An Ohio signature-gathering campaign to put marijuana legalization on the November ballot is about to get underway, Wisconsin Republicans kill the governor's marijuana legalization proposal and a whole bunch more, and more.

The DEA is rolling back a pandemic-era rule that eased access to buprenorphine, and doctors and advocates are worried.

Ohio Activists Ready for Marijuana Legalization Initiative Campaign. The legislature has until tomorrow to act on a petition to legalize marijuana. It is not expected to do so, clearing the way for the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol to conduct a signature gathering campaign to put its marijuana legalization initiative on the November ballot. A successful initial round of signature gathering put the issue before the legislature, and the legislature's failure to approve it gives proponents one more chance to take the issue directly to the voters. The campaign will have until July 5 to come up with 124,000 valid voter signatures from at least half of the state's counties to qualify for the November ballot. The initiative would legalize and regulate marijuana commerce, allow for the home cultivation of six plants per adult or 12 per residence, and impose a 10 percent retail sales tax.

Wisconsin Republicans Kill Marijuana Legalization Amid Mass Slaughter of Democratic Governor's Budget Proposals. The legislature's Republican-controlled budget committee on Tuesday killed off more than 500 budget proposals from Gov. Tony Evers (D), including marijuana legalization, with a single vote Tuesday. The state has a $7 billion budget surplus, but the Republicans refused to allow it to be used for renovations to the Milwaukee Brewers' stadium, a paid family leave program, a 10 percent income tax cut targeting middle- and low-income earners, spending $270 million to add more mental health providers in schools, or to freeze enrollment in the state's private school voucher program, let alone marijuana legalization.

"These aren't fringe ideas, controversial concepts, or Republican or Democratic priorities -- they're about doing the right thing," Evers said as he listed more than a dozen items being killed. "With a historic surplus comes historic responsibility, and today, when we can afford to do more, this vote is foolish and a wasted opportunity."

Opiates and Opioids

DEA's Proposed Rollback of Pandemic-Era Loosening of Restrictions on Buprenorphine Has Doctors, Advocates Worried. With the pandemic public health emergency set to end in 10 days, doctors and advocates worry that a DEA proposal to roll back a pandemic policy allowing people taking the opioid substitute medication buprenorphine to get it prescribed remotely will harm people recovering from addiction. More than a million Americans use bupe to stop cravings for opiates and block withdrawal symptoms, and since 2020, the federal government has allowed them to have it prescribed via telehealth. The DEA wants to reimpose a requirement that an in-person visit first take place before allowing re-prescribing via telehealth. DEA has received more than 2,900 public comments on the proposed rule, and says it will consider them before it releases final rules after the public health emergency ends next week.

Psychedelics

California Natural Psychedelic Legalization Bill Heads for Senate Floor Vote. A bill that would legalize the possession of small amounts of natural psychedelics, Senate Bill 58, is now headed for a Senate floor vote after clearing the Senate Appropriations Committee without a hearing. The chairman of the committee invoked a rule allowing him to send it directly to the floor because it would have a negligible fiscal impact. The bill was earlier approved by the Senate Public Safety Committee. The bill would legalize the "possession, preparation, obtaining, transfer as specified, or transportation of" personal use amounts of psilocybin, psilocin, DMT, ibogaine, and mescaline, but not synthetics such as LSD or MDMA. A similar bill passed the Senate last session, only to be pulled by its sponsor, Sen. Scott Weiner (D-San Francisco) after being watered down in the Assembly.

International

German Officials Circulate Draft Bill for First Part of Marijuana Legalization Plan. German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach has distributed a draft bill to legalize marijuana possession, cultivation, and social clubs to cabinet officials. Once the cabinet weight in, the government will finalize the bill and send it to lawmakers. Under the proposal, adults could possess up to 25 grams via the social clubs and adults over 21 could purchase up to 50 grams a month. People 18 to 21 would be limited to 30 grams per month. People would also be allowed to grow up to three plants for personal use. The social clubs would not be allowed to offer on-site consumption but could distribute up to seven seeds or five clones per month to each member for home cultivation. Plans for a national legal commercial market for marijuana have been scaled back in the face of concerns from the European Union, but it is expected that a pilot program to allow marijuana sales in select jurisdictions will be a second phase of legalization.

The Texas House gives preliminary approval to a marijuana decriminalization bill, Senate Republicans block a veterans' medical marijuana bill, and more.

The Insite safe injection site in Vancouver. Pennsylvania GOPers want to criminallize such facilities. (vch.ca)

California Bill to Crack Down on Illegal Marijuana Grows Advances. The Senate Public Safety Committee voted unanimously Wednesday to approve Senate Bill 820, which would authorize law enforcement to seize cultivation and manufacturing equipment from unpermitted marijuana operations. The bill from Sen. Marie Alvarado-Gil would not only allow for asset forfeiture; it would also invest the proceeds in the Cannabis Control Fund to support equity programs.

"It is critical to ensure that the limited resources used to enforce against unlicensed cannabis operations be impactful, and removing the equipment they use is a big step towards that goal," said Alvarado-Gil. "We must support those cannabis manufacturers who operate in a lawful manner and adhere to producing a safe consumable product." The bill comes as the state's legal marijuana industry struggles to compete with the illicit market.

Texas House Gives Initial Approval to Marijuana Decriminalization Bill. The House on Wednesday gave initial approval to a marijuana decriminalization bill, House Bill 218. The bill now heads for a second, final vote in that chamber. The bill would make possession of up to one ounce of marijuana a Class C misdemeanor, removing the risk of jail time and instead imposing a maximum fine of $500. It also specifies that possession of up to two ounces of marijuana would not result in arrest and that people with simple marijuana convictions could seek to have their convictions expunged after paying a small fee.

Medical Marijuana

Senate Republicans Block Veterans' Medical Marijuana Bill from Advancing. After a "spirited debate" in the Senate Republican policy lunch shortly before a vote to advance S. 326 -- a bipartisan bill that would have the Veterans Affairs Department do studies and clinical trials on the use of medical marijuana to treat veterans'' chronic pain and PTSD -- a group of those Republican senators voted against allowing the bill to move forward, at least for now. The bill needed 60 votes to advance, but with the Republican defections, it failed 57-42.

Republicans cited several reasons for the "no" vote, including that passage of the bill could be seen as a win for Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT), chair of the Veterans Affairs Committee, who is up for reelection next year in red state Montana. Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), ranking minority member on the committee, said negotiations on the bill will continue and described Wednesday's vote as "hitting the pause button."

Psychedelics

Minnesota House Passes Omnibus Health Bill That Includes Creation of Psychedelic Task Force. After an omnibus health passed the Senate earlier this session, it was amended in the House to include a provision creating a task force to prepare the state for the possible legalization of psychedelic substances. Now, the House has also approved that omnibus health bill with the psychedelic task force provision intact. Since it was amended in the House, the bill will now go to conference committee, where members will attempt to reconcile differences between the House and Senate versions of the bill.

Harm Reduction

Pennsylvania Bill to Criminalize Safe Injection Sites Advances. A bill that would make it a felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison for people operating safe injection sites, Senate Bill 165, is advancing in the Republican-controlled legislature. The bill would make it a crime for any clinic or other establishment to allow people to "inject, ingest, inhale or otherwise introduce into the person's body a controlled substance" and also includes a $500,000 fine for individuals and $2 million for establishments.

The bill advanced out of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday and is now before the Senate Appropriations Committee. The ACLU of Pennsylvania notes that the criminal penalties in the bill "EXCEED the statutory maximum penalties for a first-degree felony. In other words, the penalty for providing a space that can save people from deadly overdoses is more severe than the punishment for murder."

Sentencing Policy

Federal Smart Sentencing Adjustments Act Filed. Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Rep. Tony Cárdenas (D-CA) have introduced the Smart Sentencing Adjustments Act in the Senate and House. The bill would provide federal funding as an incentive to state governments to reduce incarceration while reducing crime. State prisons hold 87% of the nation's prison population. The Smart Sentencing Adjustments Act would provide funding for states to identify and address the sources of unnecessary incarceration in their systems, while investing in ways to lower crime and keep people safe.

The act would create a $2 billion grant program to reward states that shrink their prison populations by 20% over three years. It would offer participating states a wide variety of policies and programs for supporting people who have been in prison so they don't return, making communities safer, providing alternatives to incarceration, and more. For the length of the funding period, the bill would prohibit participating states from enacting excessively punitive sentencing legislation, such as mandatory minimums, truth-in-sentencing laws, and habitual offender laws.

Dozens of advocacy groups urge the White House to end federal pot prohibition, Brazil's new president reinstalls civil society representatives on the national drug policy council, and more.

The people from Project Weber/RENEW who will staff Rhode Island's first safe injection site. (PWR)

Over 80 Groups Urge Biden Administration to End Federal Marijuana Prohibition and Support Comprehensive Reform. In an open letter to President Biden, as well as the heads of the Justice Department, the DEA, and the Food and Drug Administration, more than 80 drug policy, social justice, civil liberties, and civil rights organizations called on the administration to legalize marijuana and enact comprehensive marijuana law reforms. "We urge you and your administration to take the steps necessary to deschedule marijuana in conjunction with other administration actions that center Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) communities," they wrote. "Additionally, we implore your administration to support comprehensive marijuana reform legislation in Congress, such as the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act (CAOA), a bill that deschedules marijuana, repairs the past harms of prohibition, and provides a regulatory framework for marijuana markets."

Bipartisan Bill to Encourage State-Level Marijuana Expungements Refiled. A Republican and a Democrat, Reps. Dave Joyce (R-OH) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), on Tuesday reintroduced a bill that would provide incentives to states to expunge marijuana arrest records in their jurisdictions. The Harnessing Opportunities by Pursuing Expungement (HOPE) Act would provide federal grants to states engaged in expungement programs. The State Expungement Opportunity Grant Program would be managed by the Justice Department. "The vast majority of petty, non-violent cannabis law violations take place on the state and local level, precluding millions of Americans from fundamental opportunities such as housing and employment," Joyce said in a press release. "As both a former public defender and prosecutor, I understand firsthand how these barriers can negatively impact families and economic growth in Ohio and across the nation."

North Carolina Marijuana Legalization Bill Filed. Rep. Kelly Alexander (D) and a handful of cosponsors have filed a marijuana legalization bill, House Bill 626. The bill would legalize the possession of up two ounces by people 21 and over, allow for the home cultivation of up to six plants, and create a system of taxed and regulated marijuana commerce, including social equity provisions. The state has yet to pass even a medical marijuana bill, although this year one has been approved by the Senate. It has not moved in the House since it was sent there six weeks ago.

Harm Reduction

Rhode Island Safe Injection Site Coming Next Year. A harm reduction group, Project Weber/RENEW, in partnership with CODAC Behavioral Healthcare, announced Wednesday that it will open the country's first state-regulated overdose prevention center in early 2024. The center was authorized by legislation passed recently by the state legislature, sponsored by State Senator Josh Miller and State Representative Jay Edwards. The law will sunset in March 2026, after the amount of time needed to open and operate the facility and to do an evaluation.

According to a news release from the project, the overdose epidemic claimed 435 lives in Rhode Island in 2021. The center, to be located in Providence, will provide services including the ability to use pre-obtained drugs under the supervision of trained staff. Funding for the center's first year of operations comes from opioid settlement funds distributed to Rhode Island, totaling $2.6 million. Project Weber/RENEW and clinical partners CODAC were selected for the project by the state's Executive Office of Health and Human Services.

International

Brazil Civil Society Groups Reinstated to National Council on Drug Policy. For years, civil society groups had been able to have an impact on national drug policy by participating in the National Council on Drug Policy (CONAD), but rightist former President Jair Bolsonaro issued a decree barring those groups from participating in CONAD. Now, the new (or rather, returned) leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva -- Lula -- has reinstated them. Under a presidential decree issued last week, CONAD will be composed of 10 elected and five appointed seats for civil society, as well as members of the government. The move is welcome news from Lula, who had done little in the field of drug policy since taking office in January.

Canada's Supreme Court upholds a Quebec ban on home marijuana cultivation, the Illinois Senate approves bills deepening marijuana legalization, and more.

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) signs a bill creating lengthy mandatory minimums around fentanyl. (ar.gov)

Candidate Trump Suggests "Genetically Engineered" Marijuana May Be Linked to Mass Shootings. During a campaign speech before America's most powerful gun lobby, the National Rifle Association (NRA), former President Donald Trump suggested that "genetically engineered" marijuana could be behind some mass shootings. But marijuana is just one of the blame agents Trump pointed to instead of addressing the proliferation of weapons in the country. "We have to look at whether common psychiatric drugs, as well as genetically engineered cannabis and other narcotics, are causing psychotic breaks" that lead to gun violence, he said. He would direct the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to investigate, he added. He also pointed a finger at "transgender hormone treatments and ideology," Above all, he argued, don't blame the guns: "This is not a gun problem. This is a mental health problem," he said. "This is a social problem. This is a cultural problem. This is a spiritual problem."

Illinois Senate Approves Marijuana Search, Probation Bills. The Senate has passed a pair of bills aimed at deepening marijuana legalization in the state. Senate Bill 125 would bar police from searching a vehicle based solely on the odor of marijuana, while Senate Bill 1886 would allow some people on probation to consume marijuana and alcohol. Both bills now await action in the House.

South Dakota Poll Suggests Marijuana Legalization Could Win in 2024. A South Dakota State University poll released Monday had support for marijuana legalization at 49 percent, with 41 percent opposed. State voters approved a marijuana legalization initiative in the 2020 election by a margin of 54-45 only to have the measure overturned by the state Supreme Court. Legalization was on the ballot again last year, only to be defeated 53-47. The pollsters noted that 2022 turnout was much lower than 2020 and that a higher turnout in 2024 could lead to another marijuana legalization victory.

Psychedelics

Nevada Senate Committee Approves Bill to Create Psychedelic Working Group. The Senate has approved Senate Bill 242, which would create a working group to study psychedelics and create a plan to allow for access for therapeutic purposes. The bill originally would have legalized psilocybin and promoted research on it, as well as MDMA, but was significantly narrowed in the Senate Health and Human Services Committee. Now, instead of legalization, the bill would create a Psychedelic Medicines Working Group to examine the use of the substances "in medicinal, therapeutic, and improved wellness." The bill now awaits a Senate floor vote.

Sentencing Policy

Arkansas Governor Signs Bill Allowing for Drug Sellers to Be Charged with Murder in Cases of Overdose Death. Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) has signed into law House Bill 1456, popularly known as the "Death by Delivery" bill. Under the bill, people who sell a drug that leads to an overdose death face a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years and a maximum sentence of life in prison. The same sentence applies to those who package fentanyl in a way that "entices" minors or who sell to minors, regardless of whether a fatal overdose takes place.

Harm Reduction

Vermont Senate Committee Amends Overdose Prevention Bill to Include Drug-Checking Sites. The Senate Health Committee has amended an overdose prevention bill, House Bill 222, to include a statewide network of drug-checking sites where street drugs can be tested for deadly concentrations of illicit drugs. Approved by the committee last Friday, the amendment would grant immunity from arrest and prosecution for people running the sites and collecting samples, as well as the drug users who bring their stashes to be tested. If the bill now passes the Senate, it will have to go back to the House for a concurrence vote on the new language.

International

Canada Supreme Court Rules Quebec Ban on Home Marijuana Cultivation Can Stand. Under federal marijuana law, people can grow up to four plants at home, but the province of Quebec barred home grows in 2019. Now, after a Quebecer challenged the ban, the Canadian Supreme Court has ruled that the provincial ban is constitutional. "The Quebec legislature saw the possession and personal cultivation of cannabis not as a social evil to be suppressed, but rather as a practice that should be prohibited in order to steer consumers to a controlled source of supply," the court held. That controlled source of supply is held by the state -- in this case, the Société québécoise du cannabis (SQDC), the government agency that operates cannabis stores in the province.

The court also held that even though the federal law permits growing up to four plants at home, there is no "positive right to self-cultivation," writing that: "It is true that, in everyday language and even in the speeches of some parliamentarians, the creation of exceptions or exemptions under a scheme of criminal offences is often described as a 'legalization effort,'" the ruling reads. However, this way of speaking is incorrect and falsely suggests that positive rights authorizing particular conduct have been granted to the public."

Taiwan Reaffirms Strong Opposition to Marijuana Legalization. Responding to street demonstrations calling for marijuana decriminalization, the Taiwanese Ministry of Justice on Saturday reaffirmed the government's strong opposition to marijuana legalization. The reformers, organized as Wave Green, rallied in front of the presidential office in Taipei Saturday, urging the Justice Ministry to "stop the war against cannabis." But the ministry said prohibition would remain and is aimed at keeping people healthy and keeping society safe and stable. It asserted that long term marijuana use damages people's health and causes other harm to them. Under current law, marijuana use is punishable by up to three years in prison, while growers and sellers face up to life in prison and a $491,000 fine.

(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.)