Author: Ben Adlin

[ad_1] One of the co-chairs of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus sent a letter to the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) on Thursday, urging the agency to release more information about its ongoing review of marijuana’s scheduling status under the federal Controlled Substances Act (CSA)—including what its “planned deadline” is for finishing and whether it will take into account the fact that many states have already legalized cannabis. “Clear and proactive communication is critical as this formal scheduling review moves forward,” Rep. Earl Bluemauer (D-OR) wrote to DEA Administrator Anne Milgram. The correspondence comes in response to a recent…

[ad_1] With a psychedelics legalization initiative pending before lawmakers ahead of a potential vote on the November ballot, a Massachusetts legislative committee has advanced a separate bill that would legalize psilocybin therapy in the commonwealth and set up a framework to license facilitators who would supervise medical, therapeutic and spiritual applications of the drug. The measure, H.3605 from Rep. Nicholas A. Boldyga (R), would require the state Department of Public Health to establish a licensing process for both facilitators themselves and “independent training schools” to instruct them. Would-be facilitators would need to complete no less than 20 hours and no…

[ad_1] Hawaii Gov. Josh Green (D) spoke about the state’s path to marijuana legalization this legislative session during an interview this week, calling the policy change a “big social issue that remains” to be addressed in the state and saying he’d likely sign a bill to end cannabis prohibition if one is sent to him by lawmakers. But Green also said the change “is a little more complicated because the feds have not changed the way they schedule marijuana yet, which is really wacko.” The governor also pushed back against opponents’ fears that legal cannabis would cause public health problems…

[ad_1] A Virginia Senate committee voted unanimously in favor of advancing a bill on Wednesday that would prevent the state from using marijuana alone as evidence of child abuse or neglect. The change is meant to protect parents and guardians from discrimination around cannabis use and possession, which the commonwealth legalized in 2021. The Senate Courts of Justice Committee, voted 15–0 to report the measure, SB 115, which is sponsored by Senate President Pro Tempore Louise Lucas (D). If it becomes law, the measure would further provide that drug testing in child custody and visitation matters “shall exclude testing for…

[ad_1] An eighth city in Massachusetts has adopted a local policy to deprioritize arrests around psychedelic plants and fungi, also urging county prosecutors to stop pursuing cases of possession, cultivation or distribution of the substances. The City Council of Medford passed a resolution Tuesday evening declaring that investigation and arrest of adults for “planting, cultivating, transporting, distributing, engaging in practices with, and/or possessing entheogenic plants and fungi…shall officially be the lowest law enforcement priority for Medford.” Further it states that the use and possession of all controlled substances “should be understood first and primarily as an issue of public health…

[ad_1] A new scientific literature review published in the journal Molecules explores the “collaborative interactions” of various chemical compounds in marijuana—including cannabinoids, terpenes and flavonoids—arguing that a better understanding of the components’ combined effects “is crucial for unraveling cannabis’s complete therapeutic potential.” The findings reinforce what many in the marijuana space have been saying for years: that it’s not only THC and CBD that modulate a person’s cannabis experience, but also the complicated interactions between cannabinoids, terpenes, flavonoids and other molecules in the plant—a concept known as the “entourage effect.” “In cannabis science, cannabinoids, terpenes, and flavonoids have often been…

[ad_1] Florida’s Senate Committee on Health Policy advanced a bill on Tuesday that would preemptively limit THC levels in adult-use marijuana products. The change would restrict products allowed under a recreational cannabis legalization ballot initiative that organizers are working to put on November’s ballot. The bill, SPB 7050, would prohibit dispensary sales of marijuana flower with a potency of greater than 30 percent THC. All other cannabis products would be limited to 60 percent THC. It would also set a serving size on edible products of 10 milligrams THC or less, with the total amount per package no more than…

[ad_1] A House panel in Virginia has voted to advance amended legislation that would legalize retail marijuana sales in the state, sending the bill to the chamber floor. A separate bill with somewhat different provisions is proceeding in the Senate, however, setting up potentially contentious negotiations as the session proceeds. The House General Laws Committee on Tuesday voted 10–8 to report the measure, HB 698, from Rep. Paul Krizek (D), with one member abstaining. In its current form, the bill would allow licensed retailers—existing medical marijuana dispensaries as well as dozens of equity-focused microbusinesses—to open for adult-use sales on January…

[ad_1] An Alaska Senate panel took testimony on Monday on a plan that would create a state task force to explore how to legalize and regulate the therapeutic use of psychedelics in the state. The legislation would not immediately change the legal status of the substances under Alaska law but is instead aimed at preparing the state for eventual federal legalization. Members of the Senate Labor and Commerce Committee heard from the bill’s sponsor at the hearing and took public testimony, but did not vote on the measure Versions of the bill were introduced in both the House and Senate…

[ad_1] The City Council of Osseo, Minnesota is considering whether to open the state’s first municipally run marijuana retailer—a move leaders say would provide more local control over the look, feel and operations of the store. “There’s not really a way for a community to say, ‘No, we don’t want this type of a store here,’” Councilmember Mark Schulz said in an interview with local TV station FOX 9. “If we are going to have to have a store and our public safety department is apprehensive, why not give them a seat at the table?” Schulz called the plan “a…

[ad_1] In a discussion about reparations on the HBO show Real Time With Bill Maher at the start of Black History Month on Friday, rapper Killer Mike suggested that Black people could be given control over America’s marijuana industry as a way to redress racial harm. “With Native Americans, we gave them the casino industry,” Maher said. “What about, you know, supermarkets?” “Could Black people have the marijuana industry?” replied Killer Mike. “Give us marijuana. Multibillion-dollar industry. It’s still fresh, it’s still growing.” New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R), another guest on the show Friday night, made clear his distaste…

[ad_1] Marijuana use alone is not associated with higher odds of car accidents, according to a new study by researchers who looked at drivers who visited emergency departments. In fact, high self-reported acute cannabis use was actually associated with lower odds of a crash. Alcohol, meanwhile—whether used by itself or combined with marijuana—showed a clear correlation with odds of a collision. To arrive at the results, researchers gathered data from emergency departments in Denver, Colorado; Portland, Oregon; and Sacramento, California. They obtained drivers’ blood and measured it for THC and metabolites, recorded alcohol levels as measured by a breathalyzer or…