Dec 13 2023

Federally Funded Study Finds Teen Marijuana Use Far Lower Than it Was in the 1990s Despite 24 States Legalizing

According to a new federally funded study, teen marijuana use is considerably lower now than it was in the 1990s, well before any state legalized marijuana. Teen usage rates also remain below pre-pandemic levels, despite multiple states legalizing the plant over the past few years.

The 2023 Monitoring the Future survey is conducted by the University of Michigan and is funded by a grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse. The survey found that past-year marijuana use among teens remained stable for all three grades surveyed (8th, 10th and 12th).

“The percentage of youth who have used marijuana had not returned to pre-pandemic, 2020
levels by 2023,” states the survey. “In all grades, 2023 levels remained below those in 2020.”
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Dec 13 2023

New York Cannabis Crop Rescue Act Delivered to Governor

New York’s “Cannabis Crop Rescue Act” has been delivered to Governor Kathy Hochul.

Senate Bill 7295 was approved by the New York Senate earlier this year in a 53 to 8 vote, followed by approval in the Assembly 134 to 6. Yesterday the measure was officially delivered to Governor Hochul, giving her 10 days to decide whether or not to sign it into law, veto it or allow it to become law without a signature. If Governor Hochul was to veto the measure, the Legislature could override it with a two-thirds majority.

The proposed law would allow recreational marijuana cultivators and processors “to sell tested, packaged, and sealed cannabis products or biomass to a cannabis dispensing facility licensed or permitted by a tribal nation for retail sale.”
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Dec 13 2023

Massachusetts Committee Schedules Hearing on Bill to Automatically Expunge Marijuana Convictions

Legislation that would facilitate the automatic review and expungement of charges related to marijuana possession and cultivation has been scheduled for a hearing. The bill would also allow those in jail for a marijuana offense that has since been decriminalized to “apply to the sentencing court for an order of discharge and release.”

House Bill 1790 was filed in February by State Representatives Chynah Tyler (D), Lindsay Sabadosa (D) and James Arena-DeRosa (D). Nearly 10 months later, the measure has been scheduled for a public hearing in the legislature’s Joint Committee on The Judiciary.

The hearing will take place on December 19 at 1PM EST.
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Dec 12 2023

DEA Tells Georgia Pharmacies to Stop Selling Medical Marijuana Products

In October Georgia became the first state in the US to sell medical marijuana products through licensed pharmacies. The DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) is now threatening said pharmacies.

Medical marijuana capsules.

Under Georgia’s restrictive medical marijuana law, those with a qualifying medical condition who receive a recommendation from a physician are allowed to purchase, possess and use products (such as tinctures and capsules) containing marijuana-derived CBD and up to 5% THC. What makes Georgia’s law unique is that it allows marijuana products to be sold through pharmacies, something no other state has allowed.

Earlier this month the DEA sent a letter to pharmacies who are currently selling marijuana products, or who have been approved by the state to do so in the near future, telling them that what they’re doing remains federally illegal.
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Dec 12 2023

Study: CBD and CBG May Help Combat Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness

A formulation containing both cannabidiol (CBD) and cannabigerol (CBG) was found to be useful in combatting delayed onset muscle soreness, according to a new study published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition.

According to the study’s researchers, cannabinoid-containing products are often “marketed to athletes as promoting recovery, in spite of a lack of data on their safety and effects.” With that in mind, this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, repeated-dose pilot study “tested the safety, tolerability, and preliminary effects on recovery of a formulation containing cannabidiol (CBD; 35 mg), cannabigerol (CBG; 50 mg), beta caryophyllene (BCP; 25 mg), branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs; 3.8 g), and magnesium citrate (420 mg).”

For the study 40 exercise-trained individuals underwent an experimental induction of delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) and completed follow-up visits 24, 48, and 72-hours post-DOMS. Participants were randomized to active or placebo formulation, and consumed the formulation twice per day for 3.5 days.
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Dec 12 2023

In Maryland There Was $89.6 Million in Marijuana Sold Legally in November

There was just shy of $90 million worth of legal marijuana and marijuana products sold in November in Maryland.

According to the Maryland Cannabis Administration, there was exactly $89,670,575 in marijuana sold legally through licensed retail outlets in November, almost identical to the $89,997,762 sold in October. Sales data includes the legal distribution of dried marijuana flower and shake as well as marijuana concentrates, edibles, tinctures, topicals and vape products.

$55,995,498 of these sales were purchased by recreational consumers, with the remaining $33,675,077 purchased by medical marijuana patients.
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Dec 12 2023

Monthly Marijuana Sales in Michigan Passed a Quarter Billion Dollars for Sixth Straight Month, $2.8 Billion Year-to-Date

For the sixth straight month there was over a quarter of a billion dollars of legal marijuana sold in Michigan.

(Photo credit: GETTY Images).

In total there was $260,485,282 worth of legal marijuana and marijuana products sold in November, according to the Michigan Cannabis Regulatory Agency. This is a slight decrease from the $262 million sold in October, but it marks six months in-a-row where sales were above $250 million.

The vast majority of the legal marijuana purchased was for recreational consumption ($256.6 million), with just $3.8 million purchased by medical marijuana patients.
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Dec 12 2023

Hunter Biden’s Attorneys File Motion Saying It’s Unconstitutional to Prevent Drug Users From Possessing Firearms

Attorneys for Hunter Biden have filed a motion declaring that a law preventing drug users from buying and possessing firearms is unconstitutional.

(Photo credit: Getty Images).

Hunter Biden, the son of President Joe Biden, is facing multiple misdemeanor and felony charges (United States of America V. Robert Hunter Biden), some stemming from his admission that he purchased a gun while addicted to illegal drugs. Now, his attorneys have filed a motion to dismiss the charges with the US District Court for the District of Delaware.

Biden’s attorneys argue that the gun charges are a violation of the Second Amendment, saying that preventing drug users from buying or possessing guns is an unconstitutional law that flies contrary to a recent US Supreme Court decision which found that in order to be constitutional, a gun law has to be analogous to a law that existed when the founding fathers established the constitution.
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Dec 12 2023

Connecticut: November Marijuana Sales Break Monthly Record

Legal marijuana sales in November set a new monthly record in Connecticut.

According to data released by the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection, there was exactly $25,689,805.72 worth of legal marijuana and marijuana products sold throughout November. This breaks the monthly record of $25.2 million set in September of this year.

Of the nearly $25.7 million in marijuana sold, $15,372,542 came from the purchase of recreational marijuana, while $10,317,263 was purchased by authorized medical marijuana patients.
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Dec 11 2023

US Department of Health Spent Over 150 Pages Discussing Marijuana’s Potential Medical Value

 

The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently released an over 250-page document explaining their rationale for wanting marijuana rescheduled. Over 150 of these pages were spent discussing marijuana’s potential medical value, a key determinant in whether marijuana should be moved away from schedule I.

HHS released the documents last week to a pair of attorneys who requested them through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The documents, which are heavily redacted, explain why the Department of Health sent a letter to the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) in September asking them to reschedule marijuana.

According to attorney Shane Pennington posting on the Substack On Drugs, “well over 150 pages” of the document was spent on the question of “whether marijuana has a currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States.” This is important given that to be a schedule I drug, a substance must be dangerous, highly addictive and have no accepted medical value.
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