Following important cannabis news articles every day can be a real burn-out, we know. That’s why the Emerald rolls up a chronicle of the headiest news hits, and passes them to you at the end of each week. We Bring You: The Dime.
California Senate Approves Bill to Decriminalize Psychedelics
This week, California lawmakers inched closer to ending the War on Drugs. Specifically, state senators approved SB 519, a bill to decriminalize possession, personal use and “social sharing” of psychedelics. Those include LSD, MDMA, DMT, mushrooms and more, according to the bill. SB 519, however, does not include peyote due to its endangered status. But, it does create groups to research, and regulate the decriminalized substances. Now, SB 519 heads back to the House for a vote, reports Gizmodo.
Amazon Stops Testing for Cannabis, Favors Federal Legalization
Amazon, the second largest private employer in the U.S., is now a proponent of cannabis legalization, reports NPR. In alignment with their new position, the e-commerce giant announced in a blog post on Tuesday, June 1st, that the company will no longer drug test applicants for cannabis. Instead, they will treat it like alcohol and only drug test after incidents, explained Dave Clark, Amazon’s CEO, in the post. “[…] Given where state laws are moving across the U.S., we’ve changed course,” he adds. “We will no longer include marijuana in our comprehensive drug screening program for any positions not regulated by the Department of Transportation […].” Amazon is also throwing its support behind the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act of 2021 (MORE Act). The company also encouraged others to follow suit to support federal legalization.
Feds Announce THC Dosing Standard for Researchers
In May, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) announced a 5 mg dosing standard for THC. The dose applies exclusively to researchers — not consumers, writes the NIDA – and only to THC, not other cannabinoids. The institute introduced the dosing standards after years of research on the topic. “[By] creating a standard THC dose, it will nonetheless be easier to compare studies that involve THC exposure, which is a “high priority” of NIDA,” reports Marijuana Moment.
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