Sep 02 2024

Both Major Party Candidates for President Support Legalizing Marijuana: Why That’s So Unprecedented

In a historic shift for U.S. politics, both major party candidates in the upcoming presidential election have expressed support for legalizing marijuana.

This marks the first time in American history that candidates from both the Democratic and Republican parties have aligned on this issue, signaling a significant change in the political landscape surrounding cannabis policy.

In past elections, support for marijuana reform was a rarity among major party candidates. While there were occasional advocates for decriminalization—such as Jimmy Carter in the 1970s and more recently, Joe Biden during his 2020 campaign—outright support for legalization has been non-existent. Even during the last few election cycles, where public support for legalization was growing, candidates were often cautious, if not outright opposed, to endorsing full legalization.
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Sep 02 2024

Florida Campaign to Legalize Marijuana Has Raised Over $80 Million, Far More Than Any Other Marijuana Initiative in U.S. History

A campaign to legalize marijuana in Florida has raised over $80 million, according to the state’s Division of Elections.

Smart & Safe Florida, the political committee behind Amendment 3 to legalize recreational marijuana, has raised $82.6 million as of the end of August. This includes $11 million raised in the middle of August, $10 million from Trulieve and $1 million from Verano Holdings.

The $82 million raised is significantly higher than any previous marijuana legalization initiative in other states. For context, California’s Proposition 64 campaign raised $25 million in 2016, and Ohio’s Issue 2 raised $7 million last year; both initiatives were successfully passed into law.
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Sep 01 2024

Kentucky Medical Marijuana Applications Surpass 2,600, Including Over 2,200 Dispensary Licenses

There was a rush of medical marijuana applications submitted prior to the August 31 deadline, reports the Kentucky Office of Medical Cannabis (KOMC).

According to the KOMC, there has been a total of 2,650 applications submitted for those wanting to enter the legal medical marijuana industry as of August 30. This includes 2,282 applications for dispensary licenses. This number is likely to increase once the KOMC releases application data for the 31st.

In July, only 28 applications were submitted, with just a few hundred more in the first half of August, leading some to believe that the industry lacked enthusiasm. However, applications surged in the days leading up to the deadline.
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Sep 01 2024

New Mexico: $48 Million in Legal Marijuana Sold in August, Year-to-Date Total Passes $340 Million

State data reveals that New Mexico sold nearly $50 million worth of legal marijuana in August.

According to data released by the New Mexico Regulation & Licensing Department, there was $48,072,161.91 worth of marijuana and marijuana products sold via licensed marijuana stores in August. $36,513,095.44 of this was purchased by recreational marijuana consumers, with $11,559,066.49 purchased by medical marijuana patients.

Sales were distributed across 1,148,950 different transactions.
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Sep 01 2024

New Saliva Test Offers Rapid and Simultaneous Detection of Alcohol and THC

A new study published in the journal Talanta highlights the development of a novel microfluidic paper-based analytical device (μCD-PAD) that can simultaneously detect ethanol and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in saliva, offering what researchers describe as a non-invasive, rapid, and cost-effective method for on-site analysis.

For the study, which was also published online by the US National Institute of Health, researchers introduced a capillary-driven device that requires no sample preparation, allowing saliva of varying viscosities to flow seamlessly into the detection zone. This method employs a colorimetric approach, enabling easy quantification of both ethanol and THC using a smartphone camera.

Within just 10 minutes, the device produces a homogenous color signal, which can be analyzed via a smartphone, making it highly user-friendly. The device was further optimized to detect legal limits of ethanol and THC concentrations up to 24 hours after marijuana consumption, with a detection time of 30 minutes.
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Sep 01 2024

Nevada: $58 Million in Legal Marijuana Sold in July, Nearly Half a Billion Year-to-Date

In July, Nevada’s licensed marijuana retail outlets and dispensaries sold nearly $60 million worth of product.

(Photo credit: Peter Kim – Fotolia)

According to data released by the Nevada Department of Taxation Cannabis Tax Revenue, there was $58.6 million worth of marijuana and marijuana products sold legally in July. This is roughly $1 million more than the sales total for June, but considerably lower than the $73 million sold in May.

The year-to-date total is now approximately $475 million. Around 75% of these sales came from Clark County, around 13% came from Washoe County, and the remaining 12% came from “all other counties”.
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Aug 31 2024

Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission Website Goes Down Following Weeks of Turmoil

The Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission (CCC) website has been down for at least two days, exacerbating concerns that have been building for weeks within the agency.

The outage has disrupted access to key resources, including the open data portal where the state typically posts monthly marijuana sales data, as well as information on applications and licensing for the marijuana industry.

In addition to the website outage, the CCC has not provided an update of the state’s marijuana sales data since June 30, leaving a gap of over two months. This is a significant deviation from the commission’s usual practice of providing monthly sales reports, often supplemented with weekly updates. The lack of timely reporting has raised concerns among stakeholders about transparency and the agency’s ability to fulfill its regulatory responsibilities.
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Aug 31 2024

Missouri Recalls Over 30,000 Marijuana Products

Missouri regulators have recalled tens of thousands of cannabis products after being unable to verify their safety.

The Missouri Division of Cannabis Regulation has issued a recall for marijuana products distributed by Blue Sky Health & Wellness, LLC, citing potential health and safety risks. Although no negative reactions have been reported so far, officials are taking precautionary measures.

The recall was triggered because the products were not properly tracked in Metrc, the state’s mandatory track and trace system, as required by law. Without this tracking, officials cannot confirm that the products meet health and safety standards.
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Aug 31 2024

California Issues More Marijuana Recalls for Illegal Pesticide Use

California officials have issued a mandatory recall of two additional marijuana products for using an illegal pesticide.

On Thursday, the Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) issued a consumer advisory regarding the mandatory recall of the following legal marijuana products:

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Aug 31 2024

Study: CBD Shows Promising Anti-Cancer Potential Against Drug-Resistant Cholangiocarcinoma

A new study from researchers at Khon Kaen University in Thailand has revealed that cannabidiol (CBD) could be a powerful weapon against gemcitabine-resistant cholangiocarcinoma (CCA), a particularly challenging form of bile duct cancer.

Published in the journal BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies, the study highlights CBD’s potential to overcome drug resistance in CCA through mechanisms involving endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, both in laboratory settings and in animal models.

CCA is notoriously difficult to treat, especially when patients develop resistance to gemcitabine, a standard chemotherapy drug. The researchers explored whether CBD, a compound derived from marijuana, could be effective in combating this resistance. The results were compelling, as the study found that CBD not only inhibited the growth of cancer cells but also induced significant levels of apoptosis—programmed cell death—by increasing reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. This led to cell cycle arrest and a marked reduction in tumor size in a mouse model.
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