Author: Nicole Potter
[ad_1] On July 26, the U.S. House of Representatives approved amendments and added a large spending bill. Among those amendments was an addition that would permit doctors from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to recommend medical cannabis for veterans, as well as allow research to be conducted for other psychedelic substances with medical benefits. The amendment was one of many proposed to be added to the 2024 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies appropriations bill, also referred to as HR-4366, which “…prevents the VA [Veterans Affairs] from interfering with a veteran’s ability to participate in a legal state…
[ad_1] The Florida-based advocacy group Smart & Safe Florida (SSF) has been hard at work trying to get a cannabis legalization initiative on the ballot for 2024. The most recent developments include new briefs filed with the Florida Supreme Court. On July 19, Smart & Safe Florida, alongside the Medical Marijuana Business Association of Florida and Cato Institute, filed a new brief with the Florida Supreme Court in response to Attorney General Ashley Moody who is challenging the initiative. The Supreme Court is labeling this as a “high profile case.” In the brief, SSF states that the “roadmap” for previous…
[ad_1] The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced in March that it was officially opening up an online portal to make it easier than ever for those who hold low-level cannabis convictions to apply for a pardon. Now the DOJ’s Office of the Pardon Attorney published a notice on July 18 stating that the deadline has been extended until August 15. The Office of the Pardon Attorney wrote that it is submitting a request to extend pardon applications through 2026. “DOJ seeks PRA [Paperwork Reduction Act] authorization for this information collection for three (3) years,” it stated. “OMB [Office of…
[ad_1] While the west coast braces for the annual summertime heatwave, states on the east coast are trying to stay afloat amidst heavy rain. Destructive flooding ran through Monteplier, Vermont, the state’s capital, leaving many businesses closed for cleanup and repair. For affected cannabis businesses, this means that they can’t apply for federal aid. According to VTdigger.com, Lauren Andrews, the owner of Capital Cannabis on Main Street, spent many days last week cleaning up her dispensary with the intention of reopening on July 17. However, upon returning to her business she found a water leak that left the walls and…
[ad_1] Recently the Justice Department Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) reported that the percentage of people in federal prison for cannabis convictions has dropped 61% between 2013-2018. The data was featured in an article published on July 13, entitled “Sentencing Decisions for Persons in Federal Prison for Drug Offenses, 2013-2018.” BJS Director Dr. Alexis Piquero explained that the decrease of people with cannabis-related convictions in prison was the most significant drop in comparison to other substances. “Although the number of people in federal prison for drug offenses decreased over this five-year span, they still accounted for a large share—almost half—of…
[ad_1] Recently in South Dakota, two law enforcement officers were forgiven by the South Dakota Law Enforcement Officers Standards Commission for cannabis use. According to the South Dakota Searchlight, the commission made decisions on more than a dozen pending certifications and recertifications, of “officers, canine units, and reciprocity for out-of-state or Indian Country officers seeking state certification.” Many “officer hopefuls” attended a commission meeting on July 12 to make their case. The first was Officer Kody Beckers, who previously pleaded guilty to possession of THC wax when he was a freshman in college in 2015. “I’m not going to fabricate…
[ad_1] In Minnesota, the Red Lake Nation council recently voted on July 11 to legalize adult-use cannabis starting on August 1. After that date, cannabis will be legal to purchase both for tribe and non-tribe members. Legal recreational cannabis will become purchasable across Minnesota starting on August 1, although retail dispensaries will not be allowed to open for 12 to 18 months. First, state officials must create a regulatory foundation for dispensary licensing. According to the Minnesota Reformer, the Red Lake Nation already has an operating medical cannabis dispensary, called NativeCare. After August 1, NativeCare will begin selling recreational cannabis,…
[ad_1] The Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission (CCC) recently released a report of its latest recreational cannabis sales data. In June, the state collected $132.8 million in recreational cannabis sales (the highest per-month amount for the year of 2023 so far), and $19 million in medical cannabis sales. Since the state’s adult-use cannabis sales began in November 2018, it has collected a total of $4.74 billion in adult-use sales. According to a graph dictating the popularity of specific cannabis products, flower is the most common type by a wide margin with over $2.9 billion in sales since 2018. This is followed…
[ad_1] Researchers at DELIC Labs recently published a study analyzing how the size of ground cannabis flower in today’s cannabis joints can impact a consumer when smoking. DELIC Labs was founded by Dr. Markus Roggen and Professor Glenn Sammis in 2018 as a licensed cannabis and psilocybin research laboratory that “seeks to add fundamental scientific insight to the field of cannabis and mushroom production.” The most recent study was entitled “Hot Topics and Hotboxing: Latest Research on Cannabis Aerosols,” collaborating with the University of British Columbia, Loyalist College, Via Innovations, and Verdient Science. According to Roggen, the purpose of the…
[ad_1] A 32-year-old woman was recently put in prison for possession of CBD in Hong Kong. According to a report from Agence France-Presse (AFP), she has become the first person to receive a criminal conviction for CBD since Hong Kong officially banned it earlier this year. Now it’s illegal to possess, consume, or sell CBD products, and is categorized the same as substances like heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine. The woman carried two CBD products when going through customs on March 29 when she was traveling from the U.S. to Hong Kong. According to the report, she also carried 2.2 grams…
[ad_1] In the British Isles, Jersey Hemp is the only farm permitted to cultivate hemp. While it’s licensed to produce CBD products, the United Kingdom government recently closed the farm down because it found trace amounts of THC in the farm’s products. According to a BBC report, Jersey Hemp co-owners David Ryan and Blair Jones were forced to lay off half of their staff and ceased operation, and the U.K. government restricted any export of Jersey Hemp’s products. As a result, Jersey Hemp published a press statement on June 23 that it will be considering taking both the Home Office…
[ad_1] On June 22, U.S. Forest Service (USFS) deputy chief for business operations Tony Dixon published a statement exploring the relationship and impact of cannabis on federal employees. “Over the last 10 years or so, our views around the use of marijuana have shifted radically,” Dixon stated. “Many states have legalized use of marijuana for medicinal purposes, and some have even allowed recreational use in much the same manner as tobacco or alcohol products. But where does that leave the federal government?” Like other federal agencies, USFS employees are subject to the same federal laws as everyone else. However, he…