Weed in Review: Friday, April 6, 2018

Cannabis News In the United States

Feds Want Input On Marijuana Reclassification: The Trump administration is asking Americans for input on whether marijuana should be reclassified under international drug control treaties to which the U.S. is a party.

Highlights Of Marijuana History In The United States: People who forget history are doomed to repeat it. That’s an old saying, and whether it’s true or not in all cases is debatable, but it certainly seems true when it comes to marijuana history. Marijuana History Cycles: A person from the 1930s listening to anti-marijuana Attorney General Jeff Sessions would not be hearing anything new. The arguments over marijuana legalization have been happening for decades. There’s especially always been a clear division between using marijuana for medical reasons or recreational. And it also ties into immigration, another topic that has remained the same for centuries. Here’s a quick rundown of marijuana history and how it went from government-approved crop to a reason for giving people a mandatory jail sentence if they possess it (under federal law, anyway).

Trouble In Arkansas: Judge Throws Out Medical Marijuana Licenses: Arkansas voters approved medical marijuana but old-fashioned favoritism by regulators who ignored the rules has stymied the program. A judge in Arkansas has ruled that the state commission assigned to award licenses for growing legal medical marijuana awarded the contracts in an unfair manner. It’s led to a legal quagmire in Arkansas, one of only two southern states to legalize medical marijuana. For practical purposes, it’s left Arkansans who want to try medical marijuana out of luck for the foreseeable future.

Marijuana not part of North Dakota’s corporate farming ban: North Dakota’s Great Depression-era law banning corporate farming won’t preclude horticulture operations from growing medical marijuana, provided it’s not done on agricultural land, the state’s attorney general has determined. The state health department sought clarification from Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem on how the program voters approved in November 2016 will apply to large corporations, which are barred from owning and operating farms. The agency is in the process of accepting applications from potential marijuana growers, which might include large corporations.

Minneapolis Mayor: Easing marijuana laws could help prevent opioid abuse: New research suggests opioid use is lower in states that have eased marijuana laws, and on Tuesday, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said he’s ready to make it legal if it means that marijuana could potentially save lives. Responding to a study showing that people in states with looser marijuana laws use fewer opioids, Mayor Frey tweeted his support for legalizing recreational marijuana, saying “it’s a criminal and racial justice issue. It is an economic issue, and as researchers are demonstrating, it is an opioid issue that could save lives.”

AutoNation Doesn’t Care Anymore If You Smoked Pot: The changes in attitude about marijuana took another big swing to the “pro-cannabis” side recently when AutoNation officially announced it doesn’t mind if job applicants have smoked marijuana. This is in a time when some companies are still drug-testing employees for the presence of THC, the active chemical ingredient in marijuana. But perhaps the most interesting aspect of this story is the fact that it’s been going on for quite some time, now. And that Fort Lauderdale-based AutoNation, with 26,000 employees, is the largest auto dealer chain in the United States. AutoNation Chief Executive Officer Mike Jackson, 68, revealed the shift in policy during a recent interview with Bloomberg. He said the company decided two years ago that if a job applicant tested positive for marijuana in a drug-screening, it wouldn’t be a deal-breaker to offering them a job.

Marijuana Policy Project Begins National Search for New Executive Director: The Marijuana Policy Project, the nation’s leading marijuana policy reform organization is launching a national search for a new executive director. “We are excited to launch this search,” said Jeffrey Zucker, chair of the Board Search Committee. “As a movement, we are close to ending marijuana prohibition in the United States. MPP will continue to play an important role, and we are seeking candidates with experience, expertise, and passion for the issue.”

The Next Democratic President Will Legalize Weed: The legal cannabis bandwagon is picking up speed for 2020.

With One Week Left, Medical Marijuana Progresses in Annapolis: A bill intended to diversify Maryland’s medical marijuana industry gained initial approval in the state Senate Monday night. The legislation is the state Legislative Black Caucus’s top priority in Annapolis this year.

Medical Research Updates on Cannabis

Association of Medical and Adult-Use Marijuana Laws With Opioid Prescribing for Medicaid Enrollees: These findings suggest that medical and adult-use marijuana laws have the potential to reduce opioid prescribing for Med- Medicaid enrollees, a segment of population with disproportionately high risk for chronic pain, opioid use disorder, and opioid overdose. Nonetheless, marijuana liberalization alone cannot solve the opioid epidemic. As with other policies evaluated in the previous literature, marijuana liberalization is but one potential aspect of a comprehensive package to tackle the epidemic.

How To Treat Psoriasis With Cannabis: If you’re plagued by itching skin and emotional turmoil, here’s how to treat psoriasis with cannabis.

Preclinical Study on Antitumor Effects of Cannabis Compounds Posts Positive Results: Cannabics Pharmaceuticals has announced encouraging results from a preclinical study on the antitumor effects of cannabinoids on cancerous tumor cells. The study indicates that cancer cells derived from patient blood samples are differentially sensitive to the main active compounds in cannabis, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA). Circulating tumor cells – cancer cells that detach from a primary tumor and circulate through the bloodstream – were isolated from blood samples of breast cancer and prostate cancer patients and treated with either THC or THCA. Cell viability was monitored over time. The results indicate that the cannabinoid compounds have different apoptotic – or cell-killing effects – depending on the dosage, type of cancer and the compound configuration.

Medical Cannabis Bike Tour funds glioblastoma clinical trial: Tim Lay and Dr. Jonathan Newman explain how a European bike tour is boosting research, challenging assumptions and winning support in the journey towards widespread medical cannabis legalization. Cannabis, cancer, and cycling may seem like a rather strange combination, but it is a combination that provides the foundation for a rather unique form of social activism with ramifications for medical health.

Colorado could allow people — including kids — with autism to use medical marijuana: The proposal passed its first hurdle in the state legislature 12-1. In a clash of deeply felt testimony, parents in tears pleaded with Colorado lawmakers on Friday to pass a bill allowing their children with autism to use medical marijuana as a treatment. “I’m begging you to approve this bill,” said Jamie Kropp, whose son, Kolt, has autism.

Cannabis News Worldwide

Guam Medical Marijuana Program at Standstill Without Testing Lab: A Guam official says no one has applied for a license to set up an independent testing laboratory nearly two months after Gov. Eddie Calvo signed into law a bill implementing the rules for a medical marijuana program.

Canada’s Proposed Cannabis Packaging Regulations Could Help Move Entire Industry Forward: Altitude Products’ CEO Krista Whitley discusses the federal government’s proposed rules and how common-sense regulation may help advance other markets and normalize cannabis consumption.