Author: News Room

A majority of states will legalize psychedelics by 2037, according to a new analysis published in an American Medical Association journal that’s based on a statistical model of the state-level marijuana legalization movement. Psychedelics reform has been advancing “in a rapid, patchwork fashion” in the U.S.—and while the decriminalization movement started in more liberal states, “psychedelic drug reform is becoming a bipartisan issue,” the study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Psychiatry on Wednesday, found. Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis compiled and analyzed data on psychedelics legislation that’s been introduced and enacted in cities…

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is looking to collect additional data to fill in gaps in evidence about the safety of cannabis-derived products, while at the same time touting recent action it took to help a state agency crack down on a company selling delta-8 THC gummies that regulators say are linked to “serious adverse events.” FDA has faced significant criticism in recent years over the lack of regulations allowing for the marketing of hemp-derived cannabinoids like CBD in the food supply or as dietary supplements. The agency has maintained that it needs to gather more data, and possibly…

Cannabis legalization advocates have learned over the years to not get our hopes up too much about change at the federal level. But damn, this one really seemed close.Starting last week, the internet began to light up with news stories and commentary from proponents of cannabis legalization. Despite years of disappointment, they seemed optimistic that change was imminent. Congress had a lame duck session in early December—that rare moment when politicians are free to vote their conscience with little fear of it biting them on election day.Maybe, just maybe, the US Senate might include a trio of bills in the…

Editor’s note: This story was updated at 2:15 p.m. ET on Dec. 8 to include a statement from NORML.Russia has freed WNBA player Brittney Griner, who was sentenced to nine years in prison on cannabis possession charges, as part of a prisoner exchange in which the U.S. released Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.“She’s safe, she’s on a plane, she’s on her way home,” President Joe Biden said Dec. 8 in a statement from the White House, according to the Associated Press.The Russian Foreign Ministry also confirmed the exchange, the news outlet reported, saying in a statement Thursday that the swap…

The Ohio Medical Marijuana Control Program (MMCP) issued a voluntary product recall Dec. 6 for medical cannabis that did not pass all required testing.The affected plant material was produced and sold to dispensaries by Green Investment Partners (GIP), who initiated the recall and reported to MMCP that certain batches of cannabis did not pass all state-mandated testing for yeast and mold before they were distributed for sale to patients.The MMCP has launched an investigation and will issue an executive summary when the investigation concludes.The affected plant material, intended for vaporization, was sold under the product name Tangie Power from Nov.…

President Joe Biden is cheering another state-level action to clear marijuana conviction records action following his own presidential pardons, applauding Connecticut for taking action to provide relief to those who’ve been criminalized over cannabis. He similarly voiced approval after Oregon’s governor pardoned tens of thousands of cannabis cases last month. On Wednesday, the president said it was “great news for Connecticut families who’ve been impacted by our nation’s failed approach to marijuana” after Gov. Ned Lamont (D) announced that the state will be automatically clearing records of low-level marijuana records for thousands of people at the beginning of the new year.…

SANTA CRUZ, Calif., Dec. 8, 2022 – PRESS RELEASE – SC Labs, a cannabis and hemp testing company, announced its plans to expand into Southern California–beginning with a new lab opening in Los Angeles.The new, 12,000+ square foot facility, located in the Van Nuys neighborhood of Los Angeles, will conduct both R&D and compliance cannabis testing–similar to its Santa Cruz counterpart–providing faster turnaround times to process samples for customers south of Santa Barbara. The new lab will offer the full suite of California compliance testing (potency, pesticides, heavy metals, residual solvents, microbials, water activity, filth and foreign material) as well as…

A federal court says the Justice Department can only have one additional month to respond in a lawsuit concerning the legality of safe drug consumption sites, rather than two months as DOJ requested this week. The Philadelphia-based nonprofit Safehouse that’s been fighting to open a harm reduction center since being blocked under the Trump administration says that it’s been willing to accept past extensions amid “productive” conversations, but it opposed DOJ’s latest two-month request. On Wednesday, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania issued a compromise order, agreeing to give the department one month to produce its…

After nearly 10 months in Russian custody for allegedly “smuggling” a THC vape pen, WNBA player Brittney Griner has been released in a 1-for-1 prisoner swap for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout. President Biden announced her release Thursday morning, saying: “After months of being unjustly detained in Russia, held under intolerable circumstances, Brittney will soon be back in the arms of her loved ones, and she should have been there all along.”“She’s safe, she’s on a plane, she’s on her way home,” Biden said from the White House, where he was accompanied by Griner’s wife, Cherelle, and administration officials.Griner expected…

The New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) announced Wednesday that it is updating its online patient portal to allow medical cannabis patients to access their Patient Identification cards electronically.The NMDOH updated its patient portal to streamline the application process, provide better assistance for new and returning patients, reduce the use of paper, and be more environmentally friendly, according to a press release.RELATED: New Mexico Adds Anxiety Disorder as Qualifying Condition for Medical CannabisPatients using the portal will have a “shorter processing time and the added convenience of not needing to wait for a printed card to arrive in the mail,”…