Oct 21 2024

Arkansas Supreme Court Blocks Votes on Medical Marijuana Initiative, Citing Misleading Language

The Arkansas Supreme Court has ruled that votes for a ballot measure seeking to expand the state’s medical marijuana program will not be counted due to concerns about the initiative’s wording.

The court found the language of the proposal misleading, citing that voters were not fully informed of its potential consequences.

In a narrow 4-3 decision, the court determined that the proposed amendment did not make clear that it would limit the state legislature’s authority to modify Arkansas’ 2016 medical marijuana law. The initiative also sought to expand the types of medical professionals who could certify patients, add more qualifying conditions, allow patients to grow their own marijuana, and extend the validity of medical cannabis cards to three years.
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Oct 21 2024

Marijuana Rescheduling: DEA’s Public Hearing Takes Place in 6 Weeks, Final Ruling Expected to Come Soon After

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is set to hold a public hearing in six weeks on December 2 regarding its proposal to reschedule marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act.

The DEA announced the hearing in August, stating, “This is notice that the Drug Enforcement Administration will hold a hearing with respect to the proposed rescheduling of marijuana into schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act.” The rescheduling proposal was initially published in the Federal Register on May 21, 2024.

The hearing is scheduled to take place at 700 Army Navy Drive, Arlington, VA, starting at 9 a.m. Eastern Time. Participants interested in speaking at the event were required to submit a notice of participation by September 30. The DEA also noted that the hearing could be moved to a different location or continued on subsequent days without prior notice, depending on the presiding officer’s discretion.
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Oct 20 2024

Willie Nelson to Host Rally in Support of Kamala Harris and Dallas Marijuana Initiative

Willie Nelson, a 15-time Grammy winner, is ramping up his advocacy for cannabis reform with a special event in support of Vice President Kamala Harris as Election Day nears.

On October 24, the country music legend will host a Zoom event from his Luck Ranch in Texas, focused on rallying support for Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota’s Democratic nominee Tim Walz, as well as a marijuana decriminalization initiative being considered in Dalas. The event will feature a notable guest list, including Whoopi Goldberg, Governor Jared Polis, and Representative Brittany Pettersen, all discussing the importance of cannabis reform in America.

Nelson has long been a vocal supporter of marijuana legalization. In his statement about the upcoming event, he emphasized that “cannabis is a path to healing, opportunity, and justice,” pointing out the need to end federal prohibition. Nelson has faced multiple arrests over the years for marijuana possession.
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Oct 20 2024

University of California Seeks Hundreds of Participants for Five Marijuana Clinical Trials

The University of California, San Diego (UCSD) is actively seeking participants for five ongoing clinical trials focused on marijuana’s medical applications.

These studies are part of UCSD’s continuing research into how marijuana can be used to help treat a variety of medical ailments.

The first trial looks into how marijuana relieves pain, often called a “silent epidemic” that impacts over 100 million Americans and costs society over $500 billion annually. This research seeks to map the brain’s response to vaporized marijuana, aiming to develop more targeted pain treatments.
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Oct 18 2024

MDMA Purity Dropped to 15% in 2009, Rose to 74% in 2023, Study Finds

A new study from Georgia State University, published in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence, shows that there continues to be issues with misrepresentation of MDMA in unregulated markets across the United States, although there has been improvements in recent years.

MDMA, often referred to as “ecstasy”.

The research analyzed 4,719 alleged MDMA samples submitted to the DrugsData drug-checking service, aiming to understand how often the drug is misrepresented and identify trends in its purity over time.

The findings reveal that 75% of the samples were expected to contain only MDMA, but only about 48% of them actually did. “MDMA-only prevalence declined from 1999–2009 (57.4% to 15.2%), recovered from 2009–2017 (15.2% to 56.0%), and increases more moderately from 2017–2023 (56.0% to 74.1%)”, states the study.

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Oct 18 2024

Cannabidiol Found to Damage Cancer Cells and Halt Growth in Oral Cancer Study

A study set to be published in the journal Archives of Oral Biology in January 2025 explores the potential biological effects of cannabidiol (CBD) on oral squamous cell carcinoma cells.

Conducted by researchers from the University of Perugia in Italy, the study examines CBD as a possible adjuvant therapy in cancer treatment. The study was published online ahead of print by ScienceDirect.

Using in vitro models, the research tested the effects of CBD on human oral squamous cell carcinoma cells (HSC-3). The study utilized various concentrations of CBD, ranging from 1 µM to 100 µM, to assess cytotoxicity, cell viability, morphology, apoptosis, cell cycle arrest, and DNA damage. The researchers selected two key concentrations for analysis: 25 µM, identified as a toxic dose, and 6.25 µM, as a non-toxic dose.
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Oct 18 2024

Report: Marijuana Testing Services Market Valued at Over $2 Billion, to Grow in Value to $5.3 Billion by 2030

The global cannabis testing services market size is expected to reach $5.39 billion by 2030, registering a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 17.21% from 2024 to 2030, according to a new report.

Conducted by Research and Markets, the report shows that the current value of the cannabis testing market is $2.1 billion, an increase of $300 million over the 2023 value.

“Several nations across the globe have legalized cannabis for medical and recreational purposes, which has led to the recognition of the medicinal benefits of cannabis and cannabis-infused products”, states the report. “For instance, in April 2024, Germany legalized cannabis for recreational purposes, and under this law, adults over 18 can possess 25 grams of dried cannabis and grow up to three marijuana plants at home. Moreover, research has revealed that cannabis can provide significant relief from adverse effects, such as chronic pain associated with multiple sclerosis and chemotherapy-induced nausea. Such factors boost market growth.”
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Oct 18 2024

Study: Cannabidiol (CBD) Shows Potential to Inhibit Growth and Biofilm Formation of Candida albicans

A recent study published in the Canadian Journal of Microbiology demonstrates that the cannabis compound cannabidiol (CBD) may effectively inhibit the growth of Candida albicans, a yeast commonly associated with infections such as oral candidiasis.

Candida Albicans.Researchers treated C. albicans with varying concentrations of CBD, ranging from 0 to 20 µg/mL, and observed a significant reduction in yeast growth.

After one exposure to 20 µg/mL of CBD, the yeast cell count decreased from 5.1 × 10⁶ cell/mL in the control group to 1.8 × 10⁶ cell/mL. A second exposure further reduced the cell count to 1.1 × 10⁶ cell/mL. The study also noted a decrease in the yeast’s ability to transition from yeast to hyphae, a key factor in infection development, dropping from 20% in the control group to just 2% with CBD treatment.
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Oct 17 2024

Washington DC Council Approves Medical Cannabis Clarification Act, Sends it to Mayor Bowser

The Washington D.C. Council has passed the Medical Cannabis Clarification Amendment Act (Council Bill 25-581), a notable update to the District’s medical cannabis framework.

The bill, approved by the full council earlier this month, was officially presented to Mayor Muriel Bowser’s today. Mayor Bowser now faces a deadline of October 31 to either sign it into law, veto it, or allow it to become law without a signature.

The proposed law would enhance enforcement measures against unlicensed cannabis businesses. Beginning in 2024, unlicensed establishments could face escalating fines starting at $10,000 for a first violation and increasing to $30,000 for subsequent offenses. The first $100,000 in collected fines will be deposited into the Litigation Support Fund, with additional revenue directed to the Medical Cannabis Social Equity Fund. The Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Administration (ABCA) is also granted new authority to issue cease-and-desist orders and close businesses that pose a threat to public safety.
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Oct 17 2024

Medical Cannabis May Cut Costs in Chronic Pain Treatment, Study Finds

An early economic analysis published in the journal Expert Review of Pharmacoeconomics & Outcomes Research suggests that medical marijuana could provide notable cost savings when treating chronic pain.

The study assessed the cost-effectiveness of cannabis-based medicinal products (CBMPs) compared to other treatment options, such as analgesics, physiotherapy, and cognitive behavioral therapy, over a one-year period in the UK.

The research modeled various scenarios and consistently found that when CBMPs were used to reduce pain levels, healthcare resource usage decreased. Even with a conservative estimate of a 5% increase in efficacy, based on Real-World Evidence, CBMPs were shown to be more cost-effective. The study further predicts that as prescription costs for CBMPs decline, the potential savings will grow even larger.
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