health and create a new and independent Pennsylvania Cannabis Control Board, PennLive reports.

Authored by state Sen. Dan Laughlin (R), the proposal would also give the new agency regulatory power over intoxicating hemp products, as well as any future grow-out cannabis markets in the state.

Laughlin said he knew the proposal would be opposed by some Republicans, but that he didn’t know until the last minute that Democrats would unite against the proposal. Lawmakers opposed the bill 23-27 on Wednesday, with six Republicans against and two Democrats in support.

“I knew it was a risk to put it up for a vote because there was some discussion going back and forth.” – Laughlin, in a statement

However, lawmakers followed up the rejection with a vote allowing the bill to be reconsidered later.

“We’re going to get another pass on that,” Laughlin said. “I’m not sure when, but hopefully by the end of June.”

Meanwhile, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro (D) supports the legalization of cannabis for adult use and INCLUDING Revenue from cannabis taxes in his 2026-2027 state budget plan.

The Idaho Legislature last week approved language for a ballot measure seeking to amend the state constitution so that only the legislature has the authority to legalize cannabis and other psychoactive or narcotic substances, Idaho Capital Sun reports.

The adopted voting language includes statements for and against the proposal.

Language supporting the proposal states:

“Drugs destroy lives, tear apart families and threaten the safety of our communities. Decisions to legalize marijuana, narcotics and other psychoactive substances are too important to be taken lightly. The proposed amendment would ensure that any proposal to legalize these dangerous substances would go through the legislative process. Public hearings would be held on the proposal and people could be harmed by the law. Lawmakers would consider carefully each proposal and would be publicly accountable for their votes.

Language opposing the proposal reads:

“The Idaho Constitution states that all political power belongs to the people. But the proposed amendment would take that power away from the people by taking away their ability to pass drug legalization laws themselves through ballot initiatives. The people are just as capable of making good and prudent decisions about drug policy as the legislators. The amendment is also unnecessary because if the people had the power to legislate or ever pass the law for drugs to change or abolish it.”

The ballot measure could appear on the same ballots as a question directed by citizen advocates to legalize medical cannabis. Idaho Natural Medicine Alliance last month submitted petition signatures to county clerks and indicated he had collected more than 100,000 signatures to place the issue on the November general ballot.

It’s unclear what would happen if voters pass both initiatives, voting to both legalize medical cannabis and put legalization reforms solely in the hands of the Legislature.

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry (R) has signed one bill that would imprison individuals for smoking cannabis within 2,000 feet of high school and college campuses. In a statement posted on X Last week, Landry said he was “tired of going…to college and high school campuses and being inundated with the smell of marijuana.”

“And I’m tired of seeing drugs spilling onto our high school and college campuses, hurting students. These drugs take away from the family-friendly environments that colleges are supposed to be — especially on game day.” – Landry in a statement filed for X

The law creates strict penalties for smoking or vaping on or within 2,000 feet of a school property or school bus, allowing prison sentences of up to one and a half times the longest authorized term, with sentences ineligible for parole, probation or suspension. The law also allows those convicted of cannabis-only offenses to serve up to a year in jail, with or without hard labor, and pay a $1,000 fine.

In the statement, Landry said the bill “takes a massive step” in protecting children. The draft law enters into force on August 1.