Aug 23 2023

Canada Marijuana Sales Jump to $426 Million in June, $2.4 Billion Year-to-Date

Canada marijuana sales in June saw a 12% increase from the year prior.

In June licensed marijuana stores in Canada sold CA$426.6 million ($316.7 million) worth of marijuana and marijuana products. This includes dried flower prerolls and marijuana concentrates as well as marijuana-infused products such as edibles, tinctures and topicals.

The CA$426 million sold in June is a roughly CA$11 million increase from May, and a 12% increase over June, 2022. This also marks the fourth straight month that Canada’s marijuana sales exceeded CA$400 million.
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Aug 23 2023

Marijuana Farmers Market Now Open In Conjunction With New York State Fair

Roughly a month after New York officials voted to allow marijuana farmers market, such a market is now operating in conjunction with the New York State Fair which runs from today, August 23, to September 4.

Last month the state Cannabis Control Board (CCB) passed a handful of new rules, including a change that explicitly allows for marijuana farmers markets.  Specifically the Board allowed marijuana farmers markets as “Cannabis Grower’s Showcases” where growers and retailers can “bring their product to market and allow licensees to sell such products simultaneously.” To be considered a showcase there must be at least three growers and one licensed retail outlet.

Operating alongside the State Fair, Great New York State Cannabis Showcase is now open to anyone 21 and older. The market includes around a dozen vendors selling marijuana and marijuana products, all grown locally.
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Aug 22 2023

Nevada Approves Three More Marijuana Consumption Lounges

A little over two months after Nevada regulators approved the first marijuana consumption lounge, the state has given approval to three more.

Today the Cannabis Compliance Board voted unanimously to approve three applications for marijuana consumption lounges. The companies receiving the licenses are Deep Roots Harvest, KV Group and Global Harmony.

Consumption lounges are spaces where marijuana can be legally consumed. They are authorized to hold events with live entertainment and they can sell food and drinks, as well as book private events, brand launches, and other unique events.
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Aug 21 2023

Study Finds Marijuana Improves Symptoms of Young People At High Risk of Psychosis, Reduces Prescription Drug Use

According to a new study published in the journal Psychiatry Research, those with a clinical high risk for psychosis “who continuously used cannabis had higher neurocognition and social functioning over time, and decreased medication usage”.

The study was published in the September, 2023 issue of the journal Psychiatry Research, and it was conducted by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine, the University of Michigan, Zucker Hillside Hospital and University of California at Davis.

“Recreational cannabis use has recently gained considerable interest as an environmental risk factor that triggers the onset of psychosis”, states the study’s abstract. “To date, however, the evidence that cannabis is associated with negative outcomes in individuals at clinical high risk (CHR) for psychosis is inconsistent.”
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Aug 21 2023

GOP Presidential Candidate Says He Supports Federal Marijuana Legalization, Calls Current Situation “A Joke”

Vivek Ramaswamy, an entrepreneur and 2024 Republican presidential candidate, says he supports legalizing marijuana across the United States.

Vivek Ramaswamy speaking with Bill Maher on the podcast Club Random.

According to FiveThirtyEight, Ramaswamy is the only Republican candidate other than former President Donald Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to poll above 5%. Currently he sits at 9.3% and firmly in third place, ahead of political mainstays like former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and former Vice President Mike Pence.

During a podcast with comedian Bill Maher that aired yesterday, Ramaswamy affirmed his support for making marijuana a legal substance across the United States.
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Aug 21 2023

Minnesota Tribe Announces Plan for Mobile Marijuana Store

Despite state-licensed marijuana retail outlets not opening until 2025, two tribes in Minnesota began selling marijuana when it became legal on August 1. Now one of those tribes has announced a new plan to roll out a mobile marijuana store.

(Photo credit: Aaron Lavinsky, Star Stribune).

The Red Lake Nation has announced that they are working on a mobile dispensary, which they say will closely resemble a food truck, allowing them to travel and sell cannabis throughout tribal land rather than at one set location. Red Lake Nation covers over 840,000 acres of land.

Tribal Secretary Samuel Strong says that NativeCare, the tribe’s marijuana store, has been seeing over 300 customers a day which has led to long wait times and the store deciding to open on Saturdays. He says he’s “very excited to see how the community will respond” to the mobile store.
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Aug 21 2023

Study: CBD/CBG Promote Bone Healing in Fracture Patients, Effective in Treating Post-Fracture Pain

A new study “suggest CBD and CBG as therapeutic agents that can replace NSAIDs (Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) in managing post-fracture pain”, and “at the same time, promote bone healing.”

A fractured bone.

Published in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, the study was conducted by researchers at the The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine and Pennsylvania State University. The study was published online ahead of print by the National Library of Medicine.

“Bone fractures are among the most prevalent musculoskeletal injuries, and pain management is an essential part of fracture treatment”, notes the study. “Fractures heal through an early inflammatory phase, followed by repair and remodelling. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are not recommended for fracture pain control as they potently inhibit the inflammatory phase and, thus, impair the healing.”
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Aug 18 2023

NY Bill Would Require Minors and Their Parents to Take Diversion Program When Caught With Marijuana

Legislation filed today in the New York Assembly would require minors caught using and/or possessing marijuana, as well as their parents, to attend a cannabis diversion program.

Under current New York law, recreational marijuana is legal for everyone 21 and older. Although it remains unlawful for those under 21 to possess and use the plant, the current penalty is a simple $50 civil infraction. Legislation filed today by Assemblymember Keith Brown would change that.

Assembly Bill 7951, which has been referred to the Assembly Codes Committee, states:
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Aug 18 2023

New York Judge Blocks Marijuana Retail Licenses

A New York judge on Friday blocked the state’s retail marijuana licensing program after a group of veterans sued over rules that allowed people with drug convictions to open the first dispensaries.

New York Supreme Court Justice Kevin Bryant blocked the state from processing or issuing marijuana dispensary licenses with an injunction that faulted regulators for creating a program that is at odds with the state law that legalized the drug, reports the Associated Press.

The order represents a large setback for the state’s legal marijuana industry, which has been defined by a slow licensing rollout, a glut of excess marijuana crops and legal challenges that have allowed an illicit market to boom.
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Aug 17 2023

Minnesota Officials Announce Rulemaking Process and Timeline for Legal Marijuana Industry

Officials in Minnesota have announced the rulemaking process and timeline for the legal marijuana industry.

At a public informational meeting held by the Office of Cannabis Management, the group announced a specific timeline and rulemaking process for the legal marijuana industry. If the timeline holds, it looks like Minnesota will see its first legal recreational marijuana stores open sometime in the Spring or Summer of 2025. This is in line with what was anticipated by proponents of the new law.

“This is really a unique opportunity for us to assess the business needs, to evaluate the authorities that the legislature and the governor have given to the Office of Cannabis Management and then to meet those business needs in a way that really helps us ensure the success of the cannabis industry in Minnesota,” said Charlene Briner, an implementation director for the Office of Cannabis Management (OCM). The OCM has yet to hire its primary director.
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