Drug War Daily Digest – November 6, 2026

Democratic election wins raise marijuana legalization prospects in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, and a report says the US helped carry out a deadly strike in Venezuela.

Marijuana Policy

Washington Proposes Cannabis Ownership and Producer-Cooperative Rules. Washington's Liquor and Cannabis Board has opened two rulemaking proceedings. Proposed financial-interest rules implementing ESSB 5403 address the five-retailer ownership limit, shared business arrangements, preferential pricing and recordkeeping; a public hearing is set for December 10 at 1pm. A separate proposal implementing EHB 1941 would allow cooperatives involving up to three producer or producer-processor licenses, with written agreements, separate records and safeguards against mixing participants' cannabis. At least one cooperative member would need a separate processor license for wholesale sales of packaged products to retailers. That hearing is December 17 at 1pm. Both proposals were announced November 4.

Wisconsin Democrats Say Legalization Is Coming After Election Wins. Citing WKOW-TV and WISN-TV, Tom Angell reports in Marijuana Moment that Democratic leaders say they intend to legalize marijuana after their party won control of the incoming legislature and the governor's office. Assembly Minority Leader Greta Neubauer is expected to become speaker in the new legislature. She said Democrats aim to legalize it within one to two years and hope to raise revenue. Senate Democratic Caucus chair Mark Spreitzer said he was "very optimistic." Governor-elect David Crowley said during the campaign that "we have to go towards full legalization," with guardrails on labeling and youth access. Previous adult-use, medical, and decriminalization bills died under Republican majorities. Tony Lange also reports on the outlook in Cannabis Business Times.

Pennsylvania Democrats Win Senate, Raising Marijuana Legalization Prospects. Stephen Caruso and Kate Huangpu report for Spotlight PA that Democrats won control of the state Senate for the first time in more than three decades, flipping four Republican-held seats for a 26–24 majority, and kept their House majority, giving Governor Josh Shapiro's party control of both chambers. And Tony Lange reports in Cannabis Business Times on the prospects for legalization in 2027, which still requires legislation, including agreement on how the market would operate.

Iowa Governor-Elect Backs Marijuana Legalization to Raise Revenue. Tom Angell reports in Marijuana Moment that governor-elect Rob Sand plans to pursue adult-use marijuana legalization. Sand, who defeated Republican Zach Lahn, argued during the campaign that regulating and taxing cannabis could help address the state's budget deficit while reducing possession enforcement. His campaign also pledged to reverse restrictions on hemp and THC beverages while retaining oversight.

Menominee, Michigan, Voters Approve More Marijuana Businesses. Nearly 60% of Menominee voters approved raising the city's marijuana retail license cap from nine to 13, MLive reports. Mayor Casey Hoffman said the additional licenses could resolve lawsuits by businesses seeking licenses, although the city still must approve a competitive selection process.

Niles Township, Michigan, Voters Reject Marijuana Businesses for Third Time. Nearly 52% of Niles Township voters rejected a proposal to lift the marijuana business ban and allow four retailers, MLive reports. It was the third vote against marijuana businesses since 2019, following a brief reversal in 2024 when voters approved stores.

Texas Senator-Elect Talarico Calls for Federal Marijuana Legalization. James Talarico said in a November 4 interview that he wants to work with President Trump on federal marijuana legalization after winning the Texas Senate race. Tom Angell reports in Marijuana Moment that Talarico also supports expunging marijuana records. Although Talarico described legalization as common ground with Trump, the administration has pursued rescheduling rather than broad federal legalization; Trump supported Florida's 2024 legalization initiative but that was a state-level position.

Rep. Titus and Roger Stone Urge Bipartisan Federal Marijuana Reform. In separate statements published in the November 5 issue of Marijuana Moment, Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV), co-chair of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, listed banking access, regular tax treatment, veterans' access to medical cannabis through the VA and rescheduling as priorities, while longtime Republican dirty trickster Roger Stone said he wants Democrats to "decriminalize marijuana at a minimum and deschedule at a maximum" and urged President Trump to sign such a bill.

Democrat Goodwin Unseats Texas Lt. Gov. Patrick, a Leading Hemp-THC Ban Backer. According to Houston Public Media and other Texas outlets, Austin Democratic state Rep. Vikki Goodwin defeated Republican incumbent Dan Patrick for lieutenant governor, and Patrick conceded. Campaign and hemp-industry figures credit Patrick's push to ban hemp-derived THC products as one factor, while Rice University political scientist Erik Peterson said THC and other issues probably were not decisive on their own, Stephen Simpson reports in The Texas Tribune. Goodwin does not take office until January, the Legislature convenes January 12, and litigation over Texas health department rules continues. In a November 6 report, the Tribune's Zach Leggio notes that a judge temporarily blocked the rules April 10 and that the appeals court has canceled December 8 oral arguments, leaving the case for incoming Democratic justices. A federal total-THC test starting December 11 could affect THCA flower regardless of state action.

Unnamed Trump Adviser Says President Would Sign "Clean" Descheduling Bill. The Marijuana Herald's Anthony Martinelli reports that a senior advisor to President Trump, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Trump would sign a "clean" bill removing marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act if Democrats pass one in the new Congress. The adviser said Trump would likely veto the MORE Act (HR 5068) or other bills that pair descheduling with social-equity provisions. The White House has not confirmed the statement, and the administration's own track has been pushing not legalization (or descheduling) but rescheduling. The MORE Act has passed the House before but never received a Senate vote.

Vermont Adopts Cannabis Event Pilot Procedures. The state's Cannabis Control Board adopted procedures for its cannabis event pilot program at its October 28 meeting, according to its November 2 recap. Applications will open in November, with a lottery at the December 16 board meeting. The board also began rulemaking on retail siting and approved consumer-data guidance requiring informed consent before profiling customers or collecting data. The privacy guidance remains open for comment until November 18; the retail siting proposal has not completed rulemaking.

DEA and Opponents File Final Briefs in Marijuana Rescheduling Hearing. The Marijuana Herald reports that the DEA and opponents of rescheduling, including the National Drug and Alcohol Screening Association, filed reply briefs November 5 on a Government Accountability Office report, completing the written arguments before Chief Administrative Law Judge Derek Julius. DEA argued the report deserves no weight and that the missing written procedures also existed in 2016; opponents argued it exposes weaknesses in the government's medical-use test and asked Julius to recommend rejecting rescheduling. No deadline is set for his recommendation, which is not binding on DEA Administrator Terrance Cole.

Michigan Expands Wholesale Marijuana Tax E-Services November 12. Michigan Treasury says full electronic registration, filing, payment and account services for the marijuana wholesale tax will be available at 7am November 12. The tax's e-services, including payments, are unavailable November 4-11 during the changeover. All 2026 quarterly returns are due January 20, 2027.

Anti-Legalization Group Says Maine Is Next After Massachusetts Loss. In a November 4 statement, Kevin Sabet, president and CEO of SAM Action, said his group came up short on Massachusetts Question 8 but is not backing down, and that Maine and other states will be next. Meanwhile, Law360 reports that Smart Approaches to Marijuana put $3.73 million into the Massachusetts campaign, and that Sabet told the outlet before the election that advocates in Maine were working to put a similar measure on the ballot next year and that SAM Action was working with like-minded groups in Montana and Arizona.

Medical Marijuana

DEA Guidance Sets November 29 Supply-Chain Verification Date. New DEA guidance describes how medical marijuana businesses that filed complete applications and fees during the April 28–June 26 timely-application window may operate while applications are pending. It expects supply-chain verification by November 29: timely applicants may deal with other timely applicants or registrants, not late applicants or businesses that never applied. Timely dispensers and distributors may continue handling inventory acquired before the guidance. A narrow testing exception allows small samples to go to an unregistered same-state laboratory when no DEA-registered laboratory exists nationwide, or when none exists in-state and state law bars interstate shipment; detailed records are required. It also specifies recordkeeping obligations and says the guidance itself is not legally binding. These qualifications matter when interpreting reports of disruption to state medical programs.

German Medical Cannabis Analysis Finds Falling Prices and More Products. An analysis by Alex Khourdaji in Business of Cannabis finds that the unweighted average price per gram of medical cannabis flower fell from €7.70 in September 2025 to €6.00 in September 2026, while listed flower products increased from 1,378 to 2,381. The findings come as Germany debates tighter access rules. They should not be confused with a patient-weighted measure of what people pay, nor with the article's conditional forecast of a possible market contraction if restrictions take effect.

Georgia Raises Medical Cannabis Card Fee to $75. Georgia's Department of Public Health announced that five-year medical cannabis cards will cost $75 beginning December 5 at 12:01am, including both new cards and renewals. Online transaction and processing charges bring the total to $79.88; money order payments carry no additional fee. Cards can be mailed to patients and caregivers, and insurance does not cover their cost.

Maryland Preparing Registration for Out-of-State Firefighters and Paramedics Under Medical Marijuana Job Protections. Marijuana Moment reports that the state's Cannabis Administration is creating a registration process for out-of-state firefighters, EMTs, and paramedics who work in Maryland to qualify for employment protections under SB 439, which took effect October 1. Qualifying workers must be Maryland-registered medical cannabis patients certified by a Maryland provider. While employers generally may not penalize them for a positive test for cannabis metabolites from lawful off-duty use, impairment on duty is not protected. The application is "forthcoming," and out-of-state workers can submit an interest form.

NCAI Calls on DOJ to Consult Tribes and Include Tribally Licensed Cannabis in Rescheduling. The National Congress of American Indians adopted Resolution PSC-26-048 on October 22 at its annual convention in Palm Springs, according to Vicente LLP, a law firm that says it helped draft the resolution. The resolution asks the Justice Department to begin consultation with Tribes in the cannabis industry and to amend its April 22 Final Order, or issue a new one, so that tribally licensed cannabis products move to Schedule III along with state-licensed medical marijuana. The firm says the order does not mention Tribes. DOJ's order said consultation was unnecessary because the action had no substantial effects on Indian tribes; the resolution disputes that.

Oklahoma Begins Enforcing Child-Appeal Limits on Medical Marijuana Edibles Packaging. KWTV News 9 in Oklahoma City reports that the state's Medical Marijuana Authority began implementing House Bill 4454 on November 1. That law restricts edible packaging and labeling that could appeal to minors, including cartoons, images of food or animals, and animated depictions of people. The authority's Barrett Brown said inspectors will flag possible violations for central-office and legal review, with fines of $500 per instance, notice, a chance to respond and the right to contest a finding before an administrative law judge. Processors said that the guidelines are unclear, and one said the agency has not told businesses what is allowed. Brown said the agency will err on the side of protecting children in gray-area cases.

Kratom and 7-OH

Oregon Officials Consider Restrictions on Kratom Concentrates. Lynne Terry reports in The Lund Report that Rep. Jules Waters is working with a bipartisan group on restrictions for the 2027 session, potentially banning sales of opioid-like kratom derivatives such as 7-OH. In Coos County, Commissioner Drew Farmer has proposed prohibiting sales and distribution of synthetic, semisynthetic, derivative or concentrated kratom products. Fellow commissioners want cities in the county to adopt similar rules. These are proposals. Separately, DEA's October 14 notice identifies November 13 as the earliest date for a subsequent temporary scheduling order.

DEA Revises Planned 7-OH Controls; New Order Cannot Issue Before November 13. DEA's October 14 notice proposes temporary Schedule I controls for 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) and mitragynine pseudoindoxyl (MGPI), individually or combined, above 1 milligram per gram in solids or 1 milligram per milliliter in liquids. Controls would also apply when the mass ratio of mitragynine to those substances is below 100 to 1. The notice says a new order will be published on or after November 13; it does not itself impose the new controls.

The August 26 order already controlling MGPI without a threshold remains in effect until it expires or is replaced and withdrawn. DEA says the proposed thresholds would leave some products outside Schedule I, but do not establish that those products are safe. Pain News Network reports that the American Kratom Association supported the changes while the 7-HOPE Alliance opposed the planned restrictions.

Hemp

Illinois Leaders Urge Congress to Let Federal Hemp THC Ban Take Effect. Tom Angell reports in Marijuana Moment that Gov. JB Pritzker, Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, and Sen. Tammy Duckworth released a roughly 200-item agenda for Congress calling on lawmakers to oppose any further delay or amendment to the federal ban on intoxicating hemp. The 2025 law limits hemp products to 0.4 milligrams of total THC per container; a September funding bill moved the effective date for most products to December 11, while a ban on synthetic cannabinoids that cannot be naturally produced by the plant takes effect November 12.

Missouri Sues Four Retailers Over Marijuana Sold as Hemp; Federal Court Dismisses Challenge to State Law. On November 4, state Attorney General Catherine Hanaway announced lawsuits against four retailers – Puffers Choice (Aurora), CBD Kratom Cannabis Dispensary (Des Peres), Herb Depot (Independence) and Token THC Dispensary (Rock Port) – for allegedly selling marijuana products marketed as hemp. The lawsuits seek civil penalties and injunctions and, in three cases, nuisance designations. Her office also said the US District Court for the Western District of Missouri dismissed a challenge to the state's intoxicating-cannabinoid law, rejecting preemption and constitutional claims; key provisions of House Bill 2641 take effect November 12.

EU Court Rules Unauthorized CBD Foods Cannot Be Certified Organic. In a case brought by the French hemp trade association against that country's organic-certification authority, the European Union's Court of Justice ruled November 5 that CBD foods lacking EU novel-food authorization cannot receive organic certification, even when intended for export, EUNews reports. The court held that certification signals approval to consumers and cannot be separated from market authorization; the European Commission classifies CBD as a novel food but has not authorized it for sale as food.

Sentencing and Criminal Justice

Virginia Approves Automatic Voting Rights Restoration. Voters in the Old Dominion approved a constitutional amendment automatically restoring voting rights to people with felony convictions upon release from incarceration (an issue that isn't limited to drug policy, but affects it). The change takes effect January 1, 2027. The Sentencing Project welcomed the change, which will replace the constitutional barrier with a consistent restoration rule rather than requiring people to rely on individual executive action.

Idaho Fentanyl Trafficking Law Is Being Used Against People Without Evidence of Dealing. An InvestigateWest analysis by Whitney Bryen found that Idaho's fentanyl trafficking law has swept in people whose arrest records did not include evidence of drug dealing. Effective July 2024, the law permits trafficking charges based on possession of at least four grams of a substance containing fentanyl or 100 pills. Depending on quantity, convictions carry mandatory minimum prison terms of three, five or ten years. The investigation identified 134 people charged through June 30, 2026, and examined 90 arrest reports; at least 30 contained no evidence of dealing. Prosecutors who supported the law defended it as a deterrent to dealers, but provided no evidence for that claim, Bryen reports. Of completed cases, 30 percent were dismissed and nearly half ended in pleas to other charges.

Extrajudicial Killings

Report: US Assisted Deadly Drone Strike in Venezuela. A senior Venezuelan military officer told The New York Times that Venezuela's armed forces carried out an October 30 attack on an ELN (a Colombian guerrilla group) site in Apure state, and four unnamed US officials told the newspaper that the United States supplied intelligence and drones for it. The report by Julie Turkewitz and colleagues describes a strike on a location allegedly used to distribute cocaine. Fundaredes coordinator Juan Francisco García told the newspaper that 23 people were killed, including people who were not fighters; fewer than half had been identified as of Monday. Who piloted the drones remained unclear, and neither government has acknowledged a joint operation.

Philippine Truth Commission Hears Families of Two Men Killed in One Operation. The Philippine Truth Commission held its sixth public truth-telling session November 6 at Adamson University in Manila, hearing Marissa Lazaro and Rizza Quiamco about the August 5, 2017 deaths of Christopher Lazaro and Alberto Paragas in a reported police operation in Marilao, Bulacan. According to the commission's account, both women said police pressed them to endorse the police version of events. Lazaro also said officers demanded money before her son's death and withheld records afterward. Forensic pathologist and commissioner Raquel Fortun said the death certificates were deficient and the medical records conflicted with her examinations. She questioned a report describing an autopsy on Christopher that she said had not occurred, and classified both deaths as homicides.

ICC Prosecutors Seek to Admit Pre-Recorded Testimony of Eight Witnesses in Duterte Trial. Janna Millenas reports for VERA Files that prosecutors have filed three applications with the International Criminal Court's Trial Chamber III asking judges to admit pre-recorded testimony from eight witnesses in the case of former Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte, who is charged with three counts of committing the crime against humanity of murder. Prosecutors say the evidence would show a pattern of police and non-police violence and cases contradicting police self-defense claims; one expert examined deadly force in Bulacan and concluded that most encounters were "staged to mask targeted killings." Trial Chamber III made public its finding that Duterte is fit to stand trial on October 8, and his trial is scheduled to begin November 30.

In a November 6 follow-up, Millenas reports that prosecutors also sought admission of statements from a former police officer and Davao Death Squad member who is no longer available to testify, and requested protective measures for 55 witnesses. These are prosecution requests, not findings that the allegations have been proved.

Philippine Agencies Disagree on Where Dela Rosa Is as Manhunt Continues. Sundy Locus reports in Rappler that National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Melvin Matibag said on November 5 that his agency cannot confirm the whereabouts of Sen. Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa, who has been out of public view since May, but strongly believes he is still in the Philippines and hopes to arrest him by year-end. The Interior Department believes a "powerful armed group" in the south is protecting him; Secretary Jonvic Remulla said a forced arrest could cost "10,000" lives, and he prefers negotiating surrender, and the Moro National Liberation Front denies sheltering him. The government offers a reward of 50 million pesos (US$793,000) for his arrest on an International Criminal Court warrant.

WOLA Sets Out Congressional Oversight Priorities for Boat Strikes. In a new analysis, Washington Office on Latin America experts Maureen Meyer and Adam Isacson call on the incoming Congress to subject the lethal maritime campaign to high-profile oversight, including hearings, with consequences when officials refuse information requests or testimony. They argue that the boat strikes have violated Congress's war powers and say no funding should be provided in any budget category for additional strikes.

International

US Charges Ecuadorian Ex-Legislator, Ex-Mayor and Ex-President's Son With Cocaine Conspiracy. The Southern District of New York and DEA unsealed charges November 5 against five Ecuadorians, including former National Assembly member Jaime Estrada Medranda, his father, former Manta mayor Jaime Estrada Bonilla, and Jacobo Abdala Bucaram-Pulley, son of a former president. Prosecutors allege the Estradas used a Manta seafood company to partner with Los Choneros and Los Lobos in shipping cocaine, and that intermediaries negotiated a purported two-ton export with Bucaram-Pulley. The charges include conspiracy to import cocaine and machine gun possession. Authorities arrested two defendants on November 2 in Panama and three on November 4 in Ecuador.

Mexican Judge Arrested in Colombia Over Alleged $2 Million Bribe in Canadian Trafficking Case. Citing a Justice Department document, the Associated Press reported November 5 that Mexican judge Luiz Benítez Alcántara, 49, was arrested Sunday in Colombia and charged in the United States with accepting a $2 million bribe in 2025 to release Canadian citizen Andrew Clark from custody while overseeing Clark's extradition. Clark is charged in the US with helping run a trafficking organization allegedly headed by former Olympic snowboarder Ryan Wedding. Clark was released, but he was arrested days after his release and removed to the United States, where he faces drug trafficking and murder charges. Benítez faces a nine-count indictment as an accessory after the fact, and US officials will seek his extradition from Colombia. The AP said it was not clear whether he has legal representation.

Colombia Enacts New Terms for Armed-Group Surrenders. Reuters reports that the country's Congress approved legislation on November 3, setting new conditions for armed groups to surrender. The measure passed the Senate 57–24 and the House 95–10 and President Abelardo De La Espriella signed it November 4 as Law 2640, Caracol Radio reports. It offers sentence reductions of up to 50 percent for rank-and-file members and 30 percent for leaders, with a ten-year minimum for leaders, in return for steps including disarmament, returning recruited minors and disclosing assets. It does not suspend arrest warrants or extradition. The distinction matters for drug-trafficking organizations that could seek to use the framework.

Bolivian Coca Growers Seek Talks Over Forced Crop Reduction. Citing earlier reporting in the Bolivian media outlets Unitel and Crónica, El Norte al Día reports that coca grower federations in the Chapare have demanded talks over crop-reduction operations, alleging that military and police units entered communities without prior coordination. Growers organized in six federations declared an alert and said their leaders intervened to prevent confrontations. Their account challenges the government's September pledge to coordinate reductions with growers. The report does not establish that a confrontation occurred or provide a new government response to the allegations.

EU Council Agrees Negotiating Position on Drug Precursors. The Council of the European Union agreed November 4 on a negotiating mandate for revised controls on chemicals used to manufacture illicit drugs. Its position would distinguish designer precursors from chemicals with substantial legitimate uses, tighten requirements for suppliers outside the EU and improve customs information and seizure reporting. The mandate is a step toward negotiating legislation, not a new regulation already in force.

New Guide Explains How to Submit Recommendations to CND Expert Panel. A practical guide from the Support. Don't Punish campaign, released November 4 by the International Drug Policy Consortium, explains how civil society can submit recommendations to the Commission on Narcotic Drugs' Independent Expert Panel by November 15. Submissions are limited to 1,500 words in English or accompanied by an English translation; organizations do not need ECOSOC consultative status. Contributions will ordinarily be public unless confidentiality is requested. The panel was established in 2025 and is expected to report in 2027 ahead of the 2029 review. The new development is the participation guide, rather than a newly opened consultation.

INCB Briefs Member States on Medicine Availability, Diversion and Human Rights. The International Narcotics Control Board briefed Vienna-based Permanent Missions on November 5 during its 147th session, the Board reports. President Sevil Atasoy chaired the meeting, and Board members described diversion cases prevented with the Board's electronic tools, its estimates and assessments system for medicines, and its training and opioid programs. They also said the Board's work is guided by international human rights law and the drug control conventions. The release summarizes the Board's own account of the meeting and announces no new findings or country-specific conclusions.

INCB Signs Agreement With Chemical Distributors' Association on Precursor Diversion. The International Narcotics Control Board and the International Chemical Trade Association, which represents more than 1,300 chemical distributors, signed a memorandum of understanding October 30 in Vienna, according to the Board. The agreement provides for raising awareness of practices to prevent diversion of chemicals used in illicit drug manufacture, joint training and outreach, and information exchange. It is a voluntary cooperation agreement, not a regulation.

Other internationally focused items appear in Extrajudicial Killings, Medical Marijuana, Hemp, Harm Reduction and Psychedelics.

Harm Reduction

England and Wales Register Small Decline in Drug-Poisoning Deaths. The Office for National Statistics reports 5,519 drug-poisoning deaths registered in England and Wales in 2025, compared with 5,565 in 2024. The age-standardized rate fell from 93.9 to 92.4 per million, its first decline since 2012. These are registration-year figures: 62.7 percent of the deaths occurred in earlier years. Cocaine was mentioned in 1,233 deaths, compared with 1,210 involving heroin or morphine, but that does not mean cocaine exceeded all opioids, which were mentioned in 2,324 deaths. The release covers England and Wales, not the entire United Kingdom.

US Overdose Deaths Fell 12 Percent but Rose in 430 Counties. The CDC estimates nearly 68,000 US overdose deaths in the year ended March 2026, about 9,500 fewer than the prior year, according to an Axios analysis of provisional data by Brad Jennings. For comparison, final CDC figures show nearly 108,000 deaths in calendar year 2022. Deaths fell in 842 counties, rose in 430 and were unchanged in 352; trends could not be determined in nearly half of counties because the CDC withholds counts of one to nine deaths. Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, had the highest calculable rate at 173 per 100,000 residents. The CDC cites naloxone access, expanded treatment and changes in the drug supply but has not quantified each factor's contribution.

Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner Warns of Cocaine-Driven Overdose Increase. Medical examiner Dr. Thomas Gilson reported 40 suspected overdose deaths over five weeks in October and November, including 17 Black victims, and said cocaine was involved in all of them, with about half also involving fentanyl, Cleveland 19 reports. The office described a sustained increase and issued a public health alert. The figures are suspected cases pending final determinations.

Psychedelics

Compass Completes Psilocybin Application to FDA. Compass Pathways announced November 9 that it completed its new drug application for COMP360, its synthetic psilocybin treatment for treatment-resistant depression. The company had said November 3 that it expected to finish within two weeks. Compass holds an FDA national priority voucher that it says could shorten review to one to two months. Its projected launch in the first half of 2027 remains conditional on FDA approval and required rescheduling.

Preservative-Free Ketamine Approval Does Not Decide Petition Against Other Products. Noah Smith and Josh Hardman report in Psychedelic Alpha that NRx announced on October 30 that FDA approved its preservative-free generic ketamine. The product carries an anesthesia indication, rather than a new approval for depression. The company's separate petition asking FDA to remove ketamine products containing the preservative benzethonium chloride remained undecided. Their reporting questions whether the company's laboratory and animal evidence establishes harm at psychiatric treatment exposures; approval of the generic does not itself amount to an FDA finding that competing products are unsafe.

New Mexico Drops Landlord-Approval Rule for Psilocybin Patients. Skye Rivers reports in the Santa Fe Reporter that the state Department of Health has killed a proposed rule that would have required renters to obtain landlord approval before home psilocybin treatment. Program director Dominick Zurlo announced the change October 30 after the proposal drew more opposition than any other part of the draft: 13 of about 30 speakers at an October 2 hearing and roughly 80 written comments objected. All patients would instead sign an attestation acknowledging they received program education, and the enrollment processing window would shrink from 30 to 10 business days. The final rule text had not been published, and a hearing on the Medical Psilocybin Treatment Equity Fund rule is set for November 20.

Reporting Explores Japan's Psychedelic Analogue Market. Yoda Inoue reports for TalkingDrugs on Japan's shifting market for psychedelic analogs, drawing on shop visits, interviews and his experience in the CBD industry. At a Tokyo shop, he found mushroom gummies sold as psychedelic despite packaging that excluded psilocybin and named a proprietary blend without identifying its active compounds. His account describes how successive bans create demand for replacements whose contents buyers cannot readily assess.

Maryland Task Force Recommends State-Regulated Medical Psilocybin Access Program. Maryland's Task Force on Responsible Use of Natural Psychedelic Substances recommends a state-regulated medical psilocybin program in its October 2026 report, "Piloting Phased Medical Psilocybin Access in Maryland," which is posted in the state's library of government publications. The program would be overseen by a state Cannabis and Psychedelic Administration, which would replace the existing state Cannabis Administration. It would be limited to adults with specific medical conditions determined through clinical evaluation. It would use tiered risk screening, supervised administration by state-licensed facilitators at licensed service sites under appropriate medical oversight, including specialized non-clinical settings, and state-licensed cultivation and laboratory testing, with room for FDA-approved synthetic derivatives. The report also proposes tracking health outcomes and adverse events, and measures to reduce barriers for veterans, first responders, people with disabilities, rural residents and low-income patients. It cites Oregon, Colorado and New Mexico as models. These are task-force recommendations; the proposed access program has not been enacted.

Research

Opioid research restrictions; psilocybin replication; psychedelic peer support

Report Examines Research Costs of Banning Experimental Opioid SR-17018. Manisha Krishnan reports in WIRED on people experimenting with SR-17018 in hopes of reducing opioid dependence and researchers concerned that prohibition will impede study of the compound. DEA temporarily placed it in Schedule I effective August 27, with the order running through August 27, 2028. The new reporting examines the consequences of that earlier action; it is not an announcement of a new ban. Users' accounts do not establish safety or effectiveness as a treatment.

Five-Laboratory Mouse Study Challenges Some Psilocybin Findings. A study published November 2 in Nature Neuroscience tested injected psilocybin at 2 milligrams per kilogram across five laboratories, using about 200 male and female mice per experiment. The drug consistently increased anxiety- and avoidance-related behavior during its acute effects while reducing fear expression. At 24 hours, researchers did not reproduce reported reductions in anxiety- or depression-like behavior or enhanced fear-extinction learning, and found no changes in social preference or social reward learning. The results concern these mouse experiments and do not establish whether psilocybin works as a treatment in humans.

Fireside Study Describes More Than 25,000 Psychedelic Support Interactions. An October 30 paper in Science Advances analyzes 25,419 phone and text interactions handled by 220 Fireside Project peer supporters from April 2021 through February 2026. About 40 percent involved support during a psychedelic experience and 32 percent help processing an experience afterward. Psilocybin appeared in 59.9 percent of interactions with substance information. Distress differences between major substances were not statistically significant after separating these two types of support. Among 2,777 survey responses, 76.1 percent strongly agreed they felt supported. Those surveys covered only 10.9 percent of interactions, and the observational dataset cannot establish effectiveness or risks among all psychedelic users.

Events

Tennessee Medical Cannabis Commission Meets November 20. The commission meets November 20, according to Marijuana Moment's November 5 newsletter.

New Mexico Holds Hearing on Psilocybin Treatment Equity Fund Rule November 20. The Department of Health will hold the hearing November 20 at 9am Mountain time in the Harold Runnels Building auditorium, 1190 St. Francis Drive, Santa Fe, with video and telephone participation available. The agency's notice includes joining instructions; written comments are due by the hearing's close.

Submissions to CND Independent Expert Panel Are Due November 15. Stakeholders may submit written recommendations to the panel established under Commission on Narcotic Drugs resolution 68/6 by November 15.

Indigenous Cannabis Industry Association Holds Industry & Policy Summit November 9–11. The fifth annual summit takes place in Washington, DC, according to the association's press release.

(This article was prepared by StoptheDrugWar.org's 501(c)(4) lobbying nonprofit, the Drug Reform Coordination Network, which also pays the cost of maintaining this website. DRCNet Foundation takes no positions on candidates for public office, in compliance with section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, and does not pay for reporting that could be interpreted or misinterpreted as doing so.)

(AI technology assisted in the news gathering, initial drafting and subsequent editorial review of this Daily Digest.)