German lawmakers loosen adult use proposal • New Hampshire legalization study cmte. makes “no recommendation” • In NYC, an incremental enforcement update • & more …

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Following a hearing in the German Parliament’s Health Committee earlier this month, on which Cannabis Wire reported, lawmakers have refined an adult use bill making its way toward a final vote.

Here are the changes in the final bill, as first reported by German news outlet RND:

• The distance requirement for cannabis consumption (with regard to schools and playgrounds) was changed from 200 meters to 100 meters

• Personal possession (at home) limits were increased to 50 grams

• Impaired driving limits are coming in March 2024

• Home grow and possession become legal in March 2024, and social clubs are expected in June or July

Kirsten Kappert-Gonther, chair of the health committee, posted about the revisions to X. She noted that edibles and consumption in the clubs are not “yet” allowed, and she called the agreement “a big step forward.”

After months of work, a Commission formed to study and propose recommendations for legislation to legalize adult use cannabis through a state-run model has hit a wall. 

On Monday, after a five-hour meeting, the Commission voted to make “no recommendation.” 

Toward the end of the meeting, as the conversation turned to input from Gov. Chris Sununu, it was clear that the Commission was far from agreement. Sununu signed legislation in August that called for the Commission’s formation, after years of opposing legalization in any form.

“I have a global sort of concern here,” said Sen. Becky Whitley. “We just spent many many many many many many many many months going through a 37-page document” and “we are now going to take up a list of issues raised by the governor’s office last night?”

The two issues were related to the number of stores Sununu would support (15) and his request that licensees not be allowed to lobby or make political contributions.

After about an hour, Commission members began to bicker about what, exactly, they could put in their motion. One suggestion was that the report to the legislature be under the chair, and not the Commission as a whole, because some members oppose the legislation or provisions of it. (Over the weeks, members raised a number of concerns around youth use and impaired driving.) Another suggestion was that the recommendation be that the legislature not take up adult use. 

Finally, the majority voted (7-2) in favor of simply making “no recommendation” alongside a report of the work that the Committee did on the draft bill. 

Their report is due to the legislature in the coming days, and it is up to them what to do next.

This week, the city gave a short update on where things stand in their efforts to target landlords who rent to unlicensed sellers. 

The New York City Sheriff’s Office Joint Compliance Task Force sent letters to landlords and owners of 50 buildings to warn that they “could be legally liable for the continued unlicensed sale of cannabis or tobacco products by their tenants.” These locations have already been subject to enforcement action, including just over $3 million in civil penalties.

“This administration is taking a hard line cracking down on the proliferation of smoke shops illegally selling tobacco, vaping, and cannabis products across the city,” Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Phillip Banks III said in a statement.

“While New York’s public safety agencies will continue to visit these establishments to ensure they are following the law, we are making it clear to landlords today that they have an important role to play in this process, and if illegal products are being sold on their property, they will be held accountable.”

So far, few of the longstanding unlicensed shops in New York City have shuttered in the year since elected officials started calling for more tools to help combat unregulated cannabis sellers. Some, though, are becoming less brazen by removing neon cannabis leaves from shop windows, for example, or taking down other overt references to cannabis. 

+ More: The scope of the unlicensed cannabis problem, and the city’s success in combating it, remains unclear in New York City. 

The City Council and mayor’s office have been at odds about enforcement against unlicensed shops, as Cannabis Wire has reported. City Council members have repeatedly asked Adams’ administration for data on unregulated sellers, for example, but were denied.