Author: Ben Adlin

[ad_1] Signature gathering has officially kicked off to qualify an initiative for California’s 2024 ballot that would spend $5 billion to create a state agency focused on advancing research and development of psychedelic therapies. Known as the TREAT California Act, the measure would not itself change the legal status of any substances. Rather, it would establish a state agency called the Treatment, Research, Education, Access and Therapies (TREAT) Institute, which would identify opportunities for advancing scientific research and development into the therapeutic potential of psychedelics. The initiative would create a state constitutional right to conduct research in California using all…

[ad_1] U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA) was the sole Democrat to vote against a marijuana banking reform bill during a committee markup last month. In a new interview, the senator described his vote as an effort at making important equity improvements while there’s still a chance to do so. “I’m worried that if we pass a bill with all of the fees and the revenue that comes, and not begin to address the issue of restorative justice, we’re not going to go back and get those communities,” Warnock said during an appearance on Crooked Media’s Lovett or Leave It podcast…

[ad_1] Federal lawmakers have introduced legislation that would regulate kratom products across the country, renewing a similar push made late last session. The proposal, now titled the Kratom Consumer Protection Act, is expected to have bipartisan support in both chambers. On the Senate side, the measure is sponsored by Sen. Mike Lee, a Utah Republican. Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), is expected to sign on as a cosponsor after Congress returns to work next week, advocates say. Booker was also a sponsor of last year’s legislation, which at the time was called the Federal Clarity for Kratom Consumers Act In the…

[ad_1] The U.S. Census Bureau has released its first report on state-level marijuana tax revenue data following what the agency calls “a complete canvass of all state agencies” going back to July 2021. In the 18-month period between then and the end of 2022, the data show, states collected more than $5.7 billion from licensed cannabis sales. The launch of the report, which the agency plans to update on a quarterly basis going forward, signals that at least some parts of the federal government are now beginning to treat the cannabis industry as a legitimate sector of the economy. The…

[ad_1] A new report from an international coalition of advocacy groups says global drug prohibition has fueled environmental destruction in some of the world’s most critical ecosystems, undermining efforts to address the climate crisis. As policymakers, governments, NGOs and activists work to craft urgent responses to protect tropical forests, which are some of the largest carbon sinks on the planet, the report says that “their efforts will fail as long as those committed to environmental protection neglect to recognize, and grapple with, the elephant in the room”—namely “the global system of criminalized drug prohibition, popularly known as the ‘war on…

[ad_1] A New Hampshire commission charged with preparing legislation to legalize adult-use cannabis through a system of state-run stores heard testimony from leaders of the state’s medical marijuana program on Thursday, during a meeting that at times was marked by visible impatience and frustration. The bulk of the meeting centered on a presentation by Michael Holt, administrator of the state’s Therapeutic Cannabis Program, and Patricia Tilley, director of the state Health and Human Services Department’s Division of Public Health Services. The pair were ostensibly invited to provide input on how New Hampshire should handle medical marijuana regulation if it also…

[ad_1] With early voting in Ohio beginning next week, the campaign behind a ballot measure to legalize marijuana released a new campaign ad on Friday in support of the policy change. Attorney General Dave Yost (R), meanwhile, published an analysis of the initiative that he said is meant to provide voters with “vital clarity and transparency” amid a campaign that has seen “inflamed and inaccurate” rhetoric. The new ad from the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, the primary backer of Issue 2, makes two main arguments: that Ohio’s existing medical marijuana law provides insufficient access to cannabis for some…

[ad_1] Bipartisan legislation that would allow Michigan’s state-licensed marijuana businesses to conduct trade with tribal cannabis entities located in the state won approval from the full House of Representatives this week. The bills, passed by the Senate in June, next proceed to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D). The pair of bills, SB 180 and SB 179, were reported out of the House Committee on Regulatory Reform on Tuesday and passed by the full chamber on Thursday. Though the two pieces of legislation work together, the bulk of the policy changes are packaged in SB 180, sponsored by Sen. Roger Hauck (R).…

[ad_1] Advocates behind a ballot measure to legalize marijuana in Ohio sent cease and desist letters on Thursday to local TV stations in an effort to get them to stop airing opposition ads that the cannabis campaign says are “filled with lies.” “It’s incredibly disappointing anytime Ohio voters are lied to,” said Tom Haren, a spokesperson for the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, “but it’s clear our opposition sees no other way to defeat Issue 2.” According to a copy of the letter included in a campaign press release, two television ads from the organization Weed Free Kids “contain…

[ad_1] Legal marijuana in Illinois saw “unprecedented growth” in fiscal year 2023, says a new annual report from the state’s Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR), with the opening of 28 new retailers and more than $1.5 billion in total retail sales. Total tax revenue from the industry dropped in fiscal year 2023, however, falling to $420.9 million from a record $435.1 the previous year. All told, the legal cannabis industry brought in about $451.9 million for the state in fiscal year 2023, which ran from July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2023, according to separate numbers from the…

[ad_1] New Jersey is awarding $12 million in grant money to 48 licensed cannabis operators to help them start and expand their businesses. It’s part of the state’s effort to remove barriers to entry to the legal industry, especially among people from communities disproportionately harmed by the drug war. The $250,000 award to each of the licensees represents “the largest cannabis social equity grant of its kind in the nation,” the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) said Wednesday as it and other state and local officials announced the new phase of funding. The amount is twice what was originally…

[ad_1] A cannabis producer and dispensary operator in Hawaii made minor history last month by completing the first legal inter-island transfer of medical marijuana since the state established a dispensary system in 2016. The transaction happened legally under state law thanks to a recent change that took effect in August. Previously, Hawaii barred inter-island transfers, citing federal jurisdiction over airspace and water around the islands. Federal law still prohibits all use and possession of cannabis, of course, but officials changed the state policy as concerns about federal interference in state-licensed marijuana programs have diminished. The company Big Island Grown (BIG)…