Congressional Committee Advances Psychedelics Amendment But Blocks Marijuana Proposal

A powerful House Committee cleared a drug policy reform amendment for consideration on the House floor on Monday. But at the same time, it blocked a separate marijuana reform proposal from advancing. The measure moving to a full House vote, introduced by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), would eliminate a long-standing rider on a spending bill that prohibits federal agencies from using funds for “any activity that promotes the legalization of any drug or other substance in Schedule I” of the Controlled Substances Act. The congresswoman argued in a summary of her proposal that the current provision impedes valuable research into substances that have therapeutic potential such as psilocybin and MDMA. Cannabis is also listed among those substances as a Schedule I drug.

Gillibrand unveils marijuana legalization plan

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) on Wednesday unveiled her plan to legalize marijuana, saying that ending the federal prohibition on the drug would be “a top priority of my presidency.”  Gillibrand said the “unfair” enforcement of federal marijuana laws has had disproportionate impacts on communities of color and prevents medical patients access to the drug to treat chronic pain or other conditions. “These are real injustices that affect millions of Americans and multiple areas of our society, and it’s past time to get to work making them right,” Gillibrand said in a Medium post.

Federal Court Orders DEA To ‘Promptly’ Consider Marijuana Rescheduling…Or Else

 federal appeals court gave medical cannabis patients and reform advocates a small but significant procedural victory on Thursday, ruling that it would hold open a case challenging the scheduling status of marijuana under federal law. In essence, the court is putting the federal government on notice that it must “promptly” make a decision on marijuana rescheduling so that those who rely on its medical benefits don’t unduly suffer. A group of patients and advocates filed a lawsuit against the Justice Department in a U.S. District Court in 2017, alleging that the Schedule I status of cannabis under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) poses serious health risks and unfair economic disadvantages. The court dismissed the case last year, siding with the government in its scheduling determination and shooting down each of the plaintiffs’ claims.

Environmental groups sue over 12,000-acre Centennial development in northern LA County

Earlier this year, after years of debate, Los Angeles County’s Board of Supervisors signed off on a contentious development project set to bring nearly 20,000 new homes to the northern edge of the county. Now, environmental groups are suing over the development, which they argue will worsen pollution, traffic, and urban sprawl in the region. In a lawsuit filed this morning, the Center for Biological Diversity and the California Native Plant Society accuse county officials of mishandling environmental review of the Centennial project at Tejon Ranch, a planned community set to be constructed on 12,000 acres of land in the Antelope Valley.

Racial Arrest Disparities Got Worse After Legalization, Study Finds

Cannabis legalization has dramatically reduced the number of marijuana arrests in Washington, Colorado, and other adult-use states. But as the overall number of arrests plummeted, the racial disparities within those numbers remained stubbornly intact. In fact, the disparity has gotten worse. That’s the finding of a new report published this week in the journal Substance Use & Misuse, which found that cannabis arrest rates in Washington, post-legalization, were five times higher for African-Americans than for whites. Prior to legalization, black people were getting arrested for cannabis at a rate 2.5 times that of whites.

House Committee Approves Immigration Bill With Marijuana Protections

A congressional committee voted in favor of a wide-ranging immigration bill on Wednesday, and the legislation includes marijuana-related protections for people who were brought to the U.S. as children. Under the DREAM Act as approved, having low-level cannabis convictions, or engaging in state-legal cannabis-related activities such as working in the regulated marijuana industry, would not be counted against applications for permanent resident status for so-called Dreamers. The House Judiciary Committee advanced the bill in a 19-10 vote, without specific discussion about the cannabis provisions.

Presidential Candidates Are Cosponsoring A New Marijuana Descheduling Bill

Four 2020 Democratic presidential candidates have signed onto new legislation to federally deschedule marijuana—while a handful of other White House hopefuls are notably missing as original cosponsors. The companion bills introduced on Monday by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) would remove cannabis from the Controlled Substances Actand use some tax revenue from marijuana sales to provide grants to socioeconomically disadvantaged individuals to participate in the legal industry. It would also set aside money to support efforts to expunge past marijuana convictions.

Moulton wants medical marijuana for veterans — plus much bolder drug reforms

Representative Seth Moulton of Massachusetts, a former Marine Corps officer, re-filed a package of bills in Congress Monday that would push the Department of Veterans Affairs to embrace medical marijuana. But Moulton, a Democrat who is running for president, also said in an interview that he supports much more significant changes to federal drug policy — declaring that anyone in the United States jailed solely for marijuana possession should be freed with a clear record, that the country should consider decriminalizing the use of hard drugs while cracking down on producers, and that so-called safe consumption sites should be legal.

Democratic Congressional Bill Protects Medical Cannabis But Not Broader State Marijuana Laws

Medical marijuana states and industrial hemp programs would continue to be protected from federal interference under a wide-ranging congressional spending bill that was released by a House subcommittee on Thursday. This marks the first time that the medical cannabis rider has been included in a base House appropriations bill as introduced, signaling that the chamber’s new Democratic majority is paying closer attention to the issue as standalone marijuana legislation separately makes its way through Congress. Last year, the rider, which has been federal law since 2014, was added during a full Appropriations Committee hearing. Prior to that it had been inserted through floor amendments.

Police seize Lego-shaped cannabis products in Timberlea raid

Police said they raided an unauthorized cannabis storefront on St. Margaret’s Bay Road and seized over $60,000 in cannabis products, some of which are allegedly targeted at children. Nova Scotia RCMP said the raid at Timberleaf Alternative Medical Society was conducted on Monday at 9 a.m. Police said that among other things, they seized very high-potency THC that is sold in the form of Lego blocks. In an initial news release, police stated the Lego blocks contained a 500 mg dosage that is “strong enough to kill a child.” But in an updated news release Wednesday afternoon, RCMP Cpl. Lisa Croteau said the initial release “included references and opinions that are outside of the scope of Nova Scotia RCMP.”