Aug 08 2024

Trump Says He “Agrees a Lot More” with Marijuana Legalization as More States Legalize

Former President Donald Trump, the current Republican nominee for president, is beginning to “agree a lot more” that marijuana should be legalized.

Donald Trump speaking at a press conference at Mar-a-Lago.

“As we legalize it, I start to agree a lot more because, you know, it’s being legalized all over the country,” said Trump at a press conference held today. “Florida has something coming up. I’ll be making a statement about that fairly soon.”

Trump’s comments were made in response to a reporter questioning him on the Biden Administration’s move to reschedule marijuana, and Vice President Harris’ stance that no one should be jailed for marijuana.
Continue reading

Aug 08 2024

Study of Nearly 10 Million People Finds Marijuana Linked to Improved Outcomes for Heart Attack Patients, Reduced In-Hospital Mortality

According to a study published in the Archives of Medical Sciences: Atherosclerotic Disease, heart attack patients with a history of marijuana use have a lower in-hospital mortality rate compared to those without a history of use.

For the study, researchers from various institutions, including the Detroit Medical Center-Wayne State University and the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, conducted a comprehensive analysis of 20 years of hospital data, including data from 9,930,007 acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients recorded in the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) from 2001 to 2020. Of these, 117,641 patients (1.2%) reported using cannabis. The researchers applied a series of statistical tests and multivariate regression models to compare the outcomes of cannabis users with those who did not use the substance.

“Cannabis users had lower odds of atrial fibrillation, ventricular fibrillation, cardiogenic shock, acute ischaemic stroke, cardiac arrest” and they had a 36% lower risk of all-cause mortality during their hospital stay, state the study’s researchers.
Continue reading

Aug 08 2024

Maine: July Breaks Monthly Marijuana Sales Record With $22.8 Million Spent Across 424,941 Transactions

Marijuana sales in Maine reached a new monthly record in July, with a total of $22,861,337 in sales across 424,941 transactions.

This surpasses the previous month’s total and sets a new benchmark for the state’s cannabis industry, topping the previous record of $21.7 million sold in August 2023.

According to the Maine Office of Cannabis Policy, the average price per gram of dried marijuana in July was $7.20, a decrease of $0.05 from June’s average, and $0.02 higher than the all-time low of $7.18 set in April of this year.
Continue reading

Aug 08 2024

July is a Record-Breaking Month for Marijuana Sales in Montana

In July, there was more legal marijuana sold in Montana than any previous month.

There was $28,717,104 worth of marijuana sold legally July, according to data compiled and released by the Montana Department of Revenue. This breaks the single-month record of $28,697,312 set in August 2023.

$24,899,839 of the total marijuana sales in July were purchased by recreational consumers, with $3,817,266 purchased by medical marijuana dispensaries.
Continue reading

Aug 07 2024

Study: THC May Mitigate High-Fructose Diet Damage in Small Intestine

According to a new study being published in the upcoming issue of the journal Histochemistry and Cell Biology, researchers have found that THC may counteract the damaging effects of a high-fructose diet on the small intestine.

A blackboard with the chemical formula of THC.

The study, available online ahead of print on the website for the US National Library of Medicine, was conducted by researchers from Istanbul University-Cerrahpaşa and Demiroglu Bilim University in Turkey, and the Otto-Von-Guericke-Universität Magdeburg in Germany.

“The consumption of fructose is increasing day by day. Understanding the impact of increasing fructose consumption on the small intestine is crucial since the small intestine processes fructose into glucose”, states the study’s abstract. “∆9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), a key cannabinoid, interacts with CB1 and CB2 receptors in the gastrointestinal tract, potentially mitigating inflammation.”
Continue reading

Aug 07 2024

Federal Legislation to Deschedule Marijuana and Respect States’ Rights Sponsored by Lawmakers From 33 States

Lawmakers from 33 different states are now sponsoring federal legislation to deschedule marijuana, and to respect state marijuana laws.

(Photo credit: Richard Vogel/Associated Press).

The Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act, filed in April 2023 in the US House of Representatives, now has 94 sponsors, while the Senate’s Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act (CAOA) has 18 sponsors.

The MORE Act and CAOA would both fully deschedule marijuana, effectively ending its nationwide prohibition. Additionally, both measures propose a federal excise tax on legal marijuana sales and allow for the expungement of prior marijuana convictions.
Continue reading

Aug 07 2024

Massachusetts Voters Have Opportunity to Legalize Psychedelics via Question 4 This November

With the election less than three months away, it won’t be long before Massachusetts voters will have the opportunity to make their state just the third to legalize certain psychedelics such as psilocybin.

Question 4, put forth by the nonprofit Massachusetts for Mental Health Options (MMHO), would legalize the possession and personal cultivation of up to one gram of DMT, 18 grams of non-peyote mescaline, 30 grams of Ibogaine, one gram of psilocybin, and one gram of psilocin. Possessing up to twice this amount would be punishable by a fine of up to $100.

The initiative aims to “expand mental health treatment options in Massachusetts by providing new pathways to access natural psychedelic medicine therapy,” including “creating access to natural psychedelic medicine therapy and removing criminal penalties for personal possession of these medicines.”
Continue reading

Aug 06 2024

Psilocybin Shows Promise as Potential Alzheimer’s Treatment, Study Finds

A new study published in the journal Frontiers in Neuroscience explores the potential of psilocybin as a treatment for Alzheimer’s disease.

Dried psilocybin mushrooms.

“Alzheimer’s disease (AD) stands as a formidable neurodegenerative ailment and a prominent contributor to dementia”, states the study, conducted by researchers from Huazhong University of Science and Technology and Binzhou Medical University Hospital. “The scarcity of available therapies for AD accentuates the exigency for innovative treatment modalities.”

Psilocybin, the hallucinogenic compound found in magic mushrooms, has “garnered attention within the neuropsychiatric realm due to its established safety and efficacy in treating depression”, notes researchers. “Nonetheless, its potential as a therapeutic avenue for AD remains largely uncharted.”
Continue reading

Aug 06 2024

For the First Time in US History, Both Nominees on a Major Party Presidential Ticket Support Marijuana Legalization

Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee for president, has selected Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her vice presidential candidate, marking the first time in U.S. history that both members of a major party’s presidential ticket openly support the legalization of marijuana.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Vice President Kamala Harris at a rally in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Kamala Harris, a former US senator and attorney general from California, has long been a vocal advocate for marijuana reform. During her tenure in the Senate, she co-sponsored the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act, which would have descheduled marijuana at the federal level, and expunge certain cannabis-related convictions. Although she opposed legalization as attorney general, Harris announced her support for legalizing marijuana in 2019, a stance that has remained consistent ever since.

Earlier this year Harris said “we need to legalize marijuana“, becoming the first vice president to ever declare support for legalization while in office.
Continue reading

Aug 06 2024

Missouri Recalls Thousands of Marijuana Products

The Missouri Division of Cannabis Regulation announced a recall Tuesday for thousands of marijuana products sold to dispensaries by NGWMO, LLC, a cultivation facility based in Marceline.

The recall includes 2,649 products from the brand Twenty Twenty. Products include dried marijuana flower, ground flower, and pre-rolls. The full recall list can be found by clicking here.

According to a DCR news release, the products were recalled due to non-compliant testing before being sold to patients and consumers. While the items were tested at the unprocessed bud and flower stage, they were not tested at the final product stage, as mandated by state law. As of Tuesday, no adverse effects had been reported.
Continue reading