Author: News Room

A Nebraska senator is kicking off the start of the new session with another attempt to finally legalize medical marijuana in the state. Sen. Anna Wishart (D) has been fighting to enact the reform over the past several years, pursuing medical cannabis legalization both through the legislature and activist-led ballot campaigns. Now she’s filed a new bill to provide patients with certain conditions access to marijuana if they receive a doctor’s recommendation. It appears to largely mirror a revised version of legislation that advanced in committee in 2021 but ultimately stalled out in the GOP-controlled unicameral legislature. “I am here…

A Republican congressman has again filed a bill that’s meant to protect military veterans from losing government benefits for using medical marijuana in compliance with state law. This is the second piece of cannabis legislation to be introduced in the 118th Congress. The measure from Rep. Greg Steube (R-FL) would also codify that U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) doctors are allowed to discuss the potential risks and benefits of marijuana with their patients. Steube has consistently championed this specific reform, filing versions of the “Veterans Cannabis Use for Safe Healing Act” over the past several Congresses. This latest version…

And should you? Leafly weighs the pros and cons of this psilocybin consumption method. Thus far, the 2020s have been the best decade yet for shroom lovers. They were first scheduled as a Schedule 1 substance in 1970. Many people turned to shrooms and psychedelics to cope with early pandemic isolation, and new research has indicated psilocybin, the primary psychoactive compound in shrooms, holds big potential for helping patients with mental health struggles and addiction. By 2023, both Oregon and Colorado decriminalized them, along with local municipalities that include DC, San Francisco, Oakland, Seattle, and parts of Massachusetts. As people get…

The new year is a magical time of possibility, resolution, and reinvention. As we finish putting 2022 to rest and settle into 2023, there’s no time like January to practice making the most of the new year. Many of us have committed to health goals, or have gone Cali Sober after all the holiday boozing. Almost half of regular alcohol drinkers are trying to reduce their alcohol consumption right now, and even more are substituting with non-alcoholic beverages, including many with cannabinoids and adaptogens. Young drinkers aged 21 to 35 lead the ‘Cali sober’ trend, said researchers at Veylinx, a…

The U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) is set to become the next jurisdiction in the country to legalize marijuana, with a bill awaiting imminent action from the pro-reform governor. The sponsor wants to be clear, however, that the legislation is not meant to be an economic panacea for the territory, even if it might bolster tourism and help straighten up the existing medical cannabis program. Sen. Janelle Sarauw (I) told Marijuana Moment in a phone interview on Tuesday that she hasn’t heard from the governor’s office about his intentions for her legalization bill that the legislature delivered to his desk late…

A Washington State Senate committee on Tuesday approved a bill to set the state up to allow interstate marijuana commerce, pending a federal policy change. The Senate Labor & Commerce Committee passed the legislation on a voice vote. It now moves to the Senate Rules Committee. This comes one week after the panel first met to discuss the reform, in addition to proposals concerning cannabis-related employment protections and social equity. The House Regulated Substances & Gaming Committee is also scheduled to tackle a companion version of the interstate commerce bill, sponsored by that panel’s chair, later on Tuesday afternoon. In…

A strong majority of American voters—including most Republicans, Democrats and independents—support legalizing marijuana and the federal level, according to a new poll. And majorities also back policies meant to promote equity in the industry. The survey from Data for Progress found that 65 percent of Americans are in favor of federally legalizing cannabis—a finding that’s consistent with numerous polls that have been conducted over recent years. NEW POLL: Sixty-five percent of voters support the federal legalization of recreational marijuana. Voters also support marijuana policies that prioritize minority communities for dispensary licenses and tax revenue.https://t.co/cU26C1VD56 — Data for Progress (@DataProgress) January…

Bipartisan Arizona lawmakers have filed a bill to promote research into the medical potential of psilocybin mushrooms for a variety of conditions that could inform future reforms on authorizing psychedelic-assisted therapy. The legislation from Reps. Kevin Payne (R), Jennifer Longdon (D), Stacey Travers (D) and Sen. T. J. Shope (R) is one of the latest examples of how lawmakers across the aisle are approaching psychedelics policy in the 2023 session, which has already seen the issue addressed in more than a dozen bills in state legislatures across the country. This proposal is focused on psilocybin research, providing $30 million in…

New York City is home to many artists, and among those who live under its gloriously creative umbrella is glam rock group UNI and The Urchins. The band—comprised of vocalist/bassist Charlotte Kemp Muhl (who goes by Kemp), frontman/vocalist Jack James, guitarist David Strange, and drummer Andrew Oakley—has recently celebrated the drop of their debut album Simulator via Chimera Music, the artist-run label from Kemp and Sean Lennon, and is gearing up to have a fruitful 2023 in its wake. As part of the band’s debut record release, High Times has the exclusive worldwide premiere of the music video for the…

President Joe Biden on Monday said that marijuana reform is part of his commitment to “equal justice,” arguing that people should be released from prison and have their records cleared for simple possession. Speaking at a Martin Luther King Jr. Day hosted by the National Action Network’s (NAN), the president said he was keeping his “promise” by providing relief to those who’ve been criminalized over cannabis. “No one—I’ll say it again—no one should be in federal prison for the mere possession of marijuana. No one,” he said. “In addition to that, they should be released from prison and completely pardoned…