Federal regulations can be incredibly complex, but the law can become even more complicated on the state level. Legislation can vary wildly depending on where you are in the nation. For more than 100 years, state courts have used the idea of legislative intent to interpret state law. Sometimes, these state rules can be confounding and downright strange. This is especially true when it comes to cannabis legislation. Many new state rules have been passed in recent years pertaining to marijuana use, businesses, and marketing. Here are five of the weirdest and wackiest marijuana laws in state legislative history.
Nevada: Watch Your Typeface
This law actually has nothing to do with selling or consuming cannabis. Rather, it has to do with how dispensaries and other marijuana establishments market themselves, particularly on their signage. These facilities are allowed to use a maximum of two fonts on their signage, neither of which can be decorative or appealing to minors. The state prefers sans-serif fonts; script or gimmicky fonts are not allowed. Dispensaries cannot give the visual impression of humor or fun.
Michigan: Spelling Counts
The conventional spelling of marijuana goes out the window in Michigan. It was first spelled as “marihuana” in a 1937 tax act, so the state decided to keep things consistent. After all, if it’s not broke, don’t fix it. You can find this spelling even in modern legislation like the Michigan Medical Marihuana Act, passed in 2008.
Oregon: Size Matters
We already heard about aversions to certain typefaces, but Oregon takes things a step further with their state rules. Dispensary signage rules state that only Times New Roman or Arial fonts are allowed, and they must be bold and 80-point in size. Absolutely no other choices are allowed. The state probably wants to make these facilities as unappealing as possible, especially for minors. But businesses are probably not too thrilled about their limited design options.
Massachusetts: No to Novelty
In the state of Massachusetts, dispensaries aren’t allowed to produce or sell novelty or promotional items, including t-shirts and other apparel. This certainly limits the revenue stream they can bring in, but at least they may aren’t as restricted with their other marketing choices. In addition, another one of the state rules in MA says you can’t “gift” marijuana in exchange for later payment or trade cannabis.
Arizona: Keeping Secrets
There are a number of medical marijuana dispensaries in this state, but it’s difficult to find out information about them. That’s because the state won’t share the licensed dispensary list with anyone other than registered medical marijuana patients. What makes these facilities even harder to find is the fact that companies have to pay huge fees if they need to change their business name or move to a new location.
Even though cannabis use is becoming more accepted in the U.S., there are still puzzling pieces of legislation that can keep businesses from succeeding. Whether you are a licensed patient or want to open your own dispensary, it’s important that you conduct extensive law research pertaining to your area before pursuing your venture. That way, you’ll be assured that everything is by the book — even if there are some strange regulations within its pages.