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With the COVID-19 pandemic firmly in place, industries relying on events are being forced to not only rethink their marketing and promotion strategies, they are also seeing a demand to take their shows online by innovating reactive, virtual platforms. 

Bill O’Reilly eyed my brother and me like a hungry lion looking over a couple of lambs. He twisted his face into the trademark O’Reilly sneer and scolded us with a tone of triumph: “Come on, you know what the ruse is, you know what the scam is.”

I’d known the comment was coming. It’s standard procedure for hostile journalists. They all think medical cannabis is a fraud.

My own cannabis recommendation is technically for chronic pain, but I used it for many other purposes. Some were unquestionably therapeutic, like helping me sleep. Others, like shaking off nervousness or sadness, seemed borderline. But there were some that just didn’t fit my definition of medical use, like enhancing the enjoyment of a meal or a piece of music.

Like most people, I used to be locked into an outdated illness concept of human health that views us as either sick or healthy. If we are sick, we go to the doctor, who writes a prescription or recommends a procedure, after which we are supposed to recover and go back to being healthy — if we’re lucky.

But over the last few decades, it has become evident that human health actually operates on a spectrum of wellness. That spectrum occupies the space between perfect health and acute sickness, and it is where most humans spend the majority of their lives.

Though science hasn’t gotten far when it comes to using CBD for sciatica, results from existing studies show CBD can help diminish neuropathic pain and inflammation caused by this condition. 

The studies primarily include research performed with Sativex, a drug that contains both CBD (non-psychoactive) and THC (the psychoactive component of cannabis). 

Clinical research found that Sativex is very effective for treating neuropathic pain in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, and this medication is available for MS patients in Canada. 

Studies That Confirm The Effectiveness of a CBD-Containing Drug

During this study from 2006, patients with multiple sclerosis were given Sativex in the form of a spray, and researchers found that 8-12 sprays per day significantly diminished symptoms of MS, most notably neuropathic pain and muscle spasticity. 

Each spray of Sativex delivered 2.5 mg of CBD and 2.7 mg of THC, which in total comes to around 20~30 mg of CBD per day, and 22~32 mg of THC. 

The Netherlands has pioneered many parts of the cannabis industry as it has evolved and changed over the last half century. See the eponymous coffee shop.

As a nation, Holland is home to an entrepreneurial ethos that feels like a mixture of American free market economics overlaid on European sensibilities. Like Germany next door, for example, prostitution and cannabis have more or less been legal for a long time. Indeed cannabis and licensed sex workers were lumped together as “sin” industries, like in say, Las Vegas, New Orleans, or Sun City a bit further afield. Right down to the proximity of the real estate they shared (and sometimes still do) in say, Amsterdam.

Laissez (faire) les bons temps rouler and all that.

As a direct result, Holland and even more iconically its capital and most important port city, encapsulated and carried forward a dream of more accessible if not legal cannabis through very dark days indeed.

It has been a very long journey.

Since Arkansas voters passed the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Amendment in 2016, more than 72,500 Arkansans have obtained Medical Marijuana Prescription Cards in order to obtain products to treat the 18 qualifying conditions.

These Arkansans include a sleepless cancer survivor, a 10-year-old epileptic child with seizures and a combat veteran with post-traumatic stress disorder. Here are the stories of the conditions that led them to pursue medical marijuana as a treatment and their experiences using the drug.

Like many seniors, Pat Edwards likes to stay in shape by exercising at the local community center. Every Tuesday, she and others would gather at the Bishop Park Senior Activity Center in Benton for line dancing class. One day in 2017, she noticed something a little different about herself.

Brian Chilson

A REMEDY FOR SLEEPLESSNESS: Cancer survivor Pat Edwards no longer needs her marijuana cookies every night.

As Executive Director of The Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association and as a former member of the Pennsylvania Department of Health Medical Marijuana Advisory Board, I would like to express my concerns, and those of many of our membership, about the legalization of marijuana and the relative effects on public safety in or communities.

I believe that marijuana legalization in Pennsylvania will pose significant challenges for law enforcement resulting from the unanticipated consequences it has on crime and public safety.

In our meeting with Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, we supported decriminalization. There is an important distinction to be made here for the commonwealth’s residents. Legalization of marijuana is the process of removing all legal prohibitions against it. Marijuana would then be available to the adult general population for purchase and use at will, similar to tobacco and alcohol. Decriminalization is the act of removing criminal sanctions against an act, article or behavior.

There are insufficient data to determine the true impact of legalized marijuana on crime and safety. However, studies in Colorado show:

One of the most salient concerns we have relates to the consequences of drug-impaired driving. We have all witnessed our share of crashes and traffic congestion, as well as vehicular, pedestrian and cyclist fatalities. Law enforcement officials are uniquely qualified to discuss the issues and concerns related to impaired driving.

It’s been four years since Florida voters signed off on a law legalizing medical marijuana, but cannabis patients in the Sunshine State have been unable to receive treatment in the form of edibles—until now.

The Florida Department of Health published new emergency rules on Wednesday evening that clear the way for the state’s medical marijuana industry to sell edible cannabis products. According to local television station WESH, the new rules allow licensed marijuana dispensaries in the state to “produce and sell THC-infused edible products like brownies and candy.” The edibles must be “lozenges, baked goods, gelatins, chocolates or drink powders,” the outlet reported.

Florida’s medical marijuana law was approved overwhelmingly by the state’s voters in 2016, with more than 70 percent supporting the proposal. But the law was beset with limitations. It wasn’t until last year that smokable medical marijuana was made available to Florida patients. That came after the state’s governor, Republican Ron DeSantis, signed a bill making smokeables legal.

“Over 70 percent of Florida voters approved medical marijuana in 2016,” DeSantis said in a tweet at the time. “I thank my colleagues in the Legislature for working with me to ensure the will of the voters is upheld.”

With The Change Comes Restrictions

The rule changes unveiled by the Florida Department of Health, which go into effect immediately, represent another expansion to the four-year-old law.

2020 will always be remembered as the year of coronavirus. In the retail marketplace, people were driven away from physical retail stores and became increasingly reliant on remote shopping. Also, many nervous consumers dealing with pandemic-induced stress and sleeping disorders have been embracing the relatively new marketplace of cannabidiol (CBD) products. 

Unfortunately, this dynamic has created a perfect storm for fraud, as scam artists hide behind the anonymity of the internet and prey on unsuspecting consumers with subpar, fake and/or counterfeit CBD goods. 

With snowballing fraud now jeopardizing the growth of the industry, it has become absolutely critical for manufacturers and distributors of CBD products to quickly stem the tide of abuse and guard against any further erosion of the relationship between consumer expectations and the CBD industry. Luckily, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and many online retail outlets now have tools available to help protect CBD brands and their customers from online scams. 

In an effort to slow the spread of fraud and counterfeits on its platform, Amazon has enacted a brand registry system that provides trademark owners with enhanced tools to more accurately present their brands to consumers, find and remove counterfeit products and other violations, and work directly with the Amazon enforcement team to proactively prevent violations and build brand presence.

These tools are invaluable in building marketplace momentum and protecting consumer interactions with your brand; however, a company must have an active federal trademark registration in order to participate. Amazon will not accept any other method of validating brand ownership for purposes of the registry, so trademark registration is now even more important than in the past.

Nebraska voters will decide this November on a statewide ballot measure seeking to legalize and regulate medical marijuana access in the state.

In an e-mail sent out to supporters today from the campaign, proponents Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana announced that they have met the state’s signature requirements and that the ballot measure’s language does not violate the state’s single-subject rule.  

The initiative amends “the Nebraska Constitution to provide the right to use, possess, access, and safely produce cannabis, and cannabis products and materials, for serious medical conditions as recommended by a physician or nurse practitioner.”  

Nebraska is one of only three US states that remains on par with the federal government regarding the continued prohibition and criminalization of marijuana.

Separate medical marijuana legalization initiatives will also be voted on in Mississippi and South Dakota on Election Day. Adult-use ballot initiatives have qualified for the ballots in New Jersey, Arizona, Montana, and South Dakota. 

How Will These Small and Mid-Sized Pot Stocks Continue to Perform in September?

Many creative people claim cannabis plays a key role in their creative process, but whether it boosts creativity probably depends on the personality of the creative person.

“Where the drugs are concerned, and alcohol, they do seem to open a window for you. They do seem to broaden the vistas—at first,” comedian George Carlin once said. 

Steve Jobs claimed that smoking cannabis made him feel relaxed and creative, while Alanis Morissette said that it helps keep her creative juices flowing. And you probably already knew that Charles Baudelaire, Amedeo Modigliani, and Louis Armstrong used cannabis too.

It begs the questions, is there something special about the most popular illicit substance in the world that makes it more conducive to creativity? And, is a lack of creativity a treatable condition?

One hypothesis is that, because drugs can lower our inhibitions, they help to silence the self-editor that tends to harshly criticize what we create, allowing us to overcome writer’s block or simply the fear of creation.

Anyone that has cultivated cannabis will tell you that it is one of the most rewarding activities they have ever done.

Whether it’s for personal use or for commercial purposes, cultivating cannabis can be a very fun endeavor.

The cannabis plant is one of the most visually beautiful plants on earth.

However, it is also one of the stinkiest plants on Earth.

Smells that emanate from the cannabis plant are causing an issue in legal markets around the globe. 

Cannabis lovers have been lining up outside of Illinois’ dispensaries this week as, for the first time in its history, the High Times Cannabis Cup is including the general public in the judging process. 

Those interested can purchase testing kits in dispensaries across the state of Illinois and vote on their favorite strains from the comfort of their own homes. 

The High Times Cannabis Cup was founded in Amsterdam in 1988 by editor Steve Hager and has since become the world’s most famous cannabis festival – an event where both vendors and weed lovers gather to celebrate marijuana.

The pinnacle of the Cannabis Cup is the blind competition for the best weed strains, along with several other categories, with the top prize being the Cannabis Cup trophy. 

Previously, select panels consisting of several dozen expert judges voted for the winner, however, the coronavirus pandemic has changed the concept of the now-virtual event.

The legal delivery of marijuana is becoming increasingly more popular. Here are some  basics you should know.

One of the great joys of modern life is delivery. The fact that you can order whatever you want from the comfort of your home is extremely convenient, and a perk that has become even more valuable during the pandemic. Marijuana delivery, although not as simple as ordering food or alcohol to go, has grown more popular and hassle free over the years. The pandemic is also helping people get licenses more quickly, gaining faster access to these kinds of perks.

Legal marijuana delivery is not something that a lot of people are aware of. While some know that the option exists, getting their weed from an app doesn’t sound as safe and exclusive as visiting your own dispensary or buying something from your trusted weed guy. Some people also think that legal weed delivery just sounds too good to be true. But it’s not; legal marijuana delivery is 100% legitimate.

Here’s what you should keep in mind when ordering legal marijuana online:

Where you live

Photo by Free-Photos via Pixabay

The self-care industry has experienced a wildly explosive boom the past few years, and the cannabis market has been paying attention. You can walk into any dispensary and find as many skincare products as stoney edibles. 

But self-care isn't just for the body, it can contribute to overall well-being. Simply caring for yourself and setting up a routine can boost self-esteem. No need to make it elaborate — washing your hair with your favorite shampoo or preparing your favorite meal can help build you up.

In these long days of quarantine and coronavirus, self-care may have taken a backseat in your day-to-day life. Time begins to blend together, and the overwhelming news cycle can start to feel like a constant buzz — so much of this can make everything feel a little hopeless and grey. But these are the times when self-care is most important. 

To understand the need for self-care and CBD, we spoke to Tamara Anderson, founder of Culinary and Cannabis, an ongoing event forum that provides cooking classes and cannabis education from “healthcare professionals, advocacy groups and food & wine experts within the community for a great cause.” 

Also a nurse, Anderson knows how important it is to care for the body and mind, and understands how cannabis may help manage pain and bring relief to a variety of patients. Seeing how self-care and cannabis go hand-in-hand, she's set up virtual “CannaSpas" where you can buy wellness kits and follow along as she or other educators create candles, lotions, edible treats, and various CBD-infused self-care goods. 

On July 27, 2020, the Mexico Ministry of Health (Secretaría de Salud) published Draft Regulations on Health Control for the Production, Research, and Medical Use of Cannabis and its Pharmacological Derivatives (the Draft Regulations) on the National Commission for Regulatory Improvements (Comisión Nacional de Mejora Regulatoria) (CONAMER) website.

In summary, the Draft Regulations contain provisions allowing:

Activities for the primary production of cannabis for the supply of industrial production, raw material production for pharmacological and agronomic research, and production of qualified cannabis seed.

The use of cannabis for research purposes to obtain its molecular complexes or pharmacological derivatives to be used in pharmaceutical production, with prior authorization of the Research Protocol issued by COFEPRIS.

The use of cannabis for agronomic research purposes, that is, for scientific activities for the development of primary production technologies for cannabis, including variety assessment and development, crop management and cannabis characteristics.

Health Minister Yuli Edelstein and his deputy Yoav Kisch published on Wednesday regulations that will allow for lower prices for medicinal cannabis. The regulations are also expected to simplify the process required to go through for receiving a prescription.

Three weeks ago, the Knesset's Labor, Welfare and Health Committee raised various issues relating to the medicinal cannabis reform that were brought to light since it came into effect. The committee guaranteed that a row of steps will be taken in order to address said issues.

The Health Ministry went to work and on Wednesday morning announced that the required legal corrections that will fix the issues were completed and made public.

One major legal change refers to CBD, the second most prevalent of the active ingredients of cannabis which does not have the same psycho-activity traits as THC.

The new regulations exclude for the first time CBD-based products from the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance from 1973, a step that will dramatically reduce prices for patients who consume CBD-based products. This step will also allow for a new market with a huge economic potential, as is popular in many European countries today. 

The American workforce failed drug tests at the highest rate in nearly two decades last year, according to new data released this week.

That finding comes via Quest Diagnostics, one of the largest providers of drug tests, which said that 2019 was a 16 year high in workforce drug positivity. “Positivity rates in the combined U.S. workforce increased in urine drug tests, climbing to the highest level since 2003 (4.5%) and more than 28% percent higher than the thirty-year low of 3.5 percent recorded between 2010 and 2012,” Quest said in a press release on Tuesday. 

Notably, Quest said that last year saw “dramatic increases in positivity for cocaine and methamphetamine as well as marijuana.” Cannabis laws, of course, have changed considerably over the last decade on the local level, with a number of states and cities moving toward decriminalization or outright legalization. Medical marijuana, meanwhile, is legal in more than 30 states.

But pot remains banned on the federal level, and some employers continue to test for it. Barry Sample, PhD, senior director of science and technology, for Quest Diagnostics, said that marijuana “continues to be an enduring presence in the U.S. workforce.” 

“Changing attitudes toward its use could pose heightened risks especially in safety-sensitive positions and those states exploring legalization,” Sample said.

New analysis from Global Market Insights, Inc., shows the US cannabis testing market will be worth $1.2bn by 2026.

The Global Market Insights report shows that growing demand for medical cannabis for the treatment of various ailments has led to the growth of the US cannabis testing market. This rise in demand has further resulted in the implementation of strict government policies for the testing of cannabis to be used in medical cannabis products, thereby propelling the industry outlook.

An increasing number of applications for medical cannabis in the medical cannabis industry to treat ailments such as chronic pain and epilepsy will likely bring forth a stimulating period of growth for the medical cannabis testing market during the projected timespan.

Furthermore, various research institutes are actively focusing on exploring novel applications of cannabis. To that end, increasing investment in R&D activities is likely to further grow the cannabis testing market over the forthcoming years.

The increasing discovery of the medicinal benefits offered by cannabis have driven the demand for legalisation, and several states across the US have subsequently legalised the usage of the product for treating specific medical conditions. The legalisation is further anticipated to increase the need for laboratories to test safety and potency, thereby driving industry growth.