Bipartisan Amendment Would Let VA Physicians Recommend Medical Cannabis to Veterans

Reps. Brian Mast (R-FL), Dave Joyce (R-OH), and Dina Titus (D-NV) filed an amendment allowing veterans to receive medical cannabis recommendations from Department of Veterans Affairs doctors. A bipartisan coalition of 32 members of Congress urged the FDA to expedite psychedelic therapy approvals with “transparency, urgency and scientific rigor.” Sen. Jim Banks (R-IN) wrote to Indiana Gov. Mike Braun (R) urging him to “maintain the state’s prohibitions on marijuana use” after Braun said federal cannabis rescheduling made state legalization “more likely.” The White House released a drug-trafficking-focused Counterterrorism Strategy; ONDCP Director Sara Carter discussed the National Drug Control Strategy in TV interviews. Nebraska independent Senate candidate Dan Osborn tweeted: “Nebraska has a $72 million budget deficit. Property taxes are crushing working families. Medical marijuana and industrial hemp would be an economic lifeline for Nebraska farmers and generate millions in tax revenue.”

California’s Assembly Appropriations Committee approved a marijuana dispensary drive-thru bill, subject to local approval. Connecticut lawmakers sent Gov. Ned Lamont (D) a bill reinstating THC potency caps on cannabis flower, reversing a recent reform. An Ohio judge heard arguments on a preliminary injunction against a new hemp THC product restriction law. Texas officials appealed a hemp injunction, briefly resuming enforcement before a court reinstated it. Pennsylvania’s House Majority Policy Committee promoted equity provisions in marijuana legalization legislation. The Kansas Silver Haired Legislature included medical cannabis in its priorities. Oklahoma regulators published guidance on federal rescheduling and related litigation. Massachusetts issued Cannabis Social Equity Trust Fund guidance. New York approved additional cannabis licenses.

An American Medical Association study found “psilocybin shows promise as a novel treatment for cocaine use disorder,” with psilocybin-treated participants showing “significantly greater percentages of cocaine abstinent days, higher rates of complete abstinence from cocaine, and a decreased risk of cocaine lapse over time.”

Trulieve Cannabis Corp. reported Q1 revenue of $286.8 million. TerrAscend Corp. posted Q1 net revenue of $65.5 million and a net loss from continuing operations of $6.8 million. The NLRB rejected BeLeaf Medical’s claim that pre-roll workers at its St. Louis, Missouri facility are exempt from federal labor protections. Innovative Industrial Properties, Inc. closed a $56.5 million secured term loan. Prohibitionist group Smart Approaches to Marijuana is raising funds to challenge federal marijuana rescheduling.

Mike Tyson sidestepped Jimmy Kimmel’s question about smoking marijuana at President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, though he discussed his psychedelics use generally.