Justice

LOS ANGELES- President Joe Biden has commuted the sentences of approximately 2,500 individuals convicted of nonviolent drug offenses, marking a significant use of executive clemency. This action aims to address past disparities in drug-related sentencing, particularly those involving crack and powder cocaine. The White House has not released the names of those who received commutations. ...

LOS ANGELES- In a recent decision, New York State Supreme Court Justice Thomas Marcelle issued an injunction against the New York State Cannabis Control Board (CCB), the Office of Cannabis Management (OCM), and the New York City Sheriff's Office, prohibiting them from conducting warrantless raids on state-licensed hemp businesses. The court found that these actions ...

LOS ANGELES- Indiana lawmakers have initiated efforts to reform the state's drug policies in the 2025 legislative session, introducing several bills aimed at legalizing cannabis and funding psilocybin research. Cannabis Legalization Proposals Senate Bill 113, sponsored by Senator Rodney Pol (D), seeks to legalize cannabis for both recreational and medical use. The bill proposes establishing ...

LOS ANGELES- The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has canceled its upcoming hearings on the proposed rescheduling of cannabis under the Controlled Substances Act. Chief Administrative Law Judge John Mulrooney issued the cancellation following legal challenges from pro-reform witnesses, effectively delaying any potential policy changes for at least three months. The hearings, initially set to commence ...

LOS ANGELES- The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is under scrutiny following allegations of bias in its handling of the cannabis rescheduling process. Pro-cannabis advocates assert that the agency has demonstrated an "unalterably closed mind" toward reclassifying cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act. Critics argue that the DEA has engaged ...

LOS ANGELES- Governor Josh Green of Hawaii has signed Executive Order No. 24-06 to protect caregivers who provide medical cannabis to qualified patients from undue enforcement. This action addresses legal changes that were set to take effect on January 1, 2025, which would have ended the authorization for primary caregivers to cultivate cannabis for patients. ...

LOS ANGELES- The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has postponed its public hearing on the proposed rescheduling of cannabis under federal law. Initially scheduled for December 2, 2024, the hearing is now expected to occur in early 2025. The delay follows a preliminary order from Chief Administrative Law Judge John Mulrooney, who cited insufficient background information ...

LOS ANGELES- A Davidson County Chancery Court judge is expected to decide by December 24, 2024, on a request to block new state regulations affecting hemp-derived products in Tennessee. The Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA) has introduced rules, effective December 26, 2024, that prohibit the sale of hemp products containing more than 0.3% tetrahydrocannabinolic acid ...

LOS ANGELES- In Virginia, Democratic legislators are preparing to reintroduce a bill to establish a regulated market for adult-use cannabis sales. This initiative follows Governor Glenn Youngkin's veto of similar legislation in March 2024, citing concerns over public health and safety. The previous bill, passed by the Virginia General Assembly, aimed to commence legal retail ...

LOS ANGELES- Senate Minority Leader Melissa Agard (D-Madison) has announced plans to introduce legislation to legalize medical cannabis in Wisconsin during the 2025 legislative session. This initiative builds upon previous efforts that have encountered resistance from Republican lawmakers. Agard intends to reintroduce a bill similar to her 2022 proposal, which sought to establish a medical ...

LOS ANGELES- A coalition of Republican lawmakers and Washington, D.C. officials is advocating for the removal of federal restrictions that prevent the District from regulating and taxing cannabis sales. During a recent House Appropriations subcommittee hearing, Chairman Dave Joyce (R-OH) expressed opposition to the longstanding appropriations rider that prohibits D.C. from using local funds to ...

LOS ANGELES- The Trump administration’s recent appointments have raised questions about the trajectory of federal cannabis policy. With nominees holding diverse views on legalization and regulation, the decisions made in the coming months will play a pivotal role in shaping the cannabis industry’s future. Among the significant nominations is Matt Gaetz for Attorney General. Gaetz, ...

LOS ANGELES- On November 22, 2024, Representative Kelly Armstrong (R-ND) introduced H.R. 10248, known as the Weldon Angelos Presidential Pardon Expungements Act, in the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill, which has been referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary, aims to establish a process for the expungement of federal offenses that have been ...

LOS ANGELES- Michigan has concluded its state-managed industrial hemp program, transitioning regulatory oversight to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) effective January 1, 2025. This shift, prompted by the enactment of House Bill 5977, dissolves the state's industrial hemp fund and transfers cultivation and regulatory responsibilities to the federal level. Under USDA governance, hemp producers ...

LOS ANGELES- Oklahoma is preparing to launch a state-operated cannabis testing laboratory in February 2025, aiming to enhance the accuracy and reliability of product assessments within the state's medical cannabis industry. This initiative addresses longstanding concerns regarding inconsistent testing outcomes and aims to standardize procedures across the sector. The Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority (OMMA) has ...

LOS ANGELES- In the recent election, Florida's Amendment 3, which proposed the legalization of recreational cannabis for adults aged 21 and over, received 56% voter support. However, it fell short of the 60% supermajority required for constitutional amendments in the state, resulting in its failure. The campaign for Amendment 3 was notably backed by Trulieve, ...

LOS ANGELES-The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has postponed its hearings on the proposed rescheduling of cannabis under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) to early 2025. The delay follows a preliminary order from Chief Administrative Law Judge John Mulrooney II, who identified deficiencies in the information provided about the 25 designated participants selected by DEA ...

LOS ANGELES- Ohio lawmakers are evaluating Senate Bill 326, introduced by State Senator Steve Huffman (R-Tipp City), which aims to prohibit the sale of intoxicating hemp products. The proposed legislation defines such products as those containing more than 0.5 milligrams of delta-9 THC per serving, 2 milligrams per package, or 0.5 milligrams of total non-delta-9 ...

LOS ANGELES- A Nebraska district court has affirmed the validity of two voter-approved measures concerning medical cannabis, dismissing allegations of fraudulent signature collection. The legal challenge aimed to invalidate Measures 437 and 438, which were approved by 71% and 67% of voters, respectively, during the recent election. Measure 437 permits qualified patients to possess and ...

LOS ANGELES- Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has initiated legal action against the City of Dallas following the adoption of Proposition R, a voter-approved measure aimed at decriminalizing the possession of up to four ounces of cannabis within city limits. The lawsuit, filed in Dallas County District Court, contends that the amendment contravenes state law ...

LOS ANGELES- The U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee has released a draft of the 2024 Farm Bill, introducing significant changes to the federal definition of hemp. The proposed legislation aims to address concerns over intoxicating hemp-derived products, such as delta-8 THC, which have proliferated due to ambiguities in the 2018 Farm Bill. Under the 2018 Farm ...

LOS ANGELES- In November 2024, numerous licensed cannabis dispensaries in the Los Angeles area received notices from the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration (CDTFA) indicating a shift in their tax payment schedules from quarterly to monthly, effective January 1, 2025. This change is attributed to the increasing tax liabilities within the cannabis industry. ...

LOS ANGELES- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a clinical trial investigating the use of smoked cannabis as a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in military veterans. The study, led by the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), marks a significant step in exploring alternative therapies for PTSD, a condition affecting ...

LOS ANGELES- The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has outlined a schedule for witness testimony in the ongoing hearing concerning the potential reclassification of cannabis under the Controlled Substances Act. Chief Administrative Law Judge John Mulrooney II has scheduled the proceedings to commence on January 21, 2025, at the DEA's headquarters in Virginia. The hearing will ...