Justice
Biden Announces Plan to Erase Federal Possession of Cannabis Convictions
WASHINGTON, D.C.– President Joe Biden is beginning the process of decriminalizing cannabis and fulfilling a campaign promise to overturn earlier federal possession convictions. He is also beginning to relax the drug's official categorization. Senior administration officials predicted that thousands of Americans would be impacted by Biden's decision to pardon all previous federal crimes of simple ...
California Governor Newsom Signs Off On Cannabis Laws Including: Interstate Commerce, Employment Protections & Expungement
SACRAMENTO – California's Governor Gavin Newsom today announced that he has signed several measures to strengthen California’s cannabis laws, expand the legal cannabis market and redress the harms of cannabis prohibition. Though the state has made significant progress since the legalization of cannabis, local opposition, rigid bureaucracy and federal prohibition continue to pose challenges to ...
San Francisco Decriminalizes Psychedelics & Entheogenic Plants
SAN FRANCISCO–A resolution that decriminalizes psychedelics and other "entheogenic plants" including magic mushrooms (psilocybin), ibogaine, and ayahuasca, which was proposed last month by Supervisors Dean Preston and Hillary Ronen, has been approved. In a stroke of a pen, magic mushrooms and ayahuasca have been decriminalized in San Francisco, making it the latest U.S. city to ...
American Council of Cannabis Medicine Announces Strategic Partnership to Begin Working With the Health Care Sharing Industry
WASHINGTON, Aug. 25, 2022. Today the American Council of Cannabis Medicine announced selection and participation in the NHCSA Building Bridges Program. To help foster understanding and provide resources for the health care sharing industry, and their millions of members across the country. "ACCM was selected because of our recognized role as the premiere industry organization," ...
Politics: Amendment to Safeguard State Cannabis Programs Approved by House Appropriations Committee
WASHINGTON, D.C.–In order to avoid the Department of Justice meddling with adult-use cannabis programs, an amendment to the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2023 was approved by the House Committee on Appropriations this week. With the non-committee support of former supporters Reps. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Tom McClintock (R-CA), and ...
U.S. Supreme Court Rejects Cases Seeking Workers’ Comp for Medical Cannabis
WASHINGTON, D.C.– The US Supreme Court's justices have declined to take a position on whether or not workers' compensation insurance policies should cover the costs of employees' medical cannabis-related expenses. Following differing opinions from multiple state supreme courts, litigants requested the Court's involvement. In a friend-of-the-court (amicus) brief, Empire State NORML and two other organizations—the ...
Canada’s Vaping Excise Tax Will Have Unintended Consequences
BEAMSVILLE - The Canadian Vaping Association has expressed its concerns to regulators about the proposed vaping excise tax rate. The association believes the proposed rate is too high and will lead to an increase in smoking and a significant contraband market. If the rate remains as proposed a flourishing black market is inevitable. This is ...
Off-Duty Cops in New Jersey Can Get Stoned, Says State’s Attorney General
TRENTON-New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin stated last week that under the state's new cannabis legislation, off-duty cops will be able to buy and consume cannabis. In a statement emailed to New Jersey police departments on Wednesday, Platkin's outlined the policy, which comes roughly a week before recreational cannabis sales begin in the state. According ...
DEA Acknowledged Cannabis Seeds, Tissue Cultures, and Genetic Material Do Not Fall Under the Controlled Substances Act
LOS ANGLES–The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has agreed that cannabis seeds are considered hemp under the 2018 Farm Bill if they don't exceed the 0.3 percent THC standard. This came from a response to a question from attorney Shane Pennington, the DEA recently conducted a study of federal law and regulations, which he released on ...
After Officials Relaxed Laws 6 Canadian Terminal Cancer Patients Received Psilocybin
TORONTO - Under new guidelines governing access to psilocybin, the hallucinogenic component found in "magic" mushrooms, six terminally ill cancer patients in Canada got the country's first legally produced psilocybin. Over the weekend, the patients were given the medicine as well as counseling. In January, Health Canada changed its rules to allow doctors to request ...
House Lawmakers Approve Legislation to End Federal Cannabis Prohibition
LOS ANGELES - A majority of the US House of Representatives approved the Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment, and Expungement (MORE) Act, or H.R. 3617, in a floor vote on Friday. The MORE Act removes cannabis from the federal Controlled Substances Act, thereby allowing states to legalize cannabis markets free from federal interference. The Act also provides ...
U.S. House of Representatives Aims To Pass Bill Legalizing Cannabis This Week
WASHINGTON, D.C.–The House is expected to pass legislation legalizing cannabis this week, marking the latest example of rapidly shifting attitudes about drug prohibitions, which marks a near reversal from Presidents Nixon and Reagan's failed ''war on drugs,'' which destroyed countless lives and devastated minority communities unnecessarily. The bill, authored by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler ...
New York to Issue First Retail Licenses To People Who Had Cannabis Convictions
NEW YORK–New York Governor Kathy Hochul stated on Thursday that the first licenses to open the newly authorized cannabis retail stores coming to the state later this year will be reserved for those with prior cannabis-related crimes. The proposal, which was adopted by the state's Cannabis Control Board earlier in the day, aims to provide ...
Minority Cannabis Business Association to Unveil National Cannabis Equity Report and Digital Research Map
WASHINGTON - On February 10th, 2022, the Minority Cannabis Business Association (MCBA) will take the first step on a journey to usher in a new era of social equity with the release of the National Cannabis Equity Report and Equity Map with support from The Arcview Group, and in association with Weedmaps and Parallel. The ...
U.S. House of Representatives Advances Cannabis Banking Bill; Final Passage Uncertain
WASHINGTON, D.C.–On Friday, the United States House of Representatives approved a popular cannabis banking reform amendment proposed by the U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D-CO) that would provide protections to financial institutions assisting legal cannabis-based businesses as part of a larger package. Perlmutter's bipartisan Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act was approved by the US ...
Mississippi Becomes 37th State to Legalize Medical Cananbis
JACKSON, Mississippi — Mississippi has legalized medical cannabis for those suffering from terminal illnesses like cancer, AIDS, and sickle cell disease. Gov. Tate Reeves, a Republican, signed the bill on Wednesday, and it went into effect immediately. However, the first canabis dispensaries may not operate for months. "There is no doubt that there are individuals ...
Medical Cannabis Bill Passes, Heads to Mississippi Governor
JACKSON, Miss. — Mississippi lawmakers are sending a bill to the governor that would establish a medical cannabis program for persons suffering from debilitating illnesses. Mississippi would join the majority of states that allow people to use cannabis for medical purposes if it becomes law, as expected. The final form of the bill, Senate Bill ...
California Grants Access to Medical Cannabis in Hospitals for Terminally-Ill Patients
SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom recently signed legislation by Senator Ben Hueso (D-San Diego) expanding end-of-life treatment options for Californians by requiring that hospitals and certain types of healthcare facilities in the state allow terminally-ill patients to use medical cannabis for treatment and/or pain relief. “It is inconceivable to me that, in a state where ...
Ketamine and 2 Pounds of Psilocybin Seized by Police in Fortuna; One Arrested
LOS ANGELES- (Editor) This is a press release from the Fortuna Police Department. On Wednesday, December 8th 2021, at about 3 PM, a narcotic search warrant was served in the 2600 block of Kenmar Road, in Fortuna California. (Alleged suspect, Mr. Komishe Anderson Kan) Detectives from the Fortuna Police Department were assisted by members ...
Supervised Drug Injection Sites to Open in NYC in Hopes of Preventing Overdoses
NEW YORK– Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Tuesday that overdose prevention center (OPC) services, aimed at reducing overdose deaths will open in New York City. OPCs are secure facilities where people who use drugs can receive clean needles, medical care and be connected to social services as well as treatment for addiction, according to the ...
South Carolina Congresswoman Nancy Mace Unveils GOP Bill to Legalize Cannabis at Federal Level
WASHINGTON, D.C.–U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace introduced sweeping legislation Monday to decriminalize cannabis federally, offering Republicans a conservative approach to the legalization debate in America that proposes taxing cannabis and regulating the substance more like alcohol. (Rep Nancy Mace, (R) right foreground and main photo) But back in Mace’s home state of South Carolina, Republicans ...
Husband of Trulieve CEO Sentenced to Three Years In Prison for Corruption
MIAMI– TCNNF (OTC) TRUL (CSE) Trulieve CEO Kim Rivers's husband John Burnette, was convicted of bribery and handed a three year prison sentence and fined $1.25 million last week on public corruption charges according to reporting from Ganjapreneur. Prosecutors had asked for eight years due to the seriousness of the charges, according to the reporting ...
Malaysia To Allow Import And Use Of Cannabis For Medicinal Purposes
KUALA LUMPUR– Malaysia will allow the import and use of cannabis for medicinal purposes if the products comply with government regulations, Bloomberg reports, citing Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin. Medical cannabis for medical treatments will require a prescription and by a registered medical practitioner or licensed pharmacist, Khairy said in a written response to parliamentary questions ...
OPINION: A Broadside on the “Safe Harbor” Amendment by the Weed For Warriors Project
OPINION– (Editor- this is from Weed for Warriors, a 501 (c) 3 active in the promotion of medical cannabis use for U.S.A. military veterans). As it relates to the medical care of our Veterans, it is our contention that the Veterans Administration is the "Safe Harbor.” In other words, not sovereign tribal nations, not states, ...
US November Elections: The Tide Is Turning In The War On Drugs
NEW YORK–November’s recent state elections in the USA this week showed the tide is turning in the War on Drugs. While the war is far from won, many battles have been fought. Some won, some lost, but progress has been made. While November 2nd elections were not good news for the Democrats, (who lost badly in ...