Author: News Room

A Justice Department watchdog took more than a year to reply to an attorney’s letter outlining concerns about apparent defects in how the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) collects and reports data on marijuana possession arrests—then finally responded by suggesting that the FBI should investigate itself. Eric Sterling, a longtime drug policy reform activist and former congressional staffer, sent a letter to DOJ’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG) in May 2022, claiming to have discovered that a Maryland police department was reporting cannabis possession citations issued under the state’s decriminalization law at the time as arrests as part of…

Members of a World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) panel say that marijuana use by athletes violates the “spirit of sport,” making them unfit role models whose potential impairment could put others at risk. In an editorial published in the journal Addiction, several members of WADA’s Prohibited List Expert Advisory Group summarized the reasons that the body decided to continue prohibiting cannabis use by athletes in competitions last year amid growing calls to end the policy. Perspectives were “mixed” over whether marijuana “enhances or has the potential to enhance sport performance,” they wrote. And the group also acknowledged that athletes have reported…

Since the beginning of time, man has been interested in dissections. From those fascinated with uncovering how our bodies work, to school biology lessons forcing the squeamish to understand, the idea of unpacking the complicated blood and bone machines we occupy has long tickled both the science and art worlds. While countless artists have utilized the art of dissection, from KAWS to Jason Freeny, few have reached the specific and accurate renditions Nychos weaves with paint. Born in the Austrian countryside two hours south of the country’s capital city Vienna, Nychos is the persona of the artist known only as…

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, not…

As Congress considers creating a framework to oversee the nation’s cannabis market, a major alcohol association is offering federal lawmakers advice on regulating hemp-derived cannabinoids, including CBD and delta-8 THC. Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America (WSWA)—which came out in support of federally legalizing marijuana earlier this year—sent a letter to House and Senate committees on Friday in response to the panels’ recent requests for information on navigating CBD and other emerging cannabinoids. “The transition from Prohibition to legal status for alcohol has been an American success story,” it says. “Since the 21st Amendment’s enactment, a safe, consumer-centric and economically…

“We’ve doubled the amount that we were projecting to see in three years within two years.” By Makenzie Huber, South Dakota Searchlight More than 11,500 South Dakotans hold medical marijuana cards two years after medical cannabis became legal in South Dakota. That’s well ahead of projections made by the state when the program first started in 2021, said Jennifer Seale, the state Department of Health’s medical cannabis program administrator. The state began issuing cards in November 2021 after South Dakotans voted to legalize medical marijuana in 2020. Originally, the state had anticipated 6,000 cardholders by 2024, Seale told members of…

“Its decision to ‘void’ previously awarded licenses without following the Legislature’s—and its own—clearly established rules and regulations, exceeds and violates the statutory authority it has been granted” By Alander Rocha, Alabama Reflector A medical cannabis company sued the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission (AMCC) on Monday, alleging the AMCC cannot revoke licenses and that its exercise of power “both exceeds and conflicts with the authority provided to it by the Alabama Legislature.” Verano Holdings, a Chicago-based company with an Alabama chapter, received an integrated facility in the first round of awards in June. It did not get a license in a…

“Youth smoking rates in Washington State have significantly decreased, but more work is needed.” By Timothy Schumann, The Center Square The Washington State Department of Health has announced $1.3 million in funding to 11 different community-based organizations to be spent on “youth cannabis and commercial tobacco use prevention.” “​​Nine out of 10 smokers start before age 18 and 99 percent start before age 26. Youth smoking rates in Washington State have significantly decreased, but more work is needed,” according to the Tuesday Department of Health news release. The Center Square reached out to the Department of Health about the source…

No, that is not a typo. Rare, designer cannabis products have been popping up more and more in the last couple of years. If you haven’t yet come across one of these super heady black miron jars in the wild, that’s because they’re very hard to find and typically only available in, dare I say, small batches.  The first time one of my friends, who is about as heady as they come, told me he willingly paid $1,500 for an ounce of flower my jaw hit the floor. I could not fathom a world in which somebody with access to…

“DeSantis has taken a far more extremist position in his run for president, adopting a full-tilt Reefer Madness approach to marijuana rhetoric and policy.” By: Justin Strekal, BOWL PAC Believe it or not, Ron DeSantis used to be one of the coolest Republicans when it came to weed. Unfortunately, spineless Ron DeSantis has capitulated and fallen in line with the majority of his fellow career-politician Republican prohibitionists. The facts show he is now squarely opposed to the super-majority of Americans (including a majority of Republican voters) who support legalization. This is yet another reason why he must not be elected…