PA GOP lieutenant governor candidate: Legal marijuana “catastrophic”; DOJ psilocybin rescheduling letter; Tariffs’ impacts on cannabis biz

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…

Free to read (but not free to produce)! We’re proud of our newsletter and the reporting we publish at Marijuana Moment, and we’re happy to provide it for free. But it takes a lot of work and resources to make this happen. If you value Marijuana Moment, invest in our success on Patreon so we can expand our coverage and more readers can benefit: https://www.patreon.com/marijuanamoment / TOP THINGS TO KNOWVirginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) spoke about why she vetoed legislation to legalize recreational marijuana sales—saying she supports the overall reform but had concerns about a “rushed timeline” and “aggressively” too many dispensaries across the state.Pennsylvania Republican lieutenant governor nominee Jason Richey said legalizing marijuana would be “catastrophic”—arguing it would increase the size of the illegal market, undermine job creation and harm public health.

• “Employers don’t want to come to the state because they don’t want a workforce on drugs. DUI, or impaired driving up, mental health up, ER visits up. I mean, who wants that?”

An attorney for a doctor who filed a seemingly stalled petition to reschedule psilocybin sent a letter saying the Department of Justice should “promptly move forward” with the reform in light of President Donald Trump’s psychedelics executive order.Justin Leiby, who conducts an annual survey of businesses for the Illinois Cannabis Regulation Oversight Office, argues in a new Marijuana Moment op-ed that the cost increase from tariffs “erases most of the benefit from 280E penalty relief”—with the impact hitting hardest on certain sectors of the industry./ FEDERALThe Drug Enforcement Administration took enforcement action against unlicensed marijuana dispensaries in New York.National Institute on Drug Abuse Director Nora Volkow discussed the therapeutic potential of psychedelics and her visit to an ibogaine clinic.The National Transportation Safety Board published a report on drug use trends in aviation that shows an increase in positive marijuana tests.The Congressional Research Service included an analysis of hemp laws in a report about the Farm Bill.The House bill to repeal a law requiring the White House drug czar to oppose marijuana legalization got one new cosponsor for a total of two./ STATESMaryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) discussed his mass marijuana pardons in a speech at a Center for American Progress conference.Illinois lawmakers filed legislation to revise various cannabis rules.A Virginia criticized Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s (D) veto of legislation to legalize recreational marijuana sales.A Montana representative was charged with aggravated driving under the influence, with a police officer saying he “instantly smelled fresh and burnt marijuana” upon opening the door of her car.The Indiana Supreme Court suspended a judge without pay for 60 days after finding he “committed judicial misconduct by ingesting marijuana over a four-month period, causing his impairment at a county council meeting and his otherwise erratic and agitated demeanor.”Washington State regulators are taking steps to implement legislation allowing cannabis producer businesses to form cooperatives and agricultural associations.Minnesota regulators suspended testing operations at a cannabis lab for allegedly failing to address “security and testing requirements.”Delaware’s top cannabis regulator discussed pending legislation to limit THC drink sales to liquor and marijuana stores and microbreweries.New Jersey regulators published a post on oversight of hemp THC products.Missouri regulators posted a new episode of their marijuana podcast.Oregon regulators are accepting applications to serve on a psilocybin services Rules Advisory Committee./ LOCALBoston, Massachusetts officials will celebrate Cannabis Empowerment Week from June 15 to 21./ SCIENCE & HEALTHA study found that “a quarter of the patients with arthritis already used cannabis, and many patients regarded cannabis as an effective pain treatment option.”A review concluded that “psilocybin-assisted therapy appears to be a promising investigational approach for depressive disorders, with rapid onset and possible medium-term benefit in some patients.”/ ADVOCACY, OPINION & ANALYSISThe Virginian-Pilot editorial board said Gov. Abigail  Spanberger’s (D) veto of a marijuana sales legalization bill is “astounding.”/ BUSINESSJushi is pausing a planned expansion of operations in Virginia in light of Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s (D) veto of legislation to legalize recreational marijuana sales.New Mexico retailers have sold more than $2.2 billion worth of legal marijuana products since recreational sales launched in 2022./ CULTUREWiz Khalifa has been put on Romanian police’s wanted list stemming from a conviction related to his allegedly smoking marijuana on stage during a concert in the country.

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

Photo courtesy of Mike Latimer.