Author: News Room

Vice President Kamala Harris says the administration’s move to pardon people for federal marijuana possession offenses is an example of how it is delivering for Americans, particularly young and Black voters who could be key to President Joe Biden’s reelection bid this year. The White House also cited the cannabis clemency move in a new fact sheet on efforts to “advance racial justice and equity and ensure the promise of America for all communities.” Speaking with Gray DC in South Carolina ahead of the state’s primary election last weekend, Harris was asked about the significance of the Black youth vote…

Amid swirling rumors about the possibility of an imminent cannabis policy announcement from the White House, a Biden administration official told Marijuana Moment on Tuesday that they’d “wave off” the speculation. Industry stakeholders and several prominent cannabis journalists have signaled in recent days that an announcement—possibly pertaining to the ongoing review into marijuana scheduling—is coming within days. But that’s not the case, the administration source says. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) did officially disclose in December that it had advised DEA to move marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). It…

Pennsylvania’s governor says he’s “sick and tired of losing to friggin’ Ohio” on issues such as marijuana legalization, and he’s calling on the legislature to deliver him a cannabis bill so the commonwealth can “catch up” with neighboring states by launching legal adult-use sales that would bring in an estimated $14.8 million in tax revenue in the first year of implementation. He also proposed including expungements provisions to “right some of the wrongs” of prohibition. In a budget address on Tuesday, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) talked about how voters in neighboring Ohio approved a legalization initiative at the ballot…

New York’s governor is eyeing potential leadership changes within the state’s marijuana regulatory apparatus as she reiterates her frustration with the turbulent legalization rollout—an issue that state senators are also raising with officials in a new letter telling them to “do better.” It’s no secret that Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) is losing patience with the slow process of licensing cannabis retailers. In recent days she has said she’s “very fed up” with the “disaster” of a delay that’s limited the number of regulated cannabis shops, at the same time that illicit storefronts have proliferated. To that end, the governor is…

Significantly more Americans now say they smoke marijuana than cigarettes—with young people being more than five times more likely to consume cannabis than tobacco, according to new Gallup polling data. Overall, 17 percent of Americans say they smoke cannabis, compared to 12 percent who reported smoking any cigarettes in the past week. The difference is especially stark when it comes to younger adults. Among those aged 18-34, 26 percent said they use cannabis, compared to just 5 percent who smoke cigarettes. Eighteen percent of adults aged 35-54 smoke marijuana, which is also more than smoke cigarettes (16 percent). Adults 55…

The Indiana Senate on Tuesday overwhelmingly passed a Republican-led bill that would fund clinical research trials into psilocybin. The top Democratic senator filed an amendment that would have added language to the legislation to create a medical cannabis program in the state, though he did not force a vote on it. The Senate advanced the psychedelics measure to the House in a 47-1 vote. The action follows the proposal being passed unanimously by the Senate Appropriations Committee last week and the Health and Provider Services Committee last month. “This bill provides hope to many individuals that are today in a hopeless…

Because the raw flower being sold isn’t processed, the Office of Medical Cannabis believes it lacks authority to regulate it, hence the needed law change. By Peter Callagan, MinnPost Minnesota’s regulators will ask state lawmakers for a law to help them police the sale of raw cannabis flower, a product that was left without clear regulation in the 2023 recreational marijuana law. Charlene Briner, the interim director of the Office of Cannabis Management, said this week she’ll ask for legislation to transfer oversight and enforcement of hemp-derived products from the Office of Medical Cannabis to her office this summer rather…

An Alaska Senate panel took testimony on Monday on a plan that would create a state task force to explore how to legalize and regulate the therapeutic use of psychedelics in the state. The legislation would not immediately change the legal status of the substances under Alaska law but is instead aimed at preparing the state for eventual federal legalization. Members of the Senate Labor and Commerce Committee heard from the bill’s sponsor at the hearing and took public testimony, but did not vote on the measure Versions of the bill were introduced in both the House and Senate last…

Today Travis Barker—the lauded drummer of recently reunited Blink-182, Transplants, Goldfinger, and more—announced the launch of Barker Canna Co., after founding CBD brand Barker Wellness last April. The concept is to provide quality cannabis products that are capable of promoting both creativity and wellness, and the rigors of touring pushed Barker into the potent side of the cannabis space.  Barker Canna Co. initially launched in California at The Syndicate dispensary locations with plans to expand throughout the state. The company will likely expand in other states with legal cannabis markets in 2024. The Barker Canna Co. will roll out everything…

A Czech hemp industry group has warned that dodgy producers are circumventing the law by selling illegal intoxicating novelty collectibles that contain hemp-derived compounds.The CzecHemp cluster called on legislators and authorities to set a legal framework for HHC and THCP, saying the illicit products present “a number of serious risks and problems.”In a statement, the stakeholder group said laws and rules are needed to control of the production and sale of consumable products containing the compounds, which are not specifically illegal on their own, but may not be put into consumable products under existing rules for food and smokable substances.SyntheticHHC…