Congressional panel: Keep testing truckers for marijuana; GOP lawmakers “troubled” over 280E tax relief; LA medical cannabis bill; AL sales start

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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 KNOWThe House Appropriations Committee approved a funding bill and report that directs federal officials to continue drug testing truck drivers, airline pilots and other safety-sensitive workers for marijuana—regardless of the Trump administration’s cannabis rescheduling move.Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) and House Budget  Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington (R-TX) sent a letter telling Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent they are “troubled” that marijuana businesses will be eligible for tax relief under rescheduling and pressing him for answers on how removal of the 280E penalty will apply.Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry (R) allowed a bill to let patients with terminal and irreversible conditions use medical cannabis in hospitals to take effect without his signature.Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont (D) signed a bill to expand a psychedelic pilot program to let all adults who meet eligibility criteria participate—instead of just veterans, retired first responders and healthcare workers—in anticipation of federal approval of psilocybin or MDMA.The Women’s National Basketball Association and WNBA Players Association approved a new collective bargaining agreement that removes marijuana from the banned substances list and sets out rules for how players can invest in and promote cannabis companies.Alabama medical cannabis sales have finally launched, five years after lawmakers passed legalization legislation./ FEDERALThe U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit ruled that rap lyrics and a music video can be admitted as evidence in a drug trafficking case.Nebraska independent Senate candidate Don Osborn tweeted that Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-NE) “is doing everything he can to DENY Nebraskans access to medical marijuana… He’s preventing cancer patients and kids with seizure disorders from getting the medicine they desperately need. Meanwhile, the Ricketts family owns the Chicago Cubs, the first MLB team to sell hemp-derived drinks at Wrigley Field. To Pete Ricketts, marijuana is good if his family can profit off it. Bad if it can benefit Nebraskans.”/ STATESSouth Carolina Democratic gubernatorial candidates discussed their support for marijuana reform during a debate.Oklahoma Republican gubernatorial candidate Mike Mazzei said he wants to crack down on illegal marijuana growing operations but does “not support wiping out Oklahoma-based businesses who want to properly provide some product” through the medical cannabis program.The New York Senate confirmed Gov. Kathy Hochul’s (D) nominee to lead the Office of Cannabis Management.Washington State regulators approved changes to marijuana advertising rules.Michigan regulators filed a complaint against a marijuana business over alleged violations.South Dakota regulators published updated states on patients participating in the medical cannabis program.Minnesota regulators sent a newsletter with updates on various cannabis issues./ LOCALDenver, Colorado officials published an updated list of neighborhoods with an “undue” concentration of marijuana businesses./ INTERNATIONALNew South Wales, Australia’s government is proposing legislation to protect medical cannabis patients from driving under the influence charges./ SCIENCE & HEALTHA study found that “combining THC and CBD with cisplatin results in enhanced and mechanistically diverse anticancer effects, with a higher degree of selectivity for cervical cancer cells compared to non-cancerous MCF-12A cells by inducing apoptosis and autophagy while inhibiting DNA repair capacity.”A study found that “in New York State, geographic inaccessibility of medical dispensaries and the high costs of certification and cannabis products are central barriers to medical cannabis program participation.”/ ADVOCACY, OPINION & ANALYSISThe National Compassionate Care Council formed a medical advisory board./ BUSINESSTrulieve Cannabis Corp. is moving to segregate its “mixed-use cannabis business from its medical cannabis business in order to apply to list” on the New York Stock Exchange.Village Farms International, Inc. shareholders elected board of directors members.

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Photo courtesy of Mike Latimer.