Author: Ben Adlin

[ad_1] As federal lawmakers prepare to reintroduce a bill to regulate kratom, a former Trump administration drug czar stressed the need to beat back “misinformation” from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which has attempted to ban the substance in the U.S. and abroad. Members of the American Kratom Association (AKA) said during a webinar Tuesday that they expect federal legislation to regulate the drug “will be filed shortly” in Congress and could be taken up later this session. The text of the forthcoming bill “will be word-for-word the same” as congressional legislation introduced last session, said Mac Haddow, a…

[ad_1] California’s attorney general says the cost of doing business in the state’s legal marijuana marketplace is too steep, pointing to high taxes and compliance hurdles that can create incentives for entrepreneurs to remain in the illicit market. “The barriers to entry are too high,” state Attorney General Rob Bonta (D) said at an event in Fresno on Tuesday. “The costs to stay in operation are too high. And we should be lowering taxes at least temporarily.” For operators trying to comply with state law, he continued, “We should make the regulatory burden less than what it is while we…

[ad_1] Colorado officials who will oversee the state’s legal psychedelics program are hosting a series of upcoming listening sessions, one of the first steps toward implementing regulated access provisions of the voter-approved legalization law. Leaders of the Colorado Natural Medicine Division, part of the state Department of Revenue, say the meetings are meant to engage stakeholders and keep the public informed. “We believe it is critical to involve the community in the process of standing up a new program for natural medicine that reflects a diversity of perspectives,” the division’s senior director, Dominique Mendiola, said in a press release on…

[ad_1] While using psilocybin mushrooms or LSD can provide enjoyable sensations and useful insights, such trips can sometimes come with uncomfortable effects—including intense grief and fear. But pairing psychedelics with a small dose of MDMA, a new study says, seems to both reduce those feelings of discomfort and highlight more positive aspects of the experience. The study, conducted by researchers at New York University’s Langone Center for Psychedelic Medicine and the Centre for Psychedelic Research at Imperial College London, was published last week in the peer-reviewed journal Scientific Reports. Its findings suggest that “co-use of MDMA with psilocybin/LSD may buffer…

[ad_1] Foster parents in Missouri can now legally possess and grow marijuana in their homes under an emergency rule filed last week by the state Department of Social Services. Consuming cannabis in a manner that emits smoke or vapor, however, is still not allowed inside the house. Missouri voters in November 2022 passed a ballot initiative, Amendment 3, to legalize and regulate marijuana for adults 21 and older, allowing the purchase and possession of up to three ounces of cannabis and, after registering, the growth of up to six mature plants for personal use. But until Monday, the foster parents…

[ad_1] Top officials in the Bahamas have announced a legislative package that would legalize marijuana for medical, religious and research purposes. Personal possession of small amounts of cannabis would also be decriminalized, and past convictions for simple possession would be expunged. Together, the suite of bills would establish a local framework for marijuana production and, according to the government, “ensure a well-regulated, safe and controlled cannabis industry.” Attorney General Ryan Pinder and Health and Wellness Minister Michael Darville announced the proposed reforms during the Office of the Prime Minister’s weekly press briefing on Thursday. Pinder said he’d like to have…

[ad_1] As the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under the Trump administration prepared to propose federal restrictions on kratom, a number of top officials intervened, criticizing the agency’s “bias” and stopping it “on the spot” from moving ahead with scheduling, a former White House drug czar said in a new interview. “They did not give—did not have—the entire facts. They didn’t have the science,” said Jim Carroll, who served as director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, or drug czar, under President Donald Trump from 2018 to 2021. “FDA did not paint the entire picture. Maybe they…

[ad_1] A new study suggests that some lesser-known cannabinoids produced by hemp and marijuana—with names like THCV, CBDV, CBC, CBM and CBN—may help treat dermatological diseases such as psoriasis, eczema and acne. “The findings of this review suggest that minor cannabinoids hold therapeutic promise in the management of dermatological diseases,” says the study, published this week in the peer-reviewed journal Molecules. “Incorporating minor cannabinoids into dermatological therapies could potentially offer novel treatment options of patients and improve their overall well-being.” To reach those conclusions, Polish researchers Emilia Kwiecień and Dorota Kowalczuk reviewed existing literature published in scientific journals and found…

[ad_1] A Maryland tax official says the state has found an unusual workaround with Wells Fargo in order to avoid clearly identifying marijuana tax revenue on financial forms, yet another example of the creative workarounds being used by cannabis businesses and regulators amid ongoing federal prohibition. “This was a heavy lift and something we had to do,” Rob Scheerer, director of the Maryland Office of the Comptroller’s Revenue Administration Division, reportedly said at a Maryland Association of Counties conference last week. “In order to protect the banks, we can’t even call this cannabis on the tax return.” Instead, he added,…

[ad_1] The New York State Fair kicked off on Wednesday, and for the first time ever, attendees have the chance to browse—and buy—marijuana products from nearly a dozen local growers at a cannabis farmers market being held in conjunction with the event. The so-called Great New York State Cannabis Showcase technically isn’t part of the state fair, but the pop-up exhibition and market will run concurrently from August 23 through September 3. It’s located less than a mile from the fairgrounds in Syracuse—a short ride on the free shuttle bus provided by organizers. “We are happy to see a large-scale…

[ad_1] An association representing Ohio’s 112 local health departments is opposing a marijuana legalization ballot measure set to go to voters in November, claiming the policy change would only contribute to drug-related problems in the state. “Making marijuana more accessible through legal recreational use and retail sales hurts Ohio, creates serious new risks for children’s health and makes our workplaces and highways less safe,” the Ohio Association of Health Commissioners warned in a statement Tuesday. “With Ohio’s rates of opiate abuse and overdoses still among the highest in the country, we need to be helping Ohio find solutions to addiction,…

[ad_1] Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy reiterated his support for federal marijuana legalization in an interview that aired on Sunday, saying the current state–federal conflict on cannabis is “a farce” that allows governments to unfairly target people. Appearing on the podcast Club Random with Bill Maher, who smoked a joint during the conversation, Ramaswamy said the gap between state and federal marijuana laws is “a joke” that “undermines the rule of law.” “I think we should align the federal law with the state law,” he told Maher. Pressed by Maher whether that was an endorsement of federal cannabis legalization, Ramaswamy…