Author: News Room

A top Wisconsin lawmaker says that Republicans plan to introduce a medical marijuana bill as early as this summer. But he emphasized that it will be unlike any existing medical cannabis law in the country, strongly signaling that it will be significantly restrictive. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R) said on Tuesday that a group of nine GOP members “have been regularly meeting to come up with ideas,” focusing on drafting legislation that avoids setting the state up to more broadly legalize cannabis. “I can’t see any scenario where I would support legalizing recreational marijuana. I just don’t see it. I…

Chronic pain can make your life miserable. But according to a March study using real cannabis—high-THC flowers, and oils containing CBD may help. The Australian study published in the journal Drug Science, Policy and Law found significant reductions in pain and notable increases in quality of life. The study measured results after three months of use. During their experience with cannabis, patients felt better, slept better, and both their mood and general health improved. While these results are still preliminary, the authors state they, “are promising and indicate significant improvements in pain, quality of life, sleep, and mood.” Studying chronic for…

“They’ve taken a while, but I think they’re great appointments.” By Christopher Shea, Rhode Island Current Rhode Island now has its long-awaited Cannabis Control Commission. The Rhode Island Senate on Tuesday unanimously confirmed the appointments of Kimberly Ahern as the chair of the three-member commission, along with Robert Jacquard and Olayiwola Oduyingbo. All three have legal backgrounds and experience in public service. “I think they’re going to do great work,” Senate President Dominick Ruggerio (D) said after the vote. “They’ve taken a while, but I think they’re great appointments.” The formation of the commission comes more than a year after…

A New Hampshire House lawmaker says that he’s defecting from the Republican party to become in an independent—in part because of his frustration over the Senate’s repeated refusal to approve marijuana legalization. Rep. Dan Hynes said on Tuesday that he is leaving the GOP because he feels the party has lost touch with its founding principles, including promoting “individual freedom.” Among his specific contentions is that “Republicans in the senate almost unanimously voted against legalizing marijuana for adults” this session, referencing a House-passed cannabis reform bill sponsored by bipartisan leadership. “It is clear they are out of touch with the…

The governor of Nevada has signed a bill to create a new working group to study psychedelics and develop a plan to allow regulated access for therapeutic purposes. Gov. Joe Lombardo (R) approved the legislation from Sen. Rochelle Nguyen (D) on Monday, just one week after it cleared the legislature. As introduced, the measure would have legalized psilocybin and promoted research into the psychedelic, as well as encouraged studies of MDMA—but it was significantly scaled back in a Senate committee. The new law created by the revised measure focuses on forming a Psychedelic Medicines Working Group to examine the use…

A Republican congressman who is a military veteran says undergoing psychedelic-assisted treatment with ibogaine and 5-MeO-DMT “changed my life” and was “one of the greatest things that ever happened to me.” At a press briefing outside of the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, several GOP lawmakers and military veterans discussed a newly introduced bill to create a $75 million federal grant program to support research into the therapeutic potential of psychedelics for certain health conditions among active duty military service members. Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) is leading that bipartisan legislation, titled the “Douglas ‘Mike’ Day Psychedelic Therapy to Save Lives Act…

Washington State will spend nearly $100 million to vacate an estimated 350,000 prior drug convictions and reimburse legal fees to people who were prosecuted under laws that the state Supreme Court deemed unconstitutional in 2021. The state Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) announced on Monday that it would be launching the Blake Refund Bureau next month, facilitating the relief in coordination with “local courts, county clerks, public defenders, prosecutor, impacted individuals, advocacy groups and other stakeholders.” The novel reimbursement fund is being created following the state Supreme Court’s landmark 2021 ruling that found the state’s criminal code for drug…

The owner and CEO of Standard Wellness Maryland and Rooted Therapeutics provides insight into how to successfully launch and operate a cannabis cultivation business, from securing a location to building relationships with dispensaries, and more. Read the full article here

The governor of Illinois has signed a budget bill that includes provisions that will allow licensed marijuana businesses to take state tax deductions that they’re currently prohibited from utilizing at the federal level due to an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) code known as 280E. Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) gave final approval to the legislation—which also contains language directing funding to a cannabis development fund and extends a deadline for conditional licensees to find storefronts—last week. A key section that’s now been enacted decouples marijuana businesses from the federal tax policy, which currently bans the industry from making key deductions that…

As the first hints of spring bring warming temperatures and longer days, the hardy crop of home growers who cultivate their weed in outdoor gardens begins a growing season that won’t culminate until autumn, when sticky, dank buds are ready to be harvested and cured. Although the process is steeped in tradition and lore, growing quality herb is within the ability of most home gardeners, even novices. With a little knowledge, work, and a sunny spot outside, your first crop of homegrown bud could be just months away. One of the first decisions to make at the beginning of the…