A group of senators are pressing top federal drug and health agencies to provide an update on the status of efforts to increase the number of authorized marijuana manufacturers for research purposes.
A letter from the lawmakers—led by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and addressed to the heads of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Office of National Drug Control Policy and Department of Health and Human Services—emphasizes the need to expand the supply of research-grade cannabis as more states opt to legalize the plant for medical or recreational use.
BuzzFeed's Dominic Holden reports, the ONDCP has asked agencies across the executive branch to share any information that reflects badly on marijuana legalization, including "data demonstrating the most significant negative trends." According to internal memos that Holden obtained, the material will be distilled by something called the Marijuana Policy Coordination Committee, which seems intent on getting Donald Trump to reconsider his support for letting states go their own way in this area.
Trailblazing states like Colorado and Washington learned on the fly about the regulation of the marijuana industry. The message from one policy expert to New Jersey: learn from their missteps and learn now.
John Carnevale, who worked on policy at the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy under three administrations, mapped out the necessary regulative landscape for what appears to be an inevitable industry in New Jersey. And setting it up is no mean task, especially given the lack of research on marijuana and public health and safety issues.