Author: News Room

A New Jersey Senate committee approved a pair of bills on Thursday that would allow licensed marijuana businesses to deduct certain expenses on their state tax returns, a partial remedy as the industry continues to be blocked from making federal deductions under Internal Revenue Service (IRS) code known as 280E. The Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee took up companion measures from its chamber and from the Assembly, making them identical before advancing them in a unanimous vote. The version from Assemblymember Annette Quijano (D) passed that full chamber in October. It was previously amended in committee, with members agreeing to…

Virginia lawmakers have rejected a bill that would have allow people with serious mental health conditions to possess and use psilocybin mushrooms with a doctor’s recommendation. The legislation from Del. Dawn Adams (D) wouldn’t have legalized the psychedelic per se, but it would have provided an affirmative defense for those who use it to treat “refractory depression or post-traumatic stress disorder or to ameliorate end-of-life anxiety.” While the bill was revised from an earlier version that Adams sponsored last year to more narrowly focus on medical uses of psilocybin, a House Courts of Justice subcommittee voted 5-3 to table the…

New Jersey marijuana regulators have filed proposed rules to allow for cannabis consumption areas where adults 21 and older could use marijuana on-site. The New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission (NJ-CRC) says it “expects the new cannabis consumption area rules to have a beneficial social impact by advancing social equity, while allowing persons 21 years of age and older another venue to safely enjoy the personal use of cannabis.” If implemented following a 60-day public comment period that runs through March 18, individual municipalities would be authorized to adopt ordinances allowing consumption areas, which would need to be attached to licensed…

Another Minnesota House committee approved a bill to legalize marijuana on Thursday, with about a dozen more panels left to go before it reaches the floor. The House Judiciary Finance and Civil Law Committee passed the measure in a voice vote, with amendments. It now moves to the House Environment and Natural Resources Finance and Policy Committee. This comes about a week after the bill advanced through the House Commerce Finance and Policy Committee. Rep. Zack Stephenson (D) and Sen. Lindsey Port (D) are sponsoring the legislation, which was first unveiled earlier this month, in their respective chambers. Port said…

Musicians, including rapper Wiz Khalifa, helped celebrate the inauguration of Pennsylvania’s new governor on Tuesday—and while it was a lighthearted affair, marijuana policy came up in subtle and less-than-subtle ways. Gov. Josh Shapiro’s (D) list of celebrity attendees ran the gamut, but at least two of them saw an opportunity to bring up cannabis reform. After the indie band Mt. Joy finished its song “Astrovan,” for example, frontman Matt Quinn joked about the policy implications in the lyrics. “We’re singing songs about doobie-smoking Jesus, and Wiz Khalifa is also on the program,” Quinn said, as PennLive reported. “There might be…

As I sit here typing out this story from the safety of a bulletproof office—at least I hope to hell that it is—someone, maybe even someone you know will be killed by gun violence. On average, around 106 Americans die each day from a chance meeting with a bullet. Some of the casualties are shot dead by gutless goons while others, sadly enough, turn the firepower on themselves. Despite the vast toll of bodies and bloodshed, however, the American piece construct, one that seemingly embraces the most imbecilic tenets of deep-woods hillbilly philosophy, is to shoot first and never ask…

Yes, Leafly Nation. You read that right.At this very moment, a California company called Psilouette will mail you psilocybin teas and edible gummies. All you have to do is reciprocate with a gift of financial recompense. A donation, if you will. Psilouette’s website offers a variety of gummies in varying doses, from the super-small Acclimate dose (250 micrograms) up to the allegedly libido-enhancing Aphrodisiac Stack (500 micrograms) and full Enthogen dose (2,000 micrograms). To put those dosages in perspective: 10 milligrams of psilocybin is considered a low dose. 35 milligrams is considered a high dose. 2,000 micrograms is equal to 2…

A Republican Missouri lawmaker filed a bill on Wednesday that would provide therapeutic access to psilocybin for people with serious mental health conditions. Rep. Tony Lovasco (R) introduced the legislation, which has been revised from an earlier version he worked to advance last year. It’s one of the latest examples of how legislators across the U.S. are approaching psychedelics reform for the 2023 session. Under the new proposal, patients could obtain psilocybin for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), severe depression, terminal illness or any other condition where traditional therapies haven’t worked if approved by regulators. The bill, HB…

The governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) has officially signed a pair of bills to legalize marijuana and facilitate cannabis expungements in the territory, making it the latest jurisdiction in the country to end prohibition. Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. (D) signed the legislation, sponsored by Sen. Janelle Sarauw (I), just before a 10-day deadline for action. He also took the opportunity to issue a proclamation allowing people to petition for pardons for prior cannabis possession convictions. “From the beginning of the Bryan-Roach Administration, we have worked towards the legalization of the adult use of cannabis, and today, with the…

Michigan marijuana sales reached a record high in December, state data shows. While medical cannabis purchases have gradually declined, the adult-use market has more than made up for that drop, with total sales hitting $221.7 million last month. That’s about $9 million more than the previous record set in September. The state Cannabis Regulatory Agency (CRA) shows that December saw $208,318,037 in recreational cannabis sales and $13,419,377 from medical marijuana purchases, as New Cannabis Ventures first reported. What’s more, the state is experiencing this total sales surge even as the average cost of marijuana has continued to dip, with the…