May 08 2023

Study: CBD Reduces Seizures in Those With Lennox-Gastaut and Dravet Syndromes

The marijuana compound cannabidiol (CBD) used without any other epilepsy medications appears to be safe and effective “for up to 12 months in clinical practice” when used by those with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS) or Dravet syndrome.

This retrospective chart review study evaluated plant-derived highly purified cannabidiol use without other medications as add-on therapy in patients aged ≥2 years with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS) and Dravet syndrome (DS) who were enrolled in a European Early Access Program.

Of 114 enrolled patients, data were available for 107 (92 LGS, 15 DS) who received CBD without clobazam (an epilepsy medication) for at least three months. The mean age was 14.5 for those with LGS and 10.5 for those with DS. Mean time-averaged CBD dose was 13.54 (LGS) and 11.56 (DS) mg/kg/day.
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May 08 2023

US Senate Leader Says Marijuana Banking Bill Will Reach Senate Floor and Include Expungement Provision

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer vowed this past weekend that federal legislation to allow banks to work with state-legal marijuana businesses will soon reach the Senate floor.

US Majority Leader Chuck Schumer speaking at the 2023 New York City Cannabis Parade & Rally on Saturday.

Senator Schumer said that not only will lawmakers “put the bill on the floor”, it will include a provision allowing for the expungement of past marijuana convictions.

“We will put the bill on the floor and we will add to it expungement of the records of all of those who suffered from the over criminalization of marijuana”, said Schumer at the 2023 New York City Cannabis Parade & Rally on Saturday. “The SAFE Banking Act is a good thing.”
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May 08 2023

Report: Half of Americans Have Tried Marijuana, 37% are “Current Consumers”

According to a new report titled Cannabis Consumers in America 2023: Part 1, half of all Americans have tried marijuana and 37% are “current consumers”.

The new report, conducted by Frontier Data, found that 42% of adults in the United States have used cannabis and say that they will use it again, a 3% increase from the previous year. In total, 50% of Americans have tried marijuana at least once in their life.

“Cannabis consumers are diverse with users spread across age groups, genders, economic brackets and political affiliations,” said Gary Allen, New Frontier Data CEO. “With 42% of U.S. adults having used cannabis and likely to do so again, and another 15% expressing interest in trying cannabis in the future, acceptance and receptiveness continues to grow, creating massive opportunities in both new and emerging markets.”
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May 07 2023

Missouri: $121 Million in Legal Marijuana Sold in April

According to data released by state officials, Missouri sold $91 million worth of recreational marijuana in April, in addition to $30.1 in medical marijuana sales.

The $91 million sold in April is roughly on par with the $93 million sold in March, and is considerably higher than the $71 million sold in February, the first month of legal recreational marijuana sales in Missouri. This is according to data released by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.

The three-month total since recreational marijuana sales began stands at $256 million. When you account for the nearly $100 million in medical marijuana sold during the same period, the total amount of legal marijuana and marijuana products purchased in Missouri between February and April is $350 million.
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May 07 2023

Voters in Texas City Override Council Repeal of Marijuana Decriminalization

By literally one vote, voters in Harker Heights, Texas have approved an initiative to override their city council’s repeal of a voter-approved ordinance to decriminalize marijuana.

Last November voters in Harker Heights, a city with a population of around 26,000, overwhelmingly passed an initiative (Proposition A) to decriminalize marijuana on the city level by a vote of 64% to 36%. In the same election, four other Texas cities passed similar measures. Despite voters making their voice clear on the issue, the Harker Heights City Council took a vote following the initiative’s passage to repeal the proposal, effectively preventing it from taking effect.

This action led to activists submitting a new initiative that repeals the repeal in order to allow marijuana decrim to take effect despite the council’s opposition.
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May 06 2023

Study: CBD Exhibits “Significant Therapeutic Potential” Against HIV-1 Infections, Neuroinflammation

The results of newly published research shows that “CBD has anti-inflammatory properties and exhibits significant therapeutic potential against HIV-1 infections and neuroinflammation.”

Titled Anti-inflammatory effects of CBD in human microglial cell line infected with HIV-1, the study was published in the journal Scientific Reports. It was conducted by researchers at the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine at Florida International University.

“Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is associated with a chronic inflammatory stage and continuous activation of inflammasome pathway”, says the study’s authors. “We studied the anti-inflammatory effects of the compound cannabidiol (CBD) in comparison with Δ (9)-tetrahydrocannabinol [Δ(9)-THC] in human microglial cells (HC69.5) infected with HIV.”
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May 06 2023

Colorado Governor Sent Bill to Ban Denial of Professional Licenses Over Marijuana Use

The Colorado Legislature has sent legislation to Governor Jared Polis that prevents the Department of Regulatory Agencies from denying applications for professional licenses and certifications based solely on a civil or criminal judgement regarding the consumption, possession, cultivation, or processing of marijuana.

(Photo Credit: Claire Caulfield/KJZZ)

Senate Bill 265 was sent to Governor Polis yesterday after being signed by the president of the Senate on Thursday and then by the speaker of the House the following day. The final vote in the Senate was 32 to 1, with the final House vote being 49 to 13. The legislation was filed by Senator Kevin Van Winkle along with a bipartisan coalition of 17 cosponsors.

“DORA is our agency that regulates professional licenses. Everything from optometrists to nurse practitioners, you name it,” said Representative Marc Snyder, one of the bill’s sponsors. “Trying to get more people, eligible people, into the workforce, and looking to remove barriers that are unnecessary, and have a real hindrance to people in getting new opportunities.”
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May 05 2023

Report: 78% of Cannabis Consumers Say It Improves Their Mental Health, 63% Say it Makes Them More Social

A new Cannabis Consumer Report conducted by Drive Research has found that a strong majority of marijuana consumers say it positively impacts their mental health and overall happiness.

According to the report, 78% of cannabis consumers say that consuming the plant has positive impacts on their mental health. The report also found that most users believe cannabis positively impacts their overall happiness (79%) and makes them more social (63%).

For the report survey data was collected from 3,926 cannabis consumers across the United States.
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May 05 2023

Oregon Issues License to Nation’s First-Ever Psilocybin (Magic Mushrooms) Service Center

The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) has issued a license to the state’s and nation’s first-ever psilocybin service center as part of the regulatory framework created by the voter-approved Oregon Psilocybin Services Act.

OHA’s issued the license to EPIC Healing Eugene, located at 3003 Willamette St. in Eugene. The issuance of the license comes a couple weeks after the OHA issued the state’s first licenses for psilocybin facilitators and a testing facility. Psilocybin is the psychedelic compound found in magic mushrooms.

“We want to congratulate Cathy Jonas of EPIC Healing Eugene on being the first licensed service center in the state,” says Oregon Psilocybin Services (OPS) Section Manager Angie Allbee. “This is such a historic moment as psilocybin services will soon become available in Oregon, and we appreciate the strong commitment to client safety and access as service center doors prepare to open.”

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May 05 2023

California Marijuana Contest Seeking Judges

An annual marijuana competition hosted by High Times in Southern California is seeking cannabis experts to serve as judges for the contest.

The High Times Cannabis Cup SoCal: People’s Choice Edition is inviting those 21 and older to join in as judges by purchasing a judges kit containing various marijuana strains and products in order to provide feedback that would in tern be used to help crown winners in each of the 12 categories. This event will be the third that is open to the SoCal public and will feature the largest pool of judges in history with 2,200.

“This is a sampling dream to get your products into the hands of hundreds of new customers who will provide feedback on your entries, plus thousands of impressions”, says High Times. “May the best products win!”
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