North Dakota Secretary of State Gives Approval to Marijuana Legalization Initiative

North Dakota Secretary of State Michael Howe has given approval to an initiative that would legalize recreational marijuana, allowing proponents of the measure to begin collecting signatures in hopes of putting it to a vote during the November 2024 or 2025 election.

The nonprofit political committee New Economic Frontier now has one year to collect 15,582 signatures from registered North Dakota voters in order to put their marijuana legalization measure to a vote. If the signatures are gathered by July 8, the initiative will be voted on this November. If signatures are collected after July 8 the measure would be placed on the 2025 general election ballot.

The official ballot title issued by Howe for the initiative states:

Continue reading

Study Finds Cannabis Might Be Useful in Patients With Neurodegenerative Disorders

In a groundbreaking study published by the journal Neurodegenerative Disease Management, researchers from Australia have shed light on the potential of medicinal cannabis in managing neurodegenerative disorders.

neurodegenerative disorder marijuana

A digital model of a neurodegenerative disorder (photo credit: wsu.edu).

“Currently, there exist no curative treatments for neurodegenerative disorders”, states the study. “Recently, there has been a resurgence of interest in the use of medicinal cannabis to improve neurological conditions.”

Neurodegenerative disorders encompass conditions like Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and Huntington’s disease.
Continue reading

Poll Finds 71% of Colorado Voters Support State’s Decision to Legalize Marijuana

Over a decade after Colorado legalized recreational marijuana, a strong majority of voters want marijuana to remain legal.

A statewide survey of hundreds of registered Colorado voters was conducted between April 8 and 9 by Public Policy Polling. It found seven out of 10 (71%) voters think marijuana should be a legal product for adults, similar to alcohol, and fewer than one in four (23%) think it should be illegal. Support for legalization is 16% higher than it was when it was passed by voters in 2012.

These results appear to be in line with the Colorado Polling Institute’s March 2024 Statewide Poll, which found two out of three voters (67%) see the passage of Amendment 64, which allowed the regulation, sale, and taxing of marijuana, as a good thing.
Continue reading

DEA Remarks Suggest They Will Reschedule Marijuana, Leading to Public Comment Period

The DEA has told several senators that the agency is following the necessary procedures in their marijuana rescheduling review, including a forthcoming “public comment period and a hearing”. These would only be necessary if the DEA actually decides to reschedule marijuana.

A group of 21 lawmakers from the US House and Senate recently sent a letter to the DEA urging them to “promptly” deschedule marijuana. Several of the lawmakers, including Senator Elizbeth Warren, say they received a letter from the DEA earlier this month saying that the agency will “follow the procedures that Congress set forth in the Controlled Substances Act, including an opportunity for a public comment period and a hearing.”

These comments may seem pretty straightforward, but they’re a potential window into what the DEA has planned in the coming weeks and months.
Continue reading

Ben & Jerry’s Urges Governors to Grant Clemency for Marijuana Offenses

The massively popular ice cream brand Ben & Jerry’s has clarified its support for legalizing marijuana, while calling on governors to issue pardons and commutations for marijuana offenses.

“The failed policies of the War on Drugs – including harsh sentences, overcriminalization, and surveillance of Black and Brown communities – have perpetuated racial disparities in the criminal legal system and contributed to decades of mass incarceration”, says Ben & Jerry’s on their website. “Countless people are locked behind bars or haunted by convictions for marijuana-related offenses even in states where cannabis is legal. We believe in cannabis legalization, but only if it’s got justice baked right in.”

The companiy goes on to say “Let’s make 4/20 a day we can all can celebrate. Together we must call on Governors to use their power of clemency to pardon people for marijuana-related offenses under state laws. You can learn more about Clemency from our friends at the ACLU vist the ACLU website.”
Continue reading

Court to Hear Arguments in Landmark Case Against Federal Marijuana Ban

A federal judge has scheduled oral arguments in a landmark case where multiple marijuana companies are challenging the U.S. prohibition on marijuana.

In the case CANNA PROVISIONS, Gyasi Sellers, Wiseacre Farm, Verano Holdings, v. Merrick Garland (in his official Capacity as Attorney General of the United States), the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts’s Western Division has scheduled oral arguments for May 22.

“The case presents multiple constitutional questions and concerns matters of great importance both in the Commonwealth and nationwide. Oral argument will allow for a meaningful review of these issues”, argued the coalition of marijuana companies in requesting the hearing.
Continue reading

38 States Have Legalized Medical Marijuana: An In-Depth Breakdown

At the time of publication, 38 states—76% of the entire nation—have legalized medical marijuana.

California was the first state to legalize medical marijuana in 1996. Less than 30 years later and 37 other states have followed suit, in addition to a handful of other states that have legalized low-THC marijuana oil.

Below is a breakdown of all 38 states that have passed comprehensive medical marijuana programs, with information on teach state’s possession limits, whether or not they allow licensed dispensaries, and if they allow patients to grow their own marijuana at home.
Continue reading

Bicameral Coalition of US Lawmakers Tell DEA to “Promptly Remove Marijuana From Schedule I”

A bicameral coalition of lawmakers has sent a letter to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) urging them to “promptly remove marijuana from Schedule I”.

The letter was led by Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and John Fetterman (D-PA) in the Senate, and Congressmembers Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and Barbara Lee (D-CA) in the House of Representatives. It was signed by 17 other lawmakers in both the House and Senate. The letter was addressed to Attorney General Merrick Garland and DEA Administrator Anne Milgram.

“We urge you to promptly remove marijuana from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA)”, begins the letter. “In recent months, we have sent you multiple letters explaining the importance of doing so. We are now nearing eight months since the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recommended rescheduling marijuana to Schedule III — and 18 months since President Biden directed HHS and the Department of Justice (DOJ) to begin the process of reviewing marijuana’s scheduling. It is time for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to act.”
Continue reading

Delaware Senate Health Committee Passes House-Approved Bill to Allow Marijuana Banking

Legislation to protect banks and other financial institutions that provide services to state-legal marijuana businesses has been passed by a key Senate committee in Delaware, roughly a month after it passed the full House of Representatives.

House Bill 355 was approved today through the Senate Health & Social Services Committee. On March 28, the measure was passed by the House of Representatives in a unanimous 38 to 0 vote.

Sponsored by Representative Ed Osienski and Senator Trey Paradee in partnership with State Treasurer Colleen Davis, the proposal clarifies under state law that those offering financial services to marijuana businesses are following state law and thus cannot be prosecuted.
Continue reading

Study: THC Associated With Increased Survival Time in Palliative Cancer Patients

According to the findings of a newly published study, the use of “THC is associated with a significant increase in survival time in ambulatory palliative patients”.

Conducted by researchers in Germany, the study titled The Use of Tetrahydrocannabinol Is Associated with an Increase in Survival Time in Palliative Cancer Patients: A Retrospective Multicenter Cohort Study was published in the peer-reviewed journal Medical Cannabis and Cannabinoids. The abstract is available online through the US National Library of Medicine.”

“Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is often prescribed for ambulatory palliative patients to improve sleep quality and appetite and to reduce anxiety, stress, and pain”, states the study. “However, it is not known if THC has also an effect on the mortality of these patients.”
Continue reading