heading into The midterms
The first standalone cannabis bill could be soon headed to President Joe Biden’s desk, and one can only hope that this is a sign that the House and the Senate can get SAFE done! Ultimately, it is probably not a big deal, just something for lawmakers to campaign on as we head into the midterms.
The House and Senate are expected to vote on medical marijuana research legislation next week after an agreement was reached to merge House and Senate bills that cleared both chambers with strong bipartisan support earlier this year. The bill would instruct federal agencies to research the potential benefits and harms of medical marijuana, as well as how to measure impairment and safe driving. It would also specify regulations for approving research licenses and cultivation licenses for research and would protect doctors who discuss the harms and benefits of medical marijuana with their patients. Because it is a Schedule, I drug on the CSA, which means it has no medical benefits and a high propensity to addiction, there is little research on the plant. The bill is expected to come up for votes next week and will almost certainly pass. The president is expected to sign the legislation.
Patients And Schedule 1 Drugs.
Sens. Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Rand Paul (R-KY), along with Reps. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and Nancy Mace (R-SC), filed companion bills on Wednesday to clarify that federal "Right to Try" laws give seriously ill patients access to schedule 1 drugs like psychedelics and marijuana. “Recent studies suggest that MDMA and psilocybin could represent an enormous advancement in mental health and psychopharmacology,” Booker said in a press release. “Unfortunately, many eligible patients who urgently need care do not currently have access to these promising therapies. This legislation will put the patient first and help ensure access to life-changing and life-saving drugs.” This bill could have a direct impact on the case against the DEA which are be sued for not giving an oncology doctor access to psilocybin to treat a terminally ill cancer patient.
South Dakota Going Medical.
At least one dispensary is scheduled to open next week near Sioux Falls, which will be the start of the medical cannabis market in South Dakota. The opening would come 20 months after voters approved medical marijuana at the ballot box in November 2020. Right now we only know that this one dispensary is scheduled to open on 7/27, but the state has listed 69 certified dispensaries, 29 cultivators, 11 processors and two testing laboratories. We don't expect this to be a large market, since as of July 18 they had approved 1,614 patient cards, but this shows the timeframe for other states in which cannabis reform will be on their November ballot.
