Author: News Room

“We are confident that Arkansans will respond positively and ultimately vote for the proposed amendment.” By Hunter Field, Arkansas Advocate Arkansas’s cannabis industry and patient advocates can begin collecting signatures to qualify a constitutional amendment for the November ballot that would make medical marijuana more accessible. Attorney General Tim Griffin (R) late Tuesday approved ballot language for the measure with several revisions. Supporters have until July 5 to gather 90,704 signatures from registered voters to put the amendment to a statewide vote in the November 5 general election. Bill Paschall, executive director of the Arkansas Cannabis Industry Association and a…

California regulators have rolled out a new marijuana database that’s meant to help consumers, stakeholders and lawmakers better understand industry trends—including monthly sales data and information about cannabis licensees. The state Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) officially unveiled the online resource on Wednesday, highlighting four interactive dashboards with data on cannabis licensing, harvests, pricing and monthly sales. This is “for folks who are interested in cannabis industry trends and things of that nature to be able to use these dashboards to their heart’s content,” a DCC representative said during a virtual briefing on Wednesday. Users can apply filters to each…

During debate on a drug bill before the Kansas House of Representatives on Wednesday, a Democratic lawmaker introduced an amendment that would have removed marijuana entirely from the state’s controlled substances law, effectively legalizing it. The proposal ultimately failed on a 41–80 vote, a result that comes as more limited legislation to legalize medical cannabis also faces resistance from some legislative leaders. Rep. Silas Miller (D), who introduced the broad legalization amendment, described the measure to colleagues as “the first step towards having a better discussion” about legalization, which the Senate has refused to consider in recent years despite evidence…

Details about a proposed compromise bill to legalize retail cannabis in Virginia are beginning to emerge ahead of a planned negotiation session set for Thursday. While not yet final, the compromise offer—meant to bridge gaps between two competing measures passed last week by the House and Senate—would eliminate provisions in the current House bill that would allow some businesses to launch sales earlier than others while also slightly pushing back the timeline for when the recreational market would open. Del. Paul Krizek (D), the lead sponsor of HB 698, confirmed some details of the proposed compromise to Marijuana Moment via…

Mushrooms of the genus Psilocybe appear to have begun producing the psychedelic compound psilocybin roughly 67 million years ago, right around the time of the dinosaurs’ demise, according to a newly published study led by researchers from the University of Utah and the Natural History Museum of Utah. The results also suggested that wood decomposition—as opposed to other preferred niches like dung or soil—as “the ancestral ecology of Psilocybe,” though the ability to produce psilocybin seems to have later jumped from some types of fungi to others over tens of millions of years. Authors noted that some past research has…

An Illinois senator has introduced a bill to legalize psilocybin and allow regulated access at service centers in the state where adults could use the psychedelic in a supervised setting—with plans to expand the program to include mescaline, ibogaine and DMT. Sen. Rachel Ventura (D) filed the legislation—titled the Compassionate Use and Research of Entheogens (CURE) Act—earlier this month. It’s currently pending committee assignment. “As mental health concerns rise throughout our state and nation, it’s imperative to acknowledge that conventional treatments don’t always suffice,” Ventura said in a press release. “Psilocybin shows promise as a potential solution, particularly for those…

A key committee in Germany’s Bundestag has approved a bill to legalize marijuana, setting the stage for floor consideration and final votes on Friday. But there are new questions about whether the law will actually take effect in April as planned. The Health Committee, a central body of jurisdiction for the proposal, passed the legislation on Wednesday. It’s one of at least eight parliamentary panels that are set consider the bill on the same day before it advances to the floor. The debate in the Health Committee apparently proved contentious. But in the end, members approved the measure with a…

A Justice Department research says states may need to “get away from that idea” that marijuana impairment can be tested based on the concentration of THC in a person’s system. Frances Scott, a physical scientist at the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) Office of Investigative and Forensic Sciences under DOJ, discussed the challenges of cannabis impairment testing in an episode of the Justice Today podcast that was posted late last month. Scott questioned the efficacy of setting “per se” THC limits for driving that some states have enacted, making it so a person can be charged with driving while impaired…

Bob Marley: One Love debuted at No. 1 at the box office collecting $33.2 million over the weekend, bringing its domestic total to $51 million. Internationally, the film earned $29 million and is expected to collect $80 million globally, exceeding expectations and toppling Marvel’s latest film.  On its first day alone, the film raked in $14 million in North America, a record for a midweek Valentine’s Day debut. While critics remain mixed, the film is outperforming initial expectations. The movie stars Kingsley Ben-Adir as the iconic artist and songwriter, Lashana Lynch as his wife and bandmate Rita Marley, and the…

A hemp task force being formed in Oklahoma would address only fiber- and seed-based products, likely leaving oversight of flower-based CBD and other cannabinoids to the state’s medical marijuana regulators.Oklahoma’s Senate Agriculture Committee recently approved the creation of the task force, whose mission is to set a blueprint for development of the state’s hemp industry.The group would be tasked with recommending a specific definition for hemp, consulting on laws and regulations for production, and assessing the need for outreach and assistance to farmers, agricultural cooperatives, farm organizations, tribal governments, and other entities.Excludes cannabinoidsHowever, the task force would not consult on the…