Oct 11 2024

New Jersey Now Has 175 Licensed Marijuana Stores: Here’s Where They’re All Located

New Jersey’s legal marijuana market has continued to expand, albeit at a relatively slow pace, with the state nearing the milestone of 200 licensed recreational retail outlets.

New Jersey legalized recreational marijuana during the November 3, 2020, election. The law allows those 21 and older to legally possess and use up to an ounce of marijuana, marijuana concentrates and marijuana-infused products such as edibles and tinctures. The state legislature followed up the voter-approved law by passing the necessary regulatory framework in early 2021, and the first legal sales of recreational marijuana began on April 21, 2022.

According to the Cannabis Regulatory Commission, as of October 2024, the state has 175 open marijuana retail outlets across the state. Camden County leads with 19 marijuana stores, while Hudson and Burlington Counties both have 16. Atlantic and Union Counties each operate 15 dispensaries.
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Oct 11 2024

Maine Issues Recall of Multiple Marijuana Products

The Maine Office of Cannabis Policy (OCP) has announced a health and safety recall for certain marijuana products, including dried flower, pre-rolls, and blunts, due to contamination concerns involving bacteria and mold.

The affected products, produced by Nova Farms, include the strain “Frosted Cookies” and were sold at 14 adult-use retail locations across Maine, including stores in Brunswick, Columbia, Greenville Junction, Lebanon, Lisbon, Mechanic Falls, Medway, Newport, Portland, Presque Isle, South Portland, and Turner.

The recall comes roughly a month after the state issued its first-ever marijuana recall in September.
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Oct 10 2024

Study: Slow-Release CBD Hydrogel Shows Potential in Treating Chronic Inflammation

Researchers from Jiamusi University, Tianjin First Central Hospital, and Nankai University in China have developed a novel CBD-loaded hydrogel system that may offer a new therapeutic approach for chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), according to a new study.

Published in the Journal of Applied Biomaterials & Functional Materials, the study addresses the growing incidence of IBD, a condition marked by persistent inflammation and a high recurrence rate.

The research team designed a hydrogel (GelMA + CBD) capable of delivering cannabidiol (CBD) in situ, improving its bioavailability through slow release. The hydrogel’s structure, observed under scanning electron microscopy, demonstrated favorable properties such as controlled swelling and release rates. This innovative system allows CBD, known for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects, to be released steadily, overcoming its natural limitations like poor solubility and low bioavailability.
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Oct 10 2024

Study: CBD May Improve Mobility in Dogs

A study conducted by researchers from Colorado State University, published in Frontiers in Veterinary Science, evaluated the effects of cannabidiol (CBD) on dogs with mobility impairments.

The double-blind, crossover, placebo-controlled study involved 42 dogs, with 38 completing the trial.

For the study, dogs were randomly assigned to receive either CBD oil or a placebo over 45 days, with a 30-day washout period between treatments. Outcome measures included gait analysis, accelerometry, and clinical assessments.
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Oct 10 2024

Study: Cannabis Legalization Linked to Increased Physical Activity

A study published in the Journal of Cannabis Research and accessible online via the U.S. National Library of Medicine investigated the association between cannabis use and physical activity in the United States.

The research, conducted by researchers from Brigham Young University, examined how cannabis legalization and health status influenced this relationship, using data from the Behavior Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) between 2016 and 2022.

The study found that physical activity among adults increased from 73.16% in 2016 to 75.72% in 2022, while cannabis use rose sharply from 7.48% to 14.71% over the same period. Notably, cannabis use was higher in areas with legalized recreational marijuana (6.5% higher) and legal medical marijuana (0.7% higher) compared to regions where cannabis remained illegal.
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Oct 10 2024

Colorado: Over $120 Million in Legal Marijuana Sold in August, Nearly $1 Billion Year-to-Date

Colorado saw over $120 million in legal marijuana sales for the second consecutive month.

According to data from the Colorado Department of Revenue, licensed retail outlets and dispensaries sold $122,481,187 worth of marijuana in August, closely matching the $122,550,314 sold in July. However, this is a decline from the $132 million recorded in August of last year.

Of the total sales in August, approximately $109 million was for recreational use, while medical marijuana sales totaled around $13.5 million.
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Oct 10 2024

Northern Mariana Islands Ends Pre-Employment Marijuana Testing for Most Government Jobs

The Governor of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), Arnold Palacios, has signed into law legislation eliminating pre-employment marijuana screening for most government positions.

(Photo credit: Emily Koonce)

Public Law 23-2 exempts safety-sensitive roles and those under federal drug testing regulations from this change.

This move comes after the US territory, with a population of around 56,000, legalized the sale and use of cannabis in 2018. The CNMI joins a growing list of states and cities, including Michigan, Nevada, Washington, and major municipalities like Atlanta, Philadelphia, and St. Louis, that have also ended pre-employment marijuana screening for most public employees.
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Oct 10 2024

Poll: Over 60% of Pennsylvania Voters Across Five Districts Support Legalizing Marijuana

New polling conducted by Change Research shows strong support for marijuana legalization in Pennsylvania, with more than 60% of voters in five key House districts backing the move to legalize, regulate, and tax cannabis.

The poll, conducted between September 3 and 11, 2024, surveyed 1,695 likely voters in districts across the state and revealed consistent support across all demographics.

In districts like HD16 (Beaver County) and HD151 (Montgomery County), support was particularly strong, with 72% of voters favoring legalization. Other districts, such as HD72 (Cambria County) and HD144 (Bucks County), also showed robust support, ranging from 64% to 65%. Across these districts, voters cited public safety, economic benefits, and criminal justice reform as key reasons for backing legalization.
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Oct 10 2024

Nebraska: Legalizing Medical Marijuana Projected to Generate Over $925 Million in Economic Benefits Through 2030

Legalizing and regulating medical cannabis will benefit Nebraska patients and generate over $925 million in new economic activity for local communities according to research from Vicente LLP, a nationally-recognized law firm and leader on cannabis law and policy.

Together, Initiative 437 and Initiative 438 will establish legal protections for patients and their caregivers and create a safe and regulated medical marketplace for Nebraska patients. The initiatives would establish the Nebraska Medical Cannabis Commission to oversee the registration and regulation of individuals involved in the possession, manufacture, distribution, delivery, and dispensing of medical cannabis.

Nebraska Families 4 Medical Cannabis (NF4MC), led by a coalition of families, patients, state senators, and other allies, is working with nationally renowned experts to quantify the economic benefits of legal, regulated medical cannabis in the state.
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Oct 09 2024

Florida: Miami Herald Endorses Amendment 3 to Legalize Recreational Marijuana

The Miami Herald has come out in strong support of Amendment 3, a ballot initiative that would legalize the recreational use of marijuana in Florida for everyone 21 and older.

“For more than half a century, America has been fighting a war on drugs that most people agree has failed”, states the Miami Herald. “It focused too often on street arrests of young people of color who spent years in prison for small amounts of marijuana while violent cartels bringing in opioids, cocaine and fentanyl — among the most dangerous drugs — continued doing business.”

They continue: “Now Floridians have a chance to help police direct their resources to where they will matter more — to combat killer drugs — and allow the legal use of marijuana products for adults 21 and older. This can be done with proper monitoring, just as the state oversees the sale of alcohol and tobacco products. Constitutional Amendment 3 proposes to expand Florida’s already legal use of medical marijuana (38 states allow it) to recreational use for adults.”
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