Marijuana Leads To ‘Robust Improvements’ In Lower Back Pain And ‘Near-Total’ Cessation Of Opioids, Study Finds
People with chronic lower back pain who don’t respond to traditional therapies such as opioids experience “large, sustained, and statistically robust improvements” when they switch to inhaled cannabis, according to a new study. Researchers at Rabin Medical Center in Israel looked at longitudinal data from 241 patients with treatment-resistant lower back pain from 2020 to […]
DEA highlights cannabis’s medical benefits & relative safety in rescheduling hearing (Newsletter: June 30, 2026)
Bipartisan lawmakers: Blocking rescheduling won’t work; Marijuana reformers rally outside DEA; SCOTUS on cannabis & gun rights; VA legalization Subscribe to receive Marijuana Moment’s newsletter in your inbox every weekday morning. It’s the best way to make sure you know which cannabis stories are shaping the day. Your support makes Marijuana Moment possible… Free to read […]
MA marijuana legalization repeal ballot question: What to know
The ballot question, known as “An Act to Restore A Sensible Marijuana Policy,” seeks to repeal state laws legalizing, regulating, and taxing cannabis. Those laws, which grew out of the 2016 voter-approved referendum legalizing marijuana, lay the framework for rules governing testing, licensing, and other regulations, as well as state and local taxes on recreational […]
Virginia to allow recreational marijuana to be sold in retail stores beginning in 2027
(Photo/Pixaby) RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Five years after becoming the first Southern state to legalize possession of marijuana, Virginia has approved a legal way to sell it to recreational users. State budget legislation enacted Monday will allow up to 350 cannabis shops to open across Virginia beginning July 1, 2027. The move marks the latest expansion of […]
Texan Ken Paxton Doubles Down on Cannabis Opposition
As Ken Paxton campaigns for higher office amid renewed scrutiny, his opposition to marijuana legalization remains at odds with shifting public opinion in Texas. Attorney General Ken Paxton is once again making national headlines. As he campaigns for higher office and seeks to strengthen his standing among conservative voters, Paxton has also faced renewed attention […]
Virginia to allow recreational marijuana be sold in retail stores beginning in 2027
RICHMOND, Va. — Five years after becoming the first Southern state to legalize possession of marijuana, Virginia has approved a legal way to sell it to recreational users. State budget legislation enacted Monday will allow up to 350 cannabis shops to open across Virginia beginning July 1, 2027. The move marks the latest expansion of […]
Idaho medical cannabis legalization effort says it’s on track despite setback
Supporters of a voter initiative campaign that seeks to legalize medical marijuana in Idaho say the effort remains on track. That’s despite a state judge’s recent ruling that thousands of signatures were submitted too late to count. The signatures arrived at the Minidoka County Clerk’s office at 5:05 p.m. May 1 – minutes after the […]
DEA And FDA Highlight How Marijuana Is Safer Than Alcohol And Opioids During Rescheduling Hearing’s Opening Day
Lawyers for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) on Monday highlighted testimony on marijuana’s medical benefits and its relative safety compared to other substances such as alcohol and opioids on the opening day of a hearing on the Trump administration’s cannabis rescheduling proposal. While the proceedings were not livestreamed to the public in line with requests […]
Virginia Lawmakers Give Final Approval To Marijuana Sales Legalization As Part Of Budget
Virginia lawmakers have formally passed a budget bill that includes provisions to legalize recreational marijuana sales. On Monday, the Senate and House of Delegates adopted Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s (D) proposed amendments to the legislation that they had given initial approval to last week. Because lawmakers accepted her suggested changes in full, the measure has now […]
The Supreme Court’s Ruling On Gun Rights For Marijuana Users Is Already Being Applied To Other Cases
The Supreme Court’s recent decision to uphold the gun rights of a man who uses marijuana is already impacting the cases of other cannabis consumers who have been prosecuted for possessing firearms. Earlier this month, the nine justices unanimously ruled that the government’s efforts to criminalize possession of guns for cannabis consumers is an unconstitutional […]
Massachusetts cannabis industry mobilizes against November repeal ballot measure
Anti-cannabis advocates have gathered enough signatures to place a measure on Massachusetts’s November ballot that would overturn the state’s recreational marijuana laws, originally passed by voters in 2016. If successful, it would be the first time any U.S. state has reversed marijuana […]
Marijuana Activists Say They’re Being ‘Shut Out’ Of DEA’s Rescheduling Hearing That Features Only Legalization Opponents
A coalition of marijuana legalization activists gathered outside Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) headquarters on Monday ahead of the start of a hearing an agency judge is overseeing on the Trump administration’s proposal to reschedule cannabis—criticizing the fact that no supporters of reform were invited to participate and that the proceedings are not being livestreamed despite […]