Author: Ben Adlin
[ad_1] A group of Pennsylvania lawmakers spoke Friday about the path ahead for marijuana legalization in the state, emphasizing their interest in building a legal industry that’s inclusive, accommodating of existing medical patients and respectful of local communities’ needs. During discussion at the 6th annual Cannabis Opportunities Conference—part of the Diasporic Alliance for Cannabis Opportunity’s (DACO) Black Cannabis Week—policymakers, most of whom are Black, emphasized the importance of building social equity into the legal market. “This is going to be a multibillion-dollar industry,” said Sen. Sharif Street (D), who hosted the event. “We need to make sure that we’re inclusive……
[ad_1] A bill recently introduced in Michigan would legalize psychedelic plants and fungi so long as activities like cultivating and distributing the substances are done “without receiving money or other valuable consideration.” Senate Bill 449, sponsored by Sen. Jeff Irwin (D), would apply to five substances—psilocybin, psilocyn, dimethyltryptamine (DMT), ibogaine and mescaline—along with the plants and fungi known to produce them. If approved, it would exempt individuals from penalties for possession and use of the substances as well as noncommercial manufacturing, processing and delivery. Simple possession of any of the covered substances is currently a misdemeanor in the state. Irwin,…
[ad_1] A disagreement over voter signatures to qualify two marijuana reform measures for Wyoming’s 2024 election is turning into a back-and-forth between Secretary of State Chuck Gray (R) and the campaign behind the proposals, with cannabis advocates saying they are considering litigation over the matter. Activists said on Thursday that Gray’s office “provided incorrect information about the total number of signatures required and the process by which signatures are submitted,” a misunderstanding that “derailed the cannabis petitions,” which together would have legalized medical marijuana and decriminalized the possession of small amounts of cannabis. Backers at Compassionate Options Wyoming, Wyoming NORML…
[ad_1] A new report from the Coalition for Cannabis Policy, Education, and Regulation (CPEAR) looking at the nation’s illicit cannabis market makes a number of policy suggestions aimed at reining in unlicensed marijuana sales. Among them, the group calls for a centralized, nationwide track-and-trace system as well as marijuana tax stamps to help “distinguish regulated cannabis products from illicit products.” “Eliminating the illicit market requires a multifaceted approach, one that leverages technology and data and relies on collaboration between law enforcement agencies, policymakers, and the regulated cannabis industry,” says a press release from the advocacy group, whose membership includes tobacco…
[ad_1] A new United Nations report highlights the many human rights concerns raised by the war on drugs, urging member states to shift from punitive drug-control policies to an approach rooted in public health. Dealing with drugs as a criminal problem, the report says, is causing further harm. “Laws, policies and practices deployed to address drug use must not end up exacerbating human suffering,” UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said in a statement Wednesday. “The drugs problem remains very concerning, but treating people who use drugs as criminals is not the solution.” “States should move away from…
[ad_1] The soap company Dr. Bronner’s made headlines last year when it offered psychedelic-assisted therapy to workers through its employee health plan. Now the healthcare nonprofit that covered the treatment is expanding the offering to patients across the country. Enthea, which bills itself as the “first and only licensed provider of health benefit plans that cover psychedelic-assisted therapies,” announced Wednesday the “nationwide availability” of ketamine-assisted therapy as an available employee benefit. Employers interested in offering the ketamine therapy as a covered treatment, the company said, “can simply add it as an ancillary benefit, similar to dental and vision offerings.” “Nationwide…
[ad_1] Square, the payment processing platform widely known for its ubiquitous card readers, is entering Canada’s cannabis market. On Wednesday morning, the company announced a partnership with Jane Technologies, an online ordering service that allows customers to purchase marijuana for delivery or store pickup. In addition to its deal with Jane, Square is also opening an early access program for licensed dispensaries in Canada “which allows authorized cannabis sellers in Ontario to begin testing the Square for Retail point of sale (POS) solution in stores ahead of being launched more widely,” the company said in press release. Beyond accepting payments,…
[ad_1] A group in Oregon wants to make drug possession a crime again, having unveiled two versions of a would-be ballot initiative that would undo key provisions of Measure 110, the 2020 voter-approved measure that decriminalized simple possession of all drugs. The proposal—which backers say they’ll pursue both through the state legislature and at the ballot box, if necessary—would make it a misdemeanor crime to possess certain “hard” drugs, including fentanyl, methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine and others. It would also create a new misdemeanor criminal offense for using unlawful drugs in public. A second version of the measure would go further,…
[ad_1] During the second meeting of a New Hampshire commission tasked with preparing legislation to legalize marijuana through a novel system of state-run stores, members on Monday considered an alternative proposal that would instead establish a franchise model for cannabis sales. “The model that we are looking to put into place, that we feel would be feasible, is that the Liquor Commission would be the franchisor and the franchisee would be the retailer,” Joseph Mollica, chairman of the New Hampshire Liquor Commission, told the panel. The scheme would allow the state to handle administration and marketing of adult-use marijuana while…
[ad_1] A group of state cannabis regulators is asking Congress to change laws around hemp and cannabinoids through the forthcoming 2023 Farm Bill, seeking to adjust the federal definition of the crop and modify rules around hemp-derived cannabinoids. The changes are needed, says the Cannabis Regulators Association (CANNRA), because the 2018 Farm Bill, which legalized hemp nationwide, “inadvertently resulted in a thriving market for intoxicating cannabinoid products that are included (or claim to be included) within the definition of ‘hemp.’” The 2018 Farm Bill defined hemp as cannabis containing less than 0.3 percent THC, but so far federal agencies have…
[ad_1] In Kentucky, one of the states hit hardest by the ongoing overdose crisis, the Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission heard hours of testimony on Friday from military veterans, parents, psychologists and other advocates—including former Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R)—who are in favor of further studying ibogaine as a treatment for addiction. It was the second of two public hearings on a plan that would funnel at least $42 million in state funds into ibogaine research over the next six years to explore whether and how ibogaine-assisted therapy can best help treat opioid use disorder. The commission is set to vote…
[ad_1] Amid a push to legalize adult-use cannabis in Florida through a ballot measure next year, activists in the state are working to qualify a separate initiative that would finally give medical marijuana patients and their caretakers the ability to grow the plant at home. Signature gathering kicked off last month and is now underway, with petitions available both online and at a number of medical marijuana dispensaries and clinics across the state. “We have petitions in each of the dispensary locations,” Josephine Krehl, a physician at The Flowery dispensaries who handles clinical and community relations, told Marijuana Moment on…