Oct 26 2024

Massachusetts Now Offering Over 700 Marijuana Strains at Licensed Stores

As of mid-October, over 700 marijuana strains are available at licensed stores across Massachusetts.

According to the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission (CCC), there are 709 active marijuana strains being sold throughout the state as of October 13. This is 65 more than the total number of strains reported in May, and this is more than double the number of strains reported in June 2022 (330).

Massachusetts legalized marijuana in 2016, with the first licensed marijuana store opening in 2018. The law allows those 21 and older to possess up to an ounce of marijuana and cultivate up to six plants for personal use. The first licensed marijuana store opened in 2018. Recreational marijuana purchases are subject to an excise tax of 10.75%, in addition to the standard statewide sales tax of 6.25%. Medical marijuana sales are exempt from both taxes.
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Oct 25 2024

Arizona: Maricopa County Superior Court Ends Attempt To Take Over A Marijuana Dispensary License

A Maricopa County Superior Court judge has ruled in favor an Arizona marijuana dispensary operator, ending an attempt to take its license.

The case centered on Moe Asnani and Chip Boyden’s attempts to circumvent agreements and take over a dispensary license from Investing in the Future LLC.

Anavel Vasquez was qualified to be the majority owner of an entity applying for a marijuana establishment license, under a social equity ownership program implemented by the Arizona Department of Health Services as part of the laws legalizing the sale of recreational marijuana in Arizona in 2020.
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Oct 25 2024

Washington State Auditor Finds Major Delays in Cannabis Industry Tracking System, Calls for Accountability

The Washington State Auditor has issued a performance audit evaluating the effectiveness of Washington’s oversight of its cannabis industry.

Released under the title “Evaluating Washington State Oversight of the Cannabis Industry,” the report outlines critical shortcomings in the state’s cannabis tracking system—a cornerstone promised to voters in 2012 with the passage of the recreational cannabis legalization initiative.

Initially, Washington State’s Liquor and Cannabis Board (LCB) aimed to implement a comprehensive “seed-to-sale” tracking system designed to monitor every stage of cannabis production and distribution. In 2018, the auditor’s office found this system under development, expressing confidence it would safeguard compliance, prevent illegal market diversions, and ultimately enhance transparency. However, the new audit reveals that the anticipated system has faltered, and the LCB now projects it won’t be fully functional until 2031, nearly 20 years after voters initially approved recreational cannabis.
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Oct 25 2024

Analysis: Legal Marijuana States Generated Nearly $2 Billion in Revenue in September, $350 Million in Taxes

In September, legal marijuana states collectively generated $1.877 billion in sales, resulting in over a quarter of a billion dollars in tax revenue.

September’s total, based on an analysis by The Marijuana Herald, are slightly lower than August’s record $1.955 billion, but demonstrated market strength and consistency. The market’s monthly revenue is likely to increase in 2025, as Delaware and Minnesota plan to launch their legal marijuana markets. In addition, voters in three states —Florida, North Dakota and South Dakota— have the opportunity in less than two weeks to legalize marijuana for everyone 21 and older.

Using data from state regulatory agencies (and when that’s not available data from the research firm Headset), below is a state-by-state breakdown of September’s marijuana revenue.
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Oct 25 2024

Massachusetts Initiative Campaign to Legalize Psychedelics Has Raised Over $7.5 Million

Massachusetts for Mental Health Options (MMHO), the group sponsoring Question 4, has raised over $7.5 million.

Question 4 would legalize the possession and personal cultivation of up to one gram of DMT, 18 grams of non-peyote mescaline, 30 grams of Ibogaine, one gram of psilocybin, and one gram of psilocin. Possessing up to twice this amount would be punishable by a fine of up to $100. According to state data, MMHO has raised $7,510,352.82 as of October 23, and increase of nearly $2.5 million since the first week of September.

The initiative aims to “expand mental health treatment options in Massachusetts by providing new pathways to access natural psychedelic medicine therapy,” including “creating access to natural psychedelic medicine therapy and removing criminal penalties for personal possession of these medicines.” The law would allow licensed service centers to supply psychedelics, overseen by a newly-created Natural Psychedelic Substances Commission, modeled after the state’s Cannabis Control Commission.
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Oct 25 2024

$117 Million in Legal Marijuana Sold in Missouri in September, All-Time Sales Pass $3 Billion

All-time legal marijuana sales have surpassed $3 billion in Missouri, once September’s totals are added.

According to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, there was a $117.43 million worth of legal marijuana and marijuana products (concentrates, edibles, tinctures, etc.) sold in September, a slight decrease from the $126 million sold in August. $103.35 of September’s sales were purchased by recreational consumers, with medical marijuana patients representing $14.08 million in marijuana sales.

The year-to-date total is now around $1.1 billion, with all-time sales now at $3,021,970,000.
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Oct 25 2024

Maine Expands Marijuana Recall After Lab Testing Issues

Maine’s Office of Cannabis Policy (OCP) has widened a recall on recreational marijuana products from Nova Farms due to possible contamination with bacteria, yeast, and mold.

The photo above shows the product packaging for the Frosted Cookies 1-ounce pre-ground flower (batch number ending in 5189), 3-gram pre-rolls (5195), and 1/8-ounce pre-ground flower (5216). Emphasis has been added to the photo to show where on the label consumers can find the product’s batch number.

Initially issued on October 11, the recall targeted “Frosted Cookies” products sold between September 17 and October 8. Expanded on October 19, the recall now covers products sold by nine additional retailers across the state from August 30 to October 14. The OCP attributed the recall to “data irregularities” in lab testing results, emphasizing that an investigation is underway to understand the contamination’s scope and cause.

The recalled products include various forms of “Frosted Cookies,” such as flower, pre-rolls, and blunts, found at 23 retail outlets. The contamination reportedly showed elevated levels of aerobic bacteria, Enterobacteriaceae, yeast, and mold. Consumption of contaminated cannabis can lead to sinus issues, headaches, flu-like symptoms, and fatigue.
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Oct 25 2024

Florida Marijuana Legalization Campaign Raises Over $120 Million

Smart & Safe Florida, the nonprofit political committee sponsoring the marijuana legalization initiative Amendment 3, has raised over $120 million.

According to the Florida Division of Elections, Smart & Safe Florida has raised $121,717,339.03 in support of Amendment 3, as of October 21. The most recent donation was on October 18, with Trulieve giving another $10 million, adding to the tens of millions they’ve already donated.

Amendment 3 would make recreational marijuana a constitutional right. Under the proposed law, those 21 and older would be allowed to possess and use up to three ounces of dried marijuana flower and up to five grams of marijuana concentrates. These products would be available for purchase at licensed marijuana retail outlets and medical marijuana dispensaries with dual licenses.
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Oct 25 2024

Study: CBD and THC Oils Show Antitumor Effects in Canine Prostate Cancer Cells

Researchers at São Paulo State University have demonstrated that cannabis extracts containing cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) can inhibit the growth of canine prostate carcinoma cell lines, potentially offering new avenues for cancer treatment.

Published in Veterinary Sciences, the study states that prostate cancer “is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide, even when diagnosed at an early stage in humans and dogs. Dogs have a significant incidence of spontaneous prostate cancer, which is highly similar to human androgen-independent prostate cancer and represents a valuable model for comparative studies.”

Researchers claim that CBD and THC “have demonstrated antiproliferative and anti-invasive properties in different tumor types. In this study, CBD or THC-rich extracts inhibited the proliferation of two canine prostatic carcinoma cell lines, PC1 and PC2, showing an IC50 of 3.43 and 3.57 μM for CBD rich extracts, and 4.90 and 4.48 μM THC rich extracts, respectively.
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Oct 25 2024

Study: CBD Mitigates Anxiety and Neuroinflammation in Offspring of Obese Mothers

A new study has found that cannabidiol (CBD) may help alleviate behavioral and neuroinflammatory challenges in adult offspring born to obese mothers.

CBD tincture.

“Maternal obesity is known to increase the risk of psychiatric disorders, such as anxiety, depression, schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorder in the offspring”, notes the study’s abstract. “While preventive measures are well-documented, practical approaches for addressing the damages once they are already established are limited.”

Researchers say they “have recently demonstrated the interplay between maternal obesity and treatment with cannabidiol (CBD) on neuroinflammation and peripheral metabolic disturbances during adolescence, however, it is known that both factors tend to vary throughout life. Therefore, here we investigated the potential of CBD to mitigate these alterations in the adult offspring of obese dams.”
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