Biggest international marijuana news of 2024; Psychedelics reform wins & losses; Cannabis pollen study

Subscribe to receive Marijuana Moment’s newsletter in your inbox every weekday morning. It’s the best way to make sure you know which cannabis stories are shaping the day.

Your support makes Marijuana Moment possible…

Your good deed for the day: donate to an independent publisher like Marijuana Moment and ensure that as many voters as possible have access to the most in-depth cannabis reporting out there.Support our work at https://www.patreon.com/marijuanamoment/ TOP THINGS TO KNOWThe Drug Enforcement Administration is under fire from NORML for failing to publish updated annual data on marijuana-related arrests and seizures as it has done in prior years.2024 saw big marijuana policy developments on the international stage—with Germany enacting legalization, Ukraine allowing medical cannabis, United Nations officials criticizing the war on drugs and more.The psychedelics reform movement saw wins and losses at both the federal and state levels in 2024, with the Food and Drug Administration’s rejection of MDMA-assisted therapy and the defeat of a Massachusetts legalization initiative but the passage of other state-level reforms and new federal funding for research.A new study on the spread of cannabis pollen looks at dynamics that contribute to the risk of cross-pollination between crops, finding that “pollen dispersal rates escalate from summer to autumn” and that it tends to travel further from its source during daytime—which could have implications for growers concerned about cross-pollination with nearby marijuana./ FEDERALSenate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) dodged questions about marijuana rescheduling and cannabis banking legislation.Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) discussed his views on marijuana rescheduling and cannabis banking legislation.Reps. Rich McCormick (R-GA) and Jack Bergman (R-MI) sent a letter urging the Food and Drug Administration to take action against isolated 7-hydroxymitragynine products mislabeled as kratom./ STATESCalifornia Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) appointed a deputy director of government affairs for the California Department of Cannabis Control.Indiana lawmakers discussed their views on marijuana legalization.Minnesota regulators published guidance on hemp-derived products.Massachusetts regulators published a bulletin on marijuana business license renewals and canopy sizes.—
Marijuana Moment is tracking more than 1,500 cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters pledging at least $25/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don’t miss any developments.

Learn more about our marijuana bill tracker and become a supporter on Patreon to get access.
—/ SCIENCE & HEALTHA study found that “following the 2018 legalization of non-medical use of cannabis in Canada, the prevalence of use of cannabis in the past year by a sample of Canadian workers increased steadily” but that “the prevalence of workplace cannabis use—that is, use at, during or within two hours before work—did not change.”A study found that “certain dimensions of psychedelic experience correlated with depression improvement.”/ BUSINESSSimply Solventless Concentrates Ltd. is acquiring Delta 9 Bio-Tech Inc.iAnthus Capital Holdings, Inc. is acquiring the Cheetah vape brand from Cheetah Enterprises Inc.

Make sure to subscribe to get Marijuana Moment’s daily dispatch in your inbox.