WeedLife News Network

Marijuana activists in California managed to achieve a couple of legislative victories last week. Two bills were put before the governor, the first being the removal of the ban on smokable hemp flower. The second was a measure requiring hospitals to allow qualifying patients access to medical marijuana.

Medical marijuana in California hospitals?

Sen. Ben Hueso (D) has been lobbying for terminally ill patient’s right to use medical marijuana in hospitals and medical facilities. The senator recently sent a letter to the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services seeking clarification on whether the policy change could potentially affect funding for those facilities.

The progressive bill codifies that hospitals will have the power to allow certain patients to use medical marijuana while in their care. On Thursday, the bill was cleared by the Assembly in a 57-1 vote. On Friday, the Senate signed off on the chamber’s other amendments in a 36-1 vote.

“For many Californians, particularly terminally-ill patients, medicinal cannabis is a preferred alternative to other drugs, providing therapeutic relief without the caveats that may come with other medicines. The bill marks an opportunity for California to continue to lead the way in cannabis regulation and reform,”  Eddie Franco, legislative and regulatory affairs manager at CCIA, told Marijuana Moment.

The latest data on national drug use and health shows that an encouraging trend took place among America’s younger demographic in 2020: pre-teens and teens showed far less interest in using inebriating substances like cannabis, alcohol, and other drugs.

According to data provided by the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) published earlier this week in the latest National Survey on Drug Use and Health, the use of cannabis among young people fell significantly between 2019 and 2020.

There is plenty of data to show that the rate of cannabis use among youth has fallen consistently as more states legalize cannabis, so the continued drop in use doesn’t come as a surprise. Rates of underage drinking also fell in 2020, as did rates of illicit drug use, including the use of illicit drugs like hallucinogens and cocaine, and the misuse of prescription drugs.

Breaking Down The Numbers: Cannabis

When it comes to cannabis, lifetime use among youth aged 12 to 17 dropped from 15.8 percent in 2019 to 12.4 percent in 2020, while past year use fell 25 percent, from 13.2 percent to 10.1 percent. The same age group also saw a 20-percent reduction in past month use compared to 2019.

New Zealand’s government is tipping in close to NZD $760,000 towards a program seeking to establish evidence-based medical cannabis cultivation practices.

Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor said as medical cannabis has only been legal in the country since last year, there’s little science-backed information on the best way to cultivate it locally for therapeutically active compounds. These would include cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).

“The aim is to establish sustainable and efficient New Zealand-based medical cultivation practices – with the end goal of sharing the findings with other licensed Kiwi growers,” said Minister O’Connor.

Currently, there are around 37 medicinal cannabis cultivation licences active in the country, and less than 50 hectares under cultivation. The domestic market is almost entirely supplied by imported medicines, which are used to fill around 1,800 prescriptions a month.

“A successful medicinal cannabis industry will earn significant export revenue, provide jobs, and produce locally-grown pharmaceutical options for patients,” stated Minister O’Connor.

A new set of studies aims to explore how weed affects people from diverse communities, including queer and trans folks

Between the legalization of cannabis in late 2018 and the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, the amount of cannabis Canadians are using is increasing. At the same time, a greater emphasis has been put on mental health as people cope with the loss, isolation and hardship of the pandemic. Yet there are still many gaps in our knowledge of how cannabis use affects our mental health, and debate abounds over whether it is an effective coping tool or a harmful crutch. 

Within the research that does exist, people from diverse communities are under-studied and under-represented, especially LGBTQ2S+ people. To better understand the unique relationship these communities have with cannabis use and mental health, the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC)—in partnership with the Canadian Institute of Health Research, the Canadian Consortium for Early Intervention in Psychosis, the Schizophrenia Society of Canada Foundation and Veterans Affairs Canada—has funded a series of year-long research projects.

“I’m hoping we can really expand the conversation about the relationship between cannabis and mental health, so it’s not just all negative,” Bartram says. “It’s important not to close the door on the possibility of benefits, while at the same time not being naive about risks.” 

While we wait for the studies’ results, here’s what you need to know about the relationship between cannabis and mental health, and the unique needs of diverse populations. 

Sunnyside, a new medical marijuana dispensary, is opening in Tallahassee Tuesday morning. 

The dispensary, at 302 N. Monroe St., is hosting a grand opening at 10 a.m. that will feature a ribbon-cutting. 

The 1,500-square-foot store will offer products from the Chicago-based medical marijuana company Cresco Labs' One Plant brand, which includes vapes, lotions and balms. 

This marks the 11th Sunnyside store in the Sunshine State, said Cris Rivera, the Florida regional president of Cresco Labs. 

According to Rivera, the small storefront on North Monroe was purchased by One Plant in 2019. However, before the company broke ground, Cresco Labs bought One Plant's parent company in April and decided to rebrand each store to Sunnyside — including the Tallahassee location.

The modern, sleek look of the black and yellow Sunnyside store is part of Cresco Labs' goal, Rivera said, to normalize and professionalize cannabis use. 

Experts are zeroing in on what factors might make someone more likely to get a breakthrough COVID case. New research shows smoking weed may be one of them.

What Is Breakthrough COVID-19?

A breakthrough COVID-19 case happens when someone becomes infected with the virus even after being fully vaccinated. COVID-19 in a vaccinated individual can still cause mild or moderate illness, but the chances of a serious case are very low, especially for people who are not living with a chronic health condition.

However, after controlling for other factors, such as underlying health conditions, housing difficulties, and economic hardships, researchers found that the SUDs alone did not account for increased risk—except when it came to cannabis use disorder (CUD). The October study was published in the journal World Psychiatry.

Researchers found that adolescents who say they vaped cannabis within the last 30 days increased 7-fold from 2013 to 2020.

Teen vaping of marijuana doubled between 2013 and 2020, indicating that young people may be swapping out joints, pipes or bongs for vape pens, according to a new study.

Researchers also found that adolescents who say they vaped cannabis within the last 30 days increased 7-fold — from 1.6% to 8.4% — during the same period.

The report was published in JAMA Pediatrics on Monday by researchers who analyzed 17 studies involving nearly 200,000 adolescents in the U.S. and Canada. Overall, they say, the cumulative data points to what may be a shift in preference from dried herb to cannabis oil products, which is how marijuana is ingested via vaping.

This may be due to the more intense high that can be achieved by cannabis oils, which contain higher levels of THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, and the misconception that vaping devices are safer than smoking.

However, researchers stressed that vaping marijuana poses serious health dangers for teens.

New studies are showing that using cannabis can help slow aging in the brain.

The stereotypical weed smoker is depicted as a slow dimwit with the inability to harbor productive thoughts for more than a few seconds. They are motivated by their hedonistic tendencies and want to get “high” as much as possible.

In 2021, we know this is not true considering that almost half of all US adults have tried cannabis at one point in time. While this harmful stereotype was used to deter people from smoking under the assumption that “cannabis negatively impacts the brain” – science is shedding new light on this topic.

Like this PBS Piece on whether cannabis reversed brain aging. The studies are currently being conducted on Mice, meaning that there is not a whole lot of human-evidence to suggest that cannabis helps slow down brain aging- but in mice, the results have been consistent.

One theory is that as we age, we significantly begin to produce fewer endocannabinoids. This affects our endocannabinoid system that is responsible for maintaining homeostasis in the body. The endocannabinoid system helps modulate mood, pain, appetite, immune response and much more.

What did the Mice tell us?

Rhode Island’s Department of Business Regulation is rolling out some new medical dispensary licenses to better serve patients in the area.

After a series of delays and legal obstacles, the state of Rhode Island finally appears ready to dole out new licenses for medical marijuana dispensaries.

The state’s Department of Business Regulation announced last week that it will commence a lottery this Friday for five new dispensary licenses. 

In what local television station WPRI described as a “highly choreographed” event, the lottery will take place at the Rhode Island Department of Administration in the capital city of Providence, with limited general seating available to the general public. The lottery will also be livestreamed via Zoom.

The announcement comes on the heels of delays to the lottery process. The lottery was originally scheduled to be held in the first week of August, but that was postponed due to an appeal lodged by an applicant who had been rejected.

Matthew Santacroce, chief of the Office of Cannabis Regulation within the Department of Business Regulation, told the Providence Journal at the time that the lottery would not be conducted “until that appeal has run its course.” 

Dr. Bronner’s again showed support for psychedelic efforts around the country.

Dr. Bronner’s is pushing for psilocybin reform once again. According to state filings, Washington D.C.-based New Approach PAC, a lobbyist group, funded $14,000 between August and September to local firm Grossman Solutions to promote drug policy reform in Connecticut. Dr. Bronner’s is among New Approach’s biggest donors.

CT Insider reports that a task force in Connecticut is examining the efficacy of psilocybin mushrooms for use in therapeutic settings. House Bill 6296, sponsored by Representative Josh Elliot and four other representatives, created a task force responsible for studying the efficacy of psilocybin for a variety of conditions—a key step in legalizing psilocybin for therapeutic purposes. Grossman Solutions will help New Approach engage with Connecticut’s psilocybin task force.

“New Approach’s mission is to end the senseless and destructive policies of the War on Drugs and replace them with policies that prioritize public health, science, healing and community instead of criminalization,” Ben Unger, director of psychedelic policy for New Approach told CT Insider. “We approach this work knowing that the fight to end the drug war is a political fight, and we need to run professional and strategic political campaigns to make progress.”

CEO David Bronner is the grandson of company founder Emil Bronner. He said his goal is to free psychedelics, specifically legalization of psilocybin for therapeutic purposes, adding it’s exactly what his grandfather would have done. “The passion of my grandfather was to unite spaceship earth,” Bronner said. “We honor that legacy in different ways,” among them “integration of psychedelic healing in medicine and therapy.” Bronner also said that he believes “psychedelic medicine can really help people heal and wake up, and grapple with pressing problems.”

The funding arrived with a little bit of luck. Bronner admitted that his company experienced “windfall profits from being a soap business in the time of COVID,” and appropriated $15 million for advocacy—half of which went straight toward drug policy reform.

The West Virginia Office of Medical Cannabis will hold a public signup event for medical cannabis patients from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday at the Parkersburg Municipal Building, 1 Government Square.

Patients who have not already seen a registered physician must bring the following items, in addition to the above: at least one piece of medical documentation that shows their diagnosis, such as medical records, a letter from a doctor, or office visit summaries; valid photo ID; two proofs of West Virginia residency for state registration; and cash, credit or debit to pay the $149 physician evaluation fee.

Patients who have a household income of 200 percent of the federal poverty level or less may apply for a waiver of the $50 patient ID card fee at the event. If a waiver is requested, applicants must provide their most recent W-2, paystubs within the last 30 days or proof of eligibility for low-income benefits.

Appointments are strongly encouraged and may be scheduled by calling 304-356-5090.

Patient cards are valid only in West Virginia. Registration does not mean medical cannabis products can immediately be obtained.

The West Virginia Medical Cannabis Act permits state residents with serious medical conditions to procure medical cannabis for certified medical use in the following forms: pill; oil; topical forms including gels, creams or ointments; a form medically appropriate for administration by vaporization or nebulization; dry leaf or plant form; tincture; liquid; or dermal patch.

The argument could be made that CBD has effectively replaced THC as the most famous three-letter acronym associated with cannabis at the moment. But let’s not get the two mixed up. CBD is short for cannabidiol, one of the compounds found in cannabis plants. Hemp and marijuana both belong to the cannabis plant family, and while they have their differences (more on that later!), CBD can be derived from either. The other compound found in cannabis plants is THC. THC gets you high, but CBD doesn't. Not even close.

With all that said, you probably don’t need another article touting the purported benefits of CBD oil for your skin (though, sure, I’ll cover the basics). Instead, here's the stuff about CBD that no one else is telling you — from sourcing to social impact to financial practices — straight from industry insiders. If you're thinking of working CBD into your beauty routine, read this first.

CBD Basics

Although more research needs to be done around how CBD works and its ability to manage specific issues (like anxiety and insomnia, for instance), there are a few key points many industry experts seem to agree on. “CBD acts as an analgesic and anti-inflammatory,” Cindy Capobianco, the co-founder and president of CBD company Lord Jones, tells TZR. “CBD has been used for centuries to successfully relieve pain and treat skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, and rosacea — even sunburn and bug bites — when used topically.” Studies suggest that, when ingested, those same properties can have a slightly different effect. “It has the additional benefits of mood stabilization, relief from anxiety, and promoting a calm sense of well-being,” Capobianco says.

How, exactly, does it do this? Experts say that comes down to the endocannabinoid system, or ECS. “The ECS is a network of receptors found throughout every mammal,” a representative from Dosist, a company known for its CBD dose pens, tells TZR. “This system is responsible for maintaining the body’s homeostasis, or balance, and helps regulate everything from sleep, to pain, to appetite, to immune function, to stress.” Studies seem to indicate that the body is pretty much primed to thrive on CBD — it naturally produces endocannabinoids, and CBD is a related phytocannabinoid. Both apparently affect the ECS in similar ways. “It’s often described as a lock and key system, where the cannabinoid is the key ‘unlocking’ a receptor, causing a series of reactions throughout the body,” Dosist explains. There's evidence to suggest this can lead to less anxiety, better sleep, reduced inflammation, calm skin, et al.

“Some studies have shown that topical CBD can also help reduce oil production in addition to reducing inflammation in the skin, which are two main players in the generation of acne,” Dr. Jennifer Vickers, a dermatologist with Sanova Dermatology in Texas, tells TZR, adding that the anti-inflammatory effects of CBD oil on the skin can help calm and reduce redness, too. “It also has antioxidant and regenerative qualities to help offset damage from the sun, pollution, and aging.” Basically, it seems everyone’s complexion can stand to benefit from an application of cannabidiol.

Olivia Newton-John has provided a health update as she battles cancer.

livia Newton-John has opened up on USA TODAY overnight about her ongoing health battle with cancer revealing cannabis use has been a huge part of her healing.  (Image Source: Getty Images.)

A Chicago-based medical marijuana company is spending $170 million to expand in Pennsylvania through a pair of acquisitions which include a Lancaster dispensary and a Mount Joy growing-and-processing operation.

Cresco Labs recently agreed to buy three Cure Penn dispensaries, including one here on Fruitville Pike in the former Kmart Plaza, plus dispensaries in Philadelphia and Phoenixville (near King of Prussia) for $90 million.

The Fruitville Pike store is the county’s oldest dispensary, opening in March 2018 and operating seven days a week. It has nearly 20 employees.

“We’re continuously focused on normalizing the cannabis-buying experience,” said William Butler, Cresco Labs’ senior vice president for retail, in a prepared statement. “Our goal is for patients who prioritize their health and wellness to feel as comfortable buying cannabis products as they do visiting a supermarket or fitness center.”

The acquisition is expected to be completed by year-end. When that happens, the three Cure Penn dispensaries will become Sunnyside locations. However, they already carry some Cresco Labs products, including the Cresco, Remedi and Good News brands, as Cresco Labs is the largest wholesaler of brand cannabis products in the U.S.

Scam artists are giving a whole new meaning to trick or treat. With Halloween around the corner, police want you to take extra precautions to keep children safe.

Law enforcement agencies are asking parents to check every piece of candy their child receives. Be on the lookout for tampered treats or marijuana edibles inside packing that appeals to kids.

Marijuana edibles can easily be mistaken for regular candy. The bright & color packaging appeals to kids.

Roseville police busted a gas station for selling edibles that are lookalikes for Warheads and Gushers.

The Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority issued a patient advisory recently after confirming the presence of THC analogs, including THC-O-acetate, in a rising number of medical marijuana products.  

According to the OMMA, the manufactured THC compound is not a medical marijuana product and has been shown to be harmful when added to products already containing THC. Side effects can include seizures, difficulty speaking and vomiting.  

Metis, the OMMA’s quality assurance lab, is monitoring for the presence of this chemical compound in a concentrate known as Platinum OG Sugar in surveillance samples.

Kelsey Pagonis, OMMA communications manager, said that THC-O-acetate can be one to three times as potent as naturally occurring THC. 

“It’s very intentional. It’s a dangerous process to make THC-O-acetate. This isn’t something that happens by accident,” she said.  

he Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority has issued a warning about a potentially dangerous compound circulating in the state.

The agency is investigating reports that the compound, THC-O-acetate, was found in at least one batch, possibly more.

THC-O-acetate is at least three times more potent than THC and can be harmful if combined with medical marijuana.

Possible side effects include seizures, vomiting, and difficulty speaking.

OMMA says when purchasing a medical marijuana product from a licensed dispensary, always ask to see the Certificates of Analysis and examine the lab test results so you can ensure you’re taking a safe product home.