Congressional 280E marijuana tax penalty report; VA cannabis penalty pushback; MD psychedelics hearing; AI & psychedelics study
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/ TOP THINGS TO KNOW
Congressional Cannabis Caucus Co-chair Rep. Dave Joyce (R-OH) told Marijuana Moment he isn’t sure if rescheduling is a “priority” for the Department of Justice—saying “they seem to have a lot on their plate” with processing the Jeffrey Epstein files.
A new Congressional Research Service report on the 280E tax penalty for marijuana businesses analyzes whether the policy blocking deductions to the cannabis industry is unconstitutional.
The New Hampshire Senate Judiciary Committee rejected a marijuana legalization bill that was recently passed by the House of Representatives.
The Maryland House Health Committee held a hearing on a bill to extend the Task Force on Responsible Use of Natural Psychedelic Substances for another year and require an additional report with updated recommendations to ensure “broad, equitable and affordable access to psychedelic substances.”
Marijuana Justice and other advocacy groups are pushing the Virginia Senate Finance Committee to remove new penalty amendments from a cannabis sales legalization bill that were recently added by a different panel—saying it “should focus on responsible regulations, not further criminalization.”
A new study in which researchers virtually “dosed” ChatGPT and other AI models with simulations of drugs like psilocybin, DMT and ayahuasca found that “LLMs can convincingly approximate psychedelic narratives through learned linguistic patterns—but they do so without experiential grounding.”
- “Contemporary LLMs can be ‘dosed’ via text prompts to generate convincingly realistic psychedelic narratives.”
The South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division and other police groups are urging lawmakers to reject a representative’s proposal to regulate intoxicating hemp products instead of banning them.
People with marijuana convictions in Illinois can face long delays in clearing their records even after judges approve expungement and sealing orders.
/ FEDERAL
The Drug Enforcement Administration posted a profile of one of its community outreach specialists focused on reducing drug demand.
The House bill to keep applying the 280E tax penalty on marijuana businesses after rescheduling got one new cosponsor for a total of 11.
The House bill to delay the federal recriminalization of hemp THC products got one new cosponsor for a total of 28.
/ STATES
Pennsylvania’s Senate majority leader criticized Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) for being vague on what kind of marijuana legalization model he prefers.
A federal court began hearing a lawsuit challenging Florida ballot restrictions brought by campaigns working on marijuana legalization and other initiatives.
The Alabama Court of Civil Appeals dismissed a lawsuit challenging regulators’ medical cannabis business licensing process.
The Illinois Medical Cannabis Advisory Board is recommending that polycystic ovary syndrome be added as a medical marijuana qualifying condition.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife sent an update on its efforts to reduce and address environmental impacts associated with cannabis cultivation.
Vermont regulators hosted a webinar about cannabis advertising guidance.
The Tennessee Medical Cannabis Commission will meet on Friday.
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Marijuana Moment is tracking hundreds of cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters pledging at least $25/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don’t miss any developments.
Learn more about our marijuana bill tracker and become a supporter on Patreon to get access.
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/ SCIENCE & HEALTH
A study found that “many veterans viewed cannabis as an important tool to cope with or alleviate symptoms from a variety of health conditions” but that they “obtain information about it from sources other than healthcare professionals and may be reluctant to discuss their cannabis use with clinicians despite its relevance to their care.”
A review concluded that “preliminary review-level evidence suggests that individuals self-medicating with psychedelics—particularly psilocybin and LSD—report symptom relief for conditions such as cluster headache.”
/ ADVOCACY, OPINION & ANALYSIS
Officials with prohibitionist organization Smart Approaches to Marijuana previewed their strategy to fight cannabis rescheduling and other reforms in the courts, including by suing marijuana businesses.
/ BUSINESS
Organigram Global Inc. reported quarterly net revenue of C$63.5 million.
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Photo courtesy of Chris Wallis // Side Pocket Images.
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