Weekly Stories, Studies, Surveys, Poll Results, Laws, etc.
Study: Medical Cannabis Provides “Meaningful Improvements” in Patients’ Health-Related Quality of Life
Sydney, Australia: The use of physician-authorized medical cannabis products is associated with “statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvements” in patients’ health, according to observational study data published in the journal PLOS One.
Researchers assessed the efficacy of cannabis oil extracts containing standardized ratios of THC and CBD in more than 2,000 patients over one year. (Under Australian law, physicians may authorize cannabis products to patients unresponsive to conventional prescription treatments.)
Consistent with prior studies, patients reported sustained improvements following cannabis therapy.
“Statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvements were observed in HRQL [health-related quality of life], fatigue, pain, and sleep for people with chronic health conditions,” investigators concluded. “Similar improvements were found in pain outcomes for participants with chronic pain; sleep disturbance for participants with insomnia; depression scores for patients with depression; and anxiety scores in patients with anxiety. … The findings from this study contribute to the emerging evidence-base to inform decision making both in clinical practice and at policy level.”
Similarly designed studies involving patients enrolled in the United Kingdom’s medical marijuana access program have shown cannabis products to be safe and effective for those suffering from cancer-related pain, anxiety, fibromyalgia, inflammatory bowel disease, post-traumatic stress, depression, migraine, multiple sclerosis, osteoarthritis, hypermobility disorders, and inflammatory arthritis, among other conditions.
Full text of the study, “Improvements in health-related quality of life are maintained long-term in patients prescribed medicinal cannabis in Australia: The QUEST Initiative 12-month follow up observational study,” appears in PLOS One.
Survey: Adults Frequently Acknowledge Using Cannabis Products for Sleep
Chicago, IL: Some one-in-six adults say that they use cannabis as a sleep aid, according to survey data compiled by Harris polling on behalf of Green Thumb Industries.
Pollsters surveyed over 2,000 respondents. Sixteen percent of respondents acknowledged inhaling or ingesting cannabis “to help [them] sleep.” Another ten percent of respondents said they used commercially available CBD products as sleep aids.
The survey’s findings are consistent with those of several others concluding that adults frequently use cannabis to mitigate sleep disturbances, including insomnia, and enhance sleep quality.
Data published in the journal Complementary Therapies in Medicine reports that the enactment of adult-use marijuana legalization laws is associated with significant reductions in the sales of over-the-counter sleep aids. Findings published in 2023 in the Journal of the American Nutrition Association reported that the daily administration of low doses of CBD (15 mg) improves sleep quality as effectively as melatonin.
Full survey data is available from Green Thumb Industries.
Michigan: Supreme Court Rules That Smell of Marijuana Is Insufficient Cause for a Vehicle Search
Lansing, MI: Judges on the Michigan Supreme Court have ruled that police officers may not conduct warrantless searches of motor vehicles based solely upon the odor of marijuana emanating from the vehicle.
Judges opined that because the use of cannabis is now state-legal under certain circumstances, “the smell of marijuana, standing alone, no longer constitutes probable cause sufficient to support a search for contraband.”
They concluded, “Instead of a rule that the smell of marijuana alone may be sufficient to support a finding of probable cause, the appropriate rule is that the smell of marijuana is one factor that may play a role in the probable-cause determination.”
Courts in other states where cannabis is legal for either medical or adult-use purposes – including Delaware, Maryland, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and Vermont – have similarly determined that the odor of marijuana, absent evidence of a crime, does not provide probable cause to justify a warrantless search of a motor vehicle.
In Illinois, the Supreme Court has issued inconsistent decisions on the matter – finding that the odor of burnt cannabis is insufficient cause for a motor vehicle search, but that the “odor of raw cannabis” is sufficient.
The case is People v. Armstrong.
Pennsylvania: Supreme Court Rules That Worker Compensation Plans Must Reimburse Costs Related to the Use of CBD Products
Harrisburg, PA: Costs associated with purchasing commercially available CBD-infused oil products are eligible for reimbursement under the state’s worker compensation laws, according to a ruling by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.
Judges determined that the products meet the definition of “medicines and supplies” under the state’s workplace compensation act.
They acknowledged that products do not have to be regulated by the US Food and Drug Administration to be eligible for reimbursement. “Any item that is part of a health care provider’s treatment plan falls within the purview of the broad-encompassing phrase ‘medicines and supplies’ as provided in Section 306(f.1)(1)(i) of the WCA [workers’ compensation act],” judges affirmed.
In 2023, a Pennsylvania appellate court similarly ruled that out-of-pocket expenses related to the use of medical cannabis are also eligible for reimbursement under the state’s worker compensation law.
Connecticut, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, and New York explicitly allow for employees to have their medical cannabis expenses reimbursed. By contrast, seven states prohibit workers’ compensation insurance from reimbursing medical marijuana-related costs: Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Florida, North Dakota, Ohio, and Washington. Other states are silent on the issue.
In 2022, justices on the US Supreme Court declined to weigh in on the issue of whether employees can be reimbursed for their medical marijuana-related expenses.
NORML’s Deputy Director Paul Armentano has advocated for clarity on the issue, opining: “Most patients, most physicians, and most state laws view cannabis as a legitimate therapeutic option. Therefore, the millions of Americans who rely upon medical cannabis products ought to be afforded the same entitlements as those who use other conventional medications and therapies. Those privileges should include insurance-provided reimbursement for medical cannabis treatment.”
The case is Mark Schmidt v. Schmidt, Kirifides, Rassias and Rio.
Annapolis, MD: Lawmakers on Monday sent a budget bill (House Bill 352) to Democratic Gov. Wes Moore which includes a tax hike on the retail sale of adult-use cannabis products.
The bill raises the cannabis sales tax from 9 percent to 12 percent, effective for the fiscal year 2026 and every year thereafter. Lawmakers had initially sought to increase the special cannabis sales tax to 15 percent.
Maryland lawmakers began the session facing a $3 billion structural deficit.
NORML generated hundreds of communications to Maryland lawmakers opposing the tax hike, opining that artificially raising the price of adult-use cannabis products will hurt both consumers and licensed businesses.
Lawmakers in California, Michigan, and New Jersey are also considering raising taxes on state-legal marijuana products. In Ohio, Republican Gov. Mike DeWine has called for doubling the state’s sales tax on adult-use cannabis products. House leaders have rejected that plan, though Senate leaders have indicated their willingness to consider it.
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