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by russellropeMedia, News November 16, 2021November 17, 2021No Comments

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National Polling Shows Strong Bipartisan Support for Legalization

Asbury Park, NJ: Nearly two-thirds of US adults, including 54 percent of Republicans, support 'the national legalization of marijuana," according to polling data compiled and released this week by Rasmussen Reports.

Overall, 62 percent of respondents expressed support for legalization – a percentage that is consistent with prior national polls. Only 23 percent of respondents voiced opposition to legalizing cannabis. Last week, national polling data provided by Gallup reported that 68 percent of Americans endorse making the use of marijuana legal.

Similar to previous surveys, Rasmussen reported that 50 percent of US adults acknowledged having personally tried cannabis.

Commenting on the latest polling data, NORML's Deputy Director Paul Armentano said: 'Voters' support legalizing marijuana regardless of political party affiliation. At a time when politics remain acutely polarized, elected officials ought to come together in a bipartisan manner to repeal the failed policy of cannabis prohibition. It is one of the few policy reforms that voters on the right and on the left can all agree upon."

Report: Legal Cannabis Among Nation's Most Valuable Crops

Seattle, WA: Cannabis cultivated in 20202 for the state-legal adult-use market possessed a wholesale harvest value of more than $6 billion, ranking it among the nation's most valuable crops, according to an analysis.

Nationwide, state-legal cannabis ranks fifth among America's most valuable crops – trailing only corn, soybeans, hay, and wheat. In five states – Alaska, Colorado, Massachusetts, Nevada, and Oregon – cannabis grown for the adult-use market is the 'single most valuable crop."

Last year, 11 states licensed commercial marijuana growers to produce cannabis for the adult-use retail market. In those states, over 13,000 state-licensed farmers produced over 2,200 metric tons of cannabis, Leafly calculated.

'With US state cannabis prices ranging from about $500 to $3,000 per wholesale pound, you're looking at a crop worth $6.175 billion per year," the authors of the report estimated. 'As measured against US Department of Agriculture (USDA) data, the value of America's legal cannabis crop ranks fifth nationwide, ahead of cotton."

Authors concluded: 'By refusing to recognize cannabis crops and cannabis farmers, the USDA ignores a fact that exists in plain sight: Cannabis is now a major agricultural commodity that supports thousands of American farmers, farm families, and farm communities."

Full text of the report, 'Leafly Cannabis Harvest Report 2021," is available online.

CRS Report: President Lacks Constitutional Authority to End Cannabis Prohibition by Executive Order

Washington, DC: Congressional lawmakers, not the President, possess the authority to declassify cannabis from the US Controlled Substances Act – thereby repealing federal marijuana prohibition, affirms a newly issued report by the Congressional Research Service.

The report indicates that the President does not possess unilateral authority to amend drug policies – stating: 'The CSA does not provide a direct role for the President in the classification of controlled substances, nor does Article II of the Constitution grant the President power in this area. ... Thus, it does not appear that the President could directly deschedule or reschedule marijuana by executive order."

However, the President can engage in various activities that can influence federal marijuana policies and their enforcement – such as directing the Department of Justice 'to exercise its discretion not to prosecute some or all marijuana-related offenses." Last month, Senators Corey Booker and Elizabeth Warren drafted a letter to US Attorney General Merrick Garland asking him to 'initiate the process to decriminalize cannabis." The Office has not yet provided a response.

The President also possesses the discretion to issue mass pardons and/or to provide general amnesty to a class of people, such as those with criminal records for federal marijuana violations. Earlier this year, dozens of members of Congress signed on to a letter calling for the President to 'issue a general pardon to all former, federal, non-violent cannabis offenders in the United States."

By contrast, on the explicit issue of changing the status of a controlled substance or the punishment for controlled substances offenses, 'Congress unquestionably holds the power to amend the CSA to reschedule or deschedule a controlled substance or change applicable penalties." Several pieces of legislation to do so are currently pending in Congress. Last year, members of the House of Representatives voted in favor of one such bill, The MORE Act, to remove marijuana from the CSA. That language was never taken up by the US Senate.

Commenting on the report, NORML's Deputy Director Paul Armentano said: 'NORML has long argued that the President can set the tone for the national political discussion surrounding marijuana, but that the office lacks the unilateral authority to repeal marijuana prohibition via the stroke of a pen. That authority primarily lies with the 535 members of Congress and sweeping federal changes will likely only occur when a majority of members from both chambers advance legislation to the President's desk. That is why constituents need to continue to pressure their members of Congress to advance this issue and to support legislative efforts to end the federal criminalization of cannabis."

Full text of the CRS report – 'Does the President Have the Power to Legalize Marijuana?" – is online. NORML's memorandum, 'Federal Marijuana Prohibition Can Only Be Repealed by Descheduling, Not Rescheduling, Cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act," appears online.

Analysis: Grey Market Delta-8 Products Frequently Mislabeled

Tustin, CA: The percentages of cannabinoids advertised on the labels of grey market delta-8 THC products is typically inaccurate, according to an analysis of products by an independent testing laboratory.

Of the 51 products analyzed, 77 percent possessed less delta-8 THC than advertised. Three-quarters of the products also contained higher levels of THC than permitted by federal law. Dozens of assessments of the potency and quality of unregulated, over-the-counter CBD products have revealed similar discrepancies.

Although delta-8 THC appears organically in cannabis, it is only produced in minute amounts. By contrast, the elevated quantities of delta-8 THC found in grey market products is the result of a chemical synthesis during which manufacturers convert CBD to delta-8 THC. Manufacturers engaged in synthetizing delta-8 THC are not regulated and may use potentially dangerous household products to facilitate this process.

Statements issued by the US Drug Enforcement Agency in the Federal Register in 2020 indicated that delta-8 THC products are federally illegal because they contain 'synthetically derived" cannabinoids. The substance is also among those explicitly identified as a Schedule I drug by the DEA. In recent months, lawmakers in several states have also taken steps to prohibit the manufacture and sale of such products.

Last month, NORML issued a report on delta-8 THC and other novel, synthetically derived cannabinoids that cautioned consumers to avoid these unregulated products because they are untested and may contain impurities.

Full text of NORML's report, 'NORML's Guide to Delta-8 THC and Other Novel Cannabinoids," appears online.

Federal Housing Authority to Continue to Take Punitive Actions Against Marijuana Consumers

Washington, DC: A representative with the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) affirmed this week that the agency will continue to discriminate against those who use cannabis, including those who do so in compliance with state and local laws.

In a letter addressed to Rep. Eleanor Holmes-Norton, the agency says that it will continue to enforce policies that involve the 'termination of the tenancy of any household" in instances where a tenant is found to have engaged in the use of a controlled substance while on the premises - 'including [the use of] state legalized medical marijuana."

Because cannabis remains classified under federal law as a Schedule I controlled substance, 'HUD prohibits the admission of users of marijuana to HUD assisted housing, including those who use medical marijuana," the letter reads.

Representative Norton had contacted the agency in May, requesting that it 'use executive discretion to not enforce rules against marijuana use in federally assisted housing" in jurisdictions where cannabis use is state-regulated. 'Individuals living in federally assisted housing should not be denied admission, or face eviction, for using a legal product," her letter opined.

Representative Norton has long advocated for changes in HUD policies with respect to state-legal marijuana use and she is the sponsor of HR 3212: The Marijuana in Federally Assisted Housing Parity Act of 2021. Similar bills spearheaded by Rep. Holmes-Norton have failed to garner significant legislative support in past sessions of Congress.

NORML's Political Director Justin Strekal strongly criticized the federal agency's decision. 'It is a travesty that the Administration would prioritize process over people when it comes to the issue of fair housing. No one should be evicted or denied public housing simply because they use cannabis responsibly in private. With tens of millions of patients - many of them veterans - now using medical cannabis in compliance with state laws, federal actions must be taken to accommodate and reflect this reality."

A copy of the HUD letter is available online.

#NORML #News @WeedConnection

by russellropeMedia, News November 9, 2021November 7, 2021No Comments

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Gallup Poll: Americans’ Support for Marijuana Legalization Holds at Record High

United States: The percentage of Americans who believe that “the use of marijuana should be legal,” remains at a record high, according to nationwide polling data reported today by Gallup.

Sixty-eight percent of respondents endorse legalization – the same level of support reported by Gallup last year. That ties the highest percentage of support ever reported in a national Gallup poll. “As was the case in 2020, solid majorities of U.S. adults in all major subgroups by gender, age, income and education support legalizing marijuana,” Gallup pollsters determined.

Gallup Marijuana Poll
“There is no buyer’s remorse on the part of the American people. In the era of state-level legalization, voters’ support for this issue has grown rapidly – an indication that these policy changes have been successful and are comporting with voters’ desires and expectations.” NORML’s Executive Director Erik Altieri said. “Today, voters of every age and in virtually every region of the country agree that marijuana should be legal. We have a mandate from the American people and we intend to make sure that elected officials abide by it.”

In 1969, when Gallup first began surveying the question, only twelve percent of Americans backed marijuana legalization. In 1996, when California voters became the first state in the nation to legalize cannabis for medical use, 25 percent of Americans said that marijuana should be legal for those ages 21 and older. Since 2012, when Colorado and Washington became the first two states to legalize marijuana for adults, public support for legalization has risen nationally some 20 percentage points. Legalization has enjoyed majority support among Americans since 2013.

Consistent with previous polls, Gallup reported that most Democrats (83 percent) and political independents (71 percent) support marijuana legalization. By contrast, Republicans are nearly evenly split on the question (50 percent in favor; 49 percent opposed).

Analysis: ‘Government-Grade’ Marijuana More Closely Resembles Hemp, Has Little in Common with Commercially Available Cannabis

Greeley, CO: Marijuana provided by the University of Mississippi for clinical research purposes is genetically dissimilar to the types of cannabis products commercially available at retail markets in legal states, according to an analysis published in the journal Frontiers in Plant Science. Since 1968, the University of Mississippi’s farm, which is governed by the US National Institute on Drug Abuse, has been the only legal source of cultivated cannabis for use in FDA-approved research.

A team of researchers affiliated with the University of Northern California performed genetic analyses on NIDA-provided “research-grade marijuana” samples and then compared them to samples of commercially available cannabis.

Consistent with prior assessments, authors reported: “Our results clearly demonstrate that NIDA cannabis samples are substantially genetically different from most commercially available drug-type strains and share a genetic affinity with hemp samples in several of the analyses. We do not claim that NIDA is supplying hemp for cannabis research, rather we are confident that our analyses show that the ‘research grade marijuana’ supplied by NIDA is genetically different from the retail drug-type samples analyzed in this study.”

They added, “Given both this genetic and previous chemotypic investigations have concluded that NIDA is supplying product that does not align with what is available for consumers, our hope is that the NIH and NIDA will support the cultivation of cannabis that is representative of what medical and recreational consumers are using. Medical practitioners, researchers and patients deserve access to cannabis products that are comparable to products available on the legal market.”

Scientists wishing to conduct FDA-approved clinical trials on cannabis have long complained that federally-provided samples are of poor quality. According to NIDA’s marijuana menu, no available samples contain more than seven percent THC and all samples contain less than one percent CBD.

In May, the US Drug Enforcement Administration announced for the first time its intent to license additional entities to cultivate marijuana for FDA-approved research purposes. The move came some five years after the agency had initially announced plans to expand the supply of cannabis available to federally-approved researchers.

NORML has long argued that scientists ought to be permitted to bypass NIDA’s exclusive marijuana supply and instead utilize cannabis products manufactured by state-licensed producers. Last month, a bipartisan group of lawmakers reintroduced legislation, The Medical Marijuana Research Act, in the US House of Representatives to permit FDA-approved scientists to access state-legal cannabis products in clinical research trials. House lawmakers passed the same measure last year, but the language was never taken up in the Senate.

Full text of the study, “Comparative genetic structure of cannabis sativa – including federally produced, wild collected, and cultivated samples,” appears in Frontiers in Plant Science.

Federal Survey Identifies Marked Decline in Youth Marijuana Use

Rockville, MD: Federal data compiled annually by the US National Institutes of Health and released last week reports a significant decline in the percentage of young people using cannabis nationwide.

Data provided by the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) latest National Survey on Drug Use and Health finds that marijuana use fell significantly year-over-year among those ages 12 to 17. Specifically, it reports that past-year use of marijuana by teens fell from 13.2 percent in 2019 to 10.1 percent in 2020 – a decline of some 25 percent. Past-month marijuana use fell some 20 percent among those in the same age group – declining from 7.4 percent nationwide to 5.9 percent.

Among those ages 18 to 25, marijuana use rates (past month and past year) remained largely unchanged. Among those ages 26 and older, self-reported cannabis use (over either the past month or over the past year) increased, a finding that is consistent with other surveys showing an uptick in marijuana use by adults post-legalization, but no parallel rise in underage consumption.

Self-reported use of other controlled substances by young people remained largely unchanged between 2019 and 2020.

Commenting on the data, NORML Deputy Director Paul Armentano said, “These findings ought to reassure lawmakers that cannabis access for adults can be legally regulated in a manner that is safe, effective, and that does not inadvertently impact young people’s habits.”

Data published in September in the journal JAMA Open Network reported “no increases … in the odds of past-year or past-month cannabis use post-RCL [recreational cannabis laws] enactment among … individuals aged 12 to 20 years for all races and ethnicities” in a cohort of over 838,000 people residing in states with adult-use cannabis legalization laws. Separate data published in JAMA Pediatrics reports that the establishment of adult-use marijuana laws is associated with decreased rates of marijuana use among young people.

Full text of the 2020 SAMHSA report is available.

Analysis: Steel Heating Mechanisms of Some THC Vape Cartridges May Result in Exposure to Heavy Metals

Fife, WA: The use of certain portable THC vape cartridges may be associated with inadvertent exposure to various heavy metals, according to data published in the journal Chemical Research in Toxicology.

Investigators affiliated with a Washington state analytical laboratory analyzed aerosol mixtures produced from 13 commercially available electronic cannabis cartridges. Researchers identified the presence of heavy metals, including copper and nickel, in both vapor and in the oil itself. The authors identified various parts of the cartridges – including heating coils, wicks, metal cores, and mouthpieces – as the sources of the elemental emissions. A higher prevalence of metal contaminants was identified following the use of the cartridges’ heating mechanisms. Researchers identified an inverse relationship between metal contamination and terpene content, but they did not offer any definitive explanation for this phenomenon.

Investigators reported: “[T]his study … has … shown that commercially available electronic cannabis devices (ECD) are a potential source for inhalation exposure to metals. … [C]hromium, copper, nickel, as well as smaller amounts of lead, manganese, and tin migrate into the cannabis oil and inhaled vapor phase, resulting in a possible acute intake of an amount of inhaled metals above the regulatory standard of multiple governmental bodies. … It was shown that leaching after periods of time at ambient or elevated temperatures was responsible for the migration of metals from the ECD into the liquid. … The metal content of vaping aerosols decreased with the addition of terpenes to the cartridge liquid. At this time, the mechanism by which the addition of terpenes reduces these metal emissions is unknown, but future research is being undertaken to establish if this is a phenomenon unique to terpenes or if it is a general trait of less viscous liquids.”

Prior analyses of unregulated vapor pen products containing THC have similarly identified the presence of heavy metals and other adulterants. Separate analyses of the aerosol produced by nicotine-filled e-cigarette devices have also detected metal emissions. Metal exposure over time has been linked to a variety of serious health concerns, including lung disease, brain damage, and cardiovascular disease

Full text of the study, “Metals in cannabis vaporizer aerosols: Sources, possible mechanisms, and exposure profiles,” appears in Chemical Research in Toxicology.

Study: Patients Report Improvements in Their Insomnia Following Cannabis Use

Hamilton, Canada: The use of cannabis prior to bedtime is associated with reduced symptoms of insomnia, according to data published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research.

Canadian investigators with McMaster University in Ontario assessed cannabis use trends in 991 subjects with self-reported insomnia. Study participants self-administered cannabis products at home and reported symptom changes in real time on a mobile software application. Investigators analyzed reports from over 24,000 cannabis-use sessions recorded over a three-year period (February 2017 through February 2020).

Researchers reported: “Results from this large naturalistic sample of medicinal cannabis users who tracked their insomnia symptoms before and after cannabis use suggest significant improvements in insomnia symptoms. … Although all strains were reported to be beneficial for the management of insomnia, predominant indica and indica hybrid strains were found to be more efficacious than [were] CBD and predominant sativa strains.”

They concluded: “This general perceived improvement in insomnia symptoms highlights the potential for cannabis to be used as a treatment option for sleep disorders. Future research should investigate the benefits and harms of cannabinoids for insomnia through rigorous randomized placebo-controlled trials.”

The findings are consistent with those of a 2018 study reporting that subjects who used herbal cannabis before bedtime “experienced a statistically and clinically significant improvement (4.5 points on a zero to 10-point scale) in perceived insomnia levels.”

In a recently published placebo-controlled trial, patients who consumed sublingual cannabis-plant extracts over a two week period showed significantly reduced symptoms of insomnia and experienced improved sleep quality.

Full text of the study, “The use of cannabinoids for insomnia in daily life: Naturalistic study,” appears in the Journal of Medical Internet Research.

Survey: Women with Pelvic Pain Frequently Substitute CBD in Place of Other Analgesic Medications

Ann Arbor, MI: Women suffering from chronic pelvic pain (CPP) are frequently consuming CBD to mitigate their symptoms, and they are also using it in lieu of other prescription medications, according to data published in the Journal of Minimally Invasive Gynecology.

Researchers affiliated with the University of Michigan, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology assessed prevalence and patterns of CBD consumption in a cohort of 1,382 women with fibromyalgia and CPP.

Over one-third of respondents identified as current consumers of CBD. Among these consumers, 81 percent said that the use of CBD products “improved their pain.” Seventy-six percent of users reported substituting CBD for other medications, including opioids, NSAIDS, gabapentinoids, and benzodiazepines. Patients also reported perceived benefits in their sleep, anxiety, depression, and in their overall health after initiating the use of CBD products.

The results are consistent with those of prior studies similarly finding that a growing percentage of women are using cannabis and similar products to effectively mitigate chronic pelvic pain and to reduce their reliance on prescription opioids.

Full text of the study, “Cannabidiol use, substitution for medications, and perceptions of effectiveness in women with chronic pelvic pain,” appears in the Journal of Minimally Invasive Gynecology

#NORML #News @WeedConnection

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#NORML #News @WeedConnection

by russellropeMedia, News November 2, 2021November 1, 2021No Comments

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Study: Endometriosis Patients Report Successfully Managing Symptoms with Cannabis

Sydney, Australia: Patients with endometriosis report effectively managing their pain and other symptoms with cannabis, according to data published in the journal PLoS One.

A team of Australian researchers assessed the self-reported efficacy of cannabis in a cohort of 252 Canadian subjects with endometriosis. Study participants self-administered legally obtained cannabis products at home and reported symptom changes in real time on a mobile software application. Investigators analyzed reports from over 16,000 cannabis-use sessions recorded over a nearly three-year period.

Study participants reported that their use of cannabis was effective at mitigating endometriosis-related pain and gastrointestinal issues. Respondents also reported improvements in mood following marijuana consumption.

‘With emerging evidence internationally demonstrating that women are utilizing illicit cannabis as a self-management strategy for the pain and the associated symptoms of endometriosis, this paper demonstrates that Canadian women are also utilizing legally obtained and quality-assured products to manage endometriosis symptoms across domains such as pelvic pain, gastrointestinal symptoms and mood,” authors concluded. ‘Clinical trials investigating the tolerability and effectiveness of cannabis for endometriosis pain and associated symptoms are urgently required.”

Survey data has previously reported that endometriosis patients find relief from medical cannabis use and that they often substitute it in place of other medications, particularly opioid-based analgesics.

Full text of the study, ‘Effects of cannabis ingestion on endometriosis-associated pelvic pain and related symptoms,” appears in PLoS ONE.

Analysis: Indica, Sativa Labels ‘Poorly” Reflect Variations Between Cannabis Plants

Nova Scotia, Canada: The nomenclature ‘indica’ and ‘sativa’ poorly capture genetic variations between cannabis plants, according to data published in the journal Nature Plants.

A team of scientists from Canada and from the Netherlands analyzed the composition of 297 cannabis plant samples. Consistent with prior studies, they identified few genomic differences between samples explicitly labeled ‘indica’ or ‘sativa.’

‘Our results demonstrate that the ‘sativa–indica’ scale currently used to label cannabis poorly captures overall genomic and metabolomic variation,” authors concluded. ‘Cannabis labelling is instead probably driven primarily by a small number of key terpenes whose concentrations contribute to the characteristic aromas commonly associated with ‘sativa’ and ‘indica.'”

Other analyses have similarly reported few distinctions in cannabis plants labeled either ‘indica’ or ‘sativa’ – reporting, ‘Ubiquitous interbreeding and hybridization renders [these] distinctions meaningless.”

Full text of the study, ‘Cannabis labelling is associated with genetic variation in terpene synthase genes,” appears in Nature Plants.

Study: Medical Cannabis Improves Quality of Life in Older Adults with Chronic Pain

Gainesville, FL: The use of medical cannabis by older adults with a chronic pain condition is associated with improvements in their quality of life, according to data published in the journal Cannabis.

Investigators with the University of Florida at Gainesville assessed the use of medical cannabis over a three-month period in a cohort of 46 middle-aged and older adults diagnosed with chronic pain.

They reported that subjects experienced significantly lower levels of pain following the use of medical cannabis, as well as improvements in sleep, anxiety/depression, and in overall quality of life.

The findings are consistent with numerous other studies documenting that the use of cannabis is associated with sustained improvements in chronic pain patients and that it is linked with enhanced quality of life outcomes in older adults.

Full text of the study, ‘Health outcomes among adults initiating medical cannabis for chronic pain: A 3-month prospective study incorporating ecological momentary assessment,” appears in Cannabis.

New York: Statewide Regulations Limit Discriminatory Actions Against Employees Who Consume Cannabis While Away from Work

New York, NY: Employers may no longer sanction workers for their off-hours marijuana use absent evidence of ‘articulable symptoms of cannabis impairment,” according to newly issued guidelines provided by the New York Department of Labor.

The new rules only permit employers to take disciplinary action if there exists ‘objectively observable indications that [an] employee’s performance of the essential duties or tasks of their position are decreased or lessened.” A positive drug screen for past cannabis exposure is not considered to be evidence of impaired performance in the workplace. The odor of cannabis is also not considered to be evidence of marijuana-induced impairment.

Employees that are drug tested for cannabis under federally mandated rules will still be subject to sanctions if they test positive for the past use of marijuana. Under the new guidelines, employers can take disciplinary action against employees who consume cannabis while on the job, but they are not required to do so.

NORML’s Deputy Director Paul Armentano praised the policy change. He said: ‘Suspicionless marijuana testing in the workplace is not now, nor has it ever been, an evidence-based policy. Rather, this discriminatory practice is a holdover from the zeitgeist of the 1980s ‘war on drugs.’ But times have changed; attitudes have changed, and in many places, the marijuana laws have changed. It is time for workplace policies to adapt to this new reality and to cease punishing employees for activities they engage in during their off-hours that pose no workplace safety threat.”

In recent months, several states and municipalities have enacted legislation limiting employers’ ability to take punitive actions against workers, or those seeking to be hired, who test positive for marijuana on a drug test.

Full text of the Department’s new rules are online. Additional information is available from NORML’s fact sheet, ‘Marijuana Legalization and Impact on the Workplace.’

New York: Officials Move to Vacate Over 400,000 Marijuana Convictions

New York, NY: State officials have sealed nearly 200,000 marijuana-related criminal convictions and are in the process of expunging several hundred thousand more, according to data provided by the New York State Office of Cannabis Management.

According to an update provided by the agency at its most recent meeting: ‘Approximately 203,000 marijuana related charges are presently being suppressed from background searches and in process to be sealed or expunged. … This will add to the approximately 198,000 sealing accomplished as part of the first round of marijuana expungements for the 2019 expungement legislation.”

For decades, New York State – and New York City specifically – led the nation in the criminal prosecution of low-level marijuana offenders. In 2019, lawmakers amended marijuana possession penalties and established a system to facilitate the review and expungement of cannabis-specific criminal records. State lawmakers then legalized adult-use cannabis possession and retail sales this year.

New York is among several states in recent months to take steps to either vacate or seal marijuana-specific criminal records. In Illinois, officials have moved to expunge an estimated 500,000 marijuana-related records. California officials have cleared nearly 200,000 records, and New Jersey courts have expunged over 362,000 records. Last week, officials in Virginia announced that they have sealed some 330,000 low-level marijuana possession convictions and another 64,000 misdemeanor distribution convictions.

More than a dozen states have enacted legislation explicitly permitting or facilitating the process of having past marijuana convictions expunged, vacated, otherwise set aside, or sealed from public view.

Florida: Survey of State-Legal Medical Marijuana Patients Finds That Most Reduce Their Use of Prescriptions, Over-the-Counter Drugs

Fort Myers, FL: The majority of patients registered with the state of Florida to access medical cannabis products report reducing their consumption of other medications over time, according to data published in the journal Medical Cannabis and Cannabinoids.

A team of researchers affiliated with Florida Gulf Coast University surveyed 157 state-registered medical cannabis patients. Sixty-five percent of respondents said that they had either reduced or eliminated their use of at least one prescription or over-the-counter medication following their initiation of medical cannabis. Patients were most likely to report discontinuing their use of opioids (18 percent), anxiolytics (18 percent), or antidepressants (15 percent). Some patients also reported substituting medical cannabis for NSAIDS and sleep aids, among other medications.

The finding is similar to dozens of other studies similarly reporting patients’ decreased use of prescription medications, particularly opioids, following their use of medical cannabis.

Similar to other studies, respondents perceived cannabis to be ‘very effective” at providing symptom relief, particularly for pain and anxiety. Respondents were more likely to report consuming cannabis flowers than edible products – a finding that is also consistent with prior research.

Full text of the study, ‘Demographics, perceptions, and use of medical marijuana among patients in Florida,” appears in Medical Cannabis and Cannabinoids.

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by russellropeMedia, News October 12, 2021October 11, 2021No Comments

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Harris Poll: Two-Thirds of US Adults Favor Legalizing Marijuana

Marijuana Poll; Chicago, IL: Two-thirds of US adults favor a repeal of federal marijuana prohibition, according to nationwide polling data compiled by Harris Research.

Sixty-six percent of respondents in a nationally representative sample endorse legalizing cannabis for adults, with support being strongest among millennials (79 percent) and members of Generation X (76 percent). By contrast, just under 50 percent of Baby Boomers (those born between 1946 and 1964) backed adult-use legalization.

The results are consistent with those of other recent national polls, including those by Gallup, Morning Consult, and Quinnipiac University, showing that a supermajority of Americans believe that marijuana ought to be legalized for adults.

When asked whether cannabis should be legal for medical purposes, 84 percent of respondents answered affirmatively – a percentage that is also consistent with prior polling.

Survey: Users of CBG-Dominant Cannabis Report Efficacy for Pain, Other Conditions

Pullman, WA: Those who consume cannabis and/or cannabis preparations high in the cannabinoid cannabigerol (CBG) say that they are effective therapeutics and that they possess few adverse side-effects, according to data published in the journal Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research.

CBG acid is the parent compound precursor to the more popularized cannabinoids THC and CBD. It is typically only found in minute quantities in harvested cannabis plants. However, in recent years, specially cultivated varieties of the plant possessing higher concentrations of CBG have been reported, particularly in the pacific northwest region of the United States.

A team of researchers affiliated with Washington State University and the University of California at Los Angeles surveyed subjects who self-identified as consumers of CBG-dominant cannabis products.

A majority of survey participants said they used CBG-dominant preparations of cannabis exclusively for medical purposes. Respondents most frequently did so to mitigate symptoms of anxiety, chronic pain, depression, and insomnia.

Most respondents described their symptoms as either “much improved” or “very much improved” following their use of CBG-dominant cannabis, and three-quarters rated it as “superior” to their conventional medications.

Authors concluded: “This is the first patient survey of CBG use to document self-reported efficacy of CBG-predominant cannabis, particularly for anxiety, chronic pain, depression, and insomnia. Most respondents claimed greater efficacy of CBG over conventional pharmacotherapy … and reported a very benign adverse event profile and negligible withdrawal. … This study demonstrates that CBG-predominant cannabis and related products are available and being used by cannabis consumers and demonstrates the urgent need for randomized controlled trials of CBG-predominant cannabis-based medicines to be studied rigorously to assess safety and efficacy as a function of dose, mode of administration, and specific therapeutic indications.”

Full text of the study, “Survey of patients employing cannabigerol-predominant cannabis preparations: Perceived medical effects, adverse events, and withdrawal symptoms,” appears in Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research.

Study: Legal Cannabis Markets Experienced Far Fewer Cases of Vaping Illness

New Haven, CT: States with legal adult-use cannabis markets were far less likely to experience incidences of the vaping-related lung illness EVALI (e-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury), which was responsible for several thousand hospitalizations in 2019. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention eventually acknowledged that vitamin E acetate – a diluting agent sometimes present in counterfeit, unregulated vape pen products – was responsible for the outbreak.

New data published in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence reported that cases of EVALI were more than 40 percent lower in legal cannabis states and that they were over 60 percent lower in jurisdictions that permitted home cultivation. Home grow laws were also associated with fewer incidences of consumers engaging in the use of marijuana vape pens.

Authors concluded: “Given that EVALI cases stemmed primarily from informally-sourced vaporizable marijuana concentrates, these results are consistent with crowd-out, whereby introduction of one market (legal marijuana) displaces utilization of another (informally-sourced marijuana products). Simply put, if the public can obtain products legally from reputable sources, there is less demand for illicit market products. Thus, RM [recreational marijuana] legalization could have dampened market penetration of tainted marijuana concentrates by reducing consumption of informally-sourced marijuana products more generally.”

The findings are consistent with those of several other studies also concluding that EVALI cases were largely concentrated in states where consumers did not have legal access to cannabis products.

Full text of the study, “State marijuana policies and vaping associated lung injuries in the US,” appears in Drug and Alcohol Abuse.

Analysis: THC Levels Not Indicative of Driving Impairment

New Haven, CT: The presence of THC concentrations in either blood or saliva is an unreliable predictor of impaired driving performance, according to a literature review published in the journal Frontiers in Psychiatry.

Researchers affiliated with Yale University assessed multiple papers specific to the issue of marijuana and driving performance. Consistent with prior reviews, authors reported that the presence of THC in bodily fluids is not a consistent predictor of impairment and that state-imposed per se limits for THC are not evidence-based.

Authors reported, “While legislators may wish for data showing straightforward relationships between blood THC levels and driving impairment that parallel those of alcohol, the widely different pharmacokinetic properties of the two substances … make this goal unrealistic.”

They added: “[S]tudies suggest that efforts to establish per se limits for cannabis-impaired drivers based on blood THC values are still premature at this time. Considerably more evidence is needed before we can have an equivalent ‘BAC for THC.’ The particular pharmacokinetics of cannabis and its variable impairing effects on driving ability currently seem to argue that defining a standardized per se limit for THC will be a very difficult goal to achieve.”

Researchers concluded: “Until there is more evidence-based consensus of opinion on meaningful thresholds for per se laws, we would recommend against reliance on such legislation. This is particularly the case given the significant inconsistencies in threshold values currently determined by different states in the US, and the rather weak scientific basis for such decisions. Any such laws cannot claim to be strongly based on current scientific evidence, which suggest collectively that standard based on detectable blood THC levels are not useful.”

Their findings are consistent with those of numerous other studies and expert review panels concluding that the presence of THC is an unreliable indicator of either recent cannabis exposure or impairment of performance. A 2019 report issued by the Congressional Research Service similarly determined: “Research studies have been unable to consistently correlate levels of marijuana consumption, or THC in a person’s body, and levels of impairment. Thus, some researchers, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, have observed that using a measure of THC as evidence of a driver’s impairment is not supported by scientific evidence to date.”

NORML has long opposed the imposition of THC per se thresholds for cannabinoids in traffic safety legislation, opining: “The sole presence of THC and/or its metabolites in blood, particularly at low levels, is an inconsistent and largely inappropriate indicator of psychomotor impairment in cannabis consuming subjects. … Lawmakers would be advised to consider alternative legislative approaches to address concerns over DUI cannabis behavior that do not rely solely on the presence of THC or its metabolites in blood or urine as determinants of guilt in a court of law. Otherwise, the imposition of traffic safety laws may inadvertently become a criminal mechanism for law enforcement and prosecutors to punish those who have engaged in legally protected behavior and who have not posed any actionable traffic safety threat.”

In recent months, lawmakers in two states – Indiana and Nevada – have rolled back their THC per se laws.

The study’s authors acknowledged that acute cannabis-induced intoxication can influence driving behavior, but also recognized that “the relative risk of such impaired driving is significantly lower than other legislated drug use while driving, such as that resulting from alcohol.”

Full text of the study, “Cannabis and Driving,” appears in Frontiers in Psychiatry.

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by russellropeMedia, News September 28, 2021September 30, 2021No Comments

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Kansas City, MO: City Council Approves Measure Eliminating Pre-Employment Marijuana Testing for Most City Workers

Members of the Kansas City, Missouri city council approved a local ordinance that will prevent pre-employment marijuana testing for most prospective government employees.

Ordinance No. 210627, which was approved with an 11 to 1 vote, says, “It shall be unlawful for the City of Kansas City to require a prospective employee to submit to testing for the presence of marijuana in the prospective employee’s system as a condition of employment.”

Kansas City Mayor Quentin Lucas, who sponsored the measure, said, “Opportunities should not be foreclosed unnecessarily. Glad to see passage of our law eliminating pre-employment screening for marijuana at Kansas City government for most positions. One step of many in becoming a fairer city.”

Certain government positions would be excluded from the protections under this law, such as law enforcement; positions requiring a commercial drivers license; those caring for children, medical patients, disabled or other vulnerable individuals; and positions “where the employee could significantly impact the health or safety of other employees or members of the public.”

Members of the council approved a municipal ordinance last year repealing all local penalties specific to activities involving the personal possession of marijuana. The Kansas City Mayor’s Office has also launched an online system to facilitate the process of pardoning those with low-level marijuana convictions.

Kansas City’s measure is similar to other municipal laws that have recently been enacted in several other cities, including Philadelphia, Atlanta, New York, and Washington, DC, limiting employers’ abilities to drug test certain employees for off-the-job marijuana exposure.

Bill to End Marijuana Prohibition to Receive Committee Vote In US House

Last night, we sent you a message about the SAFE Banking Act passing the House of Representatives as part of the NDAA.

Today, we have an even better bit of news to share with you: The MORE Act, which repeals federal marijuana criminalization, is set to be voted on by members of the powerful House Judiciary Committee NEXT WEEK.

This is an all-hands-on-deck moment. We need to push as many members of Congress to co-sponsor and publicly support the advancement of this bill. That is why we need you to send your Representative a message NOW!

For those who need a refresher, here’s what you need to know about the MORE Act:

– It removes marijuana from the federal Controlled Substances Act – thereby eliminating the existing conflict between state and federal marijuana laws and providing states with the authority to be the primary arbiters of cannabis policy within their own jurisdictions.
– It facilitates the expungement of low-level federal marijuana convictions, and incentivizing state and local governments to take similar actions;
– It creates pathways for ownership opportunities in the emerging regulated industry as well as other sectors of the economy for local and diversely-reflective entrepreneurs who have been impacted under prohibition through the Small Business Administration grant eligibility;
– It allows veterans, for the first time, to obtain medical cannabis recommendations from their VA doctors;
– It removes the threat of deportation for immigrants accused of minor marijuana infractions or who are gainfully employed in the state-legal cannabis industry;
– It provides critical reinvestment grant opportunities for communities that have suffered disproportionate rates of marijuana-related enforcement actions.
During the last Congressional session, NORML members drove in hundreds of thousands of messages in support of the MORE Act. We cannot let up. We need you to send a message to your lawmakers now.

Thanks for showing up, standing up, and speaking out.

Next Week: House Judiciary Committee to Advance Historic MORE Act

Members of the House Judiciary Committee have scheduled a hearing next week to mark up HR 3617: The Marijuana, Opportunity, Reinvestment, and Expungement (MORE) Act of 2021. The Act repeals the long-standing federal prohibition of marijuana – thereby ending the existing state/federal conflict in cannabis policies and providing state governments with greater authority to regulate marijuana-related activities, including retail sales.

“We are excited to see Chairman Nadler and House Leadership move forward once again with passing the MORE Act. Public support and sound public policy demand the repeal of federal marijuana prohibition, Congressional action on this legislation is long overdue. The days of our failed federal policy of prohibition are numbered,” said NORML Political Director Justin Strekal.

While House members deliberate over the MORE Act, members of the Upper Chamber continue to review public comments regarding The Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act, introduced by Senators Cory Booker, Ron Wyden, and Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.

What the MORE Act Does: The legislation’s provisions remove marijuana from the federal Controlled Substances Act – thereby eliminating the existing conflict between state and federal marijuana laws and providing states with the authority to be the primary arbiters of cannabis policy within their own jurisdictions.

FURTHER: The MORE Act would also make several other important changes to federal marijuana policy, including:

– Facilitating the expungement of low-level federal marijuana convictions, and incentivizing state and local governments to take similar actions;
– Creating pathways for ownership opportunities in the emerging regulated industry as well as other sectors of the economy for local and diversely-reflective entrepreneurs who have been impacted under prohibition through the Small Business Administration grant eligibility;
– Allowing veterans, for the first time, to obtain medical cannabis recommendations from their VA doctors;
Removing the threat of deportation for immigrants accused of minor marijuana infractions or who are gainfully employed in the state-legal cannabis industry;
– Providing critical reinvestment grant opportunities for communities that have suffered disproportionate rates of marijuana-related enforcement actions.

Following action by the House Judiciary Committee, the MORE Act would require further consideration or waiver by the various jurisdictional committees before receiving a floor vote.

Key Facts Underscoring Marijuana Policy Reform Efforts:

According to the FBI UCR, over 545,000 Americans were arrested for marijuana-related crimes in 2019 alone. Over 90% of those arrested were charged with mere possession.

According to a recent report by the ACLU, Black Americans are 3.6 times more likely to be arrested for cannabis-related crimes than white Americans.
The state-legal cannabis industry employs over 321,000 full-time workers; that is over six times the number of jobs specific to the coal industry.
While the substance is not without harm, cannabis is objectively less harmful than legal and regulated alcohol and tobacco.

National Polling

Quinnipiac University, April 2021

Question: Do you think that the use of marijuana should be made legal in the United States, or not?

– Overall: 69% Yes – 25% No
– Democrat: 78% Yes – 17% No
– Republicans: 62% Yes – 32% No
– Independents: 67% Yes – 28% No
– Gallup Polling, Nov. 2020

Question: Do you think the use of marijuana should be made legal, or not?

– Overall: 68% Yes – 32% No
– Democrat: 83% Yes – 16% No
– Republicans: 48% Yes – 52% No
– Independents: 72% Yes – 27% No

Pew Research Center, April 2021

Question: Which comes closer to your view about the use of marijuana by adults?

– 60% It should be legal for medical AND recreational use
– 31% It should be legal for medical use ONLY
– 8% It should NOT be legal

Breakdown:

– 12% of Republicans say marijuana should NOT be legal
– 5% of Democrats say marijuana should NOT be legal

History of the MORE Act:

On December 4th of 2020, Members of the House of Representatives voted to approve the MORE Act, HR 3884, by a margin of 228 to 164. However, under the leadership of then-Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (K-KY), the full Senate did not consider the legislation prior to the close of the 116th Congressional session.

HR 3884 was carried in the 116th Congress by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler and in the Senate by Vice President Kamala Harris.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler, along with Cannabis Caucus co-chairs Earl Blumenauer and Barbara Lee, Judiciary Crime Subcommittee Chairwoman Sheila Jackson Lee, House Democratic Caucus Chairman Hakeem Jeffries, and Small Business Committee Chairwoman Nydia Velázquez reintroduced the 2021 version of the bill in May.

Kamala Harris is now Vice President of the United States and is unable to reintroduce companion legislation. In July, Senate Majority Leader Schumer, along with Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden and Judiciary Committee’s Senator Cory Booker introduced a discussion draft for public comment of forthcoming legislation, The Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act, that seeks to similarly remove cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act.

House Advances SAFE Banking Act as Part of the Must-Pass NDAA

NORML Supports Swift Enactment; Stresses Need for Further Federal Reforms

Washington, DC: The NDAA funding package passed by the US House of Representatives includes the provisions of the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act, which allows state-licensed marijuana-related businesses to engage freely in relationships with banks and other financial institutions. The language was offered as an amendment to the bill by Representatives Ed Perlmutter (D), Earl Blumenauer (D), Barbara Lee (D), Nydia Velazquez (D), David Joyce (R), and Steve Stivers (R).

This vote marks the fifth time that House members have advanced SAFE Banking legislation in recent years. House members last approved the measure in April as a stand-alone bill by a vote of 321 to 101. At that time, all Democrats and just over half of Republicans in the House voted for the bill.

“Enactment of the SAFE Banking Act would improve public safety and business efficiency in the 36 states that currently permit some form of retail marijuana sales,” said NORML Political Director Justin Strekal, “The Senate should ensure this provision remains in the final version of this funding package and approve it swiftly.”

Strekal added: “The SAFE Banking Act is only the first step toward making sure that state-legal marijuana markets operate safely and efficiently. The sad reality is that those who own or patronize these currently unbanked businesses would still be recognized as criminals in the eyes of the federal government and by federal law. This situation can only be rectified by removing marijuana from the list of controlled substances.”

Currently, thousands of state-licensed cannabis businesses are unable to partner with the banking industry due to federal restrictions. They are unable to accept credit cards, deposit revenues, access loans, or write checks to meet payroll or pay taxes. This situation is untenable. No industry can operate safely, transparently, or effectively without access to banks or other financial institutions. Congress must move to change federal policy so that this growing number of state-compliant businesses, and their consumers, may operate in a manner that is similar to other legal commercial entities.

For these reasons, NORML has long advocated that federal lawmakers vote “Yes” on The SAFE Banking Act.

The NDAA now advances to the Senate for consideration.

In an exchange on Tuesday with Politico reporter Natalie Fertig, Republican Senate co-lead of the SAFE Banking Act Senator Kevin Cramer said “(I)f it’s a vehicle that can carry it, I think it’d be fine. … Any vehicle’s good that gets it to pass it.”

Analysis: Growing Number of States Allow Reimbursement of Medical Cannabis Costs by Workers’ Compensation Insurance

Medical Marijuana
A limited but growing number of states permit eligible patients to be reimbursed for their medical cannabis-related costs through their workers’ compensation insurance (WCI) plans, according to a just-published analysis of state policies conducted by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.

NORML’s Deputy Director Paul Armentano said that these policy changes are further evidence of the legitimacy and social acceptance of medical cannabis. “For millions of patients, cannabis is a legitimate therapeutic option. More and more, our laws and regulations are recognizing this fact and evolving their policies accordingly.”

Researchers affiliated with the federal agency assessed rules and regulations in 36 states permitting medical cannabis access. They identified six states – Connecticut, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, and New York – that explicitly allow for employees to have their medical cannabis expenses reimbursed. In three of those states – New Hampshire, New Jersey, and New York – reimbursements were ordered as a result of state Supreme Court rulings issued earlier this year.

By contrast, authors identified six states where workers’ compensation insurance is expressly prohibited from reimbursing medical marijuana-related costs: Maine, Massachusetts, Florida, North Dakota, Ohio, and Washington.

In all other jurisdictions, the law is either silent on the issue or states that insurers are “not required” to reimburse employees who are injured on the job for the costs related to their use of medical cannabis.

Authors said that they expected the number of states permitting marijuana-related compensation to increase in the coming years “as more workers petition state courts and administrative agencies for cannabis WCI reimbursement.”

An abstract of the study, “Review of cannabis reimbursement by workers’ compensation insurance in the US and Canada,” appears in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine.

#NORML #News @WeedConnection

by russellropeMedia, News, News September 7, 2021September 5, 2021No Comments

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Review: Cannabinoids Are an “Adequate Potential Treatment Option” for Fibromyalgia Patients

Fairfield, CA: Human trials indicate that the use of either whole-plant cannabis or cannabinoids can improve various symptoms in patients with fibromyalgia (FM) and that they possess an adequate safety profile for use in treatment, according to the findings of a literature review published in the journal Cureus.

Investigators affiliated with the California Institute of Behavioral Neurosciences and Psychology reviewed 22 scientific papers specific to the use of either cannabis or synthetic cannabinoids in FM patients.

Authors concluded: “[T]he data suggest that the use of cannabinoids and cannabis carries limited side effects in the treatment of FM, and they can also improve some common and debilitating symptoms associated with FM, thus making them an adequate potential treatment option, when other treatment lines have been exhausted.”

Cannabis use is frequently reported by patients with fibromyalgia, and the results of several human trials indicate that cannabinoids provide therapeutic relief to patients with fibromyalgia. Most recently, observational trial data published in February reported that the long-term use of various types of cannabis preparations was associated with significant improvements in pain and other symptoms in patients with refractory fibromyalgia.

Full text of the study, “A systematic review of fibromyalgia and recent advancements in treatment: Is medicinal cannabis a new hope?” appears in Cureus.

Top Federal Drug Official Acknowledges that Adult-Use Marijuana Legalization Hasn’t Led to Jumps in Adolescent Use

Washington, DC: The enactment of statewide laws regulating the adult-use cannabis market has not led to an increase in the percentage of young people experimenting with the plant, according to comments made recently by Nora Volkow, Director of the US National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Speaking on a podcast hosted by Ethan Nadelmann, the former Director of the Drug Policy Alliance, Volkow admitted that she had initially expressed concerns that legalization would lead to an increase in the prevalence of adolescents consuming cannabis. Thus far, however, she said, “Overall, it hasn’t.”

To date, dozens of federal and state-specific surveys have failed to identify any independent link between the legalization of cannabis for either adult-use or medical purposes and any rise in the percentage of teens using it. Moreover, data published in 2019 in the journal JAMA Pediatrics reported that the enactment of laws regulating the use of cannabis by adults is associated with declines in self-reported marijuana use by young people. Separate data compiled by the US Centers for Disease Control has reported that the number of adolescents admitted to drug treatment programs for marijuana-related issues has fallen precipitously in states that have legalized and regulated the adult-use market.

During the interview, Volkow also acknowledged that legalization has been associated with “better outcomes” in various states, and that federal laws and regulations on the cannabis plant have “hindered” scientists’ ability to research it – particularly with respect to the plant’s therapeutic efficacy.

An audio archive of the Nadelmann/Volkow interview is available online.

Commentary: Herbal Cannabis Vaporization Safer Alternative to Smoking

Toronto, Canada: Vaporizing herbal cannabis reduces consumers’ exposure to combustion-related toxins and provides a safer alternative to marijuana smoking, according to a commentary published in the Canadian Journal of Public Health.

A team of researchers with the University of Toronto’s School of Public Health opined, “Cannabis vaporizer use can reduce the emission of carbon monoxide, chronic respiratory symptoms, and exposure to several toxins while producing similar subjective effects and blood THC concentration compared with smoking cannabis, holding potential for harm reduction among habitual cannabis smokers.”

Vaporizing devices heat cannabis to the point where cannabinoid vapors form, but below the point of combustion. The results of human clinical trials assessing this technology have concluded that vaporizing herbal cannabis is a “safe and effective” cannabinoid delivery mode that does not result in exposure to combustion gases. Researchers have also reported that vaporization results in higher plasma concentrations of THC compared to those associated with smoking cannabis.

Full text of the commentary, “Are vaporizers a lower risk alternative to smoking cannabis?” appears in the Canadian Journal of Public Health.

Case Report: Cannabis Tincture Associated with Tic Reduction in Tourette Syndrome Patient

Erfurt, Germany: The administration of the proprietary cannabis tincture Nabiximols (a/k/a Sativex) is associated with a “dramatic decrease” in tic-related symptoms in a patient with Tourette Syndrome (TS), according to a case report published in the journal Tremor and Other Hyperkinetic Movements.

A pair of German researchers documented the treatment of a 25-year-old male TS patient with Nabiximols. The patient had previously reported consuming whole-plant cannabis to manage his TS symptoms. Symptoms had returned after he ceased using the plant.

Following at least twice-daily treatment with Nabiximols, the patient experienced a “marked tic reduction … without experiencing relevant side effects.” The acute effects of the drug lasted about four hours.

Authors concluded: “Based on our case, and in line with previous reports, we propose that buccal Nabiximols might be an effective addition to ‘acute’ or ‘as required’ tic treatment under specialist guidance, especially for predictable situations in the short term when severely disabling or stigmatizing tics are anticipated.”

Sativex is a whole-plant cannabis tincture containing nearly equal ratios of THC and CBD. It is available via prescription in numerous nations, but not in the United States, and it is primarily utilized for the treatment of multiple sclerosis.

Several small studies and case-reports have documented the efficacy of either inhaled cannabis or oral THC in mitigating symptoms in TS patients. In a recent survey of TS patients with experience using either herbal cannabis or oral cannabinoids, those who expressed a preference between the two products said that inhaled cannabis provided superior therapeutic benefits.

Full text of the study, “Tic reduction in adult onset Gilles De La Tourette syndrome using as required Nabiximols spray,” appears in Tremor and Other Hyperkinetic Movements.

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by russellropeMedia, News August 24, 2021August 21, 2021No Comments

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Clinical Trial: Use of CBD Associated with Greater Emotional Wellness

Sao Paulo, Brazil: The daily administration of CBD is associated with lower levels of emotional exhaustion, anxiety, and depression, according to clinical trial data published in JAMA Psychiatry.

A team of investigators affiliated with the University of São Paulo in Brazil evaluated the safety and efficacy of CBD treatment in a cohort of 120 frontline health care professionals. Half of the study’s participants received 300mgs of CBD daily for a period of four weeks. Others did not receive the substance.

Those undergoing CBD treatment exhibited fewer signs of emotional exhaustion and burnout as compared to those subjects who did not. CBD consumption was also associated with less anxiety and depression. However, five of the subjects assigned to use CBD had to eventually drop out of the trial after suffering from serious adverse events, including elevated liver enzymes.

“This randomized clinical trial found that the efficacy and safety of daily treatment with CBD, 300 mg, for 4 weeks combined with standard care was superior to standard care alone for reducing the symptoms of emotional exhaustion, anxiety, and depression among frontline health care professionals working with patients with COVID-19,” authors concluded. “Cannabidiol may act as an effective agent for the reduction of burnout symptoms among a population with important mental health needs worldwide.”

Full text of the study, “Efficacy and safety of cannabidiol plus standard care vs standard care alone for the treatment of emotional exhaustion and burnout among frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: A Randomized clinical trial,” appears in JAMA Psychiatry.

Study: Medical Cannabis Laws Associated with Declines in Youth Cigarette Use

Irvine, CA: The enactment of medical cannabis access laws is associated with reduced rates of cigarette smoking among young people, according to data published in the journal Cannabis.

A team of researchers affiliated with the University of California at Irvine and with Pennsylvania State University assessed the relationship between medical cannabis legalization laws and cigarette initiation among adolescents.

They concluded: “Our results indicate lower odds of initiating cigarettes, in every age group (8 years old or younger, 9-10, 11-12, 13-14, 15-16, 17 years old or older) in states with MMLs [medical marijuana laws] when compared to non-MML states. … Further research should evaluate how MMLs and recreational marijuana policies are associated with e-cigarette initiation and use.”

Data published recently in the journal Nicotine & Tobacco Research reported that the passage of adult-use marijuana laws is not associated with any uptick in youth tobacco use.

Full text of the study, “State medical marijuana laws and initiation of cigarettes among adolescents in the US, 1991-2015,” appears in Cannabis.

California: Retailers Not Selling Cannabis to Underage Patrons

San Diego, CA: Marijuana retailers in California consistently check IDs prior to making cannabis sales, according to data published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics.

A pair of researchers affiliated with the University of California at San Diego and with UCLA assessed retailers’ compliance with the state’s minimum age laws.

Consistent with prior studies, investigators identified virtually no incidences of retailers selling cannabis to patrons without first validating that they were age 21 or older.

They reported, “California laws further require ID check before any purchase, and overall compliance with this rule was high at 678 [out of 700 eligible] RCDs [recreational cannabis dispensaries] (96.8 percent).”

Studies from other states where marijuana sales are legal, such as Colorado and Oregon, have similarly reported exceptionally high compliance rates among licensed facilities.

Full text of the study, “Assessment of recreational cannabis dispensaries’ compliance with underage access and marketing restrictions in California,” appears in JAMA Pediatrics.

Michigan: Most Residents Live Within 20 Minutes of a Marijuana Retailer

East Lansing, MI: A supermajority of Michigan residents live in close proximity to a licensed marijuana retail establishment, according to a geographic analysis by the Anderson Economic Group.

Their report indicates that adult-use retail stores are integrated throughout most of the state. “Over 80 percent of Michiganders now live within a 20-minute drive of an adult-use retail store,” said Brian Peterson, AEG director of public policy and economic analysis. “Our analysis shows that the retailers have established themselves across the state in order to meet consumer demand for cannabis.”

The Michigan experience differs from that of some other states, like California, where a majority of cities have prohibited the establishment of local retail stores. In New Jersey, where commercial sales are expected to begin next year, nearly half of cities and towns have opted out of permitting local marijuana businesses.

Nearly 750 commercial retailers are currently operating in Michigan. About 55 percent of retailers cater to medical cannabis patients, while the remaining 45 percent of stores are adult-use facilities.

Full text of the AEG analysis is online.

Maine: Non-Residents Eligible for Commercial Marijuana Licenses

Augusta, ME: A federal court judge has struck down regulations barring out-of-state companies from operating marijuana dispensaries.

At issue was a 2011 rule mandating that licensed medical cannabis retailers must be in-state residents. In her ruling, US District Court Judge Nancy Torres opined that Maine’s medical cannabis industry is not “wholly interstate” – as dispensaries are permitted to sell to those from other states. Therefore, she determined that it was inconsistent for the law to provide preferences to in-state residents wishing to sell medical cannabis.

Earlier this year, state officials set aside a separate regulation mandating that applicants seeking adult-use sales licenses must be in-state residents.

Going forward, out-of-state residents will be able to seek licensure to operate both medical cannabis and/or adult-use retail facilities.

The full text of the ruling, Northeast Patients Group v. Maine Department of Administrative and Financial Services, is available online.

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by russellropeMedia, News August 17, 2021August 14, 2021No Comments

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Study: Combined Administration of Oral THC and PEA Effective in Patients with Refractory Tourette’s Syndrome

New Haven, CT: The combined administration of oral THC (dronabinol) and the endogenous compound PEA (palmitoylethanolamide) is associated with symptomatic improvements in patients with treatment-resistant Tourette’s syndrome (TS), according to observational trial data published in the Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences.

A team of Yale University researchers assessed the use of THX-110 (a proprietary combination of THC and PEA) over a period of 12 weeks in a cohort of patients with refractory TS.

Authors reported that participants’ tic symptoms improved within one week of treatment and continued to improve over time. Treatment with THX-110 was well-tolerated by the majority of subjects.

They concluded: “THX-110 treatment led to an average improvement in tic symptoms of roughly 20 percent, or a 7-point decrease in the YGTSS [Yale Global Tic Severity Scale] total tic score. … Our open trial of THX-110 treatment supports an emerging body of evidence suggesting that cannabinoid compounds may be effective for the treatment of Tourette’s syndrome.”

Full text of the study, “A Phase-2 pilot study of a therapeutic combination of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol and palmitoylethanolamide for adults with Tourette’s syndrome,” appears in the Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences.

Analysis: Legal Cannabis Sales Projected to Reach $43 Billion By 2025

Washington, DC: Retail marijuana sales in the United States are projected to reach $43 billion per year by 2025, according to an economic analysis by New Frontier Data.

Legal marijuana sales have increased to historic levels in recent months, with sales totaling nearly $6 billion in the first quarter of this year. Retail sales are projected to increase in the coming months as additional states – such as New Jersey and New York – begin licensing cannabis retailers.

The New Frontier Data analysis estimates that by 2025, “42 percent of total annual US cannabis demand will be met by legal purchases in regulated marketplaces.”

Of the $43 billion in projected annual sales in 2025, analysts estimate that roughly 62 percent of transactions will involve adult-use purchases while the remaining 38 percent will be medical cannabis sales.

For more information, see the NORML fact sheet ‘Marijuana Regulation: Impact on Health, Safety, Economy.’

Israel: Politicians Narrowly Reject Measure Depenalizing Cannabis Possession

Jerusalem, Israel: Members of the Israeli Parliament have narrowly defeated legislation that sought to depenalize activities involving the possession and cultivation of cannabis by adults.

The proposal sought to eliminate criminal and civil penalties involving the possession of up to 50 grams of cannabis and/or the home-cultivation of personal use quantities of the plant. The legislation failed in the Israeli Knesset (Parliament) by a vote of 55 to 52.

Lawmakers decriminalized low-level marijuana possession offenses in 2017 – subjecting first-time and second-time offenders to a fine-only penalties. The production and prescribed use of medical cannabis is permitted nationwide.

Additional information on Israeli cannabis laws is available on Lexology.

Survey: Many Patients with Spine-Related Pain Turning to CBD

New York, NY: An estimated one-in-four patients with spine-related pain report using CBD to combat their symptoms, according to survey data published in the International Journal of Spine Surgery.

Researchers anonymously surveyed patients at a spinal surgery clinical in New York over a four-week period.

Twenty-five percent of respondents acknowledged either using or having used CBD for symptom control. Nearly half (46 percent) of users reported that it mitigated their pain. Thirty-three percent said that the use of CBD improved sleep and 20 percent said that it reduced their anxiety. By contrast, nearly 25 percent of users reported no therapeutic benefits from CBD.

Authors concluded: “This is the first study, to our knowledge, to examine the consumption patterns and perceived effects of CBD in patients with spinal pathology. This investigation demonstrates that CBD is a prevalent alternative therapy used by many patients with spine-related symptoms. As the popularity of the supplement is only expected to increase over time, spine surgeons must educate themselves on the evidence behind the use of CBD, understand its legal status, and be aware of the potential for mislabeling of ingredients.”

Full text of the study, “Prevalence of cannabidiol use in patients with spine complaints: Results of an anonymous survey,” appears in the International Journal of Spine Surgery.

New Hampshire: Governor Signs Law Expanding Patients’ Medical Cannabis Access

Concord, NH: Republican Gov. Chris Sununu has signed legislation into law expanding the pool of patients eligible for medical cannabis access.

House Bill 605 permits physicians to recommend cannabis therapy to patients with opioid use disorder. Some studies have shown that the use of cannabis is associated with greater rates of treatment retention in patients with OUD and that cannabinoids may mitigate opioid-related cravings.

Separate provisions in the law permit non-resident patients who possess a valid registration from another state to legally possess and purchase limited quantities of medical cannabis from dispensaries in New Hampshire.

The new law takes effect in early October. Additional information is available from the NORML fact sheet, ‘Relationship Between Marijuana and Opioids.’

Alaska: Regulatory Change Permits for Greater THC Levels in Edible Products

Juneau, AK: Regulatory changes set to take effect on September 1, 2021 will allow adult-use cannabis retailers and manufacturers to provide edible products containing elevated quantities of THC.

The new rules raise the amount of THC permissible in a single serving of an adult-use edible product from 5mg of THC to 10mg. Multi-serving products will be permitted to contain up to 100mgs of THC – twice the amount previously permitted under the law. The regulatory changes were codified on August 2.

The rule change comes at a time when lawmakers in a handful of states have recently debated imposing new rules lowering the amount of THC permissible in certain products. Specifically, recently passed legislation in Colorado reduced the quantity of THC concentrates that younger patients may purchase in a single day, and called on public health officials to consider making further recommendations regarding the availability of higher-potency THC products.

#NORML #News @WeedConnection

by russellropeMedia, News August 10, 2021August 14, 2021No Comments

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Study: Medical Cannabis Treatment Associated with Sustained Relief, Decreased Use of Analgesics in Chronic Pain Patients

Haifa, Israel: Patients diagnosed with chronic pain experience sustained relief from the use of medical cannabis, and many of them reduce or eliminate their use of analgesic drugs over time, according to longitudinal data published in the European Journal of Pain.

A team of Israeli investigators evaluated the safety and efficacy of medical cannabis treatment over a one-year period in patients with chronic pain. Most subjects in the study consumed cannabis via smoking.

Following treatment, subjects’ average pain intensity declined from baseline by 20 percent. Nearly half of the subjects who had been using analgesic medications at the start of trial were no longer using them by the study’s end.

Authors reported: “Forty-three percent of the patients who had been using analgesic medications prior to MC [medical cannabis] treatment initiation were no longer using them. This was true for all classes of analgesic drugs including over the counter analgesics, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, anticonvulsants and antidepressants. As for opioid use, 24 percent and 20 percent of the participants who had been using weak or strong opioids, respectively, at baseline stopped using them by the time they reached the 12-month follow-up.’

They concluded, “This prospective study provides further evidence for the effects of medical cannabis on chronic pain and related symptoms, demonstrating an overall mild-to-modest long-term improvement of the tested measures and identifying possible predictors for treatment success.’

Full text of the study, “Medical cannabis treatment for chronic pain: Outcomes and prediction of response,’ appears in the European Journal of Pain.

Clinical Trial: Sublingual Administration of CBD Is Effective in Patients with Diabetic Neuropathy

West Bloomfield, MI: The administration of a proprietary, water-soluble CBD tablet mitigates neuropathic foot pain compared to placebo, according to randomized clinical trial data published in the Journal of Diabetes & Metabolism.

Researchers affiliated with Pure Green Pharmaceuticals assessed the efficacy of sublingual CBD tablets (20mg) versus placebo in a cohort of subjects with painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy (pDPN) pain in their feet. Subjects were administered either the active drug or a placebo three times per day for 28 days.

Those taking the active drug reported significant reductions in pain compared to placebo and no adverse side-effects. Subjects taking CBD also reported improvements in their sleep quality and reduced levels of anxiety.

Authors concluded: “This 28-day trial revealed statistically and clinically significant improvement in pain and a clinically significant improvement in sleep quality and in anxiety reduction for those in the CBD treatment group. Additionally, subjects taking CBD affirmed these results by having a statistically significant greater response to treatment as compared with subjects taking placebo. The benefit of this study demonstrates that the sublingual 20 mg CBD tablet should be considered as a safe and effective treatment for pDPN.’

Numerous placebo-controlled clinical trials similarly document the ability of whole-plant cannabis to mitigate neuropathic pain in a wide range of patient populations, including in subjects with HIV and diabetes.

Full text of the study, “Cannabidiol for the treatment of painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy of the feet: A placebo-controlled, double-blind, randomized trial,’ appears in the Journal of Diabetes & Metabolism.

Marijuana Legalization Laws Don’t Undermine Tobacco Smoking Prevention Efforts

Columbus, OH: State-level changes to the legal status of cannabis have not limited the effectiveness of anti-tobacco smoking efforts targeting young adults, according to data published in the journal Nicotine & Tobacco Research.

A team of investigators with Ohio State University and with Purdue University in Indiana assessed the impact of medical cannabis access laws and adult-use legalization laws on cigarette smoking patterns among young adults.

They reported, “Cannabis policy liberalization is not associated with individual-level patterns of cigarette use.’

Authors concluded: “[T]he liberalization of cannabis laws does not disrupt gains made through the implementation of tobacco control policies. Also, we see no evidence that liberalized cannabis policies are directly associated with increased smoking behaviors among young adults. Within a context of rapidly changing cannabis policies throughout the U.S. and several countries, these results provide positive news that newly implemented cannabis laws may not adversely affect tobacco control efforts that have reduced cigarette use among young people.’

The findings differ from those of an unpublished working paper by a pair of students at the University of Texas, Dallas which contends that cigarette sales have slightly increased in some adult-use legalization states.

Full text of the study, “Further consideration of the impact of tobacco control policies on young adult smoking in light of the liberalization of cannabis policies,’ appears in Nicotine & Tobacco Research.

Survey: Over 90 Percent of Chronic Pain Patients Report Mitigating Their Use of Opioids

Tel Aviv, Israel: The overwhelming majority of pain patients provided medical cannabis treatment report either reducing or ceasing their use of opioid medications, according to data published in the Journal of Addictive Diseases.

A team of Israeli investigators affiliated with Tel Aviv University assessed the relationship between cannabis and opioids in a cohort of patients with non-cancer specific chronic pain. All of the patients enrolled in the study were prescribed medical cannabis therapy in accordance with Israel’s medical cannabis access laws.

Among those patients who reported using opioids at baseline, 93 percent either “decreased or stopped [using] opioids following cannabis initiation’ – a finding that is consistent with dozens of other studies.

Full text of the study, “Risk and benefit of cannabis prescription for chronic non-cancer pain,’ appears in the Journal of Addictive Disorders.

Case Report: Cannabis Associated with Improvements in a Patient with Refractory Stuttering

Warsaw, Poland: The use of herbal cannabis is associated with marked improvements in a patient with treatment-resistant stuttering, according to a case report published in the journal Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research.

A team of investigators affiliated with the Medical University of Warsaw (Poland) and with Hannover Medical School (Germany) presented the case of a 20-year-old male patient with refractory stuttering. Following the daily administration of vaporized plant cannabis, the patient exhibited sustained improvements in speech fluency and also reported benefits to his overall quality of life. The patient did not report any adverse side effects from cannabis over the one-year observational period.

Authors reported: “[T]his is the first case report of a patient suffering from impairing and treatment-resistant stuttering, who markedly improved after treatment with medicinal cannabis. Based on patient’s self-report and reports of family and friends, as well as several established assessments, use of cannabis resulted not only in an improvement of stuttering but also remission of (social) anxiety, and reduced depression and stress, as well as improved sleep, attention, concentration, self-confidence, social life, and overall quality of life without any side effect. Importantly, treatment effects did not decrease over time.’

They concluded, “Medicinal cannabis could be effective in treatment of refractory stuttering, but these preliminary data have to be confirmed in controlled studies.’

While this is the first case report specific to the efficacy of cannabis in the case of a patient with a stuttering disorder, several prior studies have documented the ability of THC to improve symptoms in patients with Tourette Syndrome.

Full text of the study, “Cannabis improves stuttering: Case report and interview with the patient,’ appears in Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research.

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by russellropeNews August 3, 2021August 1, 2021No Comments

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Proximity to Marijuana Retailers Doesn’t Influence Young People’s Intention to Use Cannabis

Santa Monica, CA: Young adults who live near state-licensed marijuana retailers are no more likely to express an intention to use either cannabis or tobacco than those who do not, according to data published in The Journal of Cannabis Research.

Researchers with the RAND Corporation and with the University of Southern California assessed the relationship between the density of marijuana retailers and subjects’ intentions to use either cannabis or tobacco in a cohort of young adults (ages 18 to 23) living in Los Angeles county.

Authors reported, “Living near more outlets of any type was not significantly associated with intentions to use in the full sample, adjusting for individual- and neighborhood-level characteristics.”

They concluded: “This is the first study to simultaneously examine the density of both MCDs [medical cannabis dispensaries] and RCRs [recreational cannabis retailers] around young adults’ homes and associations with future intentions to use cannabis, including the co-use of cannabis with tobacco/nicotine. Our results suggest that young adults who lived in an area with a greater density of any type of outlet were not significantly more likely to report stronger intentions to use cannabis, e-cigarettes, or cannabis mixed with tobacco/nicotine in the future.”

Their findings are consistent with those of prior studies similarly concluding that the prevalence of cannabis retailers is not positively associated with increases in either marijuana use or access among younger people.

Full text of the study, “Density of medical and recreational cannabis outlets: racial/ethnic differences in the association with young adult intentions to use cannabis, e-cigarettes, and cannabis mixed with tobacco/nicotine,” appears in The Journal of Cannabis Research.

Canada: No Uptick in Trauma Patients Testing Positive for Cannabis Post-Legalization

London, Canada: The enactment of adult-use marijuana legalization is not associated with any immediate uptick in the percentage of trauma patients testing positive for past cannabis exposure, according to data published in the Canadian Journal of Surgery.

A team of researchers with Western University in London, Ontario evaluated adults admitted into a leading Canadian trauma center in the three months immediately prior to and immediately following legalization. Subjects were screened for the presence of cannabis metabolites upon admission. Most patients were admitted to the trauma unit following motor vehicle collisions.

Investigators reported: “We found that the rate of positive cannabinoid screen results among patients with trauma referred directly to our trauma service was similar in the 3 months before and [in] the 3 months after the legalization of recreational cannabis in Canada. … In the subgroup of patients whose mechanism of trauma was a motor vehicle collision, there was no difference in the rate of positive toxicology screen results or positive cannabinoid screen results between the two periods.”

They concluded, “These preliminary single-center data showing no increased rates of cannabis use in patients with trauma after legalization are reassuring.”

The data is consistent with prior studies showing no significant changes in traffic safety in the months immediately following the enactment of adult-use legalization. However, separate assessments evaluating longer-term trends in traffic safety following legalization have yielded mixed results.

Full text of the study, “Drug use in Canadian patients with trauma after cannabis legalization,” appears in the Canadian Journal of Surgery.

Daily Cannabis Use Associated with Reduced Neuroinflammation in HIV Patients

San Diego, CA: HIV+ patients who consume cannabis on a daily basis possess lower levels of neuroinflammation as compared to non-users, according to data published in the Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society.

Investigators with the University of California, San Diego evaluated the relationship between cannabis use and CNS (central nervous system) inflammation in a cohort of patients with and without HIV.

Researchers reported that HIV+ subjects who consumed cannabis daily possessed lower levels of chronic inflammation than did HIV+ subjects who abstained from marijuana. Further, users’ results were similar to those of HIV- subjects with no history of cannabis use.

Daily consumers also achieved better on measurements of cognitive performance than did those HIV+ patients with no history of regular use – a finding that is consistent with prior analyses of HIV+ patients.

Authors concluded, “Taken together, findings are consistent with the notion that cannabinoids may modulate inflammatory processes in PWH [patients with HIV], specifically in the CNS, and suggest a link between lower CNS inflammation and better neurocognitive function. … Future studies in PWH are needed to investigate potential distinct effects of specific cannabinoids, and adult medicinal use, on brain structure and function.”

Full text of the study, “Daily cannabis use is associated with lower CNS inflammation in people with HIV,” appears in the Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society.

Study: Cannabis Use Not Linked to Motivation Loss

Miami, FL: Marijuana use by teens is not independently associated with an increased risk of so-called ‘Amotivational syndrome,” according to longitudinal data published in the Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society.

A team of researchers affiliated with Florida International University assessed the association between cannabis use and motivation in a cohort of 401 adolescents (ages 14 to 17) over two years.

Authors reported that adolescents’ cannabis use was not associated with any significant changes in motivation, apathy, or engagement after investigators controlled for subjects’ use of alcohol and tobacco, among other potential confounders (such as age, sex, and depression).

They reported, “[D]espite significant increases in levels of cannabis use in our sample, change in cannabis use did not predict changes in motivation, which suggests that cannabis use may not lead to reductions in motivation over time.”

The study’s authors concluded: “Our findings do not support a relationship between cannabis use and reductions in motivation over time in a sample of adolescents at risk for escalation in cannabis use. … The current study contributes to the extant literature by examining these associations longitudinally in a large sample of adolescent cannabis users while controlling for important and often overlooked confounds, including sex and depression. … Future studies should continue to examine these associations longitudinally to determine whether heavier levels of cannabis use lead to reductions in motivation, and whether these reductions may be responsible for poorer educational and later life outcomes.”

Full text of the study, “Evidence lacking for cannabis users slacking: A longitudinal analysis of escalating cannabis use and motivation among adolescents,” appears in the Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society.

Analysis: Tax Increases on Cigarettes Don’t Influence Youth Marijuana Use

Bozeman, MT: Tax measures enacted to increase the costs of cigarettes do not inadvertently influence more young people to switch to marijuana, according to data published in the National Tax Journal.

A trio of economists assessed whether increased taxes on cigarettes influenced young adults to gravitate toward marijuana instead.

They reported, “The spillover effect of cigarette taxes on youth marijuana use has been the subject of intense public debate. Opponents of cigarette taxes warn that tax hikes will cause youths to substitute toward marijuana. … We find little evidence to suggest that teen marijuana use is sensitive to changes in the state cigarette tax.”

Authors also analyzed the effect of medical and recreational marijuana legalization laws upon youth cigarette and cannabis use. Consistent with prior studies, they reported, “We find that both state MMLs [medical marijuana laws] and RMLs [recreational marijuana laws] are associated with decreases in teen marijuana consumption, consistent with the hypothesis that selling to minors becomes a relatively risky proposition for licensed marijuana dispensaries.”

Full text of the study, “Cigarette taxes and teen marijuana use,” is available from the National Tax Journal.