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Denver, CO: The state-licensed cannabis industry added over 23,000 new jobs in 2023 and now employs over 440,000 full-time workers, according to data compiled by Vangst and Whitney Economics.

Job growth increased more than five percent between 2022 and 2023, while retail cannabis sales grew over ten percent to $28.8 billion, authors reported. Year-over-year growth was especially strong in Michigan and more nascent adult-use markets such as Missouri, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Rhode Island.

By contrast, ten states experienced negative growth during the past year. The report’s authors suggested that market saturation and waning demands for cannabis tourism likely played a role in those markets’ contraction.

“Now more than ever, America’s cannabis industry is a state-by-state, region-by-region job market,” the study’s authors concluded. “Young markets in recently legalized states continue to expand and create employment opportunities, while labor demand in mature markets contracts along with revenue and profit margins.”

Between 2017 and 2022, the state-legal cannabis industry experienced year-over-year double-digit growth. Since then, industry growth has plateaued.

Survey: Fibromyalgia Patients Report Improved Symptoms Following Cannabis Use

Rochester, MN: Fibromyalgia (FM) patients frequently use cannabis therapeutically and most say that it improves their disease symptoms, according to survey data published in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings.

Researchers affiliated with the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota surveyed 1,336 patients with fibromyalgia. Half (49.5 percent) acknowledged using cannabis following their FM diagnosis.

Ninety-nine percent of consumers reported using cannabis for pain, and 94 percent reported using it to mitigate stress, anxiety, depression, and insomnia.

Eighty-two percent said that marijuana reduced their FM-related pain, and most respondents also rated cannabis as effective in mitigating other disease symptoms.

In an accompanying editorial, authors acknowledged that cannabis use among FM patients is “widespread” and that most patients perceive it to have a “favorable impact on pain, stress, and sleep disturbances.” The editorial’s authors described cannabis as a “promising” option for FM patients, but cautioned, “More research is needed to determine the best doses and composition for each symptom, long-term safety, and whether people might become dependent on MC [medical cannabis] when using it to manage FM.”

Recent observational trial data from Germany and the United Kingdom reports that FM patients typically reduce their use of other prescription medications following their use of cannabis products.

Full text of the study, “A cross-sectional survey study of cannabis use for fibromyalgia symptom management,” appears in Mayo Clinic Proceedings.

Kentucky: Lawmakers Advance Legislation Imposing New Restrictions Upon State’s Nascent Medical Cannabis Access Program

Frankfort, KY: Lawmakers in the House and Senate have approved legislation, Senate Bill 829, imposing new restrictions on patients’ ability to access medical cannabis products. The bill awaits action from Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear.

The legislation makes several amendments to the state’s nascent medical cannabis program, which lawmakers approved last year. Among the legislation’s more restrictive provisions, it subjects patients to criminal background checks prior to entering the state’s cannabis registry. Those patients with certain criminal records are disqualified from participating in the program. No other state imposes such patient restrictions.

Other provisions in the bill provide school administrators the discretion to prohibit students registered in the program from accessing medical cannabis products while on school grounds and mandate physicians to perform a complete intake of a patient’s prescription drug history prior to issuing a medical cannabis recommendation. Efforts to expand the pool of qualifying conditions for which doctors may recommend medical cannabis products were unsuccessful.

While separate provisions in the legislation seek to expedite the timeline for which state-licensed growers and others can begin their operations, representatives of Kentucky NORML remain opposed to the bill.

“House Bill 829 introduces burdensome provisions that will likely hinder patients’ ability to access medical cannabis,” Lauren Bratcher, Deputy Director of Kentucky NORML said. “These include background checks for patients, redundant regulations, and other requirements that will limit patients’ participation in the program. While expediting timelines may seem advantageous, the potential negatives embedded within the bill outweigh any perceived benefits. Patient access and rights must take precedence over expediency.”

She added: “As advocates for patient-centric cannabis reform, Kentucky NORML urges Gov. Beshear to veto HB 829 and protect patient access to medical cannabis in Kentucky. We stand ready to work collaboratively with lawmakers to develop legislation that prioritizes patient well-being and aligns with the principles of compassion and justice.”

Kentucky NORML representatives worked closely with lawmakers and the Governor to pass the 2023 medical law, which is set to take effect on January 1, 2025.

Hawaii: Despite Law, Few People Are Having Their Cannabis Convictions Expunged

Honolulu, HI: Few Hawaiians have had their marijuana-related convictions expunged, despite the intentions of a 2020 law.

Under the law, those with low-level (possession of less than three grams of cannabis) convictions can petition the courts to have their records expunged. Criminal justice experts have estimated that 12,000 Hawaiians are eligible for relief under the law. However, fewer than 60 people have had their convictions expunged, according to reporting by Hawaii Public Radio.

In March, House lawmakers approved legislation, HB 1595, facilitating state-initiated expungements for anyone with a marijuana misdemeanor conviction on their record. However, members of the Senate Judiciary Committee significantly amended the bill. As amended, the legislation calls upon the state Attorney General’s office to initiate a marijuana expungement pilot program in a single county (Hawaii County). The Senate approved the amended bill earlier this month.

Since 2018, 24 states have enacted laws explicitly providing pathways for expunging eligible marijuana convictions. As a result, state courts have either expunged or sealed the records of more than two million marijuana-related cases, according to publicly available data compiled by NORML.

The full text of the report, Marijuana Pardons and Expungements: By the Numbers, is available from NORML.