Author: News Room

A New Hampshire legislative subcommittee has approved a number of changes to a proposal that would legalize adult-use marijuana in the state, with the full House Commerce and Consumer Affairs Committee set to vote on the amended bill on Wednesday. It’s the latest development in what’s already been a months-long process of negotiating and adjusting core provisions of cannabis legalization as lawmakers attempt to build consensus on a bill to send to Gov. Chris Sununu (R). “We’re all working from the governor’s list of what would be needed in a bill,” Rep. Erica Layon (R), the sponsor of HB 1633,…

Virginia’s Senate has formally signed off on a proposal to legalize retail marijuana sales in the commonwealth despite concerns raised by law enforcement groups that warn the harms from legal cannabis will outweigh those of alcohol. The Senate on Tuesday approved a sales bill from Sen. Aaron R. Rouse (D) on a 21–18 vote, next sending the measure to the House of Delegates. The vote came a day after the House approved a separate marijuana sales bill from Del. Paul Krizek (D) that differs from the Senate proposal in several key respects. Those differences will still need to be hammered…

“We all love our jobs, which is why we want the security behind having something like this in place.” By Rebecca Rivas, Missouri Independent Ahmad Haynes and a handful of employees at BeLeaf Medical’s Sinse Cannabis site in St. Louis anxiously waited for the clock to hit 5 p.m. He and his co-workers had gathered outside the St. Louis Public Library’s Barr branch, where they had cast their votes to unionize earlier that afternoon on February 6. The election came after a hard-fought legal battle that began in September with their employer contesting their eligibility to unionize. Minutes before 5 p.m.,…

An Indiana House committee has approved a Republican-led bill that would fund clinical research trials into psilocybin that has already cleared the full Senate. After adopting one amendment, the House Public Health Committee advanced the legislation in a 12-1 vote on Tuesday. “This is not fringe science at this point, so my original intent was to elevate this potential,” Sen. Ed Charbonneau (R), the bill’s sponsor, told panel members ahead of the vote. “It creates hope for people that currently are in hopeless situations.” “I think it’s important that we get clear right up front that this bill does not…

A group of lawyers argues in a newly released legal opinion that contrary to what the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has asserted in the past, international drug treaties ought not stand in the way of moving marijuana to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), as the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has recommended. In fact, the opinion argues, a move to Schedule III would better uphold the country’s broader obligations under international law to regulate cannabis in a way that protects public health and safety. “In light of the failed war on drugs, devastating impacts on…

A New Mexico Senate committee has unanimously approved a bipartisan resolution requesting that state officials research the therapeutic potential of psilocybin and explore the creation of a regulatory framework to provide access to the psychedelic. The Senate Health and Public Affairs Committee voted 7-0 to pass the resolution from Senate Minority Whip Craig Brandt (R) and Sen. Jeff Steinborn (D) on Saturday. As “memorial” legislation, the bicameral proposal wouldn’t be binding. Rather, it would represent a formal request for the state Department of Health to “study the efficacy of using psilocybin mushrooms for therapeutic treatments and the establishment of a…

Iconic neo-Expressionist Jean-Michel Basquiat—whose work is among the most expensive American art of all time—is remembered in an inspiring collection of gear by Lee denim company, a denim jeans brand that dates back to 1889. Lee released a new collaboration on Feb. 6 that features the neo-Expressionist work of the late artist. Inspired by the street art scene of New York City, culminating in the early 1980s, the collection combines Basquiat’s creative vision, finding an inner child that’s often lost as we grow up. The Lee x Basquiat collection includes denim jeans, suiting pieces, sweaters, T-shirts and jackets. Some of…

As we celebrate Black History Month this February, the ever-crucial issue of social equity—programs promoting equitable ownership among marginalized groups—within the legal cannabis industry has taken on an even greater significance, as the wheels of economic justice still too often turn against those who need it the most.  For example, last year, the Illinois CPA Society in 2023 felt compelled to publish an article on the shortcomings of social equity programs, in which they noted social equity licensees still face greater challenges due to a lack of funding capital, critical connections with industry insiders, as well as resources, compared with…

Individual states continue to pile on in the battle over intoxicating hemp as they crack down on the potentially unsafe products, which have flooded the market through a loophole in federal law.In the most recent development, the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) has issued an order banning products that contain CBD, a non-intoxicant, and synthetic, high-concentration forms of psychoactive THC. The agency also imposed labeling restrictions regarding edible hemp products to underscore the bans.“While DHEC’s goal is to educate while we regulate this growing niche of manufacturers and distributors of foods and beverages containing hemp-derived products…

A recent study conducted by a group of UK-based researchers found that medical cannabis was associated with improvements in health-related quality of life, anxiety, and sleep quality. This research adds to the growing body of literature suggesting that medical cannabis can help patients with chronic health conditions improve their well-being. The study also observed a reduced use of opioid medications among cannabis patients, and found that patients prescribed dried cannabis flower (versus tinctures and lozenges) were most likely to show clinical improvement.The complex and nuanced task of studying cannabisThe cannabis plant is an incredibly complex and variable medicine. It contains…