Author: News Room

Representatives of major Veterans Services Organization (VSOs) testified before a series of joint Senate and House committee this week and last week, voicing support for medical marijuana research and criticizing the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for “dragging their feet” on the issue. Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Jon Tester (D-MT) asked the VSO leaders for their perspective on veterans’ use of cannabis as an alternative treatment option and where they stand on his bipartisan VA marijuana research bill that cleared his committee last month. On Wednesday, the chairman raised the topic with members of Veterans of Foreign Wars…

A Rhode Island House committee held a hearing on Thursday on a bill that would remove penalties for the use and possession of psilocybin and allow the home cultivation of psychedelic mushrooms for personal use. The legislation, introduced last week by Rep. Brandon Potter (D) and Sen. Megan Kallman (D), would also require the state to establish rules and regulations around a therapeutic psilocybin program if the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reschedules the substance. Here’s to unwinding decades of restrictive and wrongheaded drug policy! https://t.co/ieTHbecbyx — Meghan Kallman (@MeghanEKallman) March 1, 2023 “This is a naturally occurring, non-toxic,…

People remain behind bars for cannabis-related convictions despite the abundance of legalization and decriminalization measures that roll out in the U.S. Rather than be apathetic about cannabis prisoners, it’s time to do something about it. Keep Austin Weed is partnering with cannabis criminal justice reform nonprofit Last Prisoner Project (LPP) and pioneering hip-hop group dead prez. LPP focuses on three key criminal justice reform initiatives: prisoner release, cannabis record clearance, and reentry support.  Dead prez will be performing at a benefit concert for LPP on March 13 from 6-10 p.m. at the Far Out Lounge & Stage during the South…

Just a few short years ago, some insiders argued that the nascent CBD industry was on a fast track to becoming a lucrative powerhouse. It has not, however, lived up to that expectation. In fact, in the past few years, the market has shrunk dramatically.A handful of interconnected factors have contributed to the CBD nosedive. Hemp acreage has plummeted. The FDA—some insiders contest—has stifled the industry by not establishing guidelines for CBD that would encourage more investment and manufacturing. The rise of delta-8 and other psychoactive hemp-derived cannabinoids has arguably siphoned off potential CBD customers, offering an experience closer to conventional…

When people think of cannabis, the first image that comes to mind typically isn’t an athlete or someone working on their exercise goals. But scientific research suggests that maybe it should be, and perhaps it’s time to reexamine our assumptions about the relationship between cannabis and your workout.In this article, we’re diving into the nitty gritty details of smoking cannabis and whether it affects the body’s ability to recover during and after a workout.How does weed affect your workout?The idea of using weed to enhance athletic performance is controversial. But some athletes and other fitness enthusiasts claim that the benefits…

Learn how cannabis, your body, and running workouts interact.When it comes to athletics, cannabis can be a hot-button topic. Maybe it is the stereotypes about weed smokers being criminal or lazy. Maybe it’s conflation with the effects of substances like tobacco. But, for whatever reason, the impact of cannabis on athletic performance has been debated for decades. Despite the opinions of anyone else, it is still important for athletes like runners to understand if cannabis is helping or hindering their performance. After all, the goals of many runners are to run faster, farther, or more often, and they don’t want…

The Delaware House of Representatives has approved a bill to create regulations for adult-use marijuana sales, sending it to the Senate just days after passing a complementary possession legalization measure. The chamber cleared the regulatory legislation from Rep. Ed Osienski (D)—which advanced through two committees before reaching the floor—in a 27-13 vote. “It has been a long journey to get to this point,” the sponsor said on the floor on Thursday. “We have experienced setbacks along the way—none worse than losing business to New Jersey—and we have learned a great deal and produced what we believe is a strong bill…

The Oklahoma House of Representatives has approved a bill to promote research into the therapeutic potential of psilocybin while providing legal protections against prosecution for people with eligible conditions who possess the psychedelic. The legislation from Rep. Daniel Pae (R) cleared the chamber in a 66-32 vote on Thursday, about a month after the measure advanced through committee. It now heads to the Senate for consideration. Prior to passing the bill, members adopted an amendment to strike the title, which is a typical legislative mechanism that removes the description at the top of the bill, technically putting it out of…

As a Florida cannabis industry-funded campaign makes progress in getting a marijuana legalization initiative placed on the state’s 2024 ballot, a new poll shows that seven in ten voters support the reform. The survey from the University of North Florida’s (UNF) Public Opinion Research Lab (PORL) found that 70 percent of respondents either somewhat or strongly back the idea of passing a constitutional amendment to enact legalization, while 29 percent strongly or somewhat oppose it. That majority support is also bipartisan, with 75 percent of Democrats and 57 percent of Republicans in favor of the cannabis proposal. Seventy-eight percent of…

Tuesday’s special election in Oklahoma resulted in a resounding defeat for a marijuana legalization ballot initiative—but recent comments from the state attorney general signal that the door may be open to some level of reform as it relates to expungements. Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond (R) shared the governor’s opposition to the legalization measure that all of the states 77 counties ultimately rejected this week. However, he said that there’s merit to at least one component of the proposal: Removing prior non-violent cannabis convictions from peoples’ records. He didn’t say that he would take unilateral action to facilitate the relief,…