WeedLife News Network

MONTGOMERY - The process from seed to sale is moving along for the state’s medical cannabis commission. Following last month’s meeting, the commission says they are on track for the next steps of the process because they approved their rules and regulations.

“These rules will interact with license, with applications, with patients, caregivers,” said commission member Will Webster.

Four amendments to the rules were discussed during Thursday’s meeting.

“We’ve actually made some pretty significant changes to the rules and regulations because of the comments we got from the public,” said John McMillan, director of the commission.

New research in the field of medical cannabis is being published all the time, we’ve rounded up four of the latest papers to catch up on from the past two weeks.

The last month has seen the publication of several new medical cannabis studies, exploring conditions including fibromyalgia, Covid-19 and multiple sclerosis.

Here we outline some of the recent studies you should know about, authored by scientists from the likes of McGill University, the University of Milan and Imperial College London.

CBD’s impact on nerve cells in the brain

Several scientists from the University of Milan worked with Mikael Sodergren of Imperial College London and Curaleaf, to evaluate the potential of CBD as a treatment for psychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders.

Specifically, the scientists looked at CBD’s effect on the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene, a protein that promotes the growth and maturation of nerve cells.

Low levels of BDNF in the brain have been linked with conditions such as schizophrenia, depression, Alzheimer’s disease and epilepsy.

Global Hemp Inc. filed a complaint against Global Hemp Association and its directors, alleging the defendants of deceptive trade practices, trademark infringement, unfair competition, counterfeiting, and cybersquatting.

Global Hemp Inc., an Illinois corporation, has participated in the hemp industry since the mid-1990s. Global Hemp Inc. has registered several Global Hemp marks with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The defendant, Global Hemp Association, is a nonprofit Utah organization, which has allegedly infringed on Global Hemp Inc.’s registered marks.

Cone Denim has expanded its partnership with hemp processing innovator BastCore, following the former’s recently launched U.S. Hemp Collection.

BastCore has created patent-pending technology and a proprietary process that produces clean, mechanically processed, Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certified and U.S. Department of Agriculture bio-preferred hemp fiber out of its operation in Montgomery, Ala.

“Cone is extremely proud to work closely with an industry-recognized company like BastCore as we advance our commitment to provide more sustainable, alternative fiber options to our denim community,” Cone Denim president Steve Maggard said.

Did you know that medical cannabis is legal in Australia? Prescribed in oil, capsule, cream and flower form, there is a multitude of conditions that medical cannabis can help with, Dr Suzanne Graham explains.

In order to understand why tobacco prices steadily increase while marijuana prices fluctuate, it is important to understand the differences between why and how these two products are taxed.

If you are a frequent cannabis purchaser you have likely noticed that some of your favorite cannabis products have stayed the same price, or even decreased over the last year. When prices on your favorite cannabis go down you likely don’t want to ask too many questions. Instead you are more likely to buy as much as you can and leave with a bag full of savings. 

Colorado regulators shared that licensed retailers have 98 per cent compliance for checking IDs.

Now that cannabis is legal in more U.S. states, some people are concerned about teens and access. And while access surrounding the drug might push some young people to try it or to fear it less, legal retailers, at least those in Colorado, are doing everything in their power to prevent this from happening.

Colorado state law makes it clear that non-compliance can lead to a lot of trouble for these businesses, including putting their cannabis licences at risk and facing up to a US$100,000 fine.

“Unauthorized sale of regulated marijuana to an individual under the age of 21 is considered a licence violation affecting public safety,” noted the Colorado Marijuana Enforcement Division (MED).

“Businesses must remain vigilant in establishing internal measures to prevent underage access, and as the MED continues to monitor licensee compliance, it will evaluate business practices licensees have adopted to prevent unauthorized/underage sales,” the division added.

Is the CAOA a perfect model for legalization? Probably not, as I am not sure there is a way to legalize cannabis that will please everyone. However, it is comprehensive and would completely change the cannabis industry.

A few weeks ago, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), introduced the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act (CAOA).

The nearly 300 page bill is comprehensive and is unlikely to pass before the midterm election (if at all, thanks to the filibuster). However, it does provide a real glimpse as to what we can potentially expect when federal cannabis legalization actually happens. Today, I will cover a few interesting portions of the CAOA.

Cannabis Legalization

The CAOA would remove marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). Individuals over 21 could legally use marijuana in states that have legalized. States could continue to prohibit marijuana within their borders but could not prohibit the interstate shipment of marijuana. The unauthorized growing, manufacturing, shipping, transporting, receiving, possessing, selling, distributing, or purchasing of ten pounds or more of marijuana would remain illegal.

The CAOA would also amend the 2018 Farm Bill by defining hemp as cannabis with less than 0.7% THC on a dry weight basis. That would more than double the current THC threshold of 0.3% for hemp.

If the CAOA passes, it would task several federal agencies would take part in regulating marijuana at a federal level. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) would each be involved. The FDA would regulate the manufacture, distribution, and labeling of “cannabis products,” as well as register cannabis product manufacturers.

If you want to see what the legalization of marijuana looks like for marketers, watch the American ad for cannabis brand Viola, in which people are openly smoking the product and enjoying its benefits.

The campaign launches the “Viola Vibes System” which simplifies the dizzying choice of cannabis on the market. Whether you want to “Kick Back,” “Get Up & Go,” turn your “Lights Out” or party with “Good Times,” Viola has the right weed for you.

There are extensive restrictions on cannabis advertising in the US, but these vary enormously from one state to another. Viola’s campaign, by agency Basewood, will run on YouTube, Instagram and Twitter and will be supported by in-person activations in more permissive areas like Los Angeles, Detroit and Colorado.

Local police say a U.K. neighborhood has been safer after a tip from the public allowed police to home in on an illegal cannabis grow housing 1,021 plants.

Officers with the Merseyside Police made the discovery at a property in West Derby after receiving a report at 12:20 p.m. on Aug. 8, notes a police statement. The caller noted that plants were being grown on land near the entrance to a Tesco car park.

Upon arrival, officers recovered approximately 1,021 plants. Police are asking for people to report any information about the illegal grow or those responsible.

“Criminals involved in the growing of cannabis are often involved in serious organized crime and the associated violence and criminality that this brings,” says Matt Smith, head of Merseyside Police’s Cannabis Dismantling Team. “By removing these plants we’re making our streets safer,” Smith adds in the release.

Concerned citizens can help police if they notice any suspicious behavior. For illegal marijuana grow-ops, this includes, among other things, strange smells and sounds, frequent and varied visitors to a property, often at unusual times, gardening equipment such as pots, fertilizer, fans and industrial lighting being taken into a property, windows being sealed and covered or the curtains being permanently closed, heat from an adjoining property and birds gathering on a roof in cold weather.

U.K. police have busted several large grows in recent months. In early July, three men were arrested after Merseyside Police investigators seized more than 2,000 cannabis plants from an illegal grow-op spread across 13 rooms of a warehouse.

California legislators are primed to follow a few pioneering states when they decide whether to advance a bill granting employees statutory protections to use cannabis.

If the proposal becomes law, California will become the seventh state to protect adults who legally use cannabis from employer sanctions. An additional 15 states have narrower laws that protect medical marijuana patients from adverse treatment from employers for their legal use of cannabis, according to the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.

Individuals can legally use cannabis in more than half of states but often can be fired if traces of cannabis are detected in their bodies, even though that detection doesn’t prove current intoxication or impairment.

The push for new state laws comes in part from a tight labor market and efforts to increase equity in the workplace, as well as a diminished stigma for pot use, lawyers said.

“As long as the federal prohibition remains, you’re going to see states, in my opinion, continue to enact legislation to protect employees and make sure they are not discriminated against because they’re using cannabis,” said Jonathan Robbins, a lawyer who leads Akerman LLP’s cannabis practice. “It will continue. It has to,” he said.

California offers one example of a legal gray areas around cannabis use. Voters through ballot initiatives legalized marijuana use for medicinal purposes in 1996 and for recreational purposes in 2016, but legislators haven’t yet extended protections for employees who legally use cannabis. Instead, employers can still fire or refuse to hire individuals who use cannabis away from the workplace or off the job.

FLORIDA - Nearly six years ago, the Florida Legislature set aside a medical marijuana license for a Black farmer like John Allen to join the burgeoning industry.

But the license still has not been issued by the Florida Department of Health, which regulates the industry.

aim of the Legislature in 2016. In the intervening years, the licenses have generated enormous revenues from some of the license holders — frustrating the Black farmers who wonder how they can catch up.

‘The license should have been released going on five, now six years ago, where a lot of the white farmers are now $150 million to $175 million ahead of the game versus the Black farmers that have to start over at zero and are behind the ball again and the medical marijuana industry,” said Raymond Warthen, co-founder and president of Orlando-based Zion Infinite Farms, which has applied for a license. “It’s unfortunate.”

Meanwhile, several top marijuana cultivators have gained sizable market share within Florida’s $1.2 billion medical marijuana treatment center (MMTC) industry, which is poised to reach $2 billion in annual sales by 2025.

A report in MJBiz Daily in June 2021 said, “The 14 active MMTC license holders operate 347 dispensaries with three — Trulieve, Surterra, Curaleaf — controlling more than two-thirds of the market.”

There will be a handful of property demolitions on the next Alton City Council meeting agenda, but the focus may also be on the future of recreational and medicinal marijuana stores in the city.

Third Ward Alderman Ray Strebel introduced two resolutions to facilitate the discussion of zoning for the stores, and add a section to the city code to reflect what is described as in the "best long-term interest" of the city.

The demolition proceedings will target properties at 1,135 Harrison Street, 2,619 Plainview Terrace, and adjacent properties at 3,602 and 3,604 Thomas Avenue.

PEQUOT LAKES — Pequot Lakes Police Sgt. Ryan Franz educated the city council on recent legislation that makes it legal in Minnesota to sell certain edibles and beverages infused with tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the cannabis ingredient extracted from hemp.

“Every regional group I’m involved in … this has been a topic that has come up,” City Administrator Rich Spiczka told the council at its regular meeting Tuesday, Aug. 2, adding cities don't quite know what to do with it.

“They passed it without a lot of oversight,” Franz said after giving an overview of the legislation regarding cannabinoids.

“Most municipalities are unsure of how to best proceed and what steps are best so some are in the ‘wait and see’ realm, while others are attempting to pass ordinances banning the sale of these items,” Spiczka wrote in a memo to the council.

Franz said many municipalities are waiting for bigger cities to tackle the topic. He doesn’t feel the need to enact any moratorium now, though the legislation will present challenges.

It won’t change how police do their job, Franz said, adding he’s come across people in the past month who claim marijuana is legal.

Consumers now have the liberty of choosing from so many products and methods of consumption that you can tailor your dose and experience just the way you like it.

Microdosing is a form of consuming drugs in such a way that you avoid getting extremely high. Once associated with psychedelic and hallucinogenic drugs such as magic mushrooms and LSD, more people have discovered the benefits of microdosing marijuana over the last few years. As opposed to macrodosing or getting as high as you possibly can, the point of microdosing is to enable the user to still stay productive and focused in a task.

There really is no right or wrong way to consume marijuana. Whether you prefer to microdose to up your creativity or medicate, or macrodose because you want to feel extremely relaxed or buzzed, it’s all down to personal preferences. There are also many ways you can consume marijuana these days — some are better suited for microdosing while others are best for macrodosing.

Microdosing Marijuana

A microdose of marijuana is considered between 1 to 2.5 mg of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive substance of the plant. This is considered the minimum effective dose.

Microdosing small amounts such as these provide the user with the plant’s medicinal and therapeutic benefits without getting too high that you can no longer function. People microdose for many reasons.

The quest for Westland to become a major destination in the marijuana industry took another step this month.

A third marijuana business, this one planned on the north side of Cherry Hill west of Newburgh, recently received recommendation from the city's planning commission for a special land use and site plan. 

The business, which would be a collocated facility that contains retail space for medicinal and recreational marijuana, would be on the property near the Hush Haunted Attraction and The Legendary Axe bar. 

Advocates in Ukraine have called on the global cannabis community for support.

“The smell of cannabis in Europe always gave me a sense of freedom,” says Nazariy Sovsun, a resident in the city of Kyiv.

“This is something we want for Ukraine too.”

Nazariy has worked in drug policy since 2011. He and Maksym Kharkavyi, are members of Freedom March, a longstanding movement, which has advocated for the legalisation of cannabis in Ukraine since 2005.

“For generations we have been fighting for adoption and implementation of the drug policy strategy in Ukraine, organising rallies, campaigns and advocating for cannabis patients in the courts,” Nazariy explains.