Poll: Bipartisan legalization & equity support; AZ psilocybin bill; USVI marijuana bill sponsor interview
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…
Your good deed for the day: donate to an independent publisher like Marijuana Moment and ensure that as many voters as possible have access to the most in-depth cannabis reporting out there.
Support our work at https://www.patreon.com/marijuanamoment
/ TOP THINGS TO KNOW
The Washington State Senate Labor & Commerce Committee approved an interstate marijuana commerce bill. Companion legislation was also scheduled for a House panel vote, but it was removed from the schedule.
A new poll found that a majority of U.S. likely voters support federally legalizing marijuana—including most Republicans, Democrats and independents. There is also broad support for cannabis equity measures to address the harms of the drug war.
The U.S. Virgin Islands senator whose cannabis legalization and expungements bills await action on the governor’s desk spoke to Marijuana Moment about what the reforms will mean for the territory.
A bipartisan group of Arizona lawmakers filed a bill to facilitate research on the therapeutic benefits of psilocybin mushrooms with $30 million in funding for clinical trials.
/ FEDERAL
Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Connecticut’s attorney general and other state officials held a press conference to raise awareness about the need to keep marijuana edibles away from children.
/ STATES
Pennsylvania House Democrats cheered outgoing Gov. Tom Wolf’s (D) efforts to advocate for marijuana legalization.
The Mississippi House Drug Policy Committee chairman said he wants to make “tweaks” to the state’s medical cannabis law.
Alaska lawmakers filed legislation to shield low-level marijuana conviction records from public view.
Utah regulators proposed rules on medical cannabis payment provider standards.
Iowa regulators filed changes to hemp rules.
Michigan regulators sent an advisory bulletin about criminal activity against marijuana delivery drivers.
Oklahoma regulators discussed a statewide medical cannabis data analytics platform.
Texas regulators published a list of registered hemp laboratories.
New York regulators will host an info session on cannabis rules on Thursday.
Nevadas’s Cannabis Advisory Commission will meet on Thursday.
—
Marijuana Moment is tracking hundreds of 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 San Francisco, California Human Rights Commission and African American Reparations Advisory Committee’s draft reparations plan includes eligibility for people who have been “incarcerated by the failed War on Drugs” or are the direct descendant of someone who has been.
A Denton, Texas City Council member is facing a recall petition over his support for a move to block a voter-approved marijuana decriminalization initiative.
New York City City Council committees will hold a hearing on unlicensed marijuana sales on Wednesday.
The Boston, Massachusetts Cannabis Board will meet on Wednesday.
/ INTERNATIONAL
The Cayman Islands’s attorney general said lawmakers will consider a framework for placing a marijuana decriminalization referendum on the ballot in the first quarter of this year.
Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada’s City Council passed a resolution endorsing drug decriminalization. Meanwhile, a Vancouver, British Columbia man plans to open a store to sell MDMA, methamphetamines, cocaine, crack and heroin.
/ SCIENCE & HEALTH
A study found that “cannabis use is associated with same day improvements in self-reported sleep quality, but not pain or depressive symptoms, although sleep improvements occurred in the context of increased frequency of cannabis use, raising the risk for cannabis use disorder.”
A study of rats indicated that “CBD can be used as an adjuvant [pulmonary hypertension] therapy.”
/ ADVOCACY, OPINION & ANALYSIS
The National Collegiate Athletic Association’s board of governors discussed a cannabis-focused summit the organization hosted last month.
/ BUSINESS
SNDL Inc. completed its acquisition of The Valens Company Inc.
Ascend Wellness Holdings, Inc. is being sued by a former New Jersey worker over alleged racial discrimination.
Housing Works Cannabis Co, New York City’s first legal recreational marijuana dispensary, is being sued over Americans With Disabilities Act claims about its website not being accessible.
/ CULTURE
Louis C.K. spoke about his experiences with psychedelic-assisted therapy.
Make sure to subscribe to get Marijuana Moment’s daily dispatch in your inbox.
The post WA interstate cannabis commerce bill advances (Newsletter: January 18, 2023) appeared first on Marijuana Moment.
