Mar 02 2023

Study: Marijuana Legalization Associated With Reduction in Pedestrian Fatalities

Legalizing marijuana is associated with a reduction in the number of alcohol-related fatalities involving pedestrians, according to a new study published in the journal IATSS (International Association of Traffic and Safety Sciences) Research.

For the study researchers from Florida Polytechnic University examined the relationship between marijuana legalization and rates of pedestrian-involved fatal crashes between the years 1985 and 2019. This is particularly important because “Pedestrian fatality rates in the US began to increase in 2009, after three decades of decline.”

Researchers found that the passage of both medical cannabis laws and laws legalizing recreational marijuana were associated with overall declines in pedestrian fatalities, including declines in alcohol-related fatalities. Researchers believe this may be due to consumers substituting marijuana for alcohol.
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Mar 01 2023

North Carolina Senate Votes 36 to 10 to Pass Medical Marijuana Bill

Legislation to legalize medical marijuana in North Carolina has been passed by the state’s full Senate.

By a vote of 36 to 10 the North Carolina Senate passed legislation that would narrowly legalize medical marijuana for those with certain medical conditions. Introduced by Senator Bill Rabon with a bipartisan coalition of 12 cosponsors, the measure now goes to the House of Representative. Passage in the House would send the bill to Governor Roy Cooper for final consideration.

Under  (the “Compassionate Care Act”) patients with a “debilitating medical condition” such as cancer, epilepsy, HIV/AIDS, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis and post-traumatic stress disorder would be allowed to possess and consume medical marijuana and marijuana products if they receive a recommendation from a licensed physician, who would need to reevaluate patients’ medical marijuana status annually.
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Mar 01 2023

Seventh Minnesota Senate Committee Approves Bill to Legalize Marijuana

The Senate Human Services Committee in Minnesota has given approval to a measure that would legalize recreational marijuana for everyone 21 and older.

The measure (SF 73) has now been passed by seven Senate committees. A companion bill (HF 100) has been approved by 10 committees in the House of Representatives. The proposed legislation would allow those 21 and older to possess up to two ounces of marijuana and grow up to eight plants for personal use, in addition to establishing a regulatory framework for licensed retail marijuana outlets.

“This allows adults to safely and responsibly use cannabis,” said Senator Clare Oumou Verbeten, who spoke to the committee on behalf of the bill’s sponsor Senator Lindsey Port. “It creates a regulated marketplace that’s much safer than our current underground illicit marketplace.” She said that marijuana prohibition “has caused immense harm in our communities, and that’s particularly when it comes to the criminal justice system”.
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Mar 01 2023

A New Study “Demonstrated that Cannabidiol is a Viable Therapy to Treat Prostate Cancer Cells”

A study published in the peer-reviewed journal Molecular Biology Reports has “demonstrated that cannabidiol is a viable therapy to treat prostate cancer cells”.

Prostate cancer is the second most frequently occurring carcinoma in males worldwide and one of the leading causes of death in men around the world, states the study which was conducted by researchers at the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Johannesburg in South Africa. Recent studies estimate that over 1.4 million males are diagnosed with prostate cancer on an annual basis, with approximately 375,000 succumbing to the disease annually.

With current treatments “continuing to show severe side effects”, researchers say there is a need for new treatments. In this study they “looked at the effect of cannabis sativa extract, cannabidiol and cisplatin on prostate cancer cells, PC3.”
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Mar 01 2023

Four Michigan Cities Have Passed Ordinances to Decriminalize Psychedelics

Ferndale has become the fourth city in Michigan to locally decriminalize the possession of psychedelics such as magic mushrooms.

The Ferndale City Council passed a resolution this week that effectively decriminalizes certain psychedelics including psilocybin (“magic mushrooms”), DMT and ayahuasca by making it the lowest enforcement priority. This makes Ferndale the fourth Michigan city to make such a move, followed by Ann Arbor, Detroit and Hazel Park.

“[T]he Mayor and City Council hereby declare that it shall be the policy of the City of Ferndale that the investigation and arrest of persons for planting, cultivating, purchasing, transporting, distributing, engaging in practices with, or possessing Entheogenic Plants or plant compounds which are on the Federal Schedule 1 list shall be the lowest law enforcement priority for the City of Ferndale, and city funds or resources shall be prioritized for other City of Ferndale functions”, states the resolution.
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Mar 01 2023

Duty from Legal Marijuana Sales Surpasses CA$1 Billion in Canada

The Canadian government has amassed more than 1 billion Canadian dollars ($740 million) in total duty on legal marijuana since its legalization in 2018.

According to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), the federal government assessed approximately CA$862.3 million in total duty on cannabis products between the 2018-19 and 2020-21 fiscal years. Although the CRA has yet to publish comparable figures for the 2021-22 financial year, a report by MJBizDaily points out that the most recent public accounts show the federal government received revenue from the cannabis levy worth CA$160.2 million that year, bringing total duty since 2018 to a minimum of CA$1.02 billion.

The total duty since 2018 may be even higher given the public accounts figure for 2021-22 does not include duty collected by the federal government and shared with provinces and territories.
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Feb 28 2023

New Jersey Legislature Approves Bill To Allow Marijuana Businesses To Take State Tax Deductions

New Jersey’s full legislature has passed legislation to allow legal marijuana businesses to take standard state-level tax deductions.

The New Jersey senate this week passed Bill A3946 by a vote of 32 to 3, roughly four months after the Assembly passed it by a vote of 60 to 6.

The legislation, which now heads to the governor for consideration, is seen as a partial remedy to IRS code 280E, which prevents federally illegal entities from taking tax deductions. Supporters of the move argue that with marijuana being legal under state law, there’s no reason or basis to deny state-level tax deductions from marijuana stores, even if they may be illegal federally.
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Feb 27 2023

Study Finds Cannabis Effective in Reducing Pain and Prescription Drug Use in Patients with Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease

According to a recent study published in the American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, medical cannabis could be effective in treating chronic pain and reducing prescription drug use in patients with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT).

CMT is a group of hereditary conditions that causes damage to the body’s peripheral nerves, leading to symptoms such as muscle weakness, foot deformities, difficulty in walking and chronic pain in the hands and feet among others. It’s estimated that around 2.6 million people worldwide have CMT.

The study, which was conducted by researchers from the Hereditary Neuropathy Foundation, examined the efficacy of medical cannabis in managing pain in patients with CMT. A total of 56 participants were recruited for the study, and all reported experiencing pain related to their condition.
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Feb 27 2023

Report: CBD Skincare Market Topples $1.3 Billion Valuation

A new report conducted by Research and Markets has found that the global market for CBD skincare products is worth over $1.3 billion.

Specifically the report estimates the market value to be $1.346 as of the end of 2020. It states that in recent years increasing disposable incomes and living standards have increased the focus of people on personal well-being which includes skincare regimes and CBD skincare products.

“People,  especially youth people, are increasingly demanding new skincare products with innovative and natural ingredients”, notes the report. “As such, the demand for CBD skincare products is rapidly growing worldwide.”
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Feb 27 2023

Study: Medical Cannabis Products Associated With Improved Quality of Life in Chronic Disease Patients

A new study “suggests that cannabis-based medicinal products are associated with an improvement in health-related quality of life in UK patients with chronic diseases.”

The study is being published in the journal Expert Review of Clinical Pharmacology and it was epublished online ahead of print by the U.S. National Library of Medicine. It was conducted by researchers at Imperial College London, Sapphire Medical Clinics, St. Georgia Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Buckinghamshire, Kings College London Healthcare NHS Trust, South London & Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust and Dudley Group of Hospitals NHS Trust.

“There is a paucity of high-quality data on patient outcomes and safety after initiating treatment with cannabis-based medicinal products (CBMPs)”, states the study’s researchers. “The aim of this study was to assess the clinical outcomes and safety of CBMPs by analyzing patient-reported outcome measures and adverse events across a broad spectrum of chronic conditions.”
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