Cannabis Reg. Update: White House Drug Czar Touts Benefits Of Medical Cannabis, House Committee Approves Protections For State Marijuana Programs & More

White House Drug Czar Touts Therapeutic Value Of Medical Cannabis

With more than 50 million American adults around the country suffering from chronic pain, many turn to cannabis as an alternative to prescription drugs. According to a recent study, conducted by investigators at the Rothman Orthopedic Institute at the Thomas Jefferson University, 73% of the participants either stopped or decreased their opioid intake after cannabis therapy.

Moreover, the new data published in the Pain Reports journal showed the short-term effectiveness and safety of micro doses of Medical Cannabis administered via a metered-dose inhaler (the Syqe Inhaler) in chronic pain patients. The researchers from Haifa, Israel used the daily stable dose of 5 mg of aerosolized delta-9-THC for their patients.

“There is evidence to suggest that, in cases of certain chronic pain, cannabis can be efficacious,” the White House drug tzar Rahul Gupta said on Monday. Gupta, who is the Office of National Drug Control Policy’s director, answered a series of cannabis-related questions during a House Oversight and Reform Committee hearing.

However, considering that cannabis is a federally banned substance under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), ONDCP is not allowed to provide funding “for any study or contract relating to the legalization (for a medical use or any other use) of a substance.”

Gupta also emphasized that the Biden administration continues to support cannabis reform, having in mind the efforts to deschedule cannabis.

Congressional Committee Votes To Protect State Cannabis Programs From DOJ

On the heels of U.S. Rep. Dave Joyce (R-OH) securing a language in the fiscal year 2023 appropriations bill to protect the rights of Native American tribes which are impacted by federal cannabis laws, a key congressional subcommittee approved an amendment Tuesday afternoon that would prevent the Department of Justice (DOJ) from interfering with legal adult-use marijuana programs as part of the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies appropriations legislation for the Fiscal Year 2023, NORML reported in a press release.

The bipartisan amendment, introduced by Reps. Barbara Lee (D-CA) David Joyce (R-OH) along with Reps. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Tom McClintock (R-CA) and Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) would bar the DOJ from using resources to interfere with the ability of states, territories, tribal governments or the District of Columbia to implement cannabis laws or to target people acting in compliance with those laws.

Luxembourg Takes Another Step To Legalize Recreational Marijuana

The Council of Government of Luxembourg recently gave the green light to the draft bill on recreational cannabis, reported Lexology. The measure modified the amended law dating to 1973 on the sale of medicinal substances and the fight against drug addiction.

The draft bill, presented by Sam Tanson, Luxembourg's Minister of Justice on the domestic culture aspects to the Justice Committee on 15 June 2022, seeks to authorize the cultivation of cannabis for personal use, as well as its consumption in the private sphere by people of legal age.

The bill also provides for lighter sanctions on the use, possession, and transport of cannabis in public. However, the substance will remain illegal.

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