The Massachusetts House has unanimously approved a military veterans-focused bill that includes provisions to create a psychedelics working group to study and make recommendations about the potential therapeutic benefits of substances like psilocybin and MDMA. Lawmakers also approved an amendment to create a pilot program to examine medical cannabis as an opioid alternative for veterans. The chamber passed the legislation, an earlier version of which was introduced by Gov. Maura Healey (D) in November, in a 156-0 vote on Wednesday. The Honoring, Empowering and Recognizing Our Servicemembers an ..read more

“I don’t wish us to continue with a very, very questionable model that’s not in the interests of the CAURD applicants or the state of New York.” By Rosalind Adams, THE CITY This story was originally published by THE CITY. Sign up to get the latest New York City news delivered to you each morning. State senators grilled the acting chief of the state Dormitory Authority about the terms of a high-interest cannabis business loan program recently exposed by THE CITY as part of his confirmation hearing on Tuesday—while the authority says it’s suspending new deals. Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) appointed Rob ..read more

More Americans now consume cannabis every day than drink alcohol on a daily basis, according to a newly published study that explores how marijuana use habits have changed in recent decades. Since 1992, it says, the per capita rate of daily cannabis consumption in the country has increased nearly 15 times over. The rise in frequent cannabis use coincides with an increasing number of states that have ended marijuana prohibition, though the study’s author, Carnegie Mellon University professor Jonathan Caulkins, says it’s not clear whether legalization led to increased use or the whether broader ..read more

A new report from an equity-focused marijuana advocacy organization finds that nearly two thirds of American adults want legalization laws to prioritize social equity (68 percent), end cannabis arrests (68 percent) and ensure that people have legal access to marijuana products (65 percent). The vast majority—85 percent—also think legalization should benefit people who use marijuana as medicine, while 63 percent said the policy change should benefit those who use cannabis for pleasure. The study, “American Values and Beliefs About Marijuana Legalization,” claims to be the first of its kind to d ..read more

The federal government’s move to reschedule marijuana “supports the rationality” of the overall law prohibiting cannabis, attorneys for the Justice Department argued in a court hearing on Wednesday. But both DOJ and major marijuana companies suing the government to try to block enforcement against their in-state activities generally agreed that rescheduling doesn’t largely impact the case at hand. The U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts’s Western Division held the hearing to take oral arguments days after granting the marijuana firms’ request to make the hearing accessible to ..read more

A new study suggests that using marijuana before sleep has minimal if any effect on a range of performance measures the next day, including simulated driving, cognitive and psychomotor function tasks, subjective effects and mood. The report, which drew data from a larger study investigating the effects of THC and CBD on insomnia, looked at outcomes from 20 adults with physician-diagnosed insomnia who infrequently used marijuana. “The results of this study indicate that a single oral dose of 10 mg THC (in combination with 200 mg CBD) does not notably impair ‘next day’ cognitive function or driv ..read more

Newly introduced legislation in New York State would allow people in the state to bring legal actions against entities that violate state marijuana laws, potentially empowering ordinary individuals to sue unlicensed cannabis sellers or licensees skirting state law. Identical companion bills, S.9441 in the Senate and A.10248 in the Assembly, were introduced in the legislature last week. The Senate bill, from Sen. Jeremy Cooney (D), has been referred to the Finance Committee in that chamber, while the Assembly measure, from Assemblymember John Zaccaro Jr. (D), will begin in the Judiciary Committ ..read more

The Biden administration’s drug czar said this week that the Justice Department’s recommendation to move marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) is one “based on science and evidence,” adding that the change will ease research restrictions around the use of cannabis to treat “chronic illnesses, chronic pain and diseases like cancer.” But he appears to have oversimplified what the change will mean for legal prescription access to medical marijuana. “It’s been quite a bit of science that has developed over the last few years, certainly since more than a h ..read more

Obama drug czar criticizes marijuana reform; NH legalization; CA cannabis cafes; LA medical cannabis changes to gov 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. Get our daily newsletter. Email address: Leave this field empty if you're human: Your support makes Marijuana Moment possible… Hold on, just one second before you read today’s news. Have you thought about giving some financial support to Marijuana Moment? If so, today would be a great day to contribute. W ..read more

A Senate panel in New Hampshire has narrowly approved a House-passed bill that would legalize marijuana, though members first adopted a handful of amendments from Senate President Jeb Bradley (R), who told colleagues that while he opposes the legalization proposal, he feels an “obligation to try to make it better.” The legislation, HB 1633, now returns to the full Senate, where members made a number of major changes last week before advancing it on a 14–9 vote. The body is expected to consider on either Wednesday or Thursday whether to approve the latest committee changes, and at least two flo ..read more