Author: News Room

The Democratic governor of Delaware won’t say whether he plans to sign or veto a pair of bills the legislature sent to his desk this week to legalize marijuana and establish a regulated adult-use market. Advocates are closely watching to see if Gov. John Carney (D) will again exercise his veto authority to quash cannabis legalization, as he did last year. Asked on Wednesday whether he could give a “hint” about his current thinking about the reform measures that the Senate passed on Tuesday, Carney said, “No, I’d rather focus on” his administration’s efforts to improve roadway safety. “Obviously I’m…

“It really comes down to your evaluation of a harm reduction tool. Other than that, it’s a freedom issue.” By Ben Adlin, Filter Dozens of legislatures across the United States are currently weighing how to regulate or ban kratom, a plant with mild opioid-like properties that’s indigenous to Southeast Asia. It’s used by people around the world who attest to its abilities to elevate mood, boost energy, relieve pain and—perhaps most crucially in an era of mass overdose deaths—treat symptoms of opioid withdrawal and sometimes replace opioids. The flurry of state-level scrutiny follows efforts in recent years by the Food and Drug…

“The governor’s amendment continues his efforts to crack down on dangerous THC intoxicants including synthetic products such as delta-8.” By Graham Moomaw, Virginia Mercury Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) is recommending changes to a pending state law that would exempt some non-intoxicating CBD products from strict new regulations on the sale of delta-8 THC and other hemp-based concoctions that get users high. After significant pushback to a proposed rule limiting THC to 2 milligrams per package—which many hemp proponents have said would effectively destroy the industry in Virginia—the governor is proposing a carveout for products that have a 25-to-1 ratio…

South Carolina lawmakers and advocates aren’t giving up the push to legalize medical marijuana just yet, and they’re imploring leadership to take up a GOP-led reform bill ahead of a key legislative deadline this week. At a press conference on Tuesday, supporters of the legislation from Sen. Tom Davis (R) stressed the urgency of getting the reform enacted this year, with a deadline set coming up on Thursday to get the bill out of the Senate and over to the House for consideration this year. Davis gave an impassioned speech on the floor last week, disputing complaints from certain lawmakers…

The Delaware Senate approved a pair of House-passed bills to legalize marijuana possession and establish regulations for an adult-use cannabis market on Tuesday, sending them to the governor. The simple legalization proposal cleared the chamber in a 16-4 vote, while the regulatory measure passed in a 15-5 vote. Both pieces of legislation, which moved through Senate committees before advancing to the floor, are being sponsored by Rep. Ed Osienski (D). “The legalization of adult-use recreational marijuana is inevitable because it is the will of the people,” Sen. Trey Paradee (D), who is carrying the legislation in the Senate, said ahead…

The federal government is “hopelessly out of step” with the American public on marijuana legalization, a congressman said on Tuesday, addressing the head of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). At a hearing before the House Ways & Means Committee, Congressional Cannabis Caucus co-chair Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) told HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra that “the American public overwhelmingly supports” ending cannabis prohibition, pointing to the fact that a majority of states have legalized marijuana in some form over the past several decades. “I welcome the president’s call to do a reappraisal of how we characterize this so we…

A bill to legalize marijuana in Colombia cleared another key hurdle on its path to enactment on Tuesday, advancing through a Chamber of Representatives committee that brings it more than halfway through the legislative process. The legislation, which the Chamber and Senate reconciled to be identical in December after previously clearing each full body in differing forms, needs to go through eight total stops in the Colombian Congress over two consecutive years. Tuesday’s 26-6 vote by the First Committee of the Chamber marks the fifth stop, sending it to the floor for consideration before returning to the Senate for final…

The governor of Kentucky is rallying citizens to pressure their state representatives to pass a bill to legalize medical marijuana when they return to the legislature this week. The House is expected to take up the Senate-approved legislation from Sen. Stephen West (R). Advocates are optimistic about its prospects given that the House has advanced similar measures in past sessions, only to have them stall in the Senate. Things are different this year, however, now that the other body has taken the lead in advancing the issue. “Legislators return on Wednesday and they will have a chance to finally pass…

The Department of Defense (DOD) says that marijuana’s active ingredient delta-9 THC is the most common substance that appears on positive drug tests for active duty military service members. The second most common is delta-8 THC, which is found in a growing number of hemp-derived products that are being made available, including in states where marijuana itself remains illegal. In a letter responding to a 2022 inquiry from Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) and several colleagues, DOD explained last month what it’s doing to combat drug overdoses, promote harm reduction programs and destigmatize treatment, with a focus on address opioid misuse.…

Santigold is a gift. The genre-smashing artist has an innate musical ability to transcend any imposed boundaries, resulting in an enticing gumbo of hip-hop, reggae, new wave, and ’80s pop, to name a few. Her fourth studio album, Spirituals, released in September, finds the Philly native once again embracing her experimental tendencies and further establishing her inimitable sound, all with a fresh perspective. After all, it’s been a long four years since she released the I Don’t Want: The Gold Fire Sessions mixtape. Not only is she the mother to three children (including twins), but she also, like the rest…