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Oklahoma drug officials have issued guidance warning medical marijuana businesses that they must register with the federal government in order to avoid facing punishments, including potentially having their state registrations revoked. Donnie Anderson, director of the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Control (OBNDD) said in a letter to cannabis industry operatives on Friday that they are required to fill out a new Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) registration form that was launched in conjunction with the Trump administration’s move to federally reschedule cannabis. Citing state laws, he said that “every registrant who is a distributor or manufacturer of medical marijuana products must comply with federal law and, as such, shall be required to obtain a DEA registration.” “Failure to obtain a DEA registration could result in OBNDD administrative sanctions up to and including the potential revocation of an registrant’s OBNDD registration(s),” the letter says. “This is consistent with the requirements in place for other Schedule Ill registrants currently regulated by OBNDD.” “To ensure compliance with these federal regulations and minimize any impact on lawfully operating entities, OBNDD will not consider pursuing administrative action on medical marijuana businesses registered with OBNDD for the manufacturing or distribution of marijuana without the required DEA registration until January 1, 2027. It is strongly recommended that all OBNDD registrants authorized to manufacture or distribute medical marijuana apply for the appropriate DEA registration within the sixty-day period after the April 28, 2026, publication of the Final Order. By timely submitting an application to the DEA, a registrant will not be subjected to OBNDD administrative action for the manufacturing, or distribution of marijuana without a DEA registration while the DEA application filed within the sixty-day period remains pending. Failure to timely submit an application to the DEA would render any manufacturing or distribution of medical marijuana products without a DEA registration to be in violation of the Final Order. These activities could subject a registrant to OBNDD administrative sanctions up to and including the potential revocation of an registrant’s OBNDD registration(s).” Anderson concluded by saying that “nothing included in this letter is intended to be taken as legal advice concerning the obligations of a registrant set forth in either federal law or Oklahoma statutes.” “This letter is merely being provided to inform medical marijuana businesses of their administrative responsibilities,” he wrote. “If there are additional questions concerning compliance with either federal, state, or administrative law, a registrant should consult with an attorney.” The Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority (OMMA), which licenses and regulates medical cannabis businesses in the state, separately released guidance earlier this week on federal rescheduling and a recently filed lawsuit challenging the reform. “This is an evolving federal conversation, but our focus remains the same: protecting patient health and safety and responsibly regulating the industry,” OMMA Executive Director Adria Berry said. “These announcements have created a lot of questions, but very few answers have been received. OMMA will continue to relay information as released by the DEA and federal government, but, ultimately, we encourage licensees to seek professional counsel as they determine the best decisions for their business.” Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt (R), meanwhile, has suggested recently that lawmakers should put a measure on the ballot to roll back the state’s medical cannabis program. He said during his State of the State address in February that voters should “shut it down,” arguing that “liberal activists” conned the state and “opened up Pandora’s box” with legalization. Legislative leaders have pushed back on that idea, however. Senate President Pro Tempore Lonnie Paxton (R), for example, initially expressed openness to the idea—but he ultimately determined it’d be “really hard to completely undo” legalization and unfair to licensed medical cannabis operators who “invested their life savings into this program” and are “trying to do this for the Oklahomans that need that product—not for recreational, but for actual medicinal purposes.” “It’s hard to unring that bell,” he said. “What I’m going to suggest to the governor is that we don’t run a state question on that, but instead we continue to push the regulations [and] we continue to regulate the industry.” — Marijuana Moment is tracking hundreds of cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters pledging at least $25/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don’t miss any developments. Learn more about our marijuana bill tracker and become a supporter on Patreon to get access. — House Speaker Kyle Hilbert (R) has also largely dismissed the prospect of upending the state’s medical cannabis program. He said Oklahomans have already drawn a clear distinction: They support medical marijuana and “resoundingly” oppose adult-use legalization, based on past election results. Stitt is undeterred, however, claiming in a recent interview that he’s had “some great conversations with the House and the Senate.” “They know it’s a problem. Oklahomans all over are calling our offices saying it’s a problem,” Stitt said. “So I think we’ll get something back to the people.” Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond (R) was asked about the governor’s call to have voters revisit the state’s medical marijuana program, and he said he’d “love” to see the state’s medical marijuana program wiped out. However, he cautioned that doing so would mean reimbursing the hundreds of licensees participating in the market because the state would be “taking” a revenue source away from them. Back in 2022, Stitt similarly used his State of the State address as an opportunity to dig at the voter-approved medical marijuana law, arguing that residents were misled by proponents of the ballot initiative. Meanwhile, in November, Oklahoma activists withdrew an adult-use marijuana legalization initiative that they’d hoped to place on the state’s 2026 ballot. After a short but aggressive signature push to secure ballot placement, Oklahomans for Responsible Cannabis Action (ORCA) ultimately did not turn in its petitions by the deadline, according to the secretary of state’s office. The post Oklahoma Officials Say Medical Marijuana Businesses Must Register With Federal DEA To Avoid Punishment appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

Minnesota House lawmakers have voted to legalize the regulated therapeutic use of psilocybin for adults 21 and older. The reform was added to broader health policy legislation via an amendment on the floor of the House of Representatives that was adopted by a vote of 114-15 on Thursday. The amended legislation now heads to the Senate for consideration. The psilocybin provisions that are advancing are similar to those of a standalone bill that was approved earlier this year by the House Health Finance and Policy Committee, though that legislation had also contained language to reschedule the psychedelic under state statute, which is not part of the new amendment. Rep. Andy Smith (DFL), who sponsored both the new amendment and the standalone bill, said on the floor that “psilocybin has shown, through a lot of wonderful research, an incredible ability to help those who are struggling with a wide variety of mental health concerns— from depression to addiction recovery, as well as PTSD, especially in veterans or public safety officers and those who have experienced a traumatic event, as well as assault survivors.” Rep. Max Rymer (R) cited a recent psychedelics executive order signed by President Donald Trump, saying that the state legislation could help make Minnesota eligible to receive some federal funds that are being made available to support research on the issue. “The way that I look at this amendment is it creates an offering for people to not get hooked, necessarily, into drugs on an ongoing basis, but actually use a therapeutic like this to almost rewire their brain,” he said. “The testimony that we heard firsthand, from especially a lot of our veterans, was that this was life-changing.” Rep. Nolan West (R) said that the availability of federal funds for psychedelic research is “one of the biggest reasons to do this today.” “Many states are in no way ready to utilize that money. So by being early, we can have a program that will help many people with severe conditions, and we’ll have it paid for by the federal government,” he said. “That money is going to be spent, and it might as well be spent benefiting Minnesotans.” “If you talk to a lot of veterans, or really anybody who has had this experience in this space, on how it’s helped them, it’s a unique intervention that fundamentally improves brain function and can address things unlike anything we’ve seen,” West said. Smith also filed a similar measure last year that did not ultimately advance to enactment. He has said the legislation was informed by recommendations from a state psychedelics task force that was formed under a separate law he sponsored. Under the current legislation, qualified patients 21 and older could receive psilocybin-assisted therapy in an approved private residence or at a licensed treatment facility. A registered facilitator would need to administer the psychedelic. To start, the program would need to involve licensing 20 to 50 facilitators, with at least three approved testing facilities for psilocybin. No more than 1,000 patients could participate in the psychedelic therapy for the first three years of the law’s implementation. “There are 1,000 Minnesotans right now who feel lost, who feel like potentially, that their life is over, that they can’t function,” Smith said ahead of the most recent vote. “Probably not all 1,000 will find this drug helpful, but a lot of them will, and it will lead them to a better life than they thought is possible right now.” The Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) would be responsible for overseeing the program and establishing rules, and a new Psychedelic Medicine Advisory Committee would be established. Psilocybin sessions would involve “preparation” with a patient-facilitator consultation, “administration” where patients would receive the psychedelic and “integration” where patients would work with professionals to process the therapeutic experience. Kurtis Hanna, who worked as a volunteer lobbyist to pass prior legislation to establish the state’s psychedelics task force, told Marijuana Moment that he’s “extremely happy” about the latest development. “I couldn’t have predicted that, three years later, the movement would gain this much support,” Hanna, who serves as board president for the Psychedelic Access Project, said. “Advocating for cannabis law reform over the past 17 years was difficult—we narrowly passed medical cannabis in 2014 and adult-use legalization in 2023—so it’s notable and encouraging that psychedelic law reform is resonating differently.” Separately, the Senate Finance Committee earlier this week adopted an amendment directing OCM to “regularly analyze the availability of federal programs to provide funds to support state efforts to establish a psilocybin therapeutic use program for individuals aged 21 and older who have qualifying medical conditions to access and use psilocybin under medical supervision.” — Marijuana Moment is tracking hundreds of cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters pledging at least $25/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don’t miss any developments. Learn more about our marijuana bill tracker and become a supporter on Patreon to get access. — Meanwhile in Minnesota, the state’s first government-run marijuana retailer recently opened its doors, marking another milestone in the state’s adult-use cannabis program. Last September, Minnesota officials granted the state’s first-ever marijuana event organizer license, allowing adults to buy and consume cannabis products on-site at a festival. The first non-tribal marijuana shops opened for sales to adults 21 and older earlier that month. Also last year, the Minnesota city of Eden Prairie sought suggestions from residents on what to name a new, government-branded cannabis gummy product to be sold at municipal liquor stores. Minnesota’s House of Representatives circulated a poll at last year’s State Fair that asked attendees about the idea of allowing localities to enact bans on marijuana businesses within their borders. Most respondents who have an opinion on the issue agree with the policy, despite it not currently being a part of the state’s cannabis laws. Ahead of the enactment of legalization in Minnesota, lawmakers’ separate State Fair polls found majority support for the reform. The governor has also selected a top cannabis regulator for the state who will oversee the adult-use market rollout. Last June, OCM issued the state’s first recreational marijuana license for a cultivation microbusiness. OCM said at the time that it’s taking further steps to build up in the industry and create opportunities to entrepreneurs, including opening a new licensing window for cannabis testing facilities, accepting the first applications for marijuana event licenses and verifying more social equity status requests. Separately, after Minnesota lawmakers passed a bill to end the criminalization of bong water containing trace amount of drugs, the governor signed the measure into law last May. The change addresses an existing policy that had allowed law enforcement to treat quantities of bong water greater than four ounces as equivalent to the pure, uncut version of whatever drug the device was used to consume. Meanwhile, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) said in December that the state is “exploring” how to respond to an impending federal ban on hemp THC products, which would be “very disruptive” to a “thriving industry.” Read the full psilocybin amendment adopted by the Minnesota House below: Photo courtesy of Wikimedia/Workman. The post Minnesota Lawmakers Pass Bill To Legalize Psilocybin Therapy appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

Most older adults who seek out marijuana do so to avoid negative effects associated with traditional pharmaceuticals or because they’ve exhausted other options to treat conditions like pain or sleep disorders, according to a new federally funded study released by the American Medical Association (AMA). The study, published in JAMA Network Open on Friday, examined the motivations that have driven older adults to become the fastest-growing demographic of cannabis consumers in the U.S. Researchers at the University of Utah Health and the University of Colorado Boulder also looked at product preferences among older adults who expressed interest in experimenting with marijuana. For the community-based, qualitative study—which was supported by funds from the National Institutes of Health (NIH)—researchers interviewed 169 adults aged 60 or older who were “seeking relief from age-related ailments (eg, pain or difficulty sleeping) and improved quality of life.” While the underlying trend of seniors increasingly turning to marijuana has been widely reported, “little is known about the motivations and factors that influence their use of edible cannabis and product choice,” the study authors said. “The findings of this study suggest that older adults are increasingly turning to cannabis for symptom management.” The interviews analyzed for the study—which took place from November 2021 to November 2023 as part of a broader clinical trial—offer preliminary answers to the question about motivations. “Many participants described a reluctance in using traditional pharmaceutical treatments,” the study authors said. “Notably, they had concerns about adverse effects, long-term health risks, or dependency associated with pharmaceutical medications and viewed cannabis as a safer alternative.” “Participants also reported that they had exhausted all pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic options (eg, therapy, acupuncture, or massage) for symptom management so they desired to try cannabis as a last resort,” they said. “Some participants who were experiencing substantial physical and mental health burdens sought to use cannabis to address their new or escalating symptoms related to pain, sleep disturbances, or mood changes.” “Older adults were motivated to use cannabis as an alternative to traditional pharmaceuticals due to concerns about adverse effects and ineffectiveness of medications they have tried previously.” Other older patients said they were motivated to try cannabis because they heard about the benefits “through personal networks, medical talks, and media sources.” A cohort of interviewees said they wanted to give marijuana a try “for recreational use such as for getting high or to improve social gatherings with friends and activities,” while others reported using it as an alternative to intoxicants such as alcohol. “Overall, they really wanted better quality of life, reducing their pain, getting better sleep, and being able to enjoy time with family and friends a little bit more,” Rebecca Delaney, assistant professor of population health sciences at University of Utah Health who co-authored the study, said in a press release. “Across all motivations, older adults were most likely to choose a combination cannabis product, but distributions of motivations differed by the product participants intended to purchase,” the authors said in the AMA-published paper. As far as product preferences are concerned, 58 percent of older adults chose edibles with a combination of THC and non-intoxicating CBD, compared to 29 percent who selected a CBD-dominant product and 14 percent who went for a THC-dominant edible. Interestingly, the most “common drawback” of cannabis with a combination of THC and CBD (or THC-dominant products) cited by the participants was “concern about getting high or being impaired.” For CBD products, the biggest concern was about the perception of “limited efficacy.” The study—which received funding from the National Institute of Aging under NIH—also found that the most common health conditions older adults wanted to use cannabis for were sleep (57 percent), pain (50 percent) and mental health (25 percent). “Older adults were motivated to use cannabis as an alternative approach to address health concerns.” “For the most part, we found that these folks aren’t really interested in getting high. They just want to feel better,” Angela Bryan, senior author of the study, said. The study concludes by reiterating that “as cannabis legalization becomes more widespread, older adults are increasingly turning to it not just for recreational use, but to manage symptoms associated with aging, including pain, sleep disturbances, and mental health concerns.” “In the absence of medical consultation, they face numerous decisions without clear information about what product can best address their needs,” it said. “With the most common product profile selected being a combination of CBD and THC, expanding research to identify the potential benefits and harms of this treatment option may help inform clinical guidance. Future efforts should focus on equipping practitioners with practical tools and creating accessible patient resources to ensure older adults can make informed choices about edible cannabis products as part of their care.” “The ultimate goal is to develop resources to help people make decisions and find products that meet their needs, and to figure out how we can distill information to patients and physicians,” Delaney, one of the study authors, said. “We would really love to see more of these conversations happening between physicians and patients to make sure that people feel supported and informed when seeking alternative ways to address their pain.” Meanwhile, another recent study involving more than 3,500 patients found that using medical marijuana appears to help people reduce the use of other medications, including opioids, sleeping aids and antidepressants. They also experience far fewer negative side effects after switching to cannabis from prescription drugs. About one in three Americans who use CBD say they take it as an alternative or supplement to at least one medication—particularly painkillers—according to a federally funded study published in February. Similarly, another recent federally funded study, published by the AMA, added more evidence that marijuana can serve as an effective substitute for opioids in chronic pain treatment. Other AMA-published research has found that legalizing marijuana for medical or recreational purposes is “significantly associated with reduced opioid use among patients diagnosed with cancer.” A separate paper published in October similarly found that medical marijuana legalization is “associated with significant reductions in opioid prescribing.” Meanwhile, earlier this year, it was reported that senior residents in Arizona independent living communities could see a different kind of care service available in their neighborhoods: Kiosks allowing them to view and buy marijuana products from licensed dispensaries. For what it’s worth, President Donald Trump last year shared a video promoting the health benefits of cannabis—suggesting that covering CBD under Medicare would be “the most important senior health initiative of the century.” The post More Older Adults Are Using Marijuana As An Alternative To Pharmaceuticals, Federally Funded Study From American Medical Association Shows appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

The Trump administration’s drug czar is clarifying that move to federally reschedule marijuana doesn’t make cannabis broadly legal. “It’s still illegal,” Sara Carter Bailey, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), said in an interview with Newsmax this week. “Executive-level Schedule III allows for doctors and research and for medicine, for medicinal purposes.” She was answering a reporter’s question about the potency of marijuana products during an interview about the administration’s new National Drug Control Strategy. That document, released this week, raises alarm about “high-potency” marijuana and expresses concerns that international cartels and crime groups “exploit” state cannabis legalization laws. It also discusses the forthcoming federal recriminalization of hemp THC products that is scheduled for later this year under a law signed by President Donald Trump. In the Newsmax interview, Carter went on to say that “we also have a problem out there with illicit marijuana grows.” “These are grows that are connected directly to the [Chinese Communist Party], grows connected directly to Sinaloa cartel and [Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación], and we’ve seen the potency go as high as 90 percent in some products,” she said. “So we are watching that. We’re monitoring that, and our law enforcement community is on board. They are targeting these illicit growth and getting them out of our country.” “This is what’s most important. We should not allow adversarial states or adversaries to be purchasing farmland in the United States, even through straw men, to grow illicit marijuana and to not only poison our people, but poison our soil,” Carter said. “Our greatest resource is our nation’s people. That is the greatest resource, and we are here to protect them, and President Trump is at the forefront of that fight.” Under an order signed last month by U.S. Acting Attorney General Blanche, marijuana products regulated by a state medical cannabis license immediately moved to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), as did any marijuana products that are approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The Congressional Research Service published a report on marijuana rescheduling last week explaining that while certified patients who possess medical cannabis from state-licensed dispensaries now have certain protections under Schedule III, the industry as a whole isn’t “immediately” considered to be in “full compliance” with federal law. “Thus, the order appears to authorize end users to possess marijuana for medical use without a CSA-compliant prescription,” the congressional report said. As it concerns non-end users participating in the state-legal cannabis industry, however, “the final order may make it possible for them to comply with the CSA, but may not bring them into full compliance with federal law.” Prior to being confirmed as drug czar, Carter voiced support for medical cannabis, while stating that she doesn’t have a “problem” with legalization, even if she might not personally agree with the policy. “I don’t have any problem if it’s legalized and it’s monitored,” she said in 2024. “I mean, I may have my own issues of how I feel about that, but I do believe that cannabis for medicinal purposes and medical reasons is a fantastic way of handling—especially for people with cancer and other illnesses, you know—of handling the illness and the side effects of the medication and those illnesses. So I’m not saying we’ve gotta make it illegal.” The post White House Drug Czar Clarifies That Marijuana Is ‘Still Illegal’ Following Trump Administration’s Rescheduling Move appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

Louisiana lawmakers have passed a bill to create a psychedelic-assisted therapy pilot program, using opioid settlement dollars to fund clinical trials aimed at developing alternative treatments such as psilocybin and ibogaine, also adopting a new amendment that adds MDMA to the scope of the legislation. The proposal from Sen. Patrick McMath (R) was amended and approved by the House of Representatives in a 97-0 vote on Thursday, weeks after passing the Senate in a unanimous vote. Because an amendment adopted on the House floor added MDMA to the bill, and the Health and Welfare Committee previously made technical amendments to the proposal last month, it must now go back for an additional vote in the Senate before potentially heading to the desk of Gov. Jeff Landry (R) for consideration. Rep. Neil Riser (R), who presented the legislation to the House, said the amendment adding MDMA “put us in positive correlation” with a psychedelics executive order recently signed by President Donald Trump “so that we can look at all different alternatives, including those that are beyond ibogaine that were listed it in the executive order.” He discussed psychedelics as a much-needed alternative treatment option for military veterans and others dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), saying that “for every soldier that’s killed in action, five commit suicide when they get home.” “So clearly, the best methodology of treatment that we’ve been using at the [Department of Veterans Affairs] or elsewhere really does not work,” he said. “There’s also the firemen and police officers that suffer from this post-traumatic stress.” Riser told colleagues that “you’ll look back on a lot of pieces of legislation that you voted on and voted for.” “This will be a piece of legislation that you will truly be proud to know that you change people’s lives,” he said. If the legislation is enacted into law, the psychedelics program would be overseen by the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH), which would be responsible for facilitating clinical trials involving substances that hold therapeutic potential. The bill says that eligible participants would include people with opioid use disorders, co-occurring substance use disorders and treatment-resistant neurological or mental health conditions. Any studies would need to go though the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) investigational drug approval process. Researchers would also need to be permitted by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to conduct trials involving the Schedule I controlled substances. Patients participating in the studies would need to go through mental and physical health screening, and researchers would also be required to develop processes that ensure safety and compliance, with adverse event reporting rules, training and licensing for therapists and policies for tracking and handling the psychedelics. There are also provisions authorizing academic institutions to collaborate in the clinical trials to bolster FDA approval prospects to develop prescription drugs based on psychedelics. Researchers would also be encouraged to collaborate with institutions in other states that have similar programs in place. If a drug is approved and developed as a result of the pilot program clinical trials, there would be a revenue sharing requirement. Under the bill as amended on the House floor, it says that “not less than a two and one-half percent of net sales” would go to the state, though a prior committee amendment had put that amount at 20 percent. Under SB 43 as amended, Louisiana would participate in a national consortium for research and drug development. If a therapy does gain FDA approval, revenue tied to the intellectual property rights of that drug would go to the consortium (except for the portion specifically earmarked for Louisiana). Last year, McMath also sponsored a resolution approved by the full chamber that called for the establishment of a task force to study and make recommendations on the potential therapeutic benefits of psychedelics for veterans. — Marijuana Moment is tracking hundreds of cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters pledging at least $25/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don’t miss any developments. Learn more about our marijuana bill tracker and become a supporter on Patreon to get access. — Separately, the Senate also recently passed a bill to let patients with terminal and irreversible conditions use medical marijuana in hospitals. At the same time, however, advocates are alarmed that lawmakers are advancing legislation that threatens to send people to jail for up to one year if they smoke marijuana within 2,000 feet of a school property—including a college campus. Another Louisiana lawmaker, meanwhile, recently introduced a bill to create an adult-use marijuana legalization pilot program in the state to determine whether the reform should eventually be expanded and permanently codified. Rep. Candace Newell (D)—who has long championed legislation to end cannabis criminalization and filed a similar legal marijuana pilot program measure last session—is sponsoring what’s titled the “Adult-Use Cannabis Pilot Program Regulation and Enforcement Act.” Getting the bill across the finish line could prove complicated in the conservative legislature, however. Newell’s earlier version of the pilot program legislation didn’t advance to enactment last year, and lawmakers that session also rejected other marijuana reform proposals such as one that would have established a tax system to prepare the eventual legalization of adult-use cannabis. Photo courtesy of Mark Groeneveld. The post Louisiana House Passes Bill To Create Psychedelic Therapy Pilot Program Funded By Opioid Settlement Dollars appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

“Even if the the court ultimately rules against the plaintiffs and allows the petition to be placed on the ballot, this litigation challenge has already served a vital public purpose.” By Christine Baily, C Bailey Law LLC The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) heard arguments concerning the fate of ballot initiative petition that threatens to eliminate the legalized adult-use marijuana industry on Monday. The case, Caroline Pineau, et al. v. Attorney General and Secretary of State, SJC-13927, involves a challenge to the certification and summary of the petition by the state attorney general that, if successful, would repeal laws that govern the legalized adult-use cannabis industry in the state while also impacting the medical industry and patient access. The litigation concerns an initiative entitled “An Act to Restore a Sensible Marijuana Policy” and the attorney general’s certification and summary of the petition. Unless SJC rules in favor of the challengers, the initiative is likely to appear on the November ballot for voters’ consideration. The petition states that the proposed law, if enacted, “continu[es] the medical program” and “repeal[s] Chapters 94G and 64N of the General Laws which govern the possession, use, distribution, cultivation, and taxation of marijuana not medically prescribed,” a.k.a., recreational or adult marijuana. Under Article 48 of the state Constitution, as amended, the attorney general has a duty to review all properly submitted petitions, certify that they meet constitutional requirements (including that its provisions are related or mutually dependent), and draft a “fair” and “concise” summary for voters. The plaintiffs in the suit challenging the petition, represented by Vicente LLP’s Adam Fine and Tim Swain, are cannabis social equity grant recipients and registered Massachusetts voters. At Monday’s oral argument, Fine made compelling arguments, including that the petition violates constitutional standards by including unrelated—and in some cases contradictory—policies. They warned that if the petition were to succeed, the new law would eliminate the state’s social equity mandate “to promote and encourage full participation in the regulated marijuana industry by people from communities that have previously been disproportionately harmed by marijuana prohibition and enforcement.” This would also include policies that support social equity applicants and licensees, like the dedicated Social Equity Trust Fund. In their argument, the plaintiffs’ attorneys also addressed other concerning aspects of the petition, including that it would increase penalties for simple possession of marijuana. The Massachusetts Cannabis Coalition (MCC), the state’s largest cannabis industry group, participated as an amicus curiae or “friend of the court,” represented by myself. In its amicus brief, MCC argued that the attorney general’s certification and summary were based on a version of state law that had recently been amended. In other words, Massachusetts voters will be considering a petition and summary based on a prior version of state statute, and thus potentially unaware of the substantial amendments the initiative would make. MCC also argued that neither the petition nor the summary accurately reflected the impact of the repeal of part of the law on the medical program and patient access. The Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission (CCC), the state agency charged with overseeing the adult and medical program, interpreted and implemented the laws to reflect that the medical and adult programs were interrelated, in other words, the programs cannot be surgically divided by repealing the adult-use focused statutes. Concerningly, the repeal would impact individuals who purchase adult marijuana for therapeutic and medicinal purposes. Relatedly, the repeal would eliminate the requirement that municipalities enter into a host community agreement with applicants, an early and essential opportunity to identify critical public health concerns. Ultimately, MCC warned in its brief that if the court were to affirm the attorney general’s certification and summary, voters would be confused and misled and placed in an untenable position, and therefore, the ballot text does not withstand constitutional scrutiny. Challenges to an attorney general’s certification and summary of a petition are difficult cases to win. And, based on Monday’s oral argument, it did not seem likely that the court is inclined to rule in the plaintiffs’ favor. Justices are aware that if it were to rule against the attorney general, Massachusetts voters would not have the opportunity to exercise their constitutional right to enact legislation via the ballot box. That said, we cannot know for certain what SJC will do with this case until it issues a decision, which will likely be by June. Even if the the court ultimately rules against the plaintiffs and allows the petition to be placed on the ballot, this litigation challenge has already served a vital public purpose. “By filing this amicus brief, MCC is standing up for both the cannabis industry and the will of the voters,” Dominguez, the group’s executive director, said. “Our voters deserve to know that the ballot question in front of them will dismantle a legalized industry that they voted to create and that, if passed, will recriminalize simple cannabis possession, minimize patient access and move consumers into the illicit market and away from a regulated and taxed system with strong public health and safety protections.” “And this is all before any mention of the ballot question’s downstream effects of killing thousands of jobs, hundreds of local businesses and billions in needed tax revenue for our cities and towns,” he said. By exposing the serious omissions in the attorney general’s summary and the consequences of repealing parts of the state’s cannabis laws, the legal challenge will hopefully inform Massachusetts voters about what is at stake for the industry. Should the initiative appear on the ballot, voters will be aware that there are several reasons to vote “No” in November. Christine Baily, a former general counsel to the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission,  is an experienced legal strategist and regulatory expert specializing in the cannabis industry. Through C Baily Law LLC, she provides comprehensive legal services, and through Grey Birch Associates, she offers court-appointed receivership and turnaround support for distressed corporate assets. Photo elements courtesy of rawpixel and Philip Steffan. The post Massachusetts Supreme Court Hears Case Challenging Marijuana Legalization Rollback Initiative (Op-Ed) appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

GOP senator urges IN gov not to legalize; Lawmakers push FDA on psychedelics; CA marijuana drive-thrus vote; Study: Psilocybin for cocaine addiction Subscribe to receive Marijuana Moment’s newsletter in your inbox every weekday morning. It’s the best way to make sure you know which cannabis stories are shaping the day. Get our daily newsletter. Email address: Leave this field empty if you're human: Your support makes Marijuana Moment possible… Before you dig into today’s cannabis news, I wanted you to know you can keep this resource free and published daily by subscribing to Marijuana Moment on Patreon. We’re a small independent publication diving deep into the cannabis world and rely on readers like you to keep going. Join us at https://www.patreon.com/marijuanamoment / TOP THINGS TO KNOW Reps. Brian Mast (R-FL), Dave Joyce (R-OH) and Dina Titus (D-NV) filed an amendment that would allow military veterans to get medical cannabis recommendations through their Department of Veterans Affairs doctors. A bipartisan coalition of 32 members of Congress sent a letter urging the Food and Drug Administration to expedite approval of psychedelic therapies and proceed with “transparency, urgency and scientific rigor.” Sen. Jim Banks (R-IN) sent a letter urging Indiana Gov. Mike Braun (R) to “maintain the state’s prohibitions on marijuana use” after the governor said federal cannabis rescheduling makes state-level legalization “more likely.” The California Assembly Appropriations Committee approved a bill to allow marijuana dispensaries to offer drive-thru windows to serve customers, subject to local approval. A new study published by the American Medical Association found that “psilocybin shows promise as a novel treatment for cocaine use disorder.” “Psilocybin-treated participants showed significantly greater percentages of cocaine abstinent days, higher rates of complete abstinence from cocaine, and a decreased risk of cocaine lapse over time.” Connecticut lawmakers sent Gov. Ned Lamont (D) a bill to reinstate THC potency caps for cannabis flower, reversing a reform recently adopted in separate legislation. An Ohio judge heard oral arguments on a motion for a preliminary injunction to prevent state officials from enforcing a new law restricting hemp THC product sales. / FEDERAL The White House released a Counterterrorism Strategy that includes significant focus on efforts to combat drug trafficking. White House Office of National Drug Control Policy Director Sara Carter spoke about the Trump administration’s National Drug Control Strategy in several TV interviews. The Drug Enforcement Administration is promoting webinars for National Prevention Week. Nebraska independent Senate candidate Dan Osborn tweeted, “Nebraska has a $72 million budget deficit. Property taxes are crushing working families. Medical marijuana and industrial hemp would be an economic lifeline for Nebraska farmers and generate millions in tax revenue.” / STATES The Pennsylvania House Majority Policy Committee is promoting the inclusion of equity provisions in marijuana legalization legislation. The Kansas Silver Haired Legislature included medical cannabis legalization in its legislative priorities. Texas officials appealed a temporary injunction on hemp product restrictions, which allowed enforcement to resume, but then a court reinstated the injunction. Oklahoma regulators published guidance on federal marijuana rescheduling and litigation challenging it. Massachusetts regulators published guidance about Cannabis Social Equity Trust Fund requirements. New York regulators approved additional marijuana business licenses. Montana regulators sent a newsletter with updates on various cannabis issues. The U.S. Virgin Islands Cannabis Advisory Board will meet on Thursday. — Marijuana Moment is tracking hundreds of cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters pledging at least $25/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don’t miss any developments. Learn more about our marijuana bill tracker and become a supporter on Patreon to get access. — / SCIENCE & HEALTH A study suggested that “Cannabis sativa L. leaf co-products represent a valuable and underutilized source of bioactive compounds with significant antimicrobial potential.” / ADVOCACY, OPINION & ANALYSIS Prohibitionist organization Smart Approaches to Marijuana is asking supporters to help fund its legal challenge to federal marijuana rescheduling. / BUSINESS Trulieve Cannabis Corp. reported quarterly revenue of $286.8 million. TerrAscend Corp. reported quarterly net revenue of $65.5 million and a net loss from continuing operations of $6.8 million. The National Labor Relations Board rejected BeLeaf Medical’s argument that workers who made pre-rolls at its facility in St. Louis, Missouri are exempt from federal labor law protections. Innovative Industrial Properties, Inc. closed on a $56.5 million secured term loan. / CULTURE Mike Tyson dodged a question from Jimmy Kimmel about whether he smokes marijuana at President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, though he did generally discuss his use of psychedelics. Make sure to subscribe to get Marijuana Moment’s daily dispatch in your inbox. Get our daily newsletter. Email address: Leave this field empty if you're human: The post Congress considers veterans’ medical cannabis amendment (Newsletter: May 8, 2026) appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

This sounds like a fantastic event! It's great to see a conference focusing on womxn in the cannabis and psychedelic industries. The agenda looks packed with insightful discussions, especially the panel on compliant marketing – a crucial topic as the industry evolves. My own Granny used cannabis oil for pain management later in life, so I truly appreciate the focus on wellness and patient insights. Hoping this conference helps break down stigmas and empowers more women in the field!

A bipartisan coalition of 32 members of Congress is urging federal health officials to expedite ongoing reviews of psychedelic therapies. “For many individuals, current treatment options remain insufficient, deepening an already urgent public health crisis,” the lawmakers, led by Reps. Jack Bergman (R-MI) and Lou Correa (D-CA), co-chairs of the Congressional Psychedelics Advancing Therapies Caucus, wrote in a letter to the head of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). “As Members of the House of Representatives, we have heard from countless Veterans, clinicians, and families seeking evidence-based alternatives.” The letter to FDA Commissioner Marty Makary says lawmakers are “encouraged” by his recent statement that psychedelic treatments are “a top priority for this FDA and this administration.” FDA and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) last month announced steps that they say will help with “accelerating” therapeutic access to psychedelics for patients dealing with serious mental health conditions. That move followed a psychedelics executive order that President Donald Trump signed. The lawmakers’ new letter said they want FDA to pursue “‘an expeditious and rapid review’ of promising treatments, especially those that address urgent unmet needs in PTSD, traumatic brain injury, and other neuropsychiatric conditions”—but they also “understand and respect the agency’s role in ensuring that any new treatment meets rigorous standards of safety and efficacy.” They said that recent developments, including the public release of documents related to the rejection of approval for MDMA-assisted therapy during the Biden administration “highlight the complexity of evaluating innovative treatment modalities and underscore the need for clear, consistent expectations for this emerging field.” The lawmakers have a number of questions they want Makary to answer: Special Protocol Assessment (SPA): How does the FDA communicate and apply any remaining data concerns beyond clearly defined primary endpoints and control conditions when pivotal trials are conducted under an SPA? Are improvements underway to make regulatory expectations more predictable for therapies in emerging fields? Methodological Standards and Interagency Coordination: What steps is the FDA taking to clarify methodological expectations for entactogen- and psychedelic-assisted clinical trials—including strategies to mitigate functional unblinding and expectancy effects—and how is the agency coordinating with federal partners such as the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to streamline research pathways for populations with urgent unmet needs, including Veterans with PTSD. Review Integrity and Subject-Matter Expertise: How does the FDA ensure that qualified experts with relevant experience conduct reviews of entactogen- and psychedelic-assisted therapies? What steps are in place to ensure consistency, objectivity, and independence in the evaluation process? Final Guidance Timeline: What is the expected timeline for finalizing the FDA’s June 2023 guidance on clinical trials involving rapid-acting novel therapeutics, including entactogen- and psychedelic-assisted therapies? They are also encouraging FDA to provide clarity in any new guidance concerning: Strategies to mitigate functional unblinding and expectancy bias; Standards for adverse event monitoring and safety reporting; Provider training, licensing, and participant safeguards; The evolving role of psychotherapy in conjunction with pharmacological intervention; Generalizability of findings across diverse patient populations; and Consistency in regulatory expectations across entactogen and psychedelic drug development programs. “We remain committed to ensuring that Veterans and others living with treatment-resistant mental health conditions have access to safe, evidence-based care,” the lawmakers wrote. “We respectfully urge the FDA to continue its evaluation of entactogen- and psychedelic-assisted therapies with transparency, urgency, and scientific rigor as the agency carries out its statutory responsibilities.” In addition to Bergman and Correa, other lawmakers who signed the letter include Reps. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX), Morgan Luttrell (R-TX), Pete Sessions (R-TX), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Nancy Mace (R-SC), Mark Pocan (D-WI), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA) and Derrick Van Orden (R-WI). HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said recently that the Trump administration is “very anxious” to create a pathway for access to psychedelics therapy and that top officials across federal agencies want to “get it out to the public as quickly as possible.” In an interview on the Joe Rogan Experience in February, Kennedy said he’s confident “we’re going to get it done,” with plans to develop and finalize rules that would enable patients with conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression to access psychedelic substances like psilocybin and MDMA in a “very controlled setting.” “Everybody in my agency…is very anxious to get a rule out there that will allow these kind of studies and will allow access under therapeutic settings, particularly [for] the military soldiers who have suffered these injuries to get access to these products,” the HHS secretary said. “We’re working through that process now. We’re all working on it and trying to make it happen.” “I think that we’re going to get it done,” he said. Last June, Kennedy said his agency is “absolutely committed” to expanding research on the benefits of psychedelic therapy and, alongside of the head of FDA, is aiming to provide legal access to such substances for military veterans “within 12 months.” Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins also disclosed in April that he had an “eye-opening” talk with Kennedy about the therapeutic potential of psychedelic medicine. And he said he’s open to the idea of having the government provide vouchers to cover the costs of psychedelic therapy for veterans who receive services outside of VA as Congress considers pathways for access. Bipartisan congressional lawmakers introduced legislation this session to provide $30 million in funding annually to establish psychedelic-focused “centers for excellence” at U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities, where veterans could receive novel treatment involving substances like psilocybin, MDMA and ibogaine. A U.S. Senate committee held a hearing last month on a bipartisan bill to promote research into the therapeutic potential psychedelics by creating a new office at VA that would advance the development innovative treatments for serious mental health conditions and assist in reviewing the scheduling status of drugs like psilocybin, ibogaine and MDMA. Former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA) has said ibogaine represents an “astonishing breakthrough” in the nation’s current “sick care system” that’s left people with serious mental health conditions without access to promising alternative treatment options. The post Bipartisan Lawmakers Push FDA To Speed Up Approval Of Psychedelic Therapies appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

A bill that would allow California marijuana stores to offer drive-thru windows to serve customers is heading to a floor vote in the state Assembly. The measure, which cleared the Assembly Appropriations Committee in a 13-1 vote on Wednesday, says that licensed cannabis retailers and microbusinesses with storefronts could sell marijuana products “to a customer in a motor vehicle in a drive-through located on the premises.” Under AB 2697 from Assemblymember Gail Pellerin (D), which last month was approved by the Assembly Business and Professions Committee, cannabis businesses would need approval from the local jurisdictions in which they operate in order to add the drive-thru option. Assemblymember Jessica Caloza (D) told colleagues before the most recent vote that the bill will address a “regulatory inconsistency” under which “licensed cannabis retailers can offer curbside pickup as a remnant of COVID pandemic adaptations” but “generally cannot fulfill orders for customers sitting in their car at a drive-thru.” The legislation would “make legal cannabis more accessible and will help the legal market compete with illicit market,” she said. Mark Smith of Chuck’s Wellness Center, a retailer in Placerville, said the bill is “about improving access.” “A significant portion of customers rely on cannabis as medicine, including seniors, veterans and individuals living with chronic conditions that affect mobility—exactly the population this regulated system is meant to serve,” he said. “For many, even simple tasks like exiting a vehicle and navigating a retail space can be physically difficult or prohibitive.” “A drive-thru model addresses this gap in a controlled, compliant manner,” Smith said. “It reduces physical barriers, supports [Americans With Disabilities Act]-conscious principles and creates a more inclusive retail environment without changing who has access—only how that access is provided.” Amy O’Gorman Jenkins of the California Cannabis Operators Association said the proposal “supports the fiscal interests of the state at a time when you see cannabis revenues in sharp decline.” “Anything we can do to offer practical solutions to keep consumers in our stores is really, really important,” she said. The bill next heads to an Assembly floor vote before potentially going to the Senate for consideration. — Marijuana Moment is tracking hundreds of cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters pledging at least $25/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don’t miss any developments. Learn more about our marijuana bill tracker and become a supporter on Patreon to get access. — California regulators recently adopted changes to the state’s marijuana licensing process that are intended to make it easier for businesses to qualify for benefits in line with the Trump administration’s recent move to federally reschedule medical cannabis. Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), meanwhile, recently took credit for helping to lead the push for the state to legalize marijuana and discussed his own limited experience with using cannabis. In October, however, Newsom vetoed a bill that would have allowed certain marijuana microbusinesses to ship medical cannabis products directly to patients via common carriers like FedEx and UPS, stating that the proposal “would be burdensome and overly complex to administer.” Newsom did sign a bill earlier that month aimed at streamlining research on marijuana and psychedelics. In September, the governor also signed a measure into law to put a pause on a recently enacted tax hike on marijuana products. California officials recently awarded nearly $30 million in grants for marijuana-focused academic research projects. Photo courtesy of Mike Latimer. The post California Bill To Allow Drive-Thrus At Marijuana Dispensaries Advances To Assembly Floor Vote appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

A single dose of psilocybin, coupled with psychotherapy, appears to be a “safe and efficacious” treatment option for people with cocaine use disorders (CUD), according to a new study published by the American Medical Association (AMA). The findings about the psychedelic, published in JAMA Substance Use and Addiction on Thursday, are especially promising given that “no medications have been proven effective” in the treatment of CUD. Psilocybin-assisted therapy could represent a solution to that “elusive” problem, researchers at the University of Alabama, Johns Hopkins University and the Karolinska Institute found. For the randomized, quadruple-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial, 36 participants who met the diagnostic criteria for cocaine use disorder were screened and received psychotherapy incorporating cognitive-behavioral treatment one month before and one month after an “all-day investigational drug treatment session” with psilocybin. During the medication session, participants were randomly assigned either 25 mg of psilocybin per kilogram of body weight or a placebo. Researchers found that, compared to the placebo group, “psilocybin-treated participants showed significantly greater percentages of cocaine abstinent days, higher rates of complete abstinence from cocaine, and a decreased risk of cocaine lapse over time.” Abstinence among participants was verified through urinalysis. “These findings suggest psilocybin shows promise as a novel treatment for cocaine use disorder.” “Whereas pharmacotherapies have been developed for several substance use disorders, medications for stimulant use disorders remain elusive,” the study authors said. “This randomized clinical trial is the first, to our knowledge, to demonstrate that psilocybin coupled with psychotherapy may be safe and efficacious in the treatment of CUD.” The findings from the study “are a potentially important advancement in the treatment of CUD, a condition for which there are no approved pharmacotherapies and limited psychosocial interventions,” they wrote. The study is also notable in that it involved participants from demographics that haven’t historically been adequately represented in psychedelics research; that is, Black and participants of lower socioeconomic status were recruited for the research. “The representation of vulnerable populations in psychedelic clinical trials has been a crucial ongoing concern,” the researchers wrote, adding that a “recent systematic review found that participants in US-based psychedelic trials typically had higher socioeconomic status than the general population.” “The present study demonstrates that psilocybin treatment can be feasibly implemented with Black and socioeconomically disadvantaged individuals vulnerable to the adverse impacts of CUD but understudied in psychedelic research,” the study said. All told, the study concluded that “psilocybin appeared to be safe and efficacious for treating cocaine use disorder among individuals from underrepresented and vulnerable populations,” though additional research “is warranted to replicate and expand these findings.” The research is being published about two months after AMA released a separate study finding that one dose of psilocybin combined with therapy is associated with “significantly increased long-term abstinence” from cigarettes compared to nicotine patches. That indicates the psychedelic “holds potential in the treatment of tobacco use disorder,” the researchers said. As psychedelics policy reform advances in state legislatures across the U.S. and in Congress, Americans have shown growing interest in exploring the therapeutic potential of substances like psilocybin. To that point, a RAND Corporation analysis recently found that nearly 10 million American adults microdosed psychedelic drugs such as psilocybin, LSD or MDMA in 2025. A scientific review published by AMA last year that use of psilocybin has “surged” in the U.S. in recent years amid the decriminalization movement and in light of “promising clinical trial results” on its therapeutic potential. But the paper also pointed out that current federal laws present “a major barrier” to researchers gaining a better understanding of the psychedelic substance’s true impacts. Meanwhile, another study from last year found that psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy “showed significant reductions in alcohol consumption and high smoking cessation rates” and has potential to lessen opioid dependence. In 2024, meanwhile, two other studies—including one with contributions from a top federal drug official—examined psychedelics and alcohol use disorder (AUD). One found that a single dose of psilocybin “was safe and effective in reducing alcohol consumption in AUD patients,” while the other concludes that classic psychedelics like psilocybin and LSD “have demonstrated potential for treating drug addiction, especially AUD.” The National Institutes of Health that year also announced that it would put $2.4 million toward funding studies on the use of psychedelics to treat methamphetamine use disorders—funding that came as federal health officials noted sharp increases in deaths from methamphetamine and other psychostimulants in recent years, with fatal overdoses involving the substances rising nearly fivefold between 2015 and 2022. In 2023, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) announced a $1.5 million funding round to further study psychedelics and addiction. Meanwhile, the Trump administration has recently taken steps to explore the therapeutic potential of psychedelics such as ibogaine, which has been touted as a potentially life-saving treatment option for people suffering from serious mental health conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance use disorder. — Marijuana Moment is tracking hundreds of cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters pledging at least $25/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don’t miss any developments. Learn more about our marijuana bill tracker and become a supporter on Patreon to get access. — Other research has also suggested that psychedelics could unlock promising new pathways to treat addiction. A first-of-its-kind analysis in 2023 offered novel insights into exactly how psychedelic-assisted therapy works for people with alcohol use disorder. In 2024, the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), which is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), identified the treatment of alcohol use disorder as one of a number of possible benefits of psilocybin, despite the substance remaining a Schedule I controlled substance under U.S. law. The agency highlighted a 2022 study that “suggested that psilocybin may be helpful for alcohol use disorder.” The research found people who were in psilocybin-assisted therapy had fewer heavy-drinking days over 32 weeks than the control group, which NCCIH said “suggests that psilocybin may be helpful for alcohol use disorder.” Image element courtesy of Dominic Milton Trott. The post A Single Dose Of Psilocybin Appears To Safely Treat Cocaine Addiction, New Study Published By American Medical Association Study Shows appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

Bipartisan congressional lawmakers have filed an amendment that would allow military veterans to receive recommendations for medical marijuana through their doctors at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The proposal from Reps. Brian Mast (R-FL), Dave Joyce (R-OH) and Dina Titus (D-NV), if enacted, would prevent VA from enforcing a longstanding directive that has blocked its providers from assisting veterans with registering for state medical cannabis programs. Under current policy, VA doctors can discuss marijuana use with their patients, but they cannot fill out forms to help them actually get legal access to cannabis. As a result, veterans need to seek outside, often expensive, services from separate providers instead of just being able to get assistance from their own doctors at VA. That would change under the new amendment from the co-chairs of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, which is being offered to the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act. The House Rules Committee is expected to meet next week to decide which submitted amendments can be considered for floor votes. The veterans medical marijuana amendment reads: “SEC. __. None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available to the Department of Veterans Affairs in this Act may be used to enforce Veterans Health Directive 1315 as it relates to— (1) the policy stating that ‘VHA providers are prohibited from completing forms or registering Veterans for participation in a State-approved marijuana program’; (2) the directive for the ‘Deputy Under Secretary for Health for Operations and Management’ to ensure that ‘medical facility Directors are aware that it is VHA policy for providers to assess Veteran use of marijuana but providers are prohibited from recommending, making referrals to or completing paperwork for Veteran participation in State marijuana programs’; and (3) the directive for the ‘VA Medical Facility Director’ to ensure that ‘VA facility staff are aware of the following’ ‘[t]he prohibition on recommending, making referrals to or completing forms and registering Veterans for participation in State-approved marijuana programs.'” While similar proposals on veterans’ medical marijuana access have been passed by both the House of Representatives and Senate in past years, they have never been enacted into law. Last year, when the House- and Senate-passed language was left out of the final bill sent to President Donald Trump, Mast told Marijuana Moment that the exclusion was “ridiculous.” “It was a great and easy opportunity to do so, and a sensical thing to move forward—and detrimental to veterans to not do so,” he said. — Marijuana Moment is tracking hundreds of cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters pledging at least $25/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don’t miss any developments. Learn more about our marijuana bill tracker and become a supporter on Patreon to get access. — The current amendment comes just weeks after medical marijuana was rescheduled under federal law by the Trump administration, a major policy and political development that advocates hope could boost the chances of the veterans-focused reform being enacted this year. A separate amendment to the military and veterans spending bill from Reps. Lou Correa (D-CA) and Jack Bergman (R-MI), who co-chair the Congressional Psychedelics Advancing Therapies Caucus, seeks to raise awareness about the benefits of psychedelic and other therapies for military veterans. Its description says it “increases and decreases funding for the Medical and Prosthetic Research account at the Department of Veterans Affairs to emphasize the importance of the Department’s research on areas benefiting veterans such as oncology, traumatic brain injury care, psychedelic therapies, and assistive devices.” Meanwhile in Congress, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies approved a bill last week containing provisions that would block federal officials from taking further steps to reschedule cannabis. Separately, the House Appropriations Committee last week approved a separate spending bill and an attached report that expresses concerns about health risks from cannabis-derived products, while also encouraging research into the therapeutic benefits of psychedelics. The full House also recently passed a Farm Bill with provisions aimed at aiding industrial hemp producers—but without any language to delay or alter the federal recriminalization of hemp THC products that’s scheduled to take effect later this year. A new report from the Congressional Research Service details the scope and limitations of the federal marijuana rescheduling move. The post Military Veterans Could Get Medical Marijuana Recommendations Through The VA Under New Congressional Amendment appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

“This bill completely put my clients out of business. There were no ways to get rid of the inventory except to destroy it.” By Megan Henry, Ohio Capital Journal A new law banning low-level THC hemp products and changing the state’s marijuana laws hurts Ohio businesses, plaintiffs argued during a preliminary injunction hearing Monday. Happy Harvest and Get Wright Lounge filed a lawsuit in Franklin County Court of Common Pleas after Ohio Senate Bill 56 took effect March 20 after Ohioans for Cannabis Choice failed to get enough signatures to get a referendum on the November ballot for voters to block the law. Franklin County Court of Common Pleas Magistrate Jhay Spottswood-Harrison heard the preliminary injunction hearing. “This bill completely put my clients out of business,” said Scott Pullins, the attorney for the plaintiffs. “There were no ways to get rid of the inventory except to destroy it, and the court attempted and succeeded in fashioning a fair and equity remedy to solve that problem,” he said. “Now, would we like to see it extended statewide to any other retailers in a similar situation.” Franklin County Court of Common Pleas Judge Jeffrey M. Brown issued a 14-day TRO on April 22 allowing Happy Harvest locations and Get Wright Lounge to sell their existing products, but the 10th District Court of Appeals stayed the TRO last week. Happy Harvest has locations in Delaware, Marion and Wood counties. Get Wright Lounge has one location in Columbus. “The TRO restores the status quo that existed for years before March 20, 2026, and in fact, the TRO strengthens what the law was back then by expressly putting in more stringent age restrictions, more restrictions against marketing children, more restrictions as to products that look like hemp,” Pullins said. The state argued Ohio’s law now aligns with new federal restrictions on hemp products that are set to take effect November 12. Congress voted in November to ban products that contain 0.4 milligrams of total THC per container when they voted to reopen the government. The only way to sell marijuana in Ohio starting November 12 is by getting a license from the Ohio Division of Cannabis Control, said Ann Yackshaw, assistant section chief in the Ohio Attorney General’s office. “The only way for plaintiffs or anyone else to get that license is to let Senate Bill 56 continue in effect so that the Division [of Cannabis Control] can continue to regulate and continue to build out the regulatory framework to bring these people into cannabis regulation in the state of Ohio,” Yackshaw said. “Putting Senate Bill 56 on hold would put that rule-making process on hold, and then no one would be able to get into the cannabis program in the state of Ohio,” she said. Previously, the 2018 Farm Bill said hemp can be grown legally if it contains less than 0.3 percent THC. But the 2018 Farm Bill created challenges from a definition standpoint and a series of loopholes, said Andrew Makoski, chief legal counsel for the Ohio Division of Cannabis Control. “Hemp products exploded, not just in Ohio, but all across the country, where people were using the hemp definition to sell these intoxicating products that had the technical definition of hemp,” he said. “With any kind of unregulated marketplace, you don’t know what you’re actually getting. What you found was a large spike in accidental ingestions,” he said. Stopping S.B. 56 would take Ohio back to an unregulated market where “any child or anybody could walk into a store buy whatever they want,” Makoski said. Ohio Senate Bill 56 The bill had to go to conference committee in the Ohio legislature after it passed the Ohio House, but the Ohio Senate voted not to concur with changes made to the bill at the end of October. “The General Assembly enacted a sweeping criminal statute through a midnight conference report that neither chamber ever read three times in its final form and that consolidated four separate bills…into a single omnibus vehicle,” Pullins said. Under the new law, THC levels in adult-use marijuana extracts will be reduced from a maximum of 90 percent down to a maximum of 70 percent, cap THC levels in adult-use flower to 35 percent and prohibit smoking in most public places. The new law prohibits possessing marijuana in anything outside of its original packaging, criminalizes bringing legal marijuana from another state back to Ohio, and requires drivers to store marijuana in the trunk of their car while driving. “Customers who wish to get lower prices and go to Michigan and other states have now been declared to be felons if they buy the product and bring it back here,” Pullins said. The new law funnels unregulated THC through the Ohio Division Cannabis Control, Yackshaw said. “That is the regulation that plaintiffs say that they were looking for, but they don’t want it because they don’t want to have to go through the stringent procedures that the Division of Cannabis Control lays out,” she said. Mark Fashian was the president of hemp product wholesaler Midwest Analytical Solutions in Delaware, Ohio, but he is now out of business because of the new law. “After March 20, my sales have died,” Fashian said. “[Senate Bill 56] basically made everything that I do illegal… I have five employees, and right now they’re finding other jobs.” Happy Harvest was one of his best customers and they have more than $200,000 of stranded inventory, Fashian said. “Every day [Ohio Senate Bill 56] is enforced, it destroys lawful Ohio businesses, businesses operating a good faith reliance on the 2018 federal Farm Bill,” Pullins said. A Sandusky County judge last month issued a TRO on the hemp portion of the new law which allows the sale of intoxicating hemp products to continue in Fremont. This story was first published by Ohio Capital Journal. The post Ohio Court Hears Arguments On Blocking New Hemp Product Restrictions appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

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“I still think it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to have a cap. But if people felt strongly about it, we agreed to it.” By Emilia Otte, CT Mirror The House and Senate voted Tuesday to reinstate a cap on the amount of THC content in cannabis flower after an attempt to remove that limitation a few weeks ago was met with pushback from lawmakers. Prior to this year’s legislative session, Connecticut law capped the THC content in cannabis flower at 35 percent. A bill passed in April removed that cap. At the time, Rep. Roland Lemar, D-New Haven, said cannabis plants have their own natural limits on THC concentration and that “watering down” the cannabis could actually be more dangerous because it would involve substances that have not been tested or regulated. But Rep. David Rutigliano, R-Trumbull, argued that higher concentrations of THC would make it easier for people to become addicted. He noted that public health professionals who appeared at a public hearing on the bill also brought concerns about THC levels. House Majority Leader Jason Rojas told the Connecticut Mirror Wednesday that the caps were replaced after members of the Senate expressed concern. “I still think it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to have a cap. But if people felt strongly about it, we agreed to it,” Rojas said. Lemar said that while the legislature overall appeared willing to loosen some regulations on the cannabis industry that created challenges for business owners, removing the THC cap on flower was a sticking point. “ I think it puts [businesses] at a competitive disadvantage vis-à-vis some other states. But at the end of the day, the regulators and the legislators who were tasked with making the responsible choice didn’t feel comfortable in that space moving to an uncapped system,” he said. Rojas said he didn’t believe restoring the cap on flower would cause problems for the industry, since the difference between natural THC limits in flower and the caps in the bill were minimal. Sen. James Maroney, D-West Haven, said there were similar concerns in the Senate about the removal of the THC cap for flower. The original bill that removed the caps passed 18-17 with a promise that an imminent bill would restore those caps. During a Senate debate on the bill removing the caps, several senators—Republican and Democrat—expressed concern about how increased THC potency could affect public health, particularly for children. “This is not fun and games. This is life and death. This is life changing, family changing, family destroying when we eliminate these caps,” said Sen. Jason Perillo, R-Shelton. Sen. Christine Cohen, D-Guilford, also expressed “strong reservations” with the THC potency levels and their impact on mental health. Aside from the THC flower cap, the original bill eliminated caps on THC concentrates and increased the amount of THC allowed in infused drinks from 3 mg to 5 mg. Drinks sold in dispensaries or retailers may now have up to 10 mg of THC. The bill also expanded the cannabis marketplace to include topicals, tablets and capsules and allows patients who come from out-of-state to purchase cannabis for medical reasons. Those changes are still in place. Sen. Paul Cicarella, R-North Haven, said he hoped the legislature next year could consider setting limits to THC in other forms of cannabis, like edibles or tinctures. “Marijuana is a concern. Increasing these levels is a concern of multiple people around this circle, regardless of party,” he said. This article first appeared on CT Mirror and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. Photo courtesy of Brian Shamblen. The post Connecticut Lawmakers Pass Bill To Reinstate THC Limits For Marijuana Flower appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

Indiana’s Republican governor recently said that his state is “more likely” to legalize marijuana now that the Trump administration is moving to federally reschedule cannabis—but a GOP senator is pressing Gov. Mike Braun (R) to maintain criminalization. “Recently, you suggested that Indiana will have to address marijuana legalization. I urge you to prioritize public safety and the well-being of Hoosiers—especially those under the age of 18—and maintain the state’s prohibitions on marijuana use,” Sen. Jim Banks (R-IN) wrote in a letter to the governor last week. “Marijuana is not a harmless drug.” Banks listed a number of concerns, including about cannabis use disorder, impaired driving and criminal activity. “Even a single use affects a person’s brain and ability to make decisions. The risks are elevated in children, whose brains are not fully developed,” he wrote. “Making marijuana legal does not make it safe, and it does not reduce usage.” “Even in states that limit recreational use, addicts are accessing medical marijuana cards—and medical use itself can lead to use disorders. Experiments in legalization have consequences for communities as well as individuals,” the senator said. “This is to say nothing of the fact that legalization empowers foreign drug cartels, a concern I have previously raised with my colleagues at the national level.” “Indiana needs to enforce its laws protecting Hoosiers from the dangers of drug use. I hear regularly from constituents about this issue, and they want more regulation, not less,” Banks wrote in the letter, which was first reported by Daily Wire. “They tell me about how their children’s lives were ruined by addiction; how they treat the consequences of cannabis disorder in hospitals every day; and how schools are struggling to stop students from smuggling marijuana onto campus using vape pens. We owe it to them, and to all the residents of our great state, to keep Indiana safe, beautiful, and drug-free.” Under an order signed last month by U.S. Acting Attorney General Blanche, marijuana products regulated by a state medical cannabis license immediately moved to Schedule III, as did any marijuana products that are approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). “I think the fact that the feds made that move, that makes it more likely” the state will act to reform its cannabis laws, Braun said last week. “You’re going to need to ask the legislators and the leaders in those two chambers to see what they’re thinking, because I’m clear in terms of where I’m at,” he continued. “You’ve got to take what’s evolved over time. [If you] stick your head in the sand, you’re generally going to make the wrong decision.” Meanwhile, at Braun’s direction, state officials have been holding a series of meetings with medical marijuana advocates. Last month, the governor said the “crescendo will rise” in the call to legalize marijuana, with regional dynamics and even law enforcement buy-in favoring reform down the line. But for now, he said GOP legislative leadership in the state is “not interested in doing anything soon,” even if “over half of Hoosiers probably smoke it illegally.” Braun said at the time that he thinks lawmakers should take “an additional look at” medical cannabis and that, while he’s personally “agnostic” on legalization, the reality is that Indiana is “surrounded now by four states” that allow either medical or adult-use cannabis. “Over half of Hoosiers probably smoke it illegally,” he said, noting that neighboring Kentucky permits patients to access medical cannabis, while Illinois, Michigan and Ohio have recreational marijuana laws on the books. “I’m going to listen to law enforcement. Even they have changed their opinion in terms of legalizing it and regulating it,” Braun said, adding that he’d compare cannabis to gambling. The state was late in the game to adopt laws allowing adults to gamble, he said, but now it ranks in the top three states nationwide in terms of revenue per capita from the vice. “Some people aren’t going to want it, just out of principle. A lot of our state police and sheriffs are tolerating people going across the border [to buy cannabis]. It’ll be an increasing issue that, so far, our state legislature has kind of dug in against it,” he said. “I’ve been more agnostic about it. I can see points of view, and I’ve seen law enforcement move on it somewhat.” “So that would give you the best description of where the dynamic is in our state,” the governor told WOWO. “I think the leader of the Senate especially, and the Speaker of the House, are pretty—and they control the legislative agenda—not interested in doing anything soon. But I think the crescendo will rise, and that describes in a snapshot where we’re at.” Braun similarly talked about the issue in another recent interview, saying the state is “probably going to have to address” the issue and likening cannabis reform to sports betting. Lawmakers in the state had already signaled that marijuana legalization isn’t in the cards in the 2026 session, meaning another year where Indiana will be an outlier as one of the few remaining states without effective medical or adult-use cannabis laws. The governor separately said in January that he’s “amenable” to the idea of legalizing medical cannabis in the state. Instead, Indiana legislators this session have been focused on efforts to ban hemp THC products—though it seems that fight is over for 2026 after a last-minute push failed late last month. Braun has previously said that federal marijuana rescheduling could add “a little bit of fire” to the local push for cannabis legalization in his state. Among Indiana residents, a survey released in January found that nearly three in five back legalizing cannabis for medical and recreational use. Specifically, the annual Hoosier Survey from the Bowen Center at Ball State University (BSU) found that 59 percent of residents are in favor of legalizing cannabis for both medical and recreational purposes. An additional 25 percent back only allowing patients to access medical marijuana, raising the total support for that reform to 84 percent. — Marijuana Moment is tracking hundreds of cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters pledging at least $25/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don’t miss any developments. Learn more about our marijuana bill tracker and become a supporter on Patreon to get access. — Braun, for his part, previously said that “it’s probably time” to allow access to therapeutic cannabis among patients in the state. Those comments came alongside a separate poll indicating that nearly 9 in 10 Indiana adults (87 percent) support marijuana legalization. Top Republicans in the legislature, however, have openly opposed marijuana reform. “It’s no secret that I am not for this,” Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray (R) said in late 2024. “I don’t have people coming to me with really compelling medical cases as to why it’s so beneficial. And any state that I’ve seen pass medical marijuana is essentially passing recreational marijuana.” House Speaker Todd Huston (R) doubted any medical benefits associated with marijuana, calling the substance “a deterrent to mental health.” He and others suggested that lawmakers supportive of the reform merely want to boost state revenue. Read the senator’s full marijuana letter below: The post GOP Senator Urges Indiana Governor Not To Legalize Marijuana Despite Federal Rescheduling appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

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