“The reason I’m bringing this forward is to make certain hemp is hemp and hemp growers do not get out of their lane.”

By Tim Carpenter, Kansas Reflector

State law enforcement, local prosecutors and a lobbyist convinced legalization of medical marijuana posed the greatest threat to quality of life in Kansas tried to quietly squeeze into a bill lowering fees on industrial hemp producers an amendment that could send wayward farmers to prison for years.

The threshold between freedom and incarceration under the amendment advocated by the executive director of Stand Up for Kansas, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation and the Kansas County and District Attorneys Association would be a laboratory test measuring whether a hemp product had a THC content greater than 1 percent. The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the state of Kansas allow harvesting, processing and marketing of hemp with less than 0.3 percent THC.

“I just need help understanding who are we going after? I hope it’s not our industrial hemp producers,” said Sen. Carolyn McGinn, a Sedgwick Republican and farmer. “Is there some place we can look to find out how much this is being abused? I’m trying to understand where all the abuse is

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Multiple marijuana companies donated a total of nearly $15 million to a Florida campaign behind a legalization initiative that will appear on the state’s ballot this November, including several multi-state operators, the latest state filings show.

The Florida Division of Elections (DOE) released the campaign finance activity report from the first quarter of the year on Thursday, showing $14,875,000 in new contributions from a range of businesses ahead of the state Supreme Court ruling that officially cleared the cannabis measure for the ballot.

Trulieve, the main financial backer of the initiative, led the pack again with $9.225 million in donations during the first quarter. That follows the company previously contributing about $40 million as advocates worked to collect more than one million signatures to qualify for ballot placement.

The campaign Smart & Safe Florida announced last week that it had secured the new funding from donors “committed to helping ensure victory this fall.”

Here’s a breakdown of who donated to support the legalization measure in the first quarter of 2024:

Trulieve: $9.225 million Verano Holdings: $2.25 million Curaleaf: $2 million Ayr Wellness: $500,000 Green Thumb Industries: $500,000 Cresco Labs: $400,000

Two other individuals also contributed $21.10 and $1.53 in the

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Maine lawmakers have sent a bill to the governor that would establish a commission tasked with studying and making recommendations on regulating access to psychedelic services. It would specifically examine how to create a “legal framework for the therapeutic use of psychedelic drugs, including but not limited to psilocybin.”

Days after the Senate approved the legislation from Sen. Donna Bailey (D), the House passed it on a voice vote on Tuesday, sending it to the desk of Gov. Janet Mills (D).

The measure was significantly watered down in a committee from an initial version that would have legalized psilocybin and allowed adults to access the psychedelic at licensed facilities.

Members instead opted to create a “Commission To Study Pathways For Creating a Psilocybin Services Program in Maine” to further explore the reform instead—a disappointment for advocates who pushed to provide people with legal access sooner.

The 13-member panel under the bill would consist of legislative appointees, health experts, a military veteran, academics and people with experience in psychedelics policy.

It would be responsible for reviewing “medical, psychological and scientific studies, research and other information on the safety and efficacy of psilocybin in treating behavioral health conditions,” as well as how

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