Author: Ben Adlin

[ad_1] Recent comments by a U.S. State Department official to a United Nations (UN) drug commission are being seen by some legal experts as “a good sign” for marijuana’s potential domestic move to Schedule III under the federal Controlled Substances Act (CSA)—at least in terms of clearing the country’s obligations under international law. Patt Prugh, a senior legal advisor and the primary counsel for the State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, told the UN’s Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) late last month that the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs—a 1961 treaty governing activity around controlled substances—and…

[ad_1] A new forecast of Virginia’s election predicts that Democrats are likely to win control of both chambers of the legislature on Tuesday—a result some advocates believe could open the door for lawmakers to legalize retail cannabis sales in the state. A separate poll, meanwhile, found 58 percent support among likely voters for allowing marijuana sales to proceed. While marijuana legalization technically isn’t on Virginia’s ballot this week, advocates expect the results of the statewide election to shape the future of marijuana policy in the state. Specifically, some think that Democratic control of both chambers would mean the possibility of…

[ad_1] Lawmakers in Germany took comments from experts Monday during a parliamentary Health Committee hearing on the government’s proposal to legalize marijuana in the country. They also considered an alternative plan that would focus instead on reducing cannabis consumption through education and public health measures. The legalization measure, spearheaded by Health Minister Karl Lauterbach, would allow adults to legally possess cannabis and cultivate a maximum of three plants for personal use. It would also create social clubs that could distribute marijuana to members. Officials have said a forthcoming second phase of legalization will eventually launch a pilot program for regulated…

[ad_1] The latest data on the legal cannabis industry in Illinois shows diversity numbers up significantly since adult-use sales began in January 2020, according to state’s Cannabis Regulation Oversight Officer (CROO). It’s a sign that efforts in recent years to prioritize social equity license applicants is making a measurable impact. When recreational marijuana sales began in 2020, the “initial businesses were 100% majority White owned and only one majority woman-owned businesses,” says the office’s diversity survey report that was published last week. Since then, measures of diversity have improved markedly. Among the key changes, Black-owned companies increased from 0 percent…

[ad_1] A New Hampshire commission charged with drafting a bill to legalize marijuana sales through a system of state-run stores by the end of this month met again on Friday, making slow progress through a line-by-line review of sample legislation that the panel is using as a reference point. The committee made it through about a page and a half of the 37-page document during Friday’s meeting, flagging a number of items as “homework assignments” for individual members of the panel to research and return to at another meeting. Among those issues were personal possession limits, penalties for smoking or…

[ad_1] For nearly as long as the federal government has classified marijuana as a Schedule I controlled substance, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been evaluating applications from researchers seeking to develop therapeutic drugs from the plant. In a pair of newly published documents, the agency looks back on more than half a century of investigational cannabis-based drugs and offers its perspective of what the future of drug development might hold. That includes studying a broader range of methods of consuming marijuana such as edibles as well as investigating lesser-known cannabinoids and other components like terpenes. Over the past…

[ad_1] The Washington State Department of Commerce released a document this week recommending how $200 million should be spent to address racial, economic and social disparities created by the war on drugs. The 92-page Community Reinvestment Plan was developed by the department, the state Office of Equity and the Harriet Tubman Foundation for Safe Passage, which together worked with community members to advise how the reinvestment money should be spent. The plan, paid for out of the state’s general fund, next returns to Gov. Jay Inslee (D) and the state legislature. “This plan offers a blueprint for how we can…

[ad_1] A Minnesota psychedelics task force charged with studying the medical benefits of psilocybin, MDMA and LSD and preparing the state for possible legalization will convene on Monday for its first meeting, at which members are expected to select a chairperson and lay out the trajectory of the coming months. The group must return a final report to the state with findings and recommendations by January 1, 2025, and at least one key lawmaker says he plans to file a reform bill shortly thereafter. The meeting is happening more than three months late, according to a state omnibus bill passed…

[ad_1] Organizers at SXSW this week unveiled a slate of more than 450 sessions chosen for the conference set to kick off in March. Among them are a handful of panels focused on legal marijuana and a whopping 13 sessions on psychedelics. It’s a sign of the shifting interest of the cutting edge conference as cannabis becomes more embedded into the mainstream and psychedelics emerge as the next big thing in drug policy. The sessions on MDMA, psilocybin and other substances are part of a new psychedelics-specific track at SXSW 2024, one of two dozen different themed focus areas to…

[ad_1] Cannabis consumers who caught COVID-19 had significantly lower rates of intubation, respiratory failure and death than people who do not use marijuana, according a new study based on hospital data that was presented this week at the annual conference of The American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST) in Honolulu. “Marijuana users had better outcomes and mortality compared to non-users,” the study says, suggesting that the observed benefits might result from marijuana’s “potential to inhibit viral entry into cells and prevent the release of proinflammatory cytokines.” “The significant decrease in mortality and complications warrants further investigation of the association between…

[ad_1] A new paper in the European Journal for Chemistry traces the history of cannabis through “thousands of years of contact with mankind,” noting the plant’s legacy as a source of fiber, nutrition, medicine, spirituality and pleasure. At the same time, it notes that cannabis “is perhaps one of the greatest controversies in contemporary humanity” and a key driver of the modern war on drugs. The paper, “From ancient Asian relics to contemporaneity: A review of historical and chemical aspects of Cannabis,” was written by Gabriel Vitor de Lima Marques and Renata Barbosa de Olivera, of the pharmacy department at the…

[ad_1] California officials next month will begin accepting applications for the Cannabis Equity Grants Program for Local Jurisdictions for the coming fiscal year. The grants to municipalities are part of the state’s effort to use cannabis tax revenue to fund equity programs for those disproportionately impacted by the drug war. The purpose of the program is “to advance economic justice for populations and communities impacted by cannabis prohibition and the War on Drugs by providing support to local jurisdictions as they promote equity in California and eliminate barriers to enter the newly regulated cannabis industry for equity program applicants and…