Author: News Room

Tens of thousands of commercial truckers tested positive for marijuana as part of federally mandated screenings, data from the Department of Transportation (DOT) shows. And a significant portion of those truckers have declined to return to work, contributing to a labor shortage. In 2022 alone, 40,916 truckers tested positive for inactive THC metabolites, which can stay in a person’s system for weeks or months after use and do not reflect active impairment. The number increased by 32 percent compared to 2021. Data from DOT’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) shows that, since 2020, more than 100,000 truckers tested positive…

A GOP congressman has refiled a bill to move marijuana from Schedule I to the less restrictive Schedule III under federal law. Rep. Greg Steube (R-FL) introduced the proposal on Friday. This is the third session in a row that he’s pushed for the modest reform, titled the “Marijuana 1-to-3 Act.” The two-page bill states that “the Attorney General of the United States shall, by order not later than 60 days after the date of enactment of this section, transfer marijuana…from schedule I of such Act to schedule III of such Act.” Advocates are strongly pushing for removing cannabis from…

“Do not go there!” Valentina, a 27-year-old designer living in Medellín, yelled when I told her that I planned on visiting the Casa Museo Pablo Escobar, a museum dedicated to the Colombian drug lord.  A quick Google search made me change my mind. The entrance fee to the museum is $30 – a hefty sum in a country where a full meal will typically cost you less than $5, and most of the museums are donation-based or free-of-charge. On top of that, online reviews were making the place out to be a rip-off, a collection of meaningless personal possessions, shoddy…

With the GOP running the House, America’s top conservative legalization advocate takes the lead on Capitol Hill. Here’s what Don Murphy sees as a winning strategy. Don Murphy might not be the most high-profile cannabis legalization lobbyist in Washington, but he may be the one of the best positioned for the moment.During the 2022 midterm elections, the GOP narrowly won control of the US House of Representatives. With Republicans now running the House, Murphy—a veteran conservative lobbyist, Republican, and former Maryland state lawmaker—steps into 2023 as one of the most influential cannabis legalization changemakers on Capitol Hill. In past years,…

A bill to legalize marijuana in Minnesota continues to advance, with another Senate committee approving the reform legislation on Monday. The Senate Jobs and Economic Development Committee passed the bill from Sen. Lindsey Port (D) in a 5-3 vote. This marks the third Senate panel to advance the legislation in recent weeks, while a House companion version also continues to move. “Prohibition of cannabis is a failed system that has not achieved the desired goals and has had incredible costs for our communities, especially for communities of color,” Port said at Monday’s hearing. “We have an opportunity today to move…

The governor of Colorado has named members of a Natural Medicine Advisory Board that will help inform psychedelics policy after voters approved a ballot initiative to legalize entheogens and establish psilocybin “healing centers” last year. The 15-member board consists of scientists, researchers, academics, people familiar with psychedelic medicine and law enforcement. That includes a top researcher in the field, Arizona-based Sue Sisley, and a former cannabis journalist who now runs the PR firm Grasslands, Ricardo Baca. Members will be responsible for studying and making recommendations on a number of issues related to the psychedelics law, which permits adults 21 and…

Rhode Island’s top judicial official has released new guidance on expunging marijuana records under a legalization law that was enacted last year. State Supreme Court Chief Justice Paul Suttell issued an executive order on Friday that lays out the policies and procedures for identifying and clearing the records of people with prior misdemeanor and felony cannabis possession offenses. The legalization law’s expungement provisions recognize “the significant negative impact upon individuals previously convicted or civilly violated for low level, non-violent offenses for possession of marijuana,” the order says. The Superior and District Courts and the Traffic Tribunal will be responsible for…

The White House says that Congress is leading the charge for marijuana banking reform—and the Biden administration does not currently have any plans to announce executive action on the issue. At a press briefing last week, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked whether President Joe Biden intends to administratively resolve the banking issue for state-legal cannabis businesses, many of which operate on a largely cash-only basis and have been targets of crime under federal prohibition. “I don’t have any new policy announcements to make from here,” Jean-Pierre said. “As you know, this is something that Congress is working…

At Cannabis Conference 2022, Colin Kelley, operating partner for private equity fund Merida Capital Holdings, moderated an open dialogue with three seasoned cannabis operators to gather insights on how they’ve avoided–and learned from—common, costly missteps and built a profitable business. Read the full article here

California officials are seeking a formal opinion from the state attorney general’s office on whether allowing interstate marijuana commerce would put the state at “significant risk” of federal enforcement action. The request for guidance from the Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) is a key step that could eventually trigger a law that Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed last year, empowering him to enter into agreements with other legal states to import and export marijuana products. Part of that legislation stipulates that no such agreements can be made until either federal law changes, federal guidance is put into place allowing the…