Jul 02 2023

Study: Marijuana Legalization Significantly Decreases Admissions to Mental Health Treatment, Reduces Medicaid Spending

According to a new study the legalization of recreational marijuana is associated with a 37% decrease in mental treatment admissions.

The Indiana University study states that the results “are driven by those under 65, Black, and white individuals”, noting that there is also “a significant decrease in Medicaid-funded treatment admissions”.  The study is being published in the journal Health Economics, and it’s been epublished online by the National Institute of Health.

The study’s abstract notes that about half of all Americans will be diagnosed with a mental health disorder (MHD) at some point in their lives. This, coupled with a 35% increase in suicides since 1999, has led to the CDC declaring MHDs and suicides a “serious public health problem”. Despite some studies showing that medical and recreational marijuana laws reduce suicides and depression rates, research has been scarce.
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Jul 01 2023

Connecticut: Law Allowing Those 21+ to Grow Marijuana Now in Effect

As of today, July 1, a law allowing those 21 and older to grow recreational marijuana is in full effect.

Under the new law, the personal cultivation of up to six marijuana plants is allowed for anyone who’s at least 21 years old. Just three marijuana plants are allowed to be mature at any point (meaning three of the six must be immature plants or seedlings), and there’s a maximum of 12 per household.

Connecticut lawmakers first legalized marijuana in 2021, with the law taking effect July of that year. The law allowed those 21 and older to possess up to 1.5 ounces of marijuana in public and up to five ounces at a private residence. The law did not, however, fully legalize marijuana cultivation, instead making it a civil infraction.
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Jun 29 2023

North Carolina Indian Tribe Accepting Applications to Join Medical Marijuana Superstore

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) is now accepting applications from all North Carolina residents for their soon-to-open medical marijuana superstore, with no physician recommendation required.

The EBCI legalized medical marijuana on their tribal land in 2021, and soon they will open the first medical marijuana dispensary in North Carolina. The dispensary is a converted bingo hall that cost around $50 million to build. The store is a roughly three hour drive from Charlotte.

Outside of tribal land, medical marijuana remains illegal for all purposes in North Carolina. In March the North Carolina Senate voted 36 to 10 to legalize marijuana, but the measure has stalled in the House.
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Jun 29 2023

NBA and Player’s Association Sign Contract Removing Marijuana From Banned Substances List

The National Basketball Association and the National Basketball Players Association have officially signed a collective bargaining agreement that not only removes marijuana from the league’s list of banned substances, it allows players to invest in marijuana companies.

The NBA and the NBPA both signed the 676-page document this past weekend, allowing the seven-year contract to take effect. For the first time in league history the agreement will see marijuana removed from the list of banned substances, meaning players will no longer be tested for marijuana or punished for its use.

The contract allows players to “hold a direct or indirect ownership interest (whether controlling or non-controlling) in an entity that produces or sells CBD Products”. Players will also be allowed to invest in marijuana companies that are legal under state law even if they’re federally illegal. However, the investment must be passive and players cannot have an ownership share of larger than 49%.
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Jun 28 2023

Luxembourg Parliament Approves Bill to Legalize Marijuana Possession and Culitvation

Luxembourg’s full Parliament has passed a bill that will make the country just the second in the European Union to legalize marijuana possession and cultivation.

The Chamber of Deputies voted 38 to 22 today to pass the legalization bill. The measure will allow adults to legally possess and grow marijuana, but it does not allow for marijuana retail outlets. In the EU only Malta has legalized recreational marijuana.

The law was first proposed by government officials in 2021. It has gone through an extensive debate and revision process over the past two years. Prime Minister Xavier Bettel is in support of the effort.
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Jun 28 2023

California Senate Passes Bill to Legalize Marijuana Cafes, Allow Live Performances at Marijuana Stores

The California Senate has given approval to an Assembly-passed bill that would legalize marijuana cafes where marijuana and marijuana products, as well as other food and drink products, can be purchased and consumed.

The Senate voted yesterday to pass Assembly Bill 374 through its second reading, a day after the Committee on Business, Professions and Economic Development voted 11 to 1 in favor of the measure. The Senate will need to pass the bill through a third and final reading before it can be sent to Governor Gavin Newsom (the Assembly has already passed it 64 to 9). A final vote in the Senate could come as soon as tomorrow.

According to its legislative digest, this bill, as amended, would authorize a local jurisdiction “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, to allow for the sale of prepackaged, noncannabis-infused, nonalcoholic food and beverages by a licensed retailer, 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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Jun 28 2023

Chiefs TE Travis Kelce Predicts Up to 80% of NFL Players Use Marijuana

Travis Kelce, starting tight end for the Super Bowl-winning Kansas City Chiefs, predicts that a majority of NFL players use marijuana on a regular basis.

Chiefs TE Travis Kelce in a game against the Pittsburgh Stealers.

Kelce told Vanity Fair this week that although he was “so embarrassed” when he failed a drug test for marijuana while playing in Cincinnati, he says nowadays trends are changing and many players are taking advantage of the NFL’s recently loosened marijuana policies.

Prior to 2021 NFL players were subject to numerous drug tests throughout each year. Under current NFL rules players are required to undergo just one annual marijuana test at the start of training camp, and punishments for testing positive for marijuana are more lenient.
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Jun 28 2023

First National Cannabis Super PAC Launches in the US

LegalizeAmerica has launched as the nation’s first Super PAC devoted to reforming cannabis laws across the United States.

Officially launching June 28, the independent expenditure organization, created with support from leading U.S. regulated cannabis companies, will work to raise the profile of cannabis as a national issue in the 2024 election and beyond.

“Legalize America is committed to ending cannabis prohibition and advancing expungement efforts and responsible use” said Legalize America Chair Matt Harrell of Curaleaf. “We will use all available tools—including scorecards, endorsements and targeted independent expenditure campaigns—to advance cannabis reform, with the goal of creating a prosperous and equitable cannabis industry.”
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Jun 28 2023

Ukraine President Calls for Nation to “Finally Legalize Cannabis-Based Medicine”

In the midst of a devastating war, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is calling on the nation to legalize medical cannabis.

During a recent address to the Verkhovna Rada (the Ukrainian Parliament), President Zelenskyy stated:

“In particular, we must finally honestly legalize cannabis-based medicine for everyone who needs it, [with] the relevant scientific research and controlled Ukrainian manufacturing.”
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Jun 28 2023

Poll: 61% of Americans Support Legalizing Psychedelic Therapy

New polling from the University of California shows that a substantial majority of adults in the United States support legalizing psychedelic therapy.

The poll was published online last week and was presented at the  Psychedelic Science 2023 Conference in Denver, Colorado.

“More than six out of 10 (61%) American registered voters support legalizing regulated therapeutic access to psychedelics, including 35% who report ‘strong’ support,” states a press release. “In addition, more than three-quarters of voters (78%) support making it easier for researchers to study psychedelic substances. Almost half (49%) support removing criminal penalties for personal use and possession.”
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