Daily Drug War Digest -- August 28, 2026

Colorado's governor pardons more marijuana offenders, Florida's governor gets caught using taxpayer funds to campaign against a marijuana legalization initiative, and more. 

Psilocybin mushrooms. You can get your therapeutic growers' permit now in New Mexico. (Pixabay)

Marijuana Policy

https://www.marijuanamoment.net/colorado-governor-pardons-more-people-for-marijuana-convictions/

Colorado Governor Pardons More Marijuana Offenders. Gov. Jared Polis (D) on Wednesday issued a batch of pardons, including several for people convicted of marijuana offenses. He has pardoned thousands of other people for marijuana offenses in the past. 

One of the new pardon recipients, Johnathan Carey, was convicted of possessing more than eight ounces of weed back in 2005. He received a letter from Polis with the good news. 

"Many people with criminal histories desire a second chance, and you have earned one," the governor wrote in a letter to Carey. "Since your conviction, you rededicated yourself to living as a good citizen. While incarcerated, you completed a bootcamp and were resentenced to six months. After your release, you worked hard to better yourself through education. You graduated cum laude from law school in 2016 and founded the COPA Legal Clinic to provide low-cost legal services. Your friends and colleagues describe you as hard-working, persistent, passionate, and diligent. I hope this pardon will create even more opportunities for you and allow you to obtain licensure to continue your legal career.

"Not everyone earns the privilege of a second chance. But you have demonstrated that you deserve one," Polis said. "I hope you will make the most of this opportunity and treat your obligations seriously. It will require hard work and dedication to stay on the right path. But I have confidence you will move beyond these past mistakes and build a better life for yourself and your loved ones."

Florida Grand Jury Finds Gov. DeSantis Diverted Taxpayer Dollars to Anti-Marijuana Campaign. A Leon County grand jury report, issued in January but suppressed until it was leaked this week to local media, found that the administration of Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) had "misappropriated" $10 million in taxpayer money, which it diverted to a charity run by his wife. That money was then shunted to a political action committee to fund a campaign against a failed marijuana legalization initiative on the 2024 ballot.

The grand jury, however, declined to indict anyone because it said it could not determine who was specifically responsible for the diversion. 

"Despite our finding that the money was misappropriated, we find insufficient evidence to charge anyone criminally," the report concluded. The grand jury said no one would take responsibility for the transfer of funds. 

"We recognize that this would be an impediment to criminal prosecution," the report noted. "While we can't prove who is responsible, we can plainly see that taxpayer money was misused for political purposes and we would like to see changes made to prevent this from happening again."

Responding to the leaked grand jury findings, DeSantis did not dispute them but claimed no laws were broken and that whoever leaked the report would face "consequences."

The Hope Florida charity, led by DeSantis's wife, Casey, was supposed to help financially struggling families connect with churches and aid groups to keep them off publicly financed assistance programs. The $10 million allocated to it instead went to the anti-marijuana political campaign. 

While not indicting anyone, the grand jury pointed a finger at DeSantis's chief of staff, James Uthmeier, who, it said, "was in a position of authority over those involved in settling," and that his Keep Florida Clean PAC was the prime recipient of the $10 million. It also named then-state Attorney General Ashley Moody (R), saying her office knew of the cash diversion plans. DeSantis later appointed her to the US Senate. Both she and Uthmeier are running for reelection this year. DeSantis is prevented from running again by term limits. 

Psychedelics                                                                             

New Mexico Psilocybin Program Begins Accepting Permit Applications for Mushroom Producers. The state Department of Health Center for Medical Cannabis and Psilocybin has begun accepting applications from potential producers to grow mushrooms for the program. The state had originally vowed to get that done by the end of the year but came in ahead of schedule. 

"We’re no longer talking about a piece of legislation and some rulemaking. This is real, this is happening, and it’s being operationalized right now," said Santa Fe-based psychedelic attorney Victoria Cvitanovic.

The state moved into therapeutic psychedelics last year with the passage of Senate Bill 219, which created the medical psilocybin program, an advisory board and legalized use of the psychedelic in controlled, therapeutic settings. Qualifying conditions currently include major treatment-resistant depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, substance use disorders, and end-of-life care. 

The permit requirements include providing a state business license, proof of registration with the Secretary of State's office and the Taxation and Revenue Department, as well as safety documents, proof of ownership of the facility, compliance with city and county zoning requirements, and verification that the mushrooms will only be grown and tested in-state. 

"I think it’s notable that the application balances both the safety of the patients who will be receiving the end product and the safety of people who may live in areas of the state where someone is granted a license to produce psilocybin," Cvitanovic said. "These applications are open to anyone, but they are fairly extensive because of the high stakes of producing a controlled substance, specifically for very limited medical use."