WeedLife News Network

It’s time to respond to our next major drug epidemic.

For years, the opioid crisis has been the leading concern when it comes to substance use. There’s certainly good reason for this emphasis, but as a result, the harms associated with other drugs have successfully been able to avoid the spotlight.

In my view, cannabis use is now the biggest contributor to mental health and substance use problems that, up until quite recently, nobody was talking about. While it may not be the most toxic substance on earth, it is arguably the one where the largest chasm exists between its actual dangers (which are substantial) and its perceived dangers (which to a lot of people are zero).

Similar to the science of global warming, research demonstrating the risks of cannabis has been steadily growing over the years to the point of being overwhelming.

Perhaps the scariest risks have to do with psychosis and psychotic disorders, particularly with the ultra-potent products now dominating the market, but there is also plenty of evidence for other things such as suicide, anxiety, PTSD, harms to a developing fetus, and progression to so-called “harder” drugs such as opiates and methamphetamines.

In contrast to the stereotype of cannabis users as silly and docile, research shows links between its use and violence with cannabis being a significant part of the lives of a disturbing percentage of mass shooting perpetrators.

As Election Day approaches in Missouri, questions about marijuana on the ballot continue to circulate.

Missouri was recently ranked as the 10th most "CBD-obsessed" state by Leafwell, an organization of cannabis scientists and specialists. Leafwell examined Google Trends data of search terms used by people interested in CBD to create its rankings. Missourians were also frequently searching other marijuana-related terms, "THC" and "What is CBD?"

Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft announced in mid-August that a constitutional amendment to legalize recreational marijuana use and clear some cannabis-related convictions would be on the Nov. 8 ballot.

What does the amendment propose?

The ballot measure proposes an amendment to the Missouri Constitution that would:

When would the law go into effect?

If passed, the amendment would be added to the Missouri Constitution 30 days after the election on Nov. 8, but it could take longer before people are able to legally buy marijuana for recreational use as businesses work through the licensing process.

Sparked by a NY Cannabis Insider story from earlier this month, New York’s Legislative Commission on Rural Resources has asked the Office of Cannabis Management for clarification and updates on the state’s rollout of its legal marijuana industry.

The commission, chaired by NY State Senator Rachel May and directed by Mayor Hal McCabe of Homer, sent a letter to Cannabis Control Board Chairwoman Tremaine Wright on Sept. 13 requesting a briefing from OCM to “clear up confusion and enable us to provide accurate information to our constituents.”

“I am frustrated with the rollout,” McCabe told NY Cannabis Insider. “I think we have an amazing opportunity and that we might be in danger of squandering it.”

Asked about the letter, OCM spokesperson Aaron Ghitelman wrote in an email Wednesday that the agency is “actively reaching out to answer” the commission’s questions “and brief them on our efforts.”

“We are excited to work with the Rural Resources Commission to get their feedback, answer their questions, and make sure every corner of New York benefits from the adult-use cannabis industry we are in the process of creating,” Ghitelman said.

‘News to all of us’

Earlier this month, NY Cannabis Insider published a statement made by OCM Executive Director Chris Alexander at an event in Yonkers: When questioned by an audience member about the anticipated timeline for the marketplace, Alexander responded that applications for non-conditional licenses will open in “the middle of next year.”

BOSTON - The North End is full of shops and restaurants with a lot of history, and now an aspiring business owner is trying to bring a new industry to the neighborhood.

It's not cannolis...it's cannabis, and a vacant storefront at the corner of Hanover and Commercial Streets is sparking quite a bit of controversy. 

"It's a bad idea, it's a bad location," said restaurant owner Damien DiPaola.

The company Bay State Herbal Solutions has submitted their plan to the city in hopes of winning their approval for the store. 

"I think CBD, THC, whatever gets you through the day is a gift," said a North End resident named Betsy. "Why not? We drink wine, we drink booze."

A virtual community outreach meeting is set for Wednesday night. The problem is many residents and business owners feel like they've been kept in the dark. 

JACKSON - What a difference a few months have made. The Mockingbird facility, which we first toured in January, is up and running and developing medical marijuana.

3 On Your Side has an update on Mockingbird and the work to make sure those who need the product will have access to it.

This is what Mockingbird looked like in January and then in February. This is the facility today. Employees are on site and work is underway for medical marijuana.

Another study has found that giving people legal access to medical marijuana can help patients reduce their use of opioid painkillers, or cease use altogether, without compromising quality of life.

The study, published in the peer-reviewed journal Substance Use and Misuse on September 27, surveyed registered medical cannabis patients in Florida, asking questions about their consumption habits and how marijuana has affected their use of traditional pharmaceuticals.

Researchers at the firm Emerald Coast Research and Florida State University College of Medicine asked 2,183 patients who were recruited at dispensaries across the Sunshine State to fill out 66-item cross-sectional surveys to learn more about the role of medical cannabis legalization amid the overdose crisis.

Nine in 10 patients (90.6 percent) said that they’ve found marijuana to be “very or extremely helpful in treating their medical condition,” and 88.7 percent said that cannabis was “very or extremely important to their quality of life.”

“The findings suggest that some medical cannabis patients decreased opioid use without harming quality of life or health functioning, soon after the legalization of medical cannabis.”

Respondents had a wide range of conditions that qualified them for medical marijuana under Florida’s law, including anxiety, pain, depression, sleep disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Most patients said that they’ve used cannabis daily to treat their symptoms.

With the legalization of hemp cultivation, products containing cannabidiol (CBD) have become popular.

Many of these oils and creams claim to alleviate pain and other conditions, and now, new research reported in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces suggests that CBD could have another function: as a bioplastic.

The research team created a CBD-based bioplastic material that could one day be used in medical implants, food wrappers and more.

Cannabis (Cannabis sativa) is well known for the euphoric "high" it gives users, caused by a chemical called tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Another component, CBD, is responsible for feelings of relaxation and calmness, but unlike THC, it doesn't produce a high.

In hemp plants bred to contain little-to-no THC, CBD can make up to 20% of the plant's weight. Because it's now federally legal in the U.S. to grow hemp, the price of CBD has dropped dramatically, opening up the possibility of using CBD in other applications.

In recent years, the bioplastic called poly(lactic acid), or PLA, has become a popular option for sustainable plastics because it's made from corn and sugarcane instead of fossil fuels, and can be industrially composted.

‘I’ve really just tried to give people what they’re used to, just with the added element of cannabis’

CHICAGO - Advocates and state lawmakers are pushing for more fairness in the cannabis industry.

They gathered on Tuesday in the West Loop to call on state leaders and regulators to do more to help business owners to get what's called "social equity cannabis licenses."

"The cannabis industry for social equity was to hire Black and brown people in communities that were hardest hit and we have not realized that yet," said State Rep. LaShawn Ford (D-8th).

The activists said Gov. JB Pritzker and state lawmakers need to do more to cut red tape and lower barriers to entry. They want to see more loans and grants distributed and more leniency for people who need more time to open their businesses so these license holders can compete with big cannabis corporations.

They also want producers to be able to grow more cannabis.

8th Wonder Cannabis, a partnership with Bayou City Hemp, plans to have locations across Texas.

Farmington Hills is hosting two public feedback sessions next week on the commercial cannabis industry, welcoming residents and members of the business community to share opinions and concerns.

“Cannabis Conversations” — outreach and education sessions — will run Oct. 3 from 6 to 8 p.m. and Oct. 4 from 9 to 11 a.m. at the city council chambers at Farmington Hills city hall, 31555 W. 11 Mile Rd.

At the sessions, the public will also hear results from the city’s recent information gathering efforts with commercial cannabis industry representatives on production and retail distribution of marijuana.

Cannabis Conversations are open to all members of the public and will also be livestreamed on YouTube. They will also be recorded and posted on the city’s website main page.

Questions can be submitted prior to or during the meetings via email to psmith@fhgov.com. Public comments will be limited to three minutes each.

For additional information, go to the City of Farmington Hills website at www.fhgov.com and click on the Cannabis Information Outreach icon.

After plants have been cured and trimmed, there remains a large mound of natural cannabis scraps to deal with

Whether it's to boost motivation, facilitate recovery or find more pleasure in exercise, weed can be your new exercise partner.

FAIRFIELD - A town task force decided to take action after finding evidence of underage drug use at a local park.

Fairfield CARES Community Coalition, a town-created task force aimed at addressing youth drug and alcohol use, recently helped get community watch signs installed at the entrances of the Mary Katona Memorial Open Space.

Catherine Hazlett, the coalition's program director, said this became necessary after nearby residents repeatedly found marijuana and vaping products discarded around the open space.

FAIRFIELD - A town task force decided to take action after finding evidence of underage drug use at a local park.

Fairfield CARES Community Coalition, a town-created task force aimed at addressing youth drug and alcohol use, recently helped get community watch signs installed at the entrances of the Mary Katona Memorial Open Space.

Catherine Hazlett, the coalition's program director, said this became necessary after nearby residents repeatedly found marijuana and vaping products discarded around the open space.

RENO - A Las Vegas-based facility that intentionally manipulated cannabis testing results will likely face disciplinary action after state regulators denied the company’s motion to dismiss the action Tuesday.

The Cannabis Compliance Board voted unanimously to reject Lettucetest LLC’s motion to dismiss disciplinary action against the company that could see it lose a marijuana business license and be barred from operating in the industry for 10 years.

For nine years, Arnold Marcus had been making a living selling spice grinders on Amazon.

His company, Golden Gate Grinders, had several colors available, repeat customers and an invitation to join the Amazon Accelerator program, a path toward becoming a supplier for Amazon's private label. Marcus, 68, would package orders and take customers' calls from his living room in San Francisco, proud that he was involved in every aspect of the business he built.

That changed overnight last year when Amazon removed his listings, flagging his products as a violation of company policy prohibiting the sale of drugs and drug paraphernalia. For the uninitiated, a grinder can be used for spices like oregano or rosemary, or for weed.

Marcus spent months fighting his ejection from Amazon's online marketplace, to no avail.

"There was no indication in all those years that this is a prohibited product," Marcus said this summer. "One day, they were supporting me and then one day it ended."

Amazon says its guidelines around drugs and drug paraphernalia are longstanding and state that products can't be primarily designed for making, preparing or using a controlled substance. Grinders that are equipped with features specifically for marijuana-related use are not allowed on the platform.

University of Sydney is launching a robust study in an attempt to, as the university describes, “investigate cannabis consumption, behaviours, and attitudes among users.”

Part of the study involves offering free, anonymous cannabis testing for people that cultivate their own cannabis in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT).

Free cannabis testing is available to both medical patients and non-medical patients, although only people that are current residents of the ACT can participate.

“The cannabis collected from growers’ homes will be analysed for cannabis content, including its main psychoactive components – tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and non-intoxicating cannabidiol  (CBD) –  as well as a range of other cannabinoids and biologically active molecules, free of charge. 

Participants will be able to view, anonymously, the analysis results from their cannabis samples online,” the university stated in a news release.

Ontario Cannabis Stores, the province's pot supplier, charges a 31% mark-up to retailers.