Author: News Room

Hawaii’s island of Maui will need billions of dollars in relief and reconstruction funds in the coming years after the US’ worst wildfire in a century turned the town of Lahaina to ash. Authorities have confirmed more than 100 dead, with perhaps 1,000 missing.You can donate directly to The Red Cross, according to former President Barack Obama, who grew up in Oahu. The President added that direct support groups on the ground include: The Maui Strong Fund from the Hawaiʻi Community Foundation; Hawaiʻi Red Cross; Maui Rapid Response; Maui Humane Society; New Life Kahuku Inc.; and The Wildfire Relief Fund.Those…

Minnesota officials outlined the long, labyrinthine process for implementing the state’s new marijuana law during an informational meeting on Wednesday night, offering updates on the search for an Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) director as well as the array of issues still to be hammered out through an expedited rulemaking process. “This is really a unique opportunity for us to assess the business needs, to evaluate the authorities that the legislature and the governor have given to the Office of Cannabis Management and then to meet those business needs in a way that really helps us ensure the success of…

While underage marijuana use has remained stable amid the legalization movement, a new federally funded study shows that adult consumption of cannabis, as well as of psychedelics, reached a “record high” last year. The annual Monitoring the Future (MTF) survey—which is conducted by the University of Michigan with support from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)—found that past-year marijuana use among those aged 19-30 hit 44 percent in 2022, while 28 percent of older adults aged 35-50 said they used cannabis in the last 12 months. About 29 percent of young adults said they used marijuana in the past…

A Philadelphia nonprofit is urging a federal court to deny the Justice Department’s recent motion to dismiss a lawsuit over the establishment of a safe drug consumption site. DOJ first blocked Safehouse from opening the overdose prevention center under the Trump administration. Supporters hoped the department would cede the issue under President Joe Biden, who has promoted harm reduction policies as an alternative to criminalization, but so far they’ve been disappointed. The Justice Department made its position clear last month, stating in a court filing that safe consumption sites, where people could use illegal drugs in a medically supervised environment,…

A company is accused of bringing illegal marijuana product into the Missouri market and obstructing the state’s investigation by staging a robbery at its facility. By Rebecca Rivas, Missouri Independent Twice this summer, Andrew Mullins emailed state marijuana regulators to make sure they knew about a potential problem. Mullins, the president of the Missouri Cannabis Trade Association, feared that licensed Missouri cannabis companies may be tempted to add illegal marijuana products brought in from other states to their own products in order to keep their production numbers up—a process known as “inversion.” “We understand that production is still catching up…

Medical marijuana use is associated with improved quality of life—including better job performance, sleep, appetite and energy—according to a new study. Researchers at the University of West Attica in Greece published the study in the journal GeNeDis Neuroscientific Advances on Wednesday following an analysis of survey data from medical cannabis patients with neurological disorders. “Medical cannabis has been used to relieve the symptoms of people with various chronic diseases,” the authors said. “Despite this, it has been stigmatized.” The study showed that a majority (58 percent) of respondents said medical cannabis is an effective treatment for their condition. Among that…

The U.S. Census Bureau is updating its survey of American companies to better capture marijuana-related economic activity, part of an effort to “keep up with the nation’s ever-changing business landscape.” For the first time, the 2022 Economic Census—which is being conducted right now and asks businesses about their activities from last year—includes options for respondents to identify themselves as part of the cannabis economy. “While there are no specific questions about cannabis in the 2022 Economic Census,” the bureau said on its website this week, “options to select cannabis as a primary business activity are available to retail and wholesale…

Germany’s federal cabinet has approved a draft marijuana legalization bill, sending the first part of the government’s cannabis reform plan to the country’s legislature for consideration. Members of the cabinet voted in favor of advancing the legislation, spearheaded by Health Minister Karl Lauterbach, after discussing the measure at a meeting on Wednesday. The proposal, which was unveiled last month , would allow adults to legally possess cannabis and cultivate a maximum of three plants for personal use. It would also create social clubs that could distribute marijuana to members, with purchase limits for people over the age of 21 of…

California nonprofits and local health departments can soon apply for an estimated $48 million worth of community reinvestment grants, which are paid for by tax revenue from legal marijuana. Organizations will be able to request awards of between $600,000 and $3 million to support job placement, legal assistance, treatment of mental health and substance use disorders, referrals to medical care and other services for communities that have been disproportionately affected by the drug war. Applications for the forthcoming round of California Community Reinvestment Grants (CalCRG) will be accessible through an online portal beginning on Monday. Half of the $48 million…

A coalition of marijuana reform organizations are calling on regulators across the world to adopt a universal symbol for marijuana products in the interest of promoting safety in the evolving cannabis market and making it easier to facilitate interstate commerce if states choose to enact that policy. While there may be a patchwork of marijuana laws from state-to-state in the U.S., as well as internationally, the groups said in a letter to regulators that was shared exclusively with Marijuana Moment and distributed on Wednesday that there should at least be uniformity in labeling so that people know what products contain…