A letter asked a Drug Enforcement Administration judge to reconsider his rejection of livestreaming at the upcoming federal cannabis rescheduling hearing, starting next week—citing his order acknowledging that "national public interest in this issue predicates towards a policy of transparency."
Reps. Troy Carter (D-LA) and Dina Titus (D-NV) introduced legislation to create a marijuana-focused scholarship program for students pursuing cannabis careers and fund research on the plant at Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Hispanic-Serving Institutions.
Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy (R) let a criminal justice bill with marijuana conviction record-sealing provisions become law without signing it.
A Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management study of more than 6,000 chronic pain patients found 55 percent "were able to improve their life enjoyment and pain interference in general activity within 4 months of starting medical cannabis."
Jason Ortiz of Last Prisoner Project argued in an op-ed that the DEA's rescheduling hearing includes the "wrong voices": "A decision about whether to continue one of the most outdated and destructive drug policies in American history should not exclude the people and advocates most directly affected by it."
The Nebraska Medical Cannabis Commission authorized the state's first legal medical marijuana cultivation and voted to accept applications from product manufacturers.
Federal: A former USAID official criticized the Trump administration's "drug war" tactics in an op-ed. Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME) asked Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins to include hemp and other fibers in the Great American Cotton Plan.
States: Wisconsin Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mandela Barnes tweeted, "When I'm governor, we're going to legalize marijuana." A Connecticut representative responded to conflict-of-interest accusations over cannabis policy. Colorado regulators issued guidance on unified business license applications. Massachusetts regulators updated progress across four social consumption working groups. Rhode Island issued a final medical cannabis business license. Michigan regulators are surveying cannabis product recalls. California regulators sent cannabis updates. U.S. Virgin Islands Cannabis Advisory Board meets Thursday; Vermont regulators host a budtender training the same day.
Science & Health: A study found recreational marijuana legalization "may help to reduce the size of illegal cannabis markets, or there may be shifting law enforcement seizure priorities in those states." A review concluded that "both naturalistic and therapeutic use [of psychedelics] mitigate the effects of racial trauma."
Also: The Cannabis Council of Canada is suspending active operations. Curaleaf Holdings, Inc. shareholders approved several proposals. Seth Rogen discussed his role in normalizing cannabis use.