Newsletter
Cannabis testing ban for military recruits passes House (Newsletter: June 17, 2024)
DC marijuana block revived in Congress; AZ psilocybin; NH medical cannabis expansion; CO teen use declines after legalization; SD poll
Subscribe to receive Marijuana Moment’s newsletter in your inbox every weekday morning. It’s the best way to make sure you know which cannabis stories are shaping the day.
Your support makes Marijuana Moment possible…
By starting a $10 per month pledge on Patreon—or about 45 cents per issue of this newsletter—you can help us rely less on ads to cover our expenses, hire more journalists and bring you even more marijuana news.
https://www.patreon.com/marijuanamoment
/ TOP THINGS TO KNOW
The House of Representatives passed a National Defense Authorization Act bill that includes a provision to block military branches from testing recruits for marijuana as a condition of enrollment—despite opposition from the White House.
The House Appropriations Committee voted to amend a funding bill to include provisions to continue blocking Washington, D.C. from legalizing recreational marijuana sales—in addition to removing cannabis banking protections from the legislation.
New Hampshire lawmakers sent bills to Gov. Chris Sununu’s (R) desk to expand medical cannabis access by letting doctors recommend it for any condition they see fit and to broaden the pool of healthcare professionals who can recommend marijuana. The medical cannabis expansion move comes as legislation to more broadly legalize recreational marijuana failed just short of final passage.
Arizona lawmakers sent Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) a bill to legalize psilocybin service centers where people could receive the psychedelic in a medically supervised setting.
A new poll found that South Dakota voters oppose the marijuana legalization initiative on the November ballot, 52 percent to 42 percent, as the state Republican Party and local Catholic bishops are coming out against the measure.
The new Healthy Kids Colorado Survey shows that high school students’ marijuana use is continuing to decline since before the state legalized it for adults, and that they say cannabis is harder to get now than during prohibition.
The Florida campaign working to pass the marijuana legalization initiative on the November ballot held an event focused on how tax revenue generated by cannabis sales could be used to support schools, roads and other programs—in addition to potentially offsetting property taxes.
New York senators are calling on the inspector general to investigate the state social equity cannabis fund’s “clearly predatory loan agreements” and its managers’ “unscrupulous” practices.
The North Carolina Senate Judiciary Committee approved a bill to restrict intoxicating hemp-derived products and kratom.
The Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission voted to allow marijuana businesses on Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket to transport products over state waters amid concerns about intraisland supplies running low.
The Patients Coalition for Medical Cannabis held a rally pushing Alabama officials to resolve a business licensing dispute that has prevented the state’s medical marijuana market from launching.
/ FEDERAL
The U.S. Sentencing Commission published a report showing substantial increases in the prevalence of federal methamphetamine trafficking sentences and the purity levels of meth in the U.S.
Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) spoke about the medical benefits of cannabis and her support for marijuana banking legislation.
/ STATES
Texas’s attorney general is appealing a judge’s ruling to dismiss the lawsuit he filed seeking to block Austin’s voter-approved local marijuana decriminalization law.
Rhode Island lawmakers sent Gov. Dan McKee (D) a kratom regulation bill.
Maryland’s Senate minority leader discussed his views on drug legalization.
Massachusetts regulators stripped the agency’s acting executive director of her role overseeing day-to-day operations.
California regulators refused to make officials available for interview for an investigation that found “alarming levels of pesticides in cannabis products available on dispensary shelves across the state, including some of the most popular brands of vapes and pre-rolled weed.”
Iowa regulators filed proposed changes to consumable hemp product rules.
New York regulators published an overview of new marijuana home cultivation rules.
Washington State officials posted a request for proposals for a grant program that “supports healing services and activities that are by-and-for communities disproportionally harmed by the war on drugs.”
Michigan regulators published a monthly report about disciplinary actions taken against marijuana businesses.
Minnesota regulators will host a webinar on marijuana legalization implementation on Tuesday.
—
Marijuana Moment is tracking more than 1,500 cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters pledging at least $25/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don’t miss any developments.
Learn more about our marijuana bill tracker and become a supporter on Patreon to get access.
—
/ LOCAL
Denver, Colorado officials will host a Natural Medicine Work Group on June 27.
/ INTERNATIONAL
Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne met with religious leaders who are upset about marijuana reform.
/ SCIENCE & HEALTH
A review concluded that CBD can “reverse psychotic effects of schizophrenia and decrease craving in patients most vulnerable to addiction.”
/ ADVOCACY, OPINION & ANALYSIS
The Coalition for Cannabis Policy, Education, and Regulation has new co-executive directors.
/ BUSINESS
Officials with Lykos Therapeutics sought several MDMA-related patents.
Indiva Limited and its subsidiaries were granted creditor protection by a Canadian court.
Charlotte’s Web Holdings, Inc. shareholders elected board of directors members.
Michigan retailers sold $279.6 million worth of legal marijuana products in May.
Make sure to subscribe to get Marijuana Moment’s daily dispatch in your inbox.