Author: News Room

Most shareholders in U.S. CBD maker Charlotte’s Web withheld their votes for four directors during the company’s recent annual meeting, as a conflict between the founders and the current board is now fully in the open. Ahead of Charlotte’s Web’s June 15 annual meeting, founding brothers Joel and Jesse Stanley sparked a skirmish in a June 12 press release, questioning the strategic direction of the company and calling for resignations from four of six current directors, including board President John Held and CEO Jacques Tortoroli.  The Stanleys called for strategic changes and nominated themselves to a slate of four candidates…

California courts have sealed, resentenced or dismissed about 90 percent of eligible marijuana convictions for activity that was legalized under a 2016 voter-approved initiative, a new report from the state attorney general’s office shows. As of April 6, the state’s judicial system has processed relief for 206,052 of out an estimated 227,650 cannabis cases that were identified as eligible following the passage of records reform legislation that the governor signed in 2018. The new report, released last month by Attorney General Rob Bonta’s (D) office, shows that most counties across the state have made significant progress since being given the…

Bipartisan congressional lawmakers are applauding the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for releasing first-ever draft guidance on psychedelics research—a development that they had requested through a new bill just days before the agency took the step. Reps. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA) and Ro Khanna (D-CA) filed the legislation this month. And while FDA didn’t say that its decision to release the guidance was directly responsive to the measure, it’s precisely the action that the first part of the bill addressed. “I’m glad the FDA is taking this first step of issuing guidance for psychedelic clinical trials—and listening to…

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum (R) is running for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, formally announcing his candidacy on June 7, 2023. The governor has approved several marijuana policy reforms at the state level, though he’s stopped short of embracing adult-use legalization and opposed ballot initiatives to enact such a system in his state. Among the bills that Burgum has signed during his tenure are ones to decriminalize simple possession, increase allowable THC limits for medical cannabis and allow people in hospice care to self-certify as medical marijuana patients. He’s also called for congressional reform to decriminalize cannabis and resolve…

“The fight for cannabis freedom will continue and, given the divided nature of Congress, it will be long.” By: Justin Strekal, BOWL PAC Founder This Fourth of July, cannabis advocates and industry interests alike will likely make wisecracks about celebrating freedom and watching the sky light up with fireworks while it remains federally illegal to light up a joint.  But the rest of July offers the reform movement its first real opportunity for a Senate committee markup on a bill that addresses marijuana policy reform.  Readers of Marijuana Moment are likely already well-versed in the state of things, but to…

On July 4, 1776—247 years ago—the Second Continental Congress unanimously adopted the Declaration of Independence, announcing the colonies’ separation from Great Britain. Many of them not only grew hemp but insisted how important the plant is to the foundation of American agriculture. Sorting through rumors about the Founding Fathers and hemp is another story, with invented quotes and misinformation. The Declaration’s blanket assertion, “all Men are created equal,” should be taken with a grain of salt given that many Founding Fathers owned slaves, and Thomas Jefferson’s and Henry Clay’s slaves also grew hemp. It would take a lot longer for…

The ATF released clarification on May 30 to firearm owners after the passage of cannabis legalization in Minnesota, reminding them that until federal law changes, they no longer have a right to own or possess guns or ammunition, that is if they partake in smoking, eating, or vaping the newly legalized, devil’s lettuce. Please see: ATF Provides Clarification Related to New Minnesota Marijuana Law. If you were to ask a convicted felon if they have a legal right to possess a firearm, they would say no. They know this because they were informed by the court that because they were…

“Equity is not really mentioned in the microbusiness program, as far as the constitution is concerned, but I think that’s where we go back to the spirit of things.” By Rebecca Rivas, Missouri Independent Missouri’s cannabis industry is the new “gold rush,” said St. Louis couple Tiffany and Anwar Lee, and they’re considering buying a ticket for the lottery to get in. Their ticket is a $1,500 application fee for a spot in a lottery making them eligible for a limited number of cannabis microbusiness licenses, and it’s refundable if they don’t get picked. The program is meant to boost opportunities…

A Republican North Carolina senator is making it clear that he intends to see his medical marijuana legalization bill pass this session despite some obstinance among GOP leadership in the House—and he’s even gone so far as to include medical cannabis regulatory appointments for the yet-to-be-enacted program in a new measure that passed the Senate last week. But Sen. Bill Rabon’s (R) recent acts of defiance—including attaching an amendment to an unrelated House bill that makes its effective date contingent on his medical marijuana legislation becoming law—has ruffled some feathers in the opposite chamber. “Any tactics that are perceived as…

Bipartisan congressional lawmakers are looking to use a must-pass defense bill as a vehicle to advance a number of drug policy reform proposals, including provisions to expand access to medical marijuana for military veterans, facilitate the rescheduling of certain psychedelics and protect people from being denied security clearances over marijuana. More than 1,400 amendments have been filed so far for the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). And, as has become tradition, members are hoping that the legislation will be used to enact the drug policy reforms when Congress reconvenes after the July 4th recess. Some amendments are familiar—like one that…