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Virginia’s governor has vetoed legislation to legalize recreational marijuana sales after lawmakers rejected her proposed amendments to the proposal. Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) killed the reform bills on Tuesday, days after signing separate legislation to provide resentencing relief for people with past cannabis convictions. “I share the General Assembly’s goal of establishing a safe, legal, and well-regulated cannabis retail marketplace in the Commonwealth,” the governor said. “Virginians deserve a system that replaces the illicit cannabis market with one that prioritizes our children’s health and safety, public safety, product integrity, and accountability.” “As Virginia pursues a legal retail market, it is critical that we incorporate lessons learned by other states and ensure that our regulatory framework is fully prepared to provide strong oversight from day one,” she said. “That includes clear enforcement authority and sufficient resources for compliance, testing, and inspections, and robust tools to crack down on bad actors who continue to profit from the illicit market.” “I greatly appreciate the patrons’ time crafting this important piece of legislation as well as our continued dialogue and collaboration to strengthen this framework ahead of the next legislative session. I remain committed to working with members of the General Assembly, stakeholders, and law enforcement to get this right.” Lawmakers passed the cannabis sales bills in March, but the governor then suggested changes to the legalization proposal—including delaying the start date for sales by six months, increasing taxes and instituting new criminal penalties for cannabis consumers. The legislature last month declined to take up the amendments during a one-day reconvened session, however, effectively rejecting them. Sen. Lashrecse Aird (D), who sponsored the Senate version of the now-vetoed marijuana commerce bill, said on Tuesday that “once again, Virginia’s efforts to establish a safe, regulated and equitable adult-use cannabis marketplace has been halted despite years of work, public input and broad recognition that the status quo is failing Virginians.” Personal marijuana possession and home cultivation of marijuana has been legal in Virginia since 2021, but then-Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) twice vetoed bills to provide consumers with a way to legally purchase regulated adult-use cannabis. “The governor’s decision leaves the commonwealth exactly where we have been since 2021: with an unchecked illicit market, hurting our communities, harming our youth and putting adults at risk,” Aird said of Spanberger’s move. “Virginians deserve better than continued inaction veiled behind excuses about getting it right.” Del. Paul Krizek (D), sponsor of the House version of the marijuana sales bill, said it was “the product of years of policy development, stakeholder engagement and extensive deliberation through the Joint Commission to Oversee the Transition of the Commonwealth into a Cannabis Retail Market, reflecting a balanced and thoughtful approach shaped by the very people who will be impacted by and responsible for implementing it.” “Five years ago, Virginia legalized cannabis in recognition that the War on Drugs has caused disproportionate harm to Black families and communities,” he said. “The question now is whether Virginia will continue allowing an unregulated illegal market to thrive, or finally establish a safe, transparent system that protects consumers, keeps products away from children, and keeps our commitment to ending racially discriminatory marijuana policing in Virginia.” This veto and its consequences belong to the Governor and the Governor alone. Delegate @KrizekForVA and I release the following statement as our historic legislation HB642/SB542 establishing a regulated adult-use cannabis retail market in Virginia was vetoed: pic.twitter.com/DBZqVNBxzE — Senator Lashrecse Aird (@lashrecseaird) May 19, 2026 The senator and delegate added in a joint statement: “The governor’s veto ignores the reality that cannabis is already being sold everyday across Virginia. The only question is whether we as leaders will finally ensure those sales occur within a legal, regulated market or continue turning a blind eye to a booming illicit market while pretending to be outraged by its existence. The General Assembly provided Virginia with an opportunity to lead on this issue, but instead this veto prolongs uncertainty and provides comfort to those profiting from the illicit market. This veto and its consequences belong to the governor and governor alone.” Aird and Krizek had urged colleagues to vote against the governor’s amendments last month—even if that meant risking a veto from Spanberger when the legislation returned to her desk, which has now occurred. Lawmakers will now have to start the push for reform over again with new bills in the 2027 session. Spanberger, for her part, responded to earlier criticism of her cannabis amendments from the bill sponsors and advocates by saying the suggested changes came after she spoke to the leaders of other states that have already implemented adult-use marijuana markets. Here are the other key details of the cannabis bills—SB 542 and HB 642—as approved by lawmakers and with the governor’s suggested amendments: Lawmakers voted to allow adults to be able to purchase up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana in a single transaction, or up to an equivalent amount of other cannabis products as determined by regulators. That would represent an increase from the limit in current law of 1 ounce. The governor, however, wanted the amount increased to only 2 ounces. Under the legislature’s plan, legal sales could begin on January 1, 2027, but the governor proposed to push that back to July 1, 2027. Lawmakers voted to impose an excise tax of 6 percent on cannabis sales as well as a 5.3 percent retail sales and use tax, while allowing municipalities to set an additional local tax of up to 3.5 percent. The governor’s plan was largely the same, though it would have increased the excise tax to 8 percent starting on July 1, 2029. Under the legislation as approved by lawmakers, revenue would have been distributed to the Cannabis Equity Reinvestment Fund (30 percent), early childhood education (40 percent), the Department of Behavioral & Developmental Health Services (25 percent) and public health initiatives (5 percent). The governor, however, wanted to put all revenue into the general fund while earmarking it “for purposes such as early childhood education, behavioral health, public health awareness, prevention, treatment, and recovery services, workforce development, reentry, indigent criminal defense, and targeted reinvestment in historically disadvantaged communities.” The Virginia Cannabis Control Authority would have overseen licensing and regulation of the new industry, and would have also taken on oversight of hemp, which is currently under the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Local governments could not have opted out of allowing marijuana businesses to operate in their area. Delivery services would have been allowed. Serving sizes would have been capped at 10 milligrams THC, with no more than 100 mg THC per package. The governor proposed to make public marijuana use a class 4 criminal misdemeanor instead of civil violation punishable by a $25 fine as under current law. She also wanted to make possessing cannabis by people under the age of 21 a class 1 misdemeanor, punishable with a mandatory minimum fine of $500 or 50 hours of community service, as well as the suspension of drivers licenses for at least six months. Illegally selling or distributing 50 pounds or more of marijuana would have been a class 2 felony punishable by life in prison. The governor sought to eliminate support for the Cannabis Equity Reinvestment Fund. Existing medical cannabis operators could have entered the adult-use market if they pay a licensing conversion fee that is set at $10 million. Cannabis businesses would have had to establish labor peace agreements with workers. As passed by lawmakers, the bill would have directed a legislative commission to study adding on-site consumption licenses and microbusiness cannabis event permits that would allow licensees to conduct sales at venues like farmers markets or pop-up locations, but the governor is proposing to remove that language. JM Pedini, development director for the advocacy group NORML and executive director for Virginia NORML, said the governor action is “a profound disappointment to the many Virginia voters who believed her when she said on the campaign trail that she supported establishing a regulated adult-use cannabis market.” “It is also a slap in the face to the years of serious work undertaken by lawmakers, policy experts, advocates, public health stakeholders and regulators who spent more than half a decade researching, debating and carefully crafting this legislation,” Pedini told Marijuana Moment. “Rather than build upon that work, the governor dismissed it in favor of out-of-touch proposals to recriminalize cannabis consumers that lawmakers rightly rejected.” “Now, instead of finally taking marijuana out of smoke shops and placing it behind an age-verified counter, Virginia is once again being forced to tolerate another yet year of dangerous illicit market activity in every corner of the Commonwealth. Just as under Glenn Youngkin, unlicensed and predatory operators will continue to profit while public health and safety are left unprotected.” Chelsea Higgs Wise, executive director of Marijuana Justice, noted that “for five years, Virginia has been stuck in a limbo where adults can legally possess, share and grow cannabis, but there is still no regulated way to purchase it.” “By rejecting the retail bill, the governor has chosen to extend that chaos rather than move us toward a transparent, accountable retail system that centers public health, public safety and justice,” she said. “We are deeply concerned that instead of focusing on repair and relief, the administration has signaled a willingness to introduce new penalties and harsher enforcement in future proposals,” Wise said. “Adding more punishment to an already unjust landscape does not make our families, children or communities safer. It only widens the gap between those who are penalized and those who profit. These choices also carry a real price tag: every new offense and prosecution drives up system costs, drains taxpayer dollars and pulls law enforcement away from real public safety needs.” A coalition of cannabis reform organizations sent the governor a letter this month urging her not to veto the sales legalization legislation even though her amendments were rejected. “Together, these bills address the real issues surrounding cannabis in the Commonwealth today: an already-existing, unregulated marijuana market operating openly across the state while consumers, communities, and law enforcement are left without the protections of a legal framework,” the groups wrote. “Let’s be clear: these bills do not create a marijuana market in Virginia. That market already exists,” the letter said. “What these bills do is replace today’s predatory and unaccountable illicit operators with a regulated marketplace, enforceable rules, oversight, product safeguards, age verification, and the strict consumer safety standards already in use for Virginia medical cannabis.” The letter was signed by Virginia NORML, Marijuana Justice, Virginia Cannabis Association, Marijuana Policy Project and other groups. Meanwhile, the governor signed several other reform bills last month—including measures to protect the parental rights of marijuana consumers and allow patients to access medical cannabis in hospitals. The post Virginia Governor Vetoes Marijuana Sales Legalization Bill After Lawmakers Rejected Her Amendments appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

States that legalize medical or recreational marijuana see “significant reductions” in opioid overdoses among adults with employer-sponsored health insurance—indicating that a “substitution” effect may be at play—according to a new federally funded study. While numerous studies have linked state-level legalization to reduced opioid deaths, researchers at the University of Kentucky’s College of Public Health said their data is the first of its kind to identify an association between cannabis access and non-fatal opioid poisonings. The study, published in the journal Preventive Medicine Reports, analyzed claims data on 107.5 million commercially insured adults aged 18-64 from all 50 states and Washington, D.C. from 2011 to 2021. Medical marijuana dispensaries and adult-use cannabis legalization was associated with “significant reductions in non-fatal opioid poisonings in the employer-sponsored insured population, particularly among male and younger populations,” the study authors found. Specifically, access to medical cannabis dispensaries (MCDs) and recreational cannabis laws (RCLs) were associated with a 15.47 percent and 11.92 percent reduction in non-fatal opioid overdoses per 100,000 enrollees per quarter, respectively. “The reductions tied to medical dispensaries were significant for both men and women, and especially notable among younger adults ages 18–34, who saw a 23.27 percent reduction,” the researchers found. “These findings suggest that expanded access to cannabis through MCD and RCL is associated with lower [non-fatal opioid overdoses among] adults with employer-sponsored insurance,” the study said. “Greater cannabis access through MCDs and RCL may reduce [overdoses] in heavily impacted populations, indicating possible substitution of cannabis for opioids.” Though this speaks to an increasing common theme in cannabis research as it relates to opioid use, this is “the first study to our knowledge, to examine and find a negative association of MCD and RCL with [non-fatal opioid overdoses] in adults with employer-sponsored insurance,” the authors said. “Findings support continuing evidence-based opioid use disorder treatments, while policymakers treat legalization as complementary and prioritize harm reduction and treatment expansion,” it concludes. The research was funded through a grant from the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS). The specific data might be novel, but the takeaway is consistent with a growing body of scientific literature on the broader topic. For example, another research study found that, as opioids continue to drive overdose deaths, making medical cannabis available and affordable seems to help patients reduce their use of the prescription painkillers. That research came on the heels of a recent study showing 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, the study involving more than 3,500 patients found. — 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. — It also comes after President Donald Trump said marijuana can “make people feel much better” and serve as a “substitute for addictive and potentially lethal opioid painkillers.” Last month, the Trump administration announced it is moving ahead with the federal reclassification of marijuana by moving state-legal medical cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). 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 American Medical Association (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.” In August, meanwhile, Australian researchers published a study showing that marijuana can serve as an effective substitute for opioids in pain management treatment. Another study published last year in the journal Drug and Alcohol Review found that, among drug users who experience chronic pain, daily cannabis use was linked to a higher likelihood of quitting the use of opioids—especially among men. Other research also found that legalizing medical cannabis appeared to significantly reduce monetary payments from opioid manufacturers to doctors who specialize in pain, with authors finding “evidence that this decrease is due to medical marijuana becoming available as a substitute” for prescription painkillers. Other recent research also showed a decline in fatal opioid overdoses in jurisdictions where marijuana was legalized for adults. That study found a “consistent negative relationship” between legalization and fatal overdoses, with more significant effects in states that legalized cannabis earlier in the opioid crisis. Authors estimated that recreational marijuana legalization “is associated with a decrease of approximately 3.5 deaths per 100,000 individuals.” “Our findings suggest that broadening recreational marijuana access could help address the opioid epidemic,” that report said. “Previous research largely indicates that marijuana (primarily for medical use) can reduce opioid prescriptions, and we find it may also successfully reduce overdose deaths.” Another recently published report into prescription opioid use in Utah following the state’s legalization of medical marijuana found that the availability of legal cannabis both reduced opioid use by patients with chronic pain and helped drive down prescription overdose deaths statewide. Overall, results of the study indicated that “cannabis has a substantial role to play in pain management and the reduction of opioid use,” it said. The post Marijuana Legalization Is Linked To ‘Significant Reductions’ In Opioid Overdoses, Federally Funded Study Finds appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

Louisiana lawmakers have voted to send the governor a bill 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. The legislation from Rep. Gabe Firment (R) was passed by the Senate in a 23-10 vote on Monday after having cleared the Senate last month. It next heads to the desk of Gov. Jeff Landry (R), whose staff previously testified in favor of the measure at a committee hearing. HB 568 applies to people who violate drug laws “while smoking, vaping, or otherwise abusing such controlled dangerous substance while on any property used for school purposes by any school, within two thousand feet of any such property, or while on a school bus.” Firment previously told senators at a House committee hearing that his bill “strengthens enforcement of Louisiana drug-free school zone laws by creating a clear behavior-based offense, so that when someone is openly smoking or vaping illegal drug in the school zone, law enforcement can act and prosecutors can prove the case.” “For marijuana, the bill establishes a clear and consistent penalty—up to a year in jail and $1,000 fine, ensuring that violations in school zones result in real, enforceable consequences,” he said. Sen. Rick Edmonds (R) argued on the Senate floor ahead of Monday’s final vote that the bill “strengthens enforcement of Louisiana drug school zone law by adding a behavior-based trigger for violations and clarifying the penalty structure.” “The bill does not change what’s legal. It gives law enforcement a practical tool [and] ensures consistent consequences in school zones,” he said. Kevin Caldwell, Southeast legislative manager for the pro-legalization Marijuana Policy Project (MPP), said the group is “disappointed” that lawmakers passed the bill. “In almost all urban, as well as suburban, areas of the state this is a return to the failed policies of mass incarceration for cannabis,” he told Marijuana Moment. “Historically, data shows us these punitive penalties fall on the working poor and people of color. The arbitrary area, rarely if ever properly marked, is a geographic trap. The idea to make public consumption a felony is not based on reason and is not inline with the nature of the offense. The language is particularly vague for a felony charge.” “This flies in the face of polls that continue to show that the citizens of Louisiana want to see prohibition end, not ramp up enforcement,” Caldwell said. “This legislation was a priority of Governor Jeff Landry, who personally lobbied state representatives and senators to pass this legislation without any amendments. A major step backwards for Louisiana.” In 2021, then-Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) signed a bill decriminalizing marijuana by removing the threat of jail time for possessing up to 14 grams. — 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, a Louisiana Senate bill to let patients with terminal and irreversible conditions use medical marijuana in hospitals is also advancing toward final passage. Separate legislation 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 is also being considered this session. A lawmaker recently filed a proposal that would create a new state task force to “study and develop findings and recommendations regarding the potential legalization of recreational marijuana.” Another lawmaker also 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. The post Louisiana Bill To Jail People For Smoking Marijuana Near College Campuses Passes, Heading To Governor’s Desk appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

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“One of the problems in being first, like Colorado was, into the legalizing of cannabis, is that you have to learn all the unintended consequences and unforeseen outcomes the hard way.” By Christopher Osher, Denver Gazette via ProPublica This story was originally published by ProPublica. A top regulator for Colorado’s Marijuana Enforcement Division acknowledged in a private meeting with industry representatives that the amount of chemically converted hemp being illegally sold as marijuana is far greater than the agency has publicly disclosed. The remarks confirmed testing by The Denver Gazette and ProPublica, which found signs of hemp in marijuana vapes sold at dispensaries, as well as reporting that regulators have discovered that some hemp-derived vapes were contaminated with a toxic chemical. The virtual meeting, an audio recording of which was reviewed by the news organizations, was convened by members of Colorado Leads, a marijuana industry trade group, in March to discuss a problem they said had “metastasized” and now posed an “existential threat” to the nation’s first legal recreational marijuana market. During the meeting, Kyle Lambert, the enforcement division’s deputy senior director, said the number of hemp-derived products is “larger than we can quantify.” He said the agency feared the prevalence of banned hemp was driving down the price of marijuana in the state and helping facilitate the diversion of high-grade marijuana out of Colorado and into the black market in other states. Describing anomalies in the system the state uses to track marijuana production and sales, Lambert told the industry players that the extent of suspicious transactions in the system “would probably explode your minds.” Two weeks after that meeting, the division sent a bulletin to the industry that it plans to crack down on companies that illegally sell cheaper and potentially hazardous hemp products as marijuana and that it would pursue emergency rules. But it hasn’t done so yet, and other reform efforts failed during this year’s legislative session. Despite the regulators’ concerns, Colorado lawmakers, who weren’t at the March briefing, abandoned a bill that would have let voters decide whether to overhaul how marijuana products are tested for contaminants. (The Denver Gazette and ProPublica investigation found that other states have adopted stronger safety measures.) Dominique Mendiola, the senior director of the Marijuana Enforcement Division, said in a statement that the agency has “consistently been proactive in pursuing the necessary rules, legislation and authority to combat this issue.” “Lambert was speaking frankly to highlight the scale and complexity of the problem, as nominal-dollar transactions do not amount to definitive evidence of non-compliance,” Mendiola said. She added that investigations into such transactions require extensive resources and can take significant time. The problem of companies substituting hemp for marijuana dates to 2018, when Congress legalized hemp, a close cousin of marijuana that has only trace amounts of THC, the psychoactive compound that makes people high. Federal lawmakers had hoped to support farmers while satisfying advocates who believe the high levels of the nonintoxicating compound CBD in hemp help with seizures, pain and sleep. But hemp manufacturers quickly figured out how to convert CBD in hemp into THC through a process that involves toxic solvents, creating products that sometimes contain harmful chemicals and that can be more potent than products made from marijuana. Colorado became one of the first states to ban that chemical conversion process and prohibit the sale of intoxicating hemp products to its residents. But manufacturers were allowed to produce hemp products for export to other states, and some companies continue to rely on hemp within Colorado because it is cheaper than using marijuana to make the honey-colored THC distillate that goes into vapes and edibles, industry insiders say. “This has become pervasive to where it’s, like, half the market,” said Jordan Wellington, a marijuana industry lobbyist and consultant, during the meeting with Lambert and a four-person investigative team that handles the agency’s most difficult cases. “We’re past Stage 1 cancer of it being, like, one spot. It’s fully metastasized.” He said “rampant” use of hemp and other illicit material was putting pressure on honest manufacturers to cut corners to survive. “It might be the most important and existential threat we’ve ever faced as an industry,” Wellington said. When the state legalized recreational marijuana in 2012, it promised to establish a “seed-to-sale” system to track marijuana from the initial planting to the purchase of pot, vapes and other products in dispensaries. Close tracking would prevent marijuana grown in Colorado from being diverted to states where it remained illegal, supporters promised. Tracking also was supposed to assure consumers that they were buying safe, quality products. But during the March video conference, Colorado regulators confided to industry lobbyists that the tool for rooting out fraud isn’t working. “There’s a lot of really crap data in there that is hard for us to proactively go take action on,” Lambert said of the tracking system. Extensive fraud in sales transaction reporting likely means the state has lost out on millions of dollars in marijuana excise tax revenue while businesses that follow the law have paid more than their fair share, industry insiders claim. Unprocessed marijuana typically can fetch more than $600 a pound on the open market, depending on the category, but manufacturers often report to the state’s tracking system unrealistic nominal sales, often as low as a penny or dollar a pound, Lambert said. When pressed by regulators, businesses typically defended those valuations, arguing that they had submitted placeholder numbers while they were still negotiating the price of products, Lambert said. The division, which employs 26 investigators to monitor roughly 2,100 marijuana businesses, doesn’t have the resources to investigate all cases adequately, he said. “We’d love to set up, you know, surveillance on places and track vehicles and see where they come from,” he said. “Did they come from a hemp plant? Did it come from here? Where did it go? We’re not resourced or equipped to do those types of investigations.” In April, state Sens. Kyle Mullica, D-Thornton, and Marc Snyder, D–Colorado Springs, introduced the Cannabis Consumer Protection Act, which would have placed a ballot measure before voters this fall to overhaul how marijuana products are tested for contaminants, bringing Colorado in line with other states. The ballot measure would have put private labs in charge of collecting marijuana samples for the testing required before products go to dispensaries. Currently, manufacturers can select their own samples. Regulators have caught companies gaming that system by substituting samples that were different from what they sold in stores or by treating the samples with chemicals. The act also would have shifted oversight of safety and testing from the Marijuana Enforcement Division to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and funded a program in which regulators would randomly collect marijuana products from dispensaries to test them for contaminants. But the legislation collapsed as different segments of the marijuana industry clashed over a provision tucked into the bill that would have increased taxes on products with higher amounts of THC. Manufacturers of highly concentrated THC products argued that the proposed potency tax would cut into their profits while lowering costs for manufacturers of edibles like gummies. Consumer safety groups also weren’t satisfied and wanted the bill to be tougher, pushing for a strict cap on potency like Vermont has. Ultimately, the main industry trade group opposed it, and Gov. Jared Polis, through a spokesperson, said he feared the bill would cause too much regulation. The bill died, though Snyder, the cosponsor of Senate Bill 26-161, said he plans to revisit the issue in the 2027 legislative session. Snyder said he had hoped to give regulators more tools to tackle fraud. “One of the problems in being first, like Colorado was, into the legalizing of cannabis,” he said, “is that you have to learn all the unintended consequences and unforeseen outcomes the hard way.” This article was produced for ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network in partnership with The Denver Gazette. Sign up for Dispatches to get stories in your inbox every week. The post Colorado Marijuana Official Said Size Of State’s Illegal Hemp Market ‘Would Explode Your Minds’ In Leaked Meeting Recording appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

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California officials are making additional reforms to help the state’s marijuana businesses take advantage of federal tax and other benefits under Trump administration’s rescheduling move. Specifically, the Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) on Monday proposed emergency regulations to let businesses with current licenses covering both medical and recreational marijuana secure a secondary license through a streamlined process to separate out the segments of their operations in light of the fact that the federal scheduling change currently only covers medical cannabis. Under DCC’s proposal, marijuana businesses would be able to “create a second, related entity and hold two distinct licenses (one adult-use and one medicinal) at the same premises” under the expedited regulations. “DCC is working on making this pathway available due to the timing and uncertainty of the federal process,” the department said. “Additional operational components—such as track and trace requirements, local authorization, tax collection, and other implementation matters—are still being evaluated and will be addressed through future guidance or rulemaking as needed.” The proposed rules come weeks after the Justice Department finalized a process moving medical cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). One of the more consequential policy impacts of that reform is that state-licensed medical cannabis businesses will be able to take federal tax deductions under an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) code known as 280E. Broader rescheduling of marijuana will be considered at a hearing starting next month. “Things are moving quickly, and we currently have limited information about how federal implementation will unfold,” DCC Director Clint Kellum said in a notice about the move, which marks an expansion of initial reforms the department announced just days after the rescheduling announcement last month. “We continue to request meetings with the federal offices leading this work, but so far, we have not received guidance beyond what is publicly available,” he said. “We recognize this creates uncertainty for our licensees, given the size and complex structure of our medicinal and adult-use markets. ” “Our immediate focus is creating a pathway for operators interested in exploring federal registration. This includes proposing emergency regulations to create a pathway for licensees authorized to engage in retail activities to create a second, related entity and hold two distinct licenses (one adult-use and one medicinal) at the same premises.” DCC added that, in order to “maintain the integrity of the existing licensing system, certain conditions will be placed on any new licenses issued under this process to ensure that the resulting medical cannabis businesses continue to comply with all existing requirements.” Public comments on the emergency rules must be submitted to the Office of Administrative Law (OAL), with DCC copied, between May 27-31. In its prior rescheduling-related update, DCC announced that cultivation licensees “no longer need to wait until renewal to request a change to their adult-use (A) or medicinal-use (M) designation.” Additionally, DCC no longer requires a new local authorization for requests that change a license to medical designation only or add a medical designation to an existing adult-use designation. — 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. — In order to take advantage of legal benefits in line with the move to Schedule III, state-licensed medical cannabis businesses must register on DEA’s website. A currently available form covers dispensaries, and the agency recently announced that additional forms for marijuana manufacturing, distribution and testing businesses will soon be posted. Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of the Treasury and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) said they plan to issue new tax guidance for the marijuana industry following the rescheduling announcement. Back in California, state lawmakers are advancing legislation this session to allow marijuana retailers to offer drive-thru windows to serve customers. 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 Chris Wallis // Side Pocket Images. The post New California Emergency Marijuana Rules Aim To Help State’s Businesses Benefit From Trump’s Federal Rescheduling Move appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

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Even as the Trump administration recently finalized a medical marijuana rescheduling rule—and the president has pushed to maintain the legal status for full-spectrum CBD—the U.S. Army is making clear that it views all forms of cannabis and its derivatives as dangerous drugs that soldiers are banned from using. In a blog post on Thursday, officials with Army’s Directorate of Prevention, Resilience and Readiness reiterated the military branch’s position that even CBD products such as infused creams and gummies “can pose serious risks to Soldiers and mission readiness.” While CBD is “often perceived as a non-intoxicating alternative to marijuana,” Army policy stipulates that the cannabinoid is “not permitted.” All forms of cannabis—including marijuana, hemp and “all cannabinoid-containing products”—are banned under Army Regulation 600-85 “regardless of how they are marketed or consumed,” the article cautioned. States that permit the use of marijuana or hemp don’t change that policy, either. Col. Kevin Goke, deputy director at the Army Directorate of Prevention, Resilience and Readiness, said the Department of War’s (formerly known as the Department of Defense) policy “keeps the Army community healthy and workplaces drug-free.” “Soldiers are able to perform their duties to the fullest extent while maintaining the high standards required to defend the nation,” he said Andrea Donoghue, program manager for the Army Substance Abuse Program, added that the “relationship between hemp, marijuana and CBD can be confusing, sparking debate on lethality and legality.” But in all cases, the military branch maintains a blanket ban that comprises everything from hemp-derived CBD to natural delta-9 THC in marijuana to synthetic cannabinoids that are “designed to mimic THC.” Army has additionally expressed concern about the proliferation of intoxicating cannabinoids such as delta-8 THC that can be synthesized from hemp-derived CBD. “Even common hemp items containing CBD, such as vape juices, food, hair care products, oils, lotions and other cosmetics, are prohibited for Soldiers as they can lead to positive drug tests and jeopardize military careers. Additionally, products labeled as ‘THC-free’ are not always reliable, as they may be inaccurately labeled or lack consistent quality control.” “For Soldiers, the only safe and compliant path is to avoid these products entirely,” Donoghue said. The post on Army’s website goes on to say that “all types of cannabinoids can pose risks to both physical and mental readiness.” “Soldiers who use these products risk testing positive for THC and other banned substances,” it said, adding that positive drug tests for such drugs “can result in disciplinary action including loss of rank or loss of employment and benefits” under military code. “Regardless of state legality or commercial availability, the Army treats these products the same. This zero-tolerance approach protects Soldiers, maintains a drug-free force and ensures mission readiness,” Donoghue said. “The Army’s goal is to build a healthy, ready and resilient force, recognizing that peak performance comes from fitness, mental toughness, proper nutrition and responsible choices. This commitment ensures Soldiers are prepared to perform at their highest level and accomplish the mission.” Goke added that the “key takeaway for service members remains the significant risk posed by the unregulated consumer market, where THC contamination in commercial products is a documented and persistent problem.” “Therefore, until these products are regulated with the same rigor as pharmaceuticals, Army policy AR 600-85’s zero-tolerance stance remains absolute to protect our Soldiers’ careers and ensure mission readiness,” he said. Army officials concluded by stressing that “possession and use of cannabinoids, whether hemp-based or synthetic, is banned.” And while life in the military “can be challenging,” the use of cannabis or other drugs to relax, sleep or manage stress is a “sign to check in.” That could involve a participating in the Army’s substance misuse program, which is “available to help, not punish.” The branch’s reaffirmation of its cannabis-related code for soldiers comes just months after the Army updated guidance making it so recruits will no longer need to obtain a waiver to enlist if they have a single conviction for possessing marijuana or drug paraphernalia on their records. The updated regulations, which will also raise the maximum age for recruits from 35 to 42, are generally meant to expand eligibility opportunities for service in the military. And removing the marijuana waiver requirement for single possession offenses could significantly widen the candidate pool as laws around cannabis continue to evolve at the state and federal level. When it comes to drug policy around use for active duty servicemembers, however, Army has generally been consistent. In 2024, for example, Army specifically updated its drug policy to clarify that soldiers are prohibited from using intoxicating hemp cannabinoid products like delta-8 THC. It is further cautioned servicemembers against eating foods containing poppyseeds, which can produce false positives when testing for opioids. The military branch’s prior policy enacted in 2020 made clear that the “use of products made or derived from hemp,” even if it’s legal for civilians, is prohibited for soldiers. But that guidance came before delta-8 and other intoxicating cannabinoids became a mainstream feature of the largely unregulated cannabis market. Instead, the Army at the time focused on non-intoxicating CBD, which servicemembers are also barred from using. It remains the rule that prohibited cannabis products include those that are “injected, inhaled, or otherwise introduced into the human body; food products; transdermal patches, topical lotions and oils; soaps and shampoos; and other cosmetic products that are applied directly to the skin.” “This provision is punitive, and violations may be subject to punishment,” it says. The language of the earlier Army guidance seemed to apply to delta-8, even if it wasn’t explicitly mentioned, but the branch has since put the policy more clearly into writing. Meanwhile, in a notice distributed in 2024, the Army reminded military members that former President Joe Biden’s pardons for federal marijuana possession offenses didn’t apply to violations of military drug policies. Ever-shifting marijuana policies have prompted multiple military branches to clarify or adjust their own drug policies. For example, amid the military’s ongoing recruiting crisis, the Navy in 2024 announced that it was expanding authority to grant waivers to recruits who arrive at boot camp and initially test positive for marijuana, instead of simply sending them home. The change came shortly after a similar one was enacted at the Air Force, which reported in 2023 that it granted more than three times as many enlistment waivers to recruits who tested positive for THC as officials anticipated when they first expanded the waiver program in 2022. For the Air Force in particular, this waiver program represented a notable development, as the branch instituted a policy in 2019 barring service members from using even non-intoxicating CBD, even if its derived from hemp and is therefore federally legal under the 2018 farm bill. The Navy issued an initial notice in 2018 informing ranks that they’re barred from using CBD and hemp products no matter their legality. Then in 2020 it released an update explaining why it enacted the rule change. In 2022, the Naval War College warned sailors and marines about new hemp products on the market, issuing a notice that said members may test positive for marijuana if they drank a Rockstar energy drink that contained hemp seed oil. A Massachusetts base of the Air Force, meanwhile, released a notice in 2021 stating that service members can’t even bring hemp-infused products like shampoos, lotions and lip balms to the base. “Even if it’s for your pet, it’s still illegal,” the notice said. Officials with the division also said in 2018 that it wants its members to be extra careful around “grandma’s miracle sticky buns” that might contain marijuana. The Coast Guard has said sailors can’t use marijuana or visit state-legal dispensaries. In 2023, the Department of Defense (DOD) said that marijuana’s active ingredient delta-9 THC is the most common substance that appears on positive drug tests for active duty military service members. The second most common is delta-8 THC, which is found in a growing number of hemp-derived products that are being made available, including in states where marijuana itself remains illegal. One of the first attempts by the U.S. military to communicate its cannabis ban came in the form of a fake press conference in 2019, where officials took scripted questions that touched on hypotheticals like the eating cannabis-infused burritos and washing cats with CBD shampoos. That was staged around the time that DOD codified its rules around the non-intoxicating cannabinoid. In 2024, a study found that 6 in 10 military veterans support marijuana legalization generally, while an earlier survey found more than 72 percent support among veterans for U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) doctors being able to legally recommend marijuana. The post Army Reminds Soldiers Of ‘Zero-Tolerance’ Marijuana Policy, Warning That Even CBD Lotion Remains Banned appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

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New congressional bill on marijuana-impaired driving standards; IN gov pushes lawmakers on medical cannabis; Study: Cannabinoids tied to weight loss 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… Your good deed for the day: donate to an independent publisher like Marijuana Moment and ensure that as many voters as possible have access to the most in-depth cannabis reporting out there. Support our work at https://www.patreon.com/marijuanamoment / TOP THINGS TO KNOW The Department of Transportation published guidance saying that truck drivers, pilots and other safety-sensitive workers still cannot use medical cannabis without punishment despite the Trump administration’s rescheduling move. “Marijuana use is not compatible with safety-sensitive functions.” House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Sam Graves (R-MO) and Ranking Member Rick Larsen (D-WA) released the text of legislation that would require federal officials to study the issue of driving under the influence of marijuana and other drugs and propose “evidence-based impairment standards.” Indiana Gov. Mike Braun (R) said he hopes opposition to legalizing medical cannabis among legislative leaders “softens”—pointing to its benefits for military veterans when “there’s nothing else that seems to work” and noting that the state is “surrounded” by others that have already legalized. A new federally funded study found that “chronic cannabinoid exposure, particularly with cannabis extract, reduces body weight, improves glucose homeostasis and normalizes adipose tissue function in a mouse model of” diet-induced obesity. “THC and cannabis extract robustly reduced body weight and visceral adiposity in [diet-induced obesity] mice.” A broad coalition of organizations joined together to press Congress for federal marijuana legalization and comprehensive reforms to build on the Trump administration’s partial rescheduling of cannabis. / FEDERAL Customs and Border Protection included marijuana seizures in statistics about what it called “drug interdictions that save lives.” Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL) posted a video of himself discussing his House-passed veterans medical cannabis amendment. Rep. Greg Stanton (D-AZ) reported a sale of Trulieve stock valued between $15,001 and $50,000 this month. Rep. James Comer (R-KY) posted photos of himself touring a hemp business, saying he “discussed federal legislation I’m working on to try to save the hemp industry from unintended consequences of a prior Senate bill.” / STATES Minnesota lawmakers sent Gov. Tim Walz (D) legislation to revise various cannabis industry rules and require regulators to issue recommendations on creating a psilocybin therapy program. A Colorado senator withdrew his bill to create a licensing system for pop-up events that allow cannabis use. Illinois regulators adopted rules on cannabis plant monitoring and fees. New Jersey regulators discussed marijuana product testing, market expansion and labor issues. The Nevada Cannabis Compliance 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 case report concluded that “clinical application of a broad-spectrum Cannabis oil rich in CBD may represent a promising therapeutic alternative for cats affected by feline gingivostomatitis.” / ADVOCACY, OPINION & ANALYSIS The chair of the Indiana Democratic Party, a former state senator who sponsored marijuana reform bills during her time in the legislature, said it is “a little bit amusing” that some Republicans are starting to warm up to medical cannabis now. / BUSINESS The Food and Drug Administration granted breakthrough therapy status to VERTANICAL’s full-spectrum cannabis extract to treat chronic low back pain. Glass House Brands Inc. filed a prospectus supplement to its at-the-market distribution program through which it can sell up to $50 million worth of equity shares. The Global Cannabis Network Collective and Whitney Economics on pricing compression in the marijuana market. 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: Photo courtesy of Chris Wallis // Side Pocket Images. The post Feds warn truck drivers about cannabis use after rescheduling (Newsletter: May 19, 2026) appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

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“Cannabis reform is the most popular issue in American politics, and…it’s on Congress to pass a comprehensive legalization bill that centers the release of cannabis prisoners.” By Jack Gorsline, Filter A national coalition of 41 advocacy groups converged on Capitol Hill for the Cannabis Week of Unity, when a coordinated lobbying blitz pressed a gridlocked Congress to act on federal marijuana descheduling, criminal-legal reform and equitable access. The mobilization, which ran from May 12-14, brought together labor unions, veterans, civil liberties advocates, legal experts, industry executives and directly impacted individuals around three core demands: federally legalizing cannabis, releasing federal cannabis prisoners and expunging records to restore civil rights. The coalition spent three days navigating the halls of both congressional chambers to pitch a comprehensive package of 13 separate hemp and cannabis reform bills. The legislative push comes at a critical juncture. While an overwhelming majority of states have legalized medical or adult-use cannabis in some form, and the Trump administration last month rescheduled state-legal medical marijuana, federal law otherwise continues to classify the plant as a Schedule I controlled substance—creating a legal and economic paradox that advocates say can no longer be ignored. Central to the coalition’s push is the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act, introduced as HR 5068. If passed, the MORE Act would completely remove cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act, effectively ending nearly a century of federal prohibition. The bill’s provisions extend far beyond simple descheduling. It aims to eliminate all federal criminal penalties for marijuana activity, establish clear pathways for expungement and resentencing, and create community reinvestment from federal cannabis tax revenues. The bill also contains equity measures designed to lower barriers to entry for small, independent businesses attempting to navigate the highly capitalized legal market. “Cannabis reform is the most popular issue in American politics, and now that the president has signaled he is open to reform, it’s on Congress to pass a comprehensive legalization bill that centers the release of cannabis prisoners who should no longer be incarcerated,” Jason Ortiz, director of strategic initiatives for the Last Prisoner Project and cofounder of the Latino Cannabis Alliance, told Filter. Ortiz emphasized that administrative gestures must be backed by concrete statutory moves. “LPP stands ready to work with the Cannabis Caucus co-chairs and the Cannabis Unity Coalition to pass a full descheduling bill like the MORE Act,” he continued, “to finally end the nightmare that has been cannabis prohibition, and create a path for everyone incarcerated for cannabis crimes to rejoin their families and become full members of society.” A driving theme of the Week of Unity was the disproportionate impact of federal prohibition on minority communities, specifically Latino populations. In a May 13 press conference outside the Senate wing of the Capitol, advocates drew a direct line from early 20th-century anti-immigrant rhetoric to modern-day deportation statistics. “Buenos dias. My name is Jessica Gonzalez. I am an Ecuadorian immigrant, an attorney and the president of the Latino Cannabis Alliance, a national coalition of Latino advocates, attorneys, organizers, researchers and storytellers fighting to move our communities from the margins of cannabis policy to the center of it,” Gonzalez told a crowd of reporters and lawmakers. “We are Harry Anslinger’s worst nightmare.” Anslinger, the first commissioner of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, weaponized anti-Latino and anti-Black prejudice in the 1930s to secure the initial federal restriction of cannabis. Gonzalez noted that the structural machinery built during that era continues to function with devastating efficiency. “We are here because Latinos are the largest immigrant group in the country, and the cannabis industry benefits tremendously from Latino consumers and workers while staying silent on the same policies that make participation for non-citizen Latinos dangerous,” Gonzalez said. “That is a contradiction we are here to say out loud. And here is a number we do not hear often enough: 70 percent. Over 70 percent of people sentenced federally for cannabis possession are classified as Hispanic. That is not a coincidence but the result of a system that fused cannabis prohibition and immigration enforcement into a deportation pipeline, and aimed it at our families.” For non-citizens, even legal residents, a federal conviction or disclosure of cannabis possession can trigger mandatory deportation without judicial discretion. Gonzalez stated that the Latino Cannabis Alliance refuses to let the economic boom of state-sanctioned cannabis eclipse the human cost of federal inaction. “But we have never been a people who accept the terms we are given,” Gonzalez said. “My family refused when they left everything they knew and built a life in a foreign country. Our communities refused when prohibition tried to turn our families into criminals and our neighborhoods into evidence. And today the Latino Cannabis Alliance refuses to let one more family be deported, one more worker be silenced or one more community be erased from a movement we have always belonged to.” She continued that, “decriminalization is the floor, not the ceiling. We will not forget the deported. We will not forget the detained. Our work spans borders, but it begins where this system was built. Prohibition began with a lie about our people. It will end with the truth from us.” Business leaders also described the injustice and inequity of the current landscape. “Cannabis Unity Week is not a celebration of victory—it is a call to action,” said Susie Plascencia, founder of Latinas in Cannabis and a representative for the National Hispanic Cannabis Council. “Thousands of people are still incarcerated for cannabis offenses, families are still living with the consequences of prohibition and Latino communities remain disproportionately harmed and underrepresented in this industry.” Today, Plascencia pointed out multi-state marijuana operators are generating billions of dollars on public stock exchanges, yet independent, minority-owned startups face severe capital constraints due to federal banking restrictions. “Latino entrepreneurs are among the fastest-growing in the country, building businesses despite systemic barriers,” she said, “but in cannabis, many still face limited access to capital, restrictive policies and exclusion from ownership. We are building in spite of it all, but we should not have to build alone. We are here to demand federal action … Because equity is not just about repairing harm—it’s about investing in the future.” The broader drug policy reform movement also lent its institutional weight to the coalition. “As MAPS celebrates its 40th anniversary, we’re proud to join the Cannabis Unity Coalition in advancing the movement for compassionate, evidence-based drug policy,” said gina vensel, community partnerships manager for the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS). “This milestone is an opportunity to reflect on the progress made in challenging the War on Drugs while recognizing the crucial work that still lies ahead, especially around restorative justice,” vensel told Filter. “Together, we strive to dismantle stigma, educate our communities and advocate for meaningful reform. The Cannabis Unity Coalition represents the power of collective action to drive lasting, positive change.” Beyond the comprehensive framework of the MORE Act, advocates spent time on the Hill educating lawmakers on a variety of narrower measures designed to solve immediate, practical problems. Among these is the STATES 2.0 Act (HR 2934), a bipartisan bill that would amend federal law to respect state-legal cannabis programs, shielding state-regulated businesses from federal interference and asset forfeiture. Advocates also pushed for the PREPARE Act (HR 2935 / S 3576), which would establish a federal commission tasked with designing a comprehensive regulatory framework for the eventual post-prohibition transition. To counter decades of politically motivated restrictions on scientific inquiry, the coalition also advocated for the Evidence-Based Drug Policy Act (HR 3082), to remove barriers that prevent the Office of National Drug Control Policy from conducting objective research on the societal impacts of cannabis legalization. The coalition additionally brought a heavy focus to “clean slate” initiatives, housing stability and agricultural guidelines. Key legislation on this front includes the Clean Slate Act, a bipartisan measure mandating the automatic sealing of certain federal records for nonviolent cannabis convictions, to help impacted people access employment and educational opportunities. Advocates are championing the Veterans Cannabis Use for Safe Healing Act and the Veterans Equal Access Act, too—complementary bills to prevent removal of Department of Veterans Affairs benefits if veterans participate in state-legal medical cannabis programs, and to allow VA physicians to recommend medical cannabis in states where it is legal. Another item on the coalition’s agenda is the Marijuana in Federally Assisted Housing Parity Act, to protect people in federally assisted housing from eviction or denial of residency based solely on state-compliant cannabis use. Finally, organizers are seeking hemp regulatory clarifications through a suite of agricultural bills. While the coalition faced an uphill battle given entrenched congressional leadership, several lawmakers emerged from their offices to signal solidarity. Following the press conference, Representative Ilhan Omar (D-MN), spoke candidly with TMZ about shifting currents inside the Capitol. Omar noted that the immense financial drain of maintaining prohibition has fundamentally changed the conversation, making fiscal conservatives increasingly open to reform. “I will say, advocacy for legalizing doesn’t necessarily mean that you are a user, so everybody can be an advocate…because we understand that it is not OK for us to spend the billions of dollars we do now on incarcerating people for smoking a joint,” Omar said. Omar also suggested that policy positions on the Hill lag behind private reality. “I think there are a lot of people who smoke cannabis in Congress,” she said. As the three-day mobilization concluded, organizers expressed optimism, saying that the sheer breadth of the 41-group alliance forces lawmakers to view cannabis not as a boutique drug policy issue, but as a critical intersection of labor rights, immigration justice, veteran health care and economic equity, among other issues. Whether their unity can spur legislative movement in a highly polarized Congress remains to be seen, but advocates left Washington with a clear message: The floor of decriminalization has been established; the fight for the ceiling of full justice is underway. This article was originally published by Filter, an online magazine covering drug use, drug policy and human rights through a harm reduction lens. Follow Filter on Bluesky, X or Facebook, and sign up for its newsletter. The post Cannabis Advocacy Groups Push Congress For Legalization And Other Reforms Following Trump’s Rescheduling Move appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

Bipartisan leaders of a key House committee have released the text of transportation legislation containing provisions to require federal officials to study the issue of driving of driving under the influence of marijuana and other drugs and propose “evidence-based impairment standards.” Reps. Sam Graves (R-MO) and Rick Larsen (D-WA), who are, respectively, the chair and ranking member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, announced the new bill on Sunday. The 1,005-page “Building Unrivaled Infrastructure and Long-term Development (BUILD) for America’s 250th Act” covers broad areas of transportation, including roads, bridges, rail and highway programs. The proposal’s section on drug issues would require the secretary of transportation to collaborate with the heads of other relevant federal agencies to “study the effect that marijuana and polysubstance impairment has on driving” and to analyze measures for detecting and reducing impaired driving. The federal officials would then need to “propose evidence-based impairment standards for marijuana or polysubstance use,” and the transportation secretary would need to provide Congress with a report describing progress on the effort. Under a separate provision of the legislation, the secretary would be directed to establish a national drug involved crash data collection system. Its duties would be to: ‘‘(A) collect standardized toxicology data from States for fatal and serious injury crashes; (B) link crash data with medical, coroner, hospital, and emergency medical services records; and (C) provide model protocols for specimen collection, testing, and reporting.” Under that system, the Department of Transportation (DOT) could award grants to states assist with launching pilot programs for enhanced data collection and to support toxicology labs, specimen collection, training, data systems and data linkage. In order to protect people’s privacy, the data would need to be “deidentified” before it is made publicly available, including through a report the transportation secretary would be required to provide to Congress that would “analyze trends, substance types, and geographic patterns collected under the system.” The bill would require the department to spend $110 million to support the effort from Fiscal Years 2027-2031. Additionally, the legislation would direct administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to submit a report to Congress on the status of the collaborative research effort to advance impaired driving prevention technology. The announcement of the new bipartisan bill with impaired driving provisions comes days after DOT issued new guidance saying that truck drivers, airline pilots and other safety-sensitive workers still cannot use medical marijuana without punishment despite the Trump administration’s move to reschedule it. “Marijuana use is not compatible with safety-sensitive functions,” the agency said on Friday. Medical review officers (MROs) who receive drug test results indicating cannabis consumption cannot deem them to be negative for illegal substance use, even when an employee says it was the result of state-licensed medical marijuana, the department said. “Currently, there is no instance when the MRO could verify a laboratory-confirmed marijuana positive drug test result as ‘negative’ when an employee claims the positive was caused by a State licensed marijuana product,” DOT said, explaining that even after rescheduling, medical marijuana dispensed in accordance with state law “does not constitute” a drug that has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Last October, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy suggested President Donald Trump was “getting pressure” to reschedule cannabis—arguing that marijuana is “really addictive” and saying that policy reform around the issue sends a “dangerous” message. “At a time when culture is pushing and celebrating the use of marijuana, we’re not talking about the risk,” Duffy said. The post Feds Would Develop ‘Impairment Standards’ For Marijuana And Other Drugs Under New Bipartisan Transportation Bill In Congress appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

A new federally funded study is challenging a longstanding stereotype about marijuana munchies leading to obesity in lazy stoners—finding that whole extract cannabis is linked to both weight loss and and reduced risk of diabetes. Researchers at the University of California, Riverside School of Medicine set out to investigate potential reasons behind a scientific paradox. That is, if cannabinoids such as THC stimulate appetite, why have multiple previous studies found that marijuana users have healthier weights on average, as well as a lower risk of developing diabetes? The study, published in the Journal of Physiology, first involved feeding mice with a “Western diet” rich in fat and sugar. The subsequently obese rodents were then treated with either full-spectrum cannabis extract or THC alone for 30 days. “Our key findings demonstrate that THC and cannabis extract robustly reduced body weight and visceral adiposity in [diet-induced obesity] mice with notable improvements in glucose homeostasis particularly with cannabis extract—but not THC alone—improving glucose clearance,” the researchers wrote. Fat cells in healthy organisms release signaling molecules that enable the regulation of insulin secretion from the pancreas, whereas those with obesity and type-2 diabetes often experience disrupted communication to that end. Notably, the cannabis extract proved to be significantly more effective at helping mice regulate glucose compared to THC. And while extracts normalized glucose clearance in obese mice to levels seen in lean mice, the same could not be said of obese mice treated with isolated THC. This seems to be more evidence of the “entourage effect,” with marijuana proving more therapeutically effective when its cannabinoids work together rather than individually. “THC and cannabis extract robustly reduced body weight and visceral adiposity in [diet-induced obesity] mice.” “The enhanced metabolic effects observed with cannabis extract relative to THC alone in the present study may therefore reflect combinatorial or synergistic interactions among multiple cannabinoids,” the study authors wrote, adding that looking at the “contribution of individual phytocannabinoids will be an important direction for future studies.” Nicholas DiPatrizio, professor of biomedical sciences at UCR School of Medicine and lead author of the study, echoed that point. He said the data suggests “THC alone is not responsible for the metabolic benefits associated with cannabis use.” “Other compounds in the plant appear to play a critical role,” DiPatrizio, director of the UCR Center for Cannabinoid Research, said. While the preclinical research shouldn’t be taken as proof that humans should use marijuana as a weight loss or diabetes prevention supplement, he said the findings could eventually inform the development of therapeutics from non-intoxicating phytocannabinoids in the whole plant. “Clinicians, researchers, and policymakers should stay tuned and pay attention to this space,” he said. “We need evidence-based approaches to fully understand both the risks and potential benefits of cannabis and its components.” “Chronic cannabinoid exposure, particularly with cannabis extract, reduces body weight, improves glucose homeostasis and normalizes adipose tissue function in a mouse model of” diet-induced obesity. The research—which was supported by grant funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the University of California’s the Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program—ultimately underscores that there may be a potential mechanism through which fat tissue communicates with the pancreas. This is one of the latest examples of research peeling back the mysterious relationship between cannabis and body weight. For example, a study released last year on the use of marijuana components to aid weight loss found that use of a combined product containing the cannabinoids THCV and CBD “was associated with statistically significant weight loss” as well as a slimmer waistline, lower blood pressure and decreased cholesterol. A separate study in 2024 found that regular marijuana users were less likely to be obese than people who don’t consume cannabis. In fact, the analysis showed a “dose-response relationship between marijuana use and [body mass index], with the lower the BMI classification, the higher marijuana use.” People who’d used cannabis within the past month were “31 percent less likely to be obese than non-users, after adjustment,” the study says, while “daily marijuana users are 32 percent less likely to be obese than non-users.” Additional research published in 2020 found that “compared to older adult nonusers, older adult cannabis users had lower [body mass index] at the beginning of an exercise intervention study, engaged in more weekly exercise days during the intervention, and were engaging in more exercise-related activities at the conclusion of the intervention.” Another 2024 study found that young to midlife adults were neither more sedentary nor more intensely active after consuming cannabis. In fact, recent marijuana use was associated with a “marginal increase” in light exercise. “Our findings provide evidence against existing concerns that cannabis use independently promotes sedentary behavior and decreases physical activity,” authors of that paper wrote, adding that “the stereotypical ‘lazy stoner’ archetype historically portrayed with chronic cannabis use does not acknowledge the diverse uses of cannabis today.” A study published in 2023 separately linked marijuana use to an enhanced “runner’s high” and lower pain during exercise. Participants experienced “less negative affect, greater feelings of positive affect, tranquility, enjoyment, and dissociation, and more runner’s high symptoms during their cannabis (vs. non-cannabis) runs,” according to those findings. And in 2021, researchers found that frequent marijuana consumers are actually more likely to be physically active compared to their non-using counterparts. Yet another study, in 2019, found that people use cannabis to elevate their workout tend to get a healthier amount of exercise. It also concluded that consuming before or after exercising improved the experience and aided in recovery. Photo courtesy of Philip Steffan. The post Marijuana Can Play A Role In Combating Obesity, Contrary To Stereotypes About Lazy Stoners With The Munchies, New Federally Funded Study Suggests appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

Indiana’s Republican governor says he hopes that opposition to legalizing medical marijuana from GOP leaders in the state legislature “softens”—pointing to the benefits cannabis has for military veterans and other people dealing with trauma and issues “where there’s nothing else that seems to work.” Gov. Mike Braun (R) told WPTA-TV in an interview posted on Friday that Indiana is now “surrounded by four states that now have medical marijuana available,” and Hoosiers are “crossing the border” to purchase it. “I think there’s going to be a serious consideration of it,” he said of legalization legislation. “And when it comes to the medical side of it—where I said I was agnostic in general—everything I can see, I think, especially now that you have four states where it’s available, we need to look at it seriously.” A Republican state senator last week announced plans to file legislation to legalize medical marijuana in the 2027 session in light of previous comments from the governor about cannabis and as reform advances at the federal level under the Trump administration. Braun acknowledged in the new interview that his power on the issue is fairly limited and that it will be up to leadership in the state Senate and House of Representatives to put a bill on his desk. “In our state, what the governor wants to do is mostly messaging, because a veto can be overridden with a simple majority—and of course we got a supermajority,” he said. “So a lot of that needs to build steam in the legislative chambers, and the leaders there, especially in the Senate, have said they’re against it either way. I hope that softens on the medical side.” The governor said he doesn’t have specific thoughts about provisions he would like to see in the recently announced medical cannabis legislation from Sen. Mike Bohacek (R) “I think it’ll become a serious discussion now that he has broached it in the form of a bill,” Braun said. “It’s at the conceptual side now. Working out the details to get the right legislation, I think, is what announcing early, working it through the committee system, getting a lot of people to come in and testify about it—that’s how we get a good product through the legislature.” The governor recently said separately that the state is “more likely” to legalize marijuana now that the Trump administration is moving to federally reschedule cannabis. — 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. — Last month, U.S. Sen. Jim Banks (R-IN) sent a letter urging the governor to “maintain the state’s prohibitions on marijuana use” despite federal reform. Under an order signed last month by U.S. Acting Attorney General Blanche, marijuana products regulated by a state medical cannabis license immediately moved from Schedule I to Schedule III of the federal Controlled Substances Act (CSA), 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, the governor said recently. “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,” Braun 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, and members of the Indiana Board of Pharmacy have begun preliminary discussions about the impact of federal cannabis rescheduling on state policy. In March, 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 in February. 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. 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. The post Indiana Governor Touts Medical Marijuana’s Benefits For Veterans, Saying He Hopes Opposition From GOP Lawmakers ‘Softens’ appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

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Last month, the Trump administration moved to federally reclassify medical marijuana that is dispensed to patients in accordance with state programs. But that doesn’t mean truck drivers, airline pilots and other federally regulated workers can now use it without being punished, the Department of Transportation (DOT) is clarifying in a new notice. “Marijuana use is not compatible with safety-sensitive functions,” the agency said on Friday. Medical review officers (MROs) who receive drug test results indicating cannabis consumption cannot deem them to be negative for illegal substance use, even when an employee says it was the result of state-licensed medical marijuana, DOT’s guidance said. That is the case even after the Department of Justice issued an order moving state-regulated medical cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), making such use federally legal. “Currently, there is no instance when the MRO could verify a laboratory-confirmed marijuana positive drug test result as ‘negative’ when an employee claims the positive was caused by a State licensed marijuana product,” DOT said, explaining that even after rescheduling, medical marijuana dispensed in accordance with state law “does not constitute” a drug that has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). “Without FDA approval for a controlled substance, it cannot be prescribed,” DOT said. “A ‘legitimate medical explanation’ requires use of a legally prescribed controlled substance in compliance with Federal laws governing such a prescription.” Even if the worker in question presents “documentation such as State-issued medical marijuana cards, physician recommendations or certifications, or dispensary records or receipts,” those documents “do not satisfy” federal regulations governing what constitutes a “legitimate medical explanation” for use of a drug, the notice says. “Marijuana use under State marijuana programs or other non-prescription sources do not qualify as a ‘legitimate medical explanation.'” The guidance from DOT’s Office of Drug and Alcohol Policy and Compliance and its Office of the General Counsel says in a footnote that it does “not have the force and effect of law” and is “not meant to bind the public in any way.” “The document is intended only to provide clarity to the public regarding existing requirements under the law or agency policies, and compliance may be achieved in more than one way,” it says. The drug testing rules cited by DOT cover workers in aviation, trucking, railroads, mass transit, pipelines and other transportation industries. — 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. — While it is widely accepted that safety-sensitive transportation workers should not perform their jobs under the influence of marijuana or other substances, legalization supporters point out that cannabis metabolites can stay in a person’s system for weeks after use and still be detected on drug tests even when there is no impairment. DOT’s hard-line position contrasts to some extent with the findings of a recent congressional analysis of rescheduling’s impact and with how other agencies are implementing reforms in response to the move. The Congressional Research Service published a report on the current cannabis rescheduling move explaining that certified patients who possess medical marijuana from state-licensed dispensaries now have certain protections under Schedule III. “The order appears to authorize end users to possess marijuana for medical use without a CSA-compliant prescription,” it says. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has posted a draft update to a gun purchase form to acknowledge the federally legal status of medical marijuana under rescheduling. The revised section in question notably says that only “use or possession of marijuana for recreational purposes” is federally prohibited, leaving out the prior form’s mention of medical cannabis. The U.S. Department of the Treasury and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) said they plan to issue new tax guidance for the marijuana industry following rescheduling. The reform will benefit state-licensed marijuana businesses by allowing them to take federal tax deductions they’re currently barred from under an IRS code known as 280E that doesn’t apply to Schedule III substances. Even the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), which has long opposed cannabis legalization and was accused of stalling the rescheduling process initiative by the Biden administration, has launched a registration process for state-legal marijuana businesses to take advantage of federal benefits that come with the reform. DEA will also oversee a hearing starting next month to consider broader marijuana rescheduling beyond state-legal medical cannabis. DOT, for its part, stands out so far among agencies that have issued formal reactions to marijuana rescheduling by claiming that the move will not change much, if anything, for covered entities. In December, when President Donald Trump issued an executive order directing the Department of Justice to complete the process of rescheduling cannabis “in the most expeditious manner,” the transportation agency posted an advisory saying that all safety-sensitive workers must still comply with federal drug testing requirements. At the time, DOT didn’t quite specify what would change if marijuana was ultimately rescheduled, but the latest notice makes clear its view that state-legal medical cannabis under Schedule III is still no excuse for a positive drug test despite the Trump administration’s federal change. Last October, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy suggested Trump was “getting pressure” to reschedule cannabis—arguing that marijuana is “really addictive” and saying that policy reform around the issue sends a “dangerous” message. “At a time when culture is pushing and celebrating the use of marijuana, we’re not talking about the risk,” Duffy said. Then-Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieig said in 2024 that placing cannabis in Schedule III wouldn’t affect drug testing policies for commercial truckers, noting that the department specifically lists marijuana as substance to screen. “Our understanding of the rescheduling of marijuana from Schedule I to schedule III is that it would not alter DOT’s marijuana testing requirements with respect to the regulated community,” the Biden administration official said. “For private individuals who are performing safety-sensitive functions subject to drug testing, marijuana is identified by name, not by reference to one of those classes. So even if it moves in its classification, we do not believe that that would have a direct impact on that authority.” In March, DOT included a directive to substance abuse professionals to disregard attempts to justify positive tests for THC due to a worker’s use of medical marijuana or hemp oil. Meanwhile, last year, DOT proposed a new rule to update its drug testing guidelines, revising terminology around cannabis in a way that provides more specificity related to THC. In a notice published in the Federal Register last September, the department said it was proposing the rule change to “harmonize” with cannabis terminology adopted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that the administration is moving forward with marijuana rescheduling because cannabis reform is “overwhelmingly popular” with voters and because doing so will help people who need access to the drug for medical purposes. During a press event in the Oval Office, Trump spoke about the medical benefits of marijuana, saying that “a lot of people are suffering from big problems, which this seems to be the best answer.” “So hopefully you don’t need it,” the president said. “But if you do need it, I hear it’s the best of all the alternatives.” The post Truckers And Pilots Still Can’t Use Medical Marijuana Even Though Trump Reclassified It, Transportation Department Says appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

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