In a major milestone on the path to expanding access to psychedelic-assisted therapy among the nation’s military veterans, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has issued a request for applications to conduct in-depth research on the use of psychedelics to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression. The department,... Read more

As Kentucky works to implement a recently passed medical cannabis policy, a lawmaker filed legislation this week that would end all penalties, including arrest, for simple possession and use of recreational marijuana by adults 21 and older. It would also allow adults to grow a small number of cannabis... Read more

A top Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has affirmed that spores that produce so-called magic mushrooms are not, on their own, federally prohibited. DEA’s Drug & Chemical Evaluation Section Chief Terrence Boos was asked about the legal status of the spores in a letter from attorney Michael McGuire in November,... Read more

Legal marijuana sales in New Mexico set a new monthly record as 2023 came to a close, with adult-use purchases in December climbing to more than $37 million and sales of medical marijuana reaching their highest point since August. All told during 2023—the state’s first full year of legal... Read more

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is telling lawmakers that it reserves “the final authority” to make any scheduling decision on marijuana following an ongoing review, regardless of what the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recommends. In a letter sent to Congressional Cannabis Caucus co-chair Rep. Earl... Read more

Massachusetts officials have certified that activists submitted enough valid signatures to force legislative consideration of a psychedelics legalization initiative before the measure potentially heads to the state’s 2024 ballot. Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin’s (D) office certified that the campaign Massachusetts for Mental Health Options (MMHO) collected 96,277... Read more

Cannabis consumption prior to exercise can lead to greater enjoyment and an enhanced “runner’s high,” a new study has found—though it is also tied to an increase in feelings of exertion from working out. Published last week in the journal Sports Medicine, the paper from researchers at the University... Read more

As New York works to significantly expand the state’s regulated marijuana market, a new bill would empower individual municipal governments to shut down unlicensed cannabis businesses and seize their products. The legislation from Assemblymember Jenifer Rajkumar (D) aims to address the proliferation of illegal operators that have emerged throughout... Read more

Backers of a proposed Colorado ballot initiative to allow marijuana users to obtain concealed carry permits for guns will appear at a hearing before the secretary of state’s office on Wednesday to finalize the measure, a last step before they can start gathering voter signatures to put the reform on... Read more