Law

A broad reform bill has been proposed in California that would see the possession and use of a number of psychedelic drugs decriminalized. The bill proposes to expunge all psychedelic-related criminal convictions and allow “social sharing” of the drugs.

A progressive wave of drug reforms have been passed by US voters, including four states legalizing recreational marijuana, one state decriminalizing natural psychedelics, and Oregon decriminalizing all drugs and legalizing psilocybin psychotherapy.

With space exploration becoming more accessible to more countries, cooperation will be key. NASA has outlined the principles for that peaceful future in the Artemis Accords, and now eight nations have signed on as founding members.

The state of Oregon will officially vote on legalizing psilocybin psychotherapy in the upcoming November election. The initiative focuses solely on licensed and regulated psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy in clinical environments.

With legal recreational cannabis use spreading across North America there is a debate over what the minimum age for consumption should be. A new study from Canadian researchers suggests 19 is the optimal age to set for recreational use of the drug.

A report that surveyed over 200 participants from a prematurely cancelled Canadian basic income experiment found participants saw improvements in mental health and social relationships, plus a reduction in the use of general health services.

Digital rights advocacy group Access Now has released its annual report revealing that governments around world are increasingly shutting down the internet, often to stifle dissent particularly during times of protest or elections.

A report tracking internet freedom across the world has found global declines for the ninth consecutive year. Underpinned by social media surveillance, the report identified internet freedom deterioration in more than half of 65 countries assessed.

The scientist responsible for creating the world’s first gene-edited babies has been sentenced to three years in prison alongside shorter sentences for two of his colleagues. Chinese state news also revealed a third gene-edited baby has been born.

The Epilepsy Foundation is striking back against a campaign by Twitter trolls to flood some hashtags with flashing GIFs designed to trigger seizures in vulnerable individuals. The cyber-attacks follow on from a similar attack on a journalist in 2016.

The FDA has finally approved two new low-nicotine cigarettes for the US market. The announcement comes less than a month after the FDA faced criticism for seemingly backing down on a 2017 initiative to regulate nicotine levels in cigarettes.

A US federal court has temporarily blocked a law, passed in Arkansas earlier in 2019, which made it illegal for terms such as "burgers" and "sausages" to be applied to products made from plant-based materials.