Oct 01 2024

NORML Files Notice of Intent to Participate in DEA’s December 2 Hearing on Marijuana Rescheduling

Yesterday, NORML filed a Notice of Appearance and Notice of Intent to Participate in the upcoming DEA hearing on marijuana rescheduling, which will take place on December 2.

In its filings, NORML maintained that its “representation of its members and millions of other cannabis consumers, combined with its historical involvement and expertise, makes it uniquely positioned to provide essential testimony in this administrative hearing. The organization satisfies the criteria for ‘associational standing,’ ensuring that the interests and concerns of a significant portion of the public are adequately represented and considered in the decision-making process.”

Founded in 1970, the nonprofit NORML is the nation’s oldest marijuana advocacy group focused on legalizing marijuana and reforming cannabis laws in the United States. Since its founding, NORML “has been a party to virtually every prior administrative petition to remove cannabis from its Schedule I classification under federal law”, according to a press release.
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Oct 01 2024

Congressional Lawmakers Urge DEA to Finalize Proposal to Reschedule Marijuana to Schedule III

House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) and Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) sent a letter today to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) urging them to move swiftly on implementing their proposed rule to transfer marijuana from schedule I to schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA).

The letter was sent to Attorney General Merrick Garland and DEA Administrator Anne Milgram.

“We value the Department of Justice’s steadfast commitment to prevent the misuse and diversion of controlled substances that pose a threat to public health. Amidst a devastating opioid and overdose crisis, it is imperative that law enforcement and public health agencies focus efforts on the biggest threats to Americans,” Nadler and Pallone wrote. “When Congress passed the CSA, it recognized that our scientific and medical understanding is constantly evolving and granted the Attorney General and the Secretary of [Health and Human Services] important responsibilities in ensuring that the law reflects this knowledge.”
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Oct 01 2024

Study: Chronic CBD Treatment May Improve Cardiovascular Health

An important new study published in the Journal of Hypertension reveals that long-term treatment with cannabidiol (CBD) can significantly improve cardiovascular health in an animal model of renovascular hypertension.

Conducted by researchers from the Federal University of Paraiba and São Paulo State University in Brazil, the study explores CBD’s potential to lower blood pressure, enhance vascular function, and reduce oxidative stress—offering intriguing new possibilities for treating hypertension and related cardiovascular complications.

While previous studies have shown that acute CBD administration can reduce blood pressure and oxidative stress in hypertensive rats, this study sought to investigate the long-term cardiovascular effects of chronic CBD treatment. Using a well-established 2-kidney-1-clip (2K1C) model, the researchers induced renovascular hypertension in male Wistar rats to assess how sustained CBD treatment affects cardiovascular health over time.
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Oct 01 2024

Study: Psilocybin Increases Optimistic Engagement in Animal Model, Showing Potential for Depression Treatment

A new study published in the journal Translational Psychiatry provide insights into how psilocybin, the active compound in “magic mushrooms”, could aid in the treatment of depression.

Dried psilocybin.

“Psilocybin has shown promise as a novel pharmacological intervention for treatment of depression, where post-acute effects of psilocybin treatment have been associated with increased positive mood and decreased pessimism”, states the study, conducted by researchers at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, and the University of Tulsa in Arizona. “Although psilocybin is proving to be effective in clinical trials for treatment of psychiatric disorders, the information processing mechanisms affected by psilocybin are not well understood.”

For this study, researchers “fit active inference and reinforcement learning computational models to a novel two-armed bandit reversal learning task capable of capturing engagement behaviour in rats.” The model revealed that “after receiving psilocybin, rats achieve more rewards through increased task engagement, mediated by modification of forgetting rates and reduced loss aversion.”
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Oct 01 2024

New Hampshire Committee Schedules Vote on Recreational Marijuana Legalization Bill

A key legislative committee in New Hampshire has scheduled a vote for legislation that would legalize recreational marijuana for everyone 21 and older.

The House Commerce and Consumer Affairs Committee has scheduled an executive session vote on House Bill 544 for October 17 at 10am. The vote, which comes a little over a month after the committee held a public hearing on the measure, will take place at  Legislative Office Building 302-304.

House Bill 544, filed in January 2023 by five Democrats, would legalize marijuana in a manner similar to alcohol, including a putting control of the legal marijuana market in the hands of the state liquor commission.
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Sep 30 2024

Washington State Marijuana Sales Top $100 Million for Fourth Straight Month, Over $800 Million Year-to-Date

In August, licensed marijuana stores in Washington State sold over $100 million worth of marijuana as well as a variety of marijuana products such as concentrates, edibles, tinctures and topicals.

According to data released by the research firm Headset, marijuana sales in in Washington topped $100 million for the fourth straight month, with $104.6 million sold. This is on par with the $103 million sold in July, and the $103.8 million sold a year prior in August 2023,

The yearly total for marijuana sales is now around $810 million, resulting in approximately $300 million worth of tax revenue. In 2023 there was $1.25 billion in marijuana sales resulting in over $400 million in taxes.
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Sep 30 2024

California Governor Gavin Newsom Vetoes Legislation to Allow Direct Marijuana Sales at Farmers Markets

California Governor Gavin Newsom has vetoed legislation that would have allowed licensed marijuana growers to sell their products directly to consumers at farmers markets.

Assembly Bill 1111, sponsored by Assemblymember Gail Pellerin (D), would have authorized the Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) to issue temporary event licenses, enabling on-site cannabis sales and consumption at designated venues within jurisdictions that permit such activities.

“While I appreciate the author’s intent to support small and equity cannabis cultivators, I am concerned that the bill’s broad eligibility, which extends to the vast majority of licensed cultivators, would undermine the existing retail licensing framework and place significant strain on the Department of Cannabis Control’s ability to regulate and enforce compliance”, said Governor Newsom in a veto letter.
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Sep 30 2024

The Top Indica Marijuana Strains As of September 2024

As the legal marijuana industry continues to thrive across nearly half the country, certain indica strains are consistently leading the way in popularity due to their relaxing effects and widespread availability.

Grandaddy Purple.

Using data from state regulatory agencies as well as platforms like Leafly and Weedmaps, here are the top 10 indica marijuana strains as of September 2024.
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Sep 30 2024

Arkansas Attorney General Says Medical Marijuana Expansion Initiative Will Not Appear on November Ballot

An Arkansas initiative to expand the state’s medical marijuana program, in addition to establishing a federal trigger for recreational marijuana legalization, has narrowly failed to make the November ballot.

Today, Arkansas Secretary of State John Thurston announced that Arkansans for Patient Access (APA) did not gather enough valid signatures to qualify the Arkansas Medical Cannabis Amendment of 2024 for the November 5 ballot.

In July, APA submitted 111,402 signatures from 62 counties, surpassing the 90,704 signatures required across 50 counties to place the initiative on the ballot. However, the state found that a significant number of signatures were invalid. The group was given 30 days to collect the remaining signatures, but they were unable to meet the requirement.
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Sep 30 2024

California Governor Signs Bill Legalizing Marijuana Cafés

California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed into law legislation that legalizes Amsterdam-stye marijuana cafés.

Today, Governor Newsom signed Assembly Bill 1775, nearly a year after he vetoed a similar bill by the same prime sponsor.

The proposal was approved overwhelmingly by the state’s legislature: 58 to 6 in the Assembly, and 30 to 7 in the Senate. The measure will “authorize a local jurisdiction, if specified conditions are met, to allow for the preparation or sale of noncannabis food or beverage products, as specified, by a licensed retailer or microbusiness in the area where the consumption of cannabis is allowed, and to allow, and to sell tickets for, live musical or other performances on the premises of a licensed retailer or microbusiness in the area where the consumption of cannabis is allowed.”
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