Author: News Room

Playing catchup with other Central American countries, Honduras now is moving to establish a framework for industrial hemp. Stakeholders and government officials explored the promise for hemp late last month at a first-ever symposium that looked at the crop’s potential to lift up vulnerable populations, spur the development of cooperatives, and support businesses. $3 billion market? Honduras has been slow to develop a hemp program compared to neighboring Central American nations of Costa Rica, Panama and Guatemala. The Southern Chamber of Commerce and Industries has estimated cannabis in Honduras could become a $3 billion market – roughly equivalent to 11%…

Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-CO) on Thursday formally filed a previously announced bill to set the country up for federal marijuana legalization. The timing of the introduction is meant to roughly coincide with the 10-year anniversary of his home state of Colorado’s vote to legalize adult-use cannabis. He previewed the legislation at an event in October marking that anniversary and formally announced his intent to file it last month. The Preparing Regulators Effectively for a Post-Prohibition Adult-Use Regulated Environment Act (PREPARE) Act would direct the attorney general to create a commission charged with making recommendations on a regulatory system for marijuana…

State-level medical marijuana legalization is associated with a significant decrease in opioid prescriptions and use among certain cancer patients, according to a new study from the American Medical Association. The study, which analyzed data on insurance claims from 38,189 people with recently diagnosed cancer, found that medical cannabis legalization implemented between 2012 and 2017 was linked to “5.5 percent to 19.2 percent relative reduction in the rate of opioid dispensing.” “Medical marijuana could be serving as a substitute for opioid therapies among some adult patients receiving cancer treatment,” the study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA)…

Three Republican members of Congress who support marijuana legalization are laying out their vision for reform during the current lame duck, as well as the next session when the GOP takes back control of the House, expressing optimism about the momentum toward ending federal prohibition. Reps. Dave Joyce (R-OH), Brian Mast (R-FL) and Nancy Mace (R-SC) shared their perspectives on the issue in an interview series with RealClearPolitics, sponsored by the Coalition for Cannabis Policy, Education, and Regulation (CPEAR) and released on Thursday. Each lawmaker said that they hoped to see the Senate move forward with some kind of marijuana…

Rhode Island’s first adult-use marijuana sales launched on Thursday, with five dispensaries serving consumers 21 and older. Gov. Dan McKee (D) and the state Department of Business Regulation (DBR) announced last week that the “hybrid” medical-recreational shops would be opening at the start of the month. The governor signed legalization into law in May. #WATCH: Recreational marijuana is officially for sale in Rhode Island and 12 News was able to see the first purchase! Details here: https://t.co/Sw65DKnUgD pic.twitter.com/juu7mPCCp4 — WPRI 12 (@wpri12) December 1, 2022 One of the first sales took place at the Slater Compassion Center, where the 96-year-old…

Five facilities opened doors to all adults this morning, operating for the first time as hybrid medical and adult-use dispensaries.On Thursday morning, Rhode Island became the nation’s 15th state to open legal adult-use cannabis stores. Excited customers braved 30° chills to experience some of New England’s most breath-taking cannabis storefronts. Dressed for the weather in down jackets, knit caps, and gloves, Rhode Island’s early birds got the bud at first-openers Mother Earth Wellness dispensary in Pawtucket and RISE in Warwick.Mother Earth Wellness opened ahead of schedule at 5 a.m. Thursday. The dispensary welcomed the state’s first customer Karen Ballou, a…

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has released its final 2023 production quotas for drugs to be used in research—and the agency is now calling for even more manufacturing of psychedelic compounds like MDMA, psilocyn and 5-MeO-DMT than the existing significant increases it had initially proposed for next year. DEA first listed the target 2023 production goals for controlled substances last month, with significant increases in the proposed quota for drugs like marijuana, psilocyn, LSD and mescaline compared to 2022. Now, following a public comment period, it’s expanding certain quotas even further. For psilocyn, for example, the agency originally set its…

The Ohio Senate approved a large-scale criminal justice reform bill on Wednesday that contains provisions to protect people from having criminal records for arrests or convictions over simple possession of marijuana paraphernalia. It also includes measures clearing a path for people to have convictions for cannabis possession and other offenses sealed and expunged. Under the nearly 1,000-page measure from Sen. Nathan Manning (R), misdemeanor cannabis paraphernalia possession cases would “not constitute a criminal record,” nor would they need to be disclosed “in response to any inquiries about the person’s criminal record.” The Senate passes Senate Bill 288, sponsored by Senator…

Bud and vape cartridges from 20 New York storefronts failed every quality control test in a new report. A new report published earlier today asserts that unlicensed cannabis products purchased in illicit New York stores consistently fail lab tests for purity and potency. The study, sponsored by a trio of cannabis trade associations in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, examined two products from each of 20 New York stores that openly advertise cannabis. “Results revealed the presence of several harmful contaminants, such as E. coli, pesticides, heavy metals, and salmonella in 40 percent of the illegal products purchased, including…

Nevada marijuana regulators have officially selected the first 20 independent cannabis consumption lounge licensees, half of which are going to social equity applicants, in lottery drawings on Wednesday. The state Cannabis Compliance Board (CCB) announced the lotteries last week, saying it would be holding “two drawings via a random number selector.” Regulators say they expect the first lounges to open in the “first half of 2023.” CCB said earlier this month that they received about 100 applications for the new license type during a 10-day application window in October. The random number selection event will begin at 2 p.m. Watch live, here:…