From Our Writers

The Portland, Maine City Council has passed a resolution deprioritizing criminal prosecution for the personal use of psychedelic mushrooms.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) over the weekend vetoed multiple bills including one to legalize cannabis cafes, another to decriminalize some psychedelic plants, and another containing new cannabis packaging restrictions.

In a first for the country, some independent pharmacies in Georgia are set to soon begin offering low-THC cannabis oils under the state’s limited medical cannabis program.

City officials in Anchorage, Alaska are considering a proposal to prevent the termination of most city employees who test positive for cannabis; instead, the city would offer counseling and addiction treatment.

The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) sent a letter to Division of Arkansas Crime Information Operations Director Rick Stallings outlining safety concerns with the decision to let medical cannabis patients carry concealed handguns.

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost has issued a legal analysis on the state’s proposed cannabis legalization ballot initiative in an effort to provide “vital clarity and transparency” ahead of the November 7 vote.

The Florida Supreme Court is set to hear arguments next month on the state’s proposed cannabis legalization ballot initiative. Attorney General Ashley Moody is leading the challenge against the initiative, claiming the measure “misleads” voters.

Officials in Cook County, Minnesota are considering opening a municipally owned cannabis dispensary that would “create a new revenue stream for county government.” The county already operates a municipal liquor store and the dispensary arrangement would be similar.

A bill introduced in Michigan would let students use prescribed medical cannabis while at school. Supporters say it would allow students to take their medicine without interrupting academic time.

The general cannabis licensing window in New York opens today amid an ongoing injunction on the state’s Conditional Adult-Use Retail program. The 60-day licensing window is available for hopeful cannabis cultivators, processors, distributors, retailers, and micro operators.

A recent study found that about 19% of online cannabis retailers do not require age verification when purchasing cannabis products. However, it is unclear if the study differentiated between regulated cannabis and hemp-derived cannabinoids.

The New Jersey Economic Development Authority is awarding $12 million in joint venture grants to nearly 40 state-licensed dispensaries; the grants are geared toward diverse representatives of communities most affected by the war on drugs.

The Georgia Department of Public Health has reported for years that there were about 50,000 people signed up for its low-THC medical cannabis program but the figure is actually about 14,000.

The former chair of the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission is suing the state treasurer after being removed from their position “without notice, without articulated reason, and without any opportunity to be heard.”

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) recently wrote a letter to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) arguing the chamber should prioritize a measure to permanently schedule fentanyl-related substances under federal law over the SAFER Banking Act, which would normalize cannabis banking.

A federal judge has blocked an Arkansas state law that sought to ban hemp-derived THC products. The move prevents any enforcement actions under the ban and will keep thousands of employees, farmers, business owners, and consumers from being made into criminals “despite no change in federal law.”

The majority of government employees in Michigan are no longer subject to pre-employment drug testing for cannabis under new rules that took effect over the weekend.

South Dakota officials are considering changes to the state’s medical cannabis program that would allow 10% more THC in medical cannabis products and require rolling papers used for prerolls to be tested by state-approved laboratories.

The American Nurses Association — which represents the more than 4 million registered nurses in the U.S. — this week announced its formal recognition of cannabis nursing as a nursing specialty.

The former head of the Michigan Medical Marihuana Board was sentenced on Thursday to nearly five years in prison for accepting bribes while leading the cannabis regulatory body.

A group of more than 20 attorneys general sent a letter this week urging Congressional leadership to pass the Secure and Fair Enforcement Regulation (SAFER) Banking Act, which passed a key Senate committee on Wednesday and moves next to the full Senate floor.

Virginia Tech’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences has received a $600,000 USDA grant to study industrial hemp and investigate the regulation of biosynthetic pathways for cannabinoid production.

The New York Attorney General’s Office has issued a stay in the cannabis tech company Leafly’s legal challenge against the state’s third-party marketing ban, effectively blocking the state from enforcing the ban against Leafly but not other third-party marketers.

Lawmakers in the North Carolina House unanimously passed a bill to regulate the sale of hemp-derived consumables and kratom.