VA sec visits psychedelics research center; CO psilocybin pardons; TX hemp ban poll; MN’s 1st marijuana licenses

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Hold on, just one second before you read today’s news. Have you thought about giving some financial support to Marijuana Moment? If so, today would be a great day to contribute. We’re planning our reporting for the coming months and it would really help to know what kind of support we can count on.Check us out on Patreon and sign up to give $25/month today:https://www.patreon.com/marijuanamoment/ TOP THINGS TO KNOWVeterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins visited a psychedelics research facility, saying it’s his “promise” to do what it takes to explore the substances’ benefits for military veterans—even if it’s going to “take some changes in Congress.”The Congressional Research Service said in a new report that lawmakers themselves could reschedule marijuana with “greater speed and flexibility” compared to an ongoing administrative process—while also avoiding judicial and international treaty challenges.Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) announced he is pardoning all past psilocybin possession convictions, following voters’ approval of a psychedelics legalization law and the legislature’s passage of a bill clearing the way for gubernatorial clemency.A new survey from Trump pollster Fabrizio, Lee & Associates shows that Texas voters across party lines oppose a bill to criminalize consumable hemp products with any amount of THC that’s on Gov. Greg Abbott’s (R) desk.The Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management issued the state’s first recreational marijuana license to Herb Quest, LLC, an outdoor cultivation microbusiness.The Rhode Island House Corporations Committee amended a bill to restrict hemp-derived THC drinks by replacing its text with a resolution  calling on the Cannabis Control Commission and other officials to issue recommendations for intoxicating hemp product rules. An Iowa representative said Gov. Kim Reynolds’s (R) veto of a bill to let doctors prescribe a form of psilocybin after federal approval was “unexpected” and that he looks forward to “having a conversation” with her “to learn more about her concerns.”Texas military veterans are concerned that if Gov. Greg Abbott (R) signs a bill to ban consumable hemp products with THC that’s on his desk, they will need to return to opioids or the illegal marijuana market to treat their pain./ FEDERALThe Drug Enforcement Administration promoted an article about a teen whose “experience with drugs began with cannabis, but…moved on to ketamine, a dissociative anesthetic that has hallucinogenic effects.”Former Rep. Greg Walden (R-OR) authored a letter to the editor about bipartisan public support for cannabis reform./ STATESNebraska’s attorney general sent cease and desist letters to 82 stores allegedly selling illegal THC products.The New Jersey Assembly Labor Committee approved a bill to protect cannabis business employees’ rights to join a union.A Delaware senator discussed his bill to limit local restrictions on marijuana businesses.Oklahoma representatives congratulated the state’s top medical marijuana regulator for being named president of the Cannabis Regulators Association.Colorado regulators sent a bulletin about a recall of marijuana products that contain pesticides above  acceptable limits.Minnesota regulators will post a list of tax-delinquent cannabis businesses on July 15.Vermont regulators said they will soon publish guidance about medical cannabis product packaging and labeling.Massachusetts regulators are continuing to work on rules for cannabis social consumption businesses.New York regulators are conducting a survey on cannabis education and technical assistance.
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/ LOCALNew York City’s mayor said former Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D), who is also running for mayor, “put a bad law in place” with marijuana legalization./ INTERNATIONALNew Zealand’s associate health minister announced that officials approved the prescription of medical psilocybin outside of clinical trials./ SCIENCE & HEALTHA study underscores “the potential of CBD-enriched cannabis oil and ω-3 as a novel therapeutic approach for neuropathic pain management, offering promising implications for future research and clinical practice.”A study of rats suggested that “CBDne exerts broad neuroprotective, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects, targeting central and peripheral α-synucleinopathies and oxidative damage” and that “its ability to modulate inflammation, oxidative stress and protein aggregation highlights its therapeutic potential for controlling the motor and non-motor symptoms of” Parkinson’s Disease./ BUSINESSAurora Cannabis Inc. reported quarterly net revenue of C$90.5 million and a net loss from continuing operations of C$17.2 million.Gotham Dispensary workers in Brooklyn, New York voted to join Local 338 RWDSU/UFCW.Cookies was awarded $22.7 million by a California judge in a dispute with Cookies Retail.cPort Credit Union is discontinuing banking services for Maine medical cannabis caregivers not affiliated with licensed businesses./ CULTUREJimmy Kimmel and Jon Stewart played a game of “Who’s High?”

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