Jan 12 2024

US Health Department Releases 252 Page Document With Rationale for Rescheduling Marijuana, Says it Has “Accepted Medical Use”

The United States Health and Human Services Department (HHS) has released a 252 page document explaining their rationale for wanting marijuana moved from Schedule I to Schedule III.

HHS today released the full, unredacted 252 page document explaining why it sent a letter to the DEA in August requesting marijuana be rescheduled. In the letter HHS says that marijuana  “has a currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States”, while also noting that its “potential for abuse less than the drugs or other substances in Schedules I and II.”

In December HHS released the document after a pair of attorneys requested them through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). However, the 252 pages were heavily redacted. The documents released today were entirely unredacted.
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Jan 12 2024

Florida Chamber of Commerce Poll Shows 57% of State Voters Support Legalizing Marijuana

Polling released today by the Florida Chamber of Commerce shows that a strong majority of voters in the state support legalizing marijuana.

The Florida Chamber poll found that 57% of Florida voters support legalizing recreational marijuana. Although this is a significant majority, it’s short of the 60% threshold required for a constitutional amendment to be approved during the November election. Polling released late last year by the University of North Florida’s Public Opinion Research Lab found support for legalization to be 10% higher, at 67%.

“Supporters of the amendment have surpassed the signature requirement to gain access to the ballot however the amendment has not yet been approved or rejected for the ballot by the Florida Supreme Court”, states a press release. “Last fall, the Florida Supreme Court heard arguments for and against why the amendment should be on the ballot but has yet to rule on the proposed amendment’s ballot language and must do so by April 1st in order for the amendment to make the 2024 general election ballot.”
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Jan 12 2024

12 State Attorneys General Send Letter to DEA Urging Them to Reschedule Marijuana

Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser today led a group of 12 state attorneys general on a letter encouraging the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency to reschedule cannabis to Schedule III under the federal Controlled Substances Act in the interest of public health and safety.

In the letter to DEA Administrator Anne Milgram, the coalition of attorneys general explain that rescheduling cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III will “allow the state-regulated cannabis industry to continue to set the standard for legal products and work to eliminate the illicit market and unregulated intoxicating hemp products.”

The letter comes just days after the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) sent a letter to congressional lawmakers informing them that their review of marijuana as a schedule I drug is currently underway, while noting that the agency has “the final authority” when it comes to any rescheduling effort.
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Jan 11 2024

Presidential Candidate Nikki Haley Says She Supports States’ Marijuana Rights

Republican presidential candidate and former South Carolina Governor and United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley says that although she doesn’t support legalizing marijuana federally, she does support states’ rights when it comes to marijuana laws.

(Photo credit: Frederic J. Brown/AFP).

“I think it’s a state by state issue,” said Haley when asked about legalizing marijuana at a town hall held earlier today. “I think that’s something that needs to be handled close to the people, and so I think all the states should be able to decide on that.”

Although Haley’s lack of support for legalizing marijuana nationwide is no surprise for those who know her politics, it’s notable that Haley would be willing to support state marijuana rights, given 24 states have legalized recreational marijuana despite marijuana remaining a Schedule I drug on the Controlled Substances Act.
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Jan 11 2024

Legislation to Legalize Marijuana Filed in West Virginia

A legislative proposal that would make recreational marijuana legal for everyone 21 and older has been filed in West Virginia.

Delegate Sean Hornbuckle filed House Bill 4483 yesterday. The measure was assigned to the House Health and Human Resources Committee.

If passed into law, the proposal would make the possession of up to one ounce of marijuana legal for everyone who’s at least 21 years old. The law would allow marijuana tinctures, but would not allow marijuana concentrates such as hash, oil and wax.
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Jan 11 2024

US Department of Health to Release Unredacted 250+ Page Document Explaining Why It Wants Marijuana Rescheduled

The United States Health and Human Services Department (HHS) will soon release a completely unredacted over 250 page document explaining their rationale for wanting the government to reschedule marijuana.

In December HHS released an over 250-page document explaining its rationale for wanting marijuana to be moved from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Federal Controlled Substances Act (the Department sent a letter to the DEA in August officially requesting the move). The document, released after a pair of attorneys requested them through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), were heavily redacted when they released in December. Now, an attorney representing HHS says that they will soon release the full unredacted document.

“Good afternoon and thank you for your patience”, reads an e-mail from a Department of Justice attorney to attorney Matt Zorn, one of the two who initially requested the documents and sought an unredacted version. “The agency has advised that it will release the letter and its enclosures in their entirety.”
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Jan 11 2024

US House Bill to Decriminalize Marijuana and Allow Expungements Gains Two New Sponsors, Now Has 82

A bill in the United States House of Representatives to fully decriminalize and deschedule marijuana gained two new sponsors yesterday.

Congressmembers Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Valerie Foushee (D-NC) have officially signed on as cosponsors to the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act. The measure, filed in September by Representative Jerrold Nadler (D), now has 82 sponsors.

The MORE Act would remove marijuana as a federal controlled substance, effectively decriminalizing it nationwide. It would place a 5% federal excise tax on marijuana sales in states where its legal for the first two years, with it increasing to 8% by the fifth year.
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Jan 11 2024

Study: Ibogaine “Effectively Treats Traumatic Brain Injury in Special Ops Military Vets

Researchers at Stanford Medicine have found that ibogaine, a plant-based psychoactive compound, “safely led to improvements in depression, anxiety and functioning among veterans with traumatic brain injuries.”

According to a Stanford press release, “researchers have discovered that the plant-based psychoactive drug ibogaine, when combined with magnesium to protect the heart, safely and effectively reduces PTSD, anxiety and depression and improves functioning in veterans with TBI.”

Their new study, published online January 5 in Nature Medicine, includes detailed data on 30 veterans of U.S. special forces.
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Jan 11 2024

Study of Twins Finds Lifetime Marijuana Use Not Linked to Negative Mental Health or Psychosocial Outcomes

According to a new study published in the Journal of Psychopathology and Clinical Science, the use of marijuana over several decades is not associated with a significantly elevated risk of either psychiatric disorders, cognitive decline, or other adverse psychosocial outcomes.

For the study researchers at the University of Minnesota and the University of Colorado examined the long-term impact of marijuana use on psychiatric and psychosocial outcomes in a sample of more than 4,000 adult twins assessed between 1994 to 2021.

“In a sample of 4,078 American adult twins first assessed decades ago, we used cotwin control mixed effects models to evaluate the effect of lifetime average frequency of cannabis consumption measured on substance use, psychiatric, and psychosocial outcomes”, states the study.
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Jan 11 2024

Indiana: Republican Lawmaker Files Bill to Legalize Marijuana for Everyone 18+

Legislation that would legalize marijuana for all uses for everyone 18 and older has been filed in the Indiana Legislature.

Republican State Representative Zach Payne (R) filed House Bill 1410 today in the House of Representatives. The measure was quickly assigned to the Committee on Courts and Criminal Code.

The proposed law, according to its legislative summary, “Legalizes the sale and use of cannabis by a person at least 18 years of age”, and “Requires the Indiana department of health to establish a program to issue a medical cannabis identification card to a patient whose physician has recommended cannabis to treat a medical condition.”
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