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As opioids continue to drive overdose deaths, a new study suggests that making medical cannabis available and affordable can help patients reduce their use of the prescription painkillers. “Although cannabis has historically been characterized as a potential ‘gateway drug,’ it may also serve as a harm-reduction tool for some patients seeking to reduce reliance on higher-risk opioid medications,” the researchers from University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine found. The study, a prospective observational trial conducted at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, followed . . .

A Louisiana lawmaker has filed legislation that would create a new state task force to “study and develop findings and recommendations regarding the potential legalization of recreational marijuana.” Under HCR111 from Rep. C. Denise Marcelle (D), the Louisiana Recreational Cannabis Policy Task Force would examine marijuana policy issues and submit a report with findings and recommendations to the legislature by February 1, 2027. The resolution notes that Louisiana currently allows medical cannabis while other states have gone further to legalize adult-use marijuana. “Multiple states have . . .

A bipartisan pair of members of Congress are continuing their push to expedite the availability of psychedelic therapies that they believe can aid military veterans and other people who are struggling with mental health conditions. Reps. Jack Bergman (R-MI) and Lou Correa (D-CA), co-chairs of the Congressional Psychedelics Advancing Therapies Caucus, appeared together on CNN last week. Correa said therapy with substances like psilocybin, ibogaine and MDMA “works,” citing high suicide rates among veterans and arguing that psychedelics can be part of the solution. “You have people in my . . .

Irvin Dana Beal has been sentenced to four months in an Idaho jail stemming from his felony marijuana trafficking arrest on January 12. 2024.

Disclosure: This article is a paid partnership with Newport Bitch. Cannabis Tech received compensation for this placement. Views expressed are those of the sponsor. California’s cannabis market has always moved faster than the rest of the industry. Long before legalization spread across the country, California operators were already experimenting with cultivation systems, extraction methods, delivery logistics, strain genetics, and consumer branding that would eventually influence the broader market. That early innovation has made the cannabis industry in California what it is today. . . .

Lawmakers in Colombia have advanced a bill to legalize marijuana through its first step in the legislative process. The First Committee of the House of Representatives approved the measure from Rep. Alejandro Ocampo on Tuesday, sending it to the full chamber for consideration. If approved there, the legislation would then go to the Senate for two additional votes. “We just approved the regulation of cannabis in the first debate. It’s time to regulate. We’re going to regulate everything from seed to finished product,” Ocampo said in a social media post. “We’re going to keep marijuana off the . . .

Following these expansions, NORML classifies Georgia as the 41st medical cannabis state. The post Georgia Expands Patients’ Access to Medical Cannabis Products appeared first on NORML.

An appellate court in New Jersey ruled this month that two Jersey City police officers should be reinstated and allowed to carry firearms after they were previously terminated for off-duty cannabis consumption, NJ.com reports. State law protects employees from discipline for off-duty cannabis use so long as there is no evidence of on-duty impairment. But the officers, Omar Polanco and Norhan Mansour, were both removed from active duty in March 2023 after testing positive for cannabis during random drug tests, and then later admitting to having used state-regulated cannabis products. The . . .

Indiana state Sen. Mike Bohacek (R) announced he is working on a medical cannabis legalization proposal for the state’s next legislative session, which is in 2027. The Republican from Michiana Shores did not share specifics of his proposal, only noting that it would legalize medical cannabis, establish a regulated medical cannabis industry, and set parameters for patient participation in the program. The announcement comes in the weeks after the federal government rescheduled state-legal medical cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III, and after Indiana Gov. Mike Braun (R) expressed support . . .

Members of Congress joined activists at a press conference on Wednesday to highlight the need for further federal marijuana policy reform beyond the incremental cannabis rescheduling process that the Trump administration is undertaking. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), a co-chair of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, pointed strong public support for broader marijuana legalization. “Millions of people across this country agree that cannabis should be legal. People understand that the old approach has failed. They understand that adults should not carry criminal records for possessing cannabis,” she . . .

Nevada is losing out on $80 million in annual marijuana tax revenue by imposing rules that have created strict barriers between the state’s cannabis and gaming industries, according to a new report. And that policy choice has also driven consumers to purchase “unlicensed, unsafe” products in the illicit market. At the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) Cannabis Policy Institute and International Gaming Institute’s 3rd Annual Gaming & Cannabis Policy Discussion late last month, lawmakers and officials discussed the impact of regulations that have kept the licensed marijuana industry from . . .

“The next phase of cannabis policy will not be decided by a single bill. It will be shaped by the political environment that determines whether any bill has a path.” By Jordan Isenstadt, National Cannabis Industry Association The cannabis industry loves a headline bill. The Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act. Rescheduling. Federal reform. Every cycle brings the same conversation. Is this the moment something finally passes? It makes sense. Legislation is tangible. It gives the industry something to rally around and react to. But it misses how Washington actually works. Bills do . . .

A California cannabis CEO alleges he has had his Instagram accounts suspended multiple times since 2023 and was forced to pay more than $40,000 to employees to have them restored. He alleges the payments were part of a “closed loop’ extortionate fraud scheme” where employees of Instagram parent company Meta Platforms “are accepting bribes” from “rivals/competitors/enemies” then “demand/accept payments” to restore the accounts. Plaintiff Elliot Lewis is CEO of Long Beach-based Catalyst Cannabis, one of California’s largest dispensary chains with more than . . . Log in or become a WeedWeek . . .

Georgia’s governor has signed a bill to expand medical marijuana access in the state. SB 220, which Gov. Brian Kemp (R) approved on Tuesday, will add new qualifying conditions for the program, allow patients to vaporize medical cannabis and change THC potency limits, among other reforms. Under the legislation, patients with lupus will be allowed to legally access medical marijuana, building on the state’s current law that allows certain people with cancer, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, ALS, autism spectrum disorder, intractable pain and other conditions to . . .

A powerful congressional committee is allowing an amendment that would let military veterans receive recommendations for medical marijuana through their doctors at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to advance to a vote on the House floor. The proposal from Reps. Brian Mast (R-FL), Dave Joyce (R-OH) and Dina Titus (D-NV), if enacted, would prevent VA from enforcing a longstanding directive that has blocked its providers from assisting veterans with registering for state medical cannabis programs. Under current policy, VA doctors can discuss marijuana use with their patients, but they . . .

Michigan cannabis sales for April fell from a year ago as they increased sequentially by 1.2%. At $258.6 million, sales were down 4.3% from a year earlier: The Michigan Cannabis Regulatory Agency breaks out sales by medical and adult-use, with medical sales falling 24.1% from a year ago to $0.4 million, down 5.6% sequentially, and adult-use sales [ . . . ]

“This bill is more than a policy change-it offers real hope to so many people who desperately need it.” By Jack Gorsline, Filter The Oklahoma State Senate voted on April 29 to pass the Oklahoma Breakthrough Therapy Act. Formally known as House Bill 3834, the measure authorizes the use of state funds to support trials focused on ibogaine-the powerful, naturally occurring psychedelic compound. The bill passed the House in March. If signed into law by Governor Kevin Stitt (R), it will mark a significant shift in Oklahoma’s approach to the ongoing crises around mental health and substance use . . .

The California Assembly has passed a bill that would allow marijuana retailers to offer drive-thru windows to serve customers. The measure, which was approved in a floor vote of 55-9 on Monday, says that licensed cannabis retailers and microbusinesses with storefronts could sell marijuana products “to a customer in a motor vehicle in a drive-through located on the premises.” It previously cleared the Assembly Appropriations Committee and Business and Professions Committee, and next heads to the Senate for consideration. Under AB 2697 from Assemblymember Gail Pellerin (D), cannabis businesses . . .

While the administration’s medical cannabis rescheduling order is a welcome step forward, it falls well short of the comprehensive changes necessary to provide nationwide relief to patients – and it fails to harmonize state and federal marijuana policy. The post NORML Op-Ed: Reclassifying Medical Marijuana was Long Overdue, But It’s Still Not Enough appeared first on NORML.

If board members object to a federal change, they must publicly issue their reasons and allow for a hearing process before any state action moves forward. By Casey Smith, Indiana Capital Chronicle Indiana lawmakers could soon revisit debates over medical marijuana legalization, but state officials say it remains unclear when-or if-federal marijuana reclassification will formally trigger action in Indiana. At a Monday meeting, the Indiana Board of Pharmacy reviewed a federal notice related to marijuana rescheduling but took no formal action. Board members said any future state response depends . . .

A powerful congressional committee is expected to approve a report this week that directs federal officials to take enforcement action against unregulated cannabinoid products that “threaten consumer safety.” The House Appropriations Committee on Wednesday is set to take up a Fiscal Year 2027 spending bill covering Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies, as well as an attached report that includes the directive. It calls on the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to address the “proliferation of Federally unregulated ingestible, inhalable, . . .

“Acceptance of the newly proposed rule would mean that no state-legal medical cannabis patient will any longer have to choose between either their medicine or their constitutional right to bear arms.” The post ATF Posts Draft Document Acknowledging Medical Cannabis Scheduling Change appeared first on NORML.

Governor Mikie Sherrill (D) and Attorney General Jennifer Davenport nominated NJ Cannabis Regulatory Commission (CRC) Compliance Director Paul Urbish to lead the NJ Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC). “With his background in licensing, investigations, and regulating the products of New Jersey’s burgeoning legal cannabis industry, and his experience with alcoholic beverage permitting and appeals. [ . . . ] Source: Sherrill Nominates NJ-CRC Compliance Director Paul Urbish to Lead Alcoholic Beverage Control from Heady NJ

Ohio officials are launching a public education campaign about the risks of marijuana use-an effort that involves partnering with an organization behind a new poll that shows widespread support for legalization and broad acceptance of cannabis use among the state’s residents. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) touted the campaign, which will be overseen by the Department of Commerce (DOC) and supported by $20 million appropriated by lawmakers under the state’s marijuana law, on Monday. DOC will collaborate with the OneOhio Recovery Foundation on the awareness initiative. “Since my first day in office, . . .

Iowa lawmakers have sent the governor legislation that would double the number of medical cannabis dispensaries that are allowed to operate in the state. Under current law, Iowa’s limited medical marijuana program allows only five dispensaries. That would double to 10 under HF 990, which was approved by the House of Representatives in an 88-5 vote last month and previously cleared the Senate in a tally of 42-5. The bill is now before Gov. Kim Reynolds (R), who can sign or veto it, or allow it to become law without her signature. Bridget Spiddle, public policy and communications coordinator . . .