New Jersey’s Governor Signed Cannabis Legalization Bill Into Law

Amanda Hoover, writing for NJ.com:

More than three years after he took office with hopes of legalizing marijuana in 100 days, Gov. Phil Murphy signed three bills that together launch a marijuana industry in New Jersey and put an end to thousands of arrests.

But it took more than a marijuana-friendly governor to make reform a reality. There were years of failed legislative attempts, a ballot question that garnered more than 2.7 million votes in favor and three months of negotiations on tax revenue, licensing rules and the ultimate hangup that nearly killed the effort: penalties for those under 21 caught with marijuana.

Murphy signed the bills Monday morning without the usual fanfare, putting his pen to paper just before the deadline to take action struck. If he had done nothing, two measures seeking to launch a legal marijuana industry and to end arrests would have become law without his signature.

And with the stroke of a pen, New Jersey’s long, drawn-out cannabis legalization (and decriminalization) saga is finally over.

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MDMA Proves a Promising Alcoholism Treatment in World-First Trial

Rich Haridy, writing for New Atlas:

For the last few years psychiatrist Ben Sessa and a team of UK researchers have been exploring the role of MDMA therapy in treating alcohol use disorder (AUD). In a newly published study the researchers report on the world’s first trial testing the novel treatment on patients suffering from addiction.

This small, proof-of-concept study recruited 14 subjects with AUD. The goal of this preliminary study was to establish a safety profile for the MDMA therapy in patients suffering from AUD, but an expansive nine-month follow-up period also allowed for a unique insight into the possible long-term efficacy of the treatment. […]

In regards to tolerability and safety, the study reports no adverse responses to the drug were detected either during a treatment session or in the days following. In a fascinating side note, the study followed each subject’s acute mood state for seven days after each MDMA session. […]

Nine months after the trial only 21 percent of the cohort were drinking more than 14 units of alcohol per week. This compares to an average of 130 units of alcohol consumed per week by each patient before detox at the beginning of the study.

Impressive results from this first-of-its-kind study. And although this wasn’t a placebo-controlled trial, the researchers also conducted an additional study that explored how MDMA therapy compares to standard treatments for alcohol addiction:

Fourteen subjects were recruited and tracked for nine months following detox for this adjacent outcome study. A striking 75 percent were consuming more than 14 units of alcohol per week at the nine-month follow-up point. This data resembles the generally poor long-term outcomes for current AUD treatments, which register drinking relapse rates at around 60 percent one year after treatment and 80 percent three years later.

Not too shabby.

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Norway’s Government Moves to Decriminalize Drug Possession

Kyle Jaeger, writing for Marijuana Moment:

At a time when numerous jurisdictions across the U.S. are weighing drug decriminalization proposals, the government of Norway on Friday proposed a bill to end the criminalization of personal possession of illicit substances.

Officials from the country’s Liberal Party unveiled the decriminalization legislation, which would make low-level possession a civil offense, rather than one that carries criminal penalties. Possession cases would also require mandatory treatment. […]

Refusal to comply with substance misuse treatment could result in a fine, but not the threat of jail time, under the proposal.

Decriminalization is spreading around the globe.

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New Massachusetts Bills Would Decriminalize All Drugs and Study Regulated Sales of Psychedelics

Ben Adlin, writing for Marijuana Moment:

Massachusetts lawmakers introduced legislation Friday that will attempt to end the state’s war on drugs. One proposal would remove criminal penalties for possession of all drugs, while the other would establish a task force to study plant- and fungi-based psychedelics with the eventual goal of legalizing and regulating the substances.

Calls to end criminal prohibition have been growing across the state, and two city councils—in Somerville and Cambridge—earlier this year adopted measures making possession of psychedelics the municipalities’ lowest law enforcement priorities.

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A Biotech Startup Won a Patent to Combine Elements of Weed and Psychedelics

Troy Farah, writing for Future Human:

Whether aiming to enhance spiritual growth or brighten the music at Lollapalooza, people have been combining cannabis and psilocybin “magic” mushrooms recreationally for ages. But a small biotech startup called CaaMTech Inc. just became the first to patent the idea.

The patent covers a whole range of cannabinoids — chemical compounds produced by marijuana plants, such as THC or CBD — mixed with a bevy of chemicals related to psilocybin mushrooms. It details myriad formulations, including dried powder, pills, gummies, and edibles, with a blanket of proposed applications for psychological disorders. The company, based in the Seattle suburb of Issaquah, hopes investors will want to license these formulations, which each combine a cannabinoid with a psilocybin derivative, either to treat mental health or entertain a yet-to-exist recreational market. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office awarded the patent in mid-January.

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