Author: News Room

A new study is linking state-level medical marijuana legalization to reduced opioid payouts to doctors—another datapoint suggesting that patients use cannabis as an alternative to prescription drugs when given legal access. The study from researchers at the University of Florida, University of Southern California and Purdue University identified “a significant decrease in direct payments from opioid manufacturers to pain medicine physicians as an effect of [medical marijuana law] passage” and found that “physicians in states with an MML are prescribing fewer opioids.” Researchers developed a “novel penalized synthetic control model” to analyze transaction data involving direct payments from opioid manufacturers…

Dylan Brady and Laura Les are on the same wavelength. Despite existing in separate envi­ronments for most of their musical journeys, the experimental duo comprising 100 Gecs is able to stay connected through their music. As is the case for their second studio album 10,000 Gecs due out later this year, Brady and Les remain locked into a successful creative process that transcends space and distance. When we connect over Zoom, Brady and Les are stationed in their own respective loca­tions, but it’s clear even through the screen that their rapport, humor, and ability to flow togeth­er remains as strong…

Sen. London Lamar, a Memphis Democrat, called the actions “ridiculous” and an “overuse of power.” “DCS, Coffee County, y’all need to do the right thing before the situation gets worse, and we have a nation of people coming to the rescue of this Black family,” she said. “Give them their children back. It’s borderline discrimination, because if this was any other family, as their attorney said, we don’t even think this would be the outcome,” she said. Bianca Clayborne and Deonte Williams were on I-24 heading to a funeral — kids asleep in the back — when a Tenn. Highway…

The first thing I want to do before I become involved in the relation of my story is thank all the High Times readers who wrote in and asked for another of my stories. The publisher was very pleased, although I was a little scared, as some people wrote with green crayon on red paper and talked about weird things. The publisher gave me some money to write another story, and I have spent it on a color TV here in New York. One of my friends said that was just like an Indian to do such a thing. All…

Minnesota senators in a key committee have advanced a bill to legalize marijuana—the latest panel to consider the reform along its extensive legislative journey. The Senate Judiciary and Public Safety Committee was the first panel in the chamber to consider the legislation from Sen. Lindsey Port (D) in January, taking testimony on the measure as introduced. Members took it back up on Friday, approving a series of amendments and voting to send it to its next committee without a recommendation. A total of 10 Senate committees have now officially approved the Senate measure, and a House companion version from Rep. Zack…

Bipartisan congressional lawmakers have refiled a pair of bills meant to provide a pathway for the regulation of hemp derivatives like CBD as dietary supplements and food and beverage additives. The two measures that were filed on Friday—the Hemp and Hemp-Derived CBD Consumer Protection and Market Stabilization Act and the CBD Product Safety and Standardization Act—are being sponsored by Reps. Morgan Griffith (R-VA) and Angie Craig (D-MN). Earlier versions of the bills were filed last Congress and ultimately did not advance, but advocates and industry stakeholders feel that the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) recent announcement that it wouldn’t be…

Wisconsin residents purchased more than $121 million worth of marijuana from legal retailers in neighboring Illinois in 2022, contributing about $36 million in tax revenue to the state, according to a legislative analysis requested by a top Wisconsin senator. Senate Minority Leader Melissa Agard (D), who has sponsored legalization legislation in past sessions, asked the non-partisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau (LFB) to study just how much money was flowing from Wisconsin to Illinois in the form of out-of-state cannabis purchases. LFB released its findings last week, estimating $121.2 million in marijuana sales from Wisconsin residents last year. To come up with…

A bill to legalize medical marijuana stalled in the Kansas legislature on Thursday—but now the governor is urging the public to contact their representatives to demand they take the legislation back up for action “this session.” Gov. Laura Kelly (D), who has long championed cannabis reform, said on Thursday that she’s “disappointed that some legislators are saying they don’t want to move forward with legalizing medical marijuana this year—effectively turning their backs on our veterans and those with chronic pain and seizure disorders.” “If they get their way, for yet another year thousands of Kansans will be forced to choose…

Nevada lawmakers have introduced a bill to legalize psilocybin and promote research into the psychedelic, as well as encourage studies of MDMA. The legislation from Sen. Rochelle Nguyen (D) is primarily meant to streamline the process of studying psilocybin and MDMA. But it also contains a section that removes criminal and civil penalties for adults who possess, cultivate or share up to four ounces of psilocybin. 🍄 NEWS 🍄 We have a mental health crisis in our state. Our current laws are holding us back from potentially life-changing and life-saving treatments, which is why I just introduced #SB242 to legalize…

The Kentucky Senate approved a bill on Thursday to legalize medical marijuana in the state—a historic first in the chamber of the conservative legislature. The Senate passed the legislation from Sen. Stephen West (R) in a 26-11 vote on the last possible day of the session to advance bills to the other chamber. The House has approved similar proposals in prior sessions only to see them stall without action on the Senate side. This development comes two days after the Senate Licensing & Occupations Committee passed the measure. “This bill has been discussed in this chamber for many years,” West…