Oct 31 2023

US House Committee to Consider Removing Marijuana Testing for Federal Job Applicants, Allowing D.C. Marijuana Sales

Washington D.C. legalized recreational marijuana years ago, but the federal government has refused to allow it to take effect. A key House committee is now set to consider allowing such sales, while also making a change to federal drug testing laws.

The House Rules Committee will soon consider the Financial Services and General Government (FSGG) appropriations bill, and lawmakers recently filed amendments to the measure that would prevent applicants from being drug tested for marijuana when applying for most federal jobs.

The committee will also be considering a newly-filed amendment that would explicitly allow Washington D.C. – the nation’s capital – to open recreational marijuana stores usable by everyone 21 and older. Currently D.C. is allowed medical marijuana dispensaries, but not recreational retail outlets.
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Oct 31 2023

DEA Calls for Drastic Increase in THC, Ibogaine and Magic Mushroom Production

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is seeking to drastically increase the amount of THC, ibogaine and psilocybin that’s manufactured for research purposes.

Ibogaine (top left), psilocybin (top right) and marijuana (bottom).

The DEA is seeking to almost double the amount of magic mushrooms and THC that’s produced to “support research and clinical trials”. The DEA is also proposing to almost quintuple the amount of ibogaine that’s produced, and to increase the amount of “other tetrahydrocannabinol” products by more than 2,200%.

The move by the DEA comes as congressional researchers say the agency is “likely” to reschedule marijuana to Schedule III, following a request from the Department of Health.
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Oct 30 2023

Democrat US Congressmember Running Against President Biden Is Very Pro-Marijuana Law Reform

Just a few days ago Minnesota Representative Dean Phillips (D) announced that he is running against President Biden in the Democratic primary race. Although his chances are deemed by many political experts to be slim, he may help push Biden to be supportive of actions like legalizing marijuana.

(Photo credit: Michelle Brochstein / Sipa USA).

Representative Phillips is now the just one of two candidates running against President Biden in the primary race, with former Democratic candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announcing recently that he would be running as an independent. Author Marianne Williamson, who has been polling at around 9%, is the other candidate.

Although Phillips faces an uphill battle in a primary where the entire Democratic Party is putting their full weight behind Biden, Phillips’ introduction in the race has drawn some excitement from those seeking an alternative to Biden. Phillips is relatively new to Congress (2019), but he is well liked among his constituents and colleagues, and he has the sort of calm, calculated demeanor many want in a presidential candidate. As a  Democrat who is moderate but with many progressive-leaning opinions, many also believe he could fair well in a general election battle.
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Oct 30 2023

Study: Marijuana is “Safe and Highly Effective” for Treating Neuropathic Pain and Concomitant Sleep Disturbance

Medical cannabis “is safe and highly effective for treating neuropathic pain and concomitant sleep disturbance”, states a new study.

cheyenne marijuana

Titled Medical Cannabis Alleviates Chronic Neuropathic Pain Effectively and Sustainably without Severe Adverse Effect: A Retrospective Study on 99 Cases, the study was published in the peer-reviewed journal Medical Cannabis and Cannabinoids, and it was published online by the US National Library of Medicine. It was conducted by researchers at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf in Germany and The University of Gothenburg in Sweden.

“Medical cannabis may provide a treatment option for chronic neuropathic pain. However, empirical disease-specific data are scarce”, states the study.
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Oct 30 2023

Georgia Lawmaker Joins Coalition in Announcing Forthcoming Marijuana Reform Bill

State Representative Eric Bell (D), along with a coalition of activists and industry leaders, has announced new legislation to reform the state’s marijuana laws.

(Photo credit: The Good Life Store).

The New Georgia Project Action Fund has joined forces with State Representative Eric Bell (D) to announce the We Want All The S.M.O.K.E. (Spreading Marijuana Opportunities and Knowledge Everywhere) Campaign. The campaign includes “esteemed community leaders and activists from around the state in forming the Georgia Coalition for Cannabis Reform”. The group will be pushing a marijuana legalization bill that Representative Bell plans to file at the start of the upcoming legislative session.

This “first-of-its kind initiative” is being supported by leaders in the cannabis industry and medical field, including the Georgia Hemp Association, Lakeland Centres, Minority Cannabis Research Laboratories, CARE for Georgia, and more.
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Oct 30 2023

Ohio: With Vote on Marijuana Initiative a Week Away, New Poll Shows Strong Support

According to new polling, nearly 60% of likely Ohio voters plan to vote “Yes” on Issue 2.

The new PublicPolicyPolling survey found that 59% of those who are likely to vote in this month’s election are in support of Issue 2, which would legalize recreational marijuana for everyone 21 and older.

“Issue 2 is a proposed state law that would legalize the growing, sale, and use of marijuana for adults”, states the polling question. “If the election were today, would you vote Yes, to legalize adult use of cannabis and marijuana, or No, to keep marijuana law as they are today?”
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Oct 30 2023

Massachusetts: Enough Signatures Collected on Psychedelics Initiative to Force Vote

A Massachusetts campaign seeking to legalize psychedelics has collected enough valid signatures to force the legislature to vote on their initiative.

Dried psilocybin.

The nonprofit political committee Massachusetts for Mental Health Options says it has verified over 75,000 signatures from registered voters, more than the 74,574 needed to force the state’s legislature to consider the proposal. The initiative would “expand mental health treatment options in Massachusetts by providing new pathways to access natural psychedelic medicine therapy”, including “creating access to natural psychedelic medicine therapy and removing criminal penalties for personal possession of these medicines.”

Once the state verified the signatures, the legislature will be given until May 1 to approve or reject the initiative. If they choose the latter, Massachusetts for Mental Health Options will have until July 3 to submit an additional 12.4k signatures in order to place the measure on the November, 2024 general election ballot.
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Oct 29 2023

New York: Newly Filed Legislation Would Prohibit Roadside Marijuana Signage

Legislation filed Friday in the New York Assembly “Prohibits roadside signage for the sale of cannabis or cannabis products on a highway, road, or other vehicular pathway”.

Assembly Bill 8200 was filed by Assemblymember Scott Gray, and it has been assigned to the Assembly Economic Development Committee.

The proposed law “establishes that a civil penalty of $1,000 shall be assessed for the first offense and a subsequent fine of up to $2,500 for each day that a violation continues.”
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Oct 28 2023

Study: Cannabigerol (CBG) Reduced Neuropathic Pain for at Least 24 Hours in Animal Model

A new study published in the journal Pharmaceuticals found that “chronic CBG administration can provide at least 24 hours of antinociceptive effect” in an animal model of neuropathic pain.

“Cannabigerol (CBG), derived from the cannabis plant, acts as an acute analgesic in a model of cisplatin-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) in mice”, states the abstract of the study, conducted by researchers at Penn State College of Medicine. “There are no curative, long-lasting treatments for CIPN available to humans.”

For this study, researchers “investigated the ability of chronic CBG to alleviate mechanical hypersensitivity due to CIPN in mice by measuring responses to 7 and 14 days of daily CBG.”
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Oct 27 2023

Bipartisan Group of 31 US Representatives Asks DEA to Consider Fully Descheduling Marijuana

31 bipartisan members of the US House of Representatives have sent a letter to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) urging them to consider legalizing marijuana via descheduling it.

In August the Department of Health sent a letter to the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) officially requesting marijuana be reclassified as a Schedule III drug under the Controlled Substances Act, which would effectively legalize it for prescription use. The letter came in response to a request by President Biden last year for the government to research and consider rescheduling marijuana. Congressional researchers say the DEA is “likely” to reschedule marijuana.

Now, a group of 31 lawmakers are asking the DEA to consider going further than simply rescheduling marijuana and instead deschedule it altogether. This would end the federal government’s prohibition on marijuana while allow states to decide their own laws.
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