Although the topics at Austin's annual SXSW festival tend to skew toward tech and pop culture, this year's was awash in discussions on the future of psychedelic therapy. At least 20 separate keynote speaker sessions addressed the topic, ranging from "Open Minds: Innovations in Consciousness, Psychedelics & Mental Health" to "Psychedelic Tech: Consciousness in the Modern Age." There was even a psychedelics-related networking event. "It's definitely the future of therapeutic healing," said Alexander Hill, an Austin-based health and wellness entrepreneur,… Read more.

When New York regulators announced plans to double recreational marijuana retail licenses to 300 for social equity applicants, local cannabis operators and other industry advocates applauded the news. But behind the scenes, concerns were mounting over the challenge of finding affordable cannabis real estate across large parts of the state because of zoning and commercial restrictions. About half of New York’s 1,520 municipalities have opted out of adult-use retail, according to the Rockefeller Institute of Government, a public policy think tank based in Albany.… Read more.

Switzerland’s government has approved a trial to legalize the sale and consumption of cannabis and assess the social and economic benefits of regulating cannabis products, CNBC reports. Starting this summer, a test group of 2,100 Zurich residents will be allowed to purchase regulated doses of cannabis for personal use from pharmacies, dispensaries, and social clubs in the city.  As part of the study, participants will be expected to answer a questionnaire every six months on their cannabis consumption habits and health effects. The study is conducted in collaboration… Read more.

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) on Thursday vetoed a bill to raise THC levels allowed for unprocessed industrial hemp from 0.3% to 5%. Raising the THC threshold to 5% would have allowed for another processor to extract THC as it develops more uses for hemp after the initial process is completed.  In her veto statement, Noem said the proposal would have changed the definition of “product in process” by increasing the THC limits which would have allowed hemp products and crops in… Read more.

A federal judge in Arkansas dismissed several claims by a medical marijuana dispensary applicant, including tortious interference and racial discrimination during the state’s license-evaluation process. According to Law360, U.S. District Judge James Moody Jr. ruled that tortious interference doesn’t apply to the claim made by Absolute Essence because it’s still an applicant and doesn’t have any property or business rights. Absolute Essence’s suit in February 2022 alleged that the company that state regulators hired to score applications, Public Consulting Group Holdings and… Read more.