Author: News Room

A powerful U.S. Senate panel is calling on the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to facilitate medical marijuana access for veterans and explore the therapeutic potential of psychedelics. They’re also asking the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to take steps to promote the hemp industry and cannabis genetics research. Reports attached to 2024 Fiscal Year spending bills that recently advanced through the Senate Appropriations Committee touch on a number of cannabis issues. The text was released days after the panel approved the underlying legislation, including one bill that was amended to allow VA doctors to discuss and recommend medical…

A New Jersey Senate committee held a hearing on Monday to discuss a bill that would legalize the possession, home cultivation and gifting of psilocybin mushrooms for adults 21 and older while also creating a system of licensed businesses to provide access to the psychedelic and related services in supervised settings. The Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee took up the legislation from Senate President Nicholas Scutari (D)—hearing testimony from experts and people whose lives have been directly impacted by psychedelics—about a year after the measure was originally filed. Scutari said in opening remarks that the proposal addresses…

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is highlighting marijuana banking reform is one of several key legislative priorities that he intends to push through using bipartisan cooperation when the Senate reconvenes next month. The Republican sponsor of the cannabis bill, meanwhile, says this is the “best” time to get the job done—but cautioned that passage could be jeopardized if Democrats move to significantly expand the scope of the legislation. In the first half of this year, the majority leader was focused on getting President Joe Biden’s judicial nominees confirmed and fending off GOP-led regulatory rollback legislation. But in an interview…

“This bill represents the best side of the legislative process—working together across the aisle to solve a problem.” By Mitch Perry, Florida Phoenix Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has signed legislation that may finally allow Black farmers to get involved in the medical marijuana industry, despite years of disrespect and frustration in the Black farmers community. The bill (HB 387) was originally crafted to allow physicians to use telehealth methods to renew medical marijuana certifications for qualified patients. But in the last week of the legislative session, the measure was amended and language was added from Sens. Darryl Rouson (R)…

A California Assembly committee has approved a Senate-passed bill to legalize the possession and facilitated use of certain psychedelics. The Assembly Public Safety Committee advanced the legislation from Sen. Scott Wiener (D) in a 5-2 vote, with amendments, on Tuesday—about one month after it was approved by the full Senate. It now heads to the Assembly Health Committee before potentially moving to the floor. “These substances have significant healing potential, and there’s growing research showing that potential,” Wiener said in opening remarks. “Had the war on drugs not started in the 60s and 70s, we would probably be in a…

Connecticut officials are encouraging adults to use “safe and healthy gardening practices” if they choose to grow their own marijuana plants when that activity officially becomes legal on Saturday. The state Department of Consumer Protection (DCP) published a notice on Tuesday that reminds people about the upcoming policy change, the delayed rollout of which was part of a broader cannabis legalization bill that Gov. Ned Lamont (D) signed into law in 2021. Separately, the governor also signed new marijuana omnibus legislation on Monday that seeks to build upon the state’s legal cannabis program. With respect to home grow, as of…

The attorney general of Florida has submitted a brief to the state Supreme Court detailing the reasons she is seeking to keep a marijuana legalization initiative off the 2024 ballot. The Florida Chamber of Commerce and an anti-drug organization also filed briefs opposing the measure, which is being almost entirely funded by the multi-state cannabis company Trulieve. After being granted a two-week extension by the court, Attorney General Ashley Moody (R) filed the initial brief on Monday’s deadline. As expected, her office is again pushing to invalidate the cannabis measure, arguing that the way its ballot summary is written is…

“We are aware that licensees will need time to come into compliance with some of the new rules, and specifically for packaging.” By Rebecca Rivas, Missouri Independent For decades, there’s been a global movement urging “plain packaging” on tobacco products—or packaging with limited colors and frills—after numerous studies found it makes cigarettes less appealing to young people. Missouri will soon be a testing ground to see if plain packaging has the same impact for recreational marijuana. When voters passed the constitutional amendment to legalize recreational marijuana, it included a provision that labels and packaging for marijuana-related products, “shall not be made to be attractive…

The feature film American Pot Story: Oaksterdam will have its Hollywood premiere on Thursday, June 29 at the Dances With Films festival in Los Angeles, with festivities planned for the event including an appearance from weed icon Tommy Chong and a Q&A with the film’s directors, Dan Katzir and Ravit Markus. The premiere continues a successful string of screenings for the film about the cannabis legalization efforts of Oakland-based cannabis training school Oaksterdam University, including the world premiere at the Slamdance Film Festival in January that garnered the prestigious Audience Award for Unstoppable Feature. American Pot Story: Oaksterdam follows two…

A newly formed coalition of marijuana businesses and advocacy organizations is making the case that the Biden administration really only has two viable choices when it comes to its ongoing federal scheduling review: remove cannabis from the list of banned substances altogether or reschedule it—the less ideal option of the two, but one that the group says would still come with significant benefits. The Coalition for Cannabis Scheduling Reform (CCSR), which launched earlier this month, published a report on Monday that outlines the scientific, economic and societal considerations that are going into the scheduling review that President Joe Biden directed…