Author: News Room

The year is 2008, and we’re in Texas. George W. Bush is president. Gay marriage is illegal; cannabis is definitely illegal (and still is in the Lone Star state, other than low THC products for limited medical patients). Not too long ago, the Dixie Chicks, who now go by The Chicks, were dropped from country music stations and blasted by contemporaries for saying they were ashamed to be from the same state as Bush, as they did not support the invasion of Iraq. And Johnathan Nguyen, who will one day grow up to be an insanely talented makeup artist living…

Top local officials from Washington, D.C. participated in a congressional hearing on Wednesday, sharply criticizing federal lawmakers over a policy that bars the District from legalizing and regulating marijuana sales. D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson (D) told the House Oversight and Accountability Committee that “congressional interference” in local laws on issues like cannabis threatens the city’s ability to “address crime and public safety.” Residents of the nation’s capital voted “overwhelmingly” to legalize marijuana for adult use in 2014, but “Congress has stepped in to prohibit the District from adopting any law to regulate this industry,” he said in written testimony,…

It’s warming up. The days are getting longer. The seasonal depression is fading. Spring is here, let’s spread a lil’ sunshine, yes? As we gear up for another season of events and seshes across the country, and prepare to ring in our favorite holiday with more places to legally celebrate than ever before, remember we’ve all got a lot to be thankful for. Things are far from perfect – abso-fucking-lutely – but we all know Rome wasn’t built in a day, and this Rome’s got weed. We can’t stop fighting for the things that matter, like getting people out of…

It’s 2023. At least 21 states have adult-use cannabis legalization. Yet we’re seeing some of the oldest, least fresh weed of our lives. Why? People aren’t shopping by packaging date—yet.Watch this above video on a key shopping tip for the legalization era: Shop by packaging date!“I feel like I’m taking crazy pills when I see year-old weed on shelves.”David Downs, Senior Editor, Leafly NewsCannabis is agricultural produce. Its freshness peaks from 30 to 90 days after it’s cured. Laws require packaging information like strain name, weight, and potency. But that info matters little if the weed has been sitting on…

A subsidiary of a Canadian cannabis company has received the first license to develop hemp operations from Mexican health authorities, but a legal framework that would underpin the industry has yet to be put in place. Mexico’s Comisión Federal para la Protección contra Riesgos Sanitarios (COFEPRIS) issued the first-ever authorization for the cultivation, processing, and commercialization of hemp to Xebra Mexico (Desart MX, S.A. de C.V.), a part of Xebra Brands Ltd., Vancouver, after a long legal battle. Xebra Mexico applied for a license in 2018 after hemp became legal in 2017 under an amendment to the country’s General Health Law, but…

A House committee in Washington State has amended and approved a psilocybin bill—inserting some therapeutic access provisions back into the legislation after the Senate had stripped it down to focus on research only The amendment, from Rep. Nicole Macri (D), was approved on a voice vote Wednesday by the House Health Care and Wellness Committee. The panel went on to approve the amended bill on a bipartisan 13–4 vote. Three of the panel’s seven Republican members, as well as all ten Democrats, ultimately supported the psilocybin measure. “The bill as it stands takes very thoughtful steps towards a way that…

The Missouri House is one step closer to passing a bill that would legalize psilocybin therapy for certain patients while promoting research into the psychedelic and expanding the scope of the state’s existing “Right to Try” law for seriously ill people. The bill from Rep. Dan Houx (R) has moved through several committees, and now the full chamber has given initial approval to an amended version on Wednesday—setting the stage for final passage, potentially next week. Houx said on the floor ahead of the vote that psilocybin is “a natural substance that is helping our veterans throughout the state and…

A Senate-passed bill to legalize medical marijuana in Kentucky moved closer to being enacted into law following a procedural step in the House of Representatives on Wednesday. The House advanced the measure from Sen. Stephen West (R) on second reading one day before the end of the legislative session. It must clear the House Licensing, Occupations & Administrative Regulations Committee on Thursday morning before an expected final vote in the full chamber later in the day—which will send the legislation to the governor’s desk. Gov. Andy Beshear (D) has strongly advocated for the reform, rallying citizens to pressure their state…

A Republican congressman told the head of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Wednesday that the agency’s failure to enact regulations for CBD is one of several problems that is “disrupting public confidence” in its abilities. Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD) said during a House Appropriations subcommittee hearing that “controversies swirl around the agency.” One of those controversies is the fact that FDA hasn’t identified a “regulatory pathway for cannabidiol oil after five years and millions of dollars of investments.” Harris, a vocal opponent of marijuana legalization who chairs the subcommittee, told FDA Commissioner Robert Califf that there’s a “need…

The Hawaii Department of Health (DOH) says that it would be prudent for the state to legalize certain psychedelics like psilocybin and MDMA to prepare for a likely federal policy change allowing their use for medical treatment. At a hearing before the Senate Health and Human Services Committee last week, DOH testified on a pair of resolutions that call for the establishment of an advisory council to study and make recommendations on approving psychedelic medicines. Members of the panel ultimately deferred action on the legislation, but there are other psychedelics bills advancing in the legislature this session, including one to…