Federal hemp ban up in Senate this week; Poll: 9/10 Americans back legalization; Congressional report on cannabis & guns; AK psychedelics
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/ TOP THINGS TO KNOW
The Drug Enforcement Administration said in an update to an agency judge that the cannabis rescheduling process is still on hold and “remains pending” before Acting Administrator Robert Murphy, who previously spoke at a conference hosted by prohibitionist organization Smart Approaches to Marijuana.
- “No briefing schedule has been set.”
The Senate Appropriations Committee is expected this week to join its House counterpart in approving legislation to ban consumable hemp products with a quantifiable amount of THC.
- Industry sources told Marijuana Moment that Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), who championed hemp legalization in 2018, is behind the effort to now close the so-called “loophole.”
A new Pew Research Center poll shows that nearly nine in ten American adults support legalizing marijuana for either recreational or medical use—with plurality support across party lines for recreational cannabis legalization.
- “Support for marijuana legalization has increased dramatically in recent decades.”
A new Congressional Research Service report says that courts across the country are “grappling with…renewed constitutional attacks” against a federal law banning marijuana consumers from owning guns—noting that lawmakers could consider adding “clarity” to its application, or even whether it “should be rescinded.”
Alaska activists filed an initial batch of signatures to trigger the process of qualifying a psychedelics legalization initiative for the 2026 ballot that would allow noncommercial cultivation and sharing of DMT, mescaline and psilocybin while also establishing a regulated system of licensed healing centers.
A former Nebraska senator is asking the state Supreme Court to take up a medical cannabis case he filed seeking to overturn the voter-approved legalization law.
The Oregon Court of Appeals ruled that the State Police and Polk County Sheriff’s Office improperly used warrantless aerial surveillance to bust an illegal marijuana cultivation operation, saying an officer “used technology to obtain information from inside [the] defendant’s private structures that was undetectable from his vantage point in public airspace.”
/ FEDERAL
Organizations funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration will host an event about the “adverse impacts of cannabis use on adolescents and young adults” on Thursday.
Former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) tweeted, “Marijuana should not be a Schedule I drug. Throwback clip to 2018!”
/ STATES
New Jersey lawmakers declined to increase the cannabis social equity excise fee in budget legislation.
A New York senator discussed efforts to pass legislation to aid the cannabis industry.
A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit from a former Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority employee who claimed she was fired for whistleblowing.
A California judge declined class action status for a lawsuit that a vintner filed against a nearby cannabis cultivation operation over “noxious odors.”
Vermont regulators published updated guidance on various cannabis issues.
Minnesota regulators published guidance on cannabis business final plans of record.
U.S. Virgin Islands regulators are now accepting cannabis dispensary license applications.
California regulators led seven operations in a single day that resulted in $4.9 million worth of illegal cannabis being seized.
The Colorado Department of Agriculture posted a recipe for strawberry hemp heart ice cream.
The Rhode Island Cannabis Advisory Board will meet on Thursday.
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/ INTERNATIONAL
Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar said the government will raise the legal age for marijuana, alcohol and gambling to 25.
/ SCIENCE & HEALTH
A review concluded that “topical or transdermal formulations containing CBD have anti-inflammatory properties via inhibition of NF-kB signaling pathway and upregulation of keratin 6 and 16 in psoriasis patients.”
A study found that “high-dose-LSD-assisted therapy reduced depressive symptoms more than low-dose therapy.”
/ BUSINESS
Curaleaf Holdings, Inc. bought out its minority partner in Curaleaf International Holdings Limited.
Blue Sky Hemp Ventures Ltd. sold its hemp-based food division to Fresh Hemp Foods.
Organigram Global Inc. announced its recently acquired beverage business, Collective Project, launched an e-commerce platform.
Arkansas dispensaries sold $23.2 million worth of medical cannabis products in June.
/ CULTURE
Mike Tyson spoke about his efforts to encourage the Trump administration to follow through on its cannabis reform campaign pledges.
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