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.
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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.”
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These Two States Are Set to Vote On Initiatives to Legalize Recreational Marijuana This November

Voters in two states are set to have an opportunity to legalize recreational marijuana this November.

While advocates are working on marijuana legalization initiatives in several states, only two are set to appear on the November ballot. Other statewide efforts are expected to reach ballots in 2025 or later.

That said, here are the two states that could shift the balance, increasing the number of states with legalized recreational marijuana from 24 to 26, establishing a majority.
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Missouri Senate Schedules Vote On Psilocybin Measure

Missouri’s full Senate is scheduled to vote tomorrow on legislation that would facilitate research on the therapeutic use of psilocybin mushrooms.

Dried psilocybin mushrooms.

Senate Bill 768 was prefiled by Senator Holly Thompson Rehder in December, and it was approved through the Senate Emerging Issues Committee in March. Tomorrow, the measure is scheduled to receive consideration by the full Senate, with approval sending it to the House of Representatives.

According to its official summary, under this act “any person who acquires, uses, produces, possesses, transfers, or administers psilocybin for the person’s own therapeutic use shall not be subject to state or local criminal or civil penalties if the person:
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President Biden Announces More Pardons and Commutations for Non-Violent Drug Offenses

In an announcement made today, President Biden says he’s pardoned and commuted the sentences of numerous individuals, all for non-violent drug-related offenses.

“America is a Nation founded on the promise of second chances”, said President Biden in an official White House statement. ‘During Second Chance Month, we reaffirm our commitment to rehabilitation and reentry for people returning to their communities post incarceration. We also recommit to building a criminal justice system that lives up to those ideals and ensures that everyone receives equal justice under law.”

Biden says “That is why today I am announcing steps I am taking to make this promise a reality. I am using my clemency power to pardon 11 individuals and commute the sentences of 5 individuals who were convicted of non-violent drug offenses.”
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Kentucky to Hold Medical Marijuana Lottery in October, 48 Dispensary Licenses to Be Awarded Across 11 Regions

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear has announced that the state will use a lottery system to award an initial round of medical marijuana business licenses.

The lottery will take place in October, with Governor Beshear arguing that it should remove any temptation to lobby in an effort to “get a leg up in different ways that we don’t want to see”. Governor Beshear says that the medical marijuana industry is expected to be up and running by the first half of 2025.

“[The lottery] reduces or eliminates litigation, and it creates a more fair process, not one where people bid against each other and only then the big companies can be a part of it,” said the governor. “But one that provides at least a chance for everyone who can meet the criteria.”
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US Senate Majority Leader Includes “SAFER Banking Act” and “Cannabis Reform” as Top Senate Goals

At a press conference today Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer committed to passing the SAFE Banking Act and other “cannabis reform” in “a bipartisan way”.

When asked “what are your major goals?”, Senator Schumer (D-NY) responded “We have a bunch of different bills, they’ll all have to work in a bipartisan way and we’ll do our best to get many of them done.”

Schumer says this “includes getting $35 insulin, they’re trying to get online child safety done, they’re trying to deal with rail safety, they’re trying to deal with the SAFER Act and Cannabis reform.”
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Cannabis Oil Shows Promise in Treating PTSD Symptoms, Finds Study

A new study using an animal model demonstrates that medicinal cannabis oil may offer significant benefits in treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms.

The study, published in the journal Behavioural Brain Research and conducted by researchers at the Beijing Institute of Radiation Medicine, Qinghai University, and the Beijing University of Technology, provides new insights into the potential mechanisms by which cannabis oil could alleviate PTSD.

In this study, the research team developed a PTSD model in mice by subjecting them to chronic complex stress (CCS) for four weeks, simulating long-term stress conditions.
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Study Says “Psilocybin Showed Promise in Treating Depression and Anxiety”

The psychedelic compound psilocybin “showed promise in treating depression and anxiety, with notable safety profiles”, according to a new study.

Dried psilocybin mushrooms.

“The purpose of this review was to provide a narrative of published articles that investigated the effect of psilocybin, which has been designated as a “breakthrough therapy” by the FDA, in the treatment of depression”, states the study, published in the May, 2024 issue of the journal Clinical Psychopharmacology and Neuroscience. “FDA designated psilocybin as a “breakthrough therapy” for the treatment of treatment-resistant depression (TRD) in 2018. This paper provided a review of psilocybin’s potential role in treatment of depression by focusing on published clinical trials.”

The abstract of the study, which was also published online by the US National Institute of Health, states that numerous studies have shown that “psilocybin manifests antidepressant and anxiolytic effects by increasing glutamate transmission, reducing brain inflammation, decreasing default mode network activity.”
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Second California Committee Votes in Favor of Legalizing Marijuana Cafés

Legislation to legalize marijuana cafés in California has been passed by a second committee in the state’s Assembly.

Assembly Bill 1775, filed by Rep. Matt Haney (D), was given approval yesterday by the Committee on Governmental Organization, with the vote being 13 to 2. The measure, which now heads to a third and final reading of the full Assembly, was passed through the Committee on Business and Professions earlier this month 14 to 2.

The proposed law would “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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