Author: News Room

The secretary of Pennsylvania’s Department of Agriculture says he’s “excited” about the possibility of his agency overseeing an adult-use marijuana market, as the governor has proposed. And he said the state is uniquely positioned to leverage the reform, in part because farmers there are “really good at growing things.” At a hearing before the House Appropriations Committee on Thursday, lawmakers pressed Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding on the plan to have his department hold regulatory control of the industry under a proposal from Gov. Josh Shapiro (D). Redding said officials are still “very early in those conversations, but we take the…

“You’re going to see, when all this stuff settles, that we have lived up to the promise that we said we were going to do at the very beginning.” By Ben Botkin, Oregon Capital Chronicle Democratic lawmakers said Wednesday they have reached a tentative deal to create a new type of misdemeanor that would give defendants no jail time for drug possession and another chance to enter treatment programs. The charge, hammered out near the mid-point of the 35-day session, will be folded into House Bill 4002, the vehicle lawmakers are using this session to address the fentanyl-fueled drug overdose…

A day after a Virginia House panel approved a new compromise bill to legalize retail marijuana sales, a Senate committee has also advanced the deal. Supporters hope both chambers can now pass identical legislation and send the consensus proposal to Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R), though he’s indicated he has no interest in signing either of the Democrat-led bills. On Friday morning, members of the Senate Rehabilitation and Social Services Committee voted 9–5 in favor of the latest version of the sales legislation, HB 698. While votes on cannabis sales bills so far have fallen generally along party lines, two Republican…

“LD 2204 is unwise, unconstitutional, and unnecessary to enforce existing laws.” By AnnMarie Hilton, Maine Morning Star A bill heard by the Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee on Wednesday hopes to address large-scale, illegal cannabis operations that have been found in homes across Maine, but legal experts say there are already laws to do this and critics see the bill as a problematic violation of rights. Sponsored by Rep. John Andrews (R-Paris), LD2204 seeks to create new crimes for racketeering and expand asset seizure to pay for the cost of restoring the houses where these operations take place. The bill also…

The governor of New Mexico has signed a bipartisan resolution requesting that state officials research the therapeutic potential of psilocybin and explore the creation of a regulatory framework to provide access to the psychedelic. One week after the Senate unanimously passed the measure from Senate Minority Whip Craig Brandt (R) and Sen. Jeff Steinborn (D), Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) gave it final approval on Thursday. Prior to that, Senate Health and Public Affairs Committee also unanimously advanced the resolution. As “memorial” legislation, the proposal isn’t binding. Rather, it represents a formal request for the state Department of Health to “study…

Set against the Long Beach waterfront where urban sprawl meets coastline, ska meets hip-hop (and everything in between) at Cali Vibes Music Festival. The reggae-adjacent, three day party is produced by the Coachella overlords at GoldenVoice—an ode to the Cali Reggae scene and its progenitors which has cemented itself as the premier North American festival of the niche music genre.  Backstage, Cisco Adler fist bumps me. He’s different from how I remember him in the 2008 “Buzzin’” music video. He still sports the long hair and devil-may-care demeanor, but he’s no longer the Peter Pan of the party rock scene…

The government of Pakistan announced a new law that will finally establish a regulatory body for cannabis after years of discussion and political turmoil that have delayed the industries’ development.The new law establishes a Cannabis Control and Regulatory Authority (CCRA), and sets out a basic framework for licensing of both hemp and marijuana stakeholders. The CCRA will manage licensing and create rules to control farming, processing, manufacturing and sales of hemp products for medical, industrial and other purposes.A 0.3% maximum THC level is adopted as the defining line between hemp and marijuana, according to the new law, which will apply…

A top Ohio Democratic senator says GOP House leadership is doing a “disservice” to the public by failing to advance legislation to expedite marijuana sales after voters approved a legalization ballot measure last year. The criticism is increasingly bipartisan, as Gov. Mike DeWine (R) has similarly pushed the legislature to pave a faster pathway to sales to resolve the “ridiculous” situation Ohio has found itself in—a regulatory limbo where cannabis is legal to possess and grow but access to licensed shops is months away. “It’s really being held up in the House,” Senate Minority Leader Nickie Antonio (D) told WKRC,…

“I think granting judges some discretion with whether or not parolees and probationers have medical marijuana allows for really individualized health care, compassionate care and consideration of public safety concerns at the same time.” By John Hult, South Dakota Searchlight The state Senate endorsed a bill that would require parolees and probationers to get additional sign-offs from a health care practitioner to get a medical cannabis card. Current law on medical cannabis has no prohibitions on access for people on probation or parole, even as steering clear of drugs and alcohol are often expectations for those serving out a sentence…

Maryland House committees have taken up a pair of bills to create task forces to study psychedelics legalization and broad drug decriminalization. The House Health and Government Operations Committee held a hearing on Wednesday to consider the psychedelics legislation, while the Judiciary Committee met on Tuesday to discuss the drug decriminalization proposal. The psychedelics bill from Del. Pam Guzzone (D) as introduced would establish a “Task Force on Responsible Use of Natural Psychedelic Substances” under the state Department of Health. But the sponsor said that, after consultation with the Maryland Cannabis Administration (MCA), that agency would oversee the task force…