:::::::USA Set to Reschedule Cannabis::::::: HHS Releases Recommendation Documents:::::::

[pipeline]

So the feds are alright with THC so long as its synthetic and derived from hemp?

The terpenes which occur naturally as part of the medical cannabis resin are necessary to make the effect of THC more positive with less side effects, and also helps improve the potency so a lower dose THC is required to achieve the desired effect.

 

[pipeline]

The issue of cannabis reform is turning into a political football. Federal legislators will continue to sit on it for 4 more years until the next election. DEA and federal agencies will drag out the process as long as possible which will, in part, be a political benefit to democrat controlled states.

Is this a form of punishment for republicans and republican controlled states? Does this harm those states who choose to wait for feds to make significant lawful reform first through a lawful process?

Nothing is going to change anytime soon, and if it does, only a few types of medical conditions will have clearance for medical use of cannabis according to the Federal Government similar to the way Kentucky is beginning medical use.

The process will be dragged out as long as possible so that the Federal Government isn't as likely to be held accountable for carrying out such a harmful failed policy of prohibition and refusing to change it. They have to make it look like they had a reason to hold off for so many years to make reforms.

They have already delayed this initial hearing another 3 months because of something as minor as asking for more information for the list of groups to testify in the hearing.

 

[Sweatloaf]

The issue of cannabis reform is turning into a political football. Federal legislators will continue to sit on it for 4 more years until the next election. DEA and federal agencies will drag out the process as long as possible which will, in part, be a political benefit to democrat controlled states.

Is this a form of punishment for republicans and republican controlled states? Does this harm those states who choose to wait for feds to make significant lawful reform first through a lawful process?

Nothing is going to change anytime soon, and if it does, only a few types of medical conditions will have clearance for medical use of cannabis according to the Federal Government similar to the way Kentucky is beginning medical use.

The process will be dragged out as long as possible so that the Federal Government isn't as likely to be held accountable for carrying out such a harmful failed policy of prohibition and refusing to change it. They have to make it look like they had a reason to hold off for so many years to make reforms.

They have already delayed this initial hearing another 3 months because of something as minor as asking for more information for the list of groups to testify in the hearing.

I think it's like political tennis. It's being lobbed back and forth in perpetual inaction. Realistically we could actually be sitting here ten years from now and have nothing really change much at all from today (fed level).

 

[pipeline]

I am thinking thats the way this may end up going. They may in the near future within a couple years likely allow medical use for a handfull of serious medical conditions. If thats the way it remains and prohibition for adult-use isn't lifted, it will be dangerous for a lot of people for risk of arrest or asset forfeiture.

Some states will follow choose to hold the line to follow whatever guidelines feds set as they go, but I would think they will have to do at least some level of loosening the consequences reform for adult use, I would think. Seems like an oppressive regime if they don't loosen the consequences because there are so many people from other states who may be in posession of cannabis traveling through or visiting the state.

 

[pipeline]

By only allowing a handful of medical conditions to access cannabis it will continue to put patients who use cannabis for other medical uses at risk of arrest.

There needs to be a constitutional amendment to repeal the prohibition like they did with alcohol.

 

[pipeline]

Researcher Asks Federal Court To Halt DEA Marijuana Rescheduling Hearings Over Allegations Of Illegal Proceedings And Agency Bias

A marijuana and psychedelics researcher has filed a lawsuit in federal court alleging that the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) violated multiple laws in setting a hearing to further consider the Biden administration’s cannabis rescheduling proposal—and he’s asking for an order halting the...

www.marijuanamoment.net

Researcher Asks Federal Court To Halt DEA Marijuana Rescheduling Hearings Over Allegations Of Illegal Proceedings And Agency Bias​

A marijuana and psychedelics researcher has filed a lawsuit in federal court alleging that the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) violated multiple laws in setting a hearing to further consider the Biden administration’s cannabis rescheduling proposal—and he’s asking for an order halting the proceedings until those issues are resolved.
In a complaint filed with the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington on Monday, Panacea Plant Sciences founder and CEO David Heldreth laid out several allegations against DEA that he says warrant judicial intervention in the agency’s plans to hold an administrative hearing on the Justice Department’s proposal to move cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA).
An initial hearing is currently scheduled for December 2, coming months after a public comment period closed. Panacea was among numerous organizations that requested to participate in the hearing, but it was not among the 25 witnesses selected by DEA Administrator Anne Milgram late last month.

Heldreth said in the court filing that the agency’s hearing should be stayed for four main reasons, including alleged violations of a Clinton-era executive order requiring federal bodies to consult with tribal entities on rulemaking decisions that impact them, as well as the Regulatory Flexibility Act and Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act
Notably, he also argued that his and Panacea’s exclusion from the hearing appears to be retaliatory, calling it a “punishment for challenging DEA rule-making and other legal activities.”

That refers to Panacea’s separate efforts to block DEA from moving forward with its proposed ban on various psychedelic compounds. In 2022, for example, the company was among those in the scientific community that pushed back against the agency’s plans to prohibit two psychedelic compounds that they said hold significant therapeutic potential.
A DEA administrative judge also recently denied the agency’s request to block a series of witnesses from the psychedelics hearing, including Panacea, and evidentiary exhibits in a forthcoming hearing on its plans to ban the psychedelics—2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodoamphetamine (DOI) and 2,5-dimethoxy-4-chloroamphetamine (DOC).

“The DEA administrator has shown in previous DEA hearings that she oversteps legal boundaries and is now continuing that by punishing Panacea Plant Sciences and myself for resisting the DEA’s attempts to ban psychedelics,” Heldreth told Marijuana Moment on Friday. “Additionally, the DEA didn’t follow tribal consultation or small organization consultation regulations or laws. These violations require the rule to be withdrawn and redone correctly.”
“I think it’s perfect timing during Native American history month to be pushing a lawsuit to require the government to follow tribal consultation. Native American sovereignty must be upheld,” he added.
The legal complaint seeks an “injunction against defendants barring any further administrative proceedings or scheduling attempts on marijuana, and staying any hearings or deadlines in the administrative proceedings until this case is heard.”

While an initial hearing in the matter is still scheduled for next month, DEA Chief Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) John Mulrooney issued a preliminary order last week signaling that the information provided by the agency on those set to testify was insufficient and requesting additional details and potential availability for a formal hearing in January or February 2025.
DEA has already made clear that it feels additional information is needed on a number of topics related to the scientific review into marijuana that led to the reclassification recommendation. Some view the scheduling of the hearing as more evidence of DEA skepticism.

For what it’s worth, Vice President Kamala Harris, who lost her bid for the presidency on Tuesday, said recently that part of the reason for the delay in the administration’s marijuana rescheduling effort is federal bureaucracy that “slows things down,” including at DEA.
In March, Harris also expressed some frustration with the bureaucratic process of rescheduling marijuana, prior to DOJ’s formal recommendation, calling on DEA to expediently finish the job.
While the Biden-Harris administration facilitated the review that led to the DOJ rescheduling proposal, former President Donald Trump, who won the election on Tuesday, has also voiced support for the reform. And in a historic first for the U.S. both he and Harris are aligned in their support for cannabis legalization at some level.
Read the federal court filing on DEA’s marijuana rescheduling process below:

 

[pipeline]

Ohio Would Ban Intoxicating Hemp Product Sales Under GOP Senator’s New Bill

“The reason for such necessity is to protect Ohioans, especially Ohio’s youth, from untested, unregulated dangerous tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) products.” By Megan Henry, Ohio Capital Chronicle State Sen. Steve Huffman, R-Tipp City, introduced a bill that would ban the sale of intoxicating hemp...

www.marijuanamoment.net

 

[pipeline]

​

​

Feds Release 250+ Pages Of Redacted Documents On Marijuana Rescheduling Recommendation, Detailing Cannabis’s Medical Value​

Published
40 mins ago
on
December 7, 2023
By
Ben Adlin

Feds Release 250+ Pages Of Redacted Documents On Marijuana Rescheduling Recommendation, Detailing Cannabis’s Medical Value

More than three months after news leaked that the U.S. Health and Human Services Department (HHS) was recommending that marijuana be moved to Schedule III under the federal Controlled Substances Act (CSA), the agency has finally released a tranche of documents related to its recommendation and...

www.marijuanamoment.net

More than three months after news leaked that the U.S. Health and Human Services Department (HHS) was recommending that marijuana be moved to Schedule III under the federal Controlled Substances Act (CSA), the agency has finally released a tranche of documents related to its recommendation and the detailed review it undertook on cannabis’s accepted medical value.


Among the materials newly made public are correspondence from HHS officials to Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Administrator Anne Milgram as well explanations of the health agency’s reasoning for the recommended change after conducting a required eight-factor analysis under the CSA. Most pages are heavily redacted, however, and some were withheld completely.


The documents were posted online Thursday by attorneys Shane Pennington and Matt Zorn, coauthors of the blog On Drugs. Zorn previously submitted a request under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to obtain the records.



“We haven’t had a chance to wade through it all,” the two lawyers wrote, “but are putting it up here now and will follow up as soon as we’ve studied everything more deeply.”


In response to the FOIA request, HHS “reviewed 252 pages of records,” releasing just two pages in their entirety. Another 236 were redacted in part, while 14 pages were withheld completely. All the released documents are embedded at the end of this article.


Broadly, the documents outline new scientific information that’s come to light in recent years subsequent to an earlier denial of a rescheduling petition, which HHS suggests might now necessitate rescheduling marijuana.


“The current review is largely focused on modern scientific considerations on whether marijuana has a CAMU [currently accepted medical use] and on new epidemiological data related to the abuse of marijuana in the years since the 2015 HHS” evaluation of marijuana under the CSA’s eight-factor analysis.



HHS also notes that it “analyzed considerable data related to the abuse potential of marijuana,” but added that it’s a complicated consideration.


“Determining the abuse potential of a substance is complex with many dimensions,” HHS wrote, “and no single test or assessment provides a complete characterization. Thus, no single measure of abuse potential is ideal.”


Most subsequent pages of the document were withheld completely.


HHS’s director of FOIA appeals and litigations said in a letter to Zorn that the sections were redacted pursuant to a provision of FOIA law that exempts “intra-agency memorandums or letters that would not be available by law to a party other than an agency in litigation with the agency.”


In October, HHS released a highly redacted version of the one-page letter from the health agency to DEA in response to public records requests by news organizations such as Marijuana Moment and lawyers, including Zorn.



With the rescheduling recommendation now in DEA’s hands, many are watching closely for updates.


While the Congressional Research Service (CRS) recently concluded that it was “likely” that DEA would follow the HHS recommendation based on past precedent, DEA reserves the right to disregard the health agency’s advice because it has final jurisdiction over the CSA.


Earlier this week, the governors of six U.S. states—Colorado, Illinois, New York, New Jersey, Maryland and Louisiana—sent a letter to President Joe Biden (D) urging the administration to reschedule marijuana by the end of this year.


“Rescheduling cannabis aligns with a safe, regulated product that Americans can trust,” says the governors’ letter, which points to a poll that found 88 percent of Americans support legalization for medical or recreational use. “As governors, we might disagree about whether recreational cannabis legalization or even cannabis use is a net positive, but we agree that the cannabis industry is here to stay, the states have created strong regulations, and supporting the state-regulated marketplace is essential for the safety of the American people.”



The office of Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D), who led the group letter, said rescheduling “will not only alleviate the financial and safety concerns for businesses but allow a thriving industry to play a full role in the American business environment.”


One of the first state officials to react to the HHS rescheduling recommendation, Polis told Biden in a letter in September that while he expects DEA will “expeditiously” complete its review and move marijuana to Schedule III, the policy change must be coupled with further administrative and congressional action to promote health, safety and economic growth.


Meanwhile, six former DEA heads and five former White House drug czars sent a letter to the attorney general and current DEA administrator voicing opposition to the top federal health agency’s recommendation to reschedule marijuana. They also made a questionable claim about the relationship between drug schedules and criminal penalties in a way that could exaggerate the potential impact of the incremental reform.



Signatories include DEA and Office of National Drug Control Policy heads under multiple administrations led by presidents of both major parties.


In October, Advocates and lawmakers who support cannabis reform marked the one-year anniversary of Biden’s mass marijuana pardon and scheduling directive this month by calling on him to do more—including by expanding the scope of relief that his pardon had and by expressly supporting federal legalization.


Two GOP senators, including the lead Republican sponsor of a marijuana banking bill that cleared a key committee last month, recently filed new legislation to prevent federal agencies from rescheduling cannabis without tacit approval from Congress.



A coalition of 14 Republican congressional lawmakers, meanwhile, is urging DEA to “reject” the top federal health agency’s recommendation to reschedule marijuana and instead keep it in the most restrictive category under the CSA.


Read the collection of newly released HHS documents below:

Coming up on a year from when HHS asked DEA to reevaluate Scheduling.

See the pace being set here? Its not going to happen.

 

[Sweatloaf]

Why would any govt. document related to cannabis rescheduling need to have redactions?

 

[armedoldhippy]

Why would any govt. document related to cannabis rescheduling need to have redactions?

none of the morons telling lies want to be outed in public. "no fact-checking allowed"

 

[pipeline]

Pennsylvania House Is Ready To ‘Move Forward’ With Marijuana Legalization In 2025, Top Democrat Says

Following last week’s election in which Democrats retained control of Pennsylvania’s House of Representatives, Majority Leader Matt Bradford (D) says there’s a “will in the House to move forward” on marijuana legalization in the next session, though he noted that the push could run into...

www.marijuanamoment.net

 

[pipeline]

They eventually released the un-redacted version of the memo, I think.

Could access to psilocybin as a treatment for PTSD help veterans? Some veterans, organizations say yes

Lisa Wilken has been advocating for veterans since 2009. She says many veterans are looking for alternative mental health therapies.

www.wrtv.com

 

[Old Piney]

They eventually released the un-redacted version of the memo, I think.

Could access to psilocybin as a treatment for PTSD help veterans? Some veterans, organizations say yes

Lisa Wilken has been advocating for veterans since 2009. She says many veterans are looking for alternative mental health therapies.

www.wrtv.com

Yes and micro-dosing LSD

 

[pipeline]

There was a bill which passed last year in Indiana to have a pilot program to study psilocybin as a therapy. Senator Taylor added an amendment for medical cannabis legalization and then redacted it to make a point.

They had very good calm conversation about psilocybin and passed it easily, but when they discussed cannabis it was completely different.

 

[pipeline]

Happy Veterans Day!

The amazing name Zephaniah: meaning and etymology

An indepth look at the meaning and etymology of the awesome name Zephaniah. We'll discuss the original Hebrew, plus the words and names Zephaniah is related to, plus the occurences of this name in the Bible.

www.abarim-publications.com

The amazing name Zechariah: meaning and etymology

An indepth look at the meaning and etymology of the awesome name Zechariah. We'll discuss the original Hebrew, plus the words and names Zechariah is related to, plus the occurences of this name in the Bible.

www.abarim-publications.com

Bible Gateway passage: Zechariah 6 - New King James Version

Vision of the Four Chariots - Then I turned and raised my eyes and looked, and behold, four chariots were coming from between two mountains, and the mountains were mountains of bronze. With the first chariot were red horses, with the second chariot black horses, with the third chariot white...

www.biblegateway.com

Romans 6 NKJV​

​

Dead to Sin, Alive to God​

6 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? 3 Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.


5 For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be [a]done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. 7 For he who has died has been [b]freed from sin. 8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. 10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. 11 Likewise you also, [c]reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.


12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. 13 And do not present your members as [d]instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. 14 For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.

From Slaves of Sin to Slaves of God​

15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not! 16 Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? 17 But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were [e]delivered. 18 And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. 19 I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness [f]for holiness.


20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. 22 But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit [g]to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the [h]gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 

[pipeline]

Every GOP Senate Majority Leader Candidate Opposes Marijuana Legalization

With Republicans winning control of the U.S. Senate in last week’s elections, a key question for marijuana reform advocates and stakeholders is what the selection of a new GOP majority leader will mean for cannabis reform. There are three names currently at the top of the list of potential...

www.marijuanamoment.net

 

[Sweatloaf]

Every GOP Senate Majority Leader Candidate Opposes Marijuana Legalization

With Republicans winning control of the U.S. Senate in last week’s elections, a key question for marijuana reform advocates and stakeholders is what the selection of a new GOP majority leader will mean for cannabis reform. There are three names currently at the top of the list of potential...

www.marijuanamoment.net

Yeah, I don't think any federal legalization legislation will be allowed on the docket for the next four years at least. Best hope is that more states look at legalization as the tax revenue stream that it is and continue to join the bandwagon of the other states who already have.

 

[eastcoastjoe]

Make weed illegal again

 

[pipeline]

They actually tested that idea in Thailand after recently legalizing it. The government regime was changed and the new government thought to make it illegal again, but just heard on 'The Potcast' that Thailand had backed off the plan to re-criminalize cannabis and it will remain legal for adult-use.

Still illegal here, very harsh criminal penalties still remain standing in several states. Most police here, or at least a significant number, don't arrest people for cannabis from what I understand. But there still remains the possibility of posession charges, and if its over 30 grams its considered distribution which is a felony. Asset forfeiture and taking voting rights, prison time, fines, and probation, they can take your children from you for cannabis here, its a war out there.

Pretty harsh oppressive state if these types of penalties are left in place especially considering so many surrounding states have had adult-use and medical use legalization in place for some time.

 

[pipeline]

The truth comes out.... What does Harris have to hide? She talked like she was a big supporter of cannabis reform saying "it will be the law of the land."

Kamala Harris ‘Didn’t Want To Talk About Marijuana Legalization’ With Joe Rogan, Podcaster Says Of Interview That Never Happened

Vice President Kamala Harris “didn’t want to talk about marijuana legalization” when she was invited—and ultimately declined—to participate an interview with Joe Rogan ahead of the election, the podcaster says. The Democratic presidential nominee, who ultimately lost the election to former...

www.marijuanamoment.net