Jun 19 2024

Study: Access to Medical Cannabis Linked to Improved Mental Health in Older Adults

A recent study by the National Bureau of Economic Research reveals that older adults living within a 30-minute drive of a licensed medical cannabis dispensary report fewer days of poor mental health.

The study, titled Medical Cannabis Availability and Mental Health: Evidence From New York’s Medical Cannabis Program, was conducted by teams from the University of Pittsburgh and Johns Hopkins University

“Evidence on cannabis legalization’s effects on mental health remains scarce, despite both rapid increases in cannabis use and an ongoing mental health crisis in the United States”, states the study’s abstract. “We use granular geographic data to estimate medical cannabis dispensary availability’s effects on self-reported mental health in New York state from 2011 through 2021 using a two-stage difference-in-differences approach to minimize bias introduced from the staggered opening of dispensaries.”
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Jun 18 2024

Study Highlights Psilocybin’s Impact on Emotional Learning

Researchers from the University of Zurich have published groundbreaking findings on the effects of psilocybin on emotional learning.

Dried psilocybin mushrooms. (Photo credit: Rich Townsend/Getty Images).

The study, featured in iScience and available through the National Library of Medicine, sheds light on how psilocybin could be utilized in the treatment of psychiatric disorders and its potential role in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy.

The study is the first to investigate reinforcement learning with psilocybin. Researchers designed a probabilistic cue-reward task that involved presenting emotional cues—neutral or fearful faces—to participants. These faces were shown either consciously or subconsciously to analyze how psilocybin impacts learning processes when interacting with emotional stimuli.
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Jun 18 2024

North Dakota Campaign Meets Signature Requirement to Place Marijuana Legalization Initiative on November Ballot

A campaign seeking to legalize recreational marijuana in North Dakota has reached the signature threshold to place its initiative on the November 2024 ballot.

(Photo credit: New Economic Frontier).

New Economic Frontier says they have collected the 15,582 signatures necessary to place their legalization initiative on the presidential election ballot this November. However, the group will continue to gather signatures until the July 8 deadline in case some of the signatures are invalid (for example, any duplicate signatures or signatures from non-registered voters will be thrown out).

The group gathered over 15,000 signatures in less than two months, with the Secretary of State approving the initiative in late April.

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Jun 18 2024

Vice President Kamala Harris Supports Legalizing Marijuana, But President Biden “Not Quite There”

As the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) continues the process of rescheduling marijuana, Vice President Kamala Harris is urging further reform, while President Biden is taking a more conservative approach.

On May 21, the DEA published its proposal to move marijuana to Schedule III, allowing its compounds and potential whole-plant medicines to be prescribed nationwide once they receive regulatory approval. At the halfway point of the required 60-day public comment period, over 20,000 comments have been submitted, with the vast majority supporting either rescheduling or fully descheduling marijuana.

The Biden/Harris Administration began the rescheduling process by initiating a review via executive order in 2022, and they have praised the Department of Justice’s decision to move marijuana to Schedule III. However, both the president and vice president have called for further reform.
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Jun 18 2024

Historic First: California State Fair to Feature Onsite Marijuana Sales and Consumption, Expanded Marijuana Competition

The California State Fair is set to make history this July by integrating onsite marijuana sales and consumption, ushering in a new era as the first time cannabis will be legally sold at a state fair.

This historic action is a continuation of the California State Fair’s leadership on cannabis after legislation signed by the governor allowing for licensed cannabis events to take place. In 2022, the California State Fair introduced an educational cannabis exhibit and awards competition to showcase the plant alongside California’s other agricultural bounty, such as wine, cheese, olive oil and craft beer. This year, the event will expand to include a broadened cannabis competition and onsite sales and consumption, bolstering the significant efforts already made to destigmatize cannabis through education, advocacy and access.

“Hosting cannabis sales and consumption is a groundbreaking milestone in destigmatization by facilitating a deeper connection between consumers and the farmers who cultivate their products with such care,” said Lauren Carpenter, Co-Founder of Embarc, the fair’s partner in facilitating onsite sales and consumption. “Joining James Leitz, pioneer of the educational exhibit and competition for the past two years, on an expanded competition and experiential dispensary is a major step forward for responsible normalization.”
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Jun 17 2024

Vermont: Overdose Prevention Center Bill to Become Law After Legislature Overrides Governor’s Veto

Vermont’s Legislature has overridden Governor Phil Scott’s veto of an overdose prevention center bill.

House Bill 72 was approved by the Vermont House of Representatives in January with a vote of 96 to 35. On May 1, the measure passed the Senate 21 to 8, sending it to Governor Phil Scott, who vetoed the bill on May 30.

Today, both the House and Senate voted with the necessary two-thirds majority to override the veto, enacting the measure into law.

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Jun 17 2024

Ongoing Marijuana Study Seeks Participants to Get Paid for Smoking Joints for Science

The Science of Smokeability (SOS) study continues to seek participants interested in getting paid to smoke free joints and contribute to ongoing research.

The SOS is a series of scientific experiments focusing on analyzing cultivation and processing metrics to evaluate which variables produce the most pleasant and least harmful smoking experience. The study will take place over the course of at least two years, potentially longer. The study is being conducted through a collaboration with DaySavers, “the most compliant and tested pre-rolled cone and rolling paper brand on the market,” the Cannabis Research Coalition, and The Network of Applied Pharmacognosy (NAP).

In the week since announcing the study, hundreds have already signed up to participate. However, with the selection being done through a random lottery, anyone who enters now has just as much of a chance as someone who signed up on day one. Continue reading

Jun 17 2024

Top 10 Most Supported Marijuana Bills in US Congress

As we reach the halfway point of 2024, here’s a look at the marijuana-related bills in the US Congress that have garnered the most support.

These legislative efforts span a range of issues from marijuana banking and veterans’ health care to housing and descheduling. All of these measures were filed since January 2023, and will expire if not enacted into law by the end of the year.

Below we will delve into the details of these prominent bills:
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Jun 17 2024

The Impact of Marijuana Legalization on Crime Rates: A State-by-State Analysis

Although a strong majority of people in the US now support legalizing marijuana, it remains a contentious issue, with supporters claiming it can decrease crime and critics worrying it might increase criminal activities.

As more states adopt legalization, extensive data has become available, enabling a thorough analysis of its impact on crime rates nationwide and providing real-world evidence to inform the ongoing debate.

Colorado, one of the pioneers in legalizing recreational marijuana in 2012, has observed significant changes in crime rates. From 2012 to 2016, the state saw a decrease in property crimes from 2,364 to 2,034 per 100,000 residents. Additionally, the state experienced a decline in violent crime rates by 10% from 2012 to 2019, as reported by the Colorado Department of Public Safety.
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Jun 17 2024

US Congress: Marijuana Banking Legislation Gains 160 Tripartisan Sponsors

Tripartisan and bicameral legislation to allow marijuana banking now has 160 sponsors in the United States Congress.

The SAFE Banking Act (H.R. 2891) in the House of Representatives has 124 sponsors, the highest number for any marijuana-related measure in Congress. In the Senate, the updated SAFER Banking Act has 36 sponsors. Together, these 160 sponsors represent 30% of the entire Congress.

Both measures would provide federal protections for banks and credit unions that offer financial services to state-legal marijuana businesses. These businesses include medical marijuana dispensaries in the 38 states where they are legal, and recreational marijuana stores in the 23 states where they are authorized. Additionally, both measures would allow state-legal marijuana businesses to take standard IRS tax deductions, a practice currently forbidden. Continue reading