Author: News Room

Ohio’s secretary of state has formally resubmitted an activist-led marijuana legalization petition to the legislature, giving lawmakers four months to consider the reform. If they don’t act, advocates could then collect additional signatures to place the issue on the November ballot for voters to decide on. Secretary of State Frank LaRose (R) sent a letter to legislative leaders on Wednesday, explaining that he is fulfilling his obligation to present the reform initiative to the legislature on the first day of the new session and kicking off the four-month window for lawmakers to take up the measure. The campaign Coalition to…

The 118th Congress is off to a rocky start. And as Republicans in the House struggle to coalesce around a speaker, one GOP congresswoman who backs marijuana legalization took a hit at a colleague who also supports legalization with an accusation that he might be high on drugs. For advocates, it’s not the most reassuring kind of party infighting. Reps. Nancy Mace (R-SC) and Matt Gaetz (R-FL) are among the few House Republican champions of cannabis reform, and the early conflict could risk depressing efforts to build on bipartisan momentum to move the issue forward this session. Mace has gone…

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) marijuana seizures fell to a record low in Fiscal Year 2022, continuing an enforcement trend that advocates attribute to the state-level legalization movement, newly updated federal data shows. Additionally, the first two months of the current fiscal year saw similarly low monthly seizure yields, with November 2022 standing out as having the least amount of cannabis seized during the period for which CBP makes comprehensive monthly data available. CBP agents and officers seized more than 17,000lbs of marijuana nationwide during the first two months of FY23. Filter by component, location, and drug type on our…

Over 60 weed lovers share their goals and aspirations for 2023. 2023 is here. Now, we are left alone to move forward with our goals as weed lovers, enthusiasts, and a collective cannabis community. Undoubtedly, an innate part of the cannabis experience is the introspection this sacred plant can lead to.  A new year always brings an air of reflection that calls for us to look deeper within ourselves to grow and evolve. And while no cannabis journey is one and the same, living a happy, healthy life with cannabis can be achieved with the right intention, open-mindedness, and care.…

New York and New Jersey marijuana regulators briefly sparred on Twitter on Tuesday over which state took a better approach to launching its adult-use cannabis market. But after suggesting that New Jersey put profits ahead of equity, New York officials deleted their post. New Jersey’s Cannabis Regulatory Commission (NJ-CRC) threw the first punch, sharing an article about the first (and, so far, only) recreational marijuana shop to open in neighboring New York last week. Aww…on our first day we did 12, but congrats on this one, it’s cute! Congratulations, NYC! New York opens its first legal recreational marijuana dispensary https://t.co/yNGJ9iIGpz…

Hello, Zodiac babes, and welcome to 2023! It’s looking like a promising year for virtually every sign in the Zodiac calendar. January 6 brings the first full moon of the year in Cancer. Mars returns to direct motion in upbeat Gemini, and Mercury finally returns to its direct motion in thoughtful Capricorn.  It’s shaping up to be a long, cold winter for many, but so goes the natural order of things. Do what you can to embrace the slow pace and give yourself the gift of presence in 2023. Take it one moment at a time this month, and you’ll…

The Justice Department and a Philadelphia nonprofit have agreed to transfer a case concerning the legality of safe drug consumption sites out of a federal district court and to mediation before a magistrate judge in order to finally reach a resolution after numerous delays. Safehouse—which has spent years in litigation after DOJ sued to block them from opening a harm reduction center under the Trump administration—said in an email blast on Tuesday that the parties reached an agreement on moving to mediation last week “to expedite a prompt resolution and begin saving lives.” The nonprofit said it is hopeful that…

News flash for Maryland: Marijuana became less illegal on Jan. 1—but it isn’t fully legal to possess yet. That happens on July 1, 2023. As for stores opening…well, that’s another issue entirely.The whole thing is confusing. We’re here to help.Yes, voters adopted Question 4, the state’s cannabis legalization measure, with a 65% approval rate on Nov. 8, 2022.That measure put into motion a gradual legalization schedule.On January 1, 2023, a beefed-up decriminalization component of the state’s legalization plan—which lawmakers outlined in a pairof bills before sending the question to voters—went into effect.As a result, personal possession of up to 1.5…

During an inaugural address on Tuesday, the governor of Wisconsin reaffirmed his commitment to advancing marijuana reform in the new session. After being sworn in for his second term, Gov. Tony Evers (D) listed a number of policy priorities, including for the state to have a “meaningful conversation about treating marijuana much like we do alcohol.” “But we can’t do it alone. Together we will,” the governor, who has repeatedly advocated for adult-use cannabis legalization, said. Evers has recognized that the conservative legislature is more likely to find bipartisan agreement on a relatively limited reform such as medical marijuana than…

Many may be familiar with the late Dr. Tod Mikuriya as one of the architects and co-authors of Proposition 215, making California the first state to legalize cannabis as medicine.  But many more aren’t aware that he was once hired by the U.S. government to discredit cannabis in a political move, as the psychoactive properties within the plant promoted critical thinking at a time in history when the people were rising up. The year was 1967 and Mikuriya had been hired by the National Institute of Mental Health Center for Narcotics and Drug Abuse Studies to research marijuana for negative…