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KY Governor Bans "Gas Station Heroin," OK, SD MedMJ Bills, More... (3/24/23)

A bill banning minors from buying Delta-8 THC products is signed into law in Kentucky, a bill banning medical marijuana use by pregant or breast-feeding women is signed into law in South Dakota, and more.

Zaza, a product containing the opiate-like drug tianeptine, is now banned in Kentucky. (Creative Commons)
Marijuana Policy

Kentucky Governor Signs Bill Barring Minors from Buying Delta-8 THC Products. Gov. Andy Beshear (D) on Thursday signed into law a bill making it illegal for people under 21 to buy products containing delta-8 THC, a naturally occurring compound typically extracted from hemp-derived CBD that has mild psychoactive effects compared to delta-9 THC and is known colloquially as "marijuana lite." House Bill 544 passed the legislature unanimously directs the Cabinet for Health and Family Services to "immediately begin the process of regulating delta-8 tetrahydrocannabinol and any other hemp-derived substances." It also prohibits "the sale, gift, or sother transfer of possession" of the products to people under 21 years old, and bars anyone under that age from possessing them.

Medical Marijuana

Oklahoma Senate Passes Pack of Medical Marijuana Bills. The Senate on Thursday approved multiple bills aimed at tightening regulations on the state's medical marijuana industry. Senate Bill 264 allows regulators to use ‘secret shoppers’ to discover businesses not following medical marijuana rules and laws. Senate Bill 437 directs the Oklahoma Health Care Authority (OHCA) to develop a registry of physicians following the agency’s original and continuing medical education requirements. All medical marijuana business employees will also need to complete the education requirements. Senate Bill 439  requires regulators to provide a list of qualifying medical conditions to receive a medical marijuana patient license. Physicians will need to hold in-person exams of all license applicants unless the patient is certified as home-bound. It also requires that the two recommending physicians able to prescribe medical marijuana for minors to not be located at the same physical address. Senate Bill 440 limits the THC potency of medical marijuana and related products sold in dispensaries to no more than 1,000 mg of delta-9 THC per package for edible products. Senate Bill 645 requires that any medical marijuana flower, trim, shake, kief, medical marijuana product, or other flower-based product not labeled as a concentrate, sold by licensed processors and commercial growers to licensed dispensaries be pre-packaged and weigh at least half of a gram and no more than three ounces. Flowers are allowed to be packaged in nonopaque materials. Senate Bill 813 allows the state to run a quality assurance lab to direct compliance testing of medical marijuana businesses. The bills now go to the House.

South Dakota Governor Signs Trio of Medical Marijuana Bills. Gov. Kristi Noem (R) on Thursday signed into law three bills dealing with medical marijuana: House Bill 1053 bars pregnant or breast-feeding women from being certified for medical marijuana. House Bill 1132 revises the duties of the Medical Marijuana Oversight Committee (MMOC), adding that the committee shall make recommendations regarding and medical and clinical aspects of the medical cannabis program. House Bill 1150 waives patient fees in some circumstances and requires practitioners to certify whether they have previously certified a patient for medical marijuana.

Drug Policy

Kentucky Governor Signs Emergency Order Making "Gas Station Heroin" a Controlled Substance. Gov. Andy Beshear (D) on Thursday issued an emergency order classifying products containing tianeptine, a previously unregulated drug colloquially known as "gas station heroin," as a Schedule I controlled substance under state law. The drug produces opioid-like effects and is sold in products such as ZaZa, Tianna, TD Red and Pegasus. "Today, Kentucky became a safer place," said Gov. Beshear. "Until now, someone looking for a heroin-like high could walk into certain places or buy this harmful product online. We’re committed to protecting Kentuckians from this kind of harm, and if someone is struggling with abuse, we’re here to help."

OR Issues First Psilocybin License, AZ Nonprofits Can Now Get Marijuana Justice Funds, More... (3/23/23)

Memphis cops really like seizing people's cars, the Swiss will have a summer of marijuana legalization pilot projects, and more.

Therapeutic psilocybin is coming to Oregon. The first license has just been issued. (Pixabay)
Marijuana Policy

Arizona Nonprofits Can Now Apply for Justice Reinvestment Grants Funded by Marijuana Taxes. Nonprofit groups that run justice reinvestment programs—helping incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people—are now eligible to apply for the first round of state marijuana funds for those programs. When voters legalized marijuana in 2020, they initiative they approved included a Justice Reinvestment Fund, setting aside 10 percent of marijuana taxes and fees to fund it. Most of that money is set aside for state and county public health departments, but nonprofits are eligible for the remainder. According to the Department of Health Services, $5.9 million will be available to the nonprofits during this grant round.

Psychedelics

Oregon Issues State's (and Nation's) First Psilocybin License. The Oregon Health Authority on Wednesday issued the state's first psilocybin license as part of the nation's first regulatory framework for therapeutic psilocybin services. The license was for producing psilocybin and was issued to Satori Farms PDX LLC in Portland. Meanwhile, in southern Oregon, the city of Medford has received its first two applications for psilocybin-related licenses, one for production and one for a service center where the drug would be administered to clients. The Oregon Psilocybin Services team started taking applications for four license types in January, and more licenses to laboratories, service centers, and facilitators are expected in the coming months.

Asset Forfeiture

Memphis Police Had Practice of Seizing Vehicles for Minor Offenses, Including Drug Offenses. Seizing the vehicles of minor offenders, including drug offenders, has become a favored policing tactic in the city, where the elite anti-crime Scorpion unit, the unit responsible for the beating death of Tyre Nichols in January, was only one of several police teams in the city making widespread use of vehicle seizures. Tennessee has some of the loosest asset forfeiture laws in the nation, and many people whose vehicles were seized were never convicted of a crime. Even those who were not convicted of a crime were forced to pay large fees to recover their vehicles. The Scorpion unit, now disbanded, was especially prolific in seizing vehicles, seizing 270 of them in its first few months of operation. Shawn Douglas Jr. was one of the victims. He was stopped by police who found two clear bags of marijuana in his backpack. He was arrested and his car impounded. The charges were later dropped, but Douglas had to pay $925 in fees.

International

Swiss Pilot Projects on Marijuana Set for This Summer. The city of Zurich is among several Swiss jurisdictions that will launch pilot project studies of the regulated sale and consumption of marijuana this summer. Other studies with universities are also set for Basel, Bern, Lausanne, Geneva, Biel, Thun, Olten, and Winterthur. The country has allowed for the use of low-THC medical marijuana since 2011 and decriminalized pot possession in 2013, but people still face fines if caught and there is no legal source of supply. These pilot projects are expected to lay the groundwork for eventual legalization.

OK Senate Passes Bill to Rein In Illicit MedMJ Grows, Blinken Says Cartels Control Parts of Mexico, More... (3/22/23)

A Republican senator is calling on the banking industry to step up for a marijuana banking bill, the Oklahoma Senate moves to tighten up rules around medical marijuana grows, and more.

US Secretary of State Blinken agrees with Lindsay Graham that cartels control parts of Mexico. (state.gov)
Marijuana Policy                        

GOP Marijuana Banking Bill Sponsors Calls on Bankers to "Unleash An Army" of Lobbyists to Get It Passed. Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT), the lead Republican sponsor of the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act, used a speech at the American Bankers Association Washington Summit Tuesday to call on the industry to "unleash an army" of lobbyists to push the bill through Congress. He said there "a chance" the bill could pass by going through the committee process. "This bill has been out there a long time," he said. "I think with each passing year, there’s a greater number of people who understand that the problem—forcing businesses to operate in all cash—is only getting worse. We need to be very clear: this is a public safety bill, and the longer we go without addressing this issue, the worse the situation on the ground becomes." He told the bankers he is "very thankful" for their support, adding that "we could unleash an army of you all in this room on Capitol Hill" to advocate for the passage of the cannabis banking bill.

Medical Marijuana

Oklahoma Senate Approves Bill Targeting Illegal Medical Marijuana Grows. The Senate on Tuesday voted 41-1 to approve Senate Bill 806, which seeks to crack down on illicit marijuana grows by limiting how many marijuana business licenses could use the same address for their applications. "Those who regulate our medical marijuana industry are running into problems when they raid a facility only to learn that there are numerous licensees who utilize that one address and all have product stored there," the bill’s author, Sen. Brent Howard, (R-Altus) said. "This makes it nearly impossible for law enforcement to know what product is actually illegal and to properly investigate the case. This measure would limit the number of licenses that can be listed under one address to help improve regulation and shut down illegal business activity." The bill was requested by Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority (OMMA), the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs (OBNDD) and the Attorney General’s Office. The bill now heads to the House.

Foreign Policy

Blinken Says Cartels Control Parts of Mexico. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said appeared before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Wednesday and was asked by ranking member Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-SC) whether there are places in Mexico the government does not control, and he answered in the affirmative. "I think that's fair to say, yes," he replied. He also agreed with Graham "that fentanyl coming from Mexico is killing Americans by the tens of thousands." Graham also asked if the cartels should be declared foreign terrorist organizations. A House bill to do that has been filed, while a Senate bill has been threatened. "Yes we’d certainly consider that," Blinken replied. The exchange came after Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador largely blamed the United States for its drug problems and denied that Mexico was a source of fentanyl.

International

 

. Two Mexican soldiers and five gunmen from La Familia Michoacana were killed when a military unit was ambushed in the state of Guerrero last Friday. The military unit "was the target of an attack by approximately 18 armed civilians aboard two vehicles," the Mexican military said. The attack came in the mountain town of El Pescado, which has seen frequent clashes between cartel members and the authorities. La Familia Michoacana, once powerful, had been decimated by the arrest or killing of its leaders, but has been trying to stage a comeback. It is currently locked in combat with the Los Tequileros gang for control of the area. 

DEA Warns on Fentanyl Laced with "Tranq," Taliban Bans Marijuana Cultivation, More... (3/21/23)

That Minnesota marijuana legalization bill keeps rolling toward final passage, Colombia's president suspends a ceasefire with a rightist drug trafficking group, and more.

Taliban leader Mullah Hibatullah Akundzada announced on ban on cannabis cultivation Sunday. (CC)
Marijuana Policy

Minnesota Marijuana Legalization Bill Advances Again, with Big Amendment. The House Commerce Finance and Policy Committee has approved the marijuana legalization bill, House File100, but only after members accepted an amendment that overhauls various aspects of the bill—mainly at the request of marijuana industry players. The industry is operating under a law enacted last years that allows low-THC edibles, and the amendment eliminates some of regulations in the current bill that don’t make sense in the low-dose hemp market. The Senate adopted a similar amendment last week, but there are differences that will have to be resolved in conference committee. For instance, the House bill now has a lower personal possession limit than the Senate bill and is more expansive when it comes to who qualifies as a social equity license applicant.

Opiates and Opioids

DEA Reports Widespread Threat of Fentanyl Mixed with Xylazine. The DEA is "warning the American public of a sharp increase in the trafficking of fentanyl mixed with xylazine. Xylazine, also known as "Tranq," is a powerful sedative that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved for veterinary use. "Xylazine is making the deadliest drug threat our country has ever faced, fentanyl, even deadlier," said Administrator Milgram. "DEA has seized xylazine and fentanyl mixtures in 48 of 50 States. The DEA Laboratory System is reporting that in 2022 approximately 23% of fentanyl powder and 7% of fentanyl pills seized by the DEA contained xylazine." Xylazine and fentanyl drug mixtures place users at a higher risk of suffering a fatal drug poisoning. Because xylazine is not an opioid, naloxone (Narcan) does not reverse its effects. Still, experts always recommend administering naloxone if someone might be suffering a drug poisoning. People who inject drug mixtures containing xylazine also can develop severe wounds, including necrosis—the rotting of human tissue—that may lead to amputation"

.[Editor's Note: This sounds like a good argument for a "safe drug supply," or a "legal and regulated supply of drugs with mind/body altering properties, as the Canadian Association of People Who Use Drugs put it in their "Safe Supply: Concept Document."]

International

Taliban Announces Ban on Marijuana Cultivation. Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada announced on Sunday issued an official order prohibition marijuana cultivation across the country. According to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, Afghanistan is the world's second largest cannabis producer, after Morocco. The ban includes non-psychoactive hemp. "Cultivation in the whole country is completely banned and if anyone grows them, the plantation will be destroyed. The courts have also been ordered to punish the violators as per Sharia laws,"the statement reads.

Colombia President Suspends Ceasefire with Gulf Clan. President Gustavo Petro on Sunday suspended a ceasefire with the Gulf Clan, the country's biggest drug trafficking organization, after accusing it of attacking civilians. "I ordered the security forces to resume all military operations against the Gulf Clan,"he said on Twitter. "I will not allow them to keep sowing distress and terror in the communities,"Petro added. At the end of last year, Petro had declared a bilateral ceasefire with several armed drug trafficking groups, including the Gulf Clan, as well as the National Liberation Army (ELN) and FARC dissidents. It was the first step in Petro's "total peace" plan to end decades of violence through negotiation with the criminal groups. The Gulf Clan consist of former rightist paramilitaries and is estimated to control between 30 percent and 60 percent of the drugs exported from the country.

Peru Clash with Shining Path Remnants in Coca Valley Leaves Six Dead. Five Shining Path members and one army soldier were killed in a clash between the remnants of the 1980s leftist Shining Path insurgency and a military patrol in a coca-growing valley in the VRAE (Valleys of the Apurimac and Ene Rivers). The army patrol was looking for Victor Quispe Palomino, alias Comrade Jose. They didn't find him. Since the Shining Path was defeated militarily in the early 1990s, remnants of the group have remained in coca-growing areas in the VRAE where they are allied to cocaine trafficking groups. 

Global Drug Executions Jumped Last Year, the Border Bomb That Wasn't, More... (3/17/23)

Medical marijuana is killed in Kansas but survives in Kentucky, cocaine production hits an all-time high, and more.

The border "bomb" turned out to be a ball stuffed with sand wrapped in duct tape. (CBP)
Medical Marijuana

Kansas GOP Lawmakers Kill Medical Marijuana Bill. Medical marijuana is dead for this session after Republicans in the Senate Federal and State Affairs Committee voted to "table" the medical marijuana bill, Senate Bill 135. Both Democrats on the committee voted to keep the bill alive. The vote came after two days of hearings on the bill, including a full opposition slate of Republican state leaders, health officials, and law enforcement on Thursday.

Kentucky Senate Passes Medical Marijuana Bill. On the last day to keep the bill alive, the Senate voted Thursday to approve a medical marijuana bill, Senate Bill 47. The bill allows for the use of medical marijuana for a list of specified medical conditions, but does not allow for smokeable marijuana. It does set up a system of taxed and regulated medical marijuana production and sales. The House could vote on the bill when the legislature returns for a one-day session at the end of the month.

Foreign Policy

Marjorie Taylor Greene Claims Cartels Left Bomb at Border; It Was a Ball of Sand. MAGA political arsonist Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) told her two million Twitter followers Wednesday that Mexican drug cartels had planted bombs on US soil at the border to terrorize Americans and kill or injure Border Patrol agents. She posted a picture of what turned out to be a ball stuffed with sand and covered with duct tape and claimed it was "explosive" and a "bomb," adding that "this changes everything" and calling on the US military to "take action" and "end this Cartel led war against America!" But Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz quickly shot down Greene's incendiary claim, tweeting that "During a Jan. briefing, leadership was notified that Agents found a duct-taped ball filled with sand that wasn't deemed a threat to agents/public." Greene has not deleted her post and instead doubled-down on her theory in response to the fact check. "That’s not what the border patrol agents are telling me," she retorted on Twitter. But the "bomb" is still just a bag of sand.

Harm Reduction

Mississippi Governor Signs Fentanyl Test Strip Decriminalization Bill into Law. Gov. Tate Reeves (R) has signed into law House Bill 722, which decriminalizes fentanyl test strips by removing them from the state's definition of drug paraphernalia. Use of the strips is aimed primarily at reducing drug overdoses by letting users know what is in their drug supply. As Reeves signed the bill into law, he could not resist taking a jab at the Biden administration: "I’ve signed HB 722 which decriminalizes fentanyl testing strips," he said. "It’s a sad reality that fentanyl overdoses are skyrocketing as a result of an open border." In reality, .fentanyl's role in fatal drug overdoses began about a decade ago and has increased steadily through both the Trump and the Biden administrations.

International

Cocaine Production at Highest Level Ever, UNODC Says. In a new report, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) finds that cocaine production is at its highest level ever as demand rebounded after the pandemic and new trafficking hubs emerged. Production rose a whopping 35 percent between 2021 and 2022, at least in part because of innovations in cultivating the coca plant and in converting coca leaf into cocaine. "The Covid-19 pandemic had a disruptive effect on drug markets. With international travel severely curtailed, producers struggled to get their product to market. Night clubs and bars were shut as officials ramped up their attempts to control the virus, causing demand to slump for drugs like cocaine," the report said. "However, the most recent data suggests this slump has had little impact on longer-term trends. The global supply of cocaine is at record levels," it said. UNODC said nearly 2,000 tons of cocaine were produced in 2020, a continuation of a "dramatic uptick in manufacture that began in 2014, when the total was less than half of today’s levels."

Last Year Saw a Surge in Drug Executions Worldwide. The number of people executed for drug offenses surged in 2022, according to a new report from drug policy reform group Harm Reduction International (HRI). The 1 cited at least 285 executions for drug offenses last year, more than double the 131 people executed in 2021. The number of people being handed out death sentences for drug offenses also grew, with at least 303 people in 18 countries facing the ultimate sanction. That is a 28 percent increase over 2021. The number of people currently on death row for drugs globally is now more than 3,700. HRI warned that the figures are low-balled because of the extreme secrecy surrounding the death penalty in countries that frequently resort to it, such as China, North Korea, and Vietnam.  

Sheriffs' Group Call on Congress to Act Against Cartels, DE Legal Pot Bill Advances, More... (3/16/23)

The Texas Senate has approved a bill raising fentanyl penalties, a Delaware Senate committee advances a pair of marijuana legalization and regulation bills, and more.

Fentanyl. Texas is the latest state to experiment with charging sellers with murder if an overdose happens. (Creative Commons)
Marijuana Policy

Delaware Senate Committee Approves Marijuana Legalization, Regulation Bills. Marijuana legalization is one step closer after the Senate Health and Social Services Committee approved a pair of House bills that would legalize marijuana ( House Bill 1) and regulate legal marijuana commerce (House Bill 2). Last year,a similarly bifurcated legalization effort came up short, with the House failing to pass the regulation bill and Gov. John Carney (D) vetoed the legalization bill. But this year, House bill sponsor Rep. Ed Osienski (D) says he is "optimistic" and feels "pretty good" about being able to override any veto. Meanwhile, HB 1 now heads for a Senate floor vote, while HB 2 must first get past the Senate Finance  Committee.

Drug Policy

Texas Senate Approves Bill to Increase Fentanyl Penalties. The Senate on Wednesday approved Senate Bill 645, which would open the door for prosecutors to charge people who make and sell fentanyl with murder. The bill does so by classifying fentanyl overdoses as "poisonings." The bill would also make delivery of less than one gram of fentanyl a third-degree felony. It is currently a lower-level state jail felony. If someone dies because of that delivery, it becomes a second-degree felony. State jail felonies have a maximum sentence of two years, third-degree felonies garner up to 10 years, and second-degree felonies can earn up to 20 years. The bill now heads to the House.

Foreign Policy

National Sheriff's Association Calls on Congress to Take Immediate Action Against Mexican Cartels. In the wake of the killing of two US citizens in Matamoros, Mexico, last weekend and the ongoing fentanyl overdose crisis, an association representing some 3,000 county sheriffs is calling on Congress to act now against Mexican drug cartels. "The nation’s sheriffs strongly support the American people’s continued demand that our federal government use whatever means appropriate to combat these deadly cartels," Sheriff Jim Skinner, chair of the National Sheriffs’ Association Government Affairs Committee, said in a statement. The group is calling on Congress to use its authority to create a "comprehensive system of further manpower and other tools that prevent any illicit drugs from being produced, smuggled and sold on American streets." Some members of Congress have been calling for more action, including designated the cartels as foreign terrorist organization and even calling for US military action inside Mexico. 

House GOP Members File Bill Designating Cartels as Terrorist Groups, Germany to Move Ahead With Legal Pot Proposal, More... (3/15/23)

A Kentucky medical marijuana bill faces a looming Senate deadline, Vermont lawmakers file a number of drug reform bills, and more.

The Rio Grande River. There be cartels on the other side, and the GOP wants to call them "terrorists." (C)
Medical Marijuana

Kentucky Medical Marijuana Bill Wins Senate Committee Vote, Must Pass Full Senate Tomorrow or Die. A bill to legalize medical marijuana in the state, Senate Bill 47, was approved by the Senate Licensing and Occupations Committee on Tuesday. It must pass the Senate by Thursday, the last day of the session before the veto period, or it dies. If it passes the Senate, it would then go to the House, which returns for a final day of legislative action on March 30. The House has passed medical marijuana bills twice in recent years and is thought to still have support for it.

Drug Policy

Vermont Lawmakers File Four Different Drug Policy Reform Bills. Drug policy reform is on the agent in Montpelier this session, with four separate drug policy reform bills already filed. House Bill 423 would decriminalize the possession of personal use amounts of all drugs, as would Senate companion legislation, Senate Bill 119. The bills would also decriminalize "dispensing" drug amounts below the personal use threshold as well as establishing a pilot drug checking program.

Two other bills focus specifically on psychedelics. House Bill 439 would effectively legalize the possession of psilocybin, mescaline, and peyote by removing them from the states definition of hallucinogenic drugs, while Senate Bill 114, would remove only psilocybin from the state’s definition of hallucinogens.

The first three bills are destined for judiciary committees in the respective chambers, while the fourth bill is before the Senate Health and Welfare Committee. If any of them pass out of the legislature, they face possible vetoes from Gov. Phil Murphy (R).

Foreign Policy

House Republicans File Bill Designating Mexican Drug Cartels Terrorist Organizations. Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) and 20 House Republicans have introduced a bill designating four Mexican drug trafficking organizations as foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs). The four groups are the Gulf Cartel, the Cartel Del Noreste, the Cartel de Sinaloa, and the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion. The Drug Cartel Terrorist Designation Act would also require the Department of State to issue a report to Congress within 30 days of enactment on the cartels listed above and any additional cartels that meet the criteria for designation as an FTO. For each additional cartel that meets the criteria of an FTO, the Department of State is required to designate each of those cartels as an FTO within 30 days after the report is submitted to Congress. Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-SC) has threatened to file similar legislation in the Senate but has yet to do so.

International

Germany to Move Forward with Marijuana Legalization After "Very Good Feedback" from the European Union. Health Minister Karl Lauterbach said Tuesday that the government would bring a revised marijuana legalization proposal before legislators "in the next few weeks" after receiving "very good feedback" from European Union (EU) officials. Germany has conditioned its advance of marijuana legalization on approval from the EU to ensure it would not put it in violation of international obligations. Lauterbach said some changes would be made to the bill to "take into account European regulations and what should or should not be notified," but did not specify what those changes would entail. 

Bolivia to Seek End to UN Ban on Coca Leaf, Biden Budget Keeps Ban on DC Pot Sales, More... (3/14/23)

A trio of psychedelic research bills is filed in Texas, a Maine bill would allow for marijuana consumption at pot shops, and more.

Coca leaf chewing is a traditional practice in Bolivia. (Creative Commons)
Marijuana Policy

Biden Budget Maintains Ban on Allowing DC Marijuana Sales. The Biden administration's Fiscal Year 2024 proposed budget retains an appropriations rider blocking the Justice Department from interfering in legal marijuana states, but also, for the third year in a row, retains a rider blocking the District of Columbia from allowing legal marijuana sales. The rider blocks the District from using local tax dollars to implement a system of regulated adult marijuana sales. "For the third time in his presidency, the president’s proposed budget would, unfortunately, block D.C. from spending its own local funds to commercialize marijuana," said Del. Eleanor Holmes (D).

Maine Bill Would Allow Social Consumption Lounges. A bill that would allow people to consume marijuana products in stores that sell them, LD 839, got a hearing Monday in the Committee on Veterans and Legal Affairs. No vote was taken. Current state law allows only for marijuana use on private property, and businesses are not included. Use in public places is prohibited. When voters approved marijuana legalization in 2016, on-site consumption was included, but legislative action removed that. "In that citizen's initiative, there was a component for onsite consumption, social clubs. Unfortunately, that got voted away in the legislative process but it’s time to restore that," Rep. David Boyer (R-Poland) said.

Psychedelics

Texas Lawmakers File Trio of Psychedelic Research Bills. The legislature has a trio of psychedelic research bills before it. House Bill 4288, sponsored by Rep. Richard Peña Raymond (D), would amend an existing state law mandating a study of the risks and benefits of ketamine, MDMA, and psilocybin for therapeutic use in veterans; House Bill 4423, sponsored by Rep. Josey Garcia (D), would create a Psilocybin Research Advisory Council to advise the Health and Human Services Commission and the legislature on psilocybin research and treatment; and House Bill 4561, sponsored by Rep. Julie Johnson (D), would create a new Alternative Mental Health Therapy Research Consortium that would be charged with researching "the efficacy of providing mental health care through the provision of psychedelic drugs and ketamine, focusing on the provision of mental health care to veterans in this state through the use of those alternative therapies."

International

Bolivia Tells UN It Will Launch Bid to End International Coca Leaf Prohibition. Bolivia told a United Nations drug policy meeting in Vienna that it will move to end the international prohibition on the coca leaf, which has traditionally been used by people in the Andes to combat hunger and altitude sickness for thousands of years, but was banned by the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs. "A historic mistake was made in 1961," Bolivian Vice President David Choquehuanca said at the 66th session of the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND). Choquehuanca said Bolivia will exercise its right as a signatory to that treaty and seek a "critical review" of the coca leaf's properties and its classification. Colombia has already said it will support Bolivia in its effort.

Opioid Settlement Causing Problems for Patients, MD Legal Pot Regulation Bill Passes House, More... (3/13/23)

The Justice Department is open to Sentencing Commission marijuana guideline reforms, a Texas bill to remove jail time for pot possession advances, and more.

It's not just opiates. A settlement between drug distributors and states is leaving lots of patients in the lurch. (DEA)
Marijuana Policy

Justice Department Backs Proposed Marijuana Sentencing Guideline Reform to Treat Past Convictions More Leniently. The Justice Department is in agreement with a US Sentencing Commission proposal to update sentencing guidelines to treat past marijuana possession offenses more leniently. Such a move would align with the Biden administration's "sentiment" toward reforming marijuana policy. The backing by DOJ came last Wednesday when a federal prosecutor testified at a public hearing on the proposal in support of it. The Sentencing Commission had made the recommendation back in January. The commission's proposal does not remove marijuana convictions as a criminal history factor, but it would "include sentences resulting from possession of marihuana offenses as an example of when a downward departure from the defendant’s criminal history may be warranted."

Bipartisan Bill Punishing Illegal Marijuana Grows Filed. Reps. Doug LaMalfa (R-CA) and Scott Peters (D-CA) have filed the Targeting and Offsetting Existing Illegal Contaminants (TOXIC) Act, which would provide funding to clean up toxic wastes at marijuana grows on federal lands and increase criminal penalties "for using banned pesticides in illegal cannabis cultivation to a maximum of 20 years in prison and $250,000 in criminal fines to establish parity with the criminal penalties for smuggling banned pesticides into the US." The same pair filed the same bill in the last Congress, but it went nowhere.

Maryland House Approves Legal Marijuana Regulation Bill. The House voted last Friday to approve a measure to create a legal framework and tax structure for legal marijuana sales, House Bill 556. The bill now goes to the Senate, which is also advancing its own separate regulatory measure. If the legislature can come to agreement, legal sales could begin as early as July 1. The bill passed by the House would allow existing medical marijuana dispensaries to obtain dual licenses to sell recreational marijuana. The bill also contains equity provisions giving licensing priority to minority owners in communities adversely affected by the war on drugs.

Texas Marijuana Decriminalization Bill Wins Committee Vote. The House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee voted unanimously last week to approve a bill to decriminalize the possession of up to an ounce of marijuana, House Bill 218. Possession of less than two ounces is currently a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail. Under this bill, possession would still be a misdemeanor (so not technically decriminalization), but without the possibility of arrest of jail time. Instead, offenders would be cited and fined up to $500. The bill now awaits a House floor vote.

Opiates and Opioids

US Opioid Settlement Causing Problems for Patients. The $21 billion settlement between pharmaceutical distributors and attorneys general in 46 states over the companies' role in the early stages of this century's opioid epidemic is having unintended consequences not only for opioid patients, but also for people trying to obtain controlled substances to treat many conditions, including anxiety, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and addiction. As a result of the settlement, the distributors are now tightening rules for these drugs, resulting in the cancellation of tens of thousands of drug orders and leaving patients in the lurch. The new controls have created "havoc in pharmacies, said Ilisa Bernstein, chief executive of the American Pharmacists Association. "They have patients coming in to get medication, and they can’t have it. It's disrupting patient care." 

DE House Approves Marijuana Regulation Bill, Federal Asset Forfeiture Reform Bill Filed, More... (3/10/23)

Nevada lawmakers filed a bill to legalize magic mushrooms, bipartisan senators file a federal asset forfeiture reform bill, and more.

Mexican President Lopez Obrador flatly rejects calls from GOP lawmakers for US military force in Mexico. (Creative Commons)
Marijuana Policy

Delaware House Passes Legal Marijuana Regulation Bill. The House on Thursday voted 27-13 to approve House Bill 2, which would set up a regulatory framework for adult-use marijuana sales. The move comes just days after the House approved House Bill 1, which would legalize possession of up to one ounce of cannabis for adults. Last year, the legislature passed marijuana legalization, only to see it vetoed by Gov. John Carney (D). This year, however, HB 1 passed with a veto-proof majority, and HB 2 passed with one fewer vote with one member absent. That single vote is the difference between a veto-proof majority and a lack of one. The bills must now pass the Senate being going to the governor.

Psychedelics

Nevada Magic Mushroom Legalization Bill Filed. State Sens. Rochelle Nguyen (D) and Fabian Donate (D) filed Senate Bill 242 Thursday. The measure would legalize the possession of up to four ounces of fungi containing psilocybin or psilocyn, the hallucinogenic compounds in magic mushrooms. The bill would also allow a research facility to ask for state approval to study the therapeutic effects of magic mushrooms as well as MDMA for mental health conditions. The bill also has two joint sponsors in the lower chamber, Assemblymembers Max Carter (D) and Elaine Marzola (D). It is currently pending in the Senate Health and Humau Services Committee.

Asset Forfeiture

Bipartisan Federal Asset Forfeiture Reform Bill Filed. US Reps. Jamie Raskin (D-MD)  and Tim Walberg (R-MI) on Thursday reintroduced the Fifth Amendment Integrity Restoration Act (FAIR Act), a comprehensive reform to our nation's civil asset forfeiture laws. The FAIR Act raises the level of proof necessary for the federal government to seize property, reforms the IRS structuring statute to protect innocent small business owners, and increases transparency and congressional oversight. Joining Walberg and Raskin as original co-sponsors of the FAIR Act are Reps. Kelly Armstrong (R-ND), Tony Cárdenas (D-CA), Tom McClintock (R-CA), and Joe Neguse (D-CO). "The lawless seizure and ‘forfeiture’ of people’s private property by police officers is becoming standard operating procedure in many parts of the country," said Rep. Raskin. "We want to restore the presumption of innocence, fair judicial process, and the opportunity to be heard. I’m proud to introduce this important bipartisan legislation with my friend Rep. Walberg to rein in civil asset forfeiture and restore due process rights."

International

International Narcotics Control Board Warns on Marijuana Legalization. As it launched its annual report Thursday, the International Narcotics Control Board issued a press release emphasizing its concerns with marijuana legalization. "Moves by a small number of governments to legalize the non-medical use of cannabis have led to increased consumption without explaining the potentially serious health dangers that users face from the drug" the INCB warned. That is leading to "negative health effects and psychotic disorders," the drug watchdog continued. In all jurisdictions where cannabis has been legalized, data show that cannabis-related health problems have increased," INCB said. It pointed out that between 2000 and 2018, "global medical admissions related to cannabis dependence and withdrawal increased eight-fold. Admissions for cannabis-related psychotic disorders have quadrupled worldwide."

Mexico President Tells GOP Lawmakers Urging US Military Force Against Cartels in Mexico to Take a Hike. Aiming directly at Republican lawmakers who have urged the Biden administration to unleash the US military against Mexican drug cartels on their own territory, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Thursday flatly rejected the notion. "We are not going to allow any foreign government to intervene and much less foreign armed forces to intervene in our territory," López Obrador said, adding that he would ask Americans of Mexican and Hispanic origin not to vote for Republicans if their "aggression" continued. Lopez Obrador also downplayed Mexico's role in fentanyl production and said Americans needed to solve their drug problem on their side of the border. Pressure to do something about the cartels has only risen as the US overdose death toll has risen and was ratcheted up this week by the kidnapping of four Americans in Matamoros, two of whom were shot and killed by members of a Gulf Cartel-affiliated gang. 

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