Mar 28 2024

Randomized Clinical Trial Finds CBD Provides Sustained Relief From Menstrual-Related Symptoms

According to a new study consuming soft-gel caps containing the marijuana compound cannabidiol (CBD) is associated with the persitent alleviation of menstrual-related symptoms (MRS).

CBD capsules.

The study was published in the journal Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology, with the abstract published online ahead of print by the US National Library of Medicine.

“Some individuals attempt to alleviate menstrual-related symptoms (MRS) by using cannabis and report having expectations that cannabis can improve MRS; however, no study has examined the effect of cannabinoids on MRS”, claim researchers. “The present study is a pre–post, randomized, open-label trial that aimed to examine the effects of oral cannabidiol (CBD) isolate for alleviating MRS.”
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Mar 28 2024

DEA Says They’re “In the Process” of Writing Marijuana Rescheduling Recommendation, Says Administrator “Will Make a Decision On Where to Place It”

In recent remarks an official with the DEA said that when it comes to marijuana’s scheduling status, the agency is “in the process” of writing a recommendation, clarifying that Administrator Anne Milgram “will make a decision on where to place it – whether to change it or whether to remove it”.

In a recent episode of the DEA’s podcast and Youtube show Prevention Profiles: Take Five, Senior Prevention Program Manager Rich Lucey interviewed DEA pharmacologist Buki Ebeigbe, with a focus on the current review of marijuana’s scheduling status. Currently marijuana is Schedule I, making it illegal for all uses; recently the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) requested the DEA to move marijuana to Schedule III.

During the talk, Lucey said “I just think it’s important for people to – again, going back to correcting misperceptions and really the issue of transparency and, by us even doing this podcast, just to help people understand the process. We don’t want it to necessarily feel as if it’s behind this shroud of secrecy, which I think then lends itself to this idea that it’s a whole arbitrary process.”
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Mar 28 2024

Oklahoma Study Finds Medical Marijuana is Often Far Less Potent Than Advertised

Medical marijuana sold via licensed dispensaries in Oklahoma regularly has far less THC than is advertised on product labels, according to a new study.

For the study, reported by NPR, an independent laboratory analysis of 15 different marijuana strains obtained at three dispensaries identified large discrepancies between the products’ labels and their THC content. In every single instance, the labelled THC was inflated from the tested amount.

The average reported THC level of the strains tested is about 24 %. The actual average THC amount was 14%, representing a double-digit difference.
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Mar 28 2024

27% of US Congress Now Sponsoring Marijuana Banking Legislation

Legislation to allow marijuana banking is now sponsored by 27% of the entire US Congress.

The SAFE Banking Act, filed in April in the House of Representatives, now has 109 sponsors. An updated Senate version of the bill, called the SAFER Banking Act, has 36 sponsors.

The combined 145 sponsors represents 27% of the entire 535 member United States Congress (100 senators and 435 representatives). Both measures enjoy strong bipartisan support, with the Senate version also sponsored by every independent member of the Senate.
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Mar 28 2024

Florida Supreme Court Allows Marijuana Legalization Initiative to Appear on November Ballot

An initiative to legalize recreational marijuana will appear on this November’s ballot in Florida.

“There are no Florida Supreme Court opinions ready for release today, March 28, 2024”, said the Florida Supreme Court on their official X page. This means that the court is unlikely to issue a ruling on Amendment 3 to legalize marijuana prior to the April 1 deadline, given opinions are almost always issued on Thursdays and next Thursday is past the deadline. No ruling being issued prior to the April 1 deadline means the initiative will appear on the November ballot by default.

By refusing to consider a challenge from Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody who is seeking to remove the initiative from the ballot, the Supreme Court would be effectively rejecting the motion, allowing the measure to be voted on this November.  It is possible the court could issue a surprise ruling on Monday; If the court does issue a Monday ruling, it’s expected the ruling will be in support of the initiative being placed on the November ballot. Governor Ron DeSantis, a longtime opponent of legalizing marijuana, said in January that he believes the court will rule in favor of the proposal, saying “I think the court is going to approve that. So it’ll be on the ballot”.
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Mar 27 2024

Massachusetts Initiative to Legalize Psychedelics Receives Committee Hearing, May Appear on November Ballot

An initiative to legalize certain psychedelics is receiving consideration in a joint legislative committee. The measure may appear on the November ballot if rejected by lawmakers.

Mescaline (top left), ibogaine (top right), psilocybin mushrooms (bottom left), and DMT (bottom right). All four would be legalized under the initiative put forth by Massachusetts for Mental Health Options.

In January Massachusetts for Mental Health Options (MMHO) submitted over 96,000 valid signatures for their psychedelics initiative, well more than the roughly 74,000 needed to force a vote of the legislature. Today, the  Special Joint Committee on Initiative Petitions held a public hearing on the measure, with a potential vote coming in the near future.

If the initiative is not passed by the full legislature by May 1, MMHO will be given until July to collect an additional 12,429 signatures. If they’re successful, the proposal will be put to a vote of the people in this November’s presidential election.
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Mar 27 2024

Montana Marijuana Sales Pass $25 Million for 12th Straight Month

There was over $25 million in legal marijuana sold in February in Montana.

There was $25,091,075 worth of legal marijuana sold in February, according to the Montana Cannabis Control Division. This is almost identical to the $25,110,065 sold in January, and it marks the 12th consecutive month where sales were above $25 million. Sales data for February was released by the Cannabis Control Division just a few days after data for January was released.

Of the $25.1 million in legal marijuana sold in February, $20,943,884 was purchased by recreational consumers, and $4,147,191 was purchased by medical marijuana patients.
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Mar 27 2024

Study: CBD Combined With THC a Better Anticonvulsant Than Either Compound By Itself

Cannabidiol (CBD) combined with delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) was better at reducing seizures than either compound alone in an animal model, according to a new study.

Published in the peer-reviewed journal Cells, the study was conducted by researchers at the University of Toronto and the University Health Network in Toronto, The study was also published online by the US National Library of Medicine with the title Cannabidiol Exerts Anticonvulsant Effects Alone and in Combination with Δ9-THC through the 5-HT1A Receptor in the Neocortex of Mice.

“Cannabinoids have shown potential in drug-resistant epilepsy treatment; however, we lack knowledge on which cannabinoid(s) to use, dosing, and their pharmacological targets”, states the study’s abstract. “This study investigated (i) the anticonvulsant effect of Cannabidiol (CBD) alone and (ii) in combination with Delta-9 Tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC), as well as (iii) the serotonin (5-HT)1A receptor’s role in CBD’s mechanism of action.”
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Mar 27 2024

Vice President Kamala Harris Says Administration “Changed Federal Marijuana Policy”

Nearly 50 days ago Vice President Kamala Harris said “We changed federal marijuana policy”. Now, a campaign official gives some insight into what she meant.

(Photo credit: Getty Images).

“We changed federal marijuana policy, because nobody should have to go to jail just for smoking weed”, said Harris on February 9 in a campaign video posted on the social media platform X. Despite the statement causing confusion among proponents of federal marijuana reform, on February 25 a campaign official told us the VP has “no plans” to remove the video. Over a month later and the video remains live, viewed over 435,000 times.

Since publication of the video, the Vice President has been questioned by numerous marijuana reform advocates seeking clarification on what she meant by the statement, given no federal law change has occurred under President Biden. This includes Cannabis Freedom Party (CFP) co-founder Jim Mcmahon saying that VP Harris is “willfully lying to the American public”.
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Mar 27 2024

Global Cannabis Stock Index Up 50% Since October

The Global Cannabis Stock Index has seen a large increase in value over the past six months.

The Index ended the day valued at 10.49, the first time it’s been above 10 since September. The current value marks a  51% increase over the value from exactly five months ago on October 27, when the market was valued at 6.93.

In just the past 30 days the market has seen an increase in value of roughly 20%.
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