Author: Ben Adlin

[ad_1] A Missouri House committee considered a proposal on Tuesday that would legalize the medical use of psilocybin in the state and mandate clinical trials exploring the therapeutic potential of the psychedelic. A separate Senate committee hearing on similar legislation that was scheduled to take place was canceled, however. Rep. Aaron McMullen (R) and Sen. Holly Thompson Rehder (R) introduced similar versions of the legislation last month. Under both measures, adults 21 or older diagnosed with a qualifying condition such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or substance use disorders could legally access laboratory-tested psilocybin. They also would need to be…

[ad_1] The Republican leader of the Kansas Senate is pushing back against an effort to legalize medical marijuana in the state, calling legislation from advocates a “nonstarter” and suggesting the policy change could lead to a surge in “gang activity” and put kids at risk. Senate President Ty Masterson said in a media interview that while he’s open to enacting a limited cannabis pilot program for patients, he’s heard too much about what’s gone wrong with neighboring Oklahoma’s medical marijuana system to support broader reform. “You’ve seen the disaster in Oklahoma, right? With cash transactions for land,” he told reporters.…

[ad_1] A House committee in Washington State has advanced a bill to legalize the home cultivation of marijuana, though lawmakers first reduced the proposed number of plants that would be allowed from six per person down to four. The panel also gutted a separate bill that would have banned the sale of high-THC cannabis products to people under 25, replacing that provision with one instead requiring retailers to warn customers about the potential dangers of high-potency products. Both bills were before the House Regulated Substances and Gaming Committee on Monday. Members voted 7–4 to approve the marijuana homegrow measure and…

[ad_1] Six in 10 active duty military service members and veterans—as well as 85 percent of military family members—support legalizing marijuana, according to a new Ohio State University study that surveyed 1,168 people on their attitudes around recreational drug legalization. Meanwhile a minority of veterans—4 in 10—favor legalizing psychedelics, compared to majorities of family members and non-military respondents—59 percent and 61 percent, respectively. Even sharper differences in opinion arose between veterans and other groups in answers about cocaine and heroin, the poll found. Legalizing those drugs had 37 percent support among veterans, compared to much lower numbers—between 10 percent and…

[ad_1] Plaintiffs in a federal court case centered on interstate marijuana trade have voluntarily withdrawn their lawsuit against the state of Oregon, providing no public explanation for the move beyond saying that “big things are coming on this front very soon.” Jefferson Packing House, a state-licensed cannabis wholesaler based in Medford, filed suit against Oregon Gov. Kate Brown (D) and others in November 2022, challenging a state law that bans exporting marijuana across state lines. While cross-border cannabis commerce is also illegal under federal law, the company said at the time that its goal was to invite Oregon officials to…

[ad_1] Newly introduced legislation in Hawaii would create explicit legal protections around the therapeutic use of psilocybin, with eligible patients able to possess and consume the psychedelic under a trained facilitator’s care. The measure is the result of a task force on breakthrough therapies that was formed last year to explore the issue, its sponsor, Sen. Chris Lee (D), told Marijuana Moment. SB 3019 would not legalize psilocybin itself but would instead create an affirmative defense for qualified patients and their caregivers, effectively exempting them from state laws against psilocybin. A companion bill in the House, HB 2630, is sponsored…

[ad_1] A Senate proposal to legalize commercial sales of marijuana in Virginia has passed a key hurdle, clearing the Committee on Rehabilitation and Social Services in a 10–5 vote on Friday morning. The bill needs to advance quickly through additional committees in the coming weeks in order to stay alive in the current session. The measure, SB 448, from Sen. Aaron Rouse (D), would begin licensing adult-use marijuana businesses in July of this year, though retail licenses wouldn’t be available until 2025. Local governments would be able to ban commercial cannabis activity, but only with approval from voters. With the…

[ad_1] A Senate panel in Virginia met Thursday to begin hammering out differences between two separate bills that would legalize commercial marijuana sales in the state, hearing public testimony and digging into issues such as social equity, licensing and regulatory enforcement. While both measures—SB 423 from Sen. Adam Ebbin (D) and SB 448 from Sen. Aaron Rouse (D)—would establish frameworks allowing retail cannabis sales to begin, the proposals represent slightly different policy priorities. Ebbin’s bill, for example, prioritizes opening the legal market quickly, by allowing the state’s existing medical marijuana operators to sell recreational products almost immediately. Rouse’s measure, by…

[ad_1] As a New Hampshire House subcommittee took up a marijuana legalization bill during a work group meeting Wednesday, the panel’s chair presented the measure’s sponsor with a choice: either work to amend the proposal into something likely to win the support of Gov. Chris Sununu (R), who favors a system of state-controlled stores, or try to pass the current bill through the House only to see it fail in the Senate. Rep. John Hunt (R), who chairs the full House Commerce and Consumer Affairs Committee, said he had prepared an amendment to bring the bill more in line with…

[ad_1] More than a half dozen U.S. states where marijuana is legal notched record-breaking monthly sales in December, with many relatively new adult-use cannabis markets continuing to expand and American shoppers in general stepping up holiday spending. Most of the monthly sales records were seen in states that legalized marijuana more recently and, as a result, are still experiencing the early growth of markets in their emerging stages. Connecticut, for example, which started sales a year ago, set new monthly sales records every single month of 2023. Maryland also set records during every single month of sales last year, though…

[ad_1] In a little-noticed section of a report on the nation’s worsening drug overdose epidemic released late last year, the American Medical Association (AMA) urged states and local communities to consider allowing overdose prevention sites (OSPs) to operate as a public health strategy. “At this point in the nation’s epidemic, the AMA urges states and communities to consider all evidence-based approaches to prevent overdose death and help connect individuals to health care and treatment,” the report says. “The data shows that OSPs help reduce risky drug use behaviors, overdose and death while improving public safety and access to health care.”…

[ad_1] Massachusetts marijuana retailers sold a record $158.7 million worth of legal cannabis products in December, according to figures released by the state’s Cannabis Control Commission—bringing the state’s total recorded sales for 2023 to nearly $1.8 billion. Of that annual total, the bulk—more than 87 percent—was from adult-use sales, which came to nearly $1.57 billion last year. Medical marijuana sales, meanwhile, totaled about $226 million in 2023. Record sales to adults last month, at $140.0 million, were largely responsible for the overall monthly record in December. Sales of medical marijuana were also stronger than in recent months, at about $18.6…