Apr 30 2024

Study Finds Psilocybin “Elicits Robust, Rapid and Sustained Antidepressant-Like Effects”

The results of a new study using an animal model “demonstrate that psilocybin elicits robust, rapid and sustained antidepressant-like effects”.

Dried psilocybin.

The study was published in the recent issue of the Journal of Psychopharmacology, and it was conducted by researchers at the Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, the Inner Mongolia Traditional Chinese and Mongolian Medical Research Institute, and Capital Medical University, all in China.

“Psilocybin offers new hope for treating mood disorders due to its rapid and sustained antidepressant effects, as standard medications require weeks or months to exert their effects”, states the study’s abstract. “However, the mechanisms underlying this action of psilocybin have not been identified.”
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Apr 30 2024

Bipartisan US Lawmakers Praise DEA’s Decision to Reschedule Marijuana, While Calling for Further Reform

The DEA’s decision to move marijuana to Schedule III has garnered widespread and bipartisan praise among congressional lawmakers, with some promising to continue fighting for marijuana to be fully descheduled.

“After decades of the federal government being dug in on prohibition, moving cannabis to Schedule III would be a huge shift in policy and signal to the American people that the days of reefer madness are coming to an end,” said Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), who Chairs the Senate Finance Committee. “Medical research will open up and legal small businesses will no longer be treated unjustly like criminals under the inequitable 280E tax provision—a provision I’ve been working for years to repeal.”

Wyden continues by saying “I’m not going to let today’s news slow this movement down, because there’s more to be done to rectify the harms of the failed War on Drugs. “Cannabis should ultimately be descheduled with strong federal regulations put in place to protect public health and safety. Leader Schumer, Senator Booker and I have just the bill to do it.”
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Apr 30 2024

US Department of Justice Officially Confirms Marijuana is Being Moved to Schedule III

An official with the Department of Justice (DOJ) has officially confirmed reports that marijuana is being moved to Schedule III.

Earlier today it was reported that the Biden Administration would be rescheduling marijuana following an over eight month review by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Now, the DOJ has confirmed these reports for the first time.

“Today the Attorney General circulated a proposal to reclassify marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III”, says DOJ Director of Public Affairs Xochitl Hinojosa. “Once published by the Federal Register, it will initiate a formal rulemaking process as prescribed by Congress in the Controlled Substances Act.”
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Apr 30 2024

US Senate Leader Says DEA’s Decision to Reschedule Marijuana is “Great News”, Calling it “Historic”

United States Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) says the DEA’s marijuana rescheduling decision is “great news”, calling it “a historic step forward”.

“It is great news that DEA is finally recognizing that restrictive and draconian cannabis laws need to change to catch up to what science and the majority of Americans have said loud and clear,” Schumer said in a press release.

Schumer says “While this rescheduling announcement is a historic step forward, I remain strongly committed to continuing to work on legislation like the SAFER Banking Act as well as the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act, which federally deschedules cannabis by removing it from the Controlled Substances Act.”
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Apr 30 2024

The DEA is Moving Marijuana to Schedule III: Here’s What That Means

The Biden Administration announced today that the DEA will move marijuana to Schedule III. Here’s a breakdown of what that means.

In a landmark decision that marks a significant shift in federal marijuana policy, the Biden Administration announced today that the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will reclassify marijuana from a Schedule I to a Schedule III controlled substance. This move will have widespread implications for both medical research and the legal landscape surrounding cannabis use.

Under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), enacted in 1970, substances are classified into schedules based on their accepted medical use, potential for abuse, and likelihood of causing dependency. Schedule I drugs, which include LSD and heroin, are considered to have no accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. Marijuana has been categorized under this schedule since the CSA’s enactment, a classification that has long been a point of contention among advocates, researchers, and lawmakers.
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Apr 30 2024

In Historic Decision Biden Administration Will Reschedule Marijuana to Schedule III

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has announced that it will reschedule marijuana.

The DEA’s decision to move marijuana to Schedule III will be followed by a required 30-day public comment period, and a hearing, before it can take effect.

Under the Federal Controlled Substances Act, marijuana is currently classified as a Schedule I drug, making it illegal for all purposes. The DEA’s decision to reclassify marijuana as a Schedule III drug will effectively legalize it nationwide for prescription use, while providing state-legal medical marijuana patients and businesses with numerous federal protections that are currently unavailable to them. Other Schedule III substances include codeine, ketamine and testosterone.
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Apr 29 2024

In Study of Topical Cannabis to Treat Inflammatory Diseases “All Patients Showed Pain Relief After Two Months of Follow-Up”

In a recent study researchers observed notable pain relief in patients using topical cannabis for various inflammatory diseases.

The study was published in the journal Revista Alergia México and is available online through the United States National Library of Medicine.

The research aimed to explore the effectiveness of cannabis as a topical analgesic for patients diagnosed with conditions like arthrosis, unspecified, non-toxic multinodular goiter, epilepsy, chronic venous insufficiency, unspecified lumbago, secondary gonarthrosis, rotator cuff syndrome, and carpal tunnel syndrome. A total of 23 patients from Salud Social I.P.S were selected through non-probabilistic convenience sampling for this analytical, retrospective study.
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Apr 29 2024

US Senate Staffers Confirm Rumor That DEA May Reschedule Marijuana This Week

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) may reschedule marijuana as soon as this week, according to rumors confirmed by the offices of at least two members of the United States Senate.

In an episode of their podcast released today, the anti-marijuana organization Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) says an announcement on the DEA’s marijuana scheduling decision “could be coming this week”, with co-founder Kevin Sabet (a former White House advisor on drug policy) saying “We’re hearing a lot of chatter, even as we’re having this podcast I’m hearing from some sources that pro-marijuana Democratic senators are saying it’s very soon, as in today or tomorrow”.

Now, we’ve confirmed with the offices of two US senators that these rumors have in fact been making their way around the capitol, with one staffer saying “everything we’ve heard leads us to believe an announcement will happen real soon, as in tomorrow or sometime this week.”
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Apr 29 2024

Nation’s Largest Anti-Marijuana Group Says DEA Rescheduling Decision Could Come This Week

Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) says an announcement on the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) marijuana scheduling decision “could be coming this week.”

“We’ve heard rumors that potentially that announcement could be coming this week – whatever the decision may be”, said a representative for the organization during today’s episode of their podcast The Drug Report.

SAM, founded in 2013, is the nation’s largest anti-marijuana group, advocating against the legalization of marijuana and promoting policies aimed at decreasing marijuana use. SAM was founded by Kevin Sabet, a former White House advisor on drug policy, and Patrick J. Kennedy, a former U.S. Congressman from Rhode Island.
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Apr 29 2024

Colorado Senate Votes 33 to 1 to Streamline Marijuana Licensing and Regulations

Colorado’s full Senate has overwhelmingly approved a bill “to address efficiency in the regulation of existing marijuana licensees.”

Filed by Senator Julie Gonzales, Senate Bill 76 was passed by the Senate today 33 to 1, sending it to the House of Representatives. Passage through the House will send the bill to Governor Jared Polis, who says he will sign it into law if given the chance. The only “No” vote was Senator Byron Pelton.

The bill makes a series of changes to the regulation of marijuana businesses, including:
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