The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is renaming a trade advisory committee to prominently feature hemp among a select group of specialty crops—reflecting the agency’s understanding of cannabis as a uniquely valuable commodity. Hemp and its derivatives like CBD were legalized under the 2018 Farm Bill, and USDA has... Read more

The “patchwork” of state marijuana laws being enacted across the country while federal prohibition remains unchanged is enabling large corporations to dominate the industry, harming communities that have been “decimated” by the drug war and underscoring the need for federal reform, a Democratic senator says. In a prerecorded video... Read more

Connecticut lawmakers have sent a budget bill to the governor that includes provisions to provide state-level tax relief to licensed marijuana businesses that are currently prohibited for making federal deductions under an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) code known as 280E. A separate cannabis omnibus bill was also transmitted to... Read more

A bill to legalize marijuana in Colombia was approved in its second-to-last vote in the Senate on Tuesday, bringing the country one step closer to ending prohibition. However, advocates are increasingly concerned that unrelated governmental controversies could derail the effort this year as deadlines for action quickly approach. After... Read more

A Rhode Island House committee has approved a bill that would legalize possession and cultivation of psilocybin mushrooms, while taking steps to prepare for regulated therapeutic access pending federal reform. The House Judiciary Committee, which held an initial hearing on the legislation from Rep. Brandon Potter (D) in March,... Read more