Weekly Stories, Studies, Surveys, Poll Results, Laws, etc.
Analysis: Cannabis Use by Pancreatitis Patients Associated With Reduced In-Hospital Mortality, Lower Cancer Risk
Nashville, TN: Pancreatitis patients who consume cannabis are less likely to die while hospitalized and possess better overall health outcomes as compared to non-users, according to data published in the Journal of Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease.
An international team of researchers from the United States and India assessed the relationship between cannabis use and inpatient outcomes in a cohort of more than 907,000 hospitalized patients with chronic pancreatitis (CP).
After adjusting for confounders, cannabis use was associated with decreased odds of mortality (odds raMJ tio [OR]: 0.47), ICU admission (OR=0.71), deep vein thrombosis (OR=0.71), pulmonary embolism (OR=0.62), and pancreatic cancer (OR=.73).
“Our study reports [that] cannabis use among hospitalized patients with chronic pancreatitis [is] associated with improved in-hospital outcomes as well as lower odds of developing pancreatic cancer,” the study’s authors concluded. “Future research …. [should] aim to identify the exact mechanism by which cannabis exerts its effects on the pancreas and other organ systems is required.”
The findings are consistent with those of a 2019 study, which similarly reported that acute pancreatitis patients with a history of cannabis use had “significantly lower in-patient mortality” and shorter hospital stays than non-users.
Typically, patients with CP are at a higher risk of complications due to their compromised immune system.
Other studies have also linked cannabis use with decreased in-hospital mortality, specifically among patients with rheumatoid arthritis, acute myocardial infarction, cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, gastroparesis, HIV, burn-related injuries, traumatic brain injuries, and various other types of severe trauma.
Full text of the study, “Cannabis use and outcomes in patients with chronic pancreatitis: A national inpatient sample analysis,” appears in the Journal of Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease.
Idaho: Mandatory Minimum Penalties for Minor Marijuana Violations Take Effect
Boise, ID: Legislation took effect this week imposing new mandatory fines for people convicted of minor marijuana possession offenses.
Under the new law, offenders must pay a minimum fine of $300. Those convicted may also face up to one year in jail.
Republican Gov. Brad Little signed the legislation into law in February. Lawmakers claimed the mandatory fines are necessary because too many judges were refusing to impose fines for first-time offenders. Idaho is the only state to impose mandatory minimum penalties for first-time, low-level marijuana possession offenders.
Between 2018 and 2023, Idaho police made over 31,000 marijuana-related arrests. Over 94 percent of those arrests were for marijuana possession, not sales. Approximately half of all drug-related arrests in Idaho are marijuana-related.
Idaho lawmakers also passed a resolution this session providing the legislature with exclusive authority to decide marijuana policy. The resolution will appear as a ballot question next year.
Florida: New Law Suspends Medical Cannabis Access to Those With Certain Drug Convictions
Tallahassee, FL: Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed legislation (SB 2514) into law suspending the registrations of medical cannabis patients and caregivers who have certain drug-related convictions on their records.
The new provisions are included in a Health and Human Services appropriations bill. The language reads, “The Department shall immediately suspend the registration” of any patient or caregiver convicted of “trafficking in the sale, manufacture, or delivery of, or possession with intent to sell, … of a controlled substance.”
Those who have their registrations revoked may reapply to participate in the program after they have “completed all terms” related to their conviction.
An earlier version of the bill sought to revoke registrations for any patient or caregiver convicted of even minor drug-related offenses, including those specific to the purchase of more than ten grams of marijuana. That language was eventually amended in a conference committee.
NORML generated hundreds of emails to lawmakers opposing the new restrictions, opining: “Patients do not lose their access to opioids and other traditional medications based on past convictions. They should not lose their access to medical cannabis either.”
Some 900,000 Floridians are registered in the state’s medical cannabis access program.
Arkansas: Hemp Ban Not Preempted by Federal Law, Federal Court Rules
Little Rock, AR: An Arkansas law prohibiting the sale of hemp-derived intoxicating products is not preempted by the 2018 federal Farm Bill, according to a ruling issued last week by the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Plaintiffs challenged the 2023 law (Arkansas Act 629), which restricts the sale of hemp-derived intoxicating cannabinoids that are the result of a chemical synthesis, such as products high in concentrations of delta-8-THC. The Court rejected plaintiffs’ arguments, opining that federal law “facilitates” but does not mandate states to regulate hemp-related products.
“Just because states may legalize hemp under the 2018 Farm Bill does not mean they must,” the Court determined.
The decision is similar to rulings issued earlier this year by federal courts in Alaska and Virginia, which also determined that state governments retain the ability to restrict the sales of hemp-derived intoxicating products. In Alabama, a Montgomery Circuit Court judge also recently upheld that state’s newly imposed ban on smokable hemp products.
Nearly half of all US states impose severe restrictions on the retail sale of delta-8-THC and similar products, according to reporting provided by Courthouse News Service. However, Republican Governors in Florida and Texas have recently vetoed legislation that sought to impose similar bans.
The case is Bio Gen LLC et al. vs Sarah Huckabee Sanders et al.
Ohio: Lawmakers Pause Effort To Roll Back Voter-Approved Marijuana Legalization Law
Columbus, OH: Legislation modifying the state’s voter-approved adult-use marijuana law has stalled ahead of lawmakers’ summer recess.
Lawmakers recently cancelled a pair of scheduled votes on a substitute version of Senate Bill 56 after legislators raised numerous concerns about its language. In recent months, NORML has generated over 17,000 messages to lawmakers opposing the bill.
The amended bill makes numerous changes to existing law, including placing a cap on the total number of state-licensed cannabis retailers permitted statewide, imposing THC potency limits, and criminalizing the possession of any marijuana products obtained from out of state. It also prohibits the sale of hemp-derived intoxicating products in outlets other than state-licensed dispensaries.
Fifty-seven percent of Ohio voters approved Issue 2 in 2023. Regulators implemented the law as written in 2024, following a failed attempt by some of the state’s leading Republicans to pass legislation that would have gutted many of its key provisions.
#cReatoR @RussellRope
Subscribe To WC Channel