Tag: the war on (some) drugs

Exploring Cannabis sativa L for Anti-Alzheimer Potential: An Extensive Computational Study including Molecular Docking, Molecular Dynamics, and ADMET Assessments

Abstract

Introduction: Cholinesterase enzymes play a pivotal role in hydrolyzing acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter crucial for memory and cognition, into its components, acetic acid, and choline. A primary approach in addressing Alzheimer’s disease symptoms is by inhibiting the action of these enzymes.

Methods: With this context, our study embarked on a mission to pinpoint potential Cholinesterase (ChE) inhibitors using a comprehensive computational methodology. A total of 49 phytoconstituents derived from Cannabis sativa L underwent in silico screening via molecular docking, pharmacokinetic and pharmacotoxicological analysis, to evaluate their ability to inhibit cholinesterase enzymes. Out of these, two specific compounds, namely tetrahydrocannabivarin and Δ-9- tetrahydrocannabinol, belonging to cannabinoids, stood out as prospective therapeutic agents against Alzheimer’s due to their potential as cholinesterase inhibitors. These candidates showcased commendable binding affinities with the cholinesterase enzymes, highlighting their interaction with essential enzymatic residues.

Results: They were predicted to exhibit greater binding affinities than Rivastigmine and Galantamine. Their ADMET assessments further classified them as viable oral pharmaceutical drugs. They are not expected to induce any mutagenic or hepatotoxic effects and cannot produce skin sensitization. In addition, these phytoconstituents are predicted to be BBB permeable and can reach the central nervous system (CNS) and exert their therapeutic effects. To delve deeper, we explored molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to examine the stability of the complex formed between the best candidate (Δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol) and the target proteins under simulated biological conditions. The MD study affirmed that the ligand-ChE recognition is a spontaneous reaction leading to stable complexes.

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Colorado Governor Grants Mass Psilocybin Pardon Following Voters’ Approval Of Psychedelics Legalization At The Ballot

The governor of Colorado has announced a first-ever round of mass pardons for people with psilocybin-related convictions.

Just about two weeks after Gov. Jared Polis (D) signed a bill into law empowering him and future governors to issue clemency for people who’ve committed psychedelics offenses, he announced during a speech at the Psychedelic Science 2025 conference on Wednesday that he’s exercising that authority.

The pardons he’s granting through executive order will provide relief to anyone with a state-level conviction for psilocybin and psilocyn possession.

Shortly after signing the legislation that now allows him to grant the pardons, Polis said the reform represents another step “towards a fairer future.” He’s advocated for the policy change since the state legalized certain entheogenic substances in 2022.

“Governor Polis is showing exactly the kind of courage and compassion that we hope to see from all governors across the country by using his executive authority to right the wrongs of prohibition and calling on Colorado municipalities to do the same,” Jason Ortiz, director of strategic initiatives for the Last Prisoner Project (LPP) told Marijuana Moment.

“I look forward to working with his office to support and empower local municipalities to carry the torch of freedom forward until there is no one burdened by a criminal history for actions that are now generating tax revenue across the state of Colorado,” he said.

The psychedelics clemency move comes several years after Polis issued mass pardons for people with prior marijuana convictions.

The recently enacted psychedelics legislation from Sen. Matt Ball (D) and Rep. Lisa Feret (D) authorizes governors to grant clemency to people with convictions for low-level possession of substances such as psilocybin, ibogaine and DMT that have since been legalized.

It will also require the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE), Department of Revenue (DOR) and Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA) to “collect information and data related to the use of natural medicine and natural medicine products.”

That must include data on law enforcement activities, adverse health events, consumer protection claims and behavioral impacts related to psychedelics.

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TV Networks Face Advertising Apocalypse After Trump Admin Mulls Pharma Restrictions

Last week independent Senators Bernie Sanders (VT) and Angus King (ME) introduced legislation that would ban pharmaceutical companies from promoting prescription drugs directly to consumers – including through television, radio, print, digital platforms, and social media. 

Today, Bloomberg reports that the Trump administration is now ‘discussing policies that would make it harder and more expensive for pharmaceutical companies to advertise directly to patients.’

The two policies the administration has focused in on would be to require greater disclosures of side effects of a drug within each ad — likely making broadcast ads much longer and prohibitively expensive — or removing the industry’s ability to deduct direct-to-consumer advertising as a business expense for tax purposes, these people said.

Although the US is the only place, besides New Zealand, where pharma companies can directly advertise, banning pharma ads outright could make the administration vulnerable to lawsuits, so it’s instead focusing on cutting down on the practice by adding legal and financial hurdles, according to people familiar with the plans who weren’t authorized to speak publicly on the matter.

If this happens, it would mark a major victory for Health and Human Services Secretary RFK Jr., who says he believes Americans consume more drugs than people in other countries due to the ability of US drug companies to directly advertise to consumers. 

While running for president, Mr. Kennedy said he would issue an executive order removing pharmaceutical ads from television, citing overmedication and industry influence on news coverage.

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Florida Lawmakers Pass Bill To Revoke Medical Marijuana Cards From People With Drug Convictions, Sending It To DeSantis’s Desk

Lawmakers in Florida are sending legislation to the governor’s desk that would revoke state medical marijuana registrations of people convicted of certain drug crimes.

On Monday, both the House and Senate signed off on a compromise version of SB 2514, a broad bill that touches on cancer, dentistry and other health-related matters. It also contains a provision that would force the state Department of Health (DOH) to cancel registrations of medical marijuana patients and caregivers if they’re convicted or plead either guilty or no contest to criminal drug charges.

On Monday, both legislative chambers approved a compromise committee’s revised version of the bill and sent the measure to Gov. Ron DeSantis (R).

Language in the latest version is slightly different than what the Senate approved earlier this year. It says that a patient or caregiver would have their registration immediately suspended upon being charged with a state drug crime. The suspension would remain in place until the criminal case reaches a final disposition.

DOH officials would have authority to reinstate the registration, revoke it entirely or extend the suspension if needed.

Authorities would be required to revoke a person’s registration if the patient or caregiver “was convicted of, or pled guilty or nolo contendre to, regardless of adjudication, a violation [of state drug law] if such violation was for trafficking in, the sale, manufacture, or delivery of, or possession with intent to sell, manufacture, or deliver a controlled substance.”

The revised language appears to eliminate an earlier restriction that would have also revoked registrations for people who merely purchased illegal drugs, including more than 10 grams of marijuana for their own use. The new version focuses more specifically on production and distribution.

It also clarifies that patients and caregivers would have a process to request their registrations be reinstated. That would involve submitting a new application “accompanied by a notarized attestation by the applicant that he or she has completed all the terms of incarceration, probation, community control, or supervision related to the offense.”

It’s not clear from the plain language of the revised bill whether it would impact only future criminal cases involving medical marijuana patients and caregivers or whether DOH would need to review the records of existing program registrants and revoke registrations of an untold number of Floridians with past drug convictions.

Notably, lawmakers defeated several proposals to expand the medical cannabis program during this year’s regular legislation session—including by allowing home cultivation, adding new qualifying conditions, protecting employment and parental rights of patients and letting military veterans register for free.

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Colorado Healing Center Facilitates First Psilocybin Session Under Voter-Approved Psychedelics Legalization Law

For the first time, a Colorado patient has taken a legal supervised dose of psilocybin under the state’s natural medicine program. That’s according to the The Center Origin, which in April became the state’s first licensed healing center as part of a buildout of the voter-approved system that was completed last month.

“Big news,” the facility’s CEO and founder, Elizabeth Cooke, said on social media on Sunday. “Last week, we held our very first psilocybin session for psychedelic-assisted healing.”

“A milestone moment is here and a new chapter in healing has begun!” she wrote. “This marks the beginning of our work offering safe, intentional, and transformative psychedelic-assisted healing experiences to those seeking deeper growth and restoration.”

Colorado regulators last month certified the first testing laboratory for the natural medicine program, putting the final piece of the state’s psychedelic infrastructure in place.

Following that step, Gov. Jared Polis (D) announced that the second-in-the-nation state psychedelics program was “fully launched for operations.”

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Alabama Judge Will Hear Lawsuit From Parents Over State’s Medical Marijuana Delays

A judge will hold a hearing later this month in a lawsuit filed by parents of children potentially eligible to receive medical cannabis under Alabama’s long-delayed program.

The five parents—Dustin Chandler, Cristina Cain, Catherine Hall, Megan Jackson and Kari Forsyth—want the court to require the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission (AMCC) to establish a patient registry for medical cannabis, citing delays in access to the program.

“Plaintiffs also bring this petition in their individual capacities because they have suffered specific injuries as a result of the Commissioner’s failure to establish the patient and caregiver registry and seek to vindicate their own private rights,” the parents claimed in the lawsuit. The are also suing “in the name of the State of Alabama to uphold the Compassion Act’s requirement.”

The commission argued in a motion to dismiss filed in May that the lawsuit lacks standing and asks the AMCC to take steps already taken or beyond its control.

“The Commission applauds the early advocacy of those among the Petitioners who supported passage of the [Compassion Act]. Regretfully, it appears the Petitioners have been misinformed about the status of the Patient Registry and why it has not yet been populated with the names of eligible patients,” counsel for AMCC wrote in the motion.

The plaintiffs said in their filing that each child “has a condition that is treatable with medical cannabis” but does not provide any further details.

The AMCC states in the motion that a patient registry has, in fact, been established and is being maintained at a significant expense. But according to the motion to dismiss, no patients are currently registered because physicians cannot be certified until certain licensing requirements for cultivators, processors, transporters and dispensaries are met.

According to the AMCC’s filing, rules established by the Alabama Board of Medical Examiners (BME) dictate that physician certification is dependent on issuing at least one license in each of the licensing categories, or to one integrated facility.

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Iowa Governor Vetoes Bill To Let Doctors Prescribe Psilocybin After Federal Approval Of The Psychedelic

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) has vetoed a bill that would have allowed doctors in the state to immediately prescribe a form of psilocybin in the event of federal approval of the psychedelic substance by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Reynolds, who announced her veto of a number of bills on Wednesday, said the lawmaker-approved legislation “surrenders state authority to make an informed determination about classification to federal officials at the FDA.”

The measure, HF 383, passed the Senate in April on a 47–0 vote after clearing the House 92–0 in February. If enacted, it would have reclassified the a form of psilocybin known as “crystalline polymorph psilocybin”—also known as COMP 360—in the event of FDA approval, allowing doctors and pharmacists to prescribe and dispense it in the state.

Similar measures were considered by other states this year, including Colorado—where Gov. Jared Polis (D) signed it into law—and Virginia, where it was vetoed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R).

“I recognize and respect the growing body of research into the potential therapeutic benefits of psilocybin for mental health conditions such as depression and PTSD,” Reynolds’s veto statement of the Iowa measure said. “However, this bill, in its current form, moves ahead of where our public health systems, regulatory frameworks, and law enforcement infrastructure are prepared to go at this time.”

“Psilocybin should first be FDA approved and rescheduled by the DEA before the State of Iowa considers rescheduling,” the governor added. “The pathway provided by this bill for legalization of psilocybin at the state level before we have a chance to review federal action and prepare robust, federally aligned guidelines and safeguards creates legal uncertainty, poses risks for misuse, and could undermine broader efforts to ensure safe and effective therapeutic use in the future.”

Reynolds framed the veto action as “not a dismissal of the emerging science or the sincere advocacy behind this legislation” but instead as “a call for a more deliberate and Iowa-centric approach—one that engages state and federal partners, provides time to review any clinical studies and federal changes, and builds a framework for any future therapeutic access that is clear, safe, equitable, and medically sound.”

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A Rabbi, a Minister, a Monk, and a Priest Took Magic Mushrooms. Here’s What Happened

After scientists asked “psychedelic-naïve” professional religious leaders to take psilocybin, the active ingredient in magic mushrooms, most found the experience “religiously significant, meaningful, and generally beneficial.”

Historically, several world religions incorporate psychedelic compounds in their practices. However, this is the first study to examine what impact these experiences would have on the professional work of leaders from Christianity, Islam, Judaism, and Buddhism, four of the world’s major religions.

Magic Mushrooms and Mystical Experiences

In their published study, the late Roland Griffiths, of Johns Hopkins University, and Stephen Ross and Anthony Bossis, from New York University Grossman School of Medicine, discuss the role of psychedelic compounds like LSD, psilocybin, ayahuasca, and peyote in religious ceremonies. While uses of these substances vary among cultures and religions, the researchers note that they can induce experiences that share similarities to “non-pharmacologically triggered” experiences often described as “religious, spiritual, or mystical.”

“Mystical experiences are characterized by a range of subjective features including a sense of unity, “noetic” quality (e.g., an authoritative sense of truth), transcendence of time and space, a sense of awe or sacredness, intense positive mood, transiency that nevertheless feels timeless, presence in awareness of mutually exclusive states or concepts, and ineffability,” they explain.

The researchers note that such experiences are also sometimes observed in states of consciousness “associated with near-death experiences, meditation, prayer, fasting, breathwork, and music.” Although psychedelics continue to be used in some Indigenous religious contexts, the researchers note “they are generally not used within major world religions (e.g., Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam).”

Curious if these religious leaders would have similar experiences and how these experiences might affect their job performance, the team recruited volunteers from all four major religions. According to the results, the study participants experienced several impacts on their personal and professional lives, including “enduring increases in well-being and spirituality,” that lasted up to 16 months after taking magic mushrooms.

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Texas Governor Signs Bill To Create Ibogaine Research Consortium, Aiming To Develop FDA-Approved Psychedelic Drug

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) has signed into law a bill to create a state-backed research consortium to conduct clinical trials on ibogaine as a possible treatment for substance use disorders and other mental health conditions. The ultimate goal of the project is to develop the psychedelic into a prescription drug with U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval, with the state retaining a portion of the profit.

“Texas is now leading the way in the United States for the evaluation of ibogaine as a potential medication that can help improve the lives of so many Americans,” the governor said at a signing event on Wednesday. He called the psychedelic “a therapy that has shown great promise in treating” conditions such as depression, PTSD and opioid use disorder.

“I’m about to sign a law that will lead to an FDA-approved drug development clinical trial that will seek approval of ibogaine as a medication for the treatment of opioid use disorder and other behavioral health conditions, especially those suffered by our veterans,” he added. “Texas will invest $50 million to support this research, and these funds can be matched by grants and private investments.”

Under the new law, approved by the state legislature earlier this month, Texas will retain a commercial interest in “all intellectual property that may be generated over the course of the drug development clinical trials,” the legislation says, with an aim of making Texas a hub for “ibogaine-related biomedical research, development, treatment, manufacturing, and distribution.”

A quarter of revenue taken in by the state from any resulting intellectual property would fund veterans programs.

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GOP-Led Congressional Panel Demands Investigation On Biden’s Marijuana Rescheduling Process, Citing ‘Deviations’ And ‘Mental Health Hazards’

A key GOP-led House committee is asking for a review of the cannabis rescheduling recommendation issued under the Biden administration, expressing concerns about “deviations” from a prior review process as well as the “mental health hazards of regular use of high-potency marijuana.”

In a report attached to a large-scale spending bill for the 2026 fiscal year, the House Appropriations Committee included several sections focused on marijuana and hemp—while also encouraging further research into the therapeutic potential of psychedelics. The panel is set to vote on the bill and report language on Wednesday.

For cannabis advocates and stakeholders, however, the report’s marijuana scheduling language is troubling, with members stating that they’re “concerned about deviations from established drug scheduling evaluation standards in the [Food and Drug Administration, or FDA] 2023 marijuana scheduling review.”

Under former President Joe Biden, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recommended to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) that cannabis be moved from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). That process has since stalled out amid legal challenges from witnesses in DEA administrative hearing proceedings.

“The Committee directs the HHS Inspector General to complete a report on the 2023 marijuana scheduling review including but not limited to: deviations from the established five-factor currently accepted medical use test, justification for a new, two-factor currently accepted medical use test and whether this will be the standard for all future reviews, use of a limited number of hand-selected comparator substances, and inclusion of research results that are not statistically significant or inconclusive,” the report section says.

The flagged issues largely echo concerns raised by prohibitionist organizations such as Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM). And the language is consistent with an earlier version of the agriculture spending legislation that advanced though committee but was not ultimately enacted last session.

“The Committee is concerned about reports of the mental health hazards of regular use of high-potency marijuana, particularly among adolescents,” it says. “The Committee encourages the FDA to support research on high-potency marijuana and its effects on the adolescent brain, specifically regarding addiction and mental illness such as schizophrenia or psychosis.”

“Marijuana Rescheduling.—The Committee is concerned about deviations from established drug scheduling evaluation standards in the FDA 2023 marijuana scheduling review. The Committee directs the HHS Inspector General to complete a report on the 2023 marijuana scheduling review including but not limited to: deviations from the established five-factor currently accepted medical use test, justification for a new, two-factor currently accepted medical use test and whether this will be the standard for all future reviews, use of a limited number of hand-selected comparator substances, and inclusion of research results that are not statistically significant or inconclusive. The Committee is concerned about reports of the mental health hazards of regular use of high-potency marijuana, particularly among adolescents. The Committee encourages the FDA to support research on high-potency marijuana and its effects on the adolescent brain, specifically regarding addiction and mental illness such as schizophrenia or psychosis.”

Elsewhere in the report, the panel also talked about their problem with “the proliferation of products marketed in violation of the [Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA)], including products containing derivatives of the cannabis plant,” which is consistent with provisions of the underlying bill that would ban all hemp items containing “quantifiable” amounts of THC.

“The Committee is aware that non-FFDCA-compliant products pose potential health and safety risks to consumers through misleading, unsubstantiated, and false claims that cannabis and cannabis derivatives can treat serious and life-threatening diseases and conditions, including COVID–19 and cancer,” the report says. “Such products may also be contaminated with harmful substances.”

“The Committee recognizes FDA’s use of existing authorities to undertake cannabis-related efforts, including research, requests for data, consumer education, issuance of guidance and policy around cannabis-based drug product development, and enforcement against wrongdoers,” it continues. “The Committee expects FDA to continue and increase these efforts given the proliferation of non-FFDCA-compliant, cannabis-containing products and the risks they pose to public health.”

“Cannabidiol Oil Enforcement.—The Committee is concerned about the proliferation of products marketed in violation of the FFDCA, including products containing derivatives of the cannabis plant. The Committee is aware that non-FFDCA-compliant products pose potential health and safety risks to consumers through misleading, unsubstantiated, and false claims that cannabis and cannabis derivatives can treat serious and life-threatening diseases and conditions, including COVID–19 and cancer. Such products may also be contaminated with harmful substances. The Committee recognizes FDA’s use of existing authorities to undertake cannabis-related efforts, including research, requests for data, consumer education, issuance of guidance and policy around cannabis-based drug product development, and enforcement against wrongdoers. The Committee expects FDA to continue and increase these efforts given the proliferation of non-FFDCA-compliant, cannabis-containing products and the risks they pose to public health. The Committee also expects FDA to take enforcement action against the manufacturers of any cannabis products marketed with unlawful therapeutic claims to preserve the integrity of the drug development and approval processes, which ensures that products, including cannabis-containing products, marketed as drugs have undergone a rigorous scientific evaluation to ensure that they are safe, pure, potent, and effective for the diseases and conditions they claim to treat. It is also imperative that FDA continue to exercise its existing authorities to preserve incentives to invest in robust clinical study of cannabis so its therapeutic value can be better understood.”

The report further states that members expect FDA to “take enforcement action against the manufacturers of any cannabis products marketed with unlawful therapeutic claims to preserve the integrity of the drug development and approval processes, which ensures that products, including cannabis-containing products, marketed as drugs have undergone a rigorous scientific evaluation to ensure that they are safe, pure, potent, and effective for the diseases and conditions they claim to treat.”

“It is also imperative that FDA continue to exercise its existing authorities to preserve incentives to invest in robust clinical study of cannabis so its therapeutic value can be better understood,” the committee said.

The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies advanced the underlying bill last week, stirring controversy over provisions to prohibit cannabis products containing any “quantifiable” amount of THC or “any other cannabinoids that have similar effects (or are marketed to have similar effects) on humans or animals” as THC.

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