Author: News Room

Ahead of a key House committee meeting, bipartisan congressional lawmakers are promoting their amendment to a spending bill that would encourage research into the therapeutic potential of certain psychedelics. The amendment from Reps. Lou Correa (D-CA) and Jack Bergman (R-MI) is being proposed as part of appropriations legislation covering Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies (MilCon/VA). The House Rules Committee is set to meet on Tuesday to determine whether it will be made in order for floor consideration. “Our nation’s veterans continue to needlessly suffer tragic rates of suicide and opioid overdose deaths, and it’s crucial that the VA…

“The war is basically a question of numbers: stop enough cars and you’re bound to discover drugs.” The Kansas Highway Patrol has been ordered to stop its infamous “two-step” technique by a federal judge, in what the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas calls a “huge win” for all motorists using state highways. The U.S. district court ruled KHP’s policies and practices violate the Fourth Amendment, releasing a Friday opinion that the KHP “has waged war on motorists—especially out-of-state residents traveling between Colorado and Missouri on federal highway I-70 in Kansas.” The trial challenged the constitutionality of the KHP’s policy of targeting…

“As with all kinds of businesses, performance against increased competition and customer choice will determine success.” By Sophie Nieto-Muñoz, New Jersey Monitor The decision by New Jersey’s largest marijuana company to curtail production at its second growing facility in four months is raising questions about New Jersey’s marijuana supply. Curaleaf announced last week the company is laying off 49 people at its Winslow Township plant, citing an “ample supply” of marijuana to meet the market’s current needs. But marijuana advocates argue that the claims of sufficient cannabis supply are not in line with stubbornly high prices in New Jersey, and…

A California campaign has officially filed a proposed initiative for the state’s 2024 ballot that would create a $5 billion state agency tasked with funding and promoting psychedelics research that it hopes will accelerate federal legalization of substances like psilocybin and ibogaine. As a separate campaign collects signatures for a psilocybin legalization ballot measure, proponents of the new “TREAT California Act” are seeking funding for their novel measure, which would not directly legalize or decriminalize psychedelics in the state. Instead, the campaign—which is led by a team of seasoned strategists who previously championed successful ballot initiatives related to stem cell…

Florida’s attorney general is asking the state Supreme Court for another extension to file briefs in a case that will decide whether voters get the chance to consider a marijuana legalization initiative on the 2024 ballot. Attorney General Ashley Moody (R), whose office is seeking to invalidate the cannabis measure, is currently due to reply to recent briefs from the campaign and supporters on Wednesday. Now she and outside groups that want to maintain marijuana prohibition are requesting a one-week extension from the court. The attorney general—as well as the Florida Chamber of Commerce and the Drug Free America Foundation—have…

Republican 2024 presidential candidate Francis Suarez says federal cannabis policy needs to “catch up” with states that have enacted legalization, citing safety concerns related to the ongoing barriers to banking services in the industry. As Miami’s mayor, however, the GOP contender enters the national stage with a mixed record on cannabis issues locally. “Federal policy on cannabis needs to catch up with the will of the American people and the 40 states which have legalized medical and/or adult use,” Suarez wrote in a Twitter post on Saturday. “If congressional leaders can’t find a responsible path to ending prohibition, deferring to…

Another study has linked medical marijuana use to lower pain levels and reduced dependence on opioids and other prescription medications. Researchers at the University of Florida carried out a three-month pilot study to assess the efficacy of cannabis among middle-aged and older chronic pain patients. One month after the participants initiated medical marijuana use, they completed surveys detailing the benefits and side effects of the alternative treatment option. The study, published this month in the journal Cannabis, found that “most participants perceived medical cannabis to be overall effective for chronic pain management.” The benefits that they reported include reduced pain…

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Department of Defense (DOD) are strongly against the use of marijuana for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)—but they’re taking a neutral position on psychedelics like psilocybin and LSD, simply saying that more research should be done. In an update to their joint clinical practice guidelines, the departments provided recommendations on a variety of therapeutics used to treat PTSD and acute stress disorder that commonly afflict military veterans. And while many veterans use marijuana, often to treat symptoms of the conditions, the VA/DOD Management of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Acute Stress…

Screamin’ Jay Hawkins stayed drunk through most of the psychedelic ’60s. When I encountered him, in the early spring of 1973, he had put his Black & White scotch aside and was on the wagon. He drank coffee, a great deal of it, and orange juice. He smoked cigarettes, a great many of them. Sometimes he rolled his own Buglers, but on this day he smoked Lucky Strikes. He was living at the Hotel Bryant, in a shabby room nine floors above Broadway in Times Square. With him were his wife, Jinny, and an obnoxious four-month-old Siamese cat named Cookie.…

There are a ton of brands in the modern cannabis landscape, but few of these players truly understand what being a brand really means. There’s a lot more to it than just coming up with a catchy name and logo. Even worse, it seems like in today’s market even fewer make their consumers the actual focal point of what they’re doing. Maybe that’s why it’s not working out for so many of them. While we’ve seen countless companies try and fail to make a name for themselves in this burgeoning industry, Alien Labs lives in rarified air. It hasn’t just…