Oct 06 2023

Georgia To Become First State With Medical Marijuana Products Sold At Pharmacies

Georgia will soon become the first state in the US where medical marijuana products can be purchased at independent pharmacies.

Nearly 120 pharmacies have agreed to provide medical marijuana from Botanical Sciences, one of the state’s two licensed production companies, following the Georgia Board of Pharmacy opening the application process. State officials expect it to take at least a few more weeks before any of these pharmacies will actually start carrying medical marijuana. Before the board can grant approvals inspections will need to take place.

Under Georgia’s restrictive medical marijuana law (passed in 2019), those with certain medical conditions such as cancer, Parkinson’s disease and PTSD are authorized to purchase and possess low-THC marijuana oil, if they receive a recommendation from a licensed physician.
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Oct 06 2023

Maine Marijuana Sales Top $20 Million in September, Price Per Gram Declines to New Low

After four straight months of record-breaking marijuana sales, September saw a slight dip from August, but still surpassed $20 million.

There was $20,347,890 worth of marijuana sold legally in September, according to data released by the Maine’s Office of Cannabis Policy. This is a slight, albeit noticeable, decrease from the $21,648,253 sold in August. but is on par with the $20.8 million sold in July and the $20 million sold in June.

There were 357,460 different marijuana transactions in September, around 20,000 less than in August. The average price per gram of dried marijuana in September reached an all-time low of $7.71, a $0.12 decrease from the average in August.
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Oct 06 2023

Michigan Legislature Votes to Allow Marijuana Agreements With Indian Tribes, Exempt Them From Taxes

Michigan’s full legislature has passed a bill that will allow the state to enter into marijuana agreements with Indian tribes while exempting them from the state’s marijuana excise tax.

The Michigan House of Representatives voted 90 to 15 today to pass Senate Bill 180, a little less than four months after the measure passed the Senate 29 to 9. The proposed law will soon be sent to the desk of Governor Gretchen Whitmer, and a spokesperson for Governor Whitmer says she plans to sign the bill into law. If Governor Whitmer were to veto the bill, there is well more than enough support to override it.

Filed by Republican Senator Roger Hauck along with six Democrat cosponsors, the proposal would “allow the Cannabis Regulatory Agency (CRA) to enter into an agreement with an Indian tribe pertaining to marijuana related business”, and would “specify that sales of marijuana by a tribal marijuana business on Indian lands would be exempt from the State’s 10% excise tax on marijuana.”
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Oct 05 2023

Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study Finds Cannabinol (CBN) May Improve Sleep

The marijuana compound cannabinol (CBN) “may be helpful for improving overall sleep disturbance, including the number of times one wakes up throughout the night, without impacting daytime fatigue.”

(Photo credit: Pharma Hemp).

This is according to a new study being published in the upcoming issue of the journal Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology, with the abstract published online ahead of print by the US National Library of Medicine. The study is titled A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study of the safety and effects of CBN with and without CBD on sleep quality.

According to its abstract, the “present study sought to determine the effects of cannabinol (CBN) alone and in combination with cannabidiol (CBD) on sleep quality.”
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Oct 05 2023

Study: Marijuana Spray Reduces Spasticity in Over 80% of Multiple Sclerosis Patients

In a new study examining the use of nabiximols (also known as Sativex), a spray made from marijuana, “over 80% of assessed patients with severe spasticity at baseline reported a shift into a lower category of spasticity after 12 weeks.”

Published in the journal Therapeutic Advancements in Neurological Disorders, the study was conducted by researchers at the University of Catania (Italy), the Royal Victoria Infirmary (UK), GW Pharmaceuticals (UK and Jazz Pharmaceuticals (Ireland).

“Over 80% of individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS) experience MS-associated spasticity (MSS)”, notes the study. “In many European countries, after failure of first-line treatments, moderate or severe MSS can be treated with nabiximols, a cannabis-based add-on treatment. This post hoc analysis assessed the shift of participants treated with nabiximols from higher (severe or moderate) to lower (moderate or mild/none) spasticity.”
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Oct 05 2023

10-Year Analysis Finds Drug Sniffing Dogs Are Wrong About Presence of Drugs 75% of the Time

Drug sniffing dogs falsely alert their handler more often than they correctly identify the presence of drugs, according to newly released data.

According to an analysis of 10 years of data provided to members of the Australian Parliament by the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission, 75% of the searches conducted because a drug sniffing dog alerted their handler resulted in absolutely no drugs being found. Just one in four times a drug sniffing dog alerted their handler was their actually drugs in the vicinity.

The new data provided an analysis of almost 94,535 searches over the course of a decade (June 2013, to June, 2023). In 2014, the worst year for false report, only 21% of the roughly 14,000 searches resulted in illegal drugs being found. In 2016, the year drug sniffing dogs saw the most success, they still falsely alerted 68% of the time.
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Oct 05 2023

31 US Senators Now Sponsoring Federal Marijuana Banking Act

Just two days after we reported that the SAFER Banking Act was sponsored by 26% of the entire US Senate, the measure has gained five additional sponsors.

Recently the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs passed the SAFER Banking Act (S.2860), with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer vowing to put it to a vote of the full Senate “very soon”. The measure is now sponsored by 31% of the entire United States Senate.

The five new sponsors that signed on this week are Senators Cristopher Coons (DE), Tim Kaine (VA), John Hickenlooper (CO), Ben Lujan (NM) and Debbie Stabenow (MI).
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Oct 05 2023

US Air Force’s Marijuana Waiver Program Sees Triple the Expected Participation

Within the first year of a new marijuana waiver program, the United States Air Force has seen over three times the anticipated participation.

(Photo credit: Staff Sgt. Beaux Hebert/Air Force).

Last year the Air Force announced a pilot program that allows those that have tested positive for marijuana to receive a waiver in order to be retested and possibly enlisted. The move was seen as a way to address to growing trend towards marijuana law reform and an increase in marijuana use among service members.

A spokesperson for the Air Force tells Military.com that although they expected only around 50 people a year to make use of this new program, in its first year they issued 165 waivers, over triple expectations.
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Oct 04 2023

New Jersey Court Rules Employer Must Reimburse Medical Marijuana Expenses in Workers’ Compensation Case

The New Jersey Appellate Division has ruled that it was appropriate for a workers’ compensation judge to order an employer to reimburse its employee for their medical marijuana expenses as part of his workers’ compensation case.

In the case Vincent Hager v. M&K Construction, the employee, Vincent Hager, suffered an injury while working for M&K Construction in 2001, when a truck delivering concrete dumped the load onto him, reports the National Law Review.

Mr. Hager apparently suffered severe lower back pain that radiated through his legs, caused by herniated and annular discs in his spine, as well as nerve damage, causing chronic pain. Spinal surgeries were unsuccessful and opioid pain relief treatment only provided partial relief. M&K Construction and its insurer repeatedly denied workers’ compensation benefits.
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Oct 04 2023

Illinois: Over $165 Million in Legal Marijuana Sold in September

In Illinois there was $165.5 million worth of marijuana sold legally in September.

Recreational marijuana consumers purchased $139.5 million worth of marijuana in September, a slight increase over the $139.2 sold in August. In terms of medical marijuana, there was $26 million purchased in September, a slight decrease from the $26.5 million sold in August. This is according to data compiled and released by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation.

Of the $139.5 million in recreational marijuana sold, $34.5 million was purchased by those living outside of Illinois, while $105 million was purchased by Illinois residents.
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