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A member of the Australian Greens says fresh legal advice paves a clear path for the national legalisation of cannabis.

KANSAS CITY - When Missouri voters go to the polls in November to decide whether recreational use of marijuana should be legal there’s a lot more than pot use at stake.

Approval could mean big money for the state and cities.

Marijuana is estimated to be an almost two-billion-dollar market in Missouri. Most of that is due to illegal sales with no benefit to the state. But if voters approve the amendment, the hope is that those underground buyers would move their business to stores, creating revenue by way of taxes.

If approved, Amendment 3 would allow those 21 and over to  possess, purchase, consume and cultivate marijuana. A recent SurveyUSA poll showed that 62% of Missouri voters favor the amendment.

If this poll is any indication of how republicans nationwide view cannabis policy, there could be lots to discuss, and possibly celebrate, when it comes to cannabis legalization in states throughout the country.

With the midterm elections on the horizon, many political issues are taking center stage as November inches closer into view. Cannabis reform and legalization has already entered the conversation in several races, and its legalization will be on the ballot in several states this election.

But where many issues are very polarizing, a new poll suggests that republican voters might actually favor marijuana access and reform more than you might think, in ways that align them closer to democrats than is typically seen in today’s political climate.

The poll, which was conducted on behalf of the National Cannabis Roundtable in late August and surveyed 1,000 Republican voters, found the majority of republicans surveyed support a number of progressive cannabis policies. For one, according to the poll, 3 and 4 of the GOP voters surveyed believe that cannabis companies should have the same rights as any other type of business.

The Fresh Toast had the chance to ask the NCR a few questions about the poll, including whether they think Republican lawmakers with conservative views will start changing their stance on cannabis policy.

“Members of congress are elected to represent the viewpoints of their constituencies and these poll numbers overwhelmingly show that there are more voters in favor of cannabis reform than against,” said Saphira Galoob, executive director, National Cannabis Roundtable.

An emphasis on corruption and enforcement downplays the very real influence of regulation and taxes on California's booming black market.

The Los Angeles Times has released a heavily researched, heavily reported investigation on the many, many ways that California's legalization of marijuana has been a disastrous mess.

Titled "Legal Weed, Broken Promises," the four stories of the series painstakingly illustrate the breadth of the illegal grow operations scattered across much of the rural parts of California, the political corruption and bribery that has come from the way the state has given politicians control over licensing, and the spread of unlicensed dispensaries that are seemingly uncontainable.

While societal rules are changing, people’s personal norms aren’t because if it’s acceptable to smoke weed outside, how do parents set ground rules at home?

As of the time of writing, 18 states and the District of Columbia have already legalized marijuana for recreational use. A majority of US states have also approved it for medicinal use. In these areas, it’s legal for adults over the age of 18 — parents included — to consume marijuana the way they would a bottle of beer.

However, the stigma is still there. The cultural bias can still be astounding especially for parents who need marijuana the most. Each state has its own specific laws regarding cannabis use though in many cases, it’s far too easy to charge a parent for endangerment or even child neglect if they consume marijuana and others suspect that their children are being put at risk.

While we’re living in terrific times — legal marijuana and all — parents must still think carefully and strategize around cannabis consumption. Whether or not your cannabis use puts your child at risk, it will depend on many things such as how conservative your social circle is, whether you act impaired around your child or not, and what your lawyer thinks.

Unfortunately, there are many gray areas still at this time when it comes to parenting, child safety, and marijuana use.

There are many parents who have no problem consuming responsibly. After all, what ‘harm’ is being done when you smoke a few puffs when your kid is in bed? Then there again, there are also those who abuse it, and they give the rest of the responsible parents a bad rap.

Suzan Kennedy has smoked marijuana, and says her Wisconsin roots mean she can handle booze, so she was not concerned earlier this year when a bartender in St. Paul, Minnesota, described a cocktail with the cannabinoid delta-8 THC as “a little bit potent.”

Hours after enjoying the tasty drink and the silliness that reminded Kennedy of a high from weed, she said, she started to feel “really shaky and faint” before collapsing in her friend’s arms. Kennedy regained consciousness and recovered, but her distaste for delta-8 remains, even though the substance is legal at the federal level, unlike marijuana.

“I’m not one to really tell people what to do,” said Kennedy, 35, who lives in Milwaukee and works in software sales. But if a friend tried to order a delta-8 drink, “I would tell them, ‘Absolutely not. You’re not putting that in your body.’”

The FDA and some marijuana industry experts share Kennedy’s concerns. At least a dozen states have banned the hemp-derived drug, including Colorado, Montana, New York, and Oregon, which have legalized marijuana. But delta-8 manufacturers call the concerns unfounded and say they’re driven by marijuana businesses trying to protect their market share.

So what is the difference? The flower of the marijuana plant, oil derived from it, and edibles made from those contain delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol, the substance that produces the drug’s high, and can be legally sold only at dispensaries in states that have legalized marijuana.

Similar products that contain delta-8 THC are sold online and at bars and retailers across much of the U.S., including some places where pot remains illegal. That’s because a 2018 federal law legalized hemp, a variety of the cannabis plant. Hemp isn’t allowed to contain more than 0.3% of the psychotropic delta-9 THC found in marijuana.

It wasn't that long ago that advocates were promoting hemp as the crop that would save agriculture, promising unprecedented profits.

On paper the prospects are bright. CBD, processed from hemp, is seen by many as a magic elixir for health and beauty aids. A variety of products can be manufactured from the plant's fibers.

But in just four years the crop has gone from boon to bust, thanks to overproduction and a federal regulatory scheme that has made processors wary of developing new hemp-related products.

Oregon growers can attest to the crop's change in fortune.

Acreage in the state soared after Congress legalized hemp in 2018. Growers planted nearly 64,000 acres in 2019, a more than fivefold increase from 2018.

Farmers accustomed to earning a few hundred dollars per acre were inspired to switch to hemp after hearing about others earning $50,000 per acre in revenues from hemp.

Instead of reasonably regulating legal sales, it’s increasingly common for leaders to opt out of legalized sales entirely, with unintended consequences. (Benzinga)

Leafly released a first-of-its-kind report detailing the unintended and harmful consequences that occur when local municipalities choose to opt out of legal and regulated cannabis sales.

The report, developed in partnership with Whitney Economics, a global leader in cannabis and hemp business consulting, data, and economic research, reveals the adverse consequences of opting out and explores why local regulation, not local prohibition is the right way to handle cannabis.

Opting In To Legalized Sales Would Benefit The Entire Community

After legal cannabis is approved in a state, numerous legalization laws enable local municipalities to establish specific regulations within cities and counties. That is, they can choose to sell cannabis or not to sell cannabis.

According to the Leafly report, “instead of reasonably regulating legal sales, it is increasingly common for leaders to opt out of legalized sales entirely, with unintended consequences that effectively create an economic protection zone for illegal street sellers to continue the business.”

Leafly’s Opt-Out Report found that local leaders who choose to opt out of cannabis sales are hurting their communities by:

A late start for both outdoor and indoor growers, compounded by supply chain and testing problems, will mean a limited supply of recreational cannabis available in retail stores when they start opening for business on Oct. 1, according to growers, regulators and retailers.

“We’re looking at probably 20, maybe 30 outdoor licensees with product this year,” said Geoffrey Pizzutillo, executive director of the Vermont Growers Association. “That’s nothing.”

In retrospect, James Pepper, chair of the Cannabis Control Board, said the board should have started to issue outdoor growing licenses in February, allowing growers to plant their seedlings in seedling pots ahead of the growing season. 

The dispensary will be rolling into Fort Worth Oct. 8 and Dallas Oct 10.

CORVALLIS - An Oregon State University study found that spent hemp biomass – the main byproduct of the cannabinoid (CBD) extraction process of hemp – can be included in lamb diets without any major detrimental effects to the health of the animals or their meat quality.

The findings are significant because the hemp byproducts, known as spent hemp biomass, currently have little to no economic value for the hemp industry, the researchers said.

Spent hemp biomass also has not been legalized as feed for livestock by the Food and Drug Administration due to the potential presence of THC and its potential impacts on animal health, so this finding is one step forward to getting that approval.

“To our knowledge, our study is the first to evaluate the effects of feeding spent hemp biomass to livestock,” said Serkan Ates, an associate professor in Oregon State’s College of Agricultural Sciences.

“The findings are important for both hemp farmers and livestock producers because they provide evidence that this byproduct of hemp can be used in livestock diets.

Mark Barnett is the founder of the Maine Craft Cannabis Association, one of six state organizations part of the National Craft Cannabis Coalition.

Private businesses in Thailand are looking to network with hemp suppliers in order to capitalize on the plant’s industrial and medical potential.

The Thai Industrial Hemp Trade Association (TIHTA) recently signed a cooperation agreement with 12 manufacturing industries to showcase innovations and technology related to the hemp industry later this year.

TIHTA President Pornchai Patthaminthara said this development will promote networking and allow for better access to quality raw materials.

The agreement will also contribute to product research and development, knowledge sharing, improved production standards and planning, and forward management of prices.

Minnesota's new hemp-derived THC edible law is facing its first major legal challenge from one of the state's medical cannabis companies, which claims it should be able to sell its "chemically identical" marijuana edibles on the open market.

HARRISBURG - A series of investigative stories from Spotlight PA this year has uncovered serious flaws in Pennsylvania’s medical marijuana program and prompted calls for change from doctors, patients, industry leaders, and policymakers.

The coverage — based on months of reporting, dozens of interviews, and thousands of pages of public records — has revealed misleading or dangerous tactics by cannabis businesses, unequal advertising rules, legal gray areas for workers and employers, and inconsistent enforcement by Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration.

Here’s a look at the reporting, its impact, and the issues we’re keeping an eye on:

“Unproven, Unsafe”

A first-of-its-kind review of more than 60 websites revealed that some cannabis companies made statements that multiple health policy and addiction treatment experts called misleading, incorrect, or even dangerous. Spotlight PA’s analysis focused on claims companies made about using cannabis to treat opioid addiction.

Thousands of pages of records obtained by Spotlight PA also showed that state regulators do little to ensure cannabis dispensaries, which require a permit from the state, make accurate medical claims on their websites. Meanwhile, companies that offer to help patients obtain a medical marijuana card operate with little to no oversight.

Impact: One dispensary removed incorrect information from its website after Spotlight PA contacted the company in December.

The hemp fiber market is expected to witness market growth at a rate of approximately 6.90% in the forecast period of 2021 to 2028 and is expected to reach USD 0.51 billion by 2028.

Data Bridge Market Research report on hemp fiber market provides analysis and insights regarding the various factors expected to be prevalent throughout the forecast period while providing their impacts on the market’s growth. The rise in the awareness regarding the benefits of hemp is escalating the growth of hemp fiber market.

The product is utilized in the processing and manufacturing of various products such as paper, textile, insulation and construction material, personal care products, nutraceutical, bio-plastics and bio-fuel. It is mostly grown food and beverage and non-food based products with no use of toxic chemicals, pesticides, fertilizers and herbicides.

The rise in inclination towards natural organic products over pharmaceuticals among customers across the globe acts as one of the major factors driving the growth of hemp fiber market.

The increase in demand for hemp fibers in various industries such as automotive, construction, food and beverage, personal care and textile especially in emerging regions and rise in the investment for the production of hemp-based products accelerate the hemp fiber market growth.

The growth in awareness among population regarding the therapeutic properties of the product and the low prices of hemp encouraging farmers to diversify their crop options further influences the hemp fiber market.