Jan 30 2023

Study: CBD Decreased Anxiety Scores in 79.2% of Patients and “Remained Decreased During the Study Duration”

A new study published in The Permanente Journal and on the website for the National Library of Medicine has found that the cannabis compound cannabidiol (CBD) may be a potential treatment option for anxiety.

Researcher for the study note that a “recent surge in scientific publications has found preclinical and clinical evidence documenting value for CBD in some neuropsychiatric disorders, including epilepsy, anxiety, and schizophrenia, with evidence pointing toward “a calming effect for CBD in the central nervous system.” They note that “Interest in CBD as a treatment of a wide range of disorders has exploded, yet few clinical studies of CBD exist in the psychiatric literature.”

With that in mind, the objective of this study was to “determine whether CBD helps improve sleep and/or anxiety in a clinical population.”
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Jan 30 2023

Third Minnesota Senate Committee Approves Bill to Legalize Marijuana

Legislation to legalize marijuana in Minnesota is advancing at a rapid pace, with three senate committees and four house committees voting to pass the measure.

Senate Jobs and Economic Development Committee voted 5 to 3 today to a measure to legalize marijuana for everyone 21 and older. The proposal has already been approved through two other senate committees, as well as four house committees.

“Prohibition of cannabis is a failed system that has not achieved the desired goals and has had incredible costs for our communities, especially for communities of color,” said Senator Lindsey Port at today’s hearing. Port is the prime sponsor of the bill in the senate, with the prime house sponsor being Representative Zack Stephenson.
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Jan 30 2023

Poll: 60% of Voters in Virginia Support Legalizing Marijuana

A strong majority of likely voters in Virginia favor legalizing marijuana, according to new polling.

The new Christopher Newport University survey found that 60% of Virginia voters support legalizing the licensed retail distribution of marijuana for those 21 and older.

“It comes as no surprise that a majority of Virginians support legalizing the sale of cannabis,” said NORML Development Director JM Pedini. “Virginians understand that prohibition has wasted millions of taxpayer dollars, derailed the lives of hundreds of thousands of hard-working Virginians, and that it has done nothing to protect our youth or provide for consumer safety. They’re ready for cannabis policies that work for, not against them.”
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Jan 27 2023

Virginia Senate Subcommittee Approves Bill to Lower Scheduling of Magic Mushrooms, Create Advisory Board

Legislation to lower the scheduling of magic mushrooms and to create a state Advisory Board for the psychedelic has been passed out of its initial committee.

Introduced by State Senator Ghazala Hashmi, the measure would establish a statewide psilocybin advisory board and would adjust the psychedelic to be a lower schedule under state law, from Schedule I to Schedule III.

The proposal was passed by the Senate Education and Health Subcommittee on Health Professions in a 6 to 1 vote on Friday.
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Jan 26 2023

Study: Long-Term Marijuana Inhalation Does Not Impair Lung Function

According to a new study published in the journal Respiratory Medicine the long-term inhalation of marijuana smoke does not impact lung function.

For the study Australian researchers examined “whether cigarette smoking or cannabis use and co-use are each associated with lung function in a population sample of young adults.”

The data used by researchers is from a prospective cohort study of cigarette smoking, cannabis use and co-use at 21 and 30 years of age and lung function measured at 30 years.
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Jan 26 2023

Study Examining 63 Million Medicare Recipients Finds Marijuana Legalization Does Not Increase Psychosis Diagnoses

According to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Network Open has found that “states with legalization policies experienced no statistically significant increase in rates of psychosis-related diagnoses”.

As noted by the study’s authors, psychosis is a hypothesized consequence of cannabis use. Legalizing cannabis “could therefore be associated with an increase in rates of health care utilization for psychosis.”

The objective of this study, which was conducted by researchers at Stanford University, the University of Pennsylvania, New York University and the Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System evaluated “the association of state medical and recreational cannabis laws and commercialization with rates of psychosis-related health care utilization.”
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Jan 25 2023

Medical Marijuana Sales Begin in Mississippi

Licensed medical dispensaries in Mississippi began selling marijuana and marijuana products today to qualified patients.

In February of last year state lawmakers passed a law regulating the medical marijuana industry, which came roughly 15 months after an initiative to legalize medical marijuana was passed by voters and subsequently struck down by the courts. Nearly a year later, and legal medical marijuana sales are now underway.

“Marijuana access has been long overdue for Mississippi’s patients,” says NORML’s State Policies Manager Jax James. “The overwhelming majority of voters decided in favor of this policy change over two years ago, and lawmakers had an obligation to ensure that the process of providing access faced no further undue delays.”
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Jan 25 2023

Report: Global Hemp Market Valued at $4.13 Billion, to Grow to $16.75 Billion by 2030

The global market for industrial hemp is anticipated to grow at a tremendous pace in the coming years according to a new report conducted by Million In$ights.

The global industrial hemp market was valued at $4.13 billion in the year 2021 and is expected to value at $16.75 billion by 2030, projecting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 16.8% from 2022 to 2030, states the report. The market is driven by “the surging use of industrial hemp in various industries such as personal care items, food and beverages, pharmaceutical, and animal care solutions.”

Based on product insights, hemp seeds is expected to dominate the segment, registering a CAGR of over 20% from 2022 to 2030. The growing demand for hemp seeds “may be due to their growing use in food and nutraceutical products. Additionally, high demand for personal care and cosmetic items worldwide has also steered the use of hemp seeds in body lotions, bath gels, shampoos, and various others.”
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Jan 24 2023

Minnesota Marijuana Legalization Bill Given Approval by Third House Committee

Minnesota’s House Environment and Natural Resources Finance and Policy Committee has voted to pass legislation to legalize marijuana.

Passage of measure through this third committee comes less than two weeks after it passed its first committee – the House Commerce, Finance and Policy Committee – and less than a week after its passage through the House Judiciary Finance and Civil Law Committee. Companion legislation sponsored by Senator Lindsey Port will receive its first hearing tomorrow.

“As I’ve said in other committees, Minnesotans are ready”, said Representative Zack Stephenson, the bill’s prime sponsor, following the vote. “This is the year that we should legalize adult-use cannabis in the state of Minnesota. Minnesotans deserve the freedom and respect to make their own decisions about cannabis, and we also need to recognize that our current laws are doing more harm than good.”
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Jan 24 2023

Marijuana Legalization Bill Filed in Iowa Senate

Legislation to legalize marijuana has been filed in Iowa’s Senate.

Senate File 73 was filed by Senator Janet Peterson along with a coalition of 12 other lawmakers. It has been assigned to a Senate Judiciary Subcommittee.

If passed into law Senate File 73 would legalize marijuana possession, manufacturing, delivery, and retail sale of marijuana for everyone 21 and older. Possession of up to 30g of marijuana flower, 5g of marijuana concentrate, and 500mg of THC in an infused product would be authorized, and licensed retail outlets would be allowed to sell marijuana and marijuana products. Non-Residents would be able to possess up to half of those amounts.
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