Psychedelics FDA; NY homegrows; SD worker protections weakened; NJ $1B project; NM psilocybin, FL potency limit
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Top Things to Know
An activist who met with three staffers to discuss his experience of receiving a pardon certificate told Marijuana Moment that the Vice President Kamala Harris’s office actively reaches out to cannabis clemency beneficiaries.
Food and Drug Administration officials attended a research event on psychedelics. The head of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research at the agency called it an opportunity “to expand our knowledge about the design of psychedelic trials.”
Delaware’s Office of the Marijuana Commissioner has posted a first set of draft regulations for the adult use cannabis market.
New York Cannabis Control Board has approved a draft rule allowing recreational marijuana to be grown at home and issued more than 100 business licenses. This comes as the top regulator acknowledges the “rocky” start of the legal market in this year.
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem signed a bill that will roll back protections against discrimination for medical cannabis users who work in jobs with safety-sensitive duties.
According to the executive director of New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission, the legal marijuana market in the state will reach more than $1 Billion in sales this coming year.
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“I am confident that we will reach and exceed that milestone by calendar year 2024.”
The New Mexico Senate passed a unanimous resolution in which it called on officials to investigate the therapeutic potential of the psilocybin, and to explore the creation of regulatory frameworks to allow access to this psychedelic.
The Florida House Health and Human Services Committee has approved a bill that would preemptively cap the potency of recreational marijuana in advance of any possible vote on a legalization measure on the November ballot.
Minnesota Republican legislators are concerned that the home cultivation of marijuana, under Minnesota’s new legalization law, will lead to “blackouts and Brownouts” because grow lights use energy.
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“We are closing down electric plants.”
According to a new study, people would rather allocate marijuana tax revenues for “investment into fundamental social institutions such as education and public healthcare” than “punitive enforcement measures” like prisons and police.
Justin Strekal, a retiring cannabis lobbyist, has written a new Marijuana Moment opinion piece that offers advice to the reform movement and to industry on “how to fight for good policies which I was either too scared or under-resourced for to take on or to win.”
Marijuana advocates and industry insiders claim that it could be months before Alabama patients have access to medical marijuana, even if the litigation regarding regulators’ licensing process is settled.
Federal
Sen. Jacky Rosen, (D-NV), tweeted: “Nevada is successfully regulating cannabis for years & has seen the economic benefits. Congress has not kept up with the changes, which is hurting small business. “I’m committed in passing commonsense laws that support legal cannabis businesses across the country.”
One new sponsor has been added to the House bill that protects people from being kicked out of public housing because they use marijuana.
One new sponsor has been added to the 11 co-sponsors of the House bill that would remove marijuana businesses from the 280E penalty.
A total of 12 people have now co-sponsored the House bill to permit CBD as an additive in food.
STATES
Maine’s House and Senate have accepted the recommendation of a committee to reject a proposal to remove marijuana-related provisions in the state’s penal code and to expunge previous convictions.
The South Dakota House Health and Human Services Committee has approved legislation to revise various medical marijuana rules.
The Iowa House Public Safety Committee has approved a bill that restricts hemp products.
The Arizona House Natural Resources, Energy and Water Committee has approved a bill to regulate hemp.
Connecticut’s General Law Committee has proposed a bill that would ban discounts and promotions for marijuana businesses.
A West Virginia delegate has filed a bill that would legalize edible medical cannabis.
Nevada lawmakers released a proclamation stating that “psychedelics can be an important part of comprehensive treatment strategies for mental health problems”.
Pennsylvania lawmakers have expressed their skepticism towards Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) has a plan to legalize cannabis.
California regulators have announced that cannabis inhalation device recalls are mandatory. Separately the Cannabis Advisory Committee Laboratory Subcommittee is scheduled to meet on Wednesday.
Colorado regulators have issued a warning about marijuana products that may be contaminated.
Oregon regulators have approved a temporary regulation that will not penalize marijuana companies who face unexpected complications in obtaining a certificate of tax compliance.
Madison Square Garden will sell marijuana one day, according to a New York regulator.
New Jersey regulators have approved more marijuana business licenses.
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/ LOCAL
North York Borough Council in Pennsylvania is currently considering a proposal to decriminalize marijuana.
Denver, Colorado officials released a request for proposal to design, implement, and administer a program to assist marijuana social equity applicants.
International
The Ministry of Public Health in Thailand has published guidelines on the quantities of drugs considered for personal use and not to be sold.
The UK National Institute for Health and Care Research has stated that there have been no publically funded medical cannabis trials to date.
German legislators reacted to opponents’ concerns over marijuana legalization.
SCIENCE AND HEALTH
The study concluded that cannabis is now commonly administered to children in palliative medicine and “seems to be safe and should be considered as an add-on treatment to other drug regimens.”
A study showed “a real-life, positive effect of CBD” on [alternating hemiplegia in childhood] type symptoms.
/ ADVOCACY, OPINION AND ANALYSIS
The American National Standards Institute has approved standards for cannabis security.
Tenth Amendment Center Staffer wrote a blog post about how states “effectively nullified the federal prohibition of marijuana” by passing legalization laws.
/ BUSINESS
Numinus Wellness Inc. has closed its “bought deal”, public offering, for a gross total of C$6 Million.
Connecticut retailers sold 25 million dollars worth of legal marijuana in January.
Montana retailers sold 319,2 million dollars worth of legal marijuana in 2023.
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Photo by Mike Latimer.
The post VP Harris reaches out to cannabis pardonees (Newsletter: Feb 19, 2024) first appeared on Marijuana Moment.
