Mar 14 2024

US Health Secretary Defends Recommending Marijuana Be Rescheduled During Senate Hearing

During a recent Senate hearing the secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services defended his agencies recommendation that marijuana be moved to Schedule III.

In August, following a nearly year-long review, HHS sent a letter to the DEA urging them to reclassify marijuana as a Schedule III drug under the Controlled Substances Act. This would effectively legalize marijuana for prescription use nationwide, while providing medical marijuana patients with a bevy of federal rights and protections not current afforded to them.

Today, during a hearing of the Senate Finance Committee, Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) questioned HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra about the agency’s rescheduling recommendation.
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Mar 14 2024

US Congress: 36 Lawmakers Send Letter to President Biden Requesting Federal Marijuana Prisoners Be Released

A group of 36 lawmakers in the United States Congress have sent a letter to President Biden urging clemency for those in federal prisons for marijuana-related offenses

(Photo credit: Shutterstock).

The letter, led by Congressmembers Barbara Lee (D-CA) and Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), was sent yesterday to the White House.

“Dear President Biden”, begins the letter. “We urge you to grant clemency to the many individuals currently incarcerated in federal prison for nonviolent marijuana offenses. The continued incarceration of these individuals continues the racist legacy of the War on Drugs, contradicts the current societal and legal trends regarding marijuana, and represents an unnecessary burden on our morals and justice system.”
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Mar 13 2024

Two Hawaii House Committees Pass Senate-Approved Bill to Legalize Marijuana For Everyone 21+

Legislation to legalize recreational marijuana was passed by two committees today in the Hawaii House of Representatives, with the votes coming a little over a week after the bill was approved by the full Senate.

Senate Bill 3335 would legalize the possession, personal cultivation and license distribution of recreational marijuana for those 21 and older. The Hawaii Cannabis Authority and Cannabis Control Board would be established within the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs to handle licensing and regulations for the legal marijuana industry. The measure would place a 14% tax on recreational marijuana sales, with the tax being 4% for medical marijuana.

The proposed law would allow those with convictions for marijuana-related crimes that would be legal under the bill to have the charges expunged from their record.
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Mar 13 2024

Bipartisan US House Bill to Protect Those Following State Marijuana Laws Gains Ninth Sponsor

Legislation in the US House of Representatives that would protect state marijuana laws and those following them has gained its ninth legislative sponsor.

The STATES (Strengthening the Tenth Amendment Through Entrusting States) Act 2.0 was filed in December by Representative Dave Joyce (R) with four cosponsors. Now, that number has more than doubled to nine, with Congressmember Max Miller (R-OH) the most recent to join the list late last month.

If passed into law the STATES Act would amend the Controlled Substances so that those acting in compliance with state marijuana laws would no longer be committing a federal crime, and it would allow commerce between legal marijuana states and tribes
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Mar 13 2024

Utah Legislature Unanimously Approves Bill to Allow Hospitals to Administer Psilocybin and MDMA

Utah’s full legislature has passed legislation establishing a pilot program that allows hospitals to administer psilocybin (aka “magic mushrooms) and MDMA (aka “ecstasy) to certain patients.

Psilocybin (left) and MDMA (right).

Sponsored by Senate Majority Whip Kirk Cullimore (R) and House Speaker Pro Tempore James Dunnigan (R), Senate Bill 266 was approved unanimously through both the House and Senate. The measure has been sent to Governor Spencer Cox (R) for consideration. Even if Cox were to veto the measure, it has well more than enough support to override a governor’s veto.

The legislature’s passage of the bill comes roughly two years after Governor Cox signed into law legislation establishing a task force to study the therapeutic potential of psychedelic drugs and give recommendation to lawmakers.
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Mar 13 2024

Massachusetts Governor Announces “Nation-Leading Effort” to Pardon Marijuana Possession Convictions

Governor Maura T. Healey today announced that she is taking executive action to pardon misdemeanor marijuana possession convictions in Massachusetts.

If approved by the Governor’s Council, this would be “the most comprehensive action by a governor since President Joe Biden pardoned federal marijuana possession convictions and called on governors to take similar actions in their states”, according to a press release from Governor Healey. It could impact hundreds of thousands of people.

If approved, Governor Healey’s pardon will apply to all eligible convictions, and most people will not need to take any action to have their criminal records updated. It would apply to all adult Massachusetts state court misdemeanor convictions before March 13, 2024 for possession of marijuana (sometimes referred to as possession of a “Class D substance”).
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Mar 13 2024

Vice President Kamala Harris Holding White House Forum on Friday With Marijuana Pardon Recipients

On Friday, Vice President Kamala Harris will hold a forum at the White House with individuals who have received marijuana pardons as part of an executive order issued by President Biden in late 2022.

Regional NORML Coordinator Chris Goldstein, along with two other Presidential marijuana pardon recipients including hop hop artist Fat Joe, will be attending a forum this Friday at the White House with Vice President Kamala Harris to discuss ongoing efforts by the Biden Administration to reform federal cannabis policies. Portions of the meeting are scheduled to be livestreamed by the White House.

Goldstein, who has a history of cannabis activism in Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, received a Presidential pardon certificate earlier this year. He was federally convicted of misdemeanor marijuana possession in 2014 for smoking cannabis during a protest in an outdoor area of Independence Hall National Historic Park in Philadelphia.
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Mar 12 2024

Study: Cannabinoids Led to Symptom Improvements in Over 70% of Cancer Patients

According to a new study about one in four cancer patients use cannabinoids to assist in symptom control, and a strong majority saw a “subjective alleviation of treatment-related symptoms”.

“Limited studies have described the utilization of cannabinoids among cancer patients”, states the study, published in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics. “This survey study aimed to characterize utilization patterns and perceptions of cannabinoid use for treatment-related side effects among patients receiving radiation treatment.”

This was an “anonymous survey study of patients who were undergoing or recently completed radiation treatment at a comprehensive cancer center. Data on cannabinoid use during cancer treatment, reasons for the use of cannabinoids, perceived effects of cannabinoids, and formulations of usage were collected and summarized using descriptive statistics.”
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Mar 12 2024

Study: Marijuana Can Make it Easier for Women to Achieve an Orgasm and Can Improve Frequency and Satisfaction

According to a new study of hundreds of women, marijuana made it easier to achieve an orgasm in a majority of participants, while also improving orgasm frequency and satisfaction.

“Up to 41% of women experience female orgasm disorder/difficulty (FOD), a statistic unchanged for 50 years”, states the study, published in the March issue of the Journal of Sexual Medicine. “Despite this, there is a paucity of validated treatments.”

The study notes that research “has suggested cannabis as a treatment for female sexual disorders for more than 50 years. Yet a literature review revealed no studies evaluating cannabis as a treatment specifically for FOD and no studies comparing women with and without FOD.”
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Mar 12 2024

Colorado: Over $22 Million in Marijuana Taxes Made in February, $2.6 Billion Since 2014

Colorado made well over $20 million in tax revenue from legal marijuana sales in February.

Colorado made $22,002,884 in taxes from the licensed distribution of marijuana, according to data compiled and released by the Colorado Department of Revenue. This marks a slight increase over the $21.5 million sold in January, despite February have two fewer days.

The yearly total for marijuana taxes in Colorado is now $43,549,755, while all-time tax revenue is now at $2,661,707,488
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