Sep 22 2023

New York: Court Rules in Favor of Leafly Regarding Online Marijuana Advertising

Earlier this week, Leafly, a leading online cannabis information resource and marketplace, along with New York dispensary Stage One, jointly filed a legal challenge to certain portions of the recently adopted Adult Use Regulations in New York.

On Thursday, the New York Attorney General’s Office agreed to a stay, and the court entered an order to that effect, which blocks the enforcement of the challenged regulations against Leafly and fully operational licensed cannabis dispensaries in New York State.

Leafly is the only third-party platform that the stay expressly allows to continue offering paid advertising services, display retailer product pricing, and transmit orders to licensed cannabis retailers in New York, according to a press release sent today.
Continue reading

Sep 22 2023

NCAA Committee Votes to Remove Marijuana and Cananbinoids From Banned Substances List

Today, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) announced that a key committee has voted to recommend that marijuana and cannabinoids be removed from the list of banned substances.

The NCAA Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports recommended that each of the three divisional governance bodies introduce and adopt legislation that would remove marijuana and cannabinoids from the list of NCAA banned drug classes. Committee members, who met this week in Indianapolis, also recommended the development of a robust educational strategy to accompany a potential change to cannabinoid legislation.

This recommendation is based on “extensive study informed by industry and subject matter experts (including doctors, substance misuse experts and membership practitioners)”, according to a press release.
Continue reading

Sep 22 2023

Legislation to Legalize Marijuana Introduced in Wisconsin

Wisconsin Senate Minority Leader Melissa Agard has announced new legislation that would legalize recreational marijuana for everyone 21 and older.

“Today, [State Representative Darrin Brian Madison Jr.] and I are introducing a bill to fully legalize cannabis for responsible, adult usage in the State of Wisconsin”, Agard said in a social media post. “The people of this state know that antiquated prohibition policies are failing. It’s time to #LegalizeIt in Wisconsin once and for all.”

Agard then said “Folks, the most dangerous thing about cannabis is that it is illegal. Legalizing and taxing cannabis in Wisconsin — just like we already do with alcohol — regulates an already existing illicit market and creates safer communities.”
Continue reading

Sep 22 2023

California Governor Sent Bill to Allow Older Patients to Access Marijuana at Health Care Facilities

Legislation that would allow older patients to use marijuana products at private hospitals and other healthcare facilities has been passed through the California Legislature and sent to Governor Gavin Newsom.

Under the current law only those who are considered to be terminally ill may use marijuana in specified health care settings. Senate Bill 302 would change this so that patients who are 65 or older could access marijuana products if a physician deems it appropriate.

SB 302, in a rare sign of clear bipartisanship, passed both the Senate and Assembly unanimously, 40 to 0 and 80 to 0.
Continue reading

Sep 22 2023

Rhode Island: August Breaks Monthly Marijuana Sales Record

For the fourth straight month marijuana sales in Rhode Island have set a new monthly record.

The $9,672,793.26 in legal marijuana sold in August throughout Rhode Island is a roughly $200k increase over the record-breaking $9.46 million in sales in July. In June sales were $9.1 million, and they were $8.9 million in May, both monthly records at the time. This is according to data compiled and released by the Rhode Island Department of Business Regulations.

Of the $9.6 million sold in August, around $7 million was purchased by recreational consumers and $2.6 million was purchased by medical marijuana patients.
Continue reading

Sep 22 2023

Study: 17% of Pediatric Patients With Cerebral Palsy Use CBD, For Some It Improves Emotional Health, Spasticity, and Pain

Nearly one in ever five pediatric patients with cerebral palsy use the marijuana compound cannabidiol (CBD) to help combat symptoms of the ailment, according to a new study published in the journal Orthopedics.

For the study, researchers at Stanford University conducted a survey of caregivers who have children with cerebral palsy (CP) regarding their use of CBD products.

“Cannabidiol (CBD)-containing supplements are used by children with cerebral palsy (CP), but the prevalence and efficacy of their use have not been studied”, states the study. “We sought to describe CBD use patterns and perceived efficacy in the pediatric population with CP, evaluating any association between CBD use and health-related quality of life.”
Continue reading

Sep 21 2023

US Lawmakers Announce Bill to Block FDA From Legalizing or Rescheduling Marijuana

Today, U.S. Senators Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) and Steve Daines (R-MT) announced that in the coming days they “will be introducing legislation to ensure marijuana cannot be legalized federally by the FDA without Congressional approval.”

colorado governor

The two lawmakers announced the upcoming proposal in a press release about a totally different measure, the SAFER Banking Act. No further information was given about the upcoming bill other than the fact that it would prevent the FDA from legalizing cannabis without congressional approval.

The measure is coming in response to a recent letter sent by the Department of Health to the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), officially requesting marijuana be reclassified as a Schedule III. Doing so would legalize the plant for medical use across the United States, putting it in the same classification as prescribed drugs such as codeine and testosterone.
Continue reading

Sep 21 2023

Study: Psilocybin May Produce “Lasting Improvements in Mental Health Symptoms and General Wellbeing”

Results of a study published in the journal Frontiers in Psychiatry “indicate broad therapeutic potential of psilocybin to produce lasting improvements in mental health symptoms related to anxiety, depression, and substance misuse”.

Dried psilocybin mushrooms. (Photo credit: Rich Townsend/Getty Images)

Additionally, the study states that “psilocybin seems capable of producing enduring changes in psychological functioning and personality such as increased cognitive flexibility, emotion regulation, and extraversion, and reduced neuroticism, even in naturalistic settings that lack structured psychological support.”

The study was conducted by researchers at Ohio State University, John Hopkins University and Unlimited Sciences, and it is the “largest prospective survey of naturalistic psilocybin use to date”.
Continue reading

Sep 21 2023

Bill Filed in US House of Representatives to Legalize Marijuana and Expunge Charges, Has 33 Sponsors

US Representative Jerrold Nadler, a Democrat from New York and a ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, has refiled the Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act.

The MORE Act was filed today with 33 cosponsors, all Democrat. The proposal has been passed through the House of Representatives twice, but stalled in the then-Republican led Senate. Now, the measure has been filed while the Republicans control the House, and the Democrats control the Senate.

If the measure was to be passed through the House a third time, proponents are optimistic it can garner the 60 votes needed to pass the Senate, but with Kevin McCarthy as House Speaker and Rep. Jim Jordan as chair of the Judiciary Committee, it’s uncertain if the proposal will receive any real consideration.
Continue reading

Sep 21 2023

United Nations Report Calls for End to Drug War

A United Nations human rights report released today calls for a shift from punitive measures to address the global drugs problem to the use of policies grounded in human rights and public health, including decriminalizing drug possession.

United Nations logo.

The report urges States to develop effective drug policies, including by considering decriminalization of drug possession for personal use. “If effectively designed and implemented, decriminalization can be a powerful instrument to ensure that the rights of people who use drugs are protected,” it says.

“Laws, policies and practices deployed to address drug use must not end up exacerbating human suffering. The drugs problem remains very concerning, but treating people who use drugs as criminals is not the solution,” said the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk.
Continue reading