The Weekly Roll - January 31st 2025

Happy Friday!

Welcome back to The Weekly Roll. I hope everyone had a great week and is geared up for an awesome weekend ahead. Take a look below to see what’s going on this week in cannabis and art:

Hawaii Kicks Off Cannabis Legalization Efforts : A new cannabis legalization bill was introduced by House Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs Chair David Tarnas (D) and Senate Health and Human Services Committee Chair Joy San Buenaventura (D) in Hawaii. The bill would decriminalize possession, legalize at-home cultivation, and include regulation on medical and adult-use cannabis markets leading to the formation of the Hawaii Cannabis and Hemp Office. As of right now, the bill seems to have the support of the Governor’s office and the Senate, while the main hurdle seems to be clearing the House of Representatives. If successful, there could be a legal market up and running in 2026. Article 

Dimon Open to Business with Cannabis : One of the most important cannabis-related debates going on within the federal government this year is the SAFER Banking Act, which would allow federally registered banks to do business with the Cannabis industry. On a podcast last week, CEO of JP Morgan Chase, Jamie Dimon, said that his company would be happy to do business with cannabis with the new federal rules in place. This could represent a huge win-win for both cannabis companies and banks given the rapid growth of the industry despite a lack of access to traditional banking products. Article

Interesting Number : 2,200. The number of medical cannabis licenses issued in Kentucky’s initial release of Patient ID cards. The initial applicant pool was around 4,000, but only about 60 applications have actually been rejected. Governor Andy Bashear issued the first two licenses personally alongside Sean Flynn, the executive director of the Office of Medical Cannabis. Along with issuing the first patient cards, the Governor called upon the legislature to re-assess state laws that prevent medical marijuana patients from their Second Amendment right to bear arms.  Article

The Art Forest : Marisa Chearavanont, a Thai-Korean arts Patron is opening up the Khao Yai Art Forest next week. Chearavonont has been a collector focused on Southeast Asian artists for decades and is hoping to use this new institution as a way to grow Thailand’s art scene while highlighting the healing power of nature. So far there are 4 commissioned pieces crafted from materials found in the forest, and many other pieces that have been selected for installment. With the help of the director of Khao Yai Art, Stefano Rabolli Pansera, Chearavonont also curates the Bangkok Kunsthalle, a gallery in Thailand’s capital city. Article

Have a great weekend! 

Aidan