Author: News Room

The probe aims to determine whether cannabis regulators are operating “in a manner that is efficient, accountable and transparent.” By Jason Hancock, Missouri Independent Missouri Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick (R) has begun an investigation into the state’s marijuana program, vowing to assess whether regulators are operating “in a manner that is efficient, accountable and transparent.” The audit is not a routine, scheduled review. It was initiated by Fitzpatrick after he pledged last year during his campaign to look into how Missouri oversees legalized cannabis. It will cover both the medical and recreational programs, spanning back to when Missouri voters first signed…

Ohio could see up to $403.6 million in annual tax revenue from adult-use marijuana sales if voters approve a legalization measure that could appear on the November ballot, a newly updated analysis projects. The paper from Ohio State University researchers assesses the potential economic impact of cannabis legalization in the state, providing tax revenue estimates for the first years of sales based on an analysis of comparable state markets. The analysis focuses on marijuana sales trends in neighboring Michigan because the state has a similar population and because its tax structure largely mirrors what would be implemented in Ohio if…

The U.S. treasury secretary said that the magic mushrooms she ate at a restaurant in China last month were “delicious,” but she did not trip even though the fungi contained psychedelic properties. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen laughed about the meal during an interview with CNN on Monday, explaining that she was only informed after the fact that the mushroom dish, which has seen a surge in popularity since her dining experience was first reported, was made of the psychoactive Lanmaoa asiatica, a species of fungi native to Asia. “I went with this large group of people, and the person who…

“We have heard from many patients, some of whom are very sick, that the process of getting a medical card is long and cumbersome.” By Ross Williams, Georgia Recorder At 13, Darrell Johns of Macon weighed just 40 pounds and endured at least five seizures a week, said his mom and full-time caregiver Leslie Johns. “I was having to crush 17 pills a day to run through his G tube, and he was still having seizures,” she said. “And the Diastat, which is Valium, that I would have to give him as a rescue, it would make him sleep for…

A new study in the International Journal of Drug Policy found that states with legal medical marijuana enjoyed significant reductions in health insurance premiums compared to states where cannabis remained completely illegal. Analyzing a decade’s worth of private health insurance data from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, researchers determined that in the years following a state’s implementation of a medical cannabis law, premiums dropped dramatically. While the reductions were modest immediately following implementation, the study found that by seven years afterward, annual premiums had fallen $1,663 compared to states in the control group. Similar reductions were seen after eight…

South Dakota’s attorney general has officially released a draft summary of an initiative to legalize marijuana that advocates hope to place on the November 2024 ballot. The procedural development brings the campaign, South Dakotans for Better Marijuana Laws (SDBML), one step closer to being able to collect signatures to put the measure before voters next year. But advocates are first planning to use the 10-day public comment period that started after Attorney General Marty Jackley (R) submitted the draft summary last week to request a revision, as it currently says that the measure authorizes the “distribution” of cannabis even though…

If there were any lingering questions about the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) position on the scheduling status of delta-8 THC, an attorney recently dug up an email from a top official that makes it perfectly clear: when synthesized from legal CBD, the agency considers delta-8 THC to be a prohibited controlled substance. The market for delta-8 products has expanded rapidly in recent years following the federal legalization of hemp and its naturally extracted derivatives like CBD. The intoxicating cannabinoid is also at the center of several lawsuits challenging state policies that have banned its sale. Attorney Shane Pennington said in…

“We’re having to sell our farm,” said Federalsburg Mayor Kimberly Abner. “We’re not growing this year because basically they’re putting Maryland hemp farmers out of business.” By Bryan P. Sears, Maryland Matters The mayor of Federalsburg said Maryland’s legalization of cannabis is forcing her and her husband to close their business and sell their Eastern Shore hemp farm. Kimberly Abner, her husband Ken, and her brother-in-law have run a small hemp business making gummy and vape products for the last three years. The bill that legalized adult-use recreational cannabis is pushing them out of the market, she said. “I’m the…

The Justice Department has informed a federal appeals court that it believes a separate court’s ruling in a marijuana and gun rights case was “incorrectly decided” as it seeks a favorable decision in a related lawsuit. In a one-page brief filed on Friday, the federal government notified judges on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit that the separate U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit recently deemed the law barring cannabis consumers from buying or possessing firearms to be unconstitutional. DOJ contests the decision in that case, which is also relevant to a lawsuit that the…

“It is therefore imperative that we have the necessary data before making a policy change that could be perceived as watering down the standards to become a law enforcement officer in the State of Nebraska.” By Paul Hammel, Nebraska Examiner Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen (R) has rejected a proposed relaxation in drug-use standards to qualify for training as a Nebraska law enforcement officer, saying it could be viewed as a “watering down” of the standards. A panel of state law enforcement officials had recommended the change as part of a broader effort to qualify more applicants for the necessary state…