Researchers from Texas A&M International University and several Iranian universities have unveiled a novel approach to peripheral nerve tissue repair, employing injectable hyaluronic acid-based microparticles loaded with cannabidiol (CBD).

The study, published in the International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, highlights the potential of these biomimetic microparticles in regenerating damaged nerve tissue.

The team used a microfluidic device to create hydrogel microparticles through horseradish peroxidase-mediated crosslinking in a water-in-oil emulsion system. These microparticles, composed of phenol-substituted hyaluronic acid (HAPh), CBD, and laccase, exhibited favorable physical properties, including controlled swelling, mechanical durability, and sustained CBD release, making them ideal for tissue engineering and targeted drug delivery.
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U.S. Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) has criticized efforts to reschedule marijuana and enact banking reform as inadequate, advocating instead for a comprehensive federal regulatory framework for cannabis.

(Photo credit: Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images).

The North Carolina Republican’s stance diverges from most of his GOP colleagues, who generally oppose legalization.

In an interview with AskAPol published Tuesday, Tillis stated, “I think we’re reaching a point to where we’ve got to take a look” at broader cannabis reform. He dismissed the Biden administration’s move to reclassify marijuana as a Schedule III substance and the bipartisan Secure and Fair Enforcement Regulation (SAFER) Banking Act as “half-assed measures.” According to Tillis, these incremental reforms fail to address the larger issue of establishing a consistent federal policy.
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Massachusetts has granted its first-ever cannabis research facility license to Curaleaf Processing, a division of multistate operator Curaleaf Holdings.

The Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission (CCC) unanimously approved the license, allowing the facility to operate in Newton, according to a press release from the agency.

“We are excited to move the state’s first-ever Research Facility license forward in the hopes that it will contribute to a safer regulated cannabis industry, rooted in science,” said CCC Acting Chair Bruce Stebbins.
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The Nevada Senate Revenue and Economic Development Committee prefiled Senate Bill 41 today, a proposal designed to amend the state’s cannabis tax regulations.

The bill, which will be considered during the January 2025 legislative session, focuses on the establishment of new requirements for cannabis businesses regarding tax permits.

Currently, Nevada law imposes excise taxes on the wholesale and retail sale of cannabis and requires businesses selling tangible personal property, including cannabis establishments, to obtain permits from the Department of Taxation. Senate Bill 41 would expand on these requirements by mandating a new cannabis tax permit system specifically for cannabis businesses.
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A recent Missouri Court of Appeals ruling will reduce taxes on marijuana products in St. Louis County, following a decision that prohibits local governments from layering additional cannabis taxes on top of one another.

The ruling clarifies that while local governments can impose a 3% cannabis tax, the state constitution prevents cities and counties from stacking those local taxes. Under the law, a locality cannot impose multiple local taxes on the same product.

According to the Missouri Independent, 90 of Missouri’s 114 counties have added a 3% local cannabis tax on top of the state’s 14.98% sales tax. However, in 74 of those counties, individual cities or towns have also levied their own 3% tax on top of the county tax. This practice was at the center of the legal challenge, with the appeals court declaring it unconstitutional.
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For the third consecutive month marijuana sales in Vermont topped $12 million.

July was the first month in Vermont where marijuana sales reached $12 million. In the months since, the market has maintained sales levels above $12 million.

According to the Vermont Department of Taxes, there was $12.08 million in marijuana and marijuana products sold in September, a decrease from the $13 million sold in August, but a substantial increase from the $10.4 million sold last September. September sales resulted in $1.7 million in tax revenue.
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 Custom Cones USA, the company behind the smoking accessories brands DaySavers, Smoke Temple, and Fill-a Blunts, today published a white paper in partnership with Headset that provides the deepest analysis of the cannabis industry pre-roll consumer, looking at everything from demographics, purchasing behaviors, consumer preferences, and price points.

The report found that Millennials account for the largest share of pre-roll purchases by nearly 100%, cornering 45% of market demand at $104 million. In a first-of-its-kind study, they combined survey data from over 900 cannabis users from around the country with Headset analytics to create a comprehensive look at the pre-roll consumer and their buying habits.

What the report found is that pre-roll use continues to rise, with 82% of consumers buying them, and sales revenue is up over 450% over the past 5 years at $3 billion. It also found that consumers have a wide variety of preferences including size and package type, and that more and more are buying premium options like infused pre-rolls (70% of respondents), or pre-rolls with premium filter tips (nearly 60% of respondents). Other notable findings include:

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In Michigan, licensed marijuana stores sold nearly $270 million worth of product in October.

In October, marijuana and marijuana products generated $269,527,217.05 in sales, according to data from the Michigan Cannabis Regulatory Agency (CRA). Nearly all sales were for recreational marijuana, with approximately $1 million coming from medical marijuana. These figures represent a slight increase from the $265 million recorded in September and the $262 million in October 2023.

The year-to-date total for marijuana sales in Michigan is now $2.5 billion. All-time sales are now $9,676,325,456.65, putting the state on track to cross $10 billion in mid-December. All-time sales have resulted in over $1.5 billion in tax revenue.
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