![The Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta on June 22, 2023. (Photo by Miguel Gutierrez Jr., CalMatters)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/screenshot_20230929-172503.png?1696001306)
The Bay-Delta Ecosystem Is Collapsing. California Just Unveiled Rival Rescue Plans
CalMatters: With the Bay-Delta watershed in the throes of an ecological crisis, California’s water regulators Thursday unveiled several controversial options for managing the heart of the state’s water supply.
![Psylocibin, a substance found in some mushrooms, is among the substances that may have a pathway to legalization in California. (Shutterstock photo)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/shutterstock_1364558291.png?1693481523)
Psychedelic Therapies Show Promise. Is California Ready to Bring Them Into the Mainstream?
CalMatters: Psychedelics are having a moment. A nationwide push to bring magic mushrooms and other psychedelics into the mainstream is gaining traction, and some Californians want in.
![Bonnie Metcalf during her medicating session at her residence in Sacramento on July 20, 2023. Metcalf suffers from Sarcoidosis, a disease spurring growth of tiny collections of inflammatory cells in different parts of the body. She takes cannabis products to ease the pain. (Photo by Rahul Lal for CalMatters)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/07202023-bonnie-metcalf-medical-cannabis-rl-cm-015-1.png?1692300982)
Medical Cannabis Paved the Way for Legalization in California. Now Patients Feel Left Behind
Many longtime advocates believe all weed use has a medical purpose and consider it immoral that high taxes and a lack of dispensaries have made it inaccessible to many patients.
![Alex Alejandrez says CBD is helping Frida, his 4-month-old Queensland heeler, calm down at night and get better rest. (Photos by Eric Johnson)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/0621_blog_cannabis_logo_2.jpg?1623276045)
The Herb Column: CBD Is for Cats, Birds and Dogs
Pets and their people are finding relief from anxiety and other ailments
The compound, which is available in the form of tinctures and chewable treats, is being used to treat a variety of issues, including anxiety, pain and seizures.
![(Shutterstock photo)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/shutterstock_1717377769.jpg?1617905915)
Using Tech, California Counties Have Cleared 140,000 Marijuana-Related Convictions
Code for America’s Clear My Record initiative has been working to automate the record expungement process at the county level, chiefly regarding marijuana convictions in California, since 2016.
![(Shutterstock photo)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/0221_blog_cannabis.jpg?1614200625)
The Herb Column: Cannabis Dispensaries vs. Opioid Overdoses
UC Davis professor Greta Hsu on her groundbreaking study about cannabis availability and opioid-related mortality
The study’s findings show that as the number of dispensaries increase, the number of opioid deaths drop.
![Daniel Fink runs Down Om Farms in Nevada County, growing cannabis using regenerative farming methods. (Photos courtesy Down Om Farms)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/1120_blog_cannabis_01.jpg?1606339703)
The Herb Column: Living Earth
For cannabis farmers in the regenerative agriculture movement, it’s all about the soil
Small cannabis farmers are contributing to the regenerative agriculture movement by cultivating polycultures rather than growing just one crop.
![(Shutterstock photo)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/0920_blog_cannabis_shutterstock_lead.jpg?1599164879)
The Herb Column: Keeping on Track
A conversation with Davina Smith, manager of the City of Sacramento Office of Cannabis Management
Davina Smith hopes to help set the course for the department’s future.
![(Shutterstock illustration)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/0820_feat_cannabis_shutterstock_lead.jpg?1597344637)
The Cannabis Recession Test
This economic collapse offers the first trial of how the legal recreational weed industry performs in a downturn
Certain product sectors came through the 2008 Great Recession relatively unscathed. Will cannabis get through this one?
![(Shutterstock photo)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/shutterstock_1674593251.jpg?1594230778)
The Struggle to Enter California’s Cannabis Market: ‘So Much Heartache, So Much Pain’
Even with state programs designed to close the gap, experts and advocates say the cost of entry and long list of requirements are still keeping people of color and low-income applicants from entering the state’s lucrative legal market.