A ballot initiative to scale back Massachusetts' marijuana legalization law has narrowly cleared the signature threshold to appear before voters in November, according to certification from the Secretary of the Commonwealth's Office.
In Virginia, lawmakers and police are working to determine whether the state accidentally eliminated all marijuana penalties for a full year, the result of ambiguous enactment language in legislation authorizing recreational cannabis sales.
North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein (D) restated his backing for legalizing cannabis, but House Speaker Destin Hall (R) said Republicans in his chamber have "no interest in doing any sort of marijuana, medicinal or otherwise."
Jim Berg of Greener Healing Ways wrote in an op-ed that the Hawaii Police Department's decision to end automatic denial of firearms permits to medical cannabis patients is a "long-overdue correction."
Federally, prosecutors indicted employees of an Oklahoma medical cannabis operation over illegal foreign pesticides. Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) noted on social media: "The DEA has finally started an administrative hearing over its proposed rule to place marijuana in Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act in recognition of its therapeutic value. Yet, the criminal penalties and mandatory minimums will not change if the DEA adopts the rule."
Elsewhere in the states: Oklahoma's attorney general announced enforcement action against illegal grow operations in Woodward; Kentucky's legislative Interim Joint Committee on Agriculture reviewed the state's medical cannabis program; the Michigan Supreme Court issued guidance clarifying that judges cannot automatically ban probationers from possessing or using marijuana; Virginia regulators released a list of physicians certified to recommend medical cannabis; and the Nevada Cannabis Advisory Commission's Subcommittee on Taxation is set to meet Monday. In Pennsylvania, a state senator questioned via social media whether residents would keep paying for medical cards once recreational sales become legal.
Internationally, Mexican health authorities said they would abide by a Supreme Court ruling declaring the country's marijuana use ban unconstitutional.
On research: a rat study found CBD reduces methamphetamine-induced neuroautophagy, suggesting therapeutic potential for meth-related neurotoxicity. Separately, researchers found that psychedelic use around politically charged dates like the Fourth of July may shift support for partisan violence, depending on the nature of the event.