The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is calling for the creation of a centralized marijuana research center that’s designed to help scientists overcome barriers to studying cannabis under federal prohibition. In a notice of funding opportunity posted on Thursday, NIH said it’s looking for an eligible entity to operate... Read more
“The very people who were victimized by cannabis laws in the first place are yet again on the losing end of what appears to be a distinctly inappropriate power grab.” By Rebecca Rivas, Missouri Independent James Harnden has been a longtime activist for cannabis legalization, ever since he got... Read more
As states throughout the country continue to legalize medical and adult-use cannabis, the federal de-scheduling and later legalization of cannabis is likely to come sometime in the near future. But what exactly comes with such a widespread shift in policy? As we look ahead at the potential for federal... Read more
A leading marijuana policy think tank is urging lawmakers to take a thoughtful approach to federal legalization that accounts for the potential unintended consequences that freeing up interstate commerce could have on small cannabis businesses and social equity programs that have emerged in state markets. In a report released... Read more
States that legalized marijuana in 2016 saw meaningful declines in traffic fatalities during the years immediately following the policy change, according to a new study by Quartz Advisor. Takeaways were less clear, however, over a longer period of time that included years the report describes as “anomalies” nationwide. Ultimately,... Read more
“We know delta-8 is a bad chemical, it’s a bad drug, and it hurts people.” By Cindy Gonzalez, Nebraska Examiner Pointing at what he called mislabeled and dangerous THC-containing products made to look like Nerds, Fritos and other child-enticing treats, Nebraska’s attorney general on Wednesday announced an “unprecedented” action... Read more
Two in three Kansans, including a majority of Republicans, support legalizing marijuana, according to a new poll. And most say they’re likely to vote for lawmakers who back medical cannabis legalization. While medical marijuana reform has consistently stalled out in the GOP-controlled state legislature, about 67 percent of Kansans... Read more
The U.S. House of Representatives officially has a new speaker: Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA). A review of his marijuana-related votes reveals a new leader who has consistently opposed reform, including on incremental issues like cannabis banking and making it easier to conduct scientific research on the plant. It took... Read more
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has released a highly redacted version of a brief letter to the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) regarding the agency’s marijuana rescheduling recommendation. The letter, obtained via Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request by Law360 reporter Sam Reisman,... Read more
Two cannabis industry groups in Oregon have decided to join forces in a merger that comes amid a downturn in the state’s market for legal marijuana. The two groups, the Oregon Cannabis Association and the Cannabis Industry Alliance of Oregon, announced the merger last week following unanimous votes by... Read more