Sep 28 2023

Study: Regular Marijuana Use Associated With Reduced Risk of Kidney Stones

According to a new study published in the journal Frontiers in Pharmacology, men who consume marijuana are considerably less likely than non-users to experience kidney stones.

“The purpose of this investigation is to determine whether regular marijuana use is related to history of kidney stones in the US population”, states the study’s abstract.

For the study researchers from Sichuan University in China examined data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 2009 to 2018. Kidney stone and marijuana use data were collected from self-report questionnaires, and multivariate logistic regression and multiple sensitivity analyses were applied to examine the relationship between marijuana usage and kidney stones.
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Sep 28 2023

US House of Representatives Passes Amendments to Put Millions Into Psychedelic Research

The full House of Representatives for the United States has given approval to amendments that would facilitate the research of psychedelic substances.

The amendments were approved as part of a larger federal spending bill that covers the Department of Defense, and were approved in a voice vote.

The first amendment, filed by Representatives Morgan Luttrell and Dan Crenshaw (both Republicans from Texas), would allocate $15 million for the Department of Defense to conduct “Psychedelic Medical Clinical Trials”. A second amendment filed without Representative Luttrell would establish some parameters for this research, declaring that it should include active duty service members who have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or a traumatic brain injury.
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Sep 28 2023

Workers at Utah Medical Marijuana Dispensary Vote to Unionize

In another example of the growing unionization of the marijuana industry, employees of Dragonfly Wellness, a medical marijuana dispensary in Salt Lake City, have voted to join the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW).

This marks the first marijuana-related company in Utah to unionize. The vote involved around 30 employees, with the move to unionize passing with an overwhelming majority.

“Employees included in the newly formed cannabis union include Dragonfly Wellness associates, team leads, drivers, delivery leads, inventory specialists, pharmacists, and head trainers,” according to a press release bu UFCW Local 99.
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Sep 28 2023

Jones Soda Launches Marijuana-Infused Sodas in Washington State

 Jones Soda Co., “the original craft soda known for its unconventional flavors and user-submitted photo labels”, announced today that its crossover cannabis brand Mary Jones is now available at marijuana stores in Washington state.

According to a press release, the award-winning THC craft soda features the same pure cane sugar recipes as mainline Jones, adapted for cannabis. The sodas are uniquely packaged and labeled for Washington in 12-and 16-ounce cans infused with 10mg or 100mg of THC respectively. Flavors include Root Beer, Berry Lemonade, Green Apple, and Orange & Cream, with additional releases planned for the future.

Seattle-based Jones Soda was among the first mainstream CPG brands to crossover into cannabis with its Mary Jones brand. Launched in 2022, Mary Jones first debuted in California, where it quickly soared in popularity among cannabis consumers and expanded to include THC-infused syrup. Based on this success, Mary Jones quickly followed this launch with plans to expand into Washington State, as well as into Michigan and Nevada.

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Sep 27 2023

Teamsters Union Commends Senate Committee for Passing SAFER Banking Act

In a press release the International Brotherhood of Teamsters commended the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs for passing the Secure and Fair Enforcement Regulation (SAFER) Banking Act, earlier today.

The SAFER Banking Act (S. 2860) would “provide safer working conditions for cannabis workers by amending federal laws to allow their employers more access to traditional financial services”, says the press release, which notes that “most legitimate cannabis proprietors are forced to work entirely in cash, which puts their staff and customers at risk of violent theft and robbery.”

Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien in a letter to the committee said as Congress “works to establish the necessary guardrails around cannabis legalization, the labor and safety interests of workers must be paramount. Passing SAFER banking is a necessary part of this process and can help improve working conditions while easing operational burdens for employers across the country.”
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Sep 27 2023

New York Plans to Issue Up to 1,500 More Licenses for Marijuana Businesses

New York’s Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) announced today that it plans to issue up to 1,500 more marijuana business licenses including for growers and retail outlets.

New York legalized recreational marijuana in 2021, but a slow rollout of the program means that less than two dozen licensed marijuana stores are currently open throughout a state with a population of almost 8.5 million. The newly announced rollout of hundreds of additional licenses is meant as at least a step towards remedying this.

The OPM said it will begin applications for those seeking these licenses on October 4, with potential applicants having 60 days to get their applications completed. Licenses will be issued for marijuana cultivation and processing, and for marijuana retail outlets and microbusinesses.
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Sep 27 2023

Poll: 67% of Ohio Voters Support Legalizing Marijuana

New polling released by FM3 Research shows that a strong majority of voters in Ohio support legalizing marijuana.

The poll, conducted between August 14 and August 23 with a margin of error of +/- 3.5%, is a good sign for the proponents of Issue 2, an initiative to legalize marijuana throughout Ohio that is being voted on this November.

The poll found that 50% of voters “strongly” support legalizing marijuana, while 17% support it but “not strongly”. Just 18% “strongly” oppose legal marijuana, with 9% opposing it but “not strongly”. 6% remain undecided.
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Sep 27 2023

Bipartisan Group of 22 Attorneys General Send Letter to Congress Urging Passage of Marijuana Banking Act

A bipartisan coalition of 21 state attorneys general and the attorney general of D.C., have sent a letter to congressional leaders urging them to pass the SAFER Banking Act.

Earlier today the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs passed the SAFER Banking Act (S.2860), with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer vowing to give it a floor vote “very soon“.

Adding to the proposal’s growing momentum, a large group of attorneys general has sent a letter asking congress to pass the bill. The act would provide federal legal protections for banks, credit unions and other financial institutions that provide financial services to marijuana businesses that are legal under their state’s law.
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Sep 27 2023

Oregon and WA: Decriminalizing Drugs Not Linked to Higher Overdose Death Rates

New research published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association Psychiatry found that in Oregon and Washington, two states that implemented drug decriminalization policies in early 2021, there is no evidence of an association between decriminalization and fatal drug overdose rates.

The findings are the result of a collaboration between the Center for Opioid Epidemiology and Policy at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, the Network for Public Health Law, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The research team’s goal was to investigate whether fully or partially decriminalizing drug possession changed rates of overdose deaths in either state in the first year after the policy change.

“Our analysis suggests that state decriminalization policies do not lead to increases in overdose deaths,” said Corey Davis, JD, MSPH, assistant clinical professor with the Center for Opioid Epidemiology and Policy in the Department of Population Health at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, and the study’s senior investigator.
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Sep 27 2023

US Senate Majority Leader Says Full Senate Will Vote “Very Soon” on Marijuana Banking Act

Shortly after the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs passed the SAFER Banking Act (S.2860), Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer vowed to give it a floor vote.

Senator Schumer says that the SAFER Banking Act will receive a vote in the full Senate “very soon”, indicating he’s confident it has enough support to pass the 60 vote threshold required to pass the measure and send it to the House of Representatives.

The proposed law would provide federal legal protections for banks, credit unions and other financial institutions that provide financial services to marijuana businesses that are legal under their state’s law. This would allow thousands of marijuana stores located throughout the dozens of legal marijuana states to switch from a risky cash-only model, to a model that allows them to accept debit and credit card transactions. It would also give them access to things such as bank loans.
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