Part of a year-long series, longtime cannabis law reform advocate and historian Allen St. Pierre examines monthly for Cannabis Business Executive the last fifty years of cannabis prohibition and the public advocacy efforts in America to bring about the ongoing and inescapable socio-political changes underway first at the state, and soon, federal level regarding cannabis policy. […]
DEA
DEA reclassifies plant-derived marijuana medicine
According to a release issued by the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, Epidiolex, a prescription medicine containing a standardized formulation of plant-derived cannabidiol (CBD), has been reclassified by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration to Schedule V — the lowest restriction classification available under federal law. Epidiolex is the first prescription drug derived from the marijuana plant. […]
Inside The Trump Administration’s Secret War On Cannabis
The White House has secretly amassed a committee of federal agencies from across the government to combat public support for marijuana and cast state legalization measures in a negative light, while attempting to portray the drug as a national threat, according to interviews with agency staff and documents obtained by BuzzFeed News. The Marijuana Policy […]
Parents Worry Feds’ Potential OK Of Medical Marijuana Could Roll Back State Programs
A British pharmaceutical company is getting closer to a decision on whether the U.S government will approve the first prescription drug derived from the marijuana plant, but parents who for years have used cannabis to treat severe forms of epilepsy in their children are feeling more cautious than celebratory. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration […]
Fifty Years: How Marijuana Became Re-Legalized In America
Part of a year-long series, longtime cannabis law reform advocate and historian Allen St. Pierre examines monthly for Cannabis Business Executive the last fifty years of cannabis prohibition and the public advocacy efforts in America to bring about the ongoing and inescapable socio-political changes underway first at the state, and soon, federal level regarding cannabis policy. […]
Feds Unlikely To Pursue Michigan Medical Marijuana, But Treasury Will
There is good news and bad news for the fledgling marijuana industry in Michigan. The good news first: The federal budget passed by Congress and signed by President Donald Trump on Friday includes language that continues the policy that the federal government shouldn’t use resources to enforce federal drug laws in states that have legalized medical […]
New York Judge Tosses Lawsuit To Legalize Marijuana Nationally
A federal judge in New York tossed out a sweeping lawsuit Monday that sought to make marijuana legal under federal law, ruling that the plaintiffs had failed to take the necessary first step of asking the Drug Enforcement Administration to remove cannabis from its list of dangerous substances. The ruling by the judge, Alvin K. Hellerstein […]
DEA Asks Feds to Grow 978 Pounds of Marijuana for Research Next Year
443,680 grams. That’s how much marijuana the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) wants federally-licensed researchers to grow for use in scientific studies in 2018. That amounts to a little more than 978 pounds of government-cultivated cannabis. While that may sound like a lot, it’s actually a slight decrease from this year’s level. The 2018 aggregate production […]
Veterans Show Overwhelming Support for Medical Marijuana in Recent Survey
Veterans tend to be an older, more conservative group, but that doesn’t stop them from advocating for a radical change in direction from the nation’s outdated policies on marijuana. The American Legion, represents many conservative veterans, but that doesn’t stop it from taking progressive positions on certain key issues. A survey released Thursday by the American […]
DEA Reinforces That All Cannabis Extracts, Including CBD Oil, Are Schedule I Substances
The US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) made CBD oil a little more federally illegal in a little-noticed bureaucratic maneuver this morning. Today’s Federal Register (Dec. 14, 2016) contains an item (21 CFR Part 1308) that establishes a new drug code for “marihuana extract.” “This code,” wrote DEA Acting Administrator Chuck Rosenberg, “will allow DEA and […]
DEA Still Spending Thousands to Eradicate Marijuana Plants
The legalization of marijuana in the United States is a hot topic regardless of if you are for or against it. For states with strict laws against the possession of marijuana, the DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) has been giving various amounts of money to aid in eradicating marijuana plants within the state. The question is […]
DEA Actively Looking For Marijuana Researchers; Their Answer? No Thanks
Wanted: Someone to grow marijuana for the federal government. Benefits: A contract likely worth millions and the chance to enable medical research. Requirements: Ability to deal with the costs and regulations that come with growing an illegal drug for the federal government. For more than four decades, the University of Mississippi has had an exclusive […]
Big Pharma Seeks to Capitalize on Pain-Reducing Compound Derived From Cannabis
The medicinal properties of cannabidiol (better known as CBD), a compound found in the Cannabis sativa L. plant species, are quickly drawing the attention of scientists, plant-medicine lovers, dietary-supplement companies, venture capitalists, professional athletes and Big Pharma — not to mention people living with serious, chronic medical conditions. Insiders predict the burgeoning market will be […]
Not if but when: Cannabis Businesses Must Be Outstanding Corporate Citizens and prepare for Federal Regulations: Here’s how.
By Mica Gross, Director of Operations at Wana Brands Let’s step out of the cannabis industry for one moment, shall we? We spend so much time tangled up in the red tape of legalization that we sometimes forget to consider what it looks like from the outside: A federally illegal drug being produced and distributed […]
Washington State Will Move Ahead With Marijuana Research Plan
Washington state is moving ahead with its plans to allow scientific research of marijuana, sidestepping federal rules that critics say have hampered study of the drug for decades. The state has a new marijuana research license that will allow laboratories to grow marijuana for scientific study. State officials expect to start accepting applications for the […]
Getting Potential Marijuana Investors to ‘Sign the Check’ Can Be Tricky
This tops the previous record raise of $75 million by Privateer Holdings. However, raising the money isn’t as easy as it sounds. “There’s a big appetite to learn about the industry,” said Mark Riiska, chief operating officer at Tuatara, “But in terms of actually getting people to make a commitment was a bit of a […]
How Rescheduling Could Have Changed Cannabis Marketing
The DEA schedules substances, chemicals, and drugs into 5 classified categories. Between Schedule 1 to 5, the level of potential for abuse gets more likely as the number goes down; so Schedule 1 is listed as the most dangerous for the public and Schedule 5 the least. A Schedule 1 drug has been identified by […]
Rob Kampia: “It Barely Mattered Which Way the DEA Ruled”
In the wake of the DEA’s decision against rescheduling marijuana, the super-majority of the American people who support legalizing medical marijuana might properly wonder, “How bad is this news?” As the leader of the largest marijuana-policy-reform organization in the nation, my answer might surprise you: It barely mattered which way the DEA ruled. Back in […]
