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Washington State Senators Approve Marijuana Employment Protections And Social Equity Bills In Committee

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A Washington State Senate committee on Tuesday approved bills to provide employment protections for adults who use marijuana and promote social equity in the cannabis industry.

While Washington was among the first states to legalize marijuana for adult use, lawmakers continue to work to improve upon the law, including by recently passing legislation in committee earlier this month to prepare for eventual interstate cannabis commerce following federal reform.

The Senate Labor & Commerce Committee advanced the employment bill from the panel’s chair, Sen. Karen Keiser (D), as well as the equity measure from Sen. Rebecca Saldaña (D), in voice votes on Tuesday.

Keiser’s bill would prohibit employers from discriminating against most job applicants for off-duty marijuana use or for testing positive for non-psychoactive THC metabolites.

Members adopted a substitute from the sponsor ahead of the vote that makes modest revisions, including clarifying that the anti-discrimination policy would only apply to pre-employment drug testing and that while employers can still test for all controlled substances, they just can’t punish an applicant over marijuana.

The legislation says that the legalization of adult-use marijuana in the state in 2012 “created a disconnect between prospective employees’ legal activities and employers’ hiring practices,” adding that

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Florida Marijuana Legalization Ballot Initiative Has Enough Support To Pass, New Poll Finds As Trump Backs Reform

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A new poll signals that a Florida marijuana legalization initiative that’ll be on the November ballot has enough support to pass, exceeding the steep 60 percent threshold to enact a constitutional amendment under state law.

The Emerson College Polling/The Hill survey found that 63.6 percent of likely voters in Florida back the cannabis measure, while 27.2 percent are opposed and 9.2 percent remain undecided.

That includes 81 percent of Democrats, 62 percent of independents and 51 percent of Republicans—the latest signal that cannabis legalization enjoys bipartisan support in the Sunshine State.

That’s positive news for the Smart & Safe Florida campaign behind Amendment 3. While polling has consistently shown majority support for the initiative, several recent surveys have shown it falling short of the 60 percent requirement.

This latest poll involved interviews with 815 likely voters in Florida from September 3-5, with a +/-3.4 percentage point margin of error.

It comes on the heels of former President Donald Trump, the 2024 Republican nominee and a Florida resident, voicing support for the measure, as well as federal rescheduling and cannabis industry banking access.

“As I have previously stated, I believe it is time to end needless arrests and incarcerations of adults

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Trump Supports Florida Marijuana Legalization Ballot Measure, But Wants Lawmakers To Ban Public Smoking

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Former President Donald Trump said on Saturday that he believes voters in his home state of Florida will approve a marijuana legalization initiative on the November ballot, arguing that “someone should not be a criminal in Florida, when this is legal in so many other States.”

Trump added that current policy ruins lives, wastes taxpayer dollars and puts people at risk of dying from cannabis tainted with fentanyl.

The former president wants lawmakers to follow up on legalization if voters approve it, however, by passing a law to ban public cannabis consumption.

“In Florida, like so many other States that have already given their approval, personal amounts of marijuana will be legalized for adults with Amendment 3,” Trump said in a post on his social media site Truth Social. “Whether people like it or not, this will happen through the approval of the Voters, so it should be done correctly.”

“We need the State Legislature to responsibly create laws that prohibit the use of it in public spaces, so we do not smell marijuana everywhere we go, like we do in many of the Democrat run Cities,” he added. “At the same time, someone should not be a criminal in

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California Hemp Retailers Tell Lawmakers That Governor-Backed Restrictions Bill Would Close Businesses And Shrink State Revenue

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California hemp product retailers told a legislative committee on Monday that a governor-backed plan to restrict hemp-derived cannabinoids and hemp flower would shutter businesses across the state, lead to a loss of jobs and decrease revenue for state and local governments.

The pushback comes as various groups—including marijuana growers and medical patients who say they rely on hemp-derived CBD—raise concerns about the bill, AB 2223, and a package of amendments from Gov. Gavin Newsom’s (D) office. Critics say the plan would fundamentally reshape the state’s cannabis industry and could cause chaos by attempting to fold hemp products into the state’s marijuana supply chain.

Monday’s hearing of the Senate Appropriations Committee centered on the fiscal implications of the legislation, not whether or not it’s good policy—something Chairwoman Anna Caballero (D) reminded speakers of on a handful of occasions during the morning.

“I don’t need to hear the ‘good bill’ stuff, because we’re not here on policy,” she said at one point. “We’re here on the money.”

That comment came after representatives of the U.S. Hemp Roundtable and the hemp retailer Sunmed—who both testified in opposition—said that the underlying proposal to more tightly regulate hemp-derived cannabinoids is acceptable to them, but certain

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