DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: Regulators at the US Food and Drug Administration on Monday granted market approval to Epidiolex, a prescription medicine containing a standardized formulation of plant-derived cannabidiol (CBD) for the explicit treatment of two rare forms of severe epilepsy: Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and Dravet syndrome. The proprietary extract formulation – developed by the British biotechnology firm GW Pharmaceuticals – had Read the full article…
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: Governors in Alaska, Kansas, and Oklahoma have each signed legislation in recent days establishing programs to permit the cultivation of industrial hemp. In Alaska, Independent Gov. Bill Walker signed legislation into law establishing a pilot program “to study the growth, cultivation, [and] marketing of industrial hemp.” Senate Bill 6 creates a legal distinction between hemp and marijuana Read the full article…
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: NORML ( National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws) released the following statement regarding the President’s Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis first meeting this on June 16. Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director said: “Tens of thousands of lives have been adversely impacted by the nation’s opioid epidemic. We Read the full article…
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: In response to the Department of Justice detailing Steve Cook to address marijuana policy, Justin Strekal, Political Director for NORML stated: “Steve Cook and Jeff Sessions are advocating for the failed policies of the “Just Say No” era — policies that resulted in the arrests of millions of otherwise law abiding citizens who possessed personal use Read the full article…
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: Despite historic opposition to a nominee for Attorney General, today Senator Jefferson Beauregard Sessions (R-AL) has been confirmed to assume the role of our nation’s top law enforcement official. “Jeff Sessions’ views are out of step with mainstream America and they are in conflict with the laws regarding marijuana in over half of Read the full article…
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: The National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine released a comprehensive report today acknowledging that “conclusive or substantial evidence” exists for cannabis’ efficacy in patients suffering from chronic pain, and sharply criticized longstanding federal regulatory barriers to marijuana research – in particular “the classification of cannabis as a Schedule I substance” under Read the full article…
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: Political leaders in several states are threatening to thwart the implementation of voter-approved initiatives specific to the regulation of marijuana. “Voters spoke clearly on election day. They believe that cannabis should be legal and that its sale ought to be regulated accordingly,” said NORML Executive Director Erik Altieri. “Politicians should respect these outcomes, Read the full article…
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: Almost a year has passed since it became legal to smoke, but not sell, marijuana in Washington, D.C., and pot enthusiasts and opponents alike are chafing under a compromise that leaves smokers in a haze over how to obtain their weed. Sales of equipment to grow the plants indoors are booming, bartenders are Read the full article…
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: D.C. lawmakers are considering dozens of issues raised during public testimony surrounding whether it should ban marijuana use in private businesses. The clarification to the Marijuana Decriminalization Act would continue the ban put forward in emergency legislation passed after pot was legalized in D.C. Issues raised in the judiciary committee hearing Thursday ranged from Read the full article…
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: The Drug Enforcement Administration is not having a great year. The chief of the agency stepped down in April under a cloud of scandal. The acting administrator since then has courted ridicule for saying pot is “probably not” as dangerous as heroin, and more recently he provoked 100,000 petition-signers and seven members of Congress to call for his Read the full article…