Author: News Room

Montana lawmakers have defeated a bill that would have legalized psilocybin therapy for adults with certain medical conditions. However, there’s talk about moving a more limited measure to study possible psychedelics reforms. The House Human Services Committee took up the legislation from Rep. Jill Cohenour (D) in a hearing on Wednesday. Members then rejected the measure in an executive session in a 9-12 vote on Thursday. The bill would have allowed adults 18 and older with one of four qualifying conditions to access the psychedelic in a regulated, therapeutic setting with professionals. The qualifying conditions were post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD),…

The governor of New Mexico is marking the one-year anniversary of the state’s adult-use marijuana market, touting its more than $300 million in sales since last April as well as the thousands of jobs the cannabis industry has created. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) said on Monday that sales have been steady throughout the past year, with March’s haul setting the monthly record at $32.3 million in recreational marijuana purchases. In addition to the $300.1 million year-end sales total for the adult-use market, New Mexico sold about $187.4 million in medical cannabis in the past year for a combined $488.3…

Danielle “Dan” Guercio, a New York-based cannabis writer and creative, felt that cannabis news stories had to focus on “a brand, celeb, political or science angle” to get featured. “The only culture stuff we get is from the same five dudes and their friends,” she said via LinkedIn comments.  “There’s a little bit of an echo chamber happening in the professional space right now—too-similar circles circulating too-similar information,” she told me in a follow-up chat.  The suggestion was certainly interesting. Were we running into an echo chamber where only a few similar voices speak for millions? I wasn’t sure about…

“The exact intent of this bill is to eliminate 189,000 jobs and 10,000 small businesses.” By Mitch Perry, Florida Phoenix Hemp entrepreneurs from all parts of Florida have made the trek twice to Tallahassee this month to testify against a legislative proposal that they say poses an existential threat to their livelihoods. At the same time, states around the country have been enacting regulations regarding intoxicating hemp-derived cannabinoids, and that’s become a conundrum for all sides of the hemp debate. Florida’s hemp program went into effect in 2019, shortly after the passage of the 2018 farm bill, which made hemp…

Arkansas lawmakers have approved a bill in committee that would clarify that medical marijuana patients can obtain concealed carry licenses for firearms. The House Judiciary Committee passed the legislation from Rep. Aaron Pilkington (R) in a voice vote on Thursday, sending it to the floor. The measure states that a person’s status as a qualified medical cannabis patient in the state cannot be used “in determining whether an applicant is eligible to be issued a license to carry a concealed handgun.” State statute would also be amended to clarify that participation in the medical marijuana program doesn’t mean that a…

The National Basketball Association (NBA) isn’t just reportedly removing marijuana from its banned substances list for players—it’s also planning to let those players promote and invest in cannabis companies. That’s the latest detail that’s surfaced in reporting on the new seven-year collective bargaining agreement that came together over the weekend, which is also expected to remove drug testing requirements for marijuana. Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium first noted the cannabis investment policy. Game changer: The league’s new collective bargaining agreement will give players the ability to invest in NBA and WNBA teams, as well as promote and/or invest…

Marianne Williamson is again seeking the Democratic presidential nomination—mounting a challenge against incumbent President Joe Biden for the 2024 election. The lecturer and self-help author hasn’t served as an elected official before, but she has taken a clear position on drug policy: the war on drugs has failed, and it’s time to legalize marijuana and explore the potential of psychedelics. Running against an incumbent president from the same party is a tall task, but Williamson has attracted headlines over the course of her two campaigns and affected the narrative around issues ranging from student debt to cannabis policy. Beyond statements…

Wisconsin has a chance to enact a relatively limited medical marijuana law this session, a bipartisan pair of lawmakers said in a joint appearance at a policy event on Friday. Sens. Mary Felzkowski (R) and Senate Minority Leader Melissa Agard (D) spoke during a webinar hosted by the nonpartisan Wisconsin Policy Forum. The group noted beforehand that a recent analysis it conducted found that more than half of all Wisconsin adults currently live within a 75-minute drive of a legal cannabis shop in Illinois or Michigan. Agard, who has repeatedly introduced bills to legalize marijuana over the past decade, said that…

“It’s enormous job growth, and it really happens quite quickly. So we are seeing customers and partners in Missouri aggressively and actively hiring.” By Rebecca Rivas, Missouri Independent Marcus Kerr was running his own food truck in California in 2018, when he parked by a marijuana dispensary one day. “I just ended up meeting the owner of this company, and they had my food,” he said. “They said, ‘Hey, can you infuse this?’ Then I started working for the big guys.” Kerr began creating edible recipes in a California lab, and he’s been in the cannabis industry since. Now he’s…

A debate about which album aged better: The Game’s Documentary or 50 Cent’s Get Rich or Die Tryin’. One party suggests 50 Cent’s seminal ‘03 debut due to its cultural relevancy and influence on the commercialization of Gangsta rap. Another party presents The Game’s solo debut simply because of “Hate it or Love it.” On the television is a pre-fame 50 Cent on a rooftop, offering advice on absorbing knowledge, self-manifestation, and the parallel between the hood and corporate America—Pink Siifu and Ahwlee, or B. Cool-Aid, sit inches apart: Siifu on the low-rising couch and Ahwlee on a chair close…