Berkeley Officials Consider Move To Decriminalize Hallucinogens

Officials in Berkeley, California are set to consider a proposal that would decriminalize psychedelics, including LSD.

The measure is a byproduct of a years-long project that has “lingered for three years in the Berkeley City Council,” according to Berkeleyside, which added that the council is set to “come back to life in a few weeks.”

What distinguishes Berkeley’s proposal from other communities that have moved to legalize hallucinogens is that the northern California city would represent “an even broader proposal: one that could make it the first in the U.S. to decriminalize LSD,” according to Berkeleyside.

“Of the 15 U.S. cities that have softened restrictions on psychedelics, none has included this synthetic hallucinogen. Berkeley Community Health Commissioners Joseph Holcomb Adams and Karma Smart explained that the logic for decriminalizing LSD is that it meets the technical definition of psychedelics,” Berkeleyside reported.

“Berkeley’s resolution was initially drafted by the Oakland-based nonprofit Decriminalize Nature in 2019, and proposed decriminalizing only natural psychedelics, such as psilocybin mushrooms, ayahuasca, and mescaline cacti,” the outlet continued. “The resolution spent two years in the hands of the city’s Community Health Commission (CHC), one of 22 civil commissions advising the City Council. Over the last year, Adams and Smart, the two commissioners appointed to study it, entirely rewrote it. If approved by the City Council, the personal consumption of psychedelics will cease to be criminalized in Berkeley; sharing, giving, or distributing psychedelics will, however, continue to be crimes.”

According to NBC Bay Area, Berkeley “city health commissioners voted unanimously to recommend to the city council decriminalize the use of hallucinogens.”

The legalization and decriminalization of hallucinogens has emerged as the latest frontier in the United States’ drug reform movement. 

Earlier this month, U.S. Sens. Cory Booker, a Democrat, and Rand Paul, a Republican, introduced a bill requiring the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to classify therapies involving psilocybin and MDMA in order to improve access for patients and researchers. 

“Recent studies suggest that some Schedule I substances such as MDMA and psilocybin could represent an enormous advancement for the treatment of severe post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and addiction,” Booker said in a statement. “Unfortunately, regulatory red tape and a series of bureaucratic hurdles involved in studying Schedule I substances impedes critical research on these and other promising Schedule I compounds. This bill reduces these unreasonably burdensome rules and regulations that delay or prevent researchers from studying – and patients from accessing – this entire class of potential medicines.”

Paul said he was proud to co-lead this legislation, which is known as the Breakthrough Therapies Act, with Sen. Booker that would streamline the registration process for breakthrough therapies currently restricted by outdated drug classifications.

“This bill will make it easier for researchers to conduct studies that can lead to breakthrough therapies to treat patients battling serious and life-threatening conditions,” Paul said in a statement. 

The legislation has won the endorsement of Martin R. Steele, a retired United States Marine Corps lieutenant general who leads the Veteran Mental Health Leadership Coalition.

“We urge Congress to swiftly pass the Breakthrough Therapies Act, which responsibly reduces the barriers to research and limited access of potentially life-saving treatments like MDMA- and psilocybin-assisted therapy,” said Steele. “Veterans should not be forced (nor should anyone else) to leave the country – at great expense – to access breakthrough therapies that can be safely provided and further studied in real-world settings here at home.”

Should the bill pass and become law, it would force the DEA to reschedule the aforementioned substances under the Controlled Substances Act. 

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Vets in South Carolina Push for Medical Pot

A number of military veterans in South Carolina are pushing lawmakers in the state to legalize medical marijuana. 

Local news station WACH reports this week on the group of vets, who “say it needs to be a top priority for lawmakers when they return to the state house in January after several proposals were stopped in their tracks earlier this year.”

“No one has died from an overdose with cannabis ever,” Cody Callarman, a former member of the Marine corps, told the news station. “For me, I can say, it definitely helps me to go to sleep and stay sleep and alleviate a lot of nightmares.”

“I say this is the land of the free, and the home of the brave, and we were the brave ones. We should have our choice of medical treatment,” Callarman added.

Another veteran named Robert Leheup told the station that the “idea of us not allowing veterans to have access to these tools is something that we need to remedy immediately.”

“It’s definitely one of those things that if you use it, along with counseling for example, it has the potential to have profound impacts,” Leheup told the station. 

Lawmakers in South Carolina considered a medical cannabis bill earlier this year. The legislation won approval in the state Senate, but in May, it was voted down in the state House of Representatives. 

The sponsor of the bill, Republican state Sen. Tom Davis, has been in the vanguard of the effort to legalize medical cannabis treatment in the state for years. 

“If you pound at the door long enough. If you make your case. If the public is asking for something, the state Senate owes a debate,” Davis said in January. “The people of South Carolina deserve to know where their elected officials stand on this issue.”

After the legislation was approved in the state Senate in February, Davis commended his colleagues. 

“Even those that were opposed to the bill, I mean, they could’ve just been opposed. They could’ve ranted against it, they could’ve tried to delay things. They didn’t. They expressed their concerns, but what they then did is dug in and tried to make the bill better. And so, what you saw over the last three weeks is what’s supposed to happen in a representative democracy,” Davis said at the time.

But in May, Davis’s bill was rejected by his counterparts in the state House of Representatives by a vote of 59-55.

“We suffered a setback procedurally in the House today,” Davis said at the time. “I can’t cry about it. I can’t pout about it. I can’t come back and lash out and try to hurt other people’s bills. That’s not productive. I just need to find out a way to get this thing on the merits up or down in the House and that’s what I’m going to be working on.”

Should lawmakers take up the proposal in the upcoming session, there will be opposition.

Local news station WACH quoted state House Rep. Vic Dabney, a veteran himself, who said he intends to oppose the next legislation.

“I know a lot of veterans that are not sitting down eating gummy bears laced with cannabis,” Dabney told the station. “We’ve got enough drugged up people in America as it is.”

“It was going to be another government program and a huge boondoggle where you’d have more than 400 dispensaries across the state,” Dabney added. “That was further reasons for me to vote against it.”

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We tried delta-9o with 3CHI

The delta-9o collection is the latest innovation to join 3CHI’s deep catalog of hemp-derived highlights. Find out what we experienced when we tried it out.

The post We tried delta-9o with 3CHI appeared first on Leafly.

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Washington Cannabis Update: Non-CBD Cannabinoid Additives

The Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (“LCB”) has clarified what cannabinoid additives are allowed in Cannabis products in WA. The LCB recently published a notice that it had adopted interpretive statement IS22-01, “Use of Additives in Authorized Cannabis Products”. The adopted policy statement clarifies that non-cannabidiol (“non-CBD”) cannabinoids may be added to cannabis products in WA if they have been produced by or purchased from an LCB-licensed processor or processor within the I-502 (adult-use statute) system.

Cannabinoids

The cannabis sativa plant produces over 100 cannabinoids, not all of which have psychoactive or intoxicating effects. The two most common cannabinoids are delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (“THC”) and cannabidiol (“CBD”). THC is the cannabinoid that has psychoactive effects resulting in users getting “high”, while CBD is not considered psychoactive and is used for a variety of purposes including as an FDA approved treatment for epilepsy (Epidiolex).

The Revised Code of Washington (“RCW”) chapter 69.50.326 already allows for the addition of CBD to cannabis products, but in 2020 the LCB became aware of other cannabinoids being added to cannabis products and has sought to provide guidance on the matter ever since.

Legalization of recreational cannabis in the many U.S. states has led to the development and increased presence of non-CBD cannabinoids in recreational cannabis marketplaces. Among the more common are cannabigerol (“CBG”) and cannabinol (“CBN”). CBN can produce intoxicating effects, but not to the degree of THC, and CBG does not produce intoxicating effects.

Cannabinoids can be derived from the cannabis plant itself, from both hemp and high-THC plants, as well as artificially synthesized. As the recreational cannabis marketplace continues to grow with more states each year codifying recreational use laws, more obscure cannabinoids will undoubtedly be isolated for addition into cannabis products. Naturally, the states have an interest in ensuring that new or novel cannabinoids are safe for use and produced according to regulatory standards, which is the aim of the LCB in adopting IS22-01.

Adding cannabinoids to Washington cannabis products

As is the case for most LCB updates, the important point for cannabis businesses is compliance. At this point, the most affected businesses are going to be those manufacturing cannabis products as opposed to retailers.

Non-CBD cannabinoids may only be added to cannabis products if they were lawfully produced or purchased within the I-502 system. Consequentially, processors in particular need to ensure that supply chains for non-CBD cannabinoids being added to their products comply with this new regulation.

Testing; enforcement

Representative samples of all cannabis infused products must be tested according to the provisions of RCW 69.50.348. Cannabis businesses adding non-CBD cannabinoids to products should keep records showing they were produced and purchased from within the I-502 system. The procedures for dealing with failed test samples in RCW 69.50.348 are that the lot from which the failed sample is taken must be destroyed. This means that if non-CBD cannabinoids are added to cannabis products in WA, and not compliantly sourced from within the I-502 system, they must be destroyed.

The LCB did not opine on how widespread the addition of non-CBD cannabinoids is within the I-502 system. Nonetheless, cannabis businesses should ensure that if such cannabinoids are being added to their products that meticulous records are kept to show that they are sourced from within the I-502 system.

The post Washington Cannabis Update: Non-CBD Cannabinoid Additives appeared first on Harris Bricken Sliwoski LLP.

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Atlanta’s cannabis kings: Sharklato, Real 1, GasHouse

Meet the CEOs behind the dirty south’s dankest cannabis brands. For the ‘28 grams of game’ series, these Atlanta weed pioneers show Leafly how they went from underground legends to legal operators.

The post Atlanta’s cannabis kings: Sharklato, Real 1, GasHouse appeared first on Leafly.

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‘Is this your eighth?’: Reflections from NYC’s Smokus Pocus magic show

Cannabis is magical all on its own. So magician Ben Zabin made it the star of his new weed magic show, Smokus Pocus. We investigated if its all smoke and mirrors.

The post ‘Is this your eighth?’: Reflections from NYC’s Smokus Pocus magic show appeared first on Leafly.

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Idaho Plans for Medical Cannabis Legalization on the Ballot in 2024

A non-profit organization called Kind Idaho, which was originally founded in 2021, recently announced that it would be pushing for an initiative to legalize medical cannabis in 2024.

Kind Idaho has between now and April 2024 to collect enough signatures (at least 74,000) to qualify its Idaho Medical Marijuana Act for the ballot. According to Kind Idaho Treasurer Joe Evans, advocates are ready to make medical cannabis legalization a reality. “One of the things that we’re looking at is making sure that those are available and legal, without necessarily presenting the opportunity for abuse,” Evans told KTVB7. “So it’s a combination of education on what the potential uses are, and responsible use.”

Idaho is one of 12 states that have not yet legalized medical cannabis. Evans cites the success and safety of medical cannabis as a treatment option in comparison to opioids. “When it comes to patient advocacy seeing medical marijuana, which is a successful, nonlethal pain management program that is nearly impossible to overdose on, is one of those options that many are looking for simply because they don’t want to have to carry around the significant number of prescriptions, pain management, oxycodone, you know, opiates,” Evans said.

More importantly, Evans points out that legal access is paramount. “We want the opportunity for Idaho residents to succeed on their own terms. And for many of those people on their own terms, the best solution is medical marijuana,” Evans stated.

Starting Dec. 1, Kind Idaho will start attending events to promote education about medical cannabis, bolster a social media presence, and begin the signature collecting process. 

A recent poll from the Idaho Statesman shows that 68% of residents show support for medical cannabis legalization. However, advocates in Idaho have been attempting to make medical cannabis legalization a reality for the past 10 years without success.

The state saw its first official ballot initiative for medical cannabis in 2012, but it failed to get enough signatures to make it onto the ballot. In 2013, the Idaho legislature passed a resolution against cannabis in any form. That same year, advocates began collecting signatures for the 2014 ballot, but they were unable to collect enough signatures. New Approach Idaho collected signatures in 2015 which would have established a medical cannabis program and decriminalize small amounts, but the following year it withdrew the petition due to wording issues. Later in 2016, another ballot initiative surfaced. Even this year, a legalization effort began but was cut short due to lack of signatures.

Idaho Gov. Brad Little did sign House Bill 1265 in April 2021, which made Idaho the 50th state to legalize industrial hemp. In September 2022, the Idaho Department of Agriculture announced that hemp and CBD products are not recognized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and therefore not allowed to be sold legally as feed for animals. “As such, these products are not approved feed ingredients and cannot lawfully be added to or incorporated into commercial feed. This includes feeds, treats and remedies intended for pets, livestock, or any other animal,” the Idaho Department of Agriculture said. This restriction took effect on Nov. 1.

Organizations such as the National Animal Group have spoken up about the restriction, urging legislators to lift the ban. “This decision will likely harm animals whose owners will no longer be able to access the products their pets rely on for a variety of health and wellness reasons,” stated a Change.org petition. “It will also have a serious economic impact on Idaho businesses that manufacture and sell these products.”

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