Author: News Room

Over 90 percent of U.S. military veterans who use medical marijuana say that it improves their quality of life, with many using cannabis as an alternative to over-the-counter and prescription medications, according to a new study. Researchers at the University of Massachusetts, University of Utah and cannabis research institutes looked at self-reported survey data from 510 veterans who said that they consume marijuana, seeking to better understand the purpose and experiences of their usage. A majority of the respondents (67 percent) said that they use cannabis daily. And about one-third (30 percent) said that they consume marijuana to reduce the…

Democratic senators are seeking to pass a series of marijuana reform amendments, including a proposal to legalize medical cannabis for military veterans, through a must-pass defense bill that’s set to be considered this week. Lawmakers are aiming to attach the cannabis measures, as well as a separate GOP-sponsored amendment that would ramp up fentanyl-related enforcement while removing barriers to research for Schedule I drugs, to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). While the House under GOP control quashed more than a dozen bipartisan drug policy reform amendments that were proposed for that chamber’s version of NDAA last week, the Senate…

Missouri has been selling about $4 million worth of marijuana per day on average since the state’s adult-use market opened up in February—and the state saw a record $121.2 million in cannabis purchases last month—state data shows. Since recreational sales started, the adult-use market has quickly overtaken the state’s medical marijuana program, which has seen sales gradually taper off after retailers started servicing adult consumers. Via Missouri Health Department. Collectively, Missouri has sold $592.3 million in recreational and medical cannabis products since February, when retailers opened under a legalization law approved by voters last year. And more than $1.2 billion…

California officials have cleared a campaign to begin signature gathering for a 2024 ballot initiative to legalize the possession, sale and regulated therapeutic use of psilocybin. It’s one of at least two campaigns in the state that are seeking to enact psychedelics reform through the ballot process next year. Decriminalize California, which has previously sought ballot placement for similar measures in two prior election cycles, announced over the weekend that the state attorney general’s office approved the title and summary for the current initiative on Friday. This time around, the signature threshold needed to get on the ballot is lower…

Officials from the Florida legislature and the office of Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) estimate that a marijuana legalization initiative that may appear on the 2024 ballot would generate between $195.6 million and $431.3 million in new sales tax revenue annually if voters enact it. And those figures could increase considerably if lawmakers opted to impose an additional excise tax on cannabis transactions that’s similar to the ones in place in other legalized states. On  Thursday, the state Financial Impact Estimating Conference (FIEC), which consists of economists representing the legislature, state agencies and the governor’s office, held the last of four…

A GOP congresswoman is touting recently released Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidance on psychedelics research and calling for additional work to study the therapeutic benefits of marijuana for military veterans. In a speech on the House floor on Wednesday, Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA) talked about the need to support “novel forms of research” to unlock the potential of psychedelics and cannabis for the treatment of conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that commonly afflict veterans. “As a doctor, former director of the Iowa Department of Public Health and 24-year U.S. Army veteran, the mental, emotional and physical health of…

Colorado researchers have found that CBD passes through the placenta of pregnant women and accumulates in the fetal brain, risking harm to preborns. The finding, by a team at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, lends credence to warnings from health officials about potential dangers of the widely available compound. “This study is important to help clinicians and pregnant patients know that consuming CBD during pregnancy may have some effect on the brain development of offspring,” said Emily Bates, Associate Professor at the university’s Anschutz Medical Campus. “We need clinicians to start asking about CBD consumption at prenatal visits…

George Brown is grateful for the love. As the esteemed drummer and percussionist for the Grammy Award winning band Kool & the Gang reflects on his career in music, he really wants to thank the fans who have supported the music group across the globe all of these years. “It’s become generational,” Brown said during our phone interview. “Love and blessings to you all.” Over the course of our conversation, Brown shares the creative inspirations behind his upcoming book Too Hot: Kool & the Gang & Me, Kool’s upcoming new album People Just Wanna Have Fun, and how weed inspired…

By Glenn O’Brien The Devil as he is known today comes out of the Judeo-Christian tradition. Not that he’s a Jew or a Christian, or even their “opposites.” But that’s where he was first spotted. He was developed and marketed by Judeo-Christians in much the same way that they first handled today’s God. Before Judeo-Christianity covered the globe, the divinity market was rife with small time operators, gods who specialized, doing a great job in a modest sphere. Though they were gods, they weren’t strictly “good” or “bad.” They were generally a mixture of both. That made them interesting. When…

Imagine being able to get high and hang with friends at a bar with ease, just like ordering a drink. Many people are joining in a cultural shift by consuming less alcohol and adopting a “Cali sober” lifestyle––forgoing alcohol in favor of cannabis and mushrooms in moderation. But what happens when the bar is no longer where we want to spend our time? Gathering spots like neighborhood coffee shops and bars serve a purpose in culture as a “third place,” a term coined by sociologist Ray Oldenburg that describes public informal gathering spaces for serendipitous conversation. These places occupy a…