Cannabis News

New Jersey Lawmakers Approve Bill To Legalize Psilocybin Therapy

Published

8 months ago

November 24, 2025

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New Jersey lawmakers have advanced a bill provide adults with regulated therapeutic access to psilocybin with appropriate health conditions, with the intention of continuing to work to enact it in the 2026 legislative session.

More than a year after the House Health Committee first took up and amended the legislation — sponsored by Reps. Herb Conaway (D), Clinton Calabrese (D) and Anthony Verrelli (D) — the panel met Monday, taking testimony and benefiting from it.

“We’re all broke in one way, shape or form,” Verrelli (D), one of the bill’s sponsors, said at Monday’s hearing. “This bill gives people another chance to heal and improve. And if they get better, it gives them an opportunity to improve their communities, their families and their lives in general, to break that cycle of trauma, whatever it looks like.”

The committee amended the legislation last year to match the Senate version. To the disappointment of the defenders, however, this meant removing provisions that would have more broadly legalized psilocybin for adult use.

The plan, which included the personal legislative provisions that were originally introduced in the same form as the one proposed by lawmakers in the 2024 session, has recently been released in amended versions. Those ingredients would make it legal for adults to “possess, possess, use, ingest, inhale, process, transport, deliver without consideration, or distribute without consideration” four grams or less of psilocybin.

The amended measures, however, would significantly expand legislation introduced in late 2020 to reduce penalties for possessing an ounce of psilocybin. That reform Governor Phil Murphy (D) signed it into law in 2021

Stacy Swanson, who testified on behalf of Veterans Exploring Treatment Solutions (VETS), emphasized at Monday’s hearing that “the invisible wounds of war don’t just affect the veteran, they affect the entire family.”

“This bill does not legalize recreational drugs,” he said. “It creates structured access that is clinically supervised, with the necessary integration and monitoring.”

In its modified version, The invoice It would charge the Department of Health (DOH) with regulating and licensing the manufacture, testing, transportation, delivery, sale and purchase of psilocybin. There would be five types of licenses: manufacturer, service center operator, testing lab, facilitator, and psilocybin worker.

The Psilocybin Advisory Committee would establish appropriate medical conditions for use, propose guidelines for psilocybin services and dosage, craft safety studies and informed consent practices, and oversee the education, training, and conduct of facilitators.

The stated goal would be to develop a long-term strategic plan for safe, accessible, and affordable access to psilocybin for those 21 and older.

Toward this end, a social equity program would include implementing grants to help low-income people cover the costs of psilocybin services. DOH would direct the implementation of programs for technical assistance, fee reduction and other support services.

Jesse McLaughlin, state advocacy director for Reason for Hope, said Monday hearing that psychedelic medicine represents “the next big step forward in psychiatry” and we need to prepare our healthcare system for it.

“Psilocybin therapy is time-intensive, labor-intensive and different from the way psychiatric care is delivered today,” he said.

To access psilocybin services under the bill, a patient with a qualifying condition would have to obtain a referral from a licensed health care professional. Services would also include mandatory preparation and integration sessions before and after psilocybin administration.

The Assembly bill is in the hands of the Appropriations Committee. The Friend the Senate has already cleared two panels in that chamber—Health, Human Services and Elderly Committee and Budget and Credit Committee.

A survey of New Jersey residents released last year bears this out A majority of state residents agree with making psilocybin available for therapeutic usealthough they were not specifically asked about the specific legislation.

The poll, by Stockton University’s William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy, found that 55 percent of respondents supported legalizing psilocybin for medical use under the supervision of a physician. Only 20% of respondents were against, and 24% were not sure. A percentage of respondents refused to answer the question.

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In other New Jersey drug policy news, Voters earlier this month chose U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ) to be the state’s next governor.and now there’s a clearer path to the marijuana reform that consumers and advocates in the Garden State have long awaited: the option to grow it at home.

Meanwhile, as New Jersey’s first marijuana lounges opened this summerregulators shared information on where to find the sites and offered advice on the responsible use of cannabis in licensed businesses, including rock culture classics like “puff, puff, pass.”

New Jersey officials have also completed the curriculum for a no-cost marijuana training academy to help entrepreneurs interested in entering the cannabis industry.

Separately, in May, New Jersey Senate President Nick Scutari (D) introduced a bill that would recriminalize the purchase of marijuana from unlicensed sources-A last ditch effort to combat the illegal market and direct adults to licensed dealers.

In March, a former New Jersey Senate leader unsuccessfully ran for this year’s Democratic nomination for governor. “It’s time” to allow medical marijuana patients to grow their own cannabis plants for personal use. He also pledged to expand amnesty for people affected by the criminalization of marijuana, if elected, and supported the establishment of cannabis consumption halls.

The comments by Sweeney, the longest-serving Senate president in the state’s history, diverge from what the current governor has repeatedly said about home growing, arguing that the state’s adult marijuana market needs to mature more before allowing home growing.

That claim appears to be contradicted by dozens of small marijuana businesses and advocacy groups in New Jersey recently He asked Parliament to allow adults to grow their own cannabis.

user photo CostaPPR.

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Cannabis News

Saxony-Anhalt state government backs hemp innovation center in Mücheln

Published

6 hours ago

July 17, 2026

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The German state of Saxony-Anhalt is supporting the development of a hemp information and competence center in Müchelnen (Geiseltal). The joint project known as IKHE – “Information and Competence Center for Hemp with Experience Trails” – is being carried out by the city of Mücheln (Geiseltal), the University of Applied Sciences Merseburg and the German Hemp Academy (Deutsche Hanf-Akademie eV).

The project has been given approximately 3.8 million euros as part of the New European Bauhaus (NEB) initiative, fully financed by the European Union’s Just Transition Fund (JTF).

The funding announcement was presented in Mücheln (Geiseltal) on July 7, 2026 by Gert Zender, State Secretary of the Ministry of Economy, Tourism, Agriculture and Forestry of Saxony-Anhalt.

Hemp is a versatile plant and one of the oldest crops cultivated by humans. For centuries, it was used to produce textiles, paper, and building and construction materials, before being largely displaced by fossil-based raw materials. Today, the renewed use of hemp opens up new possibilities for the ecologically and economically efficient production of building materials and fiber products. Grown in rotation with other crops, hemp improves soil quality, requires no crop protection products and requires little water.

Hanffaser Geiseltal eG a hemp industry processing cooperative is already active in the region. While Hanffaser Geiseltal processes the raw material, the IKHE partners are working to establish the information and competence center as a center for knowledge transfer, education and testing. Together, these efforts are turning Mücheln (Geiseltal) into a location with experience covering the entire hemp value chain.

At the heart of IKHE is an experimental building workshop where new bio-based building materials made from hemp are developed, tested and demonstrated in experimental building projects. This is complemented by a self-help building workshop, where both professionals and the public can learn how to work with hemp-based building materials through combined theoretical and practical seminars, and receive hands-on guidance for their building projects. Experiential trails will also allow visitors to explore where and how hemp can be used, in a hands-on way, from construction and textiles to food and cosmetics.

A bottom-up participatory approach is central to the project. From the very beginning, local residents, associations, schools and regional initiatives have been actively involved in the development and implementation of the project through open workshops and practical activities. In this way, the project combines formal scientific and technical knowledge with the practical expertise of craftsmanship and regional traditions, reflecting the values of the new European Bauhaus of being beautiful, sustainable and inclusive.

IKHE is an Applied NEB Project and will be in operation until 2028. It is supported by the NEB Network Office Saxony-Anhalt, acting on behalf of the State Chancellery and the Saxony-Anhalt Ministry of Culture.

Source: The new Bauhauslers

Cannabis News

Federal Marijuana Rescheduling Hearing Wraps Up, With DEA Judge Laying Out Next Steps

Published

6 hours ago

July 17, 2026

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A Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) hearing The Trump administration’s cannabis rescheduling proposal concluded, and the agency judge overseeing the proceeding set a deadline for the parties involved to file post-hearing briefs before the next recommendation on reform.

The multi-day hearing, which began late last month, ended Wednesday after presentations from a handful of states opposing federal cannabis reform.

DEA Chief Administrative Law Judge Derek Julius issued an order Thursday, saying that because “no closing time was granted” during the court days, participants in the process will be able to file post-trial documents, which are due Aug. 17.

Those documents can be up to 50 pages long and can include “closing arguments and arguments on any other matter raised by the court at the hearing.”

“This is a non-mandatory submission, so a named party will not be penalized for failing to file a post-hearing brief, and the absence of a submission means that there was no submission,” Julius wrote.

His order also states that participants can submit corrections to the daily transcripts of the proceedings by August 17.

“The amendments submitted by the designated parties are only proposed amendments. This panel will also examine the transcript for possible errors and indicate where amendments are needed,” wrote the judge. “The list created by the court will be compared with the list submitted by the Named Parties to create a list of final corrections. Thereafter, this court will issue an order approving the list of final corrections and include those corrections in the official copy of the transcript.”

“A fully redacted copy of the transcript of these proceedings will be made publicly available on the Agency’s website,” Julius said.

The judge said in his closing statement at the end of Wednesday’s hearing that he will work on writing his recommendation after receiving the next briefs on whether the government should move forward with broad marijuana rescheduling, but stressed that the final decision would rest with the DEA administrator.

Julius did not specify an anticipated timeline for the administrator’s recommendation of action.

At the hearing, DEA officials were tasked with defending the proposed cannabis reorganization featured testimony about the medical benefits of marijuana and its relative safety compared to other substances such as alcohol and opioids. It included appearances by a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) scientist and a doctor from New Hampshire. Medical marijuana provides relief to pain patients and can serve as an alternative to opioids.

Meanwhile, attorneys and witnesses for the parties opposing marijuana redistricting who attended the hearing focused on the alleged harms of cannabis use, as well as criticism of the recently approved changes. an analysis used to determine whether or not drugs have approved medical value.

DEA Administrator Terrance Cole only organizations and individuals opposed to marijuana reform have been invited to the hearing as a designated participant – telling followers that they do not meet the definition of “interested person” to participate because they are not “affected or prejudiced by any rule or proposed rule that may be issued.”

Participating opposition parties include Smart Approaches to Marijuana, the National Drug & Alcohol Screening Association, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, DUID Victim Voices, Kenneth Finn, Phillip A. Drum, and the states of Idaho, Indiana, and Nebraska.

Before the hearing began last month, marijuana reform activists rallied They held a press conference outside DEA headquarters to highlight how they feel of the process – that supporters of the reform were not invited to participate and that the proceedings were not broadcast live, despite the officials’ vow of “transparency”.

Marihuana Moments sent petitions to DEA Chief Administrative Law Judge Derek Julius and DEA Administrator Cole asking for them reverse the decision to ban the public from tuning into the cannabis hearing via live stream. A Congressmen and other journalists later joined that request.

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Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche in April He issued an order that immediately reclassified the state’s licensed medical cannabisas well as marijuana products approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under Schedule I through Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA).

A separate order was signed by the acting attorney general hearing marijuana III.

Preliminary hearing process on the marijuana redistricting process initiated by the Biden administration It was halted last year amid allegations of improper communications and witness selection.

the current The marijuana redistricting process is being challenged in several ways which have been upheld by a federal Court of Appeals. those pieces of State attorneys general have filed lawsuits against cannabis reform, Opponents of marijuana legalization and a a cannabis-based biopharmaceutical corporation.

Meanwhile, the reorganization of state-licensed medical cannabis is already having a major impact.

The Congressional Research Service published a report on the current rescheduling of cannabis Certified patients with medical marijuana from state licensed dispensaries are now eligible for Class III. “The order appears to allow end users to use marijuana medically without a CSA prescription,” he says.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has published a Draft update to a gun purchase form to recognize the legal status of medical marijuana in the reprogramming. The revised section of the question states that only the “recreational use or possession of marijuana” is federally prohibited, omitting the prior form’s mention of medical cannabis.

The US Treasury and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) said they plan to issued new tax guidelines for the marijuana industry after reprogramming. The reform will benefit state-licensed marijuana businesses by allowing them to take federal tax deductions that are currently prohibited under IRS Code Section III, known as Section 280E.

Even the DEA, which has long opposed cannabis legalization and accused the Biden administration of stalling the initiative in the reorganization process, has done so. It launched a registration process for legal marijuana businesses in the state to take advantage of the federal benefits that come with the reform.

The Department of Transport, on the other hand, issued guidelines stating this use Legal medical cannabis in the state is still no excuse for truck drivers to test positive for drugspilots and other safety-sensitive personnel.

The The War Department released a memo making it clear that military service members were using marijuana and civilian employees of the department remain prohibited, even in the federal rescheduling of cannabis.

A congressional committee recently Federal officials voted to block further steps to reschedule cannabishowever lawmakers from both parties told Marihuana Moment they don’t think that provision will be enacted become law

Read the DEA’s post-trial hearing the order below:

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Cannabis News

Photo Report: Cultivate 2026

Published

1 day ago

July 16, 2026

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New varieties, commercial trends, packaging solutions, greenhouse developments, microbiological products, crop protection – there was a lot to see, learn, do and discover at Cultivate 2026, and we’ll be sure to share it all with you in the coming days. But first, it’s picture time (and nap time).

See the supplier photo report Cultivate 2026 here.

Find photo coverage of gardening companies on our sister site FloralDaily.