Mar 01 2023

Four Michigan Cities Have Passed Ordinances to Decriminalize Psychedelics

Ferndale has become the fourth city in Michigan to locally decriminalize the possession of psychedelics such as magic mushrooms.

The Ferndale City Council passed a resolution this week that effectively decriminalizes certain psychedelics including psilocybin (“magic mushrooms”), DMT and ayahuasca by making it the lowest enforcement priority. This makes Ferndale the fourth Michigan city to make such a move, followed by Ann Arbor, Detroit and Hazel Park.

“[T]he Mayor and City Council hereby declare that it shall be the policy of the City of Ferndale that the investigation and arrest of persons for planting, cultivating, purchasing, transporting, distributing, engaging in practices with, or possessing Entheogenic Plants or plant compounds which are on the Federal Schedule 1 list shall be the lowest law enforcement priority for the City of Ferndale, and city funds or resources shall be prioritized for other City of Ferndale functions”, states the resolution.
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Mar 01 2023

Duty from Legal Marijuana Sales Surpasses CA$1 Billion in Canada

The Canadian government has amassed more than 1 billion Canadian dollars ($740 million) in total duty on legal marijuana since its legalization in 2018.

According to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), the federal government assessed approximately CA$862.3 million in total duty on cannabis products between the 2018-19 and 2020-21 fiscal years. Although the CRA has yet to publish comparable figures for the 2021-22 financial year, a report by MJBizDaily points out that the most recent public accounts show the federal government received revenue from the cannabis levy worth CA$160.2 million that year, bringing total duty since 2018 to a minimum of CA$1.02 billion.

The total duty since 2018 may be even higher given the public accounts figure for 2021-22 does not include duty collected by the federal government and shared with provinces and territories.
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Feb 28 2023

New Jersey Legislature Approves Bill To Allow Marijuana Businesses To Take State Tax Deductions

New Jersey’s full legislature has passed legislation to allow legal marijuana businesses to take standard state-level tax deductions.

The New Jersey senate this week passed Bill A3946 by a vote of 32 to 3, roughly four months after the Assembly passed it by a vote of 60 to 6.

The legislation, which now heads to the governor for consideration, is seen as a partial remedy to IRS code 280E, which prevents federally illegal entities from taking tax deductions. Supporters of the move argue that with marijuana being legal under state law, there’s no reason or basis to deny state-level tax deductions from marijuana stores, even if they may be illegal federally.
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Feb 27 2023

Study Finds Cannabis Effective in Reducing Pain and Prescription Drug Use in Patients with Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease

According to a recent study published in the American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, medical cannabis could be effective in treating chronic pain and reducing prescription drug use in patients with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT).

CMT is a group of hereditary conditions that causes damage to the body’s peripheral nerves, leading to symptoms such as muscle weakness, foot deformities, difficulty in walking and chronic pain in the hands and feet among others. It’s estimated that around 2.6 million people worldwide have CMT.

The study, which was conducted by researchers from the Hereditary Neuropathy Foundation, examined the efficacy of medical cannabis in managing pain in patients with CMT. A total of 56 participants were recruited for the study, and all reported experiencing pain related to their condition.
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Feb 27 2023

Report: CBD Skincare Market Topples $1.3 Billion Valuation

A new report conducted by Research and Markets has found that the global market for CBD skincare products is worth over $1.3 billion.

Specifically the report estimates the market value to be $1.346 as of the end of 2020. It states that in recent years increasing disposable incomes and living standards have increased the focus of people on personal well-being which includes skincare regimes and CBD skincare products.

“People,  especially youth people, are increasingly demanding new skincare products with innovative and natural ingredients”, notes the report. “As such, the demand for CBD skincare products is rapidly growing worldwide.”
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Feb 27 2023

Study: Medical Cannabis Products Associated With Improved Quality of Life in Chronic Disease Patients

A new study “suggests that cannabis-based medicinal products are associated with an improvement in health-related quality of life in UK patients with chronic diseases.”

The study is being published in the journal Expert Review of Clinical Pharmacology and it was epublished online ahead of print by the U.S. National Library of Medicine. It was conducted by researchers at Imperial College London, Sapphire Medical Clinics, St. Georgia Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Buckinghamshire, Kings College London Healthcare NHS Trust, South London & Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust and Dudley Group of Hospitals NHS Trust.

“There is a paucity of high-quality data on patient outcomes and safety after initiating treatment with cannabis-based medicinal products (CBMPs)”, states the study’s researchers. “The aim of this study was to assess the clinical outcomes and safety of CBMPs by analyzing patient-reported outcome measures and adverse events across a broad spectrum of chronic conditions.”
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Feb 25 2023

Study: Cannabinoid Receptor Activation May Help Combat Colon Cancer

Activation of the cannabinoid receptor 2, something done naturally through the consumption of cannabis and cannabinoids, may help combat colon cancer according to a study of both mice and humans.

Published by the International Journal of Molecular Sciences, the study was conducted by researchers at Tel Aviv University, Ariel University and the The Chaim Sheba Medical Center, all in Israel.

For the study researchers “investigate the role of CB2 in potentiating the immune response in colon cancer in mice and determine the influence of CNR2 variants in humans.”
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Feb 25 2023

CBD Supports the Honeybee Worker Organism by Activating the Antioxidant System, Says New Study

Cannabidiol (CBD) “supports the honeybee worker organism by activating the antioxidant system”, states a study published in the journal Antioxidants.

Conducted by researchers at the University of Life Sciences in Lublin, this is the first study of its kind to demonstrate the benefits of the cannabis compound CBD for honeybees.

For the study researchers tested the effect of 30% CBD oil on the activity of the antioxidant system (superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione), the level of total antioxidant capacity, and the concentrations of ions (calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus) in honeybee workers in the hive test.
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Feb 23 2023

Study Finds Topical Hemp May Treat Anal Fissures and “Significantly Improves” Symptoms

Topically applied hemp may serve as a potential treatment option for anal fissures, according to a new study published by the National Library of Medicine.

Anal fissure (AF) is a common anorectal disease. Although several pharmacological treatments are available, the study notes that “many patients still require surgical interventions”. In this study, researchers “aimed to evaluate the efficacy of an ointment based on a multifunctional blend of herbal ingredients including hemp for chronic AF.

Titled Management of Chronic Anal Fissure with a Novel Topical Hemp-Herbal-Based Ointment: A Pilot Study, the study was conducted by researchers at the Sheba Medical Center and Tel Aviv University, both in Israel.
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Feb 23 2023

Washington State Senate Votes to Protect Marijuana Users From Discrimination When Job Hunting

Legislation that would protect many job applicants from discrimination if they use marijuana during their personal time has been passed by the full Washington State Senate.

Senate Bill 5123, introduced by Senator Karen Keiser along with nine cosponsors, was passed by the Senate by a vote of 28 to 21. Prior to passing the measure the Senate approved an amendment by Senator Curtis King that would exclude positions that provide a “substantial risk of death.”

“It simply doesn’t make sense to base an employment decision on that kind of unreliable outcome and test,” said Senator Keiser, pointing out the fact that most employers test for THC metabolites which can remain in the system for weeks.
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