News Category
OR Decrim In Effect, Senate Leadership Marijuana Legalization Plan, More…(2/1/21)
Oregon becomes the first state to implement drug decriminalization, Virginia marijuana legalization bills are moving, a New Jersey bill could help break the marijuana legalization…
Frequent cannabis use by young people linked to decline in IQ
A study has found that adolescents who frequently use cannabis may experience a decline in Intelligence Quotient (IQ) over time. The findings of the research…
Legal cannabis stores linked to fewer opioid deaths in the United States
Access to legal cannabis stores is associated with a reduction in opioid related deaths in the United States, particularly those linked to synthetic opioids such…
Canada Considers Drug Decriminalization, DOJ Rescinds Tough Sessions-Era Sentencing Guidance, More… (1/29/21)
State legislatures are dealing with marijuana bills, the Justice Department reverts to less harsh charging and sentencing policies, and more.Marijuana PolicyIdaho Bill to…
White House Kills Expanded Buprenorphine Access (At Least for Now), Mexican Poppy Farmers Tell Army to Get Lost, More… (1/28/21)
A challenge to South Dakota's voter-approved marijuana legalization initiative gets its day in court, the Biden administration rolls back a Trump administration expansion of buprenorphine…
The dangers of drugged driving are outpacing drunk driving
A recent study of drugged driving shows that a sizable percentage of individuals reported the use of marijuana and other illicit drugs while operating behind…
NM & UT Safe Injection Site Bills, FL & GA Therapeutic Psilocybin Bills, More… (1/27/21)
There's a marijuana legalization bill filed in Maryland, a second Houston police officer has been indicted on murder charges in a misbegotten drug raid that…
Cannabis use both helps and hurts entrepreneurial creativity
When entrepreneurs dream up ideas for new businesses, cannabis use might help, and hinder, their creativity, according to a new study.
Drink and drug risk is lower among optimistic pupils with 'happy' memories
Teenagers with happy childhood memories are likely to drink less, take fewer drugs and enjoy learning, according to new research.
NJ AG Extends Moratorium on Small-Time Pot Prosecutions, New Plant Medicine Coalition Eyes Congress, More… (1/26/21)
Delaware's auditor says marijuana legalization is a no-brainer, a second medical marijuana bill is filed in Kentucky, Bay State pot shop owners drop a lawsuit…
Study Finds Meth Deaths Rose Steadily in Recent Years, USSC Charts Rise in Fed Fentanyl Cases, More… (1/25/21)
Marijuana legalization bills are filed in Florida and Hawaii, a bill to protect medical marijuana-using veterans is filed in Congress, and more.Marijuana PolicyFlorida…
VA Pot Legalization Bill Advances, Japan Ponders Harsher Pot Penalties, More… (1/22/21)
California's governor signs an executive order preventing medical marijuana ID cards from expiring during the pandemic, Mexico continues to rage against the abortive DEA arrest…
First Federal Marijuana Reform Bill of 2021 Filed, VA Marijuana Legalization Bill Advances, More… (1/21/21)
The first federal marijuana reform bill of the new session has been filed, a draft of the Connecticut governor's marijuana legalization bill is now circulating,…
Trump Pardons or Commutes Sentences for Dozens of Drug Offenders, AZ Adult Pot Sales to Begin, More… (1/20/21)
A marijuana legalization bill gets filed in North Dakota, organized opposition to marijuana legalization rears its head in Virginia, and more.Marijuana PolicyArizona Recreational…
US and Mexico in Drug War Tiff, IL Passes Bill to Abolish Cash Bail, Santa Fe DA Softens Drug Charges, More… (1/19/21)
Marijuana legalization and medical marijuana bills get filed in Nebraska, the US and Mexico spar over the undone arrest of a former defense minister, a…
Feds Loosen Up Buprenorphine Prescribing, VA Marijuana Legalization Bill Filed, More… (1/15/21)
State legislatures are beginning to turn their sights to marijuana legalization, the Trump administration loosens restrictions on prescribing buprenorphine for opioid use disorder, and more.[image:1…
Federal Appeals Court Rules Safe Injection Sites Illegal, Poll Finds Most Think Pot Safer than Alcohol, More… (1/13/21)
A federal appeals court has put the kibosh on a proposed Philadelphia safe injection site, a Michigan prosecutors says no more magic mushrooms prosecutions, and…
NJ Pot Legalization Implementation Bill in Limbo, NY Governor Calls Again for Pot Legalization, More… (1/12/21)
New Jersey's governor and legislative leaders are at odds over punishing young marijuana offenders, a battle over what legalization will look like is shaping up…
CA "Contingency Management" Meth Treatment Bill Filed, NJ Marijuana Mess, More… (1/11/21)
Voter-approved marijuana legalization initiatives are running into problems with elected officials, federal prosecutors say the Honduran president was taking big bribes from drug traffickers, and…
Marijuana use typically drops at the beginning of the year, then climbs in summer and fall
Marijuana use increases throughout the calendar year, with use up 13 percent on average at the end of each year compared to the beginning.
More than half of people using cannabis for pain experience multiple withdrawal symptoms
More than half of people who use medical marijuana products to ease pain also experience clusters of multiple withdrawal symptoms when they’re between uses, a…
These 5 States Are Well-Placed to Legalize Marijuana This Year [FEATURE]
Last year, the number of states that have ended pot prohibition reached 15 (and the District of Columbia), as voters in four states—Arizona, Montana, New…
NY, CT Governors Renew Calls for Marijuana Legalization, VA Legalization Bills Filed, More… (1/7/21)
East Coast governors start the push for marijuana legalization this year, a Tennessee lawmaker files a bill to allow out-of-staters who have medical marijuana cards…
NY Marijuana Legalization Bill Pre-Filed, UNODC Warns on Innovative Meth Production Practices, More… (1/6/21)
New Jersey lawmakers attempt to move forward with implementing voter-approved marijuana legalization, the UNODC warns of innovative meth production practices in Asia, and more.[image:1 align:left…
MO GOP State Senator Pre-Files Marijuana Legalization Referendum Bill, MI Prosecutor Goes No Cash Bail, More… (1/5/21)
A Utah bill would once again allow any doctor to recommend medical marijuana, the prosecutor in Michigan's Washtenaw County ends cash bail, and more.[image:1 align:right…
DC Decriminalizes Drug Paraphernalia; Pot Possession, Cultivation Now Legal in MT, More… (1/4/21)
Illinois has expunged nearly half a million marijuana arrests years ahead of schedule, a New Mexico court rules that people under correctional control can use…
The Top Ten International Drug Policy Stories of 2020 [FEATURE]
As we wave an eager goodbye to 2020 in the rearview mirror, it's time to assess the good, the bad, and the ugly when it…
We Just Won an Old Fight
Dear reformer,One never knows when something good is going to happen. Last night, with the signing of the budget and stimulus bill, the drug conviction…
For First Time, CDC Recommends Pill-Testing; NH Supreme Court Psilocybin Religious Freedom Ruling, More… (12/24/20)
One Maryland lawmaker already has a marijuana legalization bill ready to go, the CDC recommends harm reduction programs use pill-testing (drug checking), and more.[image:1 align:left…
Congressional Progressive Caucus Calls for Quick Legal Weed, Trump Pardons Weldon Angelos, More… (12/23/20)
Idaho activists are already eyeing 2022, President Trump and Michigan Governor Whitmer pardon drug offenders, and more.Marijuana PolicyCongressional Progressive Caucus Calls for Marijuana…
Cannabis use blunts stress reactivity in female rats
Female rats that inhaled vaporized cannabis daily for a month developed a blunted physiological response to stress, according to a new study. In contrast, male…
Congress Restores Financial Aid for Students with Drug Convictions, CA Fentanyl Task Force Bill Filed, More… (12/22/20)
Heroin and Prescription OpioidsCalifornia Bill to Create Law Enforcement Fentanyl Task Force Filed. State Senator Pat Bates (R-Laguna Niguel) has reintroduced a bill,…
CDC Says Drug ODs Hit Record High Amid Pandemic, NJ Pot Legalization Lacks Home Grow Provision, More… (12/21/20)
Another Mexican politican gets gunned down, the Scottish public health minister has been fired over record overdose deaths, and more.Marijuana PolicyNew Jersey's Marijuana…
OR Largest County Ends Drug Possession Prosecutions; NJ Marijuana, Psilocybin Bills Pass, More… (12/16/20)
The DEA has published a rule that will finally allow for an end to the government monopoly on marijuana grown for research purposes, the Mexican…
Drugs and the Year from Hell: The Top 10 Domestic Drug Policy Stories of 2020 [FEATURE]
What a year! Pandemic, civic unrest, national elections–2020 has been a year of tumult that can't be done with soon enough. But when it comes…
Experimental vaccine can counter dangerous effects of synthetic cannabinoids
Made in clandestine laboratories and sold widely across the United States, the diverse class of drugs known as synthetic cannabinoids presents a growing public health…
Senate Approves Marijuana Research Bill, ICC Preliminary Report on Philippine Drug War, More… (12/16/20)
A California bill wound put an end to mandatory minimum sentences for some drug offenses, Toronto is moving to open safe injection sites in select…
NORML Calls on Biden to Abolish Drug Czar's Office, NJ Legal Pot Implementation Bill Advances, More… (12/15/20)
Medical marijuana bills are coming in Kentucky and South Carolina, a bill to implement voter-approved marijuana legalization in New Jersey is advancing, and more.[image:1 align:right…
Patrick Kennedy Wants to Be Drug Czar, NJ MJ Implementation Bill Heard, More… (12/14/20)
Jostling over who will be named Joe Biden's drug czar has begun, Arizona gets working on rules for the nascent legal marijuana industry, more cartel…
Santa Cruz Needle Exchange Hit With NIMBY Lawsuit, Mexico Supreme Court OKs Delay in Legal Pot Vote, More… (12/11/20)
The Mexican Supreme Court grants another extension on its deadline to end marijuana prohibition, the Oakland city council will next week take up a measure…