Sep 21 2023

US Lawmakers Announce Bill to Block FDA From Legalizing or Rescheduling Marijuana

Today, U.S. Senators Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) and Steve Daines (R-MT) announced that in the coming days they “will be introducing legislation to ensure marijuana cannot be legalized federally by the FDA without Congressional approval.”

colorado governor

The two lawmakers announced the upcoming proposal in a press release about a totally different measure, the SAFER Banking Act. No further information was given about the upcoming bill other than the fact that it would prevent the FDA from legalizing cannabis without congressional approval.

The measure is coming in response to a recent letter sent by the Department of Health to the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), officially requesting marijuana be reclassified as a Schedule III. Doing so would legalize the plant for medical use across the United States, putting it in the same classification as prescribed drugs such as codeine and testosterone.
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Sep 21 2023

Study: Psilocybin May Produce “Lasting Improvements in Mental Health Symptoms and General Wellbeing”

Results of a study published in the journal Frontiers in Psychiatry “indicate broad therapeutic potential of psilocybin to produce lasting improvements in mental health symptoms related to anxiety, depression, and substance misuse”.

Dried psilocybin mushrooms. (Photo credit: Rich Townsend/Getty Images)

Additionally, the study states that “psilocybin seems capable of producing enduring changes in psychological functioning and personality such as increased cognitive flexibility, emotion regulation, and extraversion, and reduced neuroticism, even in naturalistic settings that lack structured psychological support.”

The study was conducted by researchers at Ohio State University, John Hopkins University and Unlimited Sciences, and it is the “largest prospective survey of naturalistic psilocybin use to date”.
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Sep 21 2023

Bill Filed in US House of Representatives to Legalize Marijuana and Expunge Charges, Has 33 Sponsors

US Representative Jerrold Nadler, a Democrat from New York and a ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, has refiled the Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act.

The MORE Act was filed today with 33 cosponsors, all Democrat. The proposal has been passed through the House of Representatives twice, but stalled in the then-Republican led Senate. Now, the measure has been filed while the Republicans control the House, and the Democrats control the Senate.

If the measure was to be passed through the House a third time, proponents are optimistic it can garner the 60 votes needed to pass the Senate, but with Kevin McCarthy as House Speaker and Rep. Jim Jordan as chair of the Judiciary Committee, it’s uncertain if the proposal will receive any real consideration.
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Sep 21 2023

United Nations Report Calls for End to Drug War

A United Nations human rights report released today calls for a shift from punitive measures to address the global drugs problem to the use of policies grounded in human rights and public health, including decriminalizing drug possession.

United Nations logo.

The report urges States to develop effective drug policies, including by considering decriminalization of drug possession for personal use. “If effectively designed and implemented, decriminalization can be a powerful instrument to ensure that the rights of people who use drugs are protected,” it says.

“Laws, policies and practices deployed to address drug use must not end up exacerbating human suffering. The drugs problem remains very concerning, but treating people who use drugs as criminals is not the solution,” said the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk.
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Sep 20 2023

Pennsylvania Senate Passes Bill Allowing All Licensed Marijuana Growers to Sell Directly to Patients

Legislation that would allow all licensed marijuana growers and processors to sell marijuana directly to patients has been passed overwhelmingly through the full Pennsylvania Senate.

By a vote of 44 to 3 the Senate passed Senate Bill 773, filed by Senator Chris Gebhard along with a bipartisan coalition of seven cosponsors. This sends the measure to the House of Representatives, with passage in that chamber putting the bill on the desk of Governor Josh Shapiro.

The proposed law would allow all licensed marijuana growers to receive a dual license that also allows them to operate a dispensary where they can sell marijuana and marijuana products.
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Sep 20 2023

US House Committee Passes Bill to Prevent Denial of Federal Employment Or Security Clearances Over Marijuana Use

The House Oversight and Accountability Committee has given approval to the Cannabis Users’ Restoration of Eligibility (CURE) Act (H.R. 5040).

The Committee passed the bill in a 30 to 14 vote. The measure was sponsored by Representatives Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Nancy Mace (R-SC) and Earl Blumenauer (D-OR).

The proposed law explicitly prevents federal employment and security clearances from being denied over someone’s admission that they are a previous marijuana user. Initially the measure would have also applied to current use, but an amendment from Chairman James Comer altered the proposal to apply only to past use.
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Sep 20 2023

Massachusetts Lawmakers Hold Hearing on Bill Allowing Medical Marijuana at Schools

Massachusetts’ Joint Committee on Cannabis Policy held a hearing yesterday to discuss legislation that would allow students who are authorized to use medical marijuana to use the medicine on school premises.

Filed by Senator Susan Moran, Senate Bill 59 was introduced in February. Seven months later, it has finally received a hearing in the Joint Committee on Cannabis Policy.

Senator Moran during the hearing called this an “incredibly important” issue.
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Sep 20 2023

Industrial Hemp Market Worth $8 Billion Globally, to Grow to $23 Billion by 2030

According to a new report, the global hemp market is valued at $8 billion as of the end of 2022.

The Global Industrial Hemp Market report, published by Verified Market Research, estimates that the market will grow at a compound annual growth rate of 14.05% between 2023 and 2030, to rise to an overall value of $23.20 billion.

“The global Industrial Hemp Market is poised for significant expansion, driven by an array of market drivers and regulatory shifts”, states the report. “Key players such as Hemp Oil Canada, Hemp Inc., Konoplex Group, BAFA, Hemp Poland, Dun Agro, HempFlax BV, HempFlax BV, and others are at the forefront of this transformative industry, capitalizing on the increasing consumer awareness of hemp-based products and their diverse applications.”
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Sep 20 2023

US Senators Introduce Bipartisan Marijuana Banking Bill, Credit Union National Association Announces Support

A bipartisan group of senators have introduced the SAFER Banking Act, an update on the SAFE Banking Act.

The Secure and Fair Enforcement Regulation (SAFER) Banking Act was introduced on Wednesday. Co-sponsors of the bill include Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Sens. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., Steve Daines, R-Mont., Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz., and Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., Cory Booker, D-N.J., Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, and Bob Menendez, D-N.J.

The SAFER Banking Act would offer federal protections for banks, credit unions and other financial institutions accepting deposits, extending credit, or providing payment services to an individual or business engaged in cannabis related commerce in states where such activity is legal, so long as they are compliant with all other applicable laws and regulations. It also provides a safe harbor to credit unions and employees who are not aware if their members or customers are involved in cannabis businesses.
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Sep 20 2023

Legislation Filed in US Congress to Protect States That Legalize Magic Mushrooms

US Representatives Robert Garcia (D-CA) and Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) have filed the Validating Independence for State Initiatives on Organic Natural Substances (VISIONS) Act to protect state psilocybin laws.

Psilocybin mushrooms.

The new bill would make it so that federal funds would be prohibited from being used to “prevent any State or unit of local government from implementing such State’s or unit of local government’s own laws that authorize the use, distribution, sale, possession, research, or cultivation of psilocybin.”

In a social media post Rep. Garcia said: “Proud to introduce the VISIONS Act today, which protects legal psilocybin/mushroom use from federal prosecution anywhere where psilocybin is legal. Psilocybin treatments can offer relief to those suffering from anxiety, depression and PTSD for veterans.”
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