Author: Nicole Potter

[ad_1] The U.S. Cannabis Council (USCC) announced on June 28 that it has created Legalize America, which is the first United States’s Super Political Action Committee (or Super PAC) that is specifically dedicated to cannabis reform. A Super PAC is an “independent expenditure only political committee” that can receive unlimited contributions from various sources “for the purpose of financing independent expenditures and other independent political activity,” according to the Federal Election Commission. “We’re excited to share that we’ve launched Legalize America, the nation’s first Super PAC devoted to cannabis reform. The new independent expenditure group will work to raise the…

[ad_1] The European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction’s (EMCDDA) report, entitled “Cannabis—the current situation in Europe (European Drug Report 2023),” describes cannabis as “by far the most commonly consumed illicit drug in Europe.” The report cites national surveys which show that 8% of European adults (out of approximately 22.6 million people between 15 and 64 years of age) have used cannabis within the last year. An estimated 1.3% of adults (approximately 3.7 million people) are described as “daily” or “almost daily” consumers. With the popularity of cannabis continuing to grow, the report notes that this often leads to…

[ad_1] The European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction’s (EMCDDA) report, entitled “Cannabis—the current situation in Europe (European Drug Report 2023),” describes cannabis as “by far the most commonly consumed illicit drug in Europe.” The report cites national surveys which show that 8% of European adults (out of approximately 22.6 million people between 15 and 64 years of age) have used cannabis within the last year. An estimated 1.3% of adults (approximately 3.7 million people) are described as “daily” or “almost daily” consumers. With the popularity of cannabis continuing to grow, the report notes that this often leads to…

[ad_1] A poll from the University of California, Berkeley Center for the Science of Psychedelics (BCSP) shows new data regarding American support of legal psychedelic therapy. The poll results were published online on June 20 in what the university calls the “first-ever Berkeley Survey,” which was also presented at the Psychedelic Science 2023 Conference in Denver, Colorado. “More than six out of 10 (61%) American registered voters support legalizing regulated therapeutic access to psychedelics, including 35% who report ‘strong’ support,” UC Berkeley wrote in a press release regarding the poll. “In addition, more than three-quarters of voters (78%) support making it easier for researchers to…

[ad_1] The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) released a press release on June 26 as a reminder for people traveling for Canada Day (July 1) or the U.S.’s Independence Day (July 4)—no cannabis across the border. For those who plan to traverse the border between the U.S. and Canada, CBSA recommends tips such as planning ahead for border wait times, saving time with an Advance Declaration, and having travel documents handy. The topic of cannabis was also shared in this list as well. The section entitled “Cannabis: Don’t bring it in. Don’t take it out.” refers to the restrictions of…

[ad_1] On June 20, the Senate in Colombia officially rejected a measure that would have allowed recreational cannabis sales. With a 43 to 47 vote, the bill failed to pass with the necessary 54 votes that would have enabled it to pass through its eighth and final debate. According to Sen. Juan Carlos Losada, the progress seen with this bill is not the end of discussions for adult-use legalization. “I don’t consider this a defeat; we have taken a giant step, four years of putting such a controversial issue at the top of the public agenda, of the public debate,”…

[ad_1] On June 16, the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports (CSMAS) released a statement regarding its support of removing cannabis from its list of banned substances. The NCAA is governed by three divisions: Division I, II, and III. According to a press release, CSMAS met in Indianapolis last week by a referral of Divisions II and III, asking them “to further consider the [NCAA’s] cannabis policy and whether NCAA drug testing should be limited to performance-enhancing substances.” In order for cannabis to be removed from the NCAA substance list, Divisions I,…

[ad_1] The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence passed the FY24 Intelligence Authorization Act in a 17-0 vote on June 14, which includes a provision that prevents discrimination or denial of jobs in government intelligence agencies. The bill was proposed by Sen. Ron Wyden, a senior member of the committee. “This bill includes historic bipartisan legislation reforming the country’s broken classification and declassification system,” said Wyden in a press release. “The bill also includes my provision to ensure that cannabis use will not disqualify intelligence community applicants from serving their country. It’s a commonsense change to ensure the IC [intelligence community] can…

[ad_1] New Hampshire Representative Dan Hynes announced on Facebook that he is officially switching parties from Republican to Independent due to his belief that the Republican party no longer values priorities such as the defense of the Constitution or individual freedom. In his post, he explained that there were three examples that led to his decision. This included his disappointment that legislators could not protect both the rights of parents as well as children, and also the recent passage of a budget with spending of approximately 20%, explaining that it was rushed and people didn’t have enough time to read…

[ad_1] Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker recently signed a budget bill on June 7 that includes provisions for the cannabis industry, specifically regarding establishing funds dedicated for cannabis businesses and allowing them to take tax deductions. The Fiscal Year 2024 State Budget bill includes the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act which addresses issues with cannabis businesses not being allowed to make tax deductions under Section 280E. Through the newly signed state budget, any licensed cannabis business will be permitted to take tax deductions on their business for “…an amount equal to the deductions that were disallowed under Section 280E of the…

[ad_1] A recent report published by the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions shows that individuals—specifically ex-accommodation and food service employees—who recently took up jobs in the cannabis industry were paid more than they were in previous job roles. The report stated that as of the fourth quarter of 2022, there were 151 cannabis dispensaries in New Mexico and 112 were operating as a recreational dispensary or online platform. There were also a recorded 21 cannabis businesses licensed to cultivate, 10 processors, four wholesale trade, and four categorized as “all other sectors.” With that data in mind, the state employed…

[ad_1] The video game streaming platform Twitch, which was purchased by Amazon in 2014, recently released an update to its Branded Content Guidelines, which includes prohibition of sponsorships of cannabis products or brands. Initially, Twitch released new rules on branded content on June 6. It prohibited “burned in” logos on streamer videos and displays. The announcement was met with fierce criticism from Twitch streamers who voiced their opinions about how the change would affect their ability to have direct relationships with sponsors.  By June 7, Twitch released a statement explaining that they would be removing the guidelines. “Yesterday, we released…