Nov 16 2022

U.S. Senate Passes Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research Expansion Act, Sends it to President Biden

The Senate today passed the Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research Expansion Act, which would expand research into marijuana-derived medications.

H.R. 8454 passed the House of Representatives in July by an overwhelming vote of 325 to 95. The measure now goes to the desk of President Biden, who is expected to quickly sign it into law.

The senate bill was introduced by Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), and passed the House under the leadership of Representatives Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) and Andy Harris (R-Md.). Passage of the bill in the House and Senate marks the first time a standalone piece of marijuana reform legislation has ever been sent to a president.
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Nov 15 2022

Kentucky Governor Signs Executive Order to Relax Medical Marijuana Ban

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear on Tuesday signed an executive order to allow medical marijuana patients to legally possess medical marijuana properly purchased in another state.

The order to relax the state’s prohibition on medical marijuana, which was previously illegal in all instances, was signed earlier today by Governor Beshear.  The move allows those who properly purchased legal medical marijuana from another state to possess up to eight ounces of marijuana within Kentucky, which is currently a felony.

“These are actions that I can take as governor to provide access to medical cannabis and relief to those who need it to better enjoy their life without pain,” said Governor Beshear at a press release announcing the move. Beshear says he has the authority to make this move without legislative approval based on the pardon powers granted to him by the state’s constitution.
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Nov 14 2022

A Decade After Legalizing Marijuana, WA and CO Have Garnered Almost $5 Billion in New Tax Revenue

10 years ago Washington State and Colorado, on the same night, became the first states to legalizing marijuana. According to new data, this has resulted in considerable tax revenue for both states.

According to data released by the Colorado Department of Revenue and the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Control Board, the combined total tax revenue garnered from legal marijuana sales between the two states is $4.9 billion. Keep in mind that although voters legalized marijuana in November, 2012, legalizing marijuana stores weren’t operating until some months later.

As of the end of October, Colorado has made $2,296,609,287 in tax revenue from $13,565,124,088 in marijuana sales. This includes the sale of dried marijuana flower, prerolls, edibles, concentrates, topicals and other marijuana products.
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Nov 14 2022

Administration of THC “Promotes Significant Recovery from Traumatic Brain Injury”, Finds Study

According to a study epublished by the U.S. National Library of Medicine, “administration of the phytocannabinoid Δ9THC promotes significant recovery from TBI (traumatic brain injury).”

Conducted by researchers at the University of South Florida and the James Haley VA Medical Center, the study was published in a recent issue of the peer-reviewed journal Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research.

For the study mice who experience a controlled cortical impact (CCI) were treated for 3 days with 3mg/kg of THC (one of the primary compounds found in marijuana). Motor function on a rotarod was recorded at baseline and 3, 7, and 14 days after the CCI. Following death, “G-CSF, BDNF, and GDNF expression were measured at 7 and 14 days in cerebral cortex, striatum, and hippocampus on the side of the trauma.”
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Nov 13 2022

Study: THC is Effective in Reducing Chemotherapeutic Induced Neuropathic Pain

A new study conducted by researchers at the Penn State College of Medicine has found that while CBD alone is not incredibly effective at treating neuropathic pain, it is effective when mixed with THC, and THC is effective when administered by itself.

Published by the journal Biomedicines, the full text of the study can be found by clicking here.

According to the study’s authors, neuropathic pain is a condition that impacts a substantial portion of the population and is expected to affect a larger percentage in the future. This type of pain “is poorly managed by current therapies, including opioids and NSAIDS, and novel approaches are needed.”

For the study researchers “used a cisplatin-induced model of neuropathic pain in mice to assess the effects of the cannabinoids THC and CBD alone or in varying ratios as anti-nociceptive agents.”
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Nov 11 2022

Study Finds Increased White Matter Coherence Following Several Months of Medical Cannabis Treatment

Medical cannabis treatment was associated with increased white matter coherence in a new peer-reviewed study conducted by researchers at Harvard Medical School and published in the journal Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research.

As noted by the study’s abstract, which was published online ahead of print by the National Institute of Health, previous studies have demonstrated abnormal white matter (WM) microstructure in recreational cannabis consumers. However, “the long-term impact of medical cannabis (MC) use on WM coherence is unknown.”

Accordingly, “this study assessed the longitudinal impact of MC treatment on WM coherence.”

As part of a larger, longitudinal investigation, patients interested in treating at least one medical condition with commercially available cannabis products of their choosing were assessed before initiating medical cannabis use and following three and six months of treatment.
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Nov 11 2022

Marijuana Decriminalized in 5 Texas Cities With Support Between 60% and 82%

During Tuesday’s general election five cities in Texas overwhelmingly passed initiatives to decriminalize the personal possession of marijuana.

Voters in five Texas cities on Tuesday not only approved initiatives to decriminalize marijuana, but they did so with overwhelming support.

For example, the city of San Marcos passed their initiative with 82% voting  in favor, coming close to the 85%  support for Austin’s marijuana decrim bill that passed earlier this year.

In Denton, the home of several university campuses, passed with 71% support, which is roughly the same as the support for a similar initiative in Fort Hood.
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Nov 10 2022

Harvard Study: CBD May Significantly Reduce Anxiety With Minimal Side Effects

A new study provides evidence “supporting efficacy and tolerability of a full-spectrum, high-CBD product for anxiety.”

Published in the journal Communications Medicine and conducted by researchers at Harvard Medical School, the study is titled Clinical and cognitive improvement following full-spectrum, high-cannabidiol treatment for anxiety: open-label data from a two-stage, phase 2 clinical trial.

The study notes that although “evidence suggests cannabidiol (CBD) has anxiolytic properties, indicating potential for novel treatment strategies… few clinical trials of CBD-based products have been conducted, and none thus far have examined the impact of these products on cognition.”
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Nov 09 2022

21 States With a Combined Population of 130 Million Have Now Legalized Marijuana

With Maryland and Missouri legalizing marijuana this election, there are now 21 states in the U.S. with legal marijuana.

Despite marijuana remaining illegal federally, 21 states with a combined 130 million residents have now legalized marijuana. 11 years ago, this number was zero.

The rapid pace of marijuana reform across the United States, and the now bipartisan nature of its support, puts pressure on the federal government to legalize or at least decriminalize the plant on the national level.  Although legislation has been introduced in the House and Senate to do both, they have failed to garner enough among lawmakers to be passed into law.
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Nov 09 2022

25 Rhode Island Cities Vote to Allow Marijuana Businesses

33 Rhode Island cities voted yesterday on initiatives to allow marijuana businesses and sales within their jurisdictions, and a large majority were approved.

(AP Photo/Matthew Brown)

In total 25 of the 33 cities voted in favor of allowing marijuana businesses to operate within the limits of the city.

Specifically, voters were asked “Shall new cannabis-related licenses for businesses involved in the cultivation, manufacture, laboratory testing and for the retail sale of adult recreational use cannabis be issued in the city (or town)?”
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