Apr 17 2024

US Senate Leader Says “Cannabis Legalization Has Proven Successful at the State Level”

In remarks made today, United States Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said that marijuana legalization has been proven successful at the state level, while reiterating his desire to see a change in federal marijuana laws.

Senator Chuck Schumer (photo credit: J. Scott Applewhite / Associated Press).

At a speech today at the National Cannabis Policy Summit, Schumer said “My commitment to ending federal prohibition on cannabis remains as strong as ever. As many of you know, cannabis reform is an issue I’ve cared about and I’ve been working hard on, for years. And as many of you know, momentum is now in our favor.”

Schumer says “Here in Congress, we’re making some good progress”, while making note of the fact that a marijuana banking bill was approved by the Senate Finance Committee in September with bipartisan support.
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Apr 16 2024

President Biden vs Former President Trump: Comparing Their Marijuana Policy Positions and Accomplishments

Here’s a look at the marijuana-related differences, similarities and accomplishments of President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, both vying for the position of POTUS this November.

The debate over marijuana legalization in the United States has evolved significantly over the past decade, with an increasing number of states opting to legalize the substance for medical and recreational use. This shift in public sentiment has placed the issue at the forefront of national policy discussions, where contrasting approaches by President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump highlight the political divide.

With that in mind, here’s a breakdown of the policy positions and accomplishments of the two contenders:
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Apr 16 2024

A Breakdown of all 24 Legal Marijuana States

Despite there being exactly zero states with legal recreational marijuana at the start of 2012, that number has jumped rapidly to 24.

With at least four states still having a legitimate shot to legalize marijuana this year, it may not be long before the majority of the entire United States has legalized recreational marijuana. Just a decade ago, only two states had legalized marijuana; Washington and Colorado.

Among the 24 states that have legalized recreational marijuana, there is a notable variety in regulations and practices, despite many shared characteristics.
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Apr 16 2024

Initiative to Legalize Recreational Marijuana Filed in North Dakota, Proponents Aim for November Ballot

Earlier today, a group of 27 North Dakotans filed a 2024 ballot initiative to legalize adult-use cannabis.

The initiative was filed by New Economic Frontier, a nonprofit political committee. Their proposal would allow adults 21 and older to possess up to one ounce of marijuana, four grams of marijuana concentrates and 1500 milligrams of adult-use cannabinoid products (300 milligrams of this can be in the form of edible products). The initiative would also allow the personal cultivation of up to three marijuana plants, and it would allow marijuana and marijuana products to be purchased through licensed marijuana stores.

To qualify for the November ballot, 15,582 signatures must be gathered from eligible North Dakota voters by July 8th, 2024.
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Apr 16 2024

Montana: Over $26 Million in March Marijuana Sales

In March there was $26.9 million in marijuana sold through legal means in Montana, the highest amount since September.

March marks the 13th straight month with marijuana sales over $25 million in Montana, according to the state’s Cannabis Control Division. In total there was $26,926,233 sold in March, a nearly $2 million increase from the sales totals for February and January.  That said, March’s sales totals fell narrowly short of sales for March, 2023 ($27,098,679).

A large majority of the marijuana sales for March were purchased by recreational consumers; $22,593,299. Medical marijuana patients purchased $4,332,934 worth of marijuana and marijuana products during the same period.
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Apr 16 2024

US House Committee Approves Veterans Medical Marijuana and Psychedelics Bills

A committee in the United States House of Representatives has given approval to two bills that would address access to medical marijuana and psychedelics for veterans.

The House Veterans’ Affairs Health Subcommittee has given approval to legislation that would facilitate research regarding the potential benefits of medical marijuana for veterans, while also addressing veterans access to psychedelics.

Specifically, the committee approved the Veterans Cannabis Analysis, Research, and Effectiveness (CARE) Act, filed by Congressmember Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA). The measure would require the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to “conduct and support research relating to the efficacy and safety of forms of cannabis”.
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Apr 16 2024

California Senate Committee Approves Bill to Legalize Therapeutic Access to Psychedelics

A key California Senate committee has approved a bill to legalize service centers for certain psychedelics.

Mescaline (top left), DMT (top right), dried psilocybin mushrooms (bottom left), and MDMA (bottom right).

The Senate Business, Professions and Economic Development Committee voted 7 to 4 today to pass Senate Bill 1012, known as The Regulated Psychedelic Facilitators Act and the Regulated Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy Act.

The proposed law would establish a system of licensed service centers in which those 21 and older could have legal access, and could legally consume, a variety of psychedelic substances including psilocybin (“magic mushrooms”), mescaline, DMT and MDMA.
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Apr 15 2024

A Complete Timeline of the DEA’s Marijuana Scheduling Review, Prompted by Department of Health Recommendation

Last year the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recommended to the DEA that marijuana be rescheduled. A lot has happened since then. Here’s a timeline.

Marijuana is currently a Schedule I drug, making it illegal under all circumstances. If marijuana were moved to Schedule III, as the HHS has recommended, it would be legalized nationwide for prescription use. The move would also bring forth a plethora of additional changes, including giving federal protections to state-level medical marijuana patients and businesses. This would be a far cry from legalization or a full deschedule, but it would one of the largest changes in federal marijuana laws since prohibition was established.

Below is a timeline of HHS’s recommendation, and the DEA’s current review.
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Apr 15 2024

White House Press Secretary Says Department of Health’s Marijuana Rescheduling Recommendation Was “Guided By the Evidence”

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said today that the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) recommendation to the DEA to reschedule marijuana was “guided by the evidence”, while clarifying that the Justice Department now has the final say on the matter.

During today’s daily White House Press Briefing, Jean-Pierre was asked “There’s currently still a patchwork of state marijuana laws to regulate the drug safety, including whether there’s traces of led in products. Since marijuana is still illegal at the federal level, with it becoming more common at the state level, is the administration doing anything to try to improve the safety regulation of [cannabis] products, or any consideration of legalizing marijuana moving forward at the federal level?”

Jean-Pierre responded by saying “I will give you a little bit of an update. As you all know the President asked secretary of HHS and attorney general to initiative the administrative process to review how marijuana is scheduled. HHS has concluded their independent review, guided by the evidence.”
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Apr 15 2024

The 4 States That Still Have a Legitimate Shot to Legalize Marijuana This Year

Of the numerous state-level efforts to legalize marijuana that were active to start the year and that will continue into 2025, these four states remain the most viable options to legalize marijuana this year.

Despite it only being April, a considerable number of states have legislatures whose sessions have already ended, or have already passed deadlines for when a bill must be passed out of committee. For example, a Hawaii bill to legalize marijuana is officially dead for the year, despite being approved by the full Senate and three House committees, because the chair of the House Finance Committee failed to give it a vote before the 2024 deadline for bills to be passed out of committee and sent to their full chamber of origin.

That being said, there are still four state-level efforts to legalize marijuana that have a legitimate possibility of being successful.
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