Oct 29 2022

New Jersey Assembly Approves Bill to Allow Marijuana Businesses to Take State Tax Deductions

By a vote of 60 to 6 the New Jersey Assembly has voted to pass legislation allowing licensed marijuana retail outlets to deduct expenses on their state tax return.

Photo credit: Associated Press.

The move is being 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.

The measure (Bill A3946), introduced by Assemblymember Annette Quijano, will now need to pass the state’s Senate before it can be sent to Governor Phil Murphy for final consideration. If it is sent to the governor, he would have the option of signing it into law, allowing it to become law without a signature or vetoing it. If he chooses the latter, the legislature could override the veto with a two thirds super-majority.
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Oct 27 2022

President Biden’s Marijuana Pardons to Effect 6,557 People Says Sentencing Commission

New estimates from the U.S. Sentencing Commission (USSC) has found that President Biden’s plan to pardon federal marijuana convictions will impact 6,557 citizens.

The analysis from the USSC uses federal conviction data dating back 30 years to 1992. The Commission found that the southwest and the mid-Atlantic region of the country will see the most people impacted by the move.

As noted by the U.S. Justice Department, a federal pardon is an expression of the President’s “forgiveness and ordinarily is granted in recognition of the applicant’s acceptance of responsibility for the crime and established good conduct for a significant period of time after conviction or completion of sentence.” They note that it does not signify innocence, but does “remove civil disabilities – e.g., restrictions on the right to vote, hold state or local office, or sit on a jury – imposed because of the conviction for which pardon is sought, and should lessen the stigma arising from the conviction. It may also be helpful in obtaining licenses, bonding, or employment.”
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Oct 27 2022

Study: Legalizing Marijuana Has No Impact on the Perceived Risk of Marijuana Use Among Children

The state level legalization of recreational marijuana has no discernible impact on how children feel about the potential risks associated with marijuana use.

This is according to a new peer-reviewed study being published in the upcoming issue of the journal Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research and epublished ahead of print by the National Institute of Health.

“As more states pass recreational cannabis laws (RCLs) for adults, there is concern that increasing (and state-sanctioned) cannabis acceptance will result in a reduced perception of risk of harm from cannabis among children”, states the study’s abstract. “We aimed to discover whether children in states with RCLs had decreased perception of risk from cannabis compared with children in states with illicit cannabis.”
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Oct 26 2022

Germany Government Unveils Plan to Legalize Marijuana

Germany’s health minister unveiled a plan today to legalize the possession of up to 30 grams of cannabis and to allow it to be sold through licensed retail outlets.

Health Minister Karl Lauterbach says he will check with the European Union’s executive commission whether the plan approved by the German government is in line with EU laws and will proceed with legislation “on this basis” if it gets the green light. Lauterbach said the new rules could serve as “a model for Europe”, and will likely take effect in 2024.

The plan calls for cannabis to be grown under license and sold to adults at licensed outlets to combat the black market, Lauterbach said. Individuals would be allowed to grow up to three plants, and to buy or possess 20 to 30 grams of marijuana.
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Oct 25 2022

Canada: Infused Pre-Roll Sales Grew 1,000% Between September, 2021 and September, 2022

In Canada sales of marijuana pre-rolls infused with hash, kief and/or oil rose a jaw dropping 1,000% between September, 2021 and September, 2022.

An infused pre-roll from Canada’s General Admission.

The growth marks “the most significant growth of any segment within the cannabis industry over the last year or two, given that it is growing very quickly and it is also very large,” says Cooper Ashley, analytics manager for the cannabis analytics firm Headset.

According to Headset, which tracks sales in Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario and Saskatchewan, sales of infused pre-rolls represented 2.4% of the country’s legal marijuana market in September of last year. As of last month, that has grown to nearly one fifth (19.2%) with 16.6 million Canadian dollars worth of sales during the 12-month period.
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Oct 24 2022

Poll: 68% of Americans Believe Marijuana Should be Legal

A large majority of adults in the United States, including a majority of Republicans, believe marijuana should be legal according to a new Monmouth University Poll.

Overall, two-thirds (68%) of the American public supports legalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana for personal use, finds the new poll. This includes 76% of Democrats and 73% of independents, along with 52% of Republicans. By age, support is highest among those under 35 years old (87%) but also includes a majority of those age 55 and over (53%). Support levels for legalizing marijuana are similar by parental status and by race.

Similarly, 69% of Americans approve of Biden issuing pardons for people convicted on federal charges for simple marijuana possession. This comes even though few know how many pardons were actually issued. About one-fifth to one-quarter think this number is either less than 1,000 convictions (25%), between a 1,000 and 10,000 (26%), or over 10,000 (21%). Another 29% don’t hazard a guess.
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Oct 24 2022

Study: Marijuana Oil “Significantly Reduced Agitation” in Dementia Patients

According to a new study published in the peer-reviewed journal Frontiers in Medicine, marijuana oil significantly reduced agitation and aggression and reduced sleep disturbances in patients with dementia.

According to its abstract, the objective of the study was to “evaluate the safety and efficacy of the medical cannabis oil “Avidekel” for the reduction of behavioral disturbances among patients with dementia.”

In this randomized, double-blind, single-cite, placebo-controlled trial conducted in Israel, patients aged at least 60 with dementia were randomized 2:1 to receive either “Avidekel,” a broad-spectrum cannabis oil with a 30 to 1 cannabidiol (CBD) and delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) ratio, or a placebo oil. Participants were administered the oils three times a day for 16 weeks.
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Oct 24 2022

New Report Details the Best and Worst Cities for a Cannabis Vacation

A new report details the best and worst U.S. cities for a ‘Canna-cation,’ including the most and least expensive for marijuana.

Upgraded Points, a travel information industry leader, analyzed 50 major cities where recreational marijuana is legal to find the best cities for a cannabis vacation. The researchers considered 10 ranking factors strongly related to marijuana tourism, including marijuana-friendly rentals, guided cannabis tours, 420-experiences, dispensaries, costs, and more.

Three Colorado cities rounded out the top 10 list, with Denver leading the way at No. 1, followed by Boulder (4), and Colorado Springs (8). Additionally, two California cities scored high, with Oakland and San Jose coming in at No. 3 and 9, respectively. Nevada made an appearance with both Henderson (7) and Las Vegas (10) making the list. Portland, ME was the only Eastern city to make the top 10.
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Oct 23 2022

Inflammatory Bowel Disease Patients Who Use Marijuana Report Decreased Emergency Room Visits

A new study published in the Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology has found that those with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) report improved symptoms and fewer emergency room visits following marijuana use.

Conducted by researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Northwestern University and Stony Brook University Hospital, the objective of the study according to its abstract was to “investigate medical cannabis (MC) use patterns and adverse effects in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).”

A cross-sectional anonymous survey was conducted (October 23, 2020 to January 24, 2021) among patients accessing medical cannabis (MC) dispensaries in New York and Minnesota. The eligibility criteria was those age 18 years or older with a IBD diagnosis and who purchases marijuana from a dispensary.
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Oct 21 2022

CBD Mitigated Neuronal Damage Induced by Kainate In an In-Vitro Seizure Model

Cannabidiol (CBD) mitigated the neuronal damage caused by kainate in an in-vitro seizure model, according to a new study published in the peer-reviewed journal Neurobiology of Disease.

The study states that epilepsy “is one of the most common brain disorder and, despite the possible use of several therapeutic options, many patients continue to have seizures for their entire lifespan and they need new therapeutic approaches.” In recent years “the interest on the non-psychoactive compounds present in Cannabis sativa has massively increased, and cannabidiol (CBD) has been shown to be effective in the treatment of different types of neurological disorders and neurodegenerative diseases such as epilepsy, ischemia, multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer’s Disease.”

For the study researchers “investigated the effects of the selected cannabinoids, Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), CBD and cannabigerol (CBG) in rat organotypic hippocampal slices exposed to kainate, an in vitro seizure model.”
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