Jan 11 2023

Legislation to Legalize Marijuana Filed in West Virginia Legislature

A legislative proposal that would make marijuana legal for everyone 21 and older has been filed in West Virginia’s Legislature.

House Bill 2091 was filed by Representative Danielle Walker and has been assigned to the House Health and Human Resources Committee.

“In the interest of the efficient use of law-enforcement resources, enhancing revenue for public purposes, and individual freedom, the Legislature finds and declares that the use of cannabis should be legal for persons 21 years of age or older”, states the measure’s “Purpose and Findings” section. “In the interest of the health and public safety of our citizenry, the Legislature further finds and declares that cannabis should be regulated in a manner similar to alcohol.”
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Jan 10 2023

Report: Global CBD Market Valued at $6.7 Billion, to Grow to $23.24 Billion by 2026

A new report has determined that the global market for the cannabis compound cannabidiol (CBD) is currently $6.77 billion.

The 2022 Cannabidiol Global Market Report, conducted by Research and Markets, anticipates the CBD market to grow to $23.24 billion by 2026, a ___% increase with a ridiculously high compound annual growth rate of 36.1%.

“The main product types of cannabidiol are oil, tinctures, suppository, transdermal patches, vape oil, isolates, creams and roll-on, capsules, tablets, and other products”, states the report. “The applications of these are medical, personal use, pharmaceuticals, and wellness and can be distributed across various channels such as hospital pharmacies, retail pharmacies, online stores, and other distribution channels.”

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Jan 10 2023

Arizona Supreme Court Rules Maternal Medical Marijuana Use for Morning Sickness Does Not Constitute Child Neglect

By declining to hear any challenges to an appellate court ruling, the Arizona Supreme Court has effectively ruled that using marijuana during pregnancy to combat morning sickness does not constitute child abuse or neglect.

The lower courts ruling determined that child welfare officials acted inappropriately when they placed a woman on a state registry for consuming marijuana while pregnant. The Supreme Court’s order removes the mother’s name from appearing on the state’s registry.

As noted by NORML, the Arizona Department of Child Safety initially took action against the mother, Lindsey Ridgell, in 2019 when her newborn tested positive for cannabis. Last April, justices on the Arizona Court of Appeals unanimously ruled that the prenatal exposure in this case did not constitute “neglect” because the mother was medically authorized under the law to consume cannabis products to treat symptoms of morning sickness.
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Jan 10 2023

Study Finds “Direct Relationship” Between Marijuana Use and Objectively Fewer Opioid and Benzodiazepine Prescriptions

A new study “provides a direct relationship between the initiation of cannabis therapy and objectively fewer opioid and benzodiazepine”.

The study was conducted by researchers at the Rothman Orthopedic Institute and Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University, and the Legacy Research Institute. It was published in the most recent issue of the journal Cannabis and Cananbinoids Research, and was epublished ahead of print by the National Library of Medicine.

For the study, researchers “sought to capture the medically relevant features of cannabis use in a population of patients with orthopedic pain and pair these data with objective measures of pain and prescription drug use.”
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Jan 10 2023

Legal Marijuana Sales Begin Today in Connecticut

Starting at 10am today (January 10) it’s legal for licensed retail outlets to sell marijuana and marijuana products to anyone 21 and older.

Although the legalization of marijuana was approved in 2021, today marks the first day of legal sales with nine licensed outlets planning to open their doors to everyone 21 and older, with more outlets to open in the coming days and weeks.

Under the new law consumers will be authorized to purchase up to a quarter of an ounce of dried flower, or up to seven 1-gram joints. Consumers will also be authorized to purchase up to 2 mL of vape cartridges, and edibles with up to 5mg of THC.
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Jan 09 2023

Marijuana Legalization Bill Filed in Minnesota, Has Governor’s Support

Legislation to legalize marijuana for everyone 21 and older has been filed in the Minnesota Legislature.

House Bill 100 “would set up a regulatory framework and permit cannabis use for any reason for people 21 and older”. It was filed by Representative Zack Stephenson along with 27 cosponsors, all Democrats. It has been referred to the House Commerce Finance & Policy Committee.

“Cannabis should not be illegal in Minnesota,” says Rep. Stephenson. “Minnesotans deserve the freedom and respect to make responsible decisions about cannabis themselves. Our current laws are doing more harm than good. State and local governments are spending millions enforcing laws that aren’t helping anyone.”
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Jan 09 2023

The Top 10 Most Popular Marijuana Strains at the Start of 2023

There are hundreds of marijuana strains on the market, but some are considerably more popular than others.

With 2023 now underway there are over 20 states in the U.S. that have legalized recreational marijuana and 39 that have legalized medical marijuana, and the majority of these states have licensed retail outlets selling cannabis and cannabis products. Although the popularity of cannabis continues to rise, and the variety of strains grows on a regular basis, there are 10 strains that standout in terms of their popularity, and for many of them, their sheer staying power.

With that in mind, using data compiled by Leafly and regulatory agencies for multiple legal marijuana states, below is the list of the top 10 most popular marijuana strains to start 2023.
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Jan 08 2023

Cannabigerol Demonstrates Anti-Inflammatory Effects in New Study

The cannabis compound cannabigerol (CBG) showed “broad anti-inflammatory effects” in a new study published by the International Journal of Molecular Sciences.

Conducted by researchers at the University Hospital Duesseldorf and the University of Regensburg, both in Germany, the full text of the study can be found by clicking here.

“Since its medical legalization, cannabis preparations containing the major phytocannabinoids (cannabidiol (CBD) and δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)) have been used by patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) to alleviate pain and inflammation”, states the study’s abstract. “However, minor cannabinoids such as cannabigerol (CBG) also demonstrated anti-inflammatory properties, but due to the lack of studies, they are not widely used.”
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Jan 06 2023

Illinois: $1.5 Billion in Marijuana Sold in 2022, Over $440 Million in Taxes

2022 set adult use cannabis sales records “in all categories it tracks”, according to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR).

In total there was $1,552,324,820 in marijuana and marijuana products legally sold in Illinois in 2022, a 12% increase from 2021 and a 131% increase from 2020.

“When I signed the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act into law in 2019, we set out on an ambitious goal: to create the most equitable and economically prosperous cannabis industry in the nation,” said Governor J.B. Pritzker in a press release. “Our data from 2022 shows that we are well on our way towards making that idea a reality.”
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Jan 05 2023

Over $200 Million in Recreational Marijuana Sold in First Year of Legal Sales in Montana

In Montana there was over $200 million in recreational marijuana sold in the first year of legal sales, garnering over $40 million in new taxes for the state.

In total $202,947,328 in recreational marijuana and marijuana products were legally sold in Montana in 2022, the first year such sales were legal. This is according to the Montana Cannabis Control Division, and does not include the $93,616,551 in medical marijuana sold during the same period.

In this first year of sales Montana garnered $41,989,466 in new taxes from recreational marijuana sales, plus an additional $3,744,662 in medical marijuana taxes.
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