Nov 11 2023

Washington State: $465 Million in Marijuana Taxes Made in FY 2023, Over 5,000 Approved Products

According to data released by the Washington Liquor and Cannabis Control Board, there was over $1.2 billion in legal marijuana sold in fiscal year (FY) 2023.

The $1,257,812,688 in marijuana and marijuana products sold in fiscal year 2023 resulted in $465,399,615.68 in tax revenue for the state. Fiscal year 2023 began on July 1, 2022, and ended on June 30, 2023. Data between July 1, and November is not yet available.

The marijuana taxes made in FY 2023 were a roughly 9% decrease from the $511 in marijuana taxes made in FY 2022.
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Nov 11 2023

Researchers Find THC and CBD in Skeletons From 1600s Milan, Italy

According to a newly published study, researchers have found traces of the marijuana compounds THC and CBD in the femurs of two skeletons from 1600s Milan.

The study, published in the Journal of Archaeological Science, found traces of the marijuana compounds in a woman who researchers say was in her 50s, as well as in her teenage son.

“In this paper, we reported the results obtained from toxicological investigations on bone samples collected from human remains of the 17th century in Milano (Italy)”, says researchers. “The aim of this study was to search for analytical signs of the administration of medical or recreative plants in the population of Milano during the 17th century.”
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Nov 10 2023

Massachusetts: $148 Million in Marijuana Sold in October, Price Per Gram Drops to All-Time Low of $5.68

Massachusetts marijuana sales fell just short of $150 million in October.

Licensed marijuana retail outlets and dispensaries in Massachusetts sold $148.8 million worth of marijuana and marijuana products in October. $17.3 million of this was purchased by medical marijuana patients, with the remaining $131.5 million purchased by recreational consumers.

Year-to-date marijuana sales is now $1.32 billion. All-time sales, starting in 2018, are now $5.31 billion.
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Nov 10 2023

Colorado: $22.8 Million in Marijuana Taxes Made in October, Over $230 Million Year-to-Date

Colorado’s legal marijuana industry garnered over $22 million in revenue from taxes and fees in October.

According to data compiled and released by the Colorado Department of Revenue, the state made $21,845,360 in tax revenue from the legal distribution of marijuana. The state also made $937,627 in marijuana fees, bringing the combined total to $22,782,987. This is a slight increase over the $22,608,782 made in September.

Colorado’s year-to-date marijuana tax total is now $232,906,849. The total since the start of legal sales in 2014 is $2,764,458,618.
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Nov 10 2023

Ohio Governor Asks Legislature to Revise Voter-Approved Marijuana Legalization Law By December 7

Just days after Ohio became the 24th state to legalize recreational marijuana, the state’s governor is already seeking changes.

(Photo credit: Fred Squillante).

Governor Mike DeWine made comments to reporters yesterday indicating that he wants rapid changes made to Issue 2, prior to it taking effect on December 7.

“What the people have clearly told us is they want legal marijuana in Ohio,” said DeWine. “We are going to see that they have that, but we’ve also got to live up to our responsibility to all the people in the state of Ohio, whether they voted for it or voted against it.. that we do this in a very responsible way, we do it in a respectful way. And we do it, frankly, the Ohio way.”
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Nov 10 2023

Former FDA Official Would Be “Shocked” if Marijuana is Not Rescheduled By 2024 Election

A former official with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says he’d be “shocked” if marijuana is not moved to schedule III prior to the 2024 presidential election.

Howard Sklamberg, former FDA Deputy Commissioner for global regulatory operations / compliance, says he would be “really shocked if it took the DEA longer than the second quarter of next year to come up with its final rule. Even when I was at FDA, we knew that important regulations that you wanted to get done in an election year, you want to get done by the summer before.”

Sklamberg, who chaired the FDA’s Marijauna Working Group for several years, says he believes the DEA will approve the Department of Health’s recommendation to move marijuana to schedule III, which would effectively legalize it for prescription use across the United States.
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Nov 09 2023

Study: CBD Reduces Over-the-Counter and Prescription Drug Use, May Improve General Health

According to a recently published study, the use of oral CBD products is associated with a reduction in over-the-counter and prescription drug use and “significantly improves self-perception of general health”.

The study was published in the journal Medical Cannabis and Cannabinoids and it was published online by the US National Library of Medicine. It was conducted by researchers at Tarleton State University in Texas, the University of Chicago, and Syzygy Research Solutions in Florida.

According to researchers, “This study examined the relationship between long-term self-dosing of CBD and (a) indications and, when a verified concentration of CBD is being consumed, (b) the daily CBD dosage, (c) the impact on general health and symptoms, and (d) over-the-counter (OTC) and prescription (Rx) drug usage.”
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Nov 09 2023

“Nothing Has Changed”: President Biden’s Views on Marijuana Remain the Same Following Ohio Legalizing Marijuana

On Tuesday Ohio became the 24th state in the US to legalize recreational marijuana, but it apparently has had no impact on President Biden’s views.

(Photo credit: Evelyn Hockstein / Reuters).

On Wednesday White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked during a press conference whether or not Biden believes that “marijuana restrictions should be loosened on the federal level”, following Ohio voters choosing to legalize.

“The president put out his stance on marijuana about a year and a half ago”, said Jean-Pierre. “Nothing has changed there. I will leave it to the people of Ohio to decide on how they’re going to move forward with their own Constitution, but I’m just not going to speak to it further”.
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Nov 08 2023

National Cancer Institute Awards Millions of Dollars to Study Medical Marijuana to Treat Breast Cancer

The National Cancer Institute has awarded millions of dollars to a Florida university to study medical marijuana.

University of Miami has been given a $3.2 million government grant to study the potential medical benefits of marijuana in combatting breast cancer.

The funding is being used to aid the research of Yan Wang, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the department of epidemiology in the UF College of Public Health and Health Professions, and Jennifer J. Hu, Ph.D., a professor in the department of public health sciences at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, who will be overseeing a 12-member team.
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Nov 08 2023

Maryland: $90 Million in Legal Marijuana Sold in October

There was around $90 million worth of legal marijuana and marijuana products sold in October throughout Maryland.

According to the Maryland Cannabis Administration, there was exactly $89,997,762 in marijuana sold legally through licensed retail outlets in October. This includes the sale of dried marijuana flower and shake as well as marijuana concentrates, edibles, tinctures, topicals and vape products.

$55,133,991 of these sales were purchased by recreational consumers, while $34,863,771 was purchased by medical marijuana patients.
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