Newsletter
OH legal cannabis emboldens PA push (Newsletter: November 13, 2023)
Fmr. FDA official on marijuana; German legalization delayed; Psychedelics in Congress; WI psilocybin bill; NH cannabis commission spars; TX decrim
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…
Free to read (but not free to produce)! We’re proud of our newsletter and the reporting we publish at Marijuana Moment, and we’re happy to provide it for free. But it takes a lot of work and resources to make this happen.
If you value Marijuana Moment, invest in our success on Patreon so we can expand our coverage and more readers can benefit: https://www.patreon.com/marijuanamoment
/ TOP THINGS TO KNOW
Former Food and Drug Administration Marijuana Working Group Chair Howard Sklamberg said he’d be “shocked” if the Drug Enforcement Administration doesn’t reschedule marijuana by next year’s presidential election.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s (D) office and key lawmakers say that legalization of marijuana in neighboring Ohio provides another reason for the Keystone State to finally end cannabis prohibition.
As Ohio’s statewide vote to legalize marijuana generated national headlines, three municipalities also approved little-noticed local ballot initiatives to decriminalize even larger amounts of cannabis than what’s allowed under the state reform.
Germany’s Bundestag has delayed a final vote on the government’s marijuana legalization bill that was scheduled for this week, pushing the potential enactment of the reform into next year.
The House Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Health is set to hold the first-ever congressional hearing on psychedelics on Tuesday. The meeting was initially slated for last month but was rescheduled amid the protracted speaker election.
Bipartisan Wisconsin senators and representatives filed a bill to create a psilocybin research pilot program in the state.
- “Increasing treatment opportunities for veterans with PTSD is something we should all agree on.”
The National Institutes of Health is making $2 million in grant money available to research the therapeutic potential of psychedelics such as psilocybin, LSD and MDMA to treat substance use disorders.
Members of a New Hampshire commission charged with drafting legislation to legalize marijuana sales through a system of state-controlled stores are clashing over key details as the December 1 deadline to submit a bill to lawmakers looms.
As the Lubbock, Texas City Council is set to consider a citizen-initiated marijuana decriminalization proposal on Tuesday, a new report shows that similar measures approved in other cities in the state have kept hundreds of people out of jail and increased voter turnout by being on the ballot.
A new study found that legalizing marijuana is tied to “nearly a 50 percent decrease” in odds of cannabis use disorder among treat and release ER visits at hospitals.
- “Policymakers could continue to pass recreational cannabis laws—for all the reasons states are enacting such legislation—without risking the public health and/or safety of ‘treat and release’ ED patients.”
/ FEDERAL
Republican presidential candidate Asa Hutchinson, a former Arkansa governor and Drug Enforcement Administration administrator, tweeted, “On Day 1 of my administration, I will take on the fentanyl and opioid crisis by elevating the Drug Czar (ONDCP Director) to my cabinet. This action assures parents that we are making this one of my top domestic priorities. I will add resources to secure the border and the Mexican Cartels will be Public Enemy #1.”
The Drug Enforcement Administration posted videos of former administrators congratulating the agency on its 50th anniversary.
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA) acknowledged that Ohio’s marijuana legalization initiative “did much better than you would have thought a state which had gone increasingly Republican would have done.”
Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA) tweeted, “70% of the American public supports national cannabis legalization. Our federal employment process discriminates against people who have used cannabis. These laws are outdated and I’m fighting to change them.”
/ STATES
Illinois lawmakers sent Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) a bill to enact a moratorium on new marijuana transporter licenses and to temporarily waive fees for current businesses.
An Ohio representative is pushing to use marijuana revenue to fund police training.
A New York court issued an injunction against cannabinoid hemp product restrictions. Separately, regulators changed the amount of nickel that is allowed to be in tested marijuana. Additionally, a Medical Cannabis Advisory Council is being established.
The Alabama Court of Civil Appeals is considering a challenge to a lower court’s decision not to block regulators from proceeding with medical cannabis rules and licensing amid litigation.
Arizona regulators announced a voluntary recall of marijuana products due to possible contamination with aspergillus.
Colorado regulators adopted revised marijuana rules.
California water officials are considering proposed rules on waste discharge by cannabis cultivators.
Montana rules to increase marijuana business licensing fees are on hold amid a legal challenge.
Michigan regulators launched programs to recognize veteran-owned marijuana businesses and those that give discounts to veterans.
Vermont regulators plan to temporarily stop issuing large marijuana cultivation licenses in order to limit supply and protect small growers.
—
Marijuana Moment is tracking more than 1,000 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
The Augusta, Maine City Council is expected to approve a measure to allow recreational marijuana businesses next month.
/ INTERNATIONAL
A Western Australia lawmaker slammed the government’s stance on drug confiscation policies.
/ SCIENCE & HEALTH
A review suggested that “cannabis and subproducts could be considered adjuncts in obesity treatment by helping to reduce relevant anthropometric measurements.”
A review concluded that “MDMA can reduce PTSD symptoms even in treatment-resistant cases by increasing certain neurohormones, i.e., dopamine, serotonin, norepinephrine, and oxytocin” and that “it also modulates activities in the brain regions involved in fear and anxiety.”
/ ADVOCACY, OPINION & ANALYSIS
The Ohio Conference of Teamsters cheered the state’s legalization of marijuana.
The Australian Medical Association is opposing a pending marijuana legalization bill.
The ACLU of Indiana tweeted, “Now that Ohio has voted to legalize marijuana, Indiana will soon be surrounded on all sides by three states with full legalization, and one state with medicinal legalization.”
/ BUSINESS
Surterra Wellness owes its landlord nearly $1 million.
The Cannabist Company Holdings Inc. shareholders elected board of directors members.
Organigram Holdings Inc. has a new interim chief financial officer.
Colorado retailers sold $128 million worth of legal marijuana products in September.
/ CULTURE
Football player Josh Gordon noted Ohio’s legalization of marijuana, saying in a Threads post, “Damnn just now Ohio wanna act right.”
Make sure to subscribe to get Marijuana Moment’s daily dispatch in your inbox.
