Forest Service marijuana warning; NY dispensary distribution; Psilocybin reduces alcohol misuse; Psychedelic use rises for adults & drops for teens
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/ TOP THINGS TO KNOW
The Federal Trade Commission announced it is facilitating refunds to consumers who bought “deceptively marketed” CBD products from Kushly.
The U.S. Forest Service is reminding its workers that they are prohibited from using marijuana and is also warning them that even using legal CBD products might result in positive drug tests that could cost them their jobs.
New York’s Office of Cannabis Management has revealed how many marijuana dispensary licenses it plans to issue in each region of the state in the first application round that opens up on Thursday.
A pair of new federally funded studies show that even as psychedelics use by adults is reaching all-time highs as decriminalization policies are enacted and more attention is being paid to their therapeutic potential, teen consumption is trending downward.
Voters in nearly three out of four Oregon counties and 57 cities across the state will see measures on their ballots to ban or postpone the availability of psilocybin services businesses—though 17 of the state’s 20 most populous cities will move forward with allowing access.
A new study published by the American Medical Association found that psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy to treat alcohol use disorder “produced robust decreases in percentage of heavy drinking days” with “no serious adverse events.”
/ FEDERAL
National Institute on Drug Abuse Director Nora Volkow said that “legalization not only has made access to cannabis easier for its regular use, but it has also contributed to the perception that cannabis is a ‘safe’ drug.”
White House Office of National Drug Control Policy Director Rahul Gupta authored an op-ed criticizing Chinese officials for allegedly not cooperating in the effort to stop the flow of fentanyl precursor chemicals.
Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA) tweeted, “Safe consumption sites save lives. They can slow the #OpioidCrisis and absolutely reduce overdoses. I hope Governor @GavinNewsom and California legislators will work together to develop a plan to safely open supervised consumption sites.”
Iowa Democratic Senate candidate Mike Franken tweeted, “Today I visited Bud & Mary’s, a state-licensed medical cannabis growing and processing facility in Des Moines. Discussed the medical benefits of THC and CBD & the burdensome regulations that prevent businesses like this from expanding—including into recreational markets.” He also posted a poll about legalization.
California Democratic congressional candidate Derek Marshall tweeted, “To end the War on Drugs we need more treatment programs, supportive housing, and restorative justice- NOT more jails or prisons.”
The House bill to seal federal marijuana records got two new cosponsors for a total of 20.
/ STATES
Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts (R) claimed that an unsuccessful push to qualify medical cannabis initiatives for the ballot was “about a big industry that wants to be unregulated.” Separately, a senator who is co-chairing the medical marijuana campaign met with the secretary of state’s office to do “due diligence” to analyze signature verification numbers for the measures.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) announced that the 2022 Minority- and Women-Owned Business Enterprise Forum in October will include a focus on creating equity in the cannabis industry.
South Carolina Democratic gubernatorial candidate Joe Cunningham, a former congressman, spoke about the medical value of cannabis for military veterans.
Massachusetts’s treasurer expects to announce a new chair for the Cannabis Control Commission next week.
A California assemblymember tweeted,”No one should be fired for using a legal substance, off site, while not at work. If [a pending bill] passes, employers will no longer be allowed to use outdated drug tests used to detect inactive cannabis compounds. This is overdue and necessary.”
A Missouri representative spoke about her opposition to the marijuana legalization measure on the state’s November ballot.
New Mexico regulators provided a demographic breakdown of controlling interests of the more than 1,000 marijuana business licenses they’ve issued in roughly a year.
Two Tennessee law enforcement officers were killed in a helicopter crash while on a mission to identify illegal marijuana cultivation.
Ohio regulators published updated medical cannabis patient and caregiver numbers.
The Oregon Task Force on Cannabis-Derived Intoxicants and Illegal Cannabis Production will meet on Thursday.
Hawaii’s Dual Use of Cannabis Task Force will meet on Monday.
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/ LOCAL
Albany, New York’s mayor tweeted about the city’s first Cannabis Advisory Committee meeting.
Hoboken, New Jersey officials are being sued by a marijuana business that says its application to open a dispensary was wrongfully denied.
/ INTERNATIONAL
Colombia’s justice minister said that while the country plans to reform drug policies, that won’t include legalizing cocaine. The comments, which clarify remarks he made days earlier on the need to “think about the legal uses of coca and cannabis,” come as American drug officials are making a visit to the nation.
Thailand’s public health minister said a cannabis and hemp regulation bill has been completed and will get a second reading in the House of Representatives this week.
Malaysia’s health minister said the government is only considering legalizing medical, and not recreational, marijuana.
Argentina’s minister of science, technology and innovation met with researchers working on a medical cannabis project.
/ SCIENCE & HEALTH
A study found that “cannabidiol inhibits invasion and metastasis in colorectal cancer cells.”
A study found that “American psychiatrists’ perceptions about safety and abuse/therapeutic potentials associated with certain psychoactive drugs were inconsistent with those indicated by their placement in drug schedules.”
A study concluded that “cannabis companies developed [corporate social responsibility] initiatives similar to those used by the tobacco industry to influence politics and regulation.”
/ ADVOCACY, OPINION & ANALYSIS
The National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators hosted a panel about cannabis policy at its conference.
Safe and Secure Communities is another prohibitionist committee seeking to intervene in an Arkansas lawsuit about the marijuana legalization initiative on the state’s November ballot.
A Family Research Council staffer claimed that reports of fentanyl pills that look like candy come “directly out of the playbook of Big Marijuana which has spent tons of money advertising high potency marijuana products like gummy bears to children, all while lobbying Congress to allow further drug legalization in the U.S.”
The ACLU of New Jersey is pressing state regulators to center equity in marijuana rules.
DoubleBlind hosted a webinar on the way forward for psychedelics reform in California.
/ BUSINESS
Curaleaf agreed to pay a $130,000 fine and undergo a 23-day suspension in Oregon over its mistakenly selling drops containing high amounts of THC that were mislabelled as being CBD products.
Canopy Growth Corp. and its U.S. subsidiary settled a trademark lawsuit that was filed by Cointreau Corp.
TerrAscend Corp. completed its acquisition of KISA Enterprises MI, LLC.
Truss Limited Partnership is recalling three lots of its XMG Cola cannabis beverages.
/ CULTURE
Former wrestler Ric Flair spoke about the launch of his line of cannabis products.
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