Biden Administration Will Not Block Safe Consumption Sites & Bipartisan Support To Stop Kratom Ban



Health and Human Services Sec. Xavier Becerra indicated that the Biden administration won’t block safe consumption sites for illegal drugs. But it’s primarily a Justice Department issue, and a brief due in federal court next week will make the government’s position clear.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) is “open-minded” to legalizing home cultivation of marijuana, saying he’s “not sure there’s a good answer” as to why the state still criminalizes recreational consumers or medical cannabis patients who grow their own.

The South Dakota legislature’s Marijuana Interim Study Committee approved a draft bill to legalize recreational cannabis. Meanwhile, activists are moving ahead with plans to put the marijuana issue back on the ballot in 2022.

Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) and Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI) sent a letter urging the Biden administration to resist efforts to internationally ban kratom.

Attorney General Merrick Garland discussed his support for eliminating the sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing.

Florida Hemp Advisory Committee will meet on Thursday at 3:00 PM with an open call meeting that is available to the public. You can listen in, but there will not be an opportunity to participate.

Mississippi’s House speaker said lawmakers may have to take up medical cannabis legalization in January instead of in a special session as planned.

Louisiana regulators are moving to allow hemp-derived delta-8 THC in food.

The Virginia legislature’s Cannabis Oversight Commission created a subcommittee to draft recommendations on potentially expediting recreational marijuana sales.

Montana regulators spoke about ongoing efforts to enact marijuana rules.

New Mexico regulators will hold a public hearing on proposed marijuana manufacturing, retail and courier rules on Thursday.

Activists in the Cayman Islands launched a proposed marijuana decriminalization referendum.

A study concluded that “wearing of developed functional hemp clothing with CBD extracts applied on the fabric surface was safe and caused improvement of skin condition, which can have an influence on slowing down of skin aging.”

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