Jul 26 2023

US House Approves Allowing Medical Marijuana for Veterans

The United States House of Representatives has given approval to a proposal that would allow physicians with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to recommend medical marijuana to veterans.

The amendment was made to a bill that covers spending for Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies. It was passed on the House floor in a voice vote. The House also approved an amendment that would promote the research of psychedelics such as magic mushrooms and MDMA.

The medical marijuana amendment was introduced by the bipartisan co-chairs of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, Representatives Brian Mast, Earl Blumenauer, Dave Joyce and Barbara Lee. It would explictly prohibit the use of government funds to enforce current law which prohibits doctors from recommending medical marijuana to veterans.
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Jul 26 2023

Kevin Durant Says “Everyone Does It” When it Comes to Marijuana in the NBA

When it comes to marijuana in the NBA, “everyone does it”, according to Kevin Durant, a former league MVP and one of the top 15 scorers in league history.

(Photo credit: Matt York/Associated Press)

Last month the National Basketball Association and the National Basketball Players Association officially signed a collective bargaining agreement that not only removes marijuana from the league’s list of banned substances, it allows players to invest in marijuana companies. According to Phoenix Suns power forward Kevin Durant, he played a key role in getting the league’s commissioner to agree to the change.

In a recent interview Durant says he held a meeting with commissioner Adam Silver to personally ask him to support making marijuana no longer a banned substance.
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Jul 25 2023

Ohio: 58% Support Marijuana Legalization, Initiative Campaign Needs Just 679 More Votes

According to a new USA TODAY/Suffolk University poll, a strong majority of adults in Ohio support legalizing recreational marijuana. Also, a campaign seeking to put marijuana legalization to a vote is now just 679 votes short of their goal.

The new polling found that 58.6% of Ohio adults say they support explicitly allowing those over the age of 21 to buy and possess marijuana. Just 35% oppose the move, with 6% undecided. This means that even if everyone who is undecided chose to oppose legalization, support for the issue would still enjoy a 17% lead.

Unsurprisingly support was highest among Democrats at 77%, followed by independents at 63% and Republicans at 40%. The poll was conducted between July 9 and July 12, and it has a margin of error of +/- 4.4%.
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Jul 24 2023

Study: 7.4% of Military Members and 20.3% of Former Members Recently Used Marijuana

A new study gives details on how many military service members in the US are using marijuana both while on active duty and following their leave.

(Photo credit: Bumble Dee/Shutterstock)

The study’s abstract notes that there “is little data on cannabis use among military service members, particularly when examining the period after separation from military service.” This new research, published online by the National Library of Medicine, “examines cannabis-related perceptions and use among U.S. Army Reserve/National Guard (USAR/NG) current and former soldiers.” The study was conducted at the University at Buffalo’s Department of Community Health and Health Behavior.

For the study researchers used data from Operation: SAFETY (Soldiers And Families Excelling Through the Years), an ongoing study examining health among male and female USAR/NG soldiers. The current sample was comprised of 401 current and former USAR/NG soldiers.
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Jul 24 2023

Detroit to Issue 50 More Marijuana Licenses, Application Process Starts August 1

The city of Detroit has announced that it will soon begin accepting applications for marijuana business licenses roughly seven months after the city issued the first 33 licenses.

City officials say on August 1 they will reopen the application process for marijuana retail outlets, microbusinesses and consumption lounges, with a plan to issue dozens more licenses. Those interested will need to apply by August 31. A decision will be made within six to eight weeks.

In total Detroit plans to issue 10 microbusiness licenses, 10 licenses for consumption lounges and 30 licenses for marijuana stores.
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Jul 24 2023

California Initiative to Legalize Psilocybin Clears Key Hurdle

A group seeking to legalize psilocybin has been given approval by the state to begin collecting signatures on their initiative.

Decriminalize California is seeking to place their psilocybin initiative on the 2024 general election ballot. The group has until January 10th, 2024 to submit at least 546,651 valid signatures. This is almost 80,000 signatures less than was required in previous election cycles because there was roughly 2 million less voters in the recent gubernatorial election.

The proposed law would legalize, for those 21+, the possession, cultivation and distribution of psilocybin, the psychedelic compound found in magic mushrooms.
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Jul 24 2023

Randomized, Controlled Trial Finds CBD Provides Symptom Relief for Gastroparesis Patients

According to a new randomized, controlled trial, the marijuana compound cannabidiol (CBD) “provides symptom relief in patients with gastroparesis and improves the tolerance of liquid nutrient intake”.

The study is published in the journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, and is conducted by researchers at the Mayor Clinic. The objective of the study was “compare effects of 4 weeks’ treatment with pharmaceutical CBD vs. placebo in patients with idiopathic (IG) or diabetic (DM) gastroparesis.”

For the study researchers “performed a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled study of CBD b.i.d. (Epidiolex® escalated to 20mg/kg/day) in patients with nonsurgical gastroparesis with delayed gastric emptying of solids (GES).”
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Jul 24 2023

Seattle Law Giving Marijuana Workers Stronger Labor Protections Takes Effect

A Seattle ordinance giving marijuana workers in the city stronger labor protections has officially taken effect.

The Office of Labor Standards (OLS) announced the City of Seattle’s Cannabis Employee Job Retention (CEJR) Ordinance went into effect on July 19.

This ordinance requires covered outgoing cannabis business employers to “Post written notice of a change in control” and “Provide a preferential hiring list to the incoming cannabis employer”.
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Jul 24 2023

Albania Parliament Votes 69 to 23 to Legalize Medical Marijuana

The Albania Parliament on Friday voted to legalize medical marijuana.

By a vote of 69 to 23 with three members abstaining, the Albanian Parliament has passed a law that allows for the legal cultivation of marijuana for medical purposes. is a country on Southeastern Europe’s Balkan Peninsula with a population of around 2.8 million.

The new law creates the National Agency for the Control of Cannabis which will serve as the primary regulatory body for medical marijuana. They will handle the processing and production of medical marijuana products.
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Jul 21 2023

Canada Legal Marijuana Sales Reach CA$415 Million in May

Canada saw a slight increase in legal marijuana sales between April and May, according to new data released by Statistics Canada, a government entity.

According to Statistics Canada, legal marijuana stores throughout the nation sold CA$415.6 ($314.7 million) worth of marijuana and marijuana products. This is a 1.2% increase over April, despite April typically being  a busy month for marijuana sales due to the 4/20 marijuana holiday. The CA$415 million sold is also a11.2% increase over the total sales numbers for May, 2022.

In May, Ontario had the largest number of sales at CA$162.5 million, a 1.5% increase from April. This is followed by Alberta with CA$74.3 million (2.3% increase from May) and British Columbia CA$64.8 million (a 5.4% decrease from April).
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