Newsletter
TX AG’s cannabis lawsuit seeks to overturn local decrim laws (Newsletter: February 1, 2024)
NY gov: marijuana law a “disaster”; CA psychedelics; HI legalization; VA legal cannabis sales; KY HB420 bill; AZ psilocybin
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/ TOP THINGS TO KNOW
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) filed lawsuits seeking to overturn voter-approved marijuana decriminalization laws in five cities across the state.
The California Assembly unanimously passed a bill to create a psychedelics workgroup to recommend a regulatory framework for therapeutic access and prepare for health professionals to eventually administer psilocybin and ibogaine to patients.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) is continuing to criticize the state’s slow launch of the recreational marijuana market—calling it a “disaster” and “insane,” while acknowledging it’s unlikely the legislature would be willing to “start over” as she’d prefer.
The Virginia Senate Courts of Justice Committee amended and approved bills to legalize recreational marijuana sales and provide resentencing for people convicted of past cannabis offenses.
Hawaii House and Senate lawmakers have formally filed marijuana legalization legislation drafted by the attorney general—but advocates say it needs major revisions in order to not perpetuate a criminalization-focused approach to cannabis.
Kentucky lawmakers introduced new marijuana legalization legislation with the bill number HB 420.
Bipartisan Arizona lawmakers filed a bill that would legalize psilocybin service centers where people could receive the psychedelic in a medically supervised setting.
The Florida House House Agriculture, Conservation and Resiliency Committee approved a bill to restrict intoxicating hemp-derived products.
Arkansas’s medical cannabis program saw record sales in 2023, but advocates and industry observers expect that pending litigation and a proposed ballot initiative could soon expand patient access even further.
/ FEDERAL
Federal prosecutors offered a plea deal in a 17-year case against a man for running a medical cannabis dispensary in California, saying it dated back to a time “when there was a proliferation of illegal marijuana stores” but that “the landscape has changed significantly in California and across the nation” and so “limited prosecutorial resources should not be expended on conduct that today would not be prosecuted by our office.”
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) spoke about the need to remove marijuana from Schedule I.
Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-TN) criticized Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen for eating psychoactive mushrooms on a trip to China.
/ STATES
Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek (D), Multnomah County’s chair and Portland’s mayor each declared a 90-day state of emergency about fentanyl.
A Pennsylvania representative said he thinks the state could legalize marijuana in the next year or two.
An Alabama senator claimed that medical cannabis regulators are either “corrupt or incompetent.”
A Rhode Island representative cited marijuana legalization as an example of how policy change often takes a long time to achieve.
Virginia regulators filed revised rules on medical cannabis registration fees.
New Mexico police conducted searches at marijuana dispensaries to investigate potential ties to international organized crime.
Michigan regulators sent a reminder about proper marijuana disposal practices.
The Arkansas Medical Marijuana Commission will meet on Thursday.
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/ LOCAL
Clark County, Nevada officials received mandatory DUI prevention plans from proposed marijuana consumption lounges.
/ INTERNATIONAL
Irish lawmakers debated but delayed a vote on advancing a marijuana legalization bill.
Malta’s first legal cannabis club began operations.
/ SCIENCE & HEALTH
A study found that “morphine-induced side effects can be differentially modulated by cannabidiol in male and female rats.”
A study found that “MDMA enhances positive affective responses to social feedback.”
/ ADVOCACY, OPINION & ANALYSIS
Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America tweeted, “Another poll that aligns with what our veteran member surveys have shown: vets support legalizing cannabis at the federal level. Breakthrough alternative therapies deserve serious consideration and research by the VA.”
The National Cannabis Roundtable added new member companies.
/ BUSINESS
Aurora Cannabis Inc. announced its intention to consolidate shares in order to restore compliance with Nasdaq rules.
MedMen Enterprises reportedly initiated a round of corporate layoffs.
4Front Ventures Corp. announced the closing of its amendment to a loan and security agreement with its senior secured lender under which it converted approximately $23 million of the principal amount of its debt into shares.
Organigram Holdings Inc. sent its first shipment of bulk dried cannabis flower to Germany.
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