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As the state marijuana legalization movement continues to expand, seizures of cannabis at southern border declined again in 2023, according to data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The latest figures show agents intercepted roughly 61,000 pounds of cannabis in the region—a 29 percent drop from the year before. The new numbers represent an ongoing decline in illicit marijuana seizures by border agents as more U.S. state legalization laws come online. In 2022, CBP authorities seized 154,797 pounds of cannabis nationwide—about half of the 319,447 pounds that were seized the year before. Advocates for legalization say the data from the southern border is further evidence that state-regulated markets are shrinking demand for imported Mexican marijuana. “When it comes to cannabis, the prevailing attitude is ‘Buy American,'” NORML Deputy Director Paul Armentano said in a statement about the trend. “The rise of the regulated state-legal cannabis market has not only supplanted Americans’ demand for Mexican cannabis, but in many places it has also disrupted the unregulated domestic marketplace.” NORML noted that the 2023 figures mark a 98 percent decline in seized cannabis at the U.S.–Mexico border since 2013, when more than 2.4 million pounds were intercepted. The advocacy group also cited a survey from last year in which 52 percent of U.S. cannabis consumers said they primarily obtain marijuana from brick-and-mortar establishments. The poll found that just 6 percent said they primarily get cannabis from a “dealer.” As reports in recent years have pointed out, the dynamic has shifted so significantly that, at least in some cases, U.S. marijuana is now being smuggled into Mexico, where it commands premium prices. One vehicle recently stopped by authorities as it traveled from California to Tijuana held 5,600 jars of THC-infused gummies. NORML said similar dynamics are being observed in Canada. In 2019, the first full year of legalization in that country, just over a third (37 percent) of consumers reported buying marijuana from legal sources. By 2022, that share had nearly doubled, to 69 percent. At that point, only 4 percent of respondents said they still purchased cannabis on the unregulated market. The CBP data tracks with other indications of declines in illegal marijuana trafficking as a growing number of state laws give American consumers legal places to buy cannabis, including a March report from the U.S. Sentencing Commission that showed federal cases continue to fall. While that report didn’t cite the specific number of marijuana trafficking cases in 2023, it dipped again compared to the previous 2022 low of 806, according to an included chart. By comparison, there were roughly 5,000 cannabis cases in 2013. Meanwhile, cases involving fentanyl and powder cocaine increased again last year. Drug cases overall made up 29.9 percent of the federal criminal caseload, the second-largest category after immigration-related offenses. Despite the latest CBP figures showing a marked drop in cannabis intercepted at the southern border, the agency has recently stepped up its seizures of marijuana from state-licensed businesses. CBP has seized hundreds of thousands of dollars of marijuana from state-licensed cannabis businesses in New Mexico in recent weeks—detaining industry workers in what appears to be a localized escalation of national prohibition enforcement even as the federal government has largely refrained from interfering with the implementation of state legalization laws in recent years. According to leaked audio from a call between New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) and the Biden administration last month, the governor told federal officials she’s frustrated with CBP’s approach. Lujan Grisham’s office told Marijuana Moment last month that a Biden administration official has told the state that federal cannabis laws haven’t changed, indicating the seizures could continue. New Mexico marijuana businesses report that the more than a dozen CBP seizures, particularly at interior checkpoints around the Las Cruces area, are a relatively new phenomenon. Since adult-use marijuana sales launched in the state in 2022, the operators say they’ve generally been able to transport their products to testing facilities and retailers without incident. Starting around two months ago, however, the agency has evidently taken a more proactive approach to enforcing federal prohibition, taking hundreds of pounds of cannabis at the checkpoints inside the state. CBP is able to carry out its activities within 100 miles of the U.S. border. For now, there’s no clear solution to the New Mexico cannabis industry’s CBP problem—or clear answers about why it’s happening two years after the state’s adult-use market first opened. In the meantime, businesses have been reaching out to members of New Mexico’s congressional delegation for support. CBP’s actions against state-legal marijuana business is getting pushback in Congress as well. “The Biden-Harris Administration is not doing enough to protect states who are not waiting for the federal government to catch up,” Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), founding co-chair of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, told Marijuana Moment last month. “These seizures underscore the confusion and harm caused by the growing gap between the federal government and state-legal operations,” the congressman said. “Absent descheduling, President Biden urgently needs to issue guidance to prevent this type of infringement from happening again.” Meanwile, a 2022 report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) shed some light on who’s getting caught up in enforcement activities. At checkpoints across the country, agents are mostly taking small amounts of marijuana from American citizens rather than making large busts of international cartels, as some might assume. Also, consistent with other studies and federal reports, the GAO analysis showed a significant decline in cannabis seizures at checkpoints overall since 2016. In 2019, a coalition of senators requested a review of Border Patrol immigration checkpoint actions, citing a past report that found a significant number of searches and seizures were executed against U.S. citizens for low-level marijuana possession. It’s unclear if this new report is directly responsive to the lawmakers’ request. A separate GAO report from earlier in 2022 also criticized Border Patrol because it does “not have fields” on forms for agents “to record data on the various sub-types of marijuana that exist” such as “edibles or THC oils and waxes.” “This is noteworthy because marijuana represents 27 percent of total CBP drug seizures from fiscal years 2016 through 2021,” the report said. “Intelligence officials stated that they are unable to obtain a full picture of marijuana seizures in their analysis because these seizures are not categorized into these more specific sub-types, and each sub-type of marijuana can have its own smuggling trends.” DEA Head Tells Lawmakers It Would Be ‘Inappropriate’ To Comment On Marijuana Rescheduling Proposal Due To ‘Ongoing’ Administrative Process The post Marijuana Seizures At U.S.–Mexico Border Continue To Fall As More States Legalize, Federal Data Shows appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

A Pennsylvania GOP senator says the state is “getting close” to legalizing marijuana, but the job will only get done if House and Senate leaders sit down with the governor and “work it out.” At a rally organized by ResponsiblePA on Tuesday, Sens. Dan Laughlin (R), Sharif Street (D) and other champions of cannabis reform discussed the push for legalization, regional dynamics and the federal rescheduling action. Laughlin described himself as “one of the most unlikely advocates for legalizing adult-use cannabis” who was “as anti-pot as you could be” during his early career in the Senate. But at a picnic one year, a conversation with his son led him to reverse course. “He was advocating that we should legalize adult-use cannabis, and I rolled my eyes at him. And he said that, ‘I can make a text and have cannabis delivered to the house here probably in 20 minutes. It’s faster than Amazon,'” the senator recalled. “I was like, ‘jeez, I guess we’ve reached that point in society.’ That was kind of a pivotal moment for me.” The senator, who filed a legalization bill alongside Street last year, said it’s “ridiculous” that cannabis is legally accessible in the state’s existing medical marijuana program but criminalized outside of that context. “I think we’re getting close,” he said. “And I will say this—I say it respectfully—I don’t think we’re going to get this done, though, until the leaders of the House and Senate sit down with the governor of Pennsylvania and work it out.” “We need to work it out, and that doesn’t happen in a vacuum,” Laughlin said, adding that while he understands Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) has again included legalization in his budget proposal this year, “you need to sit down with House and Senate leadership and try and work out a package where we can get this done.” Street, for his part, said the politics around marijuana reform are “aligning.” “There’s bipartisan support—bicameral support as well,” he said. “It’s the time to do it because the states around us have already moved forward. It’s the time to do it because even the federal government is signaling rescheduling. And if we delay once again, we’ll put Pennsylvania industry behind.” He said that’ll be especially true if the federal government authorizes states to engage in interstate cannabis commerce. That wouldn’t happen with rescheduling, but there’s been talk of updating federal enforcement guidance that could theoretically address the issue. Street added that other provisions of legalization legislation such as expungements for prior cannabis convictions should be non-controversial. “There are some debates, but we need to debate those issues and to reach consensus and we need to move forward,” he said. Warren County, Pennsylvania District Attorney Robert Greene, a registered medical cannabis patient in the state, also spoke at Tuesday’s rally. In January, Greene filed a lawsuit in federal court seeking to overturn a ban preventing medical marijuana patients from buying and possessing firearms. Meanwhile, last week the governor’s office said that the Biden administration’s move to federally reschedule marijuana “adds support” for an effort to legalize cannabis in Pennsylvania. Two Pennsylvania House panels held a joint hearing to discuss marijuana legalization last month, with multiple lawmakers asking the state’s top liquor regulator about the prospect of having that agency run cannabis shops. — Marijuana Moment is tracking more than 1,400 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, members of the House Health Committee had a conversation centered on social justice and equity considerations for reform. That took place days after Rep. Amen Brown (D) filed a marijuana legalization bill that he described as “grounded in safety and social equity.” At a prior meeting in March, members focused on criminal justice implications of prohibition and the potential benefits of reform. At another hearing in February, members looked at the industry perspective, with multiple stakeholders from cannabis growing, dispensing and testing businesses, as well as clinical registrants, testifying. At the subcommittee’s previous cannabis meeting in December, members heard testimony and asked questions about various elements of marijuana oversight, including promoting social equity and business opportunities, laboratory testing and public versus private operation of a state-legal cannabis industry. And during the panel’s first meeting late last year, Frankel said that state-run stores are “certainly an option” he’s considering for Pennsylvania, similar to what New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R) recommended for that state last year, though a state commission later shied away from that plan. The cannabis proposal the Brown filed in the House last month is an identical companion to a bipartisan Senate cannabis legalization measure that was introduced last year. Congressional Researchers Say It’s ‘Likely’ Marijuana Will Be Rescheduled, But It Wouldn’t Fix Federal-State Policy Gap Photo courtesy of Mike Latimer. The post Pennsylvania GOP Senator Says State Is ‘Getting Close’ To Legalizing Marijuana, But Lawmakers Must ‘Work It Out’ With Governor appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

States have now generated more than $20 billion in adult-use marijuana tax revenue since the first markets opened a decade ago, according to a new report from a top cannabis reform advocacy group. The Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) also said that in 2023 alone, states collected over $4 billion in recreational cannabis tax revenue—the most ever generated in a single year. That’s despite the fact that revenue in several major states such as Colorado and Nevada declined last year. But new and evolving state markets more than made up the difference, and that trend is expected to continue as additional legalization laws are implemented soon in places such as Delaware and Ohio. “State-legal cannabis sales continue to provide significant economic benefits,” Karen O’Keefe, director of state policies at MPP, said in a press release. “With over $20 billion generated in adult-use cannabis tax revenue since the first sales began, the legal cannabis industry is providing much-needed funding for crucial services and programs in states across the country.” “Additionally, the implementation of adult-use cannabis markets has spurred significant job growth, creating hundreds of thousands of new employment opportunities, along with thousands of new small businesses,” she said. The report focuses on adult-use marijuana taxes and does not account for revenue generated from the sale of medical cannabis, which is now legal in 38 states. In 2022, marijuana tax revenue was lower than the prior year for the first time, which experts attributed to a “multitude of factors,” including COVID-related policies and trends. Here are the 2023 state-by-state totals: • Alaska: $28,097,114 • Arizona: $257,929,322 • California: $1,082,452,368 • Colorado: $256,756,467 • Connecticut: $24,613,367 • Illinois: $552,166,729 • Maine: $35,593,347 • Maryland: approximately $29,880,000 • Massachusetts: $263,488,752 • Michigan: $473,303,560 • Missouri: $105,941,225 • Montana: $51,636,106 • Nevada: $178,135,259 • New Jersey: $45,083,223 • New Mexico: $67,440,312 • New York: approximately $21,000,000 • Rhode Island: $12,621,982 • Oregon: $148,133,667 • Washington: $532,516,060 • Vermont: $21,642,857 • Overall Total: approximately $4,188,431,717 Meanwhile, last fall the U.S. Census Bureau launched a map detailing the proportion of state revenue made up by marijuana tax money. — Marijuana Moment is tracking more than 1,400 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. — Some states have recently seen milestones in marijuana sales numbers, including Massachusetts, which recently recorded more than $7 billion in combined medical and recreational sales since adult-use stores opened there in late 2018. New Mexico officials also celebrated a new milestone for the state’s marijuana industry, with retailers recording more than $1 billion in total sales since the launch of the state’s adult-use cannabis market in 2022. And in Missouri, the state announced earlier this year that licensed retailers sold more than $1.4 billion worth of legal cannabis during the first full year of legal sales. Meanwhile more than half a dozen states broke monthly sales records last December, with many relatively new adult-use cannabis markets continuing to expand and American shoppers in general stepping up holiday spending. The multinational investment firm TD Cowen said in February it projects legal cannabis sales will reach $37 billion in 2027, up from what it said was about $29 billion in 2023. At least some of that growth is expected to come from increased substitution of cannabis for alcohol, particularly among younger adults. Vermont Lawmakers Send Bill To Legalize And Fund Safe Drug Consumption Site To Governor’s Desk The post States Have Generated Over $20 Billion In Marijuana Tax Revenue Since First Markets Opened, New Report Finds appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

“I don’t know what the problems are, but we need to get that resolved over there or we are going to have to do something legislatively to correct this.” By Ralph Chapoco, Alabama Reflector The head of the Senate’s General Fund budget committee last week vented frustration at the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission’s legal woes. Speaking at Thursday’s Contract Review Committee meeting, Sen. Greg Albritton (R-Atmore), the chair of the Senate’s Finance and Taxation General Fund Committee, said the ongoing litigation over the commission’s licensing process had turned it into a “money pit.” “Right now, we are putting money into it,” he said. “Right now, we are having more and more and more suits coming in. I don’t know what the problems are, but we need to get that resolved over there or we are going to have to do something legislatively to correct this.” Brittany Peters, a spokeswoman for the AMCC, said in a statement Monday that the commission’s “longstanding position” was seeing the state medical cannabis program “become fully operational as soon as possible.” “With the priority of serving patients in the state who would benefit from medical cannabis, the commission is committed to defending against the lawsuits filed by disappointed applicants,” the statement said. “The commission is hopeful that the Legislature shares this same commitment to patient needs, and it welcomes further conversation with lawmakers” The senator directed his comments to Gunter Guy, general counsel with Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries, who presented the committee with a legal contract for a firm to represent the commission. The Department presented legislators with a new contract for $100,000 funded by the state for years at a rate of $195 per hour to Gregg B. Everett, Esq.; Gilpin & Givhan, PC, a firm based out of Montgomery. According to the accompanying agenda packet, attorneys for the firm will represent Commissioner Rick Pate and the Department of Agriculture and Industries in “several lawsuits” regarding the commission. The Department justified the contract by stating that it is “complex litigation which requires legal services not available within the Department.” The Alabama Legislature passed a bill in 2021 to establish a medical cannabis program to help address several illnesses, from cancer and depression to Parkinson’s Disease and PTSD. The Commission first awarded licenses back in June, but the body had to reclaim the licenses after members found scoring inconsistencies in the evaluation of applications. Commissioners awarded a second round of licenses in August, but those were delayed amid litigation alleging the AMCC violated the Open Meetings Act. Another suit has halted some licenses getting awarded in December. “I am expressing my frustration over how adults can seem to find our way into a hole such as this without a clear path to where we thought we were going,” said Albritton, who voted for the 2021 measure. Sen. Dan Roberts (R-Mountain Brook), the chair of the committee, said he “couldn’t agree more.” “As you are aware, the Agriculture Commissioner was put on this group,” he said. “And there is legislation working through our system now that would remove him from this and thus stop the need for Ag and Industries to come into contract.” — Marijuana Moment is tracking more than 1,400 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. — Attempts to address the jams through legislation have stalled. In April, the Senate Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry Committee approved SB 306, sponsored by Sen. Tim Melson (R-Florence), who sponsored the 2021 bill. The legislation would restart the licensing process and give up some of its powers to judge applications. Under the legislation, the Alabama Securities Commission will verify and evaluate applicants’ proposals, then send the results to the AMCC to select the candidates. The commission would oversee regulation and enforcement. The bill has not come out for a vote in the Senate. With only three days left in the 2024 session, the legislation has a very tight window to pass. SB 276, a bill sponsored by Sen. David Sessions (R-Grand Bay), which would have increased the licenses available, is also awaiting a Senate vote. Albritton said Thursday that if the issues cannot be resolved, then it may be time to do away with the program, saying “maybe we ought to simply dispose of it.” This story was first published by Alabama Reflector. Georgians Have High Hopes That Rescheduling Will Make It Easier For Patients To Obtain Medical Marijuana Through Pharmacies Photo courtesy of Chris Wallis // Side Pocket Images. The post Alabama Senator Calls State Medical Cannabis Commission A ‘Money Pit’ Amid Ongoing Litigation appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

Lawmakers in Vermont have passed legislation to legalize and fund a Burlington facility where people could use currently prohibited substances in a medically supervised environment—part of a pilot program aimed at quelling the state’s ongoing epidemic of drug-related deaths. The measure now heads to the desk of Gov. Phil Scott (R), who vetoed an earlier 2022 measure that would have created a task force to study such sites. The House of Representatives signed off on Senate-made changes to the bill, H.72, in a voice vote on Tuesday. The Senate approved the measure after making the changes last week. House lawmakers approved a previous version of the bill in January, as Rep. Theresa Wood (D) reminded colleagues ahead of Tuesday’s floor vote. “Members may have forgotten about this bill,” she joked. “It was one of the very first ones we passed back in January.” If enacted, the legislation would create an overdose prevention centers (OPC) Burlington, with $1.1 million set aside in funding plus another $300,000 to study the study the impact of the pilot project. The OPC would need to have on-site professionals with training in CPR, overdose interventions, first aid and wound care, as well as medical assessments to determine the need for further emergency care. “The Vermont Department of Health has a public health campaign that tells all people with substance use disorder to never use alone, because doing so can be extremely dangerous,” Wood told House colleagues. “Between 2012 and 2023, there were over 1,500 Vermonters that died. The vast majority of them did not have a bystander. This is a shocking loss of lives—lives that were our friends, our family members, our community members and so many Vermonters, all of whom deserved a chance to live and heal.” Beyond establishing a site where people could use drugs in a medically supervised setting, the bill also now includes a Senate-added requirement that the facility provide drug-checking services, and it includes language on criminal immunity for OPC staff, property holders and others to ensure they aren’t subject to arrest or prosecution as the result of good-faith overdose prevention efforts. If it becomes law, Vermont would join Rhode Island and Minnesota in authorizing the facilities. Sponsored by Rep. Taylor Small (P/D) and 28 House colleagues, the bill is another attempt by lawmakers to allow overdose prevention centers following Scott’s veto of a 2022 measure that would have established a task force to create a plan to open the sites. Earlier this year, the governor said he’s still skeptical of this session’s proposal. “I just don’t think that a government entity should be in the business of enabling those who are addicted to these drugs that are illegal,” he said in January, as the measure passed out of the House in its earlier form. Scott wrote in his 2022 veto message on the earlier legislation that “it seems counterintuitive to divert resources from proven harm reduction strategies to plan injection sites without clear data on the effectiveness of this approach.” Some who opposed the bill during Tuesday’s House session said they felt it was premature, as the sites are not federally approved. “If this site does get established in Burlington, you can be assured that I may be the first one going on up there saying, ‘How can I help?'” said Rep. Eric McGuire, a program manager at a family services center in Rutland who provides volunteer ministerial services at the Vermont Department of Corrections. “But this is not a proven practice at this time in our country.” “I believe in cutting edge approaches to harm reduction as a practitioner in our field,” McGuire said, but he added that “we have an obligation and a duty as practitioners to follow the models as outlined, whether it’s the ethical standards and the moral standards,” arguing that OPCs have not been recognized by the American Society of Addiction Medicine, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) or the National Institutes of Health. “My fear is this is going to result in unintended consequences that could damage anything moving any further,” he said. Rep. Casey Toof (R) said he agreed with McGuire’s criticism but also opposed using money from the state’s opioid settlement fund to pay for a single site in Burlington. “I’m just looking at the $1.1 million that we’re going to allocate to one municipality that the rest of the state’s gonna have to pick up and pay for,” he said. “I don’t see my constituents using the services that are provided in these injection booths.” “This is a pilot project,” responded Wood. “I want to point out that this is a pilot project, very much for us to learn from this experience. And the city of Burlington is equipped—and has requested, frankly, the ability to be a pilot project for this.” She said the experiment could “assist in saving lives in the city of Burlington and assist our state in understanding better what this could mean for harm reduction.” Today's press conference was powerful with so many voices in support of #OPCs. And, today bill H.72 officially passed the #VT legislature! #vtpoli It's time for OPCs in VT. Tell Gov. Scott to sign the bill: https://t.co/SV2H3t40wK pic.twitter.com/vbBszgcuvQ — Decriminalize Vermont (@DecrimVermont) May 7, 2024 As passed by the House earlier this year, the legislation would have instead created two overdose prevention centers (OPCs) in undeclared parts of the state, with $2 million set aside in funding for the facilities. A broad amendment adopted in the Senate Health and Welfare Committee last month, however, narrowed the pilot program to a single site in the city of Burlington, where officials have expressed interest in hosting a facility. In addition to endorsements from the current and former mayors of Burlington itself, the proposal has support from advocacy groups including the Drug Policy Alliance, Law Enforcement Action Partnership, National Harm Reduction Coalition, the American Diabetes Association, Planned Parenthood of Northern New England, Johnson Health Center, Broken No More, Recovery Vermont and the Vermont Association for Mental Health Addiction and Recovery. Separately on Tuesday, a Vermont’s Senate committee endorsed a small change to a measure that would establish a working group to study whether and how to allow therapeutic access to psychedelics, a proposal that next heads to the chamber floor. If that bill becomes law, a report from the working group would be due to the legislature in November with recommendations on how to regulate the substances. The change approved in committee would direct the Vermont Psychological Association to collaborate with the state Department of Health to help staff and provide technical assistance to body. As originally introduced, that bill, S.114, would have also legalized use and possession of psilocybin, but lawmakers on the Senate Health and Welfare Committee nixed that section to focus instead on the working group. Though Rhode Island and Minnesota have state laws on the books allowing safe drug consumption sites, New York City became the first U.S. jurisdiction to open locally sanctioned harm reduction centers in November 2021, and officials have reported positive results saving lives. An early study published by the American Medical Association (AMA) found that the facilities had decreased the risk of overdose, steered people away from using drugs in public and provided other ancillary health services to people who use illicit substances. And separate research published by AMA late last year found that the centers have not led to increased crime despite a significant decrease in arrests. Meanwhile the federal government has fought an effort to open an overdose prevention center in Philadelphia, with the Biden administration arguing that the facilities violate federal law. Last month, the court in that case granted the Justice Department’s motion to dismiss a challenge from organizers. The Supreme Court rejected a request to that hear that case in October 2021. DOJ first blocked the Philadelphia nonprofit from opening the overdose prevention center under the Trump administration. Supporters hoped the department would cede the issue under President Joe Biden, who has promoted harm reduction policies as an alternative to criminalization, but the parties could not reach an agreement to allow the facility to open despite months of “good faith” negotiations. Congressional researchers have highlighted the “uncertainty” of the federal government’s position on such facilities, pointing out last November that lawmakers could temporarily resolve the issue by advancing an amendment modeled after the one that has allowed medical marijuana laws to be implemented without Justice Department interference. Meanwhile, National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Director Nora Volkow has tacitly endorsed the idea of authorizing safe consumption sites, arguing that evidence has effectively demonstrated that the facilities can prevent overdose deaths. Volkow declined to say specifically what she believes should happen with the ongoing lawsuit, but she said safe consumption sites that have been the subject of research “have shown that it has saved a significant [percentage of] patients from overdosing.” Rahul Gupta, the White House drug czar, has said the Biden administration is reviewing broader drug policy harm reduction proposals, including the authorization of supervised consumption sites, and he went so far as to suggest possible decriminalization. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) put out a pair of requests for applications in December 2021 to investigate how safe consumption sites and other harm reduction policies could help address the drug crisis. Gupta, the director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), has said it’s critical to explore “any and every option” to reduce overdose deaths, which could include allowing safe consumption sites for illegal substances if the evidence supports their efficacy. Democratic Congressman Lays Out New Marijuana Agenda To Reflect Renewed ‘Optimism’ Amid Rescheduling Move The post Vermont Lawmakers Send Bill To Legalize And Fund Safe Drug Consumption Site To Governor’s Desk appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

It “appears likely” that the federal government will reschedule marijuana, congressional researchers say in a new report. But Congress still has the authority to address the federal-state cannabis policy gap “before or after” that reform is enacted. Days after the Justice Department announced that it was moving forward with plans to move marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), the Congressional Research Service (CRS) released a report outlining policy considerations for legislators. “Given the current marijuana law and policy gap between the federal government and most states, there are a number of issues that Congress may address,” CRS said. “These topics include, but are not limited to, marijuana’s designation under the CSA, financial services for marijuana businesses, federal tax issues for these businesses, oversight of federal law enforcement and its role in enforcing federal marijuana laws, and states’ implementation of marijuana laws.” “In addressing state-level legalization efforts, Congress could take several routes. It could take no action, in which case it appears likely DEA will move marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III,” it said. “Congress could also enact marijuana legislation before or after DEA acts on rescheduling.” CRS has repeatedly drawn attention to the policy gulf that’s widened as more states have moved to legalize marijuana. That won’t necessarily change if the federal government reschedules cannabis, which would not legalize it, but it does renew interest in possible legislative solutions. “Although state laws do not affect the status of marijuana under federal law or the ability of the federal government to enforce it, state legalization initiatives have spurred a number of questions regarding potential implications for federal laws and policies, including federal drug regulation, and access to banking and other services for marijuana businesses,” the report says. “Thus far, the federal response to states’ legalizing marijuana largely has been to allow states to implement their own laws.” CRS said that potential legislative options for Congress include implementing “more or less stringent marijuana control, ranging from pushing for federal law enforcement to dismantle state medical and recreational marijuana programs to limiting federal marijuana regulation through means such as appropriations provisions, to rescheduling or de-controlling marijuana under the CSA.” “This last option would largely eliminate the gap with states that have authorized recreational and comprehensive medical marijuana,” the report says. “As Congress considers these questions, states may continue to act on marijuana legalization. No state has reversed its legalization of either medical or recreational marijuana at this time.” — Marijuana Moment is tracking more than 1,400 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. — CRS also released a separate report last week asserting that, if the federal government reschedules marijuana as proposed by the Justice Department, the move would not legalize cannabis or bring state-regulated markets “into compliance.” The report echoes points CRS made in a separate marijuana analysis published in January. “Rescheduling or descheduling marijuana under the CSA could raise additional legal questions,” it said, noting the potential role of FDA in regulating cannabis products and the possibility of Congress establishing a regulatory framework for marijuana. To that end, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and colleagues reintroduced legislation this week to federally legalize cannabis and impose certain regulations. The bill’s prospects are dubious in the current divided Congress, however. Meanwhile, the top Democrat in the U.S. House said last week that the Biden administration’s move to reschedule marijuana is a “step in the right direction,” but it should be followed up with congressional action such as passing the legalization bill Schumer filed. Biden Should Release People In Prison For Marijuana, Criminal Defense Lawyers Group Tells White House Photo courtesy of Chris Wallis // Side Pocket Images. The post Congressional Researchers Say It’s ‘Likely’ Marijuana Will Be Rescheduled, But It Wouldn’t Fix Federal-State Policy Gap appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

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IRS on SAFE Banking; Congressman’s marijuana memo; NH gov on legalization; GA cannabis in pharmacies; SD ballot; AK psychedelics; FDA MDMA meeting 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… Free to read (but not free to produce)! We’re proud of our newsletter and the reporting we publish at Marijuana Moment, and we’re happy to provide it for free. But it takes a lot of work and resources to make this happen. If you value Marijuana Moment, invest in our success on Patreon so we can expand our coverage and more readers can benefit: https://www.patreon.com/marijuanamoment / TOP THINGS TO KNOW Drug Enforcement Administration head Anne Milgram told lawmakers that due to her role in the “ongoing” marijuana rescheduling rulemaking process, it would be “inappropriate” for her to respond to their questions about the issue during a hearing. Internal Revenue Service Commissioner Daniel Werfel told lawmakers at a hearing that passing a marijuana banking bill would drive “integrity and quality control” in the financial system while reducing “uncertainties and variables” in a way that is “helpful to the taxpayer” as well as to the federal government. Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) published a new memo on “optimism for the path ahead” for marijuana reform— laying out specific next steps Congress and the administration can take as cannabis moves to Schedule III. New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R) said he will sign a marijuana legalization into law if senators make certain key changes to a House-passed bill. South Dakota marijuana activists submitted what they say are more than enough signatures to put a legalization initiative on the November ballot. Georgia regulators and businesses spoke to Marijuana Moment about the possibility that federal rescheduling could allow pharmacies to begin selling medical cannabis under a state policy that was interrupted when the Drug Enforcement Administration sent threat letters last year. The Food and Drug Administration’s Psychopharmacologic Drugs Advisory Committee will meet next month to consider an application to approve MDMA-assisted therapy for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder. Former Rep. Rodney Davis (R-IL) said the federal marijuana rescheduling move will make his fellow Republicans “​​more comfortable voting yes” for incremental reforms like a cannabis banking bill. The Alaska Senate Judiciary Committee approved a House-passed bill to create a task force to study how to license and regulate psychedelic-assisted therapy following federal approval of substances like MDMA and psilocybin. A new study of women with female orgasmic disorder found that “cannabis use increased orgasm frequency, eased orgasm difficulty, and improved orgasm satisfaction.” Ohio officials will consider adding FOD as a medical marijuana qualifying condition on Wednesday. Negotiations between Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) and a group of tribal nations within the state could make the tribes major players in the marijuana industry—both on and off reservation land, including in urban areas. / FEDERAL Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) tweeted, “It is far past time that the federal government catch up to WA state when it comes to cannabis laws. I helped reintroduce legislation that will set us on a safe and responsible pathway to cannabis legalization. This a common-sense legislation—& we’ve got to get it done.” Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) tweeted, “America’s federal marijuana laws simply do NOT make sense, and the enforcement of these laws are riddled with hypocrisy and injustice.” Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI) cheered the federal marijuana rescheduling decision in a House floor speech. Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL) tweeted, “Medical marijuana can help veterans manage PTSD and other battlefield injuries. The federal government should get out of the way and let states chart their own course.” The House bill to federally legalize marijuana got one new cosponsor for a total of 87. The House marijuana banking bill got one new cosponsor for a total of 117. / STATES Indiana lawmakers discussed the implications of the federal marijuana rescheduling decision on prospects for enacting reform at the state level. A Pennsylvania senator spoke about his bill to protect gun rights for medical cannabis patients. New Jersey’s top marijuana regulator is transitioning to a new role in the Department of Health. California regulators issued a consumer advisory about a marijuana product recall due to the presence of aspergillus. Vermont regulators issued guidance on cannabis seeds and clones. Delaware’s top marijuana regulator gave an update on legalization implementation efforts to the Lewes mayor and City Council. Minnesota regulators are accepting responses on a survey about developing marijuana rules. New Mexico’s medical cannabis patient population is declining. Michigan marijuana regulators will host a statewide municipal summit on May 14. — Marijuana Moment is tracking more than 1,400 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. — / LOCAL New York City officials launched an operation to shut down unlicensed marijuana businesses. / INTERNATIONAL Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau debated the head of the Conservative Party about drug decriminalization on the floor of the House of Commons. The UK Food Standards Agency granted its first positive safety assessment to a CBD product intended for use as a novel food supplement. The Victoria, Australia government is funding research on the effects of medical cannabis on driver impairment. / SCIENCE & HEALTH A review concluded that “the current literature landscape suggests that medicinal cannabis could be used as a therapy in [opioid use disorder]” but that “the majority of existing research is preclinical, observational or epidemiological, hindering reliability due to the inability to generalise animal-findings to humans and the potential for extraneous factors to impact results in observational research.” A study found that “psilocybin restrains activity-based anorexia in female rats by enhancing cognitive flexibility.” / ADVOCACY, OPINION & ANALYSIS The Medical Society of The State of New York issued a statement about the federal move to reschedule marijuana, saying the Drug Enforcement Administration “has been moving at glacier speed on this.” The Healing Advocacy Fund has a new executive director. / BUSINESS Ascend Wellness Holdings, Inc. reported quarterly net revenue of $142.4 million and a net loss of $18.2 million. Canopy Growth Corporation confirmed that Canopy USA, LLC has exercised options to acquire Wana and Jetty. Planet 13 Holdings Inc. closed its sale of Planet 13 Florida, Inc. Cronos Group Inc. is entering the UK medical cannabis market. Numinus Wellness Inc. announced a strategic plan “designed to streamline expenses and sharpen the company’s focus on its higher-growth U.S. operations.” Make sure to subscribe to get Marijuana Moment’s daily dispatch in your inbox. Get our daily newsletter. Email address: Leave this field empty if you're human: The post DEA head ducks cannabis questions from Congress (Newsletter: May 8, 2024) appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

Ahead of a decision by Ohio officials on whether to add female orgasmic disorder (FOD) as a qualifying condition for the state’s medical marijuana program, a new study highlights the benefits that researchers say cannabis could offer people with the condition—including increased orgasm ease and satisfaction. The 10-page study, published in the journal Sexual Medicine, draws on a 2022 survey of “sexually active women who used cannabis.” Among those who experienced challenges in achieving orgasm, more than 7 in 10 said cannabis use increased orgasm ease (71 percent) and frequency (72.9 percent), and two-thirds (67 percent) said it improved orgasm satisfaction. “The results corroborate 50 years of anecdotal and learned speculation about cannabis helping women with FOD,” the paper says. “The research found that cannabis use increased orgasm frequency, eased orgasm difficulty, and improved orgasm satisfaction. At the same time, the results opened new areas of discussion.” For example, results of the survey found that women with one or more mental health diagnoses who used cannabis before partnered sex had “a more positive orgasm response regardless of whether they have FOD,” which authors noted was “consistent with research finding that women with FOD experience high rates of mental health diagnoses, prescription drug use, or PTSD.” “Cannabis-related treatment appears to provide benefit to women who have female orgasm difficulties or dysfunction.” Anxiety was one area of significant overlap with FOD. “Women with anxiety disorders represented 44% (172/387) of women in this study,” the research found. “They were 3.5 times more likely to have FOD than nonanxious women.” Another new finding was that using marijuana resulted in more orgasms for women who were survivors of sexual abuse. “Sexual abuse survivors’ number 1 sexual complaint is orgasm difficulty,” the report says, “coupled with high rates of PTSD. This study revealed that 33% more women with sexual abuse histories reported FOD than women without FOD.” THC in cannabis could be helping in those situations through by reducing “activity in the hippocampus and amygdala, the parts of the brain that store and react to traumatic memories,” authors wrote. “This activity may play a role in extinguishing traumatic memories and result in a more positive orgasm experience.” A separate report from the same dataset, by the same authors—clinical sexologist Suzanne Mulvehill and Jordan Tishler, a doctor at the Association of Cannabinoid Specialists and the company inhaleMD—was published in March by the Journal of Sexual Medicine in a shorter, two-page form. Mulvehill told Marijuana Moment the full study, including methodology and other details, will be coming out in the journal Sexual Medicine Online in the coming months. “Cannabis may be a treatment for women with difficulty achieving orgasm during partnered sex.” The latest publication comes ahead of a board meeting on Wednesday of Ohio’s State Medical Board, where a medical marijuana committee has been considering adding FOD as a qualifying condition for the state’s medical cannabis program. Following a meeting of that committee, the full board may vote on the proposal, Mulvehill told Marijuana Moment in an email. Mulvehill has been one of the leaders behind state-level efforts to recognize female orgasmic disorder as a qualifying condition for medical marijuana and submitted the Ohio petition last year that led to the forthcoming vote. The state medical board announced in February that FOD, along with autism spectrum disorder, would move forward for expert review and public comment following submission of the petitions. As for how marijuana might benefit people with FOD, the new Sexual Medicine report points to a few possible theories. Among them is dishabitation theory, the idea that cannabis “lessens the routine of habits, such as cognitive distraction, a known FOD cause.” Neuroplasticity theory, meanwhile, “proposes that some women learn to orgasm while using cannabis, as seen in comments in this study and anecdotally.” “Cannabis and endocannabinoids, the cannabinoids created by the human body, are increasingly recognized for their roles in neural development processes, including brain cell growth and neuroplasticity,” the study says. “The frequency of cannabis use before partnered sex correlated with increased orgasm frequency for women who experienced difficulties achieving orgasm.” The research found that cannabis use did not help all women orgasm. “Among survey respondents,” it says, “4% reported never having an orgasm, even though they used cannabis before partnered sex.” Because of the survey methodology, the report says findings “may not be generalizable to women who rarely use or do not use cannabis before sex, women who have never had an orgasm, or women who do not have female genitalia.” Further, the study didn’t not the type or amount of cannabis used. Amid the growing evidence, Ohio is one of at least four states that have considered adding FOD as a qualifying condition this year, along with Illinois, New Mexico and Connecticut. In March, officials in Illinois voted in favor of the addition. In order to be formally enacted, the state Medical Cannabis Advisory Board’s new recommendation will need to be approved by the state Department of Health. New Mexico regulators are expected to hold a hearing on the issue this month, and Connecticut is planning to review a similar proposal, though a meeting date has not yet been set. There’s growing evidence that marijuana can improve sexual function, regardless of sex or gender. A study last year in the Journal of Cannabis Research found that more than 70 percent of surveyed adults said cannabis before sex increased desire and improved orgasms, while 62.5 percent said cannabis enhanced pleasure while masturbating. Because past findings indicated women who have sex with men are typically less likely to orgasm than their partners, authors of that study said cannabis “can potentially close the orgasm in equality gap.” A 2020 study in the journal Sexual Medicine, meanwhile, found that women who used cannabis more often had better sex. Numerous online surveys have also reported positive associations between marijuana and sex. One study even found a connection between the passage of marijuana laws and increased sexual activity. Yet another study, however, cautions that more marijuana doesn’t necessarily mean better sex. A literature review published in 2019 found that cannabis’s impact on libido may depend on dosage, with lower amounts of THC correlating with the highest levels of arousal and satisfaction. Most studies showed that marijuana has a positive effect on women’s sexual function, the study found, but too much THC can actually backfire. “Several studies have evaluated the effects of marijuana on libido, and it seems that changes in desire may be dose dependent,” the review’s authors wrote. “Studies support that lower doses improve desire but higher doses either lower desire or do not affect desire at all.” Part of what cannabis appears to do to improve orgasms is interact with and disrupt the brain’s default mode network, Tishler, Mulvehill’s co-author, told Marijuana Moment in an interview earlier this year. “For many of these women, who cannot or do not have an orgasm, there’s some complex interplay between the frontal lobe—which is kind of the ‘should have, would have, could have [part of the brain]’—and then the limbic system, which is the ’emotional, fear, bad memories, anger,’ those sorts of things,” he said. “That’s all moderated through the default mode network.” Modulating the default mode network is also central to many psychedelic-assisted therapies. And some research has indicated that those substances, too, may improve sexual pleasure and function. A paper earlier this year in the journal Nature Scientific Reports, which purported to be the first scientific study to formally explore the effects of psychedelics on sexual functioning, found that drugs such as psilocybin mushrooms and LSD could have beneficial effects on sexual functioning even months after use. “On the surface, this type of research may seem ‘quirky,’” one of the authors of that study said, “but the psychological aspects of sexual function—including how we think about our own bodies, our attraction to our partners, and our ability to connect to people intimately—are all important to psychological wellbeing in sexually active adults.” Feds Announce Plan To Fund Research On Using Psychedelics To Treat Chronic Pain In Older Adults The post Cannabis Can Help Treat Female Orgasmic Disorder, Study Finds As Ohio Officials Consider Adding It As Qualifying Condition appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

South Dakota activists have officially turned in what they believe will be more than enough valid signatures to put a marijuana legalization initiative on the state’s ballot for the third time this November. South Dakotans for Better Marijuana Laws (SDBML) delivered 29,030 signatures to the secretary of state’s office on Tuesday’s turn-in deadline. They need 17,508 of those to be verified in order to make the ballot. For months it’s been unclear if the grassroots efforts would be able reach the signature threshold for ballot placement, as national industry and philanthropic financial support has been negligible this cycle. But the campaign pushed forward, and now they’ll wait for final confirmation from the state. “Today is the culmination of seven months of hard work by advocates and volunteers across South Dakota,” Matthew Schweich, executive director of SDBML, said in a press release. “We are very confident that we have collected enough signatures from registered voters to qualify for this November’s ballot.” Voters did approve a legalization initiative in 2020, but it later was invalidated by the state Supreme Court over single-subject concerns. The campaign’s second initiative in 2022 was rejected by voters. A separate medical cannabis initiative that was also approved by voters in 2020 was not challenged and remains state law. “Things all seem to be moving in the right direction for South Dakota to finally win the freedom they voted for a few years ago,” Deb Peters, president of the Cannabis Industry Association of South Dakota, said. “At the federal level, things are moving towards a responsible rescheduling and dozens of states are seeing the tax benefits of recreational cannabis legalization. It’s inspiring to see this industry come together and work so hard. We’re looking forward to Election Day.” Today we submitted 29,030 signatures to the Sec. of State to qualify our legalization initiative for the 2024 ballot! Thank you to everyone who signed & volunteered! We are very confident we collected enough signatures & we should get the official word in the next several weeks. pic.twitter.com/vCVEtAp3qM — South Dakotans for Better Marijuana Laws (@southdakotamj) May 7, 2024 In December, the secretary of state’s office approved a circulator handout submitted by SDBML, a requirement that has allowed the campaign to deploy paid canvassers to gather signatures along with its grassroots network of volunteers who have been distributing petitions. The campaign material simply features the state attorney general’s title and explanation of the ballot measure, which was finalized in August. The initiative would allow adults 21 and older to purchase and possess up to two ounces of cannabis. They could also grow up to six plants per person for personal use, which is up from three plants in the last version. There’s also a 12-plant maximum per shared living household—double the prior six-plant limit. If activists do secure ballot placement this year, they will still need to win over voters who rejected legalization in the last election. Ahead of that election, a poll found that 51 percent of South Dakotans planned to vote against the legalization measure, while 40 percent said they’d be supporting it and 10 percent remained undecided. That was the third poll in a row showing the legalization measure behind. Meanwhile, a separate proposed 2024 legalization ballot measure, sponsored by Rapid City resident Emmett Reistroffer, also received its final ballot explanation from the state attorney general. That initiative would legalize adult-use possession and cultivation of cannabis, while allowing medical marijuana dispensaries to serve adult consumers. That said, the chief backer of the proposal said he had no plans to collect signatures or campaign for the change. Separately, opponents of legalization filed two other proposed ballot measures to tighten drug laws in the state. One would repeal the state’s medical marijuana law, while the other would keep federally banned substances from ever being legalized by voters. The state attorney general finalized the ballot explanation for the medical marijuana repeal measure last August. But SDBML has said the initiative should be thrown out due to an alleged error in how the proposal was filed, failing to include a full list of the state statutes it would seek to undo. After voters approved medical cannabis legalization in 2020, the governor tried to get the legislature to approve a bill to delay implementation for an additional year. But while it cleared the House, negotiators were unable to reach an agreement with the Senate in conference, dealing a defeat to the governor. In response, Noem’s office started exploring a compromise, with one proposal that came out of her administration to decriminalize possession of up to one ounce of cannabis, limit the number of plants that patients could cultivate to three and prohibit people under 21 from qualifying for medical marijuana. — Marijuana Moment is tracking more than 1,400 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 the 2022 legislative session, the House rejected a legalization bill that the Senate had passed, effectively leaving it up to activists to get on the ballot again. A Marijuana Interim Study Committee, headed by legislative leaders, was established to explore cannabis policy reform, and the panel in November 2021 recommended that the legislature take up legalization. The House-defeated legislation was one of the direct products of that recommendation. The governor separately signed a bill into law in February that will require patients to check off a box on medical marijuana card applications affirming that they’re aware that federal law prohibits cannabis consumers from buying and possessing firearms. Currently more than 11,500 people in South Dakota hold medical marijuana cards—nearly double the 6,000 cardholders that state officials expected to enroll in the program by 2024. Democratic Congressman Lays Out New Marijuana Agenda To Reflect Renewed ‘Optimism’ Amid Rescheduling Move Photo courtesy of Brian Shamblen. The post South Dakota Marijuana Activists Turn In Signatures To Put Legalization On The November Ballot appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

“I never expected that all of the cannabis that they would grow would stay on reservation lands, that they would only be sold on reservation lands.” By Peter Callaghan, MinnPost Ongoing negotiations between Gov. Tim Walz (D) and a group of Minnesota tribal nations could make the tribes major players in the state’s recreational cannabis industry, both on and off reservation land, including in urban areas. Walz was directed by last year’s House File 100 to negotiate “in good faith” with any tribes interested in entering the cannabis business, both medical and recreational. While the law acknowledges that sovereign tribes can act on their own land without agreement with the state—and three tribes have either opened or announced plans to open cannabis dispensaries on reservation—the law stated that a compact could “proactively address jurisdictional issues related to the regulation of the cannabis industry.” Walz administration officials say talks are progressing and include discussions of off-reservation cannabis businesses owned by tribes, as well as business interactions between tribal entities and state-licensed businesses. The negotiations involve 10 tribes, though not all are expected to get into cannabis cultivation and sales, said the officials who agreed to speak to MinnPost on condition that their names not be used because negotiations are ongoing. The one tribe not taking part is the Upper Sioux Community. Messages left for officials representing several of the other tribes involved in the negotiations were not returned in time to be included. The state is represented by staff from the Office of the Attorney General, the Office of Cannabis Management (OCM), the governor’s office and outside legal counsel Mark Levitan, hired to help with the negotiations. The state has not engaged in negotiations for new compacts with tribes for decades and wanted outside legal expertise on cannabis law and tribal relations, which Levitan has, the officials said. “These are friendly parties with the goal of getting to yes and making sure the state’s needs and the tribes’ needs are both met by what the statute allows,” one administration official said Monday. An agreement is not expected before the end of the legislative session in two weeks, with the administration officials saying they are aiming toward being ready in time for the launch of the new market. “I don’t think we’re behind. I think we’re being deliberate,” the administration official said. The extent of tribal cannabis operations in the fledgling cannabis industry is the subject of speculation among lawmakers and lobbyists crafting revisions to last year’s sweeping House File 100 that made Minnesota the 23rd state to legalize cannabis for recreational purposes. That is, how would details of any compact change how lawmakers and state regulators scale and stage the market? “I’m a little surprised at how slow it’s going,” said Rep. Zack Stephenson, the Coon Rapids DFLer who has been the lead House member on the issue. And his counterpart in the Senate, Burnsville DFL Sen. Lindsey Port, said she hopes negotiations will be completed soon. Both said they expect tribes—at least the handful that want to get into the legal cannabis business—to be significant players in the new industry. So far, that has meant cultivating cannabis and selling it from on-reservation dispensaries. But both lawmakers said they expect that could expand to include wholesale sales to non-tribal dispensaries, purchase of products by tribal entities as well as creating retail dispensaries on land that is outside what is considered tribally regulated land, which usually means reservations and trust land approved for tribal use by the federal government. Stephenson said he always expected tribes would be “big actors” in the state cannabis marketplace, including off-reservation wholesale and retail sales. “I never expected that all of the cannabis that they would grow would stay on reservation lands, that they would only be sold on reservation lands,” Stephenson said. As to having tribes be able to wholesale cannabis to state-licensed dispensaries, Port added: “I hope so, but I can’t speak to the details being worked out between the governor and the sovereign nations.” She said that while she supports off-reservation retailing by tribes, the details of that are needed soon. “As far as retail locations off of tribal lands…those will be taken into consideration of the numbers of licenses that will be granted,” Port said. “If a number of licenses are granted through compacting, in that case I would assume that OCM will remove that number from the amount that they will grant in total.” Port said she considers the 11 tribal nations to be what are known in the new law as “social equity” participants, a term that covers people and neighborhoods that suffered from unequal enforcement of cannabis prohibition over the decades. The law gives social equity applicants—including those historically or currently involved in the illicit cannabis market—some preference for entering the new market. “My hope is that those compact conversations will be able to wrap up as soon as possible because the tribes, as sovereign nations, have a unique opportunity in the state of Minnesota,” Port said. “Ensuring that we get that compacting done promptly is, in my mind, critical to ensuring that they also have the ‘early mover advantage’ that we have discussed throughout the process of social equity applicants having.” How big a player might tribes be? Stephenson said just three or four tribes have expressed interest. “They’ve gotta bring resources to the table. They’ve gotta do all sorts of other stuff to work,” Stephenson said. “If you look at what Red Lake and White Earth [tribal nations] have done so far in terms of their cultivation, it is not gigantic. Neither of them are as big as either of the two medical companies, for example.” The administrative officials said that OCM staff are involved in the talks and are aware of what impact the compact results would have on the rest of the market. “OCM is deeply involved in all of these discussions since they would be the regulatory agency here,” one of the Walz administration officials said. “They’re tracking everything we talk about and how we are thinking about this as we progress.” The administration believes there will be enough demand for cannabis products that tribal involvement will not take away from non-tribal players. “The tribes are well aware of competition and they want to be a good partner,” another administration official said. “We think there will be enough availability for everyone who wants to be engaged in the market.” On its webpage, OCM describes how the state cannabis law treats tribal nations as “among the strongest in the nation to honor and recognize tribal sovereignty and the authority of Tribal Nations to make decisions about cannabis sales on tribal land.” Under “Tribal Partnerships,” it references the compacting requirement in the law. Tribes with smaller reservations might not be interested in cultivating or perhaps would favor indoor grow operations and not outdoor farms. Others might prefer to purchase cannabis from other growers. There were proposals made earlier in session regarding tribal roles in the market. Rep. Jessica Hanson (DFL-Burnsville) introduced HF 4195 to set up a pilot project to allow the state’s two medical cannabis providers to sell to tribal governments and tribal cannabis businesses. Hanson said the measure did not get enough support. Another proposal, circulated but not introduced, would have let social equity cultivators begin growing sooner than others and be allowed to sell to tribes. Port and Stephenson are already meeting to work out differences between bills passed by the House and Senate. Both, however, agree on the basics of the law—that the state Office of Cannabis Management must provide a way for cultivation of cannabis to begin in the second half of this year and that changes in how licenses are distributed should be made. The latter means that what OCM calls a “vetted lottery” likely will replace a points-driven system based on preparations taken by applicants and whether they qualify as social equity applicants. Walz said last week that he is aware of moves to get plants in the ground sooner than current law envisions. HF 100 requires that all rules be final before any licenses can be issued by OCM, something it forecasts to be March of 2025. — Marijuana Moment is tracking more than 1,400 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. — “We certainly hear people on this,” the governor said last week. “I think there’s some potential there and as of yesterday it sounded pretty optimistic. Maybe we can move something. But as I’ve said, anytime we can start cultivating will be early cultivation since we’ve never had it. I understand the sense of urgency but the arbitrary decision of when it had to be, we’re trying the best we can but we’re not going to cut corners.” As with other compacts, such as the tribal gambling agreements negotiated in 1989 under the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, the governor has the authority to reach agreement without legislative scrutiny. House File 100 included direction for the governor to conduct compact talks if any tribes request them. “The legislature finds that these agreements will facilitate and promote a cooperative and mutually beneficial relationship between the state and the Tribes regarding the legalization of cannabis,” the law states. “Such cooperative agreements will enhance public health and safety, ensure a lawful and well-regulated cannabis market, encourage economic development, and provide fiscal benefits to both Indian Tribes and the state.” The law states that the governor cannot require any revenue sharing or right to tax tribally licensed cannabis sales, cannot require state licensing or oversight and cannot require tribes to permit state laws to be enforced on tribally regulated land. It also, at some length, assured that business interactions between tribal entities and state-regulated businesses—as well as interactions between non-tribal customers and tribal businesses—would be legal. Walz acknowledged in February that some tribes had requested compact negotiations, including sales on tribal trust land—off reservation property. “So that still is a gray area,” Walz said. Because of its geographic isolation, the Red Lake tribe has asked about being able to sell off reservation. “So they’re gonna press the limit as far as they can. And they’re the one who brought that up,” he said. “‘We have Red Lake citizens in Minneapolis. Why can’t we set up there?’ So they have raised the issue.” But the administration officials said the use of tribal trust lands is not a significant part of the talks because those lands are limited in usefulness. Instead, the negotiations have surrounded tribal operations on non-tribal land. This story was first published by MinnPost. Minnesota House Passes Bill Changing Marijuana Social Equity And Licensing Rules Photo courtesy of Chris Wallis // Side Pocket Images. The post Closed-Door Negotiations With Minnesota Governor Could Make Tribal Nations Major Players In State’s Marijuana Market appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

With the federal government moving to reschedule marijuana, a Democratic congressman has issued a new memo on cannabis reform priorities to reflect renewed “optimism for the path ahead”—laying out suggestions to advance the issue both in Congress and administratively. Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), founding co-chair of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, issued the memo on Tuesday—about a week after the Justice Department confirmed that it proposed reclassifying marijuana under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). “Schedule III is not quite what we wanted—marijuana shouldn’t be scheduled at all—but it is nonetheless a revolutionary step that sends a signal about the imperative of ending the failed war on drugs,” Blumenauer said, adding that cannabis is “a winning issue.” “It is clear the Biden-Harris Administration is listening to the unprecedented public demand for cannabis reform. President Biden has been much more engaged on the issue,” the memo says. “He pardoned thousands of individuals, initiated this long-overdue review of scheduling, and opened a new chapter for reform. The Administration must move through the regulatory process as quickly as possible to reschedule cannabis.” The memo also lays out the key implications of rescheduling, including allowing marijuana businesses to take federal tax deductions and removing cannabis research barriers. The administrative move also represents a critical acknowledgement of the medical value of marijuana, it says. “With the DOJ’s announcement, this updated memo reflects my optimism for the path ahead and details the work that remains,” Blumenauer said, referencing an earlier annual document he issued in January. The congressman’s memo emphasizes that while rescheduling represents a “significant step toward ending the failed war on drugs, there is still significant work ahead for Congress.” To that end, the memo stresses that the “work includes ending the criminalization of marijuana.” As the Congressional Research Service (CRS) said in a report last week, Blumenauer notes that a Schedule III reclassification would not legalize marijuana, and certain cannabis-related activity would continue to be criminalized under the CSA. For the remainder of the congressional session, Blumenauer said that lawmakers should focus on advancing legislation to federally legalize cannabis, free up cannabis industry access to the banking system, prevent Justice Department interference in state markets and allow the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to make medical cannabis recommendations to patients. The memo also makes recommendations for further administrative action, including expanding pardons and commutations for people with federal marijuana convictions, reissuing “improved” guidance on enforcement priorities, updating truck driver THC impairment testing, ending the practice of evicting people from federally subsidized housing over cannabis and more. “Throughout the executive branch, the Biden-Harris Administration should consider the implications of marijuana prohibition and criminalization as they take steps to end discriminatory policies across branches and with every power available to them,” Blumenauer, who is retiring at the end of this Congress, said. “There is no doubt that critical work remains,” he said. “However, we should celebrate this historic step forward, which is possible because of the tireless work my partners and I have put behind these reforms for more than 50 years. I am committed to building on this momentum to end the failed cannabis prohibition once and for all.” Last week, the congressman similarly argued that the rescheduling decision from DEA will “open the floodgates” for additional congressional action such as passage of the bipartisan cannabis banking bill. “It’s going to make it much easier to have other items that are queued up,” the Democratic congressman said. “With this, it’s going to be a matter of time before we get movement in the Senate—dealing with the banking issue, which is long overdue.” “Taking it to Schedule III is, first of all a signal, that people recognize that the current scheduling process is completely wrong, flawed and unfair,” Blumenauer said. “It takes care of a major problem that we’ve faced.” The congressman also reiterated his belief that the Justice Department would soon be reissuing marijuana enforcement discretion guidances that was rescinded under the Trump administration. He and the former DOJ official who authored the original memorandum told Marijuana Moment last week that they expect it will be expanded to account for societal changes around the issue, as well as the rescheduling push. Meanwhile, DEA Administrator Anne Milgram told lawmakers on Tuesday that it would be “inappropriate” for her to comment on the agency’s recent marijuana rescheduling determination because the rulemaking process is “ongoing.” The head of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) separately said that marijuana industry banking access would make the agency’s job easier, and officials “shouldn’t just sit on our hands” as the federal government moves to reschedule cannabis. Read Blumenauer’s memo on marijuana reform priorities in light of the rescheduling decision below: FDA Expert Committee Will Review MDMA-Assisted Therapy For PTSD Next Month Photo courtesy of Philip Steffan. The post Democratic Congressman Lays Out New Marijuana Agenda To Reflect Renewed ‘Optimism’ Amid Rescheduling Move appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

Days after the Alaska House of Representatives approved a bill that would create a state task force to study how to license and regulate psychedelic-assisted therapy in the event of federal approval of substances such as MDMA and psilocybin, a Senate panel has already advanced the measure. The Senate Judiciary Committee, which considered a companion bill to the legislation in February, passed the bill, HB 228, without objection at a hearing on Monday. The action came after a brief discussion of how the House-passed legislation compares to the earlier Senate companion bill and a lone public comment from a member of the state’s Marijuana Control Board. If it becomes law, the bill, from Rep. Jennie Armstrong (D), would not change the legal status of any drugs in Alaska. Rather, it would create a legislative task force that would spend the rest of the year studying how to license and regulate psychedelic therapy in the state. A report from the group with recommendations would be due on or before January 31, 2025. The Senate companion, SB 166, already passed out of one committee in that chamber. It had another hearing in February before the Judiciary Committee, which did not take action on the legislation. Both MDMA and psilocybin have been granted breakthrough therapy status by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and recent clinical trials have MDMA on pace for possible FDA approval later this year. Supporters of the bill say it would allow the state to begin considering how to respond in the event of that action. At Monday’s hearing, a member of Armstrong’s staff—the representative herself was on the floor—briefly explained the changes between the earlier legislation and HB 228 as recently approved by the House. First, the name of the body in the current bill would be the Alaska Task Force for the Regulation of Psychedelic Medicines Approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA)—a reflection of the emphasis that the task force’s recommendations would be contingent on federal approval of psychedelics. A number of other changes have been made around the membership of the task force, which would be chaired by two members of the state legislature. Among them, the amendments added a pharmacist to the group, removed a University of Alaska faculty member and clarified that certain task force members, such as the Alaska State Medical Association, specifically select physicians as representatives. The latest version also extends the task force’s due date for its report to the legislature to January 31, 2025 instead of December 31 of this year, as the bill previously specified. It also sunsets the task force at the end—rather than at the beginning—of the next legislative session. Other changes allow legislators on the task force to send designees if they cannot attend a meeting, and it clarifies that task force meetings could be held virtually. Yet another difference is the addition of language clarifying that the task force would consider the use of psychedelics with regard to the state’s mental health crisis, to treat chronic and terminal illnesses and in end-of-life care. Bailey Stuart, an adjunct professor at the University of Alaska who also serves on the state’s Marijuana Control Board and the board of a nonprofit that works with veterans and disabled active-duty service members, said during public comment on the bill at Monday’s hearing that she believes “it’s in the best interest of the state of Alaska, and for our veterans, to begin holding these discussions” through the state task force. “The future of medicine, particularly in the mental health sector, is going in the direction of assisted psychedelic therapy,” Stuart, who also commented on the companion bill in February, told committee members. “I do believe this bill outlines the appropriate members to be part of the task force and could be vital to addressing the mental health crisis that the state of Alaska and our veterans are experiencing.” A fiscal note from the Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development says the state would incur no cost from the change. Armstrong told House colleagues before last week’s floor vote that “whether you are excited about the idea of psychedelics getting approved, you’re neutral or you’re flat-out against it, I think we can all agree that if it is coming. We should be prepared and be thoughtful in how we approach it.” “This August, it is widely anticipated that FDA will approve the most significant medicine for the treatment of mental health in decades,” she said, adding that approval of psilocybin could happen in the “next one or two years.” The House passed the bill on a 36–4 vote during a floor session last Thursday’s. Most members who spoke on the proposal said they were open to the task force as a meaningful step toward addressing the state’s mental health crisis. As Armstrong noted, Alaska has “the highest number of veterans per capita and, unfortunately, some of the highest rates of violence in our country.” “I’m in support of this bill because I’ve been affected by it directly,” said Rep. Laddie Shaw (R). “As the former director for state Veterans Affairs, I’ve had veterans come to me regarding this bill, and they have said, ‘We’ve done nothing for the past 50 years. Let’s do something.’” “This task force gives us an opportunity to move forward with some productivity on behalf of our veterans,” he added. “We haven’t done anything for the last 50 years. Let’s move forward with something.” Sponsors filed the legislation in both chambers in January. Alaskans generally support reforms to policies around psychedelics, especially with regard to mental health. Just under half (49.4 percent) of those surveyed in a recent poll said they favor broadly removing criminal penalties around substances such as psilocybin mushrooms. When respondents were told that Alaska has particularly high rates of mental illnesses that could potentially be treated with psychedelics, however, support for the reform rose to 65 percent. “It’s inspiring to see such a positive shift in how people view the use of these plant medicines,” said the Alaska Entheogenic Awareness Council (AKEAC), an advocacy group that published the new poll. “More people are recognizing the value of these substances in addressing certain mental health conditions.” Lawmakers in a growing number of states have considered psychedelics legislation this session, with many focusing on psilocybin reform and increased research. In Vermont, for example, a House committee last week advanced a bill that would create a psychedelic-assisted therapy working group to make recommendations as to whether and how the state should regulate legal access to substances like psilocybin and MDMA. In Maryland, the Senate and House of Delegates have both passed legislation to create a psychedelics task force responsible for studying possible regulatory frameworks for therapeutic access to substances such as psilocybin, mescaline and DMT, sending the proposal to Gov Wes Moore (D). It would be charged specifically with ensuring “broad, equitable and affordable access to psychedelic substances” in the state. Indiana’s governor recently signed a bill that includes provisions to fund clinical research trials into psilocybin. Utah’s governor, meanwhile, allowed a bill to authorize a pilot program for hospitals to administer psilocybin and MDMA as an alternative treatment option to become law without his signature. Maine lawmakers sent the governor legislation to establish a commission tasked with studying and making recommendations on regulating access to psychedelic services. An Arizona House panel also approved a Senate-passed bill to legalize psilocybin service centers where people could receive the psychedelic in a medically supervised setting. A Connecticut joint legislative panel approved a bill to decriminalize possession of psilocybin. A bipartisan bill to legalize psychedelic service centers in California has cleared two Senate committees. The governor of New Mexico has endorsed a newly enacted resolution requesting that state officials research the therapeutic potential of psilocybin and explore the creation of a regulatory framework to provide access to the psychedelic. Alaska lawmakers are considering legislation to create a task for to study how to regulate access to psychedelics following federal approval. An Illinois committee also recently held a hearing to discuss a bill to legalize psilocybin and allow regulated access at service centers in the state where adults could use the psychedelic in a supervised setting—with plans to expand the program to include mescaline, ibogaine and DMT. Lawmakers in Hawaii also considered a bill that would provide some legal protections to patients engaging in psilocybin-assisted therapy with a medical professional’s approval. New York lawmakers said that a bill to legalize psilocybin-assisted therapy in that state has a “real chance” of passing this year. A Nevada joint legislative committee held a hearing with expert and public testimony on the therapeutic potential of substances like psilocybin in January. Law enforcement representatives also shared their concerns around legalization—but there was notable acknowledgement that some reforms should be enacted, including possible rescheduling. The governor of Massachusetts also recently promoted the testimony of activists who spoke in favor of her veterans-focused bill that would, in part, create a psychedelics work group to study the therapeutic potential of substances such as psilocybin. Separately, an initiative that would legalize psychedelics may appear on the November ballot if lawmakers decline to independently enact it first. Currently, there are no psychedelic drugs that are federally approved to prescribe as medicine. But that could soon change, as FDA recently agreed to review a new drug application for MDMA-assisted therapy on an expedited basis. At the start of this year, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) separately issued a request for applications to conduct in-depth research on the use of psychedelics to treat PTSD and depression. In October, the agency also launched a new podcast about the future of veteran health care, and the first episode of the series focuses on the healing potential of psychedelics. FDA also recently joined scientists at a public meeting on next steps for conducting research to develop psychedelic medicines. That came months after the agency issued historic draft guidance on psychedelics studies, providing scientists with a framework to carry out research that could lead to the development of novel medicines. Meanwhile in Congress this week, a House panel approved GOP-led bill that would instruct VA to notify Congress if any psychedelics are added to its formulary of covered prescription drugs. Congressional Committee Approves GOP-Led Psychedelics Bill Focused On Military Veterans’ Therapeutic Access The post Alaska Senate Panel Takes Up House-Passed Bill To Create Psychedelics Task Force In Anticipation Of Federal Legalization appeared first on Marijuana Moment. 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The head of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) says marijuana industry banking access would make the agency’s job easier, and officials “shouldn’t just sit on our hands” as the federal government moves to reschedule cannabis. At a hearing before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government on Tuesday, Chairman Dave Joyce (R-OH) pressed IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel about cannabis banking and tax compliance issues. The commissioner said the Justice Department’s decision to move marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) is “recent,” and “what we need to do in a moment like this is understand the implications that this change will have on a whole variety of different elements of this part of the economy.” “What will their status be with respect to financial institutions? Will they remain mostly a cash-based industry or would they move into something other than cash?” Werfel said. “All of these things are important moving pieces for the IRS to determine how this emerging and changing industry is assessed at the right level and paying what they owe.” “We shouldn’t just sit on our hands,” he added. “We should be active and looking at what steps we need to take—and we need to interact with this community and make sure we understand and talk to them.” The IRS commissioner also said that, in his experience, industries are generally “very amenable” to getting clarifications on their tax expectations, and the cannabis industry is no different. “It’s not a good thing if you’re operating in ambiguity. It’s a stressful enough situation to pay your taxes,” he said, committing to working with the congressman “to understand how this change evolves the industry and make sure we set up the right tax structure for them to operate in.” Joyce, who serves as co-chair of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, also asked if freeing up access to the banking system for marijuana businesses, as would be accomplished under a bipartisan bill he’s sponsoring, would “make life a little bit easier for you.” Werfel responded that “history has demonstrated” that when businesses are effectively integrated with the banking system, that “drives a lot of integrity and quality control,” while reducing “uncertainties and variables” in a way that “often is helpful to the taxpayer” as well as to the federal government. “So, in general, yes” marijuana banking access would make the IRS’s job easier, he said. Finally, Joyce asked the commissioner whether the agency has taken any steps to provide resources to the cannabis industry so they’re better informed about tax compliance and related issues. “Typically what happens when we have an issue like this or an emerging change in an industry—for example, new currencies, new new tax credits…we build a collaboration and engagement,” he said. “Sometimes we can do FAQs. Sometimes we can hold webinars or roundtables. It seems like this is a material change, and that’s going to impact this industry and likely will warrant that we start building that type of stakeholder engagement.” What didn’t get explicitly mentioned at the hearing was the fact that the administration’s proposed rescheduling action would affect one critical IRS policy that’s beleaguered the state-legal marijuana industry: a statute known as 280E that prevents licensed cannabis businesses from taking federal tax deductions. IRS clarified that policy for medical cannabis firms in 2022. If marijuana is moved to Schedule III, that would enable such businesses to start taking those deductions, significantly reducing their effective tax rate. The head of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) that made the rescheduling decision also spoke to a separate Appropriations subcommittee on Tuesday, but she repeatedly declined to comment because the regulatory review process is “ongoing.” With respect to cannabis banking legislation, the Senate Banking Committee approved the Secure and Fair Enforcement Regulation (SAFER) Banking Act last September and it’s currently pending floor action. However, it’s unclear what vehicle leadership will seek to use to advance it, as plans have reportedly fallen apart to attach it to a must-pass Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization bill. Meanwhile, IRS issued a recent memo clarifying the rules for reporting large cash payments between marijuana businesses, which the agency says should not automatically be considered “suspicious” just because of the federally prohibited nature of the industry. FDA Expert Committee Will Review MDMA-Assisted Therapy For PTSD Next Month The post Passing Marijuana Banking Bill Would Increase ‘Integrity And Quality Control’ In Financial System, IRS Commissioner Says appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is taking the next step in its historic review of MDMA-assisted therapy for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), scheduling a meeting next month where an expert committee will examine the evidence behind the application. Lykos Therapeutics (formerly MAPS Public Benefit Corporation) announced on Monday that FDA’s Psychopharmacologic Drugs Advisory Committee will meet on June 4 to review the results of its clinical trials for the psychedelic-assisted therapy. Not only will this be the first time in 25 years since FDA has reviewed a new PTSD treatment option, it’s the first time in history that the agency has taken up a new drug application for a psychedelic substance. Amy Emerson, CEO of Lykos Therapeutics, said it is a “significant milestone in the field of psychedelic medicine, resulting from decades of clinical research and advocacy.” “We look forward to the opportunity to discuss the comprehensive data package of investigational MDMA and how, if approved, it may be used as a prescription treatment in combination with psychological intervention in adults with PTSD,” she said. FDA’s expert panel will look at an extensive body of research that includes two randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 3 studies that looked at the safety and efficacy of MDMA-assisted therapy. Today, we announced the first FDA Advisory Committee meeting for #PTSD in 25 years will be held on Tuesday June 4 to review our investigational therapy. Read more on this milestone here: https://t.co/v6LNsSB8R6 pic.twitter.com/D2ZCMThjKz — Lykos Therapeutics (@Lykos_PBC) May 6, 2024 The committee review will take place about four months after FDA accepted the MDMA new drug application and granted it a priority status. If the NDA is ultimately approved, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) would then need to reschedule MDMA accordingly. It would become the first psychedelic in history to be approved as a pharmaceutical, to be administered in tandem with talk therapy and other supportive services. FDA in 2017 designated MDMA as a “breakthrough therapy” based on previous MAPS-sponsored trials. In total, the organization says findings from 18 of its Phase 2 and Phase 3 trials formed the basis of the NDA submitted to FDA. Last year, FDA released first-of-its-kind draft guidance on the “unique” considerations that researchers should take into account when studying psychedelics, which the agency says show “initial promise” as potential therapies. Shortly after the MDMA capsule NDA was submitted to FDA, new standards from the American Medical Association (AMA) took effect in January that assign psychedelics-specific codes to collect data on the novel therapies. Meanwhile, a separate study by researchers at New York University’s Langone Center for Psychedelic Medicine and the Centre for Psychedelic Research at Imperial College London recently found that pairing MDMA with either psilocybin or LSD helped people overcome the “challenging experiences” associated with use of psilocybin or LSD alone. In 2022, the Biden administration said it was “actively exploring” the possibility of creating a federal task force to investigate the therapeutic potential of psilocybin, MDMA and others ahead of the anticipated approval of the substances for prescription use. Bipartisan congressional lawmakers asked the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) last month to produce a plan to begin providing MDMA-assisted therapy for veterans as soon as the psychedelic is approved by FDA. Also, proposed changes to federal workforce drug testing guidelines that are currently being reviewed by officials would remove screening for MDMA—which has only rarely appeared in workers’ urine samples during recent years—and add testing for fentanyl, a substance that’s become far more widespread in unregulated drug markets over the past decade. DEA Head Tells Lawmakers It Would Be ‘Inappropriate’ To Comment On Marijuana Rescheduling Proposal Due To ‘Ongoing’ Administrative Process Photo courtesy of Pretty Drugthings on Unsplash. The post FDA Expert Committee Will Review MDMA-Assisted Therapy For PTSD Next Month appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

Medical marijuana businesses and regulators in Georgia are cheering last week’s announcement that the federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will move cannabis to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). They say the change could expand patients’ access to marijuana through pharmacies, whereas it is currently available through just nine dispensaries across the state. Georgia’s medical marijuana law is the first in the nation that, at least in theory, allows registered pharmacies to dispense cannabis. That plan, however, has been on hold following DEA warnings last November that pharmacies licensed with the agency “may only dispense controlled substances in Schedules II-V of the Controlled Substances Act.” “Neither marijuana nor THC can be lawfully possessed, handled, or dispensed by any DEA-registered pharmacy,” said the DEA warning letters, which were sent to dozens of pharmacies across the state. As cannabis is poised to move out of Schedule I, however, some are hopeful Georgia pharmacies will be able to move forward with plans to offer marijuana—but it’s not clear how long that change might take. Botanical Sciences, a dispensary operator and one of only a half dozen companies able to grow medical marijuana in the state, said in an email to reporters last week that the rescheduling move means “pharmacies can provide prescribed medical cannabis directly to patients.” In an interview with Marijuana Moment, however, Botanical Sciences CEO Jim Long did not provide an on-record answer when asked directly whether he thinks federal rescheduling itself would allow pharmacies in Georgia to dispense marijuana. “From an on-the-record standpoint, we are very pleased about the fact that rescheduling has a multitude of impacts,” he said. “It creates greater awareness in our state about the issues surrounding medical cannabis. It affords people the opportunity to really better understand the laws in our state, which do allow pharmacies to dispense these products.” “The availability of medical cannabis through pharmacy is Georgia state law,” he continued. “What was announced earlier this week is just the indication by the DEA that they are now recognizing cannabis has medicinal value. That will go a long way not just with pharmacists, but with physicians who are recommending patients for cards. It also legitimizes the product in the eyes of many patients that may have been sitting on the fence.” “I think this will help facilitate the industry in our state and around the country, quite honestly,” he said. Andrew Turnage, executive director of the Georgia Access to Medical Cannabis Commission, said the Schedule III move “really does move in the direction of what Georgia intended for medical cannabis access to look like” insofar as it asserts that marijuana is a medically useful drug that should be regulated much like others. “We know it’s the first, but we think this model is the best,” the Georgia cannabis official said, referring to the state’s plan to use pharmacies to dispense medical marijuana. “And I think that a lot of other states would say, for a medical program, this is really the way that it should have been from the beginning.” Turnage said he wasn’t able to speak to how rescheduling would affect Georgia pharmacies, noting that his agency does not license or regulate those businesses. Dawn Randolph, CEO of the Georgia Pharmacy Association, told the Atlanta Journal–Constitution, meanwhile, that rescheduling “will save patients from the difficulties they’re having in obtaining medical marijuana.” She cautioned, however, that the change could take some time. “While this sounds exciting, the path forward is very long and arduous,” Randolph said. “We’re talking about determining proper dosing, monitoring adverse effects and preventing drug-to-drug interactions. There’s just so much involved here.” According to a memo from the Congressional Research Service (CRS) about the implications of federal rescheduling, the move will make it easier for marijuana pharmaceuticals to be dispensed at pharmacies, but first those drugs need federal approval. “A key difference between placement in Schedule I and Schedule III is that substances in Schedule III have an accepted medical use and may lawfully be dispensed by prescription, while substances in Schedule I cannot,” the CRS document, issued May 1, says. “However, prescription drugs must be approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).” It continues: “Although FDA has approved some drugs derived from or related to cannabis, marijuana itself is not an FDA-approved drug.” In other words, the cannabis products available through state-legal medical marijuana programs like the one in Georgia still won’t be the type of pharmaceuticals DEA-registered pharmacies can dispense. Moreover, CRS wrote, “Users of medical marijuana would need to obtain valid prescriptions for the substance from medical providers, subject to federal legal requirements that differ from existing state regulatory requirements for medical marijuana.” A recently published paper by Robert Mikos, a professor at Vanderbilt University Law School who focuses on drug law and federalism, notes that even after rescheduling, marijuana will be “subject to a litany of regulations under the CSA.” “To begin, the CSA requires every producer and distributor of a Schedule III controlled substance to obtain a registration (e.g., a license) from the DEA before engaging in those activities,” the Tulsa Law Review paper says. Beyond that, Mikos’s paper notes, the federal Food, Drug and Cosmetics Act (FDCA) requires a finding that marijuana is safe and effective. Though the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued those findings in its rescheduling recommendation to DEA, those findings are separate from those required under FDCA. Evidence that marijuana “has ‘a currently accepted medical use’ under CSA would also serve to demonstrate the drug is effective under FDCA,” the paper says, but “HHS severed the link between the two statutes in its latest scheduling evaluation.” “In the past, one might have reasonably expected drug approval to follow on the heels of rescheduling, because the requirements for both were nearly identical,” Mikos wrote. But in light of the changes, “FDA approval of marijuana remains a long way off because the drug approval process remains as demanding as ever.” “Until FDA approves marijuana,” he continued, “it will be virtually impossible for state-licensed marijuana firms to comply with the FDCA.” “I suspect that few (if any) of the more than 12,000 firms now licensed by the states to produce and / or sell marijuana will be able and willing to scrupulously comply with all the new regulations CSA will throw at them,” his paper says, concluding: “Because the marijuana industry will continue to struggle to comply with the CSA and FDCA even after rescheduling, firms in that industry will continue to face many of the same vexing challenges they do today.” At Botanical Sciences, Long said he’s nevertheless “very bullish” on Georgia’s medical marijuana market in light of rescheduling, which he said would help “jumpstart” the industry. “When we started selling last summer, obviously we had an initial kind of push, and then we started not only opening our own dispensaries, but then this pharmacy channel,” he said. “And everything came to a screeching halt, you know, in the fall” when DEA sent out the threat letters to pharmacies. “For all the reasons I mentioned previously around the awareness of this, the fact that we can get all of the interested stakeholders back at the table to facilitate so patients, pharmacists, physicians all reengaged into this process without the fear that there’s going to be some federal overhang—that is, you know, an incredible shot in the arm,” Long continued. “And so I think we’re gonna see our business and our industry and our state [system] grow rapidly now.” Ira Katz, a pharmacist who planned to begin dispensing marijuana to registered patients under the state’s pharmacy program before the DEA warnings, told Atlanta news station WSB-TV that rescheduling would make marijuana suitable for prescription, though likely not in botanical form. “We’re talking about kids with a seizure disorder, patients with neuropathic pain or pain in general,” Katz said, adding that approved medicines would “probably” initially be in the form of “tinctures, gummies and soft gels.” Turnage, the head of the state’s Access to Medical Cannabis Commission, predicted that a major change from rescheduling is that it would “open up lawful research of the drug,” especially at institutions that might fear the loss of federal funding. “We are working very hard in Georgia to get that aspect of our program up and running,” he said, “and while I can’t speak for our colleges and universities, I think all of them would be comfortable saying the concern is because of it being a violation of federal law and the concern of impact on federal funding that research institutions receive. That’s a huge barrier to researching the drug by those most qualified to conduct the research.” Turnage also said he thinks many in the state are still waiting for more clarity on the implications of rescheduling, as well as when the policy change will be made final. “We know that it’s an election year. It’s very popular to talk about issues that move lots of people, and that’s really one of my topics of analysis here,” he said: “Are we going to see substantive direction, or are we going to just see a lot of talk? That’s certainly a very Georgia conversation about this.” State and local officials in support of access to marijuana have generally cheered the rescheduling announcement as an endorsement of legalization, despite remaining questions about how it affects the state–federal conflict in laws. In Pennsylvania, for example, a spokesperson for Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) said the move could bolster state-level efforts to enact adult-use legalization. “Governor Shapiro has made clear that we need to catch up—practically every one of our neighbors has legalized marijuana and is benefiting from hundreds of millions of dollars in economic activity and revenue—and this important step by the federal government only adds support to the Governor’s proposal,” Shapiro spokesperson Manuel Bonder told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette last week. Former DEA Administrator Asa Hutchinson, meanwhile, said the recent change “reflects the reality” of public support for access to medical cannabis. “I think it reflects the reality of today’s both culture but also the public sentiment. That’s most significant,” Hutchinson, a Republican who also served as governor of Arkansas, said. In Congress, meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and colleagues reintroduced legislation last week to federally legalize cannabis and impose certain regulations. Amid staunch partisan divisions, however, the bill’s prospects are doubtful. Meanwhile, the top Democrat in the U.S. House said last Wednesday that the Biden administration’s move to reschedule marijuana is a “step in the right direction,” but it should be followed up with congressional action such as passing the legalization bill Schumer filed. On the opposition side, a leading marijuana prohibitionist group has been using the federal rescheduling announcement as a fundraising opportunity and says it may file a legal challenge against the government’s scheduling move. Florida GOP Formally Opposes Marijuana Legalization Ballot Initiative, Clearing Path For DeSantis To Fund ‘Counter Message’ Campaign The post Georgians Have High Hopes That Rescheduling Will Make It Easier For Patients To Obtain Medical Marijuana Through Pharmacies appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

The head of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) told lawmakers on Tuesday that it would be “inappropriate” for her to comment on the agency’s recent marijuana rescheduling determination because the rulemaking process is “ongoing.” About a week after the Justice Department confirmed DEA is seeking to move cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), DEA Administrator Anne Milgram briefly touched on the issue at a hearing before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies. Ahead of Tuesday’s committee meeting, the prohibitionist group Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) said sources familiar with the matter have told them that Milgram did not personally sign the proposed rescheduling rule. If true, that wouldn’t necessarily mean that she disagrees with the decision—but the administrator made clear to lawmakers that she would not be shedding any light on the process at this point. However, she did notably respond to one question about past precedent and said that “stepping out of marijuana,” she’s unaware of any instance where a DEA administrator hasn’t signed a scheduling order. Milgram focused much of his opening remarks on combating international fentanyl trafficking, but she also preemptively addressed the marijuana rescheduling news. “Because the formal rulemaking process is ongoing—and my role in that process is to determine the scheduling of drugs—it would be inappropriate for me to respond to questions on this rescheduling matter,” she said at the end of her opening remarks at the hearing. While DOJ is moving to reschedule cannabis following an extensive review process, there are still several additional steps before a rule is finalized and implemented. That includes a White House review of the rule, a public comment period and possible administrative hearings. Rep. C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD) did inquire about the rescheduling decision with Milgram at the hearing despite her opening comments intended to preempt such questioning, and the administrator reiterated that the “process is ongoing” and so she wouldn’t speak about it directly. “There’s a formal rulemaking process for scheduling or rescheduling controlled substances. That process is ongoing,” she said. “The next step in that process will be a notice of proposed rulemaking and then an opportunity for public comment.” “Because DEA is involved very much in that scheduling process—and the DEA administrator is personally involved in it—it would be inappropriate for me to comment on it at this time,” she said. Ruppersberger responded by imploring DEA to “balance” federal enforcement priorities with the need to respect state marijuana laws. He said Maryland’s adult-use cannabis program is “working well.” Milgram simply said she appreciates the input. Another member, Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-GA), pressed the administrator on where the marijuana rescheduling proposal is in the process and whether the White House has communicated with DEA about the action. Milgram again declined to comment directly. However, when asked about whether she’s aware of an instance where a DEA administrator has not personally signed a scheduling order—as SAM’s sources claims she refrained from doing with the cannabis proposal—she said that “stepping out of marijuana and talking about this generally, I am not” aware of any such instance. Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-AL) asked the administrator about research into the prevalence of cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome and whether she could weigh in on the adverse effects of marijuana use in light of the rescheduling decision. But, again, Milgram said, “because that is going to be a part of this regulatory process, it would be inappropriate for me to comment at this time.” “But I appreciate your mentioning that study and that, of course, I’ll read it,” she said. Aderholt went on to say he’s “very, very concerned about this rescheduling” because he believes cannabis use is linked to an increase of certain mental health conditions. Rep. Matt Cartwright (D-PA) also asked Milgram whether a potential reclassification of marijuana under the CSA would free up DEA resources to tackle the country’s fentanyl issue. She said that, “because some of this will implicate decisions that become a part of that rulemaking process, I’m not gonna be able to comment on that.” But at a “very, very high level,” the administrator affirmed that DEA does “currently do work around marijuana across the United States where it rises to the federal level,” referencing “work in a number of states on current illicit marijuana grows that are led by Chinese organizations, for example.” “So there is work we do. Our top focus is obviously fentanyl—the drug that’s killing Americans,” she said. “But we do do work on [marijuana] currently.” Later this year, another DEA representative, William Heuett, is set to present on the agency’s “processing of schedule I research applications” at a federal research meeting on the potential for marijuana to treat pain. It’s not clear how that presentation might be updated in light of the ongoing rescheduling process. Meanwhile in the wake of the DEA rescheduling announcement, a former head of the agency said the proposal is “understandable” because it “reflects the reality” of public opinion toward the medical value of cannabis. In an interview with Fox News last week week, former DEA Administrator Asa Hutchinson said it “absolutely looks like” the agency will follow through with moving marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). “Whenever we see over a dozen states now have medical marijuana, clearly there’s a movement for reclassification,” he said. “And so it’s not a surprise to me.” “I think it reflects the reality of today’s both culture but also the public sentiment. That’s most significant,” said Hutchinson, a Republican who also served as governor of Arkansas. Separately, the top Democrat in the U.S. House said last week that the Biden administration’s move to reschedule marijuana is a “step in the right direction,” but it should be followed up with congressional action such as passing the legalization bill Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) filed. On the opposite side of the spectrum, a Republican senator said that marijuana is a “gateway drug,” and Democrats’ moves to legalize it reflect “pro-criminal, anti-American policies” that will “stimulate more crime on American streets.” He also argued that cannabis banking legislation “facilitates an entire infrastructure and an ecosystem for more drug usage in America.” Marijuana Rescheduling Will Make Republicans ‘More Comfortable’ Voting For Banking And Other Reforms, Former GOP Congressman Says Photo courtesy of Chris Wallis/Side Pocket Images. The post DEA Head Tells Lawmakers It Would Be ‘Inappropriate’ To Comment On Marijuana Rescheduling Proposal Due To ‘Ongoing’ Administrative Process appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

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A former GOP congressman says he expects Republicans will be “more comfortable voting yes” for incremental marijuana reform measures like a banking access bill for the industry now that the administration is moving to reschedule cannabis. Former Rep. Rodney Davis (R-IL) and Congressional Cannabis Caucus co-founder Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) both discussed the future prospects of marijuana policy during a webinar hosted by the U.S. Cannabis Council (USCC) last week. Blumenauer, a leading champion of marijuana reform efforts over five decades, agreed with Davis that the rescheduling decision from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will “open the floodgates” for additional congressional action such as passage of a bipartisan cannabis banking bill. “It’s going to make it much easier to have other items that are queued up,” the Democratic congressman said. “With this, it’s going to be a matter of time before we get movement in the Senate—dealing with the banking issue, which is long overdue.” “Taking it to Schedule III is, first of all a signal, that people recognize that the current scheduling process is completely wrong, flawed and unfair,” Blumenauer said. “It takes care of a major problem that we’ve faced.” Davis, meanwhile, was asked how he thought the potential Schedule III reclassification would affect broader congressional marijuana reform efforts. The former GOP lawmaker, who sponsored bipartisan legislation to provide for federal marijuana expungements in 2022 before retiring, said that “I think they’ll be more comfortable voting yes,” adding that the rescheduling move is “a great step.” Join us tomorrow for an exciting conversation with longtime cannabis reform champion @repblumenauer. We’ll discuss yesterday’s historic news out of the DEA and also drill down on the SAFE Banking Act, which the Congressman co-sponsored. RSVP here: https://t.co/3j2AAytLoY pic.twitter.com/SjQ4fQDslo — US Cannabis Council (@USCannabisCncl) May 1, 2024 “This is an opportunity for the administration to put forth their vision and then move that vision into a reality,” Davis said. He added that while there’s been talk about the Biden administration politically benefitting from championing cannabis reform, it’s an “issue that affects all demographics, it affects all races and it affects everyone.” Blumenauer also gave credit to President Joe Biden for the modest steps that the administration has taken, saying while the issue has “not been strong suit” for the president, he deserved applause for granting a pair of mass marijuana pardons and initiating the scheduling review despite holding “mixed feelings” about cannabis itself. The congressman also reiterated his belief that the Justice Department would soon be reissuing marijuana enforcement discretion guidances that was rescinded under the Trump administration. He and the former DOJ official who authored the original memorandum told Marijuana Moment last week that they expect it will be expanded to account for societal changes around the issue, as well as the rescheduling push. “I think this is something that matters to people across the board,” he said. “Rodney said, fairly, that this affects young and old. It’s red state, blue state. We’ve watched red state voters overcome the opposition from the Republican legislators who have tried to torpedo this, and slowly but surely, we’re starting to see more Republicans get on board in Congress.” “I’ve been working on this longer than any elected official in the country. This is my 51st year,” he said. “No politician has ever been punished for being on the right side of history and the right side of cannabis. Indeed, the Democrats wouldn’t be in control of the Senate if it weren’t for cannabis.” Blumenauer also weighed in on the prospects of advancing a marijuana banking bill, the Secure and Fair Enforcement Regulation (SAFER) Banking Act. He noted that it’s passed the House in some form seven times now, but the reform has so far ultimately gone to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-KY) “legislative hospice to die.” “Well, McConnell is not the majority leader, so he doesn’t have that capacity to torpedo it,” Blumenauer said. “And it is a priority with Democratic leadership. It’s got bipartisan support in the Senate. I’m quite confident that, regardless of which avenue we take, this is something that can happen this session, and I hope sooner rather than later.” Senate sources say McConnell is raising issues with the banking reform again, leading leaders to abandon plans to attach it to must-pass Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization legislation. But Schumer has signaled that the possibility isn’t entirely off the table yet, and he remains committed to advancing the policy change. Davis, meanwhile, reiterated that the banking legislation “is a long time coming, and whatever vehicle it takes to be able to move forward is what what cannabis advocates like like Earl and [Rep. Dave Joyce (R-OH)] and others need to need to latch on to.” “I’m glad that this gets bipartisan support. There’s going to be opposition, but in the end, there’s so much bipartisan support for an issue such as SAFE Banking that it could stand alone,” he said. “It’s just a matter of whether or not it can get called up to be able to have that vote once again.” But while both lawmakers have emphasized that they feel the move to reschedule marijuana will bolster other cannabis proposals this Congress, there has been key opposition to the incremental reform, including from House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) last week. Blumenauer and Davis both agreed that Scalise is out of touch on the issue. “I think, ultimately, it’s going to pose problematic issues for them politically,” Blumenauer said. “I think the number of people who are defenders of the failed war on drugs is shrinking dramatically. There are people who’ve come along. They’ve started to see the light.” Davis added that “the one thing about being an elected official, as time goes on, is sometimes you can get educated on the issue by your constituents as to how important a change in opinion might be. And let’s hold out hope that Steve will change his opinion.” Biden Should Release People In Prison For Marijuana, Criminal Defense Lawyers Group Tells White House The post Marijuana Rescheduling Will Make Republicans ‘More Comfortable’ Voting For Banking And Other Reforms, Former GOP Congressman Says appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

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With a House-passed marijuana legalization bill now pending in the New Hampshire Senate, Gov. Chris Sununu (R) is repeating his warning that the proposal will only win his approval if lawmakers adopt further changes to align the plan with his wishes. “I laid out the eight or 10 things that I’d like to see in that bill for it to get a signature on my desk,” he told local TV station WMUR in an interview that aired on Sunday. “If they meet those stipulations, I’ll sign it. If they don’t, I won’t.” “Fundamentally I don’t really love this idea anyway,” the governor added, but he said he sees legalization as “inevitable.” “I just see that I do have a responsibility—I don’t have the luxury, I have more the responsibility—of saying, ‘Look, if we’re going to legalize this at some point—and do believe it’s inevitable—I have the responsibility of setting us up for the best long-term system that we possibly can,'” Sununu said. The legalization proposal passed out of the House a month ago and is now before a Senate panel. Late last month, opponents of the current version—including Sen. Daryl Abbas (R) and Senate President Jeb Bradley (R)—unveiled amendments that would revise major portions of the proposal. Among the proposed changes, one would increase penalties for public consumption, making second and subsequent offenses unspecified misdemeanors. That would expose people jail time in addition to a criminal record, an outcome critics said undercut the very purpose of legalization. Other adjustments would shift the bill’s regulatory approach to a franchise system, under which the state’s Liquor Commission would oversee the look, feel and operations of the 15 stores. “I know there’s a few changes on the bill to be made,” Sununu told WMUR. “If the Senate makes those changes the way I’ve laid the guidelines to be, then I’d sign it.” The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Erica Layon (R), has warned the Senate panel that it shouldn’t assume that House lawmakers will sign off on any proposed changes, however. “We need to be careful that we don’t take the House’s support for granted,” she said. “Given the fact that we need to agree between two bodies and also the person who signs the bill, there are a lot of constraints.” Layon also described the House-passed version of her bill as “a delicate tightrope walk that will get us to where we need to be with perhaps the smallest of changes.” As for federal rescheduling, the WMUR report says Sununu “doesn’t think this federal change will make much of a difference in the discussion at the state house.” “He says the path forward on this issue remains straightforward,” it said: “Legalization on his terms or not at all.” At the time the bill, HB 1633, passed out of the House, a representative from Sununu’s office said it wouldn’t fly in that form. “Governor Sununu has been crystal clear about the framework needed for a legalization bill to earn his support, focusing on harm reduction and keeping it out of kids’ hands,” the governor’s office said. “The legislation passed today doesn’t get us there but the Governor looks forward to working with the Senate to see if we can get it done.” With only several months left in Sununu’s term, supporters of legalization are also weighing how the governor’s replacement would greet legalization. At least one possible successor, former U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R)—one of a handful of gubernatorial candidates that’s entered the race—said recently that she opposes legalizing marijuana for adults. “I don’t think legalizing marijuana is the right direction for our state,” said Ayotte, who represented New Hampshire in the Senate from 2011 to 2017 and was previously the state’s attorney general from 2004 to 2009. As approved by the House, HB 1633 would allow 15 retail stores statewide and impose a 10 percent state charge on adult-use purchases. Medical marijuana would be exempt from the tax. Retailers would be regulated through a so-called “agency store” model, with significant restrictions on marketing and advertising. Lawmakers worked extensively on marijuana reform issues last session and attempted to reach a compromise to enact legalization through a multi-tiered system that would include state-controlled shops, dual licensing for existing medical cannabis dispensaries and businesses privately licensed to individuals by state agencies. The legislature ultimately hit an impasse on the complex legislation. Bicameral lawmakers also convened the state commission tasked with studying legalization and proposing a path forward last year, though the group ultimately failed to arrive at a consensus or propose final legislation. The Senate defeated a more conventional House-passed legalization bill last year, HB 639, despite its bipartisan support. Last May, the House defeated marijuana legalization language that was included in a Medicaid expansion bill. The Senate also moved to table another piece of legislation that month that would have allowed patients and designated caregivers to cultivate up to three mature plants, three immature plants and 12 seedlings for personal therapeutic use. After the Senate rejected the reform bills in 2022, the House included legalization language as an amendment to separate criminal justice-related legislation—but that was also struck down in the opposite chamber. Florida GOP Formally Opposes Marijuana Legalization Ballot Initiative, Clearing Path For DeSantis To Fund ‘Counter Message’ Campaign Photo by Aphiwat chuangchoem. The post New Hampshire Governor Will Sign Marijuana Legalization Bill If Senate Makes Changes, He Says appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

DEA rescheduling controversy; SD legalization sigs; MA & VT psychedelics; Lawyers push Biden on marijuana clemency; Cannabis entourage effect study 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… *Rattling the tip jar* Got a few dollars you can spare to help Marijuana Moment pay our writers, keep our website running and grow into the kind of robust news organization the fast-paced world of drug policy deserves? Join us for $25/month and be a part of our work: https://www.patreon.com/marijuanamoment / TOP THINGS TO KNOW Drug Enforcement Administration head Anne Milgram did not personally sign off on the agency’s cannabis rescheduling decision, according to leaders of prohibitionist group Smart Approaches to Marijuana. The Florida Republican Party passed a resolution opposing the marijuana legalization initiative on the November ballot, clearing the way for Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) to formally raise money to fund a campaign against the measure. South Dakota activists are “extremely confident” they will turn in enough valid signatures to qualify a marijuana legalization initiative for the November ballot on Tuesday. The Massachusetts legislature’s Special Joint Committee on Ballot Initiatives is recommending that lawmakers decline to enact a psychedelics legalization measure, leaving it to activists to collect another batch of signatures to put the reform before voters in November. The Vermont House Human Services Committee approved a Senate-passed bill to create a psychedelic-assisted therapy working group to make recommendations on whether and how the state should regulate legal access to substances like psilocybin and MDMA. The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers sent a letter to White House counsel calling for “immediate commutation of sentences, compassionate release and second chances for persons convicted of non-violent marijuana offenses.” A new scientific review shows how marijuana’s “entourage effect” in which “combined actions of terpenes and phytocannabinoids results in effects that exceed the sum of their separate contributions” offers “hope” for developing “novel treatment approaches.” Patient enrollment in New Jersey’s medical cannabis program is dropping as the recreational marijuana market expands. / FEDERAL The Congressional Research Service noted a recent U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit decision upholding the Federal Aviation Administration’s revocation of a pilot’s license due to marijuana transportation. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said that Democrats’ push to legalize marijuana is “an appeal to younger voters.” Sen. John Tester (D-MT) said rescheduling marijuana will facilitate more research by the Department of Veterans Affairs. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) said marijuana legalization has been a “disaster” but “if it’s gonna be legal then might as well let them use the banks.” Sen. Ted Budd (R-NC) said, “When you look at male participation in the workforce, a lot of that decline is due to marijuana usage and the normalization of it.” Sen, John Cornyn (R-TX) criticized the move to reschedule marijuana administratively. Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA) said the federal marijuana rescheduling decision is “a move in the right direction.” Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) said he is “not a fan” of rescheduling marijuana. Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) discussed the political opportunities for marijuana reform. / STATES Tennessee’s lieutenant governor, House speaker and other lawmakers discussed the effect the federal marijuana rescheduling decision could have on cannabis reform efforts in the state. Indiana gubernatorial candidates discussed their views on marijuana policy. A South Carolina senator said the federal marijuana rescheduling move could bolster efforts to legalize medical cannabis in the state. A Pennsylvania representative discussed the implications of the federal marijuana rescheduling decision. A North Carolina appeals court is being asked to reconsider a ruling on the smell of cannabis as a basis for searches. Arizona regulators announced a recall of marijuana products due to the presence of aspergillus. Disciplinary hearings about Massachusetts’s suspended top marijuana regulator will continue later this month. New Jersey’s top marijuana regulator participated in a podcast on the continued expansion of the state’s legal marijuana market. California regulators prepared a draft environmental impact report on the licensing of cannabis cultivation in Mendocino County. Colorado’s psychedelics-focused Federally Recognized American Tribes and Indigenous Community Working Group will hold its first meeting on Wednesday. — Marijuana Moment is tracking more than 1,400 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. — / LOCAL Austin, Texas police claim that they found fentanyl-laced marijuana. The Sonoma County, California Board of Supervisors approved cannabis equity grants. / INTERNATIONAL Irish officials have been slow to nominate members to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Drug Use. / SCIENCE & HEALTH A study found that “adjunctive use of artisanal CBD was associated with improvements in the behavioral and psychological symptoms of [treatment resistant epilepsy], as well as improved medication tolerability.” A review concluded that “seven of the nine included studies showed a significant benefit of psilocybin on change in depression scores compared with comparator treatment.” / ADVOCACY, OPINION & ANALYSIS The Competitive Enterprise Institute published a blog post expressing concerns with certain provisions of a marijuana banking bill. / BUSINESS High Times’s assets are being sold off. The Cannabist Company workers in North Hollywood and Studio City, California voted to join Teamsters Local 630. / CULTURE Jimmy Kimmel joked about the federal marijuana rescheduling decision. Make sure to subscribe to get Marijuana Moment’s daily dispatch in your inbox. Get our daily newsletter. Email address: Leave this field empty if you're human: The post FL GOP opposes cannabis ballot measure (Newsletter: May 7, 2024) appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

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