Author: News Room

A top Pennsylvania House Democratic committee chairman says it’s “high time” to legalize marijuana and lay the groundwork for businesses in the state to export cannabis to other markets if federal law changes—and he sees a “real opportunity” to do so, even as his Republican counterpart is downplaying that possibility this session. In interviews on PoliticsPA’s Voices of Reason podcast that were posted on Monday, House Appropriations Committee Chairman Jordan Harris (D) and Minority Chairman Seth Grove (R) gave competing perspectives on the prospects of legalizing cannabis, as the governor has again called for as part of his budget request.…

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has issued a new memo clarifying the rules for reporting large cash payments between marijuana businesses, which the agency says should not automatically be considered “suspicious” just because of the federally prohibited nature of the industry. In the memo, IRS says it is responding to a request for guidance on how cannabis businesses should approach Form 8300, a document that must be completed when a company receives a cash payment of $10,000 or more. “The memorandum provides guidance on many of these issues in a question-and-answer format,” Charles Hall, special counsel with IRS, said. “We…

New federally funded research into the impacts of marijuana legalization on youth use found no association between legal adult-use cannabis sales and the prevalence of consumption among middle-school students. To test whether legal sales led to an uptick in youth use, authors compared middle-school use rates in Nevada and New Mexico, looking at 2017 and 2019 data from two state-run surveys. At the time, adult-use marijuana sales were legal in Nevada, while New Mexico allowed only medical marijuana. In both states, researchers found increases in the proportions of students that had ever consumed cannabis as well as those who had…

The market for CBD and other hemp cannabinoids in New York state remains under serious threat after a federal judge tossed out a lawsuit by a group of producers and sellers Monday. Claiming enforcement of new rules governing hemp-derived cannabinoid products cost them millions of dollars in losses, the state-licensed hemp operators filed suit against the New York Cannabis Control Board (CCB) and Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) over raids under revised hemp regulations released in November. Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York (SDNY) dismissed the case yesterday on procedural grounds, essentially letting…

A new report sent to Congress by the White House’s drug office spotlights concerns of law enforcement agencies around that country that claim marijuana legalization has not diminished the market for unlicensed cannabis products from illicit sellers. The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy’s (ONDCP) budget submission to lawmakers for the 2025 Fiscal Year includes analyses from regional High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) programs on the impact of cannabis legalization that largely conflict with a growing body of research showing that launching legal markets does in fact shrink the opportunity for illicit operators. Advocates have been critical…

February 22, 2024, marked a relatively low-key historic moment in television history, with ABC’s Abbott Elementary airing one of the most authentic depictions of real-life cannabis consumers on a major network television channel in nearly 30 years. In season 3, episode 4 (“Smoking”), several teachers and faculty discuss their various vices, ranging from vaping and drinking wine to microdosing and different kinds of cannabis consumption. In the episode, Quinta Brunson’s character, Janine, candidly discusses her medical marijuana use while questioning Jacob’s vaping. Despite the on-screen portrayal, Brunson, who also portrayed a pot character in A Black Lady Sketch Show segment,…

“Regardless of Gianforte’s motives in relation to SB442 specifically, he advocates for a troubling precedent.” By Blair Miller, Daily Montanan The Montana Supreme Court on Friday afternoon denied the State of Montana’s request to pause a lower court decision ordering the governor and secretary of state to send out an override poll for a marijuana fund redistribution bill Gov. Greg Gianforte (R) vetoed at the end of the 2023 legislative session. Gianforte and Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen (R) officially filed their notice of appeal on Wednesday of Lewis and Clark County District Court Judge Mike Menahan’s district court rulings,…

Spiritual health practitioners “bring unique and specific expertise to psychedelic-assisted therapy,” researchers at Emory University concluded in a recently published study, noting that therapy teams could benefit from including the professionals in their work. “Psychedelic dosing often produces highly impactful, and sometimes challenging, experiences with pronounced effects on spirituality, worldview, and metaphysical perspectives,” wrote authors of the report, published in the journal PLOS ONE. Spiritual health practitioners (SHPs) “may have unique, and uniquely valuable, contributions to support the participant’s wellbeing and helping them benefit” from psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT). As the paper explains, SHPs include those who traditionally served “as chaplains…

The Maryland Senate has unanimously approved a bill to create a psychedelics task force to study and make recommendations on a possible regulatory framework for substances such as psilocybin and DMT. It would be charged specifically with ensuring “broad, equitable and affordable access to psychedelic substances” in the state. Three days after the measure from Sen. Brian Feldman (D) advanced through committee, the full chamber passed it in a 45-0 vote on Monday, the legislative crossover deadline. During the Senate Finance Committee hearing last Friday, members replaced the language of the legislation with that of an amended companion version that…

A center-right think tank is raising alarm about a Colorado bill that it says would make it illegal to talk positively about marijuana online. The prohibition would also apply to many hemp products as well as some federally legal pharmaceuticals. Among other provisions, SB24-158—a broad proposal around internet age verification and content policies—would require social media platforms to immediately remove any user “who promotes, sells, or advertises an illicit substance.” The bill’s definition of illicit substance includes not only illegal drugs but also many that are legal and regulated in Colorado. It pertains to any controlled substance under state law,…