An estimated two out of three Americans believe that cannabis should be legal for recreational purposes. Support for legalization was strongest among self-identified Democrats (79 percent) and Independents (71 percent). By contrast, fewer than one in two Republicans (46 percent) expressed support for legalizing cannabis.
A federal court on Friday denied a petition for a writ of mandamus that sought to order the US Drug Enforcement Administration to begin licensing private entities that wish to cultivate cannabis.
A 23-member task force has issued explicit policy recommendations to Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham regarding the legalization and regulation of cannabis. The Press Secretary for the Governor says, “The next steps will be to incorporate the recommendations of this working group into balanced legislation and working to win the support of legislators and stakeholders ahead of the session.”
Regulators at the Maine Office of Marijuana Policy affirmed this week that they expect adult-use marijuana sales to begin in the spring of 2020.
Researchers concluded, “Our findings are consistent with prior surveys of American and Canadian marijuana users in which substitution of marijuana for opioids was prevalent due to better symptom management and fewer adverse and withdrawal effects.”
The enactment of adult-use marijuana legalization laws is not associated with any significant increase in cannabis-related activity in neighboring states and counties, according to a federally funded report published by the nonprofit Justice Research and Statistics Association.
Investigators from Department of Justice and Criminology at Washington State University reported, “Our results from Colorado and Washington suggest that legalization has not had major detrimental effects on public safety.”
The total number of persons arrested in the United States for violating marijuana laws rose for the third consecutive year, according to data released by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The Pennsylvania Board of Pardons has created an expedited process to review and grant pardon applications for those with marijuana-related records. “These people have done no harm to anyone else,” Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman said. “They shouldn’t continue to suffer with employment and housing issues because they were convicted of doing something that most Pennsylvanians don’t even think should be illegal.”
Updated data provided today by the US Centers for Disease Control reports over 800 cases of acute respiratory distress linked to the use of portable vapor cartridges used to consume certain e-liquids. Of the products tested thus far by the US Food and Drug Administration, about half have identified the presence of Vitamin E acetate.
