A former U.S. labor secretary who previously served as mayor of Boston as Massachusetts’s marijuana legalization law came into effect, spoke out against what he described as a “slippery slope” of cannabis reform during a C-SPAN interview this week. Marty Walsh, who also discussed his own substance use disorder... Read more

A Republican senator says marijuana is a “gateway drug,” and Democrats’ moves to legalize it reflect “pro-criminal, anti-American policies” that will “stimulate more crime on American streets.” He also argued that cannabis banking legislation “facilitates an entire infrastructure and an ecosystem for more drug usage in America.” Sen. Bill... Read more

A former Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) head says the agency’s marijuana rescheduling proposal is “understandable” because it “reflects the reality” of public opinion toward the medical value of cannabis—even if he personally has concerns about the broader move toward reform. In an interview with Fox News this week, former... Read more

The sponsor of a Colorado bill that would have forced social media platforms to ban users for talking positively online about certain controlled substances—including as state-legal psychedelics, certain hemp products and even some over-the-counter cough syrups—abruptly shelved the bill this week. Advocates say their pushback to the proposal “caught... Read more

Vermont’s Senate has passed a bill to legalize and fund a facility in Burlington where people could use currently prohibited substances in a medically supervised environment—part of a pilot program aimed at quelling the ongoing epidemic of drug-related deaths. Senate lawmakers approved the bill, H.72, on a voice vote... Read more

A congressional committee has approved a GOP-led psychedelics bill focused on military veterans’ access. About two weeks after the House Veterans’ Affairs Health Subcommittee advanced the legislation, members of the full committee on Wednesday advanced it to potential floor action in a voice vote as part of an en... Read more

The White House says that President Joe Biden’s marijuana review directive that’s now resulted in a Justice Department rescheduling decision is part of fulfilling the pledge he made to voters in the 2020 election. At a press briefing on Wednesday, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked about... Read more

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has signaled he’s not giving up hope on attaching a marijuana banking bill to must-pass aviation legislation. But Republican leaders in both chambers represent roadblocks for the reform. Shortly after unveiling his reintroduced legislation to federally legalize cannabis on Wednesday, Schumer was asked... Read more

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) is again lashing out at marijuana legalization as voters prepare to decide on a ballot initiative in November, warning that the reform would negatively impact quality of life in the state. The governor, who has mocked legalization repeatedly in a series of recent comments,... Read more