Author: News Room

A key Louisiana Senate committee has approved a House-passed bill to streamline expungements for people with first-time marijuana possession convictions. About a week after the House passed the legislation from Rep. Delisha Boyd (D), the Senate Judiciary C Committee advanced it with a favorable report in a voice vote on Wednesday, sending it to the floor before potentially being sent to the governor’s desk. The measure makes it so people who are convicted of possessing up to 14 grams of cannabis as a first offense can petition the courts to wipe their record after 90 days from the time of…

Bipartisan congressional lawmakers have filed a new bill to reduce regulations on farmers that grow industrial hemp for non-extraction purposes. Reps. Matt Rosendale (R-MT) and Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA) are sponsoring the Industrial Hemp Act, which is a House companion to a Senate version that was introduced in March by Sens. Jon Tester (D-MT) and Mike Braun (R-IN). Hemp and its derivatives like CBD that contain no more than 0.3 percent THC by dry weight were legalized under the 2018 Farm Bill—and regulatory responsibility falls with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The new bill seeks to create a distinction between…

“There is no way in the world the people in Clayton have been arrested more than the people who live in North St. Louis. It’s impossible.” By Rebecca Rivas, Missouri Independent When a marijuana legalization amendment was being criticized last year over concerns it would calcify the lack of Black participation in the burgeoning industry, Adolphus Pruitt was one of its most vociferous defenders. Pruitt, the president of the St. Louis City NAACP, and other local NAACP leaders insisted the constitutional amendment establish a “microbusiness license” program. The intent was to award marijuana licenses to business owners who live in communities that…

Hours after the governor of Minnesota signed a marijuana legalization bill into law on Tuesday, the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) issued a reminder that people who use cannabis remain federally banned from purchasing and possessing guns. The ATF St. Paul Field Division said in the warning notice that “until” marijuana is federally legalized, statute stipulates that people who actively consume cannabis are still subject to the firearms prohibition—a policy that’s being challenged in several federal courts. “Until marijuana is legalized federally, firearms owners and possessors should be mindful that it remains federally illegal to mix…

“Today’s decision is a great embodiment of the will of the Arizona voters who elected to undo the harms caused by the overpolicing of marijuana laws.” By Caitlin Sievers, Arizona Mirror Some convictions for marijuana sales are eligible for expungement under Proposition 207, which legalized the drug for adult use, the Arizona Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday. “This will allow [people who have been convicted] to mitigate the generational impact of their involvement with the criminal legal system, which affects Black and Brown people and people of lower socioeconomic status at disproportionate rates,” Martin Hutchins, lead attorney and program manager for…

Everyone has a favorite snack. It’s usually a chip with a delightful crunch and a one-of-a-kind flavor punch that satisfies every fiber of your being as you settle in for your favorite leisurely activity. As cannabis edibles continue to walk on the savory side, few brands have perfected the art of the cannabis-infused chip quite like TSUMo Snacks. In a bite-sized summary, TSUMo’s crunchy infused chips are thoroughly coated in seasonings that inspire nostalgic memories while getting you lifted. Co-founder and CEO Caroline Yeh spent a decade in traditional consumer packaged goods, before moving into the cannabis industry with Bloom…

A U.S. hemp stakeholder group has again criticized the government’s Food & Drug Administration (FDA) for drawing conclusions based on outdated research it says exaggerates the potential dangers of CBD. In a letter sent yesterday to Senate and House committees, the U.S. Hemp Roundtable (USHR) blasted the agency for depending on studies based on highly concentrated pharmaceutical-grade CBD formulations, while ignoring more recent research since 2020 that shows low-dose over-the-counter extracts are safe. Consumers would never be exposed to the amounts of CBD mentioned in the studies FDA references, USHR said, noting “Even essential nutrients like Vitamin D can be…

Finally, after an excruciating months-long legislative process, Minnesota has become the 23rd state to legalize adult-use cannabis!On Tuesday, May 30, Governor Tim Walz (D) signed into law HF-100, a bill to create a framework for legal cannabis in Minnesota.Minnesota just became the 23rd state in the nation to legalize adult-use cannabis.— Governor Tim Walz (@GovTimWalz) May 30, 2023How did the bill become law?Advocates have faced an arduous journey getting this bill over the finish line. The Minnesota House and Senate crafted differing bills, which each had to make their way through over a dozen committees. (They also navigated confusion sown…

The Florida Supreme Court is taking first steps to consider a legal challenge from the state attorney general, who is seeking to invalidate a marijuana legalization initiative that an industry-funded campaign is seeking to place on the 2024 ballot. In a notice posted last week, the court acknowledged that Attorney General Ashley Moody (R) had submitted an opinion contesting the reform measure based on a single subject challenge, as she’s done with earlier legalization bids. Before the Supreme Court makes a decision in the case, it said that initial briefings on the matter are due by June 12. Subsequent reply…

The Nevada Senate has approved a bill that would create a new working group to study psychedelics and develop a plan to allow regulated access for therapeutic purposes, sending it to the Assembly for consideration. The legislation as introduced would have legalized psilocybin and promoted research into the psychedelic, as well as encouraged studies of MDMA, but it was significantly scaled back in committee before passing on the floor in a 16-4 vote on Monday. Sen. Rochelle Nguyen’s (D) measure as revised now focuses on forming a Psychedelic Medicines Working Group to examine the use of entheogens “in medicinal, therapeutic,…