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Fed Court Says Pot Smokers Can Own Guns, Australia OKs Psychedelics as Medicines, More... (2/6/23)

Legal adult marijuana sales have commenced in Missouri, the Maryland legislature is moving to pass bills to set up a system of taxed and regulated legal marijuana commerce, and more.

MDMA. Australia has legalized the medicinal use of MDMA and psilocbyin, a first. (Creative Commons)
Marijuana Policy.

Federal Judge Rules Ban on Marijuana Users Owning Guns Unconstitutional. Citing last year's US Supreme Court ruling expanding gun rights, a federal judge in Oklahoma has ruled that a federal law barring marijuana users from owning guns is unconstitutional. US District Court Judge Patrick Wyrick threw out an indictment of a ban charged with violating that ban, saying it infringed on his 2nd Amendment rights. While the federal government can protect the public from dangerous people owning guns, it could not argue that the man's "mere status as a user of marijuana justifies stripping him of his fundamental right to possess a firearm," Wyrick held, adding that using marijuana was "not in and of itself a violent, forceful, or threatening act."The Justice Department has not said whether it will appeal the ruling. This is just the latest decision to expand gun rights after the Supreme Court's conservative majority ruled in June that the 2nd Amendment protects a person's right to carry a handgun in public. Just a day earlier than this case's ruling last Friday, an appeals court in New Orleans found unconstitutional a federal law barring people with domestic violence restraining orders from owning guns.

Senate Democrats Look for Way to Move Forward on Marijuana Banking Bill. Just weeks after an effort to pass marijuana banking legislation died at the end of the last session, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) met with several other key Democrats last week to "ponder the path" to passage in this Congress, Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) said. "Hopefully we can find a formulation and have bipartisan support and get it done." Also meeting with Schumer and Merkley were Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Jackie Rosen (D-NV). But while the Democrats still control the Senate, Republicans now control the House, complicating the prospects for progress on the issue.

Maryland Lawmakers Roll Out Bill to Launch Marijuana Sales. Lawmakers in both the House and Senate rolled out identical bills to tax and regulate legal marijuana commerce last Friday. The move comes after voters approved a marijuana legalization referendum on last November's ballot. House Bill 566 and Senate Bill 516 set a tax rate of six percent for the first fiscal year, which would increase by one percent a year until reaching 10 percent in 2028. Thirty percent of those revenues would go to a community reinvestment fund for at least the next decade, with another 1.5 percent going to localities. The bills also include an Office of Social Equity to promote participation in the industry by people impacted by marijuana prohibition. Lawmakers are aiming to launch legal sales by July 1, but there is still a lot of work to between here and there.

Missouri Legal Marijuana Sales Have Begun. That didn't take long. Voters approved marijuana legalization last November, and the first legal sales came last Friday. The first sales came at already existing medical marijuana dispensaries that had upgraded their licenses to include adult sales, and opening day crowds were sizeable at stores such as Good Day Farm, Fresh Green Dispensary, and Greenlight, among others. State officials previously said that 318 of 322 licensed dispensaries had applied to convert to adult sales licenses.

International

 

. In a surprise decision, the federal government's Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has approved the use of the psychedelic substances in magic mushrooms and MDMA for people with certain mental health conditions. MDMA and psilocybin, the active ingredient in magic mushrooms, are now considered Schedule 8 drugs, meaning they can be prescribed by a psychiatrist for controlled use. MDMA will be used to treat post-traumatic stress disorder, while psilocybin is approved for treatment-resistant depression. They will still be considered prohibited substances (Schedule 9 drugs) for all other purposes. "Prescribing will be limited to psychiatrists, given their specialized qualifications and expertise to diagnose and treat patients with serious mental health conditions,"a TGA statement published on Friday said.

But the TGA has not yet approved any products containing MDMA or psilocybin, so psychiatrists will have to obtain and supply unapproved medicines for the specific authorized uses. There is also a dearth of qualified psychiatrists, said Stephen Bright, director of the Psychedelic Research in Science and Medicine NGO. "The details so far from the TGA are thin. There are no products available, and aside from myself and a handful of colleagues, there’s no-one trained to provide the treatment. We’re waiting for a bit more information, to get an idea of what this looks like in practice," he said. 

Federal MedMJ Prisoner Luke Scarmazzo Freed, MN Pot Legalization Bill Advances, More... (2/3/23)

A Florida marijuana legalization initiative has passed its first hurdle on the way to the ballot, a new Texas poll shows very strong support for marijuana reforms, and more.

Luke Scarmazzo. Freed after 14 years for running a California medical marijuana dispensary. (Mission Green)
Marijuana Policy

Florida Marijuana Legalization Initiative Passes Initial Hurdle. A proposed constitutional amendment to legalize marijuana has passed the first hurdle on the way to the ballot. The Smart & Safe Florida initiative first challenge was to come up with 222,298 valid voter signatures to trigger a judicial and financial impact review. On Thursday, it reported that it had 294,000 valid signatures. If the measure now gets through the reviews, organizers would then have to gather an additional 891,589 valid signatures to get the issue to ballot position. And if it manages to qualify for the ballot, it will need 60 percent of the vote to be approved.

Minnesota Marijuana Legalization Bill Wins Another Committee Vote. The marijuana legalization bill, House File 100, continues to advance. On Thursday, it was approved by the House Agriculture Finance and Policy Committee, the sixth House committee to advance it. That puts the bill at the half-way point in the chamber, where another six committee votes are anticipated. Companion legislation has also been moving in the Senate, although a Senate committee hearing set for Thursday was postponed. Gov. Tim Walz (D) has called on supporters to join lawmakers and the administration in their push legalize marijuana this session.

Texas Poll Finds Supermajority for Medical Marijuana and Decriminalization, Two-Thirds for Legalization. A new YouGov/University of Houston poll has support for legalizing medical marijuana at 82 percent, support for decriminalization at 81 percent, and support for legalization at 67 percent. On medical marijuana, 93 percent of Democrats, 79 percent of independents, and even 73 percent of Republicans were in favor. Similarly, one legalization, 80 of Democrats, 66 percent of independents, and 55 percent of Republicans were on board. The Republican-dominated state legislature, however, has balked at advancing reform legislation.

Medical Marijuana

Medical Marijuana POW Luke Scarmazzo Freed After 14 Years in Federal Prison. Luke Scarmazzo, sentenced to 22 years in federal prison for operating a California medical marijuana dispensary is scheduled to walk free today after winning a case for compassionate relief in federal court in the Eastern District of California. He was most recently imprisoned at the federal prison in Yazoo City, Mississippi. Scarmazzo and business partner Ricardo Montes opened California Healthcare Collective in Modesto in 2004, operating a business legal under state law. But the DEA raided his operation in 2006, arresting the pair, and they were charged with manufacture of marijuana, possession with intent to distribute, and operating a continuing criminal enterprise, which carries a mandatory minimum of 20 years. Scarmazzo is believed to be the last California medical marijuana provider to be held in federal prison. 

Hill Lawmakers Call on Biden to Restore Drug Czar to Cabinet Status, More... (2/2/23)

Virginia Republicans are in no hurry to get a legal marijuana market going, a Missouri bill would legalize psilocbying for therapeutic purposes, and more.

Colombia President Petro wants to go after cocaine, not small coca growers. (Pixabay)
Marijuana Policy

Virginia House Committee Kills Watered Down GOP Marijuana Sales Bill. Marijuana is legal in the state, but there is nowhere to buy it, which some lawmakers say presents public safety concerns. Those concerns, however, were not enough for a watered down bill to allow for sales, House Bill 1464, to get any traction. It was defeated in a 5-2 party-line vote in the House Committee on General Laws. While a similar marijuana sales bill is still alive in the Senate, the House defeat is a strong sign that this year's legislative session will be another year of deadlock on the issue.

Psychedelics

Missouri Bill Would Legalize Psilocybin for Therapeutic Purposes. For the second session in a row, Rep. Tony Lovasco (R) has filed a bill relating to "natural medicines," but after last year's bill, which would have legalized several natural psychedelics for therapeutic purposes, failed, this year he has sharpened his focus. House Bill 869, which was filed last month, calls for only for psilocybin to be legal and only for people with treatment-resistant depression or terminal illness, which would be administered by medical professionals. Even so, the bill does not appear to have much momentum. It has not been assigned to a committee, nor are any hearings scheduled.

Drug Policy

Group of Lawmakers Ask Biden to Return Drug Czar to Cabinet Position. A bipartisan group of lawmakers called Thursday for President Biden to return the director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP—the drug czar's office) to a Cabinet-level position. They cite rising overdose deaths and "constantly evolving" drug threats. The drug czar had been a Cabinet member from 1988, when the position was created, until 2009, when President Obama removed him. In their Thursday letter, the lawmakers noted that Biden was a leading proponent of the creation and expansion of the drug czar's office and that he had previously called for the drug czar to serve at the Cabinet level. The lawmakers, Sens. Ed Markey (D-MA), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Reps. David Trone (D-MD) and Katie Porter (D-CA) called on Biden to restore the position and announce it during his State of the Union speech next week.

International

Colombia Ponders Legalizing "Mini-Crops" of Small Coca Farmers. The National Narcotics Council, which is charged with implementing and evaluating the National Drug Policy for the next decade, is considering a proposal to legalize small-scale coca farming. The move would be aimed at crops between six and 25 acres and seek to reduce the persecution of peasant producers for mixing illicit crops with their food crops. The government has already moved to reduce the forced eradication of coca crops from 125,000 acres to 45,000 acres. Police said they were unable to reach their 2022 goal because of blockades by grower communities that prevented the entry of eradicators. 

BC Drug Decriminalization Now in Effect, MN Legal Pot Bill Continues to Advance, More... (2/1/23)

The North Dakota House kills an effort to allow medical marijuana patients to use edibles, a Republican congressman files a marijuana rescheduling bill, and more.

No medical marijuana edibles for you, North Dakota! (Creative Commons)
Marijuana Policy

GOP Congressman Files Marijuana Rescheduling Bill. For the third Congress in a row, Rep. Greg Steube (R-FL) has filed a bill that would move marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III. The measure, HR 610, says "the Attorney General of the United States shall, by order not later than 60 days after the date of enactment of this section, transfer marijuana…from schedule I of such Act to schedule III of such Act." Such a move would not legalize marijuana, but would, Steube says, "drastically expand" opportunities for research and study.

Minnesota Marijuana Legalization Bill Wins More Committee Votes. The marijuana legalization bill continues to move forward. The House State and Local Government Finance and Policy Committee approved the bill, House File 100, on Tuesday, becoming the fifth House committee to do so. Meanwhile, the Senate version of the bill passed the Senate Jobs and Economic Development Committee on Monday, becoming the fourth Senate committee to do so. Lawmakers have said the bill could face as many as 12 committee votes, meaning the measure is currently three-fourths of the way home. Democrats hold majorities in both houses, as well as the governorship, and are confident the bill will pass and be signed into law in short order.

Medical Marijuana

North Dakota House Kills Bill to Allow Edibles. The House on Tuesday killed a pair of bills that would have made medical marijuana edibles legally available to patients. The House Human Services Committee had amended elements of House Bill 1202 and House Bill 1164 into HB 1202, but the full House killed HB 1202 on a 55-37 vote (it needed two-thirds to pass) and killed HB 1164 on a 20-72 vote. Under the initiative approved by voters in 2016, patients are limited to using dried buds or THC products such as concentrates and tinctures—not edibles. Bill supporters said edibles are a healthier and more accurate means of dosing medical marijuana, but the legislature wasn't listening.

International

Drug Possession is Now Decriminalized in Canada's British Columbia. An exemption to the country's federal drug laws that allows British Columbia to engage in a three-year experiment with drug decriminalization is now in effect. The move is an effort to fight the province's drug overdose crisis. BC accounts for about a third of all Canadian drug overdose deaths, with more than  10,000 overdose deaths in the province since 2016, more than 4,500 of them in the last two years. Under the decriminalization program, possession of up to 2.5 grams of substances such as heroin, fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine is no longer a criminal offense. Supporters of the program say it will reduce stigma and enable healthier outcomes for drug users. 

MN Marijuana Legalization Bill Advances, VA Psilocybin Rescheduling Bill Advances, More... (1/31/23)

The White House punts on marijuana banking reform, Virginia bills to provide tax breaks to the marijuana industry and gear up for legal sales advance, and more.

The psilocybin molecule. A Virginia bill would reschedule it, making possession a misdemeanor instead of a felony. (CC)
Marijuana Policy

White House Defers to Congress on Marijuana Banking Reform. The Biden administration has no plans to announce any executive action on marijuana banking reforms and says that Congress is leading the way on the issue. When queried about it last week at a press briefing, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said, "I don’t have any new policy announcements to make from here. As you know, this is something that Congress is working on. We understand that there’s interest in legislation and action—but I would refer you to Congress because, again, this is again what they’re working on." That's what Congresswas working on up until the end of the last session, but now Republicans control the House, potentially complicating prospects for reform.

Minnesota Marijuana Legalization Bill Wins Yet Another Committee Vote. The bill to legalize marijuana,  House File 100, has passed one more committee hurdle, being approved by the Senate Jobs and Economic Development Committee on a 5-3 vote. That's the third Senate committee to approve the bill so far, and the bill is also moving in the House. Lawmakers said it could take up to a dozen committee votes before the measure heads for House and Senate floor votes.

Virginia Bills to Start Adult Sales, Reform Taxes Advance. Two marijuana reform bills from state Sen. Adam Ebbin (D) advanced last Friday. Senate Bill 1095, which would decouple the state's marijuana industry from the federal tax code and take state tax deductions it is currently barred from, passed the Senate unanimously, while the House version of the bill passed the House Appropriations Committee on a 7-1 vote. Senate Bill 1133, which would clear the way for retail marijuana sales, is also moving, passing out of the Senate Rehabilitation and Social Services Committee to the Finance and Appropriations Committee.

Psychedelics

Virginia Bill to Reschedule Psilocybin, Establish Advisory Board Advances. After House lawmakers bottled up a bill that would have allowed for the medicinal use of psilocybin in severe mental health cases, reform-minded colleagues approved a bill, Senate Bill 392, that would simply move psilocybin from Schedule I to Schedule III and create an advisory board to plan how to set up access to psilocybin services. Rescheduling psilocybin would make possession a misdemeanor offense; it is a felony under current law. It won a committee vote in the Senate Education Committee's Health Professions Subcommittee. 

ICC Reopens Inquirty into Philippine Drug War Crimes, WA Home Grown Bill, More... (1/30/23)

An Arizona magic mushroom research bill is filed, Germany's plans to legalize marijuana face delays, and more.

Former Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte is back under the scrutiny of the International Criminal Court. (CC)
Marijuana Policy

Washington State Home Cultivation Bill Gets Hearing This Week. A bill that would allow people 21 and over to grow up to six plants at home, House Bill 1614, is set for a hearing this week. Filed by Rep. Shelley Kloba (D), the bill will be heard in the House Committee on Regulated Substances and Gaming at 8:00 a.m. on Thursday. The bill would not allow home cultivation at houses used for early childhood education or early learning services by a family day care provider.

Medical Marijuana

Pennsylvania Bill Would Allow Medical Marijuana for Any Condition Doctor Approves. Sen. Mike Regan (R-Cumberland) and Sen. James Brewster (D-Allegheny) are preparing to file a bill that would strip the state's Medical Marijuana Advisory Board of its function of determining which medical conditions allow patients to use medical marijuana and instead allow its use for any condition for which a doctor approves it. "Elected officials and bureaucratic staffers should not be deciding what ailment qualifies an individual to use medical marijuana," they said in a cosponsor memo they are circulating. The two senators are chairmen of the Senate Law and Justice Committee.

Psychedelics

Arizona Bill Would Allow Magic Mushroom Clinical Trials. Republican Rep. Kevin Payne and Democratic Reps. Jennifer Longdon and Stacey Travers, along with Republican Sen. T.J. Shope, are all backing House Bill 2486, which would put $30 million in grants over three years toward clinical trials using whole-mushroom psilocybin to treat mental health conditions like depression and PTSD. The bill has been assigned to the Health and Human Services and Appropriations committees.

International

German Push for Marijuana Legalization Likely Delayed. Germany has yet to submit its proposal for marijuana legalization to the European Commission, making its plan to do so in 2024 increasingly unlikely. The proposed law is "currently being drafted," the Health Ministry said. "A large number of legal and operational questions concerning implementation need to be answered and coordinated between the ministries in charge" before it can be submitted to the European Commission, it added. The German government first unveiled its plan to legalize it in October 2022. The plan would for the home cultivation of three plants and the possession of up to 30 grams, as well as setting up a legal marketplace. Germany has said it will advance the legislation only if it compatible with European Union law and will not do a final draft of the law until and unless the European Commission gives its okay.

International Criminal Court Reopens Investigation into Philippines Drug War. The International Criminal Court (ICC) announced last Thursday that it will reopen its investigation into possible "crimes against humanity" in the Philippines' prosecution of a bloody war on drugs under former President Rodrigo Duterte. That campaign led to the deaths of thousands of people. The ICC had announced plans for an investigation in February 2018 but suspended that query in November 2021 at the request of the Philippines after the government there said it was conducting its own review. After reviewing files submitted by the Philippines, ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan said further delay was not warranted and applied to reopen the ICC case. Last Thursday, the ICC said it was "not satisfied that the Philippines is undertaking relevant investigations that would warrant a deferral of the Court’s investigations. The various domestic initiatives and proceedings, assessed collectively, do not amount to tangible, concrete and progressive investigative steps in a way that would sufficiently mirror the Court’s investigation."

MS MedMJ Sales Begin, Myanmar Opium Production Increases, More... (1/27/23)

A Minnesota marijuana legalization bill is cruising right along, Hong Kong bans CBD as a "dangerous drug," and more.

Opium production is Myanmar has jumped dramatically since the military coup nearly a year ago. (UNODC)
Marijuana Policy

Minnesota Marijuana Legalization Bill Keeps Advancing. A marijuana legalization bill, House File 100, has won approval in the House Labor and Industry Finance and Policy Committee Thursday. That's the fourth committee to approve it in the House. Meanwhile, a companion bill in the Senate was approved by the Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee.

Ohio Bill Would Protect Drivers with THC in Their Systems. State Sen. Nathan Manning (R-North Ridgeville) has filed Senate Bill 26, which would protect drivers from facing charges for having THC in their system as long as they can prove they were not impaired. The bill would remove the per se limits for marijuana and marijuana metabolites for the purpose of determining whether the driver was Operating a Vehicle Under the Influence (OVI). Without a set per se level (where the state assumes one is intoxicated), the bill effectively removes the automatic license suspension for those caught with THC in their systems.

Medical Marijuana

Medical Marijuana Sales Have Begun in Mississippi. Nearly a year after medical marijuana was legalized in the state, the first legal sales have taken place. The first sales occurred Wednesday at The Cannabis Company in Brookhaven and at two Oxford dispensaries, Hybrid Relief and Star Buds. More than 1,700 patients are currently enrolled in the state's medical marijuana program. Voters approved a medical marijuana initiative in 2020, only to have it invalidated by the state Supreme Court. The legislature then passed a bill authorizing it.

International

Hong Kong Bans CBD as "Dangerous Drug." As of next Wednesday, Hong Kong will ban CBD, a cannabinoid that does not produce the same psychoactive effects as its more potent fellow cannabinoid, THC. "Starting from February 1, cannabidiol, aka CBD, will be regarded as a dangerous drug and will be supervised and managed by the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance,"customs intelligence officer Au-Yeung Ka-lun said ."As of then, transporting CBD for sale, including import and export, as well as producing, possessing and consuming CBD, will be illegal,"he added.

Mexican Senator Will File Bill to Legalize Natural Psychedelics for Treatment of Mental Health Problems. Sen. Alejandra Lagunes of the Ecological Green Party of Mexico (PVEM) said Wednesday she will present a bill to legalize and regulate natural psychedelics for the treatment of mental health problems such as anxiety and depression. She made the comments at the Intercultural Forum on Entheogenic Medicine, which was held in the federal Senate."It’s scientifically proven that psilocybin from psilocybin mushrooms, mescaline from peyote, DMT from ayahuasca and the Colorado River toad are not drugs. They have a high therapeutic potential, low toxicity and don’t create physical dependence or abuse,"she said.

Myanmar Opium Production Booming After Coup, UNODC Says. The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said in a new report that opium production is up 33 percent since the military took over the government in February 2021. Farmers in parts of the country have "little option" but to grow opium, reversing years of efforts to reduce poppy planting, said UNODC regional representative Jeremy Douglas. said "At times like these many farmers see opium as particularly attractive – given predictable demand and the fact that brokers will typically buy the entire crop at the farm gate," said International Crisis Group Myanmar advisor Richard Horsey.

Drug Decrim Bills Filed in MA, NY; Colombia to Reduce Forced Coca Eradication, More... (1/26/23)

Delaware bills to legalize marijuana are moving, a North Carolina medical marijuana bill is filed, and more.

A Colombian coca farmer. The Petro government is moving away from forced eradication efforts. (dea.gov)
Marijuana Policy

Delaware Marijuana Legalization Bill Wins Committee Vote. The House Health and Human Development Committee on Wednesday approved House Bill 1, which would legalize marijuana. The vote comes just one day after another committee approved House Bill 2, which would set up a system of taxed and regulated marijuana commerce. Rep. Ed Osienski (D), sponsor of the bills, said he expected House floor votes in March.

DC Council Files Bill to Allow Legal Marijuana Sales. Despite an ongoing congressional ban blocking the District of Columbia from allowing legal marijuana sales, DC Council Chairman Phil Mendelson (D) and six other council members have introduced a revised bill, Bill 25-0052,  to create a regulated legal marijuana commerce market. DC voters legalized marijuana in 2014, but the congressional rider in place since then has thwarted efforts to allow legal sales. The bill would allow people 21 and over to possess up to an ounce of weed and grow up to six plants, three of which could be mature. It also creates a regulatory agency, which would approve licenses for cultivators, manufacturers, microbusinesses, retailers, and testing facilities, and sets a tax rate of up to 13 percent (6 percent for medical marijuana).

Medical Marijuana

North Carolina GOP Senators File Medical Marijuana Bill. On the first day bills could be filed in the new General Assembly session, Senators Michael Lee (R-New Hanover) and Bill Rabon (R-Brunswick) filed Senate Bill 3, which would legalize medical marijuana in the state. Known as the North Carolina Compassionate Care Act, the bill allows the use of medical marijuana for a specified list of debilitating conditions, including cancer, epilepsy, Crohn’s Disease, Parkinson’s Disease and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The pair filed a similar bill last year that passed the Senate but never got any traction in the House.

Drug Policy

Massachusetts Drug Decriminalization Bill Filed. Rep. Samantha Montaño (D) has filed HD 2741, which would eliminate a section of state stature that prescribes criminal penalties for drug possession. Instead of fines or jail, people caught with drugs would be required to participate in "a needs screening to identify health and other service needs, including but not limited to services that may address any substance use disorder and mental health conditions, lack of employment, housing, or food, and any need for civil legal services." Anyone who provided proof they had completed a screening within 45 days would see their citations dismissed.

New York Drug Decriminalization Bill Filed. Sen. Gustavo Rivera (D) has filed a bill, Senate Bill 2340, that would eliminate criminal and civil penalties for drug possession while also creating a task force that’d be responsible for studying and making recommendations about additional reforms. Under the bill, people caught with drugs could either pay a $50 fine or take part in a "needs screening to identify health and other service needs, including but not limited to services that may address any problematic substance use and mental health conditions, lack of employment, housing, or food, and any need for civil legal services." The bill also calls for a drug decriminalization task force that would be charged with making "recommendations for reforming state laws, regulations and practices so that they align with the stated goal of treating substance use disorder as a disease, rather than a criminal behavior."

International

Colombia Will Reduce Forced Coca Eradication Efforts. The government of President Gustavo Petro announced Tuesday that it will be reducing coca eradication efforts in what would be a major shift of policy for Colombia. A new National Policy will reduce forced eradication efforts by 60 percent as the government experiments with alternative approaches to the coca cultivation problem. The Petro government is considering implementing a program agreed to a part of the 2016 peace deal with the FARC that provides subsidies to coca farmers in exchange for voluntary eradication. Although that agreement was part of the deal, it was never implemented by former President Duque, who opposed the overall treaty. 

CO Asset Forfeiture Reform Bill Filed, Czech Legal Pot Bill Coming in March, More... (1/25/23)

A pair of Delaware marijuana legalization bills are moving, Ukraine patients and veterans beseech the parliament to act on a pending medical marijuana bill, and more.

Marijuana legalization is on the agend in Delaware and the Czech Republic. (Creative Commons)
Marijuana Policy

Delaware Marijuana Legalization Regulation Bill Advances. One of a pair of bills that aim to legalize marijuana has passed its first committee hurdle. House Bill 2, which deals with taxation and developing rules for the legal marijuana industry, passed the House Revenue and Finance Committee on a 7-2 vote Tuesday. The other bill in the package sponsored by Rep. Ed Osienski (D), House Bill 1, is getting a hearing today. That bill legalizes marijuana. (Update: House Bill 1 was approved by the House Health and Human Development Committee today.) Last year, the legislature passed the basic marijuana legalization bill only to see it vetoed by Gov. John Carney (D), but narrowly defeated the regulation bill. This year, Democrats are in a stronger position and could override a gubernatorial veto.

Asset Forfeiture

Colorado Bill Would End Civil Asset Forfeiture and Further Opt State Out of Federal Program. Three Republican lawmakers have filed a bill to end civil asset forfeiture and replace it with a criminal process requiring a conviction before asset forfeiture could proceed. The measure, House Bill 1086, would also make it more difficult for law enforcement to do an end run around state law by handing cases off to the feds, who then return most of the seized funds back to the originating law enforcement agency. The bill also reduces the percentage of seized funds that law enforcement agencies can get under state forfeiture from 50 percent to 25 percent.

International

Czech Marijuana Legalization Bill to Be Presented in March. A draft marijuana legalization bill should be ready by the end of March, anti-drug coordinator Jindrich Voboril said. The bill will cover rules for cultivation, production of marijuana products, distribution, sale, and export to other countries. Voboril said he wanted the new marijuana regime in place next year. There are currently plans to create a registry of consumers, small producers, or marijuana associations, but talks in working group set up by the prime minister are ongoing.

Ukraine Patients', Human Rights, and Veterans' Groups Call for Legal Medical Marijuana. A bill that would legalize the medical use of marijuana (No. 7457) has been sitting before parliament for the past six months, and now patient, veteran, and human rights groups are appealing to members of Parliament to move on it. Some 89 groups have joined the appeal. "The patients' community has been fighting for six years to ensure that people with serious illnesses can relieve pain with medicines based on medical cannabis. These are patients with epilepsy, cancer, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases, multiple sclerosis and PTSD. Such treatment is a normal practice in more than 50 countries of the world. Today, our patients abroad can receive medicines based on medical cannabis, it is necessary to give them such an opportunity in Ukraine," said Inna Ivanenko, the executive director of the Patients of Ukraine Charitable Foundation.

DE Marijuana Legalization Bills Filed, NM Bill Would Increase Fentanyl Penalties, More... (1/23/23)

A Minnesota marijuana legalization bill continues to move, a New Hampshire bill that would legalize DMT gets a hearing, and more.

This could finally be the year Delaware legalizes weed. (Creative Commons)
Marijuana Policy

Delaware Marijuana Legalization Bills Filed. Last year, Gov. John Carney (D) vetoed a marijuana legalization bill and legislative Democrats lacked the votes to override it, but this year, with renewed Democratic strength in the legislature, the push is on again. Rep. Ed Osienski (D), who has led the effort for years, has now filed a pair of marijuana legalization bills, House Bill 1 and House Bill 2. The former would legalize marijuana, while the latter would regulate the industry. Committee hearings on the bills will be held this week.

Minnesota Marijuana Legalization Bill Wins Second Committee Vote. A bill to legalize marijuana, House File 100, continues to move. It passed its second committee vote last Friday, being approved by the House Judiciary Finance and Civil Law Committee on a voice vote, with amendments. It still faces up to a dozen committee votes before it reaches the House floor.

Opiates and Opioids

New Mexico GOP Lawmakers Seek to Increase Fentanyl Penalties. Reps. William Rehm (R), Randall Pettigrew (R) and Stefani Lord (R) have filed House Bill 60, which attempts to address the state's fentanyl problem by increasing penalties for possessing specified amounts of the drug. The bill would increase prison sentences for fentanyl possession by three, five, or seven years, depending on the quantity. If someone possessed more than 25 pills, three years would be added; the seven-year increase would kick in if more than 75 pills were found .The bill is scheduled to be heard first by the House Consumer and Public Affairs Committee, but a date for the hearing hadn't been set.

Psychedelics

New Hampshire Bill Would Legalize DMT. A bill that would legalize dimethyltryptamine (DMT), the psychoactive ingredient in ayahuasca, got a hearing in the House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee last week. The measure, House Bill 216, would exempt dimethyltryptamine or DMT from the controlled drug act. It is sponsored by Rep. Matthew Santonastaso (R). Speakers at the hearing cited the drug's religious use as well as its potential to help people dealing with PTSD and help people overcome addictions. The state police testified in opposition to the bill. No vote was taken.

Drug War Issues

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