New Mexico’s marijuana market continues to thrive, with June’s total marijuana sales passing $48 million.

According to the latest data from the New Mexico Regulation & Licensing Department, there was $48,072,161.91 in total marijuana sales in June. This month’s sales were distributed across 1,148,950 transactions.

Recreational marijuana sales contributed $36,513,095.44, while medical marijuana sales totaled $11,559,066.49. The state recorded 1,006 dispensaries actively serving customers, reflecting the robust infrastructure supporting the cannabis industry.
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According to newly released polling, a majority of voters in North Dakota oppose legalizing recreational marijuana.

The poll, commissioned by the Brighter Future Alliance and conducted by Public Opinion Strategies, surveyed 500 likely voters between June 15 and 19, asking them about a variety of political issues.

The poll found that 57% of North Dakota voters oppose the legalization of recreational marijuana for adults over the age of 21, with 43% in support.
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Starting today, the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) has the regulatory authority to accredit cannabis laboratories.

“For more than five years, WSDA has been engaged in a process to improve the integrity and oversight of the laboratories that test cannabis destined to be processed and sold in the state”, states a press release from the Department. “Laboratories test cannabis for pesticides, heavy metals and cannabinoid concentration, serving as a valuable public health safeguard for Washington consumers.”

Starting July 1, WSDA has the regulatory authority to accredit laboratories, due to legislation approved by lawmakers earlier this year. Now, laboratories have a six-month grace period to make the necessary updates to comply with the new, more stringent standards.
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A little over three months after it was signed by South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, legislation banning the production, distribution and possession of delta-8 and delta-10 THC is now in effect.

Gummies made with delta-8 THC.

House Bill 1125 into law was approved by the state’s full Senate, 31 to 1, and it passed the House unanimously, 69 to 0. The legislation explicitly prohibits the production, distribution or possession of delta-8 and delta-10 THC, derived from legal hemp. The measure states that no person or entity may:
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A federal judge has dismissed a case in which multiple marijuana companies were challenging the U.S. prohibition on marijuana, while stating that the nation’s marijuana laws deserve “reexamination.”

Judge Mark G. Mastroianni of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts’s Western Division has dismissed a case brought by CANNA PROVISIONS, Gyasi Sellers, Wiseacre Farm, and Verano Holdings, who were suing the U.S. attorney general, claiming marijuana prohibition is unconstitutional.

The judge stated that the relief sought is inconsistent with binding Supreme Court precedent and, therefore, beyond the authority of the court to grant. He also noted that the plaintiffs do not provide a basis for the court to disregard the broad reading of the Commerce Clause.

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Delaware legislation that significantly expands access to medical marijuana officially takes effect today.

House Bill 285 removes the state’s list of qualifying medical marijuana conditions, allowing physicians to recommend the medicine for any condition they deem appropriate. In addition, the new law allows those aged 65 and older to self-certify themselves as medical marijuana patients, meaning they are not required to receive a recommendation from a healthcare professional in order to become a medical marijuana patient.

The new law also allows physicians to issue two or three year medical marijuana cards, whereas before they were restricted to issuing just one-year cards.
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A recent study published in the journal Molecular Nutrition & Food Research and available on the US National Institute of Health’s website, reveals that cannabidiol (CBD) may play a crucial role in improving cholesterol homeostasis and lipid metabolism in macrophages.

For the study, researchers investigated the impact of CBD on foam cell formation, a key factor in atherosclerosis (the buildup of fats, cholesterol and other substances in and on the artery walls), and found that CBD elevated levels of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) and its targets, ATP binding transporters A1 and G1 (ABCA1/ABCG1). This elevation led to a reduction in foam cell formation and an increase in cholesterol efflux within macrophages.

The study also highlighted that the upregulation of ABCA1 and ABCG1 induced by CBD was diminished when treated with a PPARγ inhibitor or PPARγ small interfering RNA (siRNA). Additionally, transfection with PPARγ siRNA decreased the inhibitory effect of CBD on foam cell formation and its promotion of cholesterol efflux.
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