Nov 08 2022

Maryland Legalizes Marijuana

Maryland voters have given approval to an initiative to legalize marijuana for everyone 21 and older, making their state the 20th to do so.

Question 4 amends the Maryland Constitution to add a new article, Article XX, which authorizes individuals 21 years of age or older to use and possess marijuana for all uses. The initiative also directs the Maryland General Assembly to “provide for the use, distribution, possession, regulation, and taxation of cannabis within the state”, which they have already done.

During the 2022 legislative session the state legislature passed legislation to implement legalization if the initiative were to pass, including a system to regulate licensed retail outlets. The proposal sets the legal possession limit at 1.5 ounces and two plants.
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Nov 07 2022

Study: Cannabis May Improve Quality of Life and Comorbidities in Tourette’s Syndrome Patients

According to a study published in the peer-reviewed journal Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research and epublished ahead of print by the National Institute of Health, “medical cannabis may improve their quality of life and comorbidities” in those with Tourette’s syndrome.

The study, titled Use of Medical Cannabis in Patients with Gilles de la Tourette’s Syndrome in a Real-World Setting, was conducted by researchers at Tel-Aviv University.

“Tourette’s syndrome (TS) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by vocal and motor tics and other comorbidities”, states the study. “Clinical recommendations for the use of medical cannabis are established, yet further guidance is needed.” The aim of this study “was to describe the experience of patients with TS with medical cannabis.”
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Nov 07 2022

Study: Cannabidiol “Markedly Alleviates Skin and Liver Fibrosis”

Cannabidiol (CBD) may alleviate liver and skin fibrosis according to a new study published by the peer-reviewed journal Frontiers in Pharmacology.

“Cannabidiol (CBD) has been suggested as a potential therapy for inflammatory and fibrotic diseases”, states the study’s abstract. “Cannabidiol was demonstrated to reduce alcohol-induced liver inflammation and steatosis but its specific activity on the fibrotic process was not investigated.”

For this study “the antifibrotic effects of cannabidiol in the skin were analysed in vitro using NIH-3T3 fibroblasts and human dermal fibroblasts and in vivo using the bleomycin-induced model of skin fibrosis.”
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Nov 05 2022

Study: Cannabis May Help Those With Treatment-Resistant Fibromyalgia

According to new study published in the peer-reviewed journal Pain Practice and epublished by the U.S. National Institute of Health, cannabis may play a “significant role” in combatting treatment-resistant fibromyalgia in women.

Fibromyalgia is a complex pain-focused syndrome, and previous studies “showed that Cannabis is efficacious in promoting sleep, deepening and lengthening the sleep cycle, and good pain relief (compared to SSRIs and SNRIs)”, states the study’s abstract. This new study “aimed to use the World Health Organization Quality of Life Bref questionnaire (WhoQoL-bref) to characterize the impact of Cannabis Treatment initiation on the quality of life in women suffering from treatment-resistant fibromyalgia.”

The study was a prospective cohort study involving women aged 18-70 years old diagnosed with fibromyalgia who have “exhausted pharmacological fibromyalgia treatment, and started Cannabis treatment.” Pregnant women were excluded.
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Nov 04 2022

In Just 4 Days Voters in These 5 States Can Legalize Marijuana

We’re now just 4 days away from the November 8th general election, in which five states have an opportunity to legalize recreational marijuana.

If voters in Maryland, Arkansas, South Dakota, North Dakota and Missouri decide that marijuana should in fact be legal for everyone 21 and older, for any purpose, it will bring the total number of legal marijuana states in the U.S. to 24, just one shy of half the nation. What makes these five efforts of particular interest to politicos is that most are traditionally conservative states, allowing for an opportunity to see if marijuana reform has truly become a bipartisan issue (something reflected in recent nationwide polling).

Of the five legalization initiatives on Tuesday’s ballot, all but one – South Dakota – would authorize licensed marijuana retail outlets to sell marijuana, marijuana concentrates and marijuana edibles to those 21 and older. South Dakota would only legalize possession and cultivation, while establishing no specific guidelines for marijuana stores.
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Nov 03 2022

Study: Cannabis Use Is Inversely Associated with Metabolic Disorders in Patients With Hepatitis C

According to a new study published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine, “cannabis use was associated with a lower risk of hypertension and a lower number of metabolic disorders” among those with the Hepatitis C virus.

For the study researchers examined the relationship between current and/or lifetime cannabis use and metabolic disorders in a cohort of 6,364 subjects infected with HCV. The study is titled Cannabis Use Is Inversely Associated with Metabolic Disorders in Hepatitis C-Infected Patients.

“Using cross-sectional data from the French ANRS CO22 Hepather cohort, we used regression models to test for an inverse relationship between cannabis use and (i) dyslipidemia, (ii) hypertension, and (iii) the total number of metabolic disorders”, states the study.
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Nov 02 2022

Study: Fragile X Syndrome Patients Report Improvement in Symptoms With CBD

A large majority of patients with Fragile X Syndrome reported that CBD improved some of their symptoms and “made a positive difference overall” in a new study.

The study was published in the journal Genes as well as on the website for the U.S. National Library of Medicine, and is titled Parent and Caregiver Perspectives towards Cannabidiol as a Treatment for Fragile X Syndrome. It was conducted by researchers at Icahn School of Medicine in New York and the National Fragile X Foundation in Virginia.

“Cannabidiol (CBD) is a non-intoxicating chemical in cannabis plants that is being investigated as a candidate for treatment in Fragile X Syndrome (FXS), a leading known cause of inherited intellectual developmental disability”, states the study’s abstract. “Studies have shown that CBD can reduce symptoms such as anxiety, social avoidance, hyperactivity, aggression, and sleep problems.”
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Nov 01 2022

Peer-Reviewed Study: Smoking Cannabis is More Effective than CBD Extracts for Back Pain

According to a new study published in the peer-reviewed Rambam Maimonides Medical Journal, smoking cannabis is more effective than taking CBD extracts if suffering from back pain.

This observational open-label study “sought to investigate the effectiveness of cannabis therapy for alleviating low back pain symptoms.” The study was conducted by researchers at Tel Aviv University, the University of Haifa and Clalit Health Services. The full text of the study can be found by clicking here.

For the study two types of cannabis treatment modalities were sequentially administered to chronic low back pain patients. “After an initial 1-month washout period (WO1), the first modality was cannabidiol (CBD)-rich sublingual extract treatment administered for 10 months”, states the study.
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Oct 29 2022

Judge Orders Nevada to Remove Marijuana from Controlled Substances List

A judge in Clark County, Nevada has ruled that the state’s Board of Pharmacy must remove marijuana from the list of controlled substances.

Clark County District Court Judge Joe Hardy ruled that the pharmacy board does not have the legal authority to regulate marijuana based on its status as a state-level legal substance. As such, the board must remove marijuana as a schedule 2 controlled substances, where it has been for decades (alongside crack, MDMA, LSD, PCP and others).

The Board of Pharmacy “designates a substance as a ‘controlled substance’ but the designation falls outside the authority delegated by the ​​Legislature, the designation is invalid”, says the judge.
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Oct 29 2022

New Jersey Assembly Approves Bill to Allow Marijuana Businesses to Take State Tax Deductions

By a vote of 60 to 6 the New Jersey Assembly has voted to pass legislation allowing licensed marijuana retail outlets to deduct expenses on their state tax return.

Photo credit: Associated Press.

The move is being 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.

The measure (Bill A3946), introduced by Assemblymember Annette Quijano, will now need to pass the state’s Senate before it can be sent to Governor Phil Murphy for final consideration. If it is sent to the governor, he would have the option of signing it into law, allowing it to become law without a signature or vetoing it. If he chooses the latter, the legislature could override the veto with a two thirds super-majority.
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