Author: News Room

“Defendants have demonstrated that delta-8 THC is a credible threat to the Virginia population, and there is a strong public interest in protecting the citizens of the commonwealth from substances like delta-8.” By Graham Moomaw, Virginia Mercury A federal judge in Northern Virginia rejected an effort to block a new Virginia law imposing stricter limits on hemp products that contain intoxicating amounts of THC. The initial opinion issued Monday denied a group of hemp businesses’ request for an injunction that would have prevented state officials from enforcing the law, meaning the new rules remain in place as the lawsuit moves…

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is proposing a dramatic increase in its 2023 production quotas for marijuana compounds and psychedelics like psilocybin and ibogaine to “support research and clinical trials” into the substances. DEA wants to nearly double the amount of psilocybin, psilocyn and delta-9 THC that’s manufactured compared to initial levels set for this year, while quintupling how much ibogaine is produced. It also wants 23 times as much of “other tetrahydrocannabinol,” raising the quota from 15,000 grams to 350,000 grams for 2023. The agency had already increased its initial quota for various controlled substances, including cannabis and psychedelics,…

It’s time to end prohibition and instead legalize and regulate all drugs, according to a new Reason Foundation report from a coalition of analysts and advocacy groups. Authors say the nearly century-long drug war has failed to rein in overdose deaths, reduce substance use disorders or decrease violent crime. The new 84-page report, released on Tuesday, was produced in partnership with the National Coalition for Drug Legalization (NCDL), Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) and Law Enforcement Action Partnership (LEAP). It covers a range of drug-related issues, but it argues broadly that “a legal and regulated market for drugs is…

A key House committee will soon consider newly filed amendments to a large-scale spending bill that would prevent drug testing of certain federal job applicants for marijuana and end the blockade that has kept Washington, D.C. from legalizing cannabis sales. Democratic lawmakers recently filed the amendments to Fiscal Year 2024 appropriations legislation covering Financial Services and General Government (FSGG). They will be taken up by the GOP-controlled House Rules Committee, which has rejected numerous drug policy reform measures from floor consideration as part of spending bills in recent months while allowing a small handful of others to advance. One of…

“With monthly sales averaging $23.4 million, we remain on track to set a new sales record this year.” By Kim Jarrett, The Center Square Arkansas’s medical marijuana sales have brought in $23.5 million in tax revenue this year, according to information from the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration. Patients purchased $211.3 million of medical marijuana during the first nine months of 2023, up from $205 million during the same time period in 2022, according to the DFA. More than 44,000 pounds were sold this year. The state’s dispensaries sold 5,227 pounds in August and 5,538 in September, according to…

Regulators in Minnesota are seeking public input as they begin the process of crafting rules for the state’s new marijuana industry, hoping to hear from “the widest possible range of community members, advocates, and partners who want to help shape how the rules are drafted.” To collect those views, the state’s Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) on Monday released a new online survey that includes questions on cannabis cultivation, processing and manufacturing. “The first topic areas reflect the necessary industry components to help ensure the state can meet supply and demand once the market opens,” the agency said. The initial…

Massachusetts is five years into legal weed sales, but it’s still day one for delivery services. Even more so for small cannabis businesses priced out of the first round of retail shops.Locals are still learning what’s good, and a tide of new, craft cannabis business is really raising quality in the state.The avatar for this moment is Rolling Releaf delivery service Founder Devin Alexander. Devin dashes legal weed down the same streets where he once got busted for pot. Open since February, he’s one of the state’s first legal delivery services, and his menu is fire.Watch and smoke along to…

“You can’t expect like these other states to be where we are in New York, but regardless of that it’s still ridiculous how it’s affecting someone’s life.” By Rosalind Adams, THE CITY This story was originally published by THE CITY. Sign up to get the latest New York City news delivered to you each morning. An employee of the city’s first legal marijuana dispensary is being held on Rikers Island on a cannabis-related felony charge in a striking example of how pot, despite being legal in New York state, can still drag people into the criminal justice system as it…

A new policy that decriminalizes the possession of small amounts of illicit drugs took effect on Saturday in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), which includes the national capital of Canberra and surrounding areas. The jurisdiction is the country’s first to adopt the policy change. Lawmakers for the territory approved the new decriminalization policy a year ago, passing the bill from Labor MP Michael Pettersson through the ACT Legislative Assembly. It removes criminal penalties for simple drug possession and instead makes possession punishable by a warning, fine or participation in a drug diversion program. The fine of AU$100 (about $64 USD)…

With little more than a week before Election Day in Ohio, two new polls indicate that a comfortable majority of voters support legalizing adult-use marijuana—the subject Issue 2 on the state ballot. A survey of 638 Ohio voters by Public Policy Polling found that 59 percent of respondents would vote yes on Issue 2, while 39 percent would vote against it. Just 2 percent were undecided. A separate poll from Northern Ohio University, meanwhile, found that two out of three voters support legalizing marijuana generally—though the survey didn’t specifically ask about Issue 2. Questions about cannabis in that survey were…