Matthew – Page 10 – The Fight for Botanicals

November 6, 2022

Marijuana Laws in All 50 States: Is Weed Legal Where You Live?

Voter referendums in Arkansas, Maryland, Missouri, North Dakota and South Dakota this Election Day address whether recreational marijuana should be legal, as it is in 19 other states and Washington, DC. If all five measures pass, adult-use cannabis will be allowed in nearly half the US.

In October, US President Joe Biden issued an executive order pardoning all federal convictions for simple marijuana possession.

“There are thousands of people who were previously convicted of simple possession who may be denied employment, housing or educational opportunities as a result,” Biden said in a statement encouraging governors to make similar moves.

Here’s what to know about marijuana legalization in the US, including which states have passed laws, what’s happening on the federal level and how Americans feel about legalizing pot.

For more on marijuana, find out about the cannabis company sued for not making customers high enough and check out the hottest new pot gadgets.

Keep reading at CNet

November 2, 2022

The use of psilocybin is on the ballot again for many Oregon voters

In the spring, Christopher Maddox flew to Mexico to get help. The former Navy SEAL had been suffering from PTSD and substance use disorder for years. At one point, he was on 13 medications. He tried a variety of therapies, but none of them worked.

“It still didn’t really fix the root cause. And the root cause was I hated myself, and I was helpless. I didn’t think there was any way out of it,” he said.

A friend connected him with a treatment center in Mexico that does psilocybin therapy. In April, he flew south for a five-day retreat that included taking seven ounces of the psychedelic mushrooms under the oversight of a coach. He said it was life-changing.

Read the full story at opb.org

October 31, 2022

‘This drug is popular with teenagers’: Family urges lawmakers to ban herb with addictive characteristics after son’s death

ATLANTA — A metro Atlanta family is suing to stop convenience stores from selling a product that killed their son. It’s called kratom and their lawsuit also goes after companies making and distributing it.

The grief is still fresh for the Pope family almost a year after their son Ethan died. The family’s lawsuit alleges while kratom is legal in Georgia, it’s not regulated, and they’re hoping to change that.

“Ethan was 23 and in the prime of his life,” Dana Pope said.

His life ended unexpectedly last December.

“We received a call from the coroner that Ethan was found dead on the floor with his puppy Wilson by his side,” Pope said. “Months later, we received his death certificate, and Ethan’s cause of death was kratom toxicity.”

Ethan’s parents are now filing a lawsuit against about a dozen companies associated with kratom, alleging the herb contributed to his death.

Keep reading at News19

October 27, 2022

Law enforcement warns public about new drug

LOUISIANA (KLFY) — Healthcare professionals and law enforcement officials across Acadiana are raising awareness against the drug known as kratom.

Sheriff Charles Guillory of Evangeline parish said, “I went to a sheriffs association meeting and training. The main subject we talked about was kratom being transported to the United States.”

Kratom, a plant that grows in southeast Asia, has presented many challenges to healthcare professionals.

Katie Porche, psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner, said, “It’s definitely something we’re challenged with, most recently the popularity has increased. One of the biggest challenges is that people are able to purchase it over the counter, they can get it at gas stations and they just considered it a dietary supplement.”

Keep reading at KLFY

October 24, 2022

Medical marijuana patients get good news, but producers fret over Pa.’s final law

Patients will get safer products and better service at dispensaries, health officials say, but growers and processors predict production headaches and delays – and possibly higher prices – from the final version of Pennsylvania’s medical marijuana law, approved Thursday.

The final law was a long time coming, with patients, growers/processors and dispensaries governed by temporary rules ever since Pennsylvania legalized medical marijuana six years ago and products became available to patients in early 2018.

One of the best pieces of news for patients is a requirement that medical marijuana dispensaries must have a pharmacist available either on-site or remotely during all business hours.

Officials in the state health department, which regulates medical marijuana, said patients have complained of not being able to get answers to questions about things including what product is best for them, and the appropriate dose. Department officials also worried patients would rely on non-medical staff.

Mississippi lawmakers on track to ban herbal drug Kratom

JACKSON, Miss (AP) — Mississippi lawmakers appear on track to pass legislation to ban kratom, an herbal drug that can be used for pain relief.

Kratom is currently unregulated in most parts of the United States but has been outlawed by some states, including neighboring Alabama. A few local governments in Mississippi have also banned the substance amid concerns that it can be harmful.

This is the second consecutive year lawmakers in the state have tried to either ban or regulate the green powdered substance. Rep. Lee Yancey, a Republican who leads the committee with jurisdiction over drug policy, told the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal that he will advance legislation to ban Kratom.

Read the full story at SFGate.com

October 12, 2022

Thailand’s New Legal Framework For Kratom

In 2021, Thailand passed the updated Narcotics Act (No. 8) B.E. 2564 (2021), which removed kratom (Mitragyna speciosa) from the list of prohibited substances, eliminated kratom-related offenses on the basis that its consumption is part of traditional Thai cultural norms, and allowed possession and consumption.

On August 26, 2022, Thailand published the Kratom Plant Act B.E. 2565 (2022) in the Government Gazette, and the law came into effect the following day. With the aim of encouraging economic activity related to kratom, the act regulates the trade, sale, consumption, study, and advertising of kratom leaves (alone or as an ingredient in food) in Thailand.

Vancouver mushroom dispensaries continue to operate in legal grey area

An assortment of stores in Vancouver continue to openly sell certain substances and plants in a manner that might land you in jail if you were in many other parts of the world.

Psilocybin mushrooms are generally the main retail item in these new dispensaries, but one is even carrying more powerful psychoactive compounds like LSD or DMT.

That store also has peyote, a psychoactive cactus known to be valued by Indigenous cultures for its consciousness-altering properties and spiritual significance.

In a statement from Dana Larsen, owner of the Medicinal Mushroom Dispensary and Coca Leaf Cafe on East Hastings Street, he explained how it was possible for his store to function without being shut down or having any serious legal troubles.

Larsen’s shop openly sells an assortment of psychedelic substances and plants along with coca leaf products derived from a plant known for its role in producing cocaine.

Keep reading at Mugglehead

October 6, 2022

GOP caucus ties cannabis to violence

The Republican Study Committee—which represents nearly three out of four House GOP lawmakers—released a “Family Policy Agenda” that opposes legalization of marijuana and attempts to link it to suicide and violence. Some members spoke out against their own group’s agenda when approached by Marijuana Moment.

The Colombian Chamber of Representatives First Committee approved a marijuana legalization bill. The action comes as new President Gustavo Petro is broadly calling for an end to the war on drugs.

The Drug Enforcement Administration admitted in a new video that “racial, ethnic and class prejudice” led to drug criminalization and the agency’s own founding.

“What had been a medical condition became deviant or criminal. This shift led to a wave of laws against heroin, marijuana and cocaine.”

Keep reading at Marijuana Moment

October 4, 2022

Voters In Five States To Decide On Legalizing Weed This November

This November, voters in five states—Arkansas, Maryland, Missouri, North Dakota and South Dakota—will decide on whether they want to legalize adult-use marijuana.

Currently, 19 states, comprising 44 percent of the U.S. population, have legal adult-use marijuana markets. If voters in Arkansas, Maryland, Missouri, North Dakota and South Dakota approve adult-use, about half of the U.S. population will reside in a jurisdiction where the possession and use of cannabis are legal for adults.

Because recent polling shows that most of these measures enjoy majority support from the public, experts are predicting a successful outcome at the ballot box for all aforementioned states, regardless of their being “red” or “blue.”

Michigan may regulate sale of kratom, an herbal mix linked to overdoses

Whether it’s harmful or helpful, addictive or medicinal, Michigan soon may regulate the herbal supplement kratom, making it illegal for minors and requiring licenses and product testing for anyone wishing to sell it.

A Michigan bill, sponsored by State Rep. Lori Stone, D-Warren, several other Democrats and a Republican, swings the spotlight on a controversial herbal extract that can be chewed, taken in capsule form or brewed into hot water as a tea.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration warns that kratom “affects the same opioid brain receptors as morphine.” Others promote it as a natural pick-me-up that manages pain, depression and anxiety, and can help curb opioid addiction and PTSD.

Colorado voters are against legalizing magic mushrooms, according to poll

DENVER (KDVR) — Colorado voters appear to draw the line at legal marijuana, according to a new poll.

Most voters don’t support legalizing psychedelics, although there is a large segment of voters who haven’t made up their minds, according to a FOX31/Channel 2/Emerson College/The Hill poll.

Proposition 122 would decriminalize and regulate the distribution of the psychedelic fungi psilocybin, or magic mushrooms. It would also open the door to decriminalizing the psychedelics dimethyltryptamine (DMT), ibogaine and mescaline in a few years.

Among all voters, 41% said they would oppose the ballot measure if they could vote on it right now. A narrowly smaller portion of 36% of all voters said they would support it. About 23% of voters said they are unsure.

Keep reading at kdvr.com

September 23, 2022

All You Need To Know About The Red Kratom Strain

The world is in the middle of a crisis because of climate change due to industrialization and modernization. Industrialization has resulted in a world consuming synthesized food and medicines. The world is in an abnormal condition because of the side effects of the synthesized edibles. But the good part is that the world is now in a better state of awareness, which has led the world to become inclined towards organic sources to cure their illnesses.

This is one of the primary reasons for the popularity of Kratom. There is not much research available on the subject, but it is claimed to help cure illnesses in its users.

Thailand’s New Legal Framework For Kratom

Importing and Exporting Kratom Leaves

Importing and exporting kratom leaves without obtaining a license from the secretary-general of the Narcotics Control Board (NCB) is prohibited under the Kratom Plant Act.

Read the full story at mondaq.com

September 11, 2022

Legalizing psychedelic mushrooms is on the Colorado ballot this fall. Here’s what the supporters, the opponents and the data have to say

When Denver resident Connie Boyd found out Coloradans will vote on whether to legalize psychoactive mushrooms this fall, she felt incredibly angry — and worried.

“My fear is that (Colorado is) going to legalize mushrooms and 10 years from now, there’s going to be a bunch of really sick people,” she said. “And the state 10 years from now is going to say: ‘Oh, gee, we’re sorry.’”

Boyd voted for cannabis legalization a decade ago. But her views changed after her son — a star athlete and student — reacted badly to trying edibles, an experience she said triggered lasting consequences.

“He had a severe psychotic episode,” she said. “At the age of 29, he was living in a nursing home for people with schizophrenia. It’s a very sad thing.”

Kratom is the latest unregulated substance concerning Pennsylvania lawmakers

Among legislation Pennsylvania lawmakers will consider when they return to Harrisburg for voting sessions after an absence of more than two months is regulation of a plant-based substance that can produce opioid- and stimulant-like effects.

Although kratom and kratom-based products are legal and accessible in many areas throughout the U.S., including Pennsylvania, the Food and Drug Administration and other federal agencies continue to review emerging evidence to inform kratom policy, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Kratom is derived from leaves of a tree native to Southeast Asia and has become popular for various uses, including as a coffee-like stimulant and to fight pain and anxiety. Among the unapproved uses is for treatment of addiction; it’s believed that many of those who buy kratom are using it as a natural alternative to the prescription drug suboxone, which treats symptoms of withdrawal from opioids such as pain pills and heroin.

Get the full story at Reading Eagle

September 5, 2022

Lawmakers ask Parson to add marijuana legalization to special session

A bipartisan group of lawmakers and activists are calling for Missouri Gov. Mike Parson to include marijuana legalization on the agenda of the legislature’s upcoming special session.

The group also announced the launch of a campaign aimed at defeating a marijuana legalization constitutional amendment set to appear on the November ballot.

The legislature is set to return to the Capitol on Sept. 14 to debate a $700 million tax cut plan laid out by the governor.

“Rather than settle for an ill-suited and monopolistic program shoehorned into our (state) constitution, the Missouri General Assembly has an unique opportunity to consider legislation that would legalize cannabis in a truly free market fashion,” said state Rep. Tony Lovasco, R-O’Fallon.

Who’s behind Colorado’s magic mushrooms campaign?

Colorado could become the second state in the country to legalize and regulate the market for psilocybin and psilocin, the psychedelic ingredient found in so-called “magic mushrooms” – thanks to a Washington, D.C.-based group that has been pouring in millions of dollars to support ballot measures in Colorado.

Behind the Natural Medicine Health Act of 2022 is an entity called New Approach PAC. Based in the nation’s capital, the group has put more than $3 million into ballot measures in Colorado in the last two years.

The PAC, for example, contributed $250,000 to the 2020 paid family leave initiative. The rest of its money went to the campaign committee Natural Medicine Colorado, which is pushing Initiative 58, which claims that magic mushrooms would be a tool to address mental health issues.

Keep reading at Colorado Politics

August 25, 2022

Setbacks arise in effort to protect consumer market for kratom

Recent headwinds have impacted the effort to protect consumers’ continued use of kratom, including the veto of a proposed law in Missouri regulating the botanical many addicts turn to when dealing with withdrawal.

“By defining ‘kratom product’ as a ‘food product or dietary ingredient,’ Missouri would violate federal law,” reads the July 1 veto letter from Gov. Mike Parson, a Republican. Parson also wrote he believed the law isn’t needed from a label and packaging perspective because the state already regulates those areas.

C. M. “Mac” Haddow, senior fellow on public policy at the American Kratom Association (AKA), a lobbying group, said Parson’s description of kratom as federally illegal “just isn’t true” and language in the veto letter was “surprising.”

Keep reading at Natural Products Insider

August 21, 2022

Kratom industry pushes Pa. lawmakers to improve safety for unregulated product used by millions

HARRISBURG — Representatives of the industry surrounding kratom, a largely unregulated substance used by millions of people in the U.S., are pressing Pennsylvania lawmakers to set up rules to keep unscrupulous operators out of the business.

Kratom is derived from leaves of a tree native to Southeast Asia and has become popular for various uses, including as a coffee-like stimulant and to fight pain and anxiety. Mac Haddow, senior fellow on public policy for the American Kratom Association, said the number of people using it in the U.S. likely has surpassed 15 million.

In Pennsylvania, the state House in late June passed a bill that would ban the sale of kratom to minors after a series of safety measures on its adult use were stripped out of the measure.

Keep reading at mcall.com