Author: News Room

California appears to be at an “inflection point” on psychedelics reform, a state senator said last week, noting that wider acceptance of the therapeutic potential of substances like psilocybin could pave the path for enactment of a revised bipartisan bill he plans to advance in 2024—hopefully with the governor’s support this time following a veto of broader legislation this year. During a virtual panel organized by the Psychedelic and Entheogen Academic Council (PEAC), Sen. Scott Wiener (D) described his work on psychedelics issues in the legislature as “a tortured, winding road, as big policy debates often are.” But he’s optimistic…

“This is the most pressing deadline of all the cannabis items right now.” By Andrew Hensel, The Center Square A bill signed by Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) late last week makes changes to the licensing policies for the state’s cannabis businesses to bring equity to the industry. Adult cannabis sales have been legal in Illinois since 2020. Even with limited license holders for the production, transportation and sale, the state’s industry has generated billions in sales and hundreds of millions in tax revenue for the state. Now law, Senate Bill 1559 waives annual license fees for existing cannabis transportation organizations…

Arizona officials say they will stop investigating reports of marijuana exposure in newborns so long as the parents are registered medical cannabis patients. The Arizona Department of Child Safety (DCS) said a state appeals court ruling that upheld parental rights to use medical cannabis means that its own policy must be revised. That case concerned a mother who petitioned to have her name removed from a registry for people who are deemed to be potential threats to at-risk populations such as children. She was placed on that list after her newborn tested positive for THC metabolites at a hospital, and…

The Game Awards (TGA) celebrated its 10th anniversary last Thursday, Dec. 7, and is now one of the only major replacements for what E3 was once in its heyday. In his opening speech, TGA host and organizer Geoff Keighley remained positive about the state of the industry. “More than anything, this is a show about bringing our community together in this room, and online around the world, to focus on something we all can agree on: there’s nothing more powerful or more immersive than an extraordinary video game,” Keighley said in his introduction. “Great games comfort us, help us understand…

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has vetoed legislation on hempseed animal feed, suggesting more research is needed to ensure animal safety.The governor cited a lack of approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in turning back two bills related to the inclusion of hemp seeds in pet food and certain animal feed formulas.LimitationsSupporters have argued that hempseed hulls and seed meal could be nutritious, high-protein and high-fiber additives for pet food and for animal feed specifically for – and limited to – horses, llamas and alpacas. The bills would not have authorized hemp seed additives for other commercial…

Colombia’s Senate has shelved a bill to legalize marijuana, meaning lawmakers will need to restart the two-year legislative process over again next year if they hope to enact the reform. With 45 votes, the Senate opted to delay consideration of the proposal on Tuesday during its fourth of eight required debates to adopt the constitutional amendment. Lawmakers who support legalization pushed for urgent Senate consideration of the bill in recent days, with the sponsor warning about the consequences of inaction before the 2023 session ends later this week. But while they secured the debate, the vote didn’t go as planned.…

Pennsylvania’s legislature has sent a bill to the governor’s desk that would allow the more of the state’s medical marijuana growers and processors to act as retailers—and let more of the state’s retailers grow and process cannabis. The Senate signed off on House changes to the bill on Tuesday, and it now goes to Gov. Josh Shapiro (D). Under current state law, no more than five of the state’s 25 grower-processor license holders can also hold dispensary licenses. Others must sell their products to a licensed dispensary, which in turn can sell products to patients. As proposed in the bill…

“We’re ready to go. We already have the facilities. We have everything in place, and we absolutely will be able to supply the market.” By Alander Rocha, Alabama Reflector The Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission (AMCC) Tuesday awarded five integrated facilities licenses, wrapping up its third attempt this year to award licenses for medical cannabis production. The awards for the facilities—which can grow, process and sell medical cannabis onsite—followed four days of presentations last week from applicants and months of litigation over the AMCC’s prior methods of evaluating applications. “[Today] was a milestone for us. Maybe the third time is a…

Teen marijuana use has not increased “even as state legalization has proliferated across the country,” a federal health official said on Wednesday in announcing the latest data from an annual survey that again showed prohibitionist concerns about youth cannabis access have “not played out.” The 2022 Monitoring the Future (MTF) survey—which is conducted by the University of Michigan with funding from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)—found that rates of past-year cannabis use “remained stable for all three grades surveyed,” remaining below pre-pandemic usage levels even as more state marijuana markets opened and expanded for adults. “There have been…

Ohio lawmakers will not be amending the state’s voter-approved marijuana law this year despite a Republican-led push to expedite changes. The Senate has passed a bill to make changes, and a House committee has held a series of hearings on a different proposal, but the legislature will not be sending any reform measure to the governor’s desk by the time lawmakers head home for the holiday break this week. The House Finance Committee took public testimony on a cannabis legalization amendment bill from Rep. Jamie Callender (R) on Wednesday, marking its third hearing in the panel. But members did not…