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President Biden Announces Intent to Pardon Those with Low-Level Marijuana Convictions

Washington, DC: President Joe Biden today announced his intent to "pardon of all prior Federal offenses of simple possession of marijuana."

In a statement, he said: "I have directed the Attorney General to develop an administrative process for the issuance of certificates of pardon to eligible individuals. My action will help relieve the collateral consequences arising from these convictions."

The President also announced that he was encouraging Governor's to facilitate similar actions on the state level. To date, nearly two dozen states have enacted legislation explicitly facilitating the process of having select marijuana convictions expunged, vacated, otherwise set aside, or sealed from public view. These laws have led state and local officials nationwide to expunge or seal the records of over two million people with prior cannabis convictions.

Finally, the President announced that he is "asking the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Attorney General to initiate the administrative process to review expeditiously how marijuana is scheduled under federal law."

In response to the President's recently announced actions, NORML's Executive Director Erik Altieri has issued the following statement:

"Many of the efforts taken and proposed by the President today are long overdue. For nearly two years, NORML has called upon the Administration to fulfill the President's campaign promise to provide relief to those stigmatized with a low-level cannabis conviction. We are pleased that today President Biden is following through on this pledge and that he is also encouraging governors to take similar steps to ensure that the tens of millions of Americans with state-level convictions for past marijuana crimes can finally move forward with their lives. Since 1965, nearly 29 million Americans have been arrested for marijuana-related violations - for activities that the majority of voters no longer believe ought to be a crime.

"Moving forward, the Administration must work collaboratively with Congressional leadership to repeal America's failed marijuana criminalization laws. Nearly half of voters now agree that legalizing marijuana ought to be a priority for Congress, and such action can only be taken by descheduling cannabis and repealing it from the US Controlled Substances Act - thereby regulating it in a manner similar to alcohol. Congress should be inspired by the Administration's actions today to act quickly and send legislation to the President's desk that would help close this dark chapter of our history."

Study: Adjunctive Use of CBD-Rich Extracts "Highly Effective" in Adults with Refractory Epilepsy

Tel Aviv, Israel: Adults with treatment-resistant focal epilepsy (epilepsy characterized by seizures arising from a specific part of the brain) respond favorably to the adjunctive use of plant-derived CBD dominant cannabis extracts, according to data published in the journal Neurological Sciences.

A Colombian investigator assessed the efficacy of high CBD/low THC extracts in a cohort of epileptic patients. Of those who maintained a cannabis-treatment regimen for at least three months, 80 percent experienced a greater than 50 percent reduction in seizure frequency at 12 weeks. Only a minority of patients reported any side-effects.

"The reduction in seizures frequency is maintained over time." the study's author concluded. "The CBMF (cannabis-based magistral formulation) is a highly effective and safe therapy to treat adult patients with DRFE (drug resistant focal epilepsy)."

Israeli data published in June similarly reported that children with refractory forms of epilepsy experience significant reductions in seizure frequency following the long-term use of plant-derived CBD extracts.

In 2018, the US Food and Drug Administration granted market approval to Epidiolex, a prescription medicine containing a standardized formulation of plant-derived cannabidiol for the treatment of two rare forms of severe epilepsy: Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and Dravet syndrome. Shortly after approval, the US Drug Enforcement Administration reclassified Epidiolex to Schedule V of the US Controlled Substances Act - the lowest restriction classification available under federal law.

Full text of the study, "Cannabis based magistral formulation is highly effective as an adjuvant treatment in drug-resistant focal epilepsy in adult patients: An open-label prospective cohort study," appears in Neurological Sciences.

Survey: Most Patients Report Opioid-Sparing Effects Following Cannabis Initiation

Tallahassee, FL: The majority of patients registered with the state of Florida to access medical cannabis products report reducing their consumption of prescription opioids, according to data published in the journal Substance Use & Misuse.

Investigators affiliated with Florida State University's College of Medicine assessed health functioning before and after cannabis initiation in a cohort of over 2,100 authorized medical marijuana consumers. Consistent with dozens of prior studies, researchers reported that "the majority of participants (79 percent) reported either cessation or reduction in pain medication use following [their] initiation of medical cannabis." Nearly 12 percent of participants also reported improvements in physical mobility.

The majority of patients surveyed acknowledged consuming cannabis daily and most had little or no past history of cannabis use prior to registering in the state's medical cannabis access program.

Authors concluded: "The majority of Florida medical cannabis users surveyed described medical cannabis as helpful and important to their overall quality of life. Notably, a large percentage of patients reported improvements in the areas of physical functioning, social functioning, and bodily pain after beginning medical cannabis. We also found a substantial number of patients reduced the amount of OBPM [opioid based pain medication] used after gaining access to legalized medical cannabis, with some patients specifically describing improved functioning in daily life as a result. ... These data add to the growing body of literature suggesting that medical cannabis use may be associated with reductions in opioid (and other) prescription medication use without reducing quality of life or worsening health outcomes."

A prior analysis of Florida patients, published last year by researchers affiliated with Florida Gulf Coast University, similarly reported that 65 percent of respondents had either reduced or eliminated their use of at least one prescription or over-the-counter medication following their initiation of medical cannabis.

Full text of the survey, "Medical cannabis patients report improvements in health functioning and reductions in opiate use," appears in Substance Use & Misuse.

Study: Hemp-Derived CBD Gel Caps Effective in Older Patients with Spinal Stenosis

Philadelphia, PA: Older patients with lower back and leg pain due to chronic spinal stenosis experience statistically significant improvements following the use of hemp-derived CBD gel caps, according to data published in the journal Cureus.

Researchers affiliated with Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia assessed the efficacy of the twice-daily administration of hemp-derived CBD gel caps (15mgs) in a cohort of 48 patients (mean age: 75) with spinal stenosis.

Investigators reported that patients averaged a nearly two-point decrease in their pain scores (on an 11-point scale) during the trial period. Authors also reported improvements in patients' appetite, sleep quality, and overall quality of life. Trial participants did not acknowledge any adverse side effects from CBD therapy.

"This open-label, prospective, observational study found that treatment with hemp-derived CBD gel caps was associated with significant improvements in pain scores and several quality-of-life measures," they concluded. "CBD gel caps were not associated with any adverse effects. Using CBD to help alleviate pain in spinal stenosis is supported by the evidence in this study."

Previous studies have reported reduced analgesia and prescription opioid use in patients using either CBD-rich gel caps or topical creams.

Full text of the study, "The use of cannabidiol in patients with low back pain caused by lumbar spinal stenosis: An observational study," appears in Cureus.

Analysis: Daily Use of Hemp Extracts Results in Positive Drug Tests for Cannabis

Baltimore, MD: Those who consume hemp-derived extracts on a regular basis risk testing positive for cannabis on a urinalysis drug screen, according to data published in the journal Therapeutic Drug Monitoring.

A team of researchers from the United States and Canada evaluated whether the ingestion of retail oral hemp-derived CBD products (containing ≤0.3 percent THC) would trigger a positive drug screen for the presence of carboxy-THC. (Carboxy-THC is the inert metabolite that is identified in conventional marijuana drug tests.)

Authors reported, "Findings showed that the daily use of oral hemp-derived CBD extracts consistently resulted in positive urine IA [immunoassay] screening results for THC-COOH at the 20 ng/mL detection criterion."

They concluded, "Therefore, efforts should be made to increase public awareness regarding the risk of positive [urine] drug test results following oral hemp-derived CBD product use."

Federal legislation enacted in 2018 legalized the licensed production of cannabis hemp plants containing no more than 0.3 percent THC. The law also broadened the definition of ‘hemp' to include "any part of the plant, including ... extracts [or] cannabinoids" that do not possess greater than 0.3 percent THC on a dry weight basis.

However, more than three years following the law's passage, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has yet to promulgate rules regulating the marketing and sale of commercial products containing hemp-derived CBD or other cannabinoids. Survey data compiled by the National Consumers League previously determined that more than eight in ten US voters desire greater federal regulatory oversight over the labeling and marketing of commercially available CBD products.

Several federal agencies, including the US Department of Transportation and various branches of the US military, have previously cautioned against the use of legal hemp products and have warned that their consumption is not a legitimate excuse for a drug test failure.

Full text of the study, "Likelihood of positive urine screens of THC-COOH after daily use of full-spectrum hemp extracts varies as a function of screening criterion used," appears in Therapeutic Drug Monitoring.