A spending bill unveiled by a Republican-led congressional committee includes a provision to prevent the rescheduling of marijuana.

The 2025 appropriations bill for Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies, which is set to be considered in a subcommittee on Wednesday, includes language that would block the Justice Department from reallocating funds to reschedule or remove marijuana from its current classification as a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act. This would put a halt to the DEA’s proposal to reschedule marijuana, which is currently undergoing a legally required 60-day public comment period.

Specially, SEC. 623 of the bill states that “None of the funds appropriated or other wise made available by this Act may be used to reschedule marijuana (as such term is defined in section 102 of the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 802)) or to remove marijuana from the schedules established under section 202 of the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 812).”
Continue reading

With four weeks left in the 60-day public comment period for the DEA’s marijuana rescheduling proposal, 25,000 comments have been submitted.

The DEA’s plan to move marijuana to Schedule III has garnered around 720 comments each day since it was officially published in the Federal Register on May 21. There’s now four weeks remaining before the public comment period ends on July 22.

The DEA, a branch of the Department of Justice, is proposing the first change to marijuana’s scheduling status since the Controlled Substances Act was introduced in 1970. Moving marijuana to Schedule III would acknowledge its medical value and allow its compounds and medicines to be prescribed nationwide. Continue reading

With overwhelming support, legislation that would legalize medical marijuana has been given approval by the North Carolina Senate.

House Bill 563 passed its third and final reading this evening, officially advancing the measure to the House of Representatives. The vote was 36 to 10. Once approved by the House, it will proceed to Governor Roy Cooper (D), who supports the legislation.

Originally introduced to regulate the hemp industry and prohibit hemp products on school grounds, the bill underwent significant amendments in the Senate Judiciary Committee. These changes included provisions for legalizing medical marijuana, leading to its approval by the full Senate.
Continue reading

Legislation that would “criminalize the manufacture, possession and sale of products containing kratom” has been given approval by a key Assembly committee in New Jersey.

Kratom products.

Assembly Bill 3797, filed in February by State Representative Sean Kean (R), was passed today by the Assembly State and Local Government Committee, sending it to a 2nd reading by the full Assembly.

Currently, possession and distribution of kratom is not barred by federal or New Jersey law. This bill “amends existing law to include kratom as a controlled dangerous substance and to sets out gradations for crimes involving the substance.”
Continue reading

DaySavers and the Cannabis Research Coalition, continue to seek those interesting in participating in their first-of-its-kind study called The Science of Smokeability (SOS).

According to new polling release by the University of New Hampshire, a strong majority of adults living in the state support legalizing recreational marijuana.

Six in 10 New Hampshire residents support a bill to legalize recreational marijuana that was recently tabled by the New Hampshire House of Representatives, finds the new Granite State Poll. About two-thirds of state residents support marijuana legalization in some form.

“Despite broad public support, a bipartisan compromise to legalize recreational marijuana in the state was tabled by the New Hampshire House of Representatives, effectively killing the bill for this legislative session”, states a press release from the university. “Two-thirds (65%) of Granite Staters strongly (45%) or somewhat (20%) support legalizing marijuana for recreational use, 19% are strongly (11%) or somewhat (8%) opposed, 15% are neutral on the issue, and less than 1% are unsure.”
Continue reading

A independent expert with the United Nations today released a report calling for an end to the “war on drugs”, asking States to move towards harm reduction in drug policies.

The logo for the United Nations Human Rights Council.

In her fourth report to the Human Rights Council, Tlaleng Mofokeng, UN Special Rapporteur on the right to health, focused on drug use, harm reduction and the right to health. The report explores how harm reduction relates to both drug use and drug use disorders, as well as to drug laws and policies, aiming to analyse and address the related outcomes that adversely impact the enjoyment of the right to health.

“The enforcement of drug laws and policies compounds other forms of discrimination and disproportionately affects certain individuals, such as persons in situations of homelessness or poverty, persons with mental health issues, sex workers, women, children, LGBTIQA+ persons, Black persons, Indigenous Peoples, migrants, persons who are incarcerated or detained, persons with disabilities, persons living with HIV, tuberculosis or hepatitis, and persons living in rural areas,” Mofokeng told the Council. “International drug control conventions have negatively affected the availability, accessibility, acceptability and quality of certain drugs used as medicines.”
Continue reading

Bipartisan Pennsylvania lawmakers held a press conference today to provide an update on their attempt to legalize recreational marijuana this session.

“We are surrounded by states that have already legalized the adult use of cannabis, and they are taking advantage of the fact that we have not,” said Representative Emily Kinkead (D). “There are Pennsylvania dollars to be spent on adult use, and they want to capitalize on it when we should be doing that. We should be using Pennsylvania dollars in Pennsylvania to support Pennsylvanians, and we should be learning from all of the other states about the way to do this best and the way to best capitalize on it.”

The press conference was also attended by Representative Aaron Kaufer (R), who, along with Rep. Kinkead, is sponsoring House Bill 2500. This bill would legalize recreational marijuana for everyone 21 and older and establish a legal framework for its sale, prioritizing licensing for disadvantaged groups. It also seeks to expunge past criminal charges related to marijuana distribution.
Continue reading

Minnesota veterans and individuals with past marijuana convictions can begin applying for the state’s first marijuana business licenses starting today.

The Minnesota Legislature approved a “preapproval” licensing process for the Office of Cannabis Management, allowing regulators to expedite approval for some businesses. This initiative is in preparation for the state’s cannabis market launch in 2025.

The initial step involves verifying eligibility for early licensing. Applicants must meet the “social equity applicant” criteria, which include veterans, new farmers, residents from high-poverty areas, and individuals convicted of cannabis possession or sale before legalization last year.
Continue reading