Author: News Room

Congressional lawmakers might be encouraged by news that the top U.S. health agency is recommending marijuana rescheduling—but some like Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and John Hickenlooper (D-CO) are also stressing that this is just a “step” in the right direction as they pursue legalization. Scores of legislators, including Republican members, have applauded the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for advising the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to move cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). And some have even claimed credit for the move, pointing to their years of advocacy around marijuana…

“Even if the Court believes it could lawfully fill a perceived gap in the Legislature’s rules and statutes governing the legislative process, the Lobbying Organizations lack standing.” By Blair Miller, Daily Montanan Montana’s governor and secretary of state have asked a judge to dismiss a legal challenge to Gov. Greg Gianforte’s (R) veto of Senate Bill 442, a broadly supported bill that would have put more of the state’s marijuana revenue toward county roads and conservation efforts across the state. Earlier this month, attorneys for Gianforte and Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen (R) asked Lewis and Clark County District Judge…

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) says that passing a marijuana banking bill is one of his legislative priorities for the remainder of the year as Congress is set to return from the August recess—but he’s “under no illusion” that the cannabis reform and other wins can be achieved it without bipartisan buy-in. In a Dear Colleague letter circulated on Friday, Schumer touted various Democratic achievements in the first half of the year and said that the recess afforded lawmakers the opportunity to “talk directly with our constituents” about their progress. But once Congress reconvenes this month, the work continues.…

If the U.S. government moves marijuana to Schedule III of the Controlled Substance Act (CSA)—as the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has now formally recommended—the shift could have profound implications for all sorts of cannabis-related issues, ranging from research to business taxes to U.S. Postal Service (USPS) mailing rules. In the aftermath of the HHS announcement, some of the proposal’s would-be consequences are clearer than others. For instance, it’s evident that cannabis businesses could, for the first time, claim standard business deductions on their federal tax returns, freed from the restrictions of IRS Tax Code Section 280E. But…

In life the best connections and stories always happen organically. One person I’ve always wanted to sit down and chat with was Bubbleman. I’d met him more than 20 years ago in Amsterdam at my mentor Soma’s house and we’d bump into each other over the years at events and conferences, but we never had a proper sesh with just the two of us. In life I’m always drawn to people who have an unwavering passion and with Bubbleman that passion is all about the trichome heads and the hash that can be made from them. Having used his bags…

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) doesn’t support legalizing marijuana or other currently illicit drugs, but he’s big mad over the prospect of the federal government advising Americans to drink less alcohol. During an interview with Newsmax on Wednesday, the senator said that federal officials “can kiss my ass” if they decide to reduce the recommended maximum consumption of alcohol to two drinks per week, as has recently been floated. “What is it with liberals and wanting to control every damn aspect of your life?” said Cruz, who himself supports government bans on abortion and trans-affirming healthcare. “If they want us to…

People with major depression experienced “clinically significant sustained reduction” in their symptoms after just one dose of psilocybin, a new study published by the American Medical Association (AMA) found. A team of 18 researchers from institutions including Yale University, Johns Hopkins University, NYU Langone Center for Psychedelic Medicine and San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center investigated the association, carrying out a randomized clinical trial involving 104 adults with major depressive disorder (MDD). For the study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) on Thursday, people with major depressive disorder were administered 25mg of synthetic psilocybin at 11…

A decision by the federal government could put money back in your pocket, and make legal cannabis businesses more competitive. So keep hammering your elected officials on rescheduling marijuana this fall.Those are the two biggest takeaways from this week’s news that the US Department of Health and Human Services has recommended to the Drug Enforcement Administration that cannabis be downgraded from a Schedule I drug to a Schedule III drug, under the Controlled Substances Act.Cannabis attorney Lauren Mendelsohn at Omar Figueroa Law in Sebastopol, CA joins Leafly News Senior Editor David Downs to talk through the news and its implications.Beyond…

The news that the top U.S. health agency is recommending rescheduling marijuana is earning applause from congressional lawmakers across the aisle, including longstanding bipartisan champions of reform like Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) and Rep. Dave Joyce (R-OH), who are claiming partial credit for the development. Numerous lawmakers have responded with enthusiasm after it was reported on Wednesday that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) advised the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) that it believes cannabis should be moved from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) following a scientific review directed by the president…

South Dakota’s attorney general has approved final summary language for a 2024 marijuana legalization ballot initiative—but advocates are taking issue with key parts of the description and are now considering bringing the matter to court. Attorney General Marty Jackley (R) released the final explanation on Thursday. While his office received public comment from the cannabis campaign, advocates’ main contentions with the draft version went unresolved. There are a few significant problems, South Dakotans for Better Marijuana Laws (SDBML) Director Matthew Schweich told Marijuana Moment on Thursday. First, while the explanation was revised to omit the word “sell” in reference to…