Author: News Room

A top federal drug official is blasting the criminalization of drug use by pregnant people and new parents, arguing that the resulting stigmatization is harming families and contributing to the overdose crisis. National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Director Nora Volkow become a vocal critic of drug criminalization in the past several years, noting racial disparities in enforcement and the ineffectiveness of treating addiction as criminal, rather than public health, matter. In a recent op-ed published by STAT, Volkow focused on the consequences of criminalizing pregnant women over substance misuse disorders. She said that this population needs “support, not criminalization.”…

The Justice Department is backing a proposal to update a federal commission’s sentencing guidelines suggesting that judges treat prior marijuana possession offenses more leniently, arguing that it aligns with the Biden administration’s “sentiment” toward cannabis policy. Members of the federal U.S. Sentencing Commission (USSC) voted to propose the amendment in January. And at a public hearing on Wednesday, a federal prosecutor testified on behalf of DOJ in support of the cannabis item. As it stands, federal judges are directed to take into account prior convictions, including state-level cannabis offenses, as aggravating factors when making sentencing decisions. But as more states…

(Video by Calvin Stovall / Music by Thelonious Martin & Darian Steward)For International Women’s Day, Erykah Badu joined Leafly for a quick sesh to discuss what strain she’s smoking, how cannabis helps her perform, and which healthy munchies she loves to snack on when her high is coming down.Didn’t cha know? Leafly landed the first look at Erykah Badu’s new strain collab with Cookies, appropriately titled That Badu.With That Badu dropping in Cookies and Lemonnade stores across California today (March 8), we got to talk to Ms. Badu about her relationship with cannabis—from getting her first contact high back in…

More state governments are joining the growing chorus that would ban synthetic, hemp-derived delta-8 THC, with Arkansas, West Virginia and Texas the most recent to take such measures under consideration. If the bans are implemented, those states would join 15 others that have explicitly outlawed delta-8 – and intensify the struggles for a CBD industry that is already reeling. With an estimated 75% of the current supply of CBD going into the production of unregulated delta-8 products, the growing clampdown is sure to mean more attrition in the CBD sector, where demand for over-the-counter CBD oils and other products did…

A mushroom trip can be life-changing, but can the experience of a cosmic, transformative journey also spark a desire to do it again, and again, and again? Psilocybin, the main active compound in mushrooms, is currently a Schedule I drug in the US, which means the government thinks it has a high potential for abuse. However, DEA scheduling lags behind the latest clinical data.Recentresearch highlights psilocybin’s safety profile and low potential for abuse, and in fact, one emerging area of psilocybin research is focused on how the compound can be used to treat different addictions. In other words, psilocybin is…

The Maryland House of Delegates has advanced an amended bill to create regulations allowing for adult-use marijuana commerce following voter approval of legalization last year. The legislation, sponsored by Del. C.T. Wilson (D), passed on a second reading on the floor on Wednesday, just days after clearing committee. The House will need to give final third reading approval to the measure before it potentially moves to the Senate, where a companion version is scheduled for consideration in committee on Thursday. The House was initially set to take up the bill on Tuesday, but Minority Leader Jason Buckel (R) made a…

The head of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) says the agency remains committed to “expeditiously” carrying out a scientific review of marijuana as part of President Joe Biden’s scheduling directive last year—but he’s making clear that the final decision is up to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Bipartisan members of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, as well as Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), led a letter to Biden in December, imploring the administration to take a clear position on federal marijuana descheduling. HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra was copied on that letter and sent a response on Tuesday that…

The Washington State Senate has approved a bill to create a task force promoting research into psilocybin and developing a pathway for legal access to the psychedelic. The legislation from Sen. Jesse Salomon (D)—which was effectively gutted in an earlier Senate committee to exclude original regulated access provisions—cleared the full chamber in a 41-7 vote on Tuesday. It now heads to the House. Senate Democrats cheered the passage, but advocates remain disappointed about the extent to which the bill was watered down in committee. Salomon filed a floor amendment to reinsert language providing for access to psilocybin services through a…

As the Delaware House voted to approve a bill to legalize marijuana possession on Tuesday, a committee in the chamber also passed a complementary measure to create regulations for an adult-use cannabis market—with a floor vote expected on Thursday. The House Appropriations Committee cleared the regulations legislation from Rep. Ed Osienski (D), 4-0 on the merits. That marked the second panel to advance the bill and came on the same day that the full House approved the separate legalization proposal, HB 1, from the same sponsor. HB 2, the regulations bill, will head to the floor on Thursday. Assuming passage,…

A bill to legalize marijuana in Minnesota has been approved in its 12th House committee, with more still to come as a Senate companion version also continues to advance. The House Economic Development Finance and Policy Committee passed the legislation from Rep. Zack Stephenson (D) in a 7-5 vote on Wednesday. Last week, the companion bill from Sen. Lindsey Port (D) advanced through a ninth committee in that chamber. “Minnesotans are ready for this change,” Stephenson said ahead of the House committee vote. “Our current laws are doing more harm than good, and Minnesotans deserve the freedom and respect to…