MJBiz - November/December 2023 - 38

INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENTS State by State
Connecticut
The state's regulated marijuana industry has been left with a single licensed testing laboratory after
the closure of one of the state's two authorized labs.
New Britain-based AltaSci Laboratories closed in March, the same month that its accreditation from
the International Organization for Standardization was suspended by the American Association for
Laboratory Accreditation.
Northeast Laboratories, based in Berlin, is now the only laboratory licensed to test marijuana in
Connecticut.
Florida
The state Supreme Court set a Nov. 8 date to hear oral arguments as to whether an adult-use cannabis
legalization initiative can appear on the state's November 2024 ballot. Florida's high court must
approve the proposed wording of the initiative before voters can weigh in come November 2024.
The recreational marijuana legalization campaign has submitted more than 1 million signatures from
registered voters. That would be enough to qualify the proposed constitutional amendment for next
year's ballot, but Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody is challenging the initiative.
History doesn't bode well for the legalization measure: The Florida Supreme Court has rejected five
of the past nine voter initiatives it's reviewed, according to news reports.
Georgia
Gov. Brian Kemp signed off on rules to make Georgia the first U.S. market in which non-hemp-derived
medical marijuana products are sold at independent pharmacies as well as state-licensed dispensaries.
Georgia's 2019 MMJ law only permits cannabis oil with less than 5% THC. Flower is prohibited. In
contrast to other states, Georgia's law allows regulated, low-THC cannabis products to be sold at
" independent pharmacies. "
Low-THC oil manufactured by Botanical Sciences-one of the two operators licensed to produce
MMJ products in the state-will be sold at 120 independent pharmacies in Georgia, the company said
in a news release.
Access will remain limited to patients who suffer from a short list of serious medical conditions and
have physician approval.
Massachusetts
Shannon O'Brien, the suspended chair of the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission, dropped a
lawsuit seeking to block the suspension after being granted a Nov. 7 hearing over the matter.
State Treasurer Deborah Goldberg, who suspended O'Brien with pay on Sept. 14, granted the
hearing. Beyond Goldberg saying " several serious allegations " were made about O'Brien, the reason for
the suspension remains a mystery.
" I am very much looking forward to having the opportunity to explain in detail to the treasurer and
the public the significant issues facing the Cannabis Control Commission, what I encountered when
I tried to fix them, and explaining why I should immediately resume my duties at the commission as
chair, " O'Brien said in a statement.
38 November-December 2023 | MJBizMagazine

MJBiz - November/December 2023

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