Tag: cannabis legislation

Rhode Island, Maryland, and Missouri Legalize Adult-Use Cannabis in 2022

By: Colene King

2022 has been another banner year for the ongoing fight to end marijuana prohibition in the United States. The list of legal states just keeps growing, with three states joining in on the movement this year. Rhode Island started off the year with signing the legislation to legalize the personal use and sale of marijuana to adults 21 and over. Then, last month’s primary election welcomed the two newest states to legalize the adult-use of marijuana for 21 and over. On November 8th voters in Arkansas, Maryland, Missouri, North Dakota, and South Dakota took to the polls to decide on their state’s future of legal cannabis for adults. Of the 5 states, 2 of them passed the initiative! We would like to congratulate the residents of Rhode Island, Maryland, and Missouri on becoming the 19th , 20th , and 21st states to legalize adult-use marijuana in the US. 2022 has shown great progress for our country’s future of legal marijuana for all Americans.  

Rhode Island kicked off the year with signing the legalization legislation in May, seeing their first adult-use cannabis sales on December 1st. Nearly 85% of the municipalities in the small state opted in for legal sales, one of the highest in the country. ‘The Ocean State’ is projected to see $80 million in sales within the first year and $300 million by their fourth year. (Casacchia, 2022)

Maryland passed the referendum with 66% of voters in support of legalization. Voters were asked a simple question on their November 8th ballot “Do you favor the legalization of the use of cannabis by an individual who is at least 21 years of age on or after July 1st, 2023, in the state of Maryland?” (Jaeger, 2022) Beginning July 1st of 2023, Marylanders who are 21 and over will legally be able to consume, possess, and grow marijuana. The state is projected to generate as much as $600 million in its first year as a legal market and possibly reaching $1 billion by its fourth year. (Roberts, 2022)

In Missouri, the bill passed with a much closer margin, 53% to 47% in favor of legalization. This makes the ‘Show-Me State’ the 21st state to legalize cannabis. Some projections suggest sales could reach as high as $550 million in the first year, and potentially as high as $800 million – $900 million by the fourth year. (MJBizDaily Staff, 2022) Beginning December 8th, existing cannabis companies can start applying to switch their business to adult-use. The applications must be reviewed and responded to within sixty days of submission in accordance with legislation. In short,  Missouri could log their first adult-use marijuana sales as early as February of 2023.

Before any state can start selling the product to the public, they have to build a regulated market. Sometimes, creating these regulations can take years for states to agree upon; sometimes, it will only take a few months. The deciding factor is dependent upon how motivated the state is to begin receiving tax revenue from legal sales.

One of the highest priority items for any cannabis operator to consider is ‘how to secure an establishment. Every state requires the creation, adaptation, installation, and maintenance of a security plan: protecting staff & customers as well as securing product & cash are of the utmost importance.

A security plan should:

  • Detect, delay, and deter burglaries
  • Protect employees, customers, product, equipment, and cash
  • Protect against natural disasters
  • Deter against theft of cash and product
  • Prevent internal diversion
  • Be scalable – able to expand with the business

We offer many solutions to help safeguard an operation from potential loss of assets: Bullet rated glass, modular vaults and doors, DEA compliant safes and cages, cash management systems, just to name a few. 

  • Cash management systems enable retailers to reduce loss and optimize in-store labor. These systems are easily adaptable to existing POS systems and surveillance cameras –  promoting end-to-end security.

Our modular vaults and vault doors are perfect for new construction but are also able to be retrofit into existing buildings. These modular vaults are available at a fraction of the cost of poured concrete vaults. Protect your high valued product and cash with one of our modular vault systems. https://www.klsecurity.com/products/vaults-and-doors.html

  • These cages are designed and built to meet DEA physical security requirements. They can be customized to your facility and tailored to an existing security system. With locking doors, self-closers, and access control locks, these secure cages will keep your product safe.

The legalization of marijuana is widely gaining momentum across the country. The majority of Americans are in agreement. According to a study done by Pew Research Center in October, 88% of Americans believe that marijuana should be legal for medical and recreational use by adults (59%) or that it should be legal for medical use only (30%). (GREEN, 2022) This means that only 1 in 10 Americans believe marijuana should remain illegal.

Source: Pew Research Center survey of U.S. adults conducted Oct. 10-16, 2022

Now is the opportune time to assemble your security plan. Let our experts help you. KL Security focuses on facility security – vaults, cages, cash management safes, high security safes, etc.


Sources:

https://mjbizdaily.com/rhode-island-set-to-launch-recreational-cannabis-market-thursday-dec-1/

https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2022/11/22/americans-overwhelmingly-say-marijuana-should-be-legal-for-medical-or-recreational-use/

https://www.marijuanamoment.net/maryland-voters-approve-marijuana-legalization-referendum-on-ballot/

https://mjbizdaily.com/missouri-could-begin-recreational-marijuana-sales-by-early-february/

https://mjbizdaily.com/us-marijuana-election-wins-maryland-missouri-but-losses-

Marijuana Facility Security: How Much is Good Enough?

By Shelley Swearingen | July 14, 2020

Why is security so important?

Security protocols dictate how an organization plans to protect their employees. Security protocols set forth how a business will protect their bottom line. Cannabis security planning protocols establish how a facility will safeguard & protect inventory and cash. All of these plans and protocols affect the bottom line, and therefore should be on the forefront of every stakeholder’s mind.

A good security plan should:
Why do security guidelines vary from state to state?

            Cannabis is illegal at the federal level. In recent history, the federal government has stayed out of the way of states and allowed states to govern these sectors independently. This means that when marijuana is legalized within a state, the state government must create an entire market and all the rules and regulations that go along with it. Some states will look to other places that have implemented successful programs, and some just wing it.

            Some states have very little regulatory requirements when it comes to the operation of businesses, and certain areas of concern that are normally heavily regulated in other industries (like security) are barely glossed over in the legislation. This is due to the illegal status of the substance at the federal level. Many states anticipate marijuana becoming legal nationwide at some point. When this happens, no action would be needed as federal law supersedes state law.

Why is compliance so important?

            Staying compliant means staying operational. Facilities operating within a legal marijuana market are subject to random inspections. If a facility didn’t pass an inspection, it could be slapped with a hefty fine and/or forced to close until the infraction is brought up to standard. This means lost sales on top of expensive fines & the facility could take a hit to their reputation. Remember: a facility will never be fined for being too safe. It may seem daunting to spend (invest) a large sum into securing a facility, but down the road – it makes fiscal sense.

What implementations should a facility employ?

            From license application and project inception to completion, KL Security uses a holistic approach to help plan, create, design, and build compliant security solutions & systems to meet a business’s goals, brand, and mission. With successful projects in place in dispensaries, pharmacies, cultivation facilities, craft growing facilities, secure transporters, and testing facilities, the experts at KL Security have the experience to help facilities pass inspections, stay compliant, and drive revenue. Contact a consultant to see how KL Security can help simplify the process and provide successful results.

Call 866-867-0306 or email [email protected]

Information has been gathered from sources deemed reliable but not guaranteed and is subject to change without notice.

Cannabis Policies for the New Decade

The Committee on Energy & Commerce will hold a legislative hearing tomorrow to discuss and review six pieces of legislation:

H.R. 171, the “Legitimate Use of Medicinal Marijuana Act” – Proposes Marijuana moves from a Schedule I drug to Schedule II and the federal government may not intervene in a state’s medical marijuana laws.

 

H.R. 601, the “Medical Cannabis Research Act of 2019” – Proposes the Attorney General increase the amount of federally approved registered cannabis manufacturers for research purposes. (the DEA has already begun accepting applications).

 

H.R. 1151, the “Veterans Medical Marijuana Safe Harbor Act” – Proposes veterans receive special protections to use, possess, or transport medical marijuana legally; also allows physicians to discuss and recommend marijuana therapies to veterans.

 

H.R. 2843, the “Marijuana Freedom and Opportunity Act” – Proposes the removal of THC/marijuana from Schedule I drugs. Demands comprehensive research on marijuana, and regulation from Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau on the sale and advertising of marijuana.

 

H.R. 3797, the “Medical Marijuana Research Act of 2019” – Proposes Health and Human Services ensures a supply of marijuana for research purposes. Furthermore, all currently approved researchers for Schedule II – V drugs would be given authorization to conduct marijuana research.

 

H.R. 3884, the “Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act of 2019” or the “MORE Act of 2019” – Demands marijuana/THC be removed entirely from the list of Scheduled drugs. This bill calls for expungements, and the establishment of various regulatory departments and social equity programs.

 

The MORE Act is sounds like an extravagant bit of legislation. Is America ready for full legalization and decriminalization of marijuana? This would cause mass confusion in states where marijuana is already legal. These states would have to review (and possibly revise) current legislation pertaining to marijuana and quickly. States will need time to re-organize regulatory departments, and possibly implement new guidelines. Perhaps legislators are reaching for the stars and hoping to land on the moon.

Interestingly enough, there is no mention of discussing any legislation in regards to the regulation of banking institutions in their dealing with cannabis companies. This is a multi-billion-dollar industry being conducted in cash because banks are too scared to touch it. It will be interesting to see if this topic is at least addressed tomorrow. (Most recently the SAFE Banking Act was passed by the House of Representatives in September 2019 but has yet to reach the Senate.)

 

You can watch a live stream of the hearing tomorrow (Wednesday, January 15th, 2020) at 10:00am EST here: https://energycommerce.house.gov/committee-activity/hearings/hearing-on-cannabis-policies-for-the-new-decade

 

**UPDATES TO FOLLOW**

At KL Security, we have a proven track record for compliance with state laws and security requirements. Utilizing the Total Harvest Coverage methodology for cannabis facility security design and planning as well as cannabis business operation improvements, we have successful projects in facilities in multiple states, helping leaders in the cannabis industry drive revenue and stay compliant with state laws.

 

 

Information has been gathered from sources deemed reliable but not guaranteed and is subject to change without notice.