MJBiz - January/February 2024 - 20

INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENTS State by State
Kentucky
A key legislative subcommittee in Kentucky approved an emergency rule designed to regulate
intoxicating hemp-derived products differently than nonintoxicating products. The emergency
rule will remain in effect until April 27.
The most recent amendments added were:
* Requirements for processing and manufacturing.
* Implementing U.S. Food and Drug Administration standards to product testing
requirements.
* A registry for retailers.
Katelyn Wiard of the U.S. Hemp Roundtable said during testimony that there are still some
issues with the amended emergency rule. For example, its $200-per-product fee will be tough
on hemp cultivators, Kentucky Today reported.
Jim Higdon, a co-founder of Louisville-based Cornbread Hemp, noted that the hemp
industry will be regulated by two different agencies: the Department of Agriculture and the
Cabinet for Health and Family Services.
" This double regulation could become confusing or contradictory, especially since the two
entities are run by constitutional statewide officeholders of different political parties, " Higdon
said, according to Kentucky Today.
A final version of the regulation must be approved in the spring by the General Assembly's
Administrative Regulations Review Subcommittee.
Maine
State regulators are again pushing to " modernize " Maine's medical cannabis program after
a report showed that 42% of samples they recently tested contained contaminants such as
yeast and pesticides.
Maine's Office of Cannabis Policy (OCP) found that 50 of the 120 samples the agency tested
during this round of audit testing would have failed under the lab-testing standards for adultuse
cannabis in the state, according to a news release.
" This data (indicates) that Maine's medical cannabis program needs a comprehensive solution
to reform and modernize the system in order to protect Maine's patients, " OCP Director
John Hudak said in a statement.
Medical cannabis in Maine is not subject to the same lab-testing requirements as adult-use
marijuana, and efforts to change that have been met with resistance from cultivators and
caregivers in the program who say their products are safe.
Maryland
The window for cannabis entrepreneurs to apply for one of Maryland's first 179 adult-use
marijuana business licenses closed Dec. 12. In its first round, the state will issue:
* 75 " standard dispensary " licenses.
* 16 " standard grower' " permits.
* 32 " standard processor " licenses.
* 24 " micro grower " permits.
* 24 " micro processor licenses.
* Eight " micro dispensary " permits.
Successful applicants must have already completed a social equity verification process
that's currently closed, though the state has yet to process all the submissions. Businesses
need at least 65% ownership held by a verified social equity applicant, according to the state.
Applicants can try for only one application per license type, and no more than two applications
per round will be accepted.
Fees range from $1,000 to no more than $10,000 for standard licenses, Washington DC TV
station WUSA reported.
20 January-February 2024 | MJBizMagazine

MJBiz - January/February 2024

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