Oct 05 2023

Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study Finds Cannabinol (CBN) May Improve Sleep

The marijuana compound cannabinol (CBN) “may be helpful for improving overall sleep disturbance, including the number of times one wakes up throughout the night, without impacting daytime fatigue.”

(Photo credit: Pharma Hemp).

This is according to a new study being published in the upcoming issue of the journal Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology, with the abstract published online ahead of print by the US National Library of Medicine. The study is titled A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study of the safety and effects of CBN with and without CBD on sleep quality.

According to its abstract, the “present study sought to determine the effects of cannabinol (CBN) alone and in combination with cannabidiol (CBD) on sleep quality.”
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Oct 05 2023

Study: Marijuana Spray Reduces Spasticity in Over 80% of Multiple Sclerosis Patients

In a new study examining the use of nabiximols (also known as Sativex), a spray made from marijuana, “over 80% of assessed patients with severe spasticity at baseline reported a shift into a lower category of spasticity after 12 weeks.”

Published in the journal Therapeutic Advancements in Neurological Disorders, the study was conducted by researchers at the University of Catania (Italy), the Royal Victoria Infirmary (UK), GW Pharmaceuticals (UK and Jazz Pharmaceuticals (Ireland).

“Over 80% of individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS) experience MS-associated spasticity (MSS)”, notes the study. “In many European countries, after failure of first-line treatments, moderate or severe MSS can be treated with nabiximols, a cannabis-based add-on treatment. This post hoc analysis assessed the shift of participants treated with nabiximols from higher (severe or moderate) to lower (moderate or mild/none) spasticity.”
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Oct 05 2023

10-Year Analysis Finds Drug Sniffing Dogs Are Wrong About Presence of Drugs 75% of the Time

Drug sniffing dogs falsely alert their handler more often than they correctly identify the presence of drugs, according to newly released data.

According to an analysis of 10 years of data provided to members of the Australian Parliament by the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission, 75% of the searches conducted because a drug sniffing dog alerted their handler resulted in absolutely no drugs being found. Just one in four times a drug sniffing dog alerted their handler was their actually drugs in the vicinity.

The new data provided an analysis of almost 94,535 searches over the course of a decade (June 2013, to June, 2023). In 2014, the worst year for false report, only 21% of the roughly 14,000 searches resulted in illegal drugs being found. In 2016, the year drug sniffing dogs saw the most success, they still falsely alerted 68% of the time.
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Oct 05 2023

31 US Senators Now Sponsoring Federal Marijuana Banking Act

Just two days after we reported that the SAFER Banking Act was sponsored by 26% of the entire US Senate, the measure has gained five additional sponsors.

Recently the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs passed the SAFER Banking Act (S.2860), with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer vowing to put it to a vote of the full Senate “very soon”. The measure is now sponsored by 31% of the entire United States Senate.

The five new sponsors that signed on this week are Senators Cristopher Coons (DE), Tim Kaine (VA), John Hickenlooper (CO), Ben Lujan (NM) and Debbie Stabenow (MI).
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Oct 05 2023

US Air Force’s Marijuana Waiver Program Sees Triple the Expected Participation

Within the first year of a new marijuana waiver program, the United States Air Force has seen over three times the anticipated participation.

(Photo credit: Staff Sgt. Beaux Hebert/Air Force).

Last year the Air Force announced a pilot program that allows those that have tested positive for marijuana to receive a waiver in order to be retested and possibly enlisted. The move was seen as a way to address to growing trend towards marijuana law reform and an increase in marijuana use among service members.

A spokesperson for the Air Force tells Military.com that although they expected only around 50 people a year to make use of this new program, in its first year they issued 165 waivers, over triple expectations.
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Oct 04 2023

New Jersey Court Rules Employer Must Reimburse Medical Marijuana Expenses in Workers’ Compensation Case

The New Jersey Appellate Division has ruled that it was appropriate for a workers’ compensation judge to order an employer to reimburse its employee for their medical marijuana expenses as part of his workers’ compensation case.

In the case Vincent Hager v. M&K Construction, the employee, Vincent Hager, suffered an injury while working for M&K Construction in 2001, when a truck delivering concrete dumped the load onto him, reports the National Law Review.

Mr. Hager apparently suffered severe lower back pain that radiated through his legs, caused by herniated and annular discs in his spine, as well as nerve damage, causing chronic pain. Spinal surgeries were unsuccessful and opioid pain relief treatment only provided partial relief. M&K Construction and its insurer repeatedly denied workers’ compensation benefits.
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Oct 04 2023

Illinois: Over $165 Million in Legal Marijuana Sold in September

In Illinois there was $165.5 million worth of marijuana sold legally in September.

Recreational marijuana consumers purchased $139.5 million worth of marijuana in September, a slight increase over the $139.2 sold in August. In terms of medical marijuana, there was $26 million purchased in September, a slight decrease from the $26.5 million sold in August. This is according to data compiled and released by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation.

Of the $139.5 million in recreational marijuana sold, $34.5 million was purchased by those living outside of Illinois, while $105 million was purchased by Illinois residents.
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Oct 04 2023

Ouster of US House Speaker Could Delay Passage of Marijuana Banking Act

The removal of Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House, and the potential for weeks or months without a replacement, is at least temporarily a bad sign for those hoping the SAFER Banking Act will be passed into law this year.

Last week the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs passed the SAFER Banking Act (S.2860), with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer vowing soon after to put it to a vote of the full Senate “very soon”. The measure is sponsored by 26% of the entire US Senate, with proponents optimistic it has enough votes to be approved.

The SAFER Banking Act would provide legal protections for financial institutions (including banks and credit unions) that are interested in providing financial services to marijuana businesses that are legal under their state’s law.
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Oct 04 2023

Report: Global CBD Market Worth $9.4 Billion

The global market for cannabidiol (CBD) grew from $6.82 billion in 2022 to $9.4 billion in 2023 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 37.8%.

According to a report by Research and Markets, the cannabidiol market is expected to grow from $9.4 billion in 2023 to $31.85 billion by 2027 at a CAGR of 35.7%.

The cannabidiol (CBD) market “encompasses a range of CBD products, including full-spectrum CBD, broad-spectrum CBD, and CBD isolate, with values reflecting the factory gate values or the prices at which manufacturers and creators sell their goods”, states the report. These goods ?are distributed to downstream manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, retailers, and end customers, and the market’s value includes related services offered by the creators of these CBD products.”
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Oct 04 2023

New York Governor Announces Plan to “Aggressively Expand New York’s Legal Cannabis Market”

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced the largest expansion of New York State’s legal cannabis market to date, with hundreds of licenses being made available to individuals and businesses interested in legally growing, processing, distributing, and selling cannabis.

According to a press release sent by the governor’s office, the application period is open as of today, October 4, and will remain so for two months.  The Governor also announced the results of “continued aggressive enforcement against the illegal sale of cannabis across the state undertaken by the Office of Cannabis Management and the Department of Taxation and Finance, which to date has yielded the seizure of more than 8,500 pounds of illicit product with an estimated street value of more than $42 million.”

Governor Hochul also announced new partnerships with localities that will enable them to pursue padlocking orders against businesses illegally selling cannabis from State courts, and a new multi-agency initiative to target illegal operators for labor violations, “thus significantly increasing fines and penalties that businesses may face.”
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