Epidiolex made headlines again this week with news that the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) rescheduled the drug to Schedule V. Across the border, Canada endorsed a Trump-led declaration renewing the “war on drugs.”
Here, we’ve rounded up the 10 headlines you need to know before this week is over.
- Federal: The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) placed Epidiolex in Schedule V Sept. 27, marking the first time any drug derived from any part of the cannabis plant has been rescheduled in the U.S.; the drug includes cannabidiol (CBD). Epidiolex was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in June. Read more
- Nebraska: State Sen. Anna Wishart has said she will introduce another medical cannabis bill in early 2019, although filibusters have extinguished four prior legalization measures in Nebraska. Although Wishart tried to pass a resolution to put the issue on the ballot earlier this year, she said she’s convinced that a legislative approach would be better for the state. Read more
- Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania State Rep. Jake Wheatley has introduced legislation to legalize marijuana. The bill would permit the recreational use of cannabis products for adults 21 or older, and would also expunge the records of people jailed on marijuana-related crimes. Read more
- Eight medical schools have been approved to participate in Pennsylvania's medical marijuana program. The Wolf Administration certified the schools as Academic Clinical Research Centers (ACRCs), a status that will allow each to pair with a cannabis company to design research programs and analyze observational data collected at medical marijuana dispensaries. Read more
- New York: Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed legislation to allow medical marijuana to be recommended as an alternative to opioid use. The bill also allows for substance use disorder treatment providers to use the drug to help manage underlying pain as an alternative to opioids. Read more
- Virginia: Virginia regulators gave initial approval Sept. 25 to five companies planning to open the state’s first medical cannabis dispensaries, selecting a mix of established industry players and Virginia-based entrepreneurs. Within a year, the selected companies will open the state’s first authorized marijuana growing facilities, but the dispensaries will sell only non-psychoactive CBD and THC-A oils to registered patients who obtain paperwork from a doctor. Read more
- New Jersey: The timeline for legal marijuana has been pushed back again in New Jersey. Sources close to a legalization bill have said that it will not be introduced before the end of September, something Senate President Stephen Sweeney had aimed for and other lawmakers said was a genuine possibility. Read more
- California: The Los Angeles Airport Police Department issued an update to its law enforcement policy, allowing passengers to possess 28.5 grams of flower and up to eight grams of cannabis oil while traveling through the airport and boarding airplanes. “Based on our policy, we’re not going to arrest you or confiscate marijuana,” Los Angeles Airport Police spokesperson Alicia Hernandez told McClatchy news reporters. Read more
- Canada: Canada was rebuked Sept. 24 by a group of world leaders and experts on drug policy for endorsing a Trump-led declaration renewing the “war on drugs” and for passing up a critical moment to provide global leadership on drug regulation. The Trudeau government’s decision to sign on to the declaration, released by the White House on the sidelines of U.S. President Donald Trump’s first attendance at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, contradicts Ottawa’s previous skepticism of Washington’s drugs war at home and abroad, and comes just weeks before cannabis legalization in Canada. Read more
- Per a new set of regulations, Ontario will license an unlimited number of recreational marijuana retail shops when it begins licensing and regulating the province’s cannabis marketplace Oct. 17, but it will allow federally licensed producers only one retail location each at their production sites inside Ontario’s borders. The news is a mixed bag for most established companies with boots on the ground in Ontario. Read more
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