Weed in Review: Friday, March 9, 2018

Cannabis News In the United States

CANNABIS IN NEW YORK CITY Part 2, Is Cannabis Legal in New York City?: Well…it’s Complicated: In a word, no. For people without a state-issued medical cannabis card, cannabis possession and use are illegal in New York State, and in New York City. In New York City, possession of cannabis has been decriminalized but not legalized. Possession of up to 25 grams of cannabis may result in a $100 violation (similar to a traffic ticket) for a first offense.

Investment In Marijuana Industry Has Grown 600 Percent so Far in 2018: So much for concerns about a federal government crackdown. Much like the reaction by many public officials and consumers to U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ rescinding the Cole memo, financial backers in the marijuana industry seem unconcerned. Certainly, they’ve been willing to pony up a boatload of dollars so far in 2018 to back marijuana-related ventures. How big a boatload? About $1.23 billion in just the first five weeks of the year, according to a report from Viridian Cannabis Deal Tracker, a service that monitors merger and acquisition deals and investment in the legal marijuana industry.

Indiana Senate Passes Bill Easing Cannabis Oil Restrictions: The measure was approved Tuesday on a 37-12 vote and previously passed the House. But because changes were made in the Senate, the House must still sign off on the measure or seek to negotiate the details further.

Lawmakers consider allowing medical cannabis use at school: Schools in Illinois could soon allow students to take medical cannabis at school. A House committee discussed HB4870 on Wednesday that would allow parents to give their kids cannabis on school grounds if ordered by a doctor.

Week in Review from Marijuana Business Daily: Smokable flower in PA, MJ air transport in Alaska & CBD setback in Idaho

Organized opposition emerges for Oklahoma medical cannabis campaign: A statewide initiative to legalize medical marijuana in Oklahoma has already been assured a spot on the ballot in a special election this June, and this week an organized political group emerged to fight the measure. State Question 788 will go before Oklahoma voters on June 26. Standing in MMJ’s way, however, is Oklahomans Against 788, a group run by a former law enforcement officer, Oklahoma City TV station KOCO reported.

Home delivery a big sales driver for Florida medical marijuana companies: Florida medical cannabis producers are seeing increased sales thanks to their ability to deliver products to customers at home. Some companies report that up to 50% of their sales stems from home deliveries, according to the Fort Myers News-Press.

North Carolina agriculture chief blasts DEA over hemp confusion: North Carolina’s top hemp regulator is sick of interference from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler said in a speech at the Southern Farm Show in Raleigh last week that the federal drug agency is not supposed to use any resources to intervene in the growing and processing of hemp, Southeast FarmPress reported. “That’s the furthest thing from the truth,” Troxler said. “DEA still considers industrial hemp marijuana, a (Schedule 1) narcotic, and they regulated it that way.” Troxler said during the speech that state agriculture officials need to demand hemp clarity from Congress, according to Southeast FarmPress.

35467649890_671cc7023e_b — Photo by Jurassic Blueberries

Medical Research Updates on Cannabis

Medical Cannabis for Pain May Reduce Need for Opioids: The use of appropriate dosing of medical cannabis and following key treatment regimen recommendations can lead to “remarkable” improvements in pain and a reduced need for opioids in both adults and children, two pain specialists suggest.

Learn the latest on medical cannabis research at #AHCJ18: Ever since the passage of the Controlled Substances Act in 1970, federal policy has held that marijuana has no accepted medical use and is a dangerous drug in the category of heroin and LSD. Yet, as 29 states have approved marijuana for medical use and nine passed laws allowing for adult recreational use, modern medical marijuana clinical trials have unfolded in the United States, forging new frontiers in cannabis research.

Clinical Trial: Use Of Herbal Cannabis Safe And Effective In Cancer Patients: Jerusalem, Israel: Cannabis administration is associated with the subjective improvement of symptoms in patients with cancer, according to clinical data published in the European Journal of Internal Medicine.

Cannabis News Worldwide

Israel’s parliament unanimously votes to progress cannabis decriminalization: ‘The law is far from perfect, but it’s a foot in the door on the way to full legalization.’ The proposal would mean those caught smoking marijuana would be fined rather than arrested and prosecuted.

Marijuana College Classes In Canada: With recreational marijuana sales expected to start this summer in Canada, colleges have rushed to get cannabis-related classes on the curriculum. One such course comes from Durham College in Oshawa, Ontario, which is now offering a monthly course on medical cannabis fundamentals for business. So many have signed up for the course that it will become a twice-a-month class starting in April. The course costs about $400 for two, seven-hour classes.

Women in Cannabis: So how do women differ from men as cannabis consumers? It turns out women choose more often to medicate with high CBD strains and cannabis oils. “Women are more apt to consume cannabis for personal care,” says Audrey Wong, Director of Provincial Distribution Partnerships at Aurora. “Consumers overall are moving from smoking to less harmful methods of consumption, and that’s especially true among women,” she adds.

Germany’s medical marijuana market poised for a breakout year: Germany is on track to become one of the world’s largest medical marijuana markets this year as insured patient numbers soar, MMJ imports rise and the country prepares for domestic cultivation.

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There are still a couple more days for our Montana Medical Marijuana Patients to catch Herbaceous Inc.’s Deal of the Week.

Weed in Review: Friday, January 26, 2018

In the United States

Medical marijuana smoking ban challenged in court: A judge is deciding whether Floridians should be allowed to consume medical marijuana by smoking it. Leon County Circuit Judge Karen Gievers heard arguments Thursday on whether to dismiss a lawsuit challenging the state’s ban on smoking. The medical marijuana constitutional amendment voters approved in 2016 allowed the Legislature to prohibit smoking in public areas. But the law passed in 2017 to implement the amendment banned smoking entirely.

Pharmaceutical Industry Brings Cannabis Drug to FDA After Decades of U.S. Denying Value of Marijuana: A prescription medication made from marijuana might be approved by the Food and Drug Administration this summer. The advance could be a huge step forward for people with epilepsy, which this drug treats. And it would signal a new… embrace of cannabis-based medications in the U.S. GW Pharmaceuticals, the company behind the drug, started the approval process with the FDA last year, and a study published this week offers more encouraging signs.

Despite Liberalizing Marijuana Laws, the War on Drugs Still Targets People of Color: THE HUGE FAILURE we know as the “war on drugs” is back in full force under the Trump administration, thanks in no small part to Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ retrograde tough-on-crime approach to drugs. It’s not hard to understand why someone like Sessions, with a history of racism, would love the war on drugs: In reality, it was always a war on a very particular set of people — and you can probably guess who those people are. And yet despite Sessions’ best efforts, there’s been a lot of progress on legalizing marijuana; opinions are changing and, in a lot of places, so are laws…In 2016, more people were arrested for simple marijuana possession in the United States than all violent crimes combined.

Cortez Masto Urges President Trump to Protect State Marijuana Laws: Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) joined Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Representative Jared Polis (D-Colo.) in a bipartisan letter to President Trump requesting he urge Attorney General Jeff Sessions to reinstate the Cole Memorandum. Doing so would create a pathway to a more comprehensive marijuana policy that respects state interests. Representatives Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.), Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), Don Young (R-Alaska), Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.), and Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) joined Senator Warren and Representative Polis in leading the letter.

Q&A: America’s Marijuana Moments: Historian Emily Dufton discusses the prospects of a Sessions-led backlash to legal weed. Do you see a grassroots movement pushing for a crackdown on marijuana use again in the future? “I see people trying to do that now. But the biggest opposition to legalization is coming from pharmaceutical manufacturers that make the opiates. In states with medical or recreational laws, opioid prescriptions have dropped dramatically, because people are using marijuana to treat their pain. That’s cutting into Purdue’s and Abbott Laboratories’ bottom line, and they’re spending oodles of money to lobby legislatures.”

What Are You Smoking? Episode 23: Gettin’ Scientific About Cannabis features Leafly experts Jeremiah Wilhelm, Bailey Rahn, Will Hyde, and Brett Konen, as well as guests from all corners of the cannabis industry reviewing strains, test-firing products, offering up pro tips, and answering your toughest cannabis questions.

Medical Marijuana, Inc. Subsidiary HEMPMEDS® announces partnership with first female UFC fighter, Liz Carmouche: SAN DIEGO, Jan. 24, 2018 — Medical Marijuana, Inc. (OTC:MJNA), the first-ever publicly traded cannabis company in the United States, announced today that Liz Carmouche, the American MMA fighter who competed in the first-ever women’s UFC fight, has become a spokesperson for subsidiary HempMeds® to spread awareness on the therapeutic benefits of cannabidiol (CBD) for athletes and those looking to lead a healthy, active lifestyle.

Indiana takes small step toward legalizing medical marijuana as House votes to study issue: Indiana lawmakers inched toward legalizing medical marijuana Thursday as the House unanimously voted to study the possibility before next year’s legislative session. While the resolution is far from an endorsement of legalizing the substance, it signals a new-found openness to the idea. Neither chamber has voted to study the topic in recent years.

Maine Lawmakers — and Voters — Still Hope to Legalize Recreational Marijuana: Maine voters have approved legal marijuana but the governor, a noted opponent of legal cannabis, has thwarted legalization despite voters. Maine lawmakers returning this month to Augusta, the capital, were already talking about the possibility of working with Gov. Paul LePage to finally act on voters’ wishes to make recreational marijuana legal in Maine.

Medical Research Updates

How Cannabis and CBD Offer Hope in Future Treatments of Autism: [A]ccumulating evidence suggests that in many cases of autism, there’s a reduction in the brain’s “inhibitory tone” (see below). This suggests that cannabis-based medications, particularly CBD-rich preparations that enhance the brain’s inhibitory signaling, may be a potential autism treatment.

Medical Cannabis and Natural Products Research Centre Launched at Loyalist College: Loyalist College is pleased to announce the opening of the Applied Research Centre for Natural Products and Medical Cannabis (ARC), an 1,800-square-foot state-of-the-art laboratory which builds on the success of Loyalist’s Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Extraction Applied Research Laboratory. “Loyalist has a highly successful 13-year, industry-driven track record of natural product extraction and analysis-based applied research,” said Ann Marie Vaughan, Loyalist College President & CEO. “The College has contributed $950,000 to the ARC to enhance lab extraction and analytical equipment, an investment which will truly set Loyalist apart.”

Feds announce funding for 14 marijuana research projects across Canada: TORONTO – The federal government is putting $1.4 million toward research into the effects of legalizing recreational marijuana, saying the work will help it understand the impact of the country’s new pot laws. “We acknowledge the need to expand our knowledge when it comes to the health effects of cannabis, as well as the behavioural, social and economic implications of its legalization and regulation,” says Bill Blair, the MP who has acted as the government’s point person on cannabis legislation. Each of the 14 research projects, which are based out of hospitals and universities across the country, will receive a $100,000 grant from the Canadian Institute of Health Research.

It’s Time to Rally with #DontTaxMedicine: The #DontTaxMedicine campaign was launched by Canadians For Fair Access to Medical Marijuana, a national non-profit, patient-run organisation dedicated to protecting and improving the rights of Canadian medical cannabis patients. We recently sat down with CFAMM’s founder and Executive Director Jonathan Zaid to ask him why they’re against imposing government taxes on your medical cannabis.

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