Welcome back to The Week in Weed, your Friday look at what’s happening in the world of legalized marijuana.

This week, we note that SAFE banking did not make it into the omnibus appropriations bill, which should come as a surprise to no one. President Biden should be on the lookout for a bipartisan letter asking him to de-schedule cannabis. Florida issued a lot of medical marijuana licenses. And finally, is your holiday destination cannabis-friendly?

SAFE BANKING

In the continuing saga that is the SAFE Banking Act (catch up on the previous episode here), 2022’s season ends with a whimper. Despite all the industry’s optimism after Election 2020, the first two years of the Biden administration are ending with no major change in federal cannabis policy. If you’ve seen the omnibus spending bill in all its 4,155-page glory, you might ask, “In a bill so enormous, is there really no room for cannabis banking?” The answer is, “No. No, there is not.”

DE-SCHEDULING LETTER

So many of us use the holiday season to communicate with loved ones, and Congress is no different. Rather than a run-down of the year’s events and a photo of the family in matching pajamas, a bipartisan group of House and Senate members are passing around a letter asking the President to fully de-schedule cannabis. Only time will tell if Santa will bring a welcome gift or regulatory coal.

FLORIDA

Speaking of welcome gifts, 22 applicants for medical marijuana licenses in the Sunshine State got just what they asked for this year. The new licenses could double the size of the Florida market. Regulators also issued new rules for the industry including a “citrus preference.” Those owning a citrus-processing facility will be given bonus points in the application process, if that facility will be used to process cannabis.

AND FINALLY

If you’re making last-minute plans for holiday travel, check out these cities where cannabis is available and legal.

Stay safe and be well everyone – we’ll see you next week, with our annual Year in Weed post!