Today in cannabis news: The Arizona state Supreme Court launches a website to assist citizens with cannabis record expungement; past comments from President Joe Biden’s nominee to head the DEA reveal that they opposed federal cannabis decriminalization; and a federal health official calls on the U.S. government to work with regions in the country that are implementing psychedelic policy reforms.
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** First up: The Arizona state Supreme Court said this week that, in accordance with the cannabis legalization measure voted on by citizens last year, it has developed a webpage to assist persons in expunging their prior cannabis conviction histories.
Last year, Arizona voters handily supported a proposal to legalize recreational cannabis, and while authorities were quick to set up retail, which began in January, they have been slow to implement a system of record expunction.
“Provisions for expunging records that show the arrest, charge, adjudication, conviction, or sentence of certain marijuana-related offenses take effect July 12, 2021,” the court said. “The website will help individuals determine if they qualify for expungement and will provide forms and instructions for filing.”
Expungements are available for anyone who has been charged with carrying up to 2.5 oz of cannabis, six crops, or cannabis accessories.
“Adult and juvenile arrests, charges, adjudications, convictions, and sentences are eligible for expungement if the applicant meets the requirements,” the court said. “The expungement process seals records from the public, while keeping them available to the person arrested, charged, adjudicated, convicted, or sentenced.”
** Next up: Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), a proponent of federally legalizing cannabis, is supporting President Joe Biden’s nominee to head the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) as a key leader of ceasing the War on Drugs, despite their public resistance to moderate policy changes like state-level cannabis decriminalization initiatives in the past.
At a confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Booker described DEA Administrator nominee Anne Milgram as “someone that gives me hope about our country, that we cannot be chained to the drug war policies of the past, but find ways that actually produce evidence-based results.”
When it came to stopping the War on Drugs, however, Milgram didn’t quite match the criteria when they were the state Attorney General of New Jersey in 2007. When asked then about their stance of cannabis decriminalization, Milgram responded by saying they would not support the notion.
Although President Joe Biden, who dislikes full federal cannabis legalization, ran on a campaign of decriminalization, record expungement, and allowing states to decide their own cannabis policies and federal involvement, they have undertaken no moves so far to follow through on such promises since assuming the presidency.
If Milgram is confirmed to lead the DEA, it remains unclear for now how they would approach federal cannabis decriminalization.
** Last up: According to a federal health official, Oregon’s decision to legalize psilocybin mushrooms for medicinal usage indicates to the U.S. federal government that it must work alongside localities pursuing such initiatives and assist in the establishment of regulatory systems.
Sean Belouin, a senior science policy advisor at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), spoke at a National Institutes of Health (NIH) panel about “compelling” analyses on psychedelics and the significance of federal participation as municipal laws shift, irrespective of their federally illegal status.
The suggestion that the federal government proactively work with regions that are enacting psychedelic policy changes is noteworthy because it comes from a representative of a federal health department.
“Many of the safety and ethical considerations will rapidly become front-and-center regulatory and policy issues for states and municipalities who are either debating or passing initiatives that decriminalize and medicalize psychedelics, particularly in plant form,” Belouin said.
Belouin added: “Everyone’s state regulatory agencies will need to collaborate with stakeholders on how best to eliminate disparity, thus ensuring equitable access of psychedelic therapy for all patients regardless of income status, insurance plans, no insurance or other disparity-limiting factors. Everyone’s state regulators will need to engage medical stakeholders in conjunction with non-profit, non-medical stakeholders who may seek to be involved in providing this service.”
