Mar 22 2023

Vermont Bill to Expand Medical Marijuana Law Passed in Committee

A Vermont proposal that would expand the state’s medical marijuana law, including doubling the number of plants a patient can grow, has been passed in its initial House committee.

House Bill 270 was filed by State Representatives Matt Birong and Mike McCarthy. It recently received approval by the House Ways and Means Committee. It has now been assigned to the House Appropriations Committee, the last step before it can be heard by the full House of Representatives.

The bill would increase the THC cap on packaged marijuana products from 50 mg to 100 mg, and would alter the number of plants a patient can grow for personal use from a total of nine to instead be six mature plants and 12 immature plants.
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Mar 22 2023

Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America Calls for Federal Marijuana Legalization

The Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America (WSWA) has endorsed the legalization of marijuana and released a model federal regulatory framework for the legal marijuana industry.

The WSWA, a trade association founded 80 years ago in 1943, says their framework is rooted in the near century of experience the industry has in transporting and regulating socially sensitive products.

“Americans have confidence in our regulated alcohol system and our experience can benefit lawmakers creating a U.S. adult-use cannabis market,” said WSWA CEO and President Michelle Korsmo. “WSWA members have successfully partnered with suppliers and distributed socially sensitive products to locally licensed retailers for the last century.”
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Mar 22 2023

CBD Was Efficient in Preventing Chemotherapy-Induced Neuropathic Pain in New Study

Cannabidiol (CBD) was efficient in preventing chemotherapy-induced neuropathic pain in a new study published by the Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology.

The study “aimed to investigate the effect of cannabidiol (CBD) on type 4 Toll-like receptors (TLR4), glial cells and pro-inflammatory cytokines during the neuropathic pain induced by the chemotherapy agent paclitaxel (PTX), as well as the involvement of the endocannabinoid system in this process”, states the study’s abstract, which was authored by researchers at the Federal University of Alfenas and the University of Sao Paulo (both in Brazil).

For the study male mice were subjected to PTX-induced neuropathic pain. To evaluate the involvement of the TLR4, glial cells and cannabinoid CB2 receptor, specific inhibitors or antagonists were intrathecally administered.
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Mar 22 2023

Study Finds CBD May Help Patients With Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome

The marijuana compound cannabidiol “may help manage patients with Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome regarding seizure control and improve other aspects of the clinical spectrum of the disease”, according to new research.

The research was published in the recent issue of the journal Epileptic Disorders. It was conducted by researchers at the University of Rome and the University Hospital of Rome, and is titled Highly purified cannabidiol improves stability and postural tone in adult patients with Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome: a case series.

Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome (LGS) is a severe developmental epileptic encephalopathy associated with numerous neurological signs and symptoms, notes the study. Altered postural tone and the need for a caregiver-assisted wheelchair are features characterizing patients with LGS.
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Mar 22 2023

New Hampshire House Approves Measure Legalizing Personal Marijuana Cultivation for Patients

New Hampshire’s full House of Representatives has given approval to House Bill 431 to legalize the personal cultivation of medical marijuana.

Filed by Representative Wendy Thomas, House Bill 431 was passed today in a voice vote as part of the House’s consent calendar. No lawmaker chose to pull the item from the consent calendar which would have forced a roll-call vote.

The proposed law would legalize the personal cultivation of up to three mature marijuana plants, three immature plants and 12 seedlings for those who are qualified medical marijuana patients. All plants would be required to be grown in an “enclosed, locked space”. Patients would need to inform the Department of Health and Human Services if they decide to grow marijuana plants.
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Mar 21 2023

Arizona House Committee Passes Senate-Approved Bill to Expand Medical Marijuana Program

Legislation to expand Arizona’s medical marijuana program has been passed by a key House committee the same month it was approved by the full Senate.

Senate Bill 1466, filed by Senator Thomas Shope, has been given approval by the House Health and Human Services Committee. The vote was 7 to 2, sending it towards a vote by the full House of Representatives.

The proposal would add post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and autism spectrum disorder as conditions that qualify an individual to become a legal medical marijuana patient. It would also reduce the price of medical marijuana cards to just $50 (a third of the current cost), while making them entirely free for veterans.
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Mar 21 2023

Using a Cell Membrane Bionic Delivery System for CBD May Help Alleviate PTSD Symptoms

A cell membrane bionic delivery system for CBD assisted with ultrasound “had good therapeutic effect against PTSD mice”, and may help to “alleviate the symptoms of PTSD.”

Photo credit: Forbes

This is according to a new study published by the International Journal of Pharmaceutics. The study was conducted by researchers at the Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, the Beijing Institute of Radiation Medicine, Henan University, Hebei University and the General Hospital of Western Theater Command. The study is titled Cannabidiol–loaded biomimetic macrophage membrane vesicles against post–traumatic stress disorder assisted by ultrasound.

“Our previous studies proved the effectiveness of cannabidiol (CBD) against PTSD, but low water solubility, low brain targeting efficiency and poor bioavailability restricted its applications”, states the study. “Here, a bionic delivery system, camouflage CBD–loaded macrophage–membrane nanovesicles (CMNVs), was constructed via co–extrusion of CBD with macrophage membranes, which had inflammatory and immune escape properties.”
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Mar 21 2023

New York Committee Approves Bill to Add Medical Marijuana Coverage to Public Insurance Programs

Legislation that would “add coverage of medical marijuana to public insurance programs and clarify that it may be covered by private insurance” has been passed by its initial committee in the New York Assembly.

Sponsored by Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes, A04713 was given approval today in an 18 to 7 vote by the Assembly Health Committee, moving it forward to the Ways and Means Committee .

“For thousands of patients, medical marijuana is a safer and more effective medication than other drugs, especially opioids”, states the “Justification” segment of the bill’s text. “While it can be prohibitively expensive for many patients, especially in the absence of insurance coverage, it may often be less expensive than what their insurance coverage pays for other medications.”
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Mar 21 2023

WA House Committee Votes to Protect Marijuana Users From Discrimination When Job Hunting

A Washington State House committee has voted to approve legislation that would protect most job applicants from discrimination if they use marijuana during their personal time.

Senate Bill 5123 has already been passed by the full Senate in a 28 to 21 vote. Now, the bill introduced by Senator Karen Keiser along with nine cosponsors has passed the House Labor and Workplace Standards Committee by a vote of 6 to 3. The measure will need to be passed by one more House committee before it can receive a vote by the full House of Representatives.

“It simply doesn’t make sense to base an employment decision on that kind of unreliable outcome and test,” says Senator Keiser, who points out the fact that most employers test for THC metabolites which can remain in the system for weeks.
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Mar 21 2023

Bill to Legalize Psychedelics Passed by California Senate Committee

Legislation that would legalize the personal possession of certain psychedelics while establishing a system to facilitate their use has been passed by a key senate committee in California.

The California Public Safety Committee voted 3 to 1 today to pass the Senate Bill 58 by Senator Scott Wiener. The bill, which would legalize the personal possession of DMT, ibogaine, psilocybin and psilocyn, now heads to the Senate Appropriations Committee. Passage in that committee would allow it to receive a vote by the full Senate.

Specifically the measure would legalize the “possession, preparation, obtaining, transfer, as specified, or transportation” of the above-mentioned substances” for personal or facilitated use”. It would also allow for “group counseling and community-based healing” and would legalize “any spores or mycelium capable of producing mushrooms or other material which contain psilocybin or psilocyn.”
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