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South Dakota Governor Proposes Budget for “Disappointing” Marijuana Laws
That’s South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, addressing the South Dakota legislature during her annual budget address.
Two law enforcement officials have sued to invalidate the recreational measure, saying it violated a single subject rule. South Dakota’s Attorney General has asked the court to toss the suit.
Noem proposes $136,000 to run the medical marijuana program for three years.
Canadian Doctors Approved for Psilocybin Mushroom Research
Canada’s Minister of Health Patty Hajdu appeared in a virtual town hall last week, breaking news regarding her department’s approval of psychedelic mushroom research, reports Marijuana Moment.
While the department has previously granted waivers to end-of-life patients, this marks the first time doctors have been the go ahead to test its effects.
Advocates say it is important for doctors to personally understand the psychedelic experience before guiding patients through it, likening it to preferring a sex therapist who is not a virgin.
YouGov Poll Finds Supermajority Back Marijuana Expungement
In a new poll YouGov reported by Marijuana Moment, seventy percent of respondents support clearing the records of people with non-violent marijuana convictions.
The support for the expungement of non-violent criminal records reaches across all demographics, including 81 percent of Democrats, 69 percent of independents, and even 57 percent of Republicans.
Support was strongest in the Midwest and Northeast (72 percent each) and lowest in the South (69 percent).
Last week the US House passed the Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment, & Expungement Act.
House Caves to Senate on Military Marijuana Waivers
The Pentagon’s budget was passed by the Democratically-controlled House on Tuesday. Marijuana Moment notes that missing from the measure were three proposed House amendments concerning marijuana that were conceded to the Republican-held Senate in negotiations.
One amendment by Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), would have required the Secretary of Defense to issue regulations clarifying that military branches can grant reenlistment waivers to service members who have committed a single low-level cannabis offense.
Another amendment by Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI), would have prohibited the Secretary of Defense from banning service members from possessing or consuming hemp or CBD products that are legal under state and federal law.
The third amendment by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) would have prohibited the use of funds for aerial fumigation on drug crops in Colombia.
President Trump had vowed to veto the bill over its portion that removes the names of Confederate generals from US military bases, but lawmakers have the votes to override his veto if they so choose.
Wyomingites Support Marijuana Legalization
A majority of Wyomingites now support legalizing marijuana, a University of Wyoming survey released Tuesday has found.
For the first time, the poll by the school’s Wyoming Survey and Analysis Center found that over half (54%) of Wyoming residents say they support allowing adults to legally possess marijuana for personal use, according to an announcement from the university.
That number has risen steadily over the past decade, according to the Casper Star-Tribune. In 2014, 37% of residents surveyed supported legalizing marijuana in Wyoming. That increased to 41% in 2016 and 49% two years later.
Support for medical marijuana remains strong, the survey found, with 85% of people saying they backed the use of cannabis when a doctor prescribes it for medical purposes.
Three-quarters of residents also say they believed people convicted of possessing small amounts of marijuana should not serve jail time.
