Dec 17 2022

New Mexico Adds Anxiety and Anxiety Disorders as Qualifying Medical Marijuana Condition

New Mexico health officials have officially added anxiety to the list of conditions that qualify an individual to become a legal medical marijuana patient.

The New Mexico Medical Cannabis Advisory Board has approved adding anxiety as a qualifying medical cannabis condition. The change officially takes effect on January 1st.

“Anxiety isn’t always completely alleviated by the medications that we have available now, and being able to utilize cannabis to treat anxiety disorder is something that is in alignment with the Lynn and Erin Compassionate Use Act to relieve symptoms,” said Stephanie Richmond, a physician assistant and advisory board member who petitioned the board in March with fellow board member Dr. Jean-Paul Dedam to add anxiety as a qualifying condition.
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Dec 15 2022

Study: Cannabis Use Associated With Significant Symptom Improvements in Those With PTSD

Patients with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) experience symptom improvements following the use of cannabis and cannabis products, according to a study published n the journal Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics.

PTSD word cloud.

For the study researchers examined the safety and efficacy of cannabis products in 162 PTSD patients with a physician’s authorization to use medical cannabis. Study subjects were participants in the UK Medical Cannabis Registry who consumed either cannabis extracts or THC-dominant flowers for a period of six-months.

The study claims that PTSD patients saw “statistically significant improvements” in a variety of domains, including sleep, anxiety, and stress. Adverse events were found to be mild in severity.
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Dec 15 2022

Ohio Marijuana Expungement Bill Passed by Legislature, Sent to Governor

A legislative proposal that would, among other changes, make it so that the possession of marijuana paraphernalia does “not constitute a criminal record” has been passed by Ohio’s full legislature.

Senate Bill 288 would also establish a process that allows marijuana possession charges to be sealed from public view after six months and expunged entirely after three years. It was passed by the Senate 29 to 2, and passed by the House of Representatives 86 to 8.

Introduced by Senator Nathan Manning, it will now go to the desk of Governor Mike DeWine who has three options: Sign it into law, allow it to become law without a signature, or veto it. If Governor DeWine chooses the latter, the legislature could override the veto with a 2/3rds vote of the House and Senate.

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Dec 15 2022

Survey: Plurality of Cannabis Consumers Prefer Edibles Over Other Marijuana Products

A new survey has found that a very slight plurality of cannabis consumers prefer edibles over other methods of consuming cannabis such as dried flower and pre-rolls.

Conducted by Pollfish and commissioned by Jushi Holdings Inc., the Cannabis Consumer Insights Holiday Poll included 1,000 participants in states that have legalized recreational marijuana. The survey found that edibles just barely edged out flower for the top spot, 24.58% to 23.68%. In third is “vapes” at 18.84%, followed closely by pre-rolls at 17.41%.

Tablets or capsules was favored by a considerably lower percentage of cannabis consumers at 6.31%, but they still top tinctures (4.83%) and infused drinks (4.34%).
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Dec 14 2022

Legislation to Encourage Businesses to Use Hemp Products Signed into Law by New York Governor

New York Governor Kathy Hochul has signed into law legislation that’s designed to promote hemp use among the state’s businesses.

Introduced by Senator Michelle Hinchey, Senate Bill S8496 was signed by Governor Hochul yesterday. The measure mandates that the agriculture commissioner work with business partners to determine how they can incorporate hemp products into their operations.

The legislation mandates the state’s Commissioner of Agriculture & Markets Urban Development Corporation to collaborate with the NYS Hemp Workgroup, and industry representatives, to develop a plan to expand market opportunities for industrial hemp that would increase its use in manufacturing and construction materials, including packaging, textiles, and hempcrete.
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Dec 14 2022

Almost 2 Million Marijuana Pardons and Expungements Have Been Issued Since 2018

Government officials have provided nearly 2 million marijuana-related pardons and expungements in recent years, according to an analysis released today by the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML).

According to publicly available data, state and local officials have issued over 100,000 pardons and more than 1.7 million marijuana-related expungements since 2018. States that have been most active in providing relief to those with past convictions include Illinois, New Jersey, New York, Virginia, and California.

“Hundreds of thousands of Americans unduly carry the burden and stigma of a past conviction for behavior that most Americans, and a growing number of states, no longer consider to be a crime,” says NORML’s Deputy Director Paul Armentano. “Our sense of justice and our principles of fairness demand that public officials and the courts move swiftly to right the past wrongs of cannabis prohibition and criminalization.”
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Dec 14 2022

Report: Alaska Has Highest Marijuana Tax Rate in the Country, New Jersey Has the Lowest

According to a new report by the Urban Institute and Brookings Institution’s Tax Policy Center, Alaska has the highest marijuana tax rate of all states that have legalized the plant.

The report found that for every $100 ounce of marijuana purchased, Alaskans pay $57.50 in marijuana taxes, making it the highest tax rate in the country. The next closest state is Washington, with $47.25 in marijuana taxes paid on every $100 ounce.

On the other end of the spectrum, New Jersey was found to have the lowest tax rate, with $14.32 in taxes paid on every $100 ounce, which is drastically lower than the $57.50 paid by Alaskans. The second lowest is Michigan at $16.
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Dec 13 2022

Canada Increases Possession Limit for Marijuana Beverages from 2.1 liters to 17.1 liters

The regulatory body Health Canada has announced a drastic increase in the possession limit for marijuana beverages.

Since Canada legalized marijuana in 2018, the possession limit for marijuana-infused beverages has been 2.1 liters, or around 70 ounces. Health Canada has announced that effective immediately this limit has been increased to 17.1 liters, or 578 ounces. To put it into comparative terms, this is an increase from five standard-sized cans of soda, to 48.

According to Health Canada the change “would correct an unintended consequence of the current equivalency, which restricts the possession and sale of beverages to a greater extent than other forms of cannabis.”
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Dec 13 2022

Report: 42% of Pre-Rolls Sold in the U.S. Are Infused

According to a new report pre-rolls now make up a much larger market share than they did just four years ago, and 42% of pre-rolls sold are infused.

In 2018 just 7.9% of the marijuana and marijuana products sold in legal marijuana states were pre-rolls with $406 million in sales. Four years later this has grown to 12.7%, a roughly 60% increase with $1.5 billion in sales.

Data for the report, conducted by Seattle-based data firm Headset, was based on legal marijuana sales in Arizona, California, Colorado, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Oregon and Washington State.
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Dec 13 2022

Activists in Texas City Submit Signatures to Override Council’s Repeal of Marijuana Initiative

Activists in Harker Heights, Texas have submitted enough signatures to put to a vote a referendum that would repeal the city council’s decision to override a recently approved marijuana decriminalization initiative.

Last months voters in Harker Heights, a city with a population of around 26,000, overwhelmingly passed an initiative (Proposition A) to decriminalize marijuana on the city level by a vote of 64% to 36%. In the same election, four other Texas cities passed similar measures.

Despite the voters making their voice clear on the issue, the Harker Heights City Council took a vote following the initiative’s passage to repeal the new law, effectively preventing it from taking effect.
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