Sep 22 2023

California Governor Sent Bill to Allow Older Patients to Access Marijuana at Health Care Facilities

Legislation that would allow older patients to use marijuana products at private hospitals and other healthcare facilities has been passed through the California Legislature and sent to Governor Gavin Newsom.

Under the current law only those who are considered to be terminally ill may use marijuana in specified health care settings. Senate Bill 302 would change this so that patients who are 65 or older could access marijuana products if a physician deems it appropriate.

SB 302, in a rare sign of clear bipartisanship, passed both the Senate and Assembly unanimously, 40 to 0 and 80 to 0.
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Sep 22 2023

Rhode Island: August Breaks Monthly Marijuana Sales Record

For the fourth straight month marijuana sales in Rhode Island have set a new monthly record.

The $9,672,793.26 in legal marijuana sold in August throughout Rhode Island is a roughly $200k increase over the record-breaking $9.46 million in sales in July. In June sales were $9.1 million, and they were $8.9 million in May, both monthly records at the time. This is according to data compiled and released by the Rhode Island Department of Business Regulations.

Of the $9.6 million sold in August, around $7 million was purchased by recreational consumers and $2.6 million was purchased by medical marijuana patients.
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Sep 22 2023

Study: 17% of Pediatric Patients With Cerebral Palsy Use CBD, For Some It Improves Emotional Health, Spasticity, and Pain

Nearly one in ever five pediatric patients with cerebral palsy use the marijuana compound cannabidiol (CBD) to help combat symptoms of the ailment, according to a new study published in the journal Orthopedics.

For the study, researchers at Stanford University conducted a survey of caregivers who have children with cerebral palsy (CP) regarding their use of CBD products.

“Cannabidiol (CBD)-containing supplements are used by children with cerebral palsy (CP), but the prevalence and efficacy of their use have not been studied”, states the study. “We sought to describe CBD use patterns and perceived efficacy in the pediatric population with CP, evaluating any association between CBD use and health-related quality of life.”
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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.”

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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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