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Washington, DC: A bipartisan group of lawmakers in the US House of Representatives, led by Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina, have reintroduced legislation repealing the federal prohibition of cannabis and providing resources to assist in regulating the state-licensed cannabis industry.

House Bill 6028, The States Reform Act, removes cannabis from the US Controlled Substances Act, facilitates record expungement for those previously convicted of certain marijuana-related offenses, and provides regulatory oversight for state-legal cannabis markets.

The bill’s reintroduction comes just weeks after Democratic Rep. Jerrold Nadler reintroduced legislation, the Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act, that also seeks to repeal federal marijuana prohibition. House members have twice passed The MORE Act, but members of the Senate have never considered the bill.

It is unlikely that newly elected House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) will prioritize either measure. Representative Johnson has repeatedly voted against proposed legislative changes in federal marijuana policy, and he has criticized Democratic leadership for advancing similar measures, particularly The MORE Act.

Last November, NORML’s Deputy Director Paul Armentano testified before the House Oversight and Reform Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, previously chaired by Rep. Mace, in support of ending federal cannabis prohibition.

Survey: Cannabis Commonly Used as a Sleep Aid by Cancer Survivors

Halifax, Canada: Nearly a quarter of Canadian cancer survivors acknowledge consuming cannabis as a sleep aid, according to data published in the Journal of Cancer Survivorship: Research and Practice.

Investigators surveyed over 1,400 cancer survivors. Twenty-four percent of respondents said that they used cannabis prior to bedtime, “with reported benefits including relaxation, reduced time to fall asleep, fewer nocturnal awakenings and improved sleep quality.” (Cannabis is legal for both medical and adult use in Canada.)

Over two-thirds of consumers said that they initiated cannabis use following their cancer diagnosis. Over one-third of consumers said that they used marijuana daily.

Adults frequently report using cannabis and CBD products as sleep aids. Data published in the journal Complementary Therapies in Medicine reported that the enactment of adult-use marijuana legalization laws is associated with a significant reduction in the sales of over-the-counter sleep aids among the general public.

Full text of the survey, “A cross-sectional survey of the prevalence and patterns of using cannabis as a sleep aid in Canadian cancer survivors,” appears in the Journal of Cancer Survivorship: Research and Practice.

Review: CBD Administration Not Linked To Cognitive Deficits, May Provide Potential Improvements

São Paulo, Brazil: The therapeutic use of CBD doesn’t adversely impact cognitive performance and may potentially improve it in certain subjects, according to a literature review published in the journal Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research.

Brazilian investigators reviewed 59 studies, including 23 clinical trials, assessing the cognitive safety of CBD. They reported a lack of cognitive deficits associated with CBD dosing. They further reported that CBD administration in animal models may be associated with cognitive improvements.

Authors concluded: “The results demonstrate that the chronic and acute administration of CBD seems not to impair cognition in humans without neuropsychiatric disorders. In addition, preclinical studies report promising results regarding the effects of CBD on the cognitive processing of animals. Future double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trials with larger, less selective samples, with standardized tests, and using different doses of CBD in outpatients are of particular interest to elucidate the cognitive effects of CBD.”

A 2022 open-label trial performed by doctors at Harvard Medical School reported that patients with moderate-to-severe anxiety experience symptom improvements and better cognitive performance following the daily administration of full spectrum CBD extracts. Data published earlier this year reported that cancer patients taking CBD-infused edible products report subjective improvements in their cognitive functioning.

Full text of the study, “Effects of the acute and chronic administration of cannabidiol on cognition in humans and animals: A systemic review,” appears in Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research.

Georgia: Select Pharmacies Begin Selling State-Licensed Cannabis Tinctures

Glennville, GA: Select pharmacies have begun providing state-licensed cannabis products to qualified patients.

An independent pharmacy in Warner Robins, Georgia and another independent pharmacy in Tifton were reported to have been among the first in the state to engage in the sale of cannabis-specific products. About 130 independent pharmacies have entered partnerships to provide plant-derived low-THC products.

Low-THC/high CBD products have been legal to possess under state law since 2015. However, regulators failed to approve any licensed providers or dispensaries until earlier this year. In October, the state’s Board of Pharmacy began accepting applications from licensed pharmacies wishing to stock the products.

Chain drug stores will not be providing cannabis products.

About 14,000 Georgians are registered to access cannabis products for a variety of ailments, including autism, cancer, Crohn’s disease, seizure disorders, and Tourette syndrome.

Qualified patients can view a full list of participating independent pharmacies and locations at botanicalsciences.com/locations.