Today in cannabis news: Advocates in Portland, Oregon seek for the decriminalization of psychedelic production, gifting, and communal ceremonies; while wider legislative reform is being discussed, a U.S. congressperson urges for the enactment of cannabis banking legislation; and the U.S. federal government funds research into hemp fiber insulation as an environmentally safe option.
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First up: Advocates in Portland, Oregon are pushing for city officials to approve a resolution decriminalizing the production, giving, and ceremonial utilization of psychedelics. It’s a step they claim will bridge the landmark statewide drug law reform measures passed by voters in November 2020.
Although the approved ballot initiatives legalized psilocybin treatments and decriminalized possession of all presently illegal drugs, the Plant Medicine Healing Alliance (PMHA) claims that some key activities are still in jeopardy of being criminalized. Gifting and psychedelic ceremonies employing entheogenic substances like ayahuasca and ibogaine would be listed as Portland’s lowest police interests under the new local policy they are seeking the City Commission to enact.
The necessity of collaborating with indigenous peoples in the development of the resolution has been highlighted by PMHA. Because of the sustainability problems, they decided to omit peyote and DMT generated from toads from the proposal.
Next up: While the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bipartisan bill to safeguard banking institutions that engage with state-licensed cannabis businesses four months ago, a companion bill in the Senate has stagnated, and the House sponsor is growing frustrated.
Although Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D-CO) recognizes the Senate’s effort for a more extensive close to federal cannabis prohibition, and they concur that fostering social equity is a worthy goal, they believe the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act is direly required to fix public safety concerns stemming from the industry’s absence of availability to formal banking.
Furthermore, because of its narrower emphasis, the banking bill has a much better likelihood of Senate approval. Thus, Perlmutter says that modest reform is preferable to none at all, and that the SAFE Banking Act must be voted on as soon as possible.
Last up: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is funding a contract to build hemp fiber insulation that is more environmentally and public health friendly than current options. Tommy Gibbons, COO of Hempitecture, based in the state of Idaho, was provided a $90,000 annual stipend and upwards of $200,000 to gain insights into the insulation product by the department.
DOE is particularly focused on the business’s HempWool, which is billed as “the most sustainable, high performing insulation material on the planet.” The hemp-derived product offers high heat resistance and a reduced carbon footprint, in addition to being a non-toxic option in contrast to current insulation products.
According to a description of the project from the DOE, Hempitecture “plans to conduct research and testing on new, proprietary blends of its insulation material to improve its insulation value and fire resistance,” and “onshore insulation manufacturing using industrial hemp waste from American farmers.”
It adds: “An emphasis on healthy and low carbon building materials has sparked a search for solutions from consumers and government to rebuild better infrastructure and reduce the massive footprint of the built environment.”
The DOE’s Innovation Crossroads program is assisting in the achievement of a goal of President Joe Biden’s administration of increasing sustainable energy use and lowering carbon emissions.
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