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New Mexico Governor ‘Offended’ By Top Biden Official’s Reaction To Marijuana Business Seizure Concerns, Leaked Audio Shows

The governor of New Mexico can be heard saying on a newly leaked recording that she was “offended” when the secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reacted to her concern about a recent surge in Customs and Border…

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Congress Will Not Pursue Marijuana Banking Reform Through Must-Pass Aviation Bill, Industry Group Says

Congressional lawmakers have abandoned plans to pursue a marijuana banking bill through unrelated must-pass aviation legislation, determining that it’s “insufficiently germane,” according to a top industry association that cited sources…

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Kansas Senate Rejects Motion To Revive Medical Marijuana Legalization Bill

The Kansas Senate has rejected a motion to revive a medical marijuana legalization bill after a GOP member forced a vote on the issue. The chamber struck down the motion to take up the bill from Sen. Robert Olson (R) in a 12-25 vote on…

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Biden Campaign Says Trump ‘Took Marijuana Reform Backwards’ By Rescinding Enforcement Memo, Despite Current Admin Failing To Reinstate It

The Biden reelection campaign says the Trump administration “took marijuana reform backwards” by rescinding Justice Department guidance that promoted discretion in federal cannabis prosecutions. In an email distributed on Thursday, the…

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North Dakota Secretary Of State Approves Marijuana Legalization Ballot Measure For Signature Collection

Activists will need to collect 15,582 valid signatures from registered voters to qualify the initiative. By North Dakota Monitor North Dakota Secretary of State Michael Howe (R) on Thursday approved a petition for circulation that seeks to…

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New Hampshire Senate President Wants Changes To Marijuana Legalization Bill Passed By House

A New Hampshire marijuana legalization bill already passed by the House of Representatives landed in a Senate committee on Thursday, where opponents of the current version—including Sen. Daryl Abbas (R) and Senate President Jeb Bradley (R…

Texas Governor Condemns Local Marijuana Decriminalization Efforts As Lubbock Voters Decide On Reform At The Ballot

The Republican governor of Texas says that cities seeking to locally decriminalize marijuana—including one that’s set to vote on the reform next week—don’t have the authority to “override” state law. Three months after Texas Attorney…

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Lawmakers push DEA to act on cannabis (Newsletter: April 26, 2024)

VP Harris on marijuana; SAFE Banking push; Industry case gets court hearing; HI gov’s cannabis plan; LA legalization vote; PA hearing; MO psilocybin Subscribe to receive Marijuana Moment’s newsletter in your inbox every weekday morning.…

Thursday, Apr 25

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VP Kamala Harris Highlights Marijuana Pardons At Another White House Event With Presidential Clemency Recipients

Vice President Kamala Harris again promoted the administration’s marijuana pardons at a White House event on Thursday, reiterating that she doesn’t believe “people should have to go to jail for smoking weed.” At a roundtable event…

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Pennsylvania Lawmakers Press Liquor Regulator About State’s Ability To Run Marijuana Shops During Joint Legalization Hearing

Two Pennsylvania legislative panels held a joint hearing to discuss marijuana legalization on Thursday, with multiple lawmakers asking the state’s top liquor regulator about the prospect of having that agency run cannabis shops. Members of…

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Judge Schedules Oral Arguments In Marijuana Companies’ Lawsuit Challenging Federal Prohibition

A federal judge on Thursday agreed to schedule oral arguments in a case from major U.S. marijuana companies that are seeking to shield in-state cannabis activity from federal enforcement. The businesses have said in their lawsuit against…

Washington State Marijuana Regulators Weigh Adjustment To Social Equity Licensing Program

“Only 73 of the applicants (nearly 500 applicants in all) participated in the survey and these are proposed changes that have not been finalized.” By Carleen Johnson, The Center Square The Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (WSLCB)…

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Key Congresswoman Says ‘Now Is The Time’ To Pass Marijuana Banking Bill, Despite McConnell’s ‘Concerns’

A top Democratic congresswoman says that “now is the time” to pass marijuana banking reform, and she’s “hopeful” lawmakers will “overcome” any potential challenge from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) as they work to advance…

Missouri Lawmakers Strip $10 Million In Psilocybin Research Funding From Budget Bill

A Missouri Senate committee on Wednesday stripped a proposal from a House-passed budget bill that would have funneled $10 million in state opioid settlement money to research psilocybin. An earlier version of the Republican-led proposal…

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Congressional Lawmakers Demand DEA ‘Promptly’ Reschedule Marijuana, Regardless Of ‘Internal Disagreement’ At The Agency

A coalition of 21 congressional lawmakers is telling the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to “promptly remove marijuana from Schedule I,” while recognizing that the agency may be “navigating internal disagreement” on the issue. In a…

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Louisiana Lawmakers Approve Bill To Create Marijuana Legalization Regulatory Framework

Louisiana lawmakers have approved a bill to create a regulatory framework for marijuana legalization, building upon the state’s 2021 decriminalization law. Members of the House Health and Welfare Committee passed the measure from Rep.…

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Hawaii Governor Floats Plan To Allow Medical Marijuana For Any Condition After Recreational Legalization Bill Fails

Following the failure of a Hawaii bill to legalize cannabis for adults, Gov. Josh Green (D) says he has “a possible solution” to the issue: vastly expanding the state’s existing medical marijuana system to allow people to register based on…

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Legalizing cannabis doesn’t increase youth use, AMA study finds (Newsletter: April 25, 2024)

Schumer on SAFE Banking; Fed ayahuasca settlement; Biden clemency; Top DARE officer on medical marijuana; DE cannabis banking vote; MA sales Subscribe to receive Marijuana Moment’s newsletter in your inbox every weekday morning. It’s the…

Wednesday, Apr 24

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Biden Grants More Clemency For Drug Offenses, But Advocates Remain Critical About Lack Of Marijuana Commutations

President Joe Biden granted another round of clemency to more than a dozen people with non-violent federal drug convictions, describing the action as an extension of Second Chance Month which the administration has previously used to…

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Delaware Senators Approve House-Passed Marijuana Banking Bill To Provide State-Level Protections

A Delaware Senate committee has passed a House-approved bill that would enact state-level protections for banks that provide services to licensed marijuana businesses. The bill, filed by Rep. Ed Osienski (D) and Sen. Trey Paradee (D), has…

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Massachusetts Saw Record-Breaking Marijuana Sales On 4/20, Pushing State Across $6 Billion Mark For Recreational Purchases

Massachusetts reached a new marijuana sales milestone leading up to 4/20 last week, with the state crossing the $6 billion mark since the adult-use market launched, regulators announced. And the state broke a single-day sales record on the…

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New York Marijuana Deal Put Private Investors Ahead Of Social Equity And Taxpayers, Investigation Finds

“The private entity here is the one benefiting the most, though the goal of public policy is to benefit the state and to benefit the dispensary owners.” By Rosalind Adams, THE CITY Last June, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) announced that a…

Georgia Bill That Would Regulate Hemp Products Like CBD And Delta-8 THC Awaits Action On Governor’s Desk

“We regulate tobacco, we regulate alcohol, we regulate food, yet we’ve got a ton of these products out there now that we’re not regulating.” By Chaya Tong, Georgia Recorder A bill regulating hemp products, licensing and restricting their…

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Senators Will ‘Do Our Best’ To Pass Marijuana Banking Bill ‘In A Bipartisan Way,’ Schumer Says

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has once again included a bipartisan marijuana banking bill in a list of legislative priorities he hopes to advance this year. During a press briefing on Tuesday, Schumer was asked about what’s…

‘No Evidence’ That Marijuana Legalization For Adults Increases Youth Cannabis Use, New Research Published By American Medical Association Finds

Authors of a new research letter published by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) on Wednesday said there’s no evidence that states’ adoption of laws to legalize and regulate marijuana for adults have led to an increase…

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New Jersey Lawmakers And Marijuana Activists Push To Legalize Home Cultivation, Which Is Still A Felony

“We said we were doing this bill for criminal justice purposes, and to partially correct the very failed multi-billion war on drugs campaign that happened for decades in New Jersey, so this is frustrating. I feel like we’re not headed in…

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Top D.A.R.E. Officer Says Medical Marijuana Helped His Brother-In-Law Treat Cancer Pain

The anti-drug group D.A.R.E.’s 2022 officer of the year asserts in a new online documentary that “alcohol is a gateway drug”—though he occasionally drinks it. But marijuana is another story and can’t be safely enjoyed recreationally, he…

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Federal Settlement Will Allow Arizona Church To Import, Process And Use Ayahuasca As Religious Sacrament

A new settlement between the federal government and an Arizona-based nonprofit will permit the group to import and use ayahuasca as a religious sacrament—an agreement leaders are calling a historic milestone for spiritual freedom. Under…

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Biden & Trump voters’ cannabis views (Newsletter: April 24, 2024)

SC medical marijuana; Feds removing MDMA from drug testing; CA psychedelics; Ventura on cannabis politics; DEA psilocybin; Legalization & immigrants Subscribe to receive Marijuana Moment’s newsletter in your inbox every weekday morning.…

Tuesday, Apr 23

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South Carolina House Panel Takes Up Senate-Passed Medical Marijuana Legalization Bill After Months Of Delay

A South Carolina House committee has taken up a GOP-led medical marijuana legalization bill—the first action the legislation has seen in the chamber since being approved by the Senate months ago. Members heard from multiple medical experts…