United States
Higher than US
Lower than US
US Average
Past-month marijuana use ages 12 and older, 2017-2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health State Estimates.
Marijuana & Legalization
EU drug agency flags CBD market issues in report on low-THC cannabis products
12/23/20--The Lisbon-based European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction published the report on Monday, detailing the results of a study that kicked off in 2018 and aimed to provide insight into the open sale of low-THC products in Europe. Read FDA warns companies illegally selling CBD products
12/22/20--Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued five warning letters to companies for selling products containing cannabidiol (CBD) in ways that violate the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act). All five warning letters address the illegal marketing of unapproved CBD products claiming to treat medical conditions. Read Status of State Marijuana Legalization: November 2020
11/20/20--This brief provides an update to the status of state marijuana laws in the United States, following the November 2020 election. Although marijuana remains illegal at the federal level, 35 states and the District of Columbia have now legalized medical marijuana, with sixteen (16) of those jurisdictions also legalizing recreational marijuana use. Overall, nearly 69% of U.S. residents now live in a state with legalized medical or recreational marijuana use. Read Who is backing New Approach, the top cannabis legalization PAC?
11/3/20--New Approach PAC is the top backer of cannabis ballot measures. According to Cannabis Wire, the PAC has raised nearly $10 million in 2020, and it is backing every campaign for medical or adult use legalization in 2020, except in Arizona. New Approach’s top contributors include philanthropist Cari Tuna, Napster founder Sean Parker, and philanthropist Alexandra Cohen. Read Marijuana legalization proponents outraising opponents 36-to-1 in 2020
10/27/20--Financial support for marijuana legalization, both medical and recreational, has grown significantly in 2020 compared to 2016. Proponents of state ballot measures have outraised opponents this election season by almost 36-to-1, a massive increase from four years ago when advocates outstripped the opposition by only 4-to-1. Read Marijuana & Health
Add-on cannabidiol treatment for drug-resistant seizures in Tuberous Sclerosis complex
12/23/20--In this study, both cannabidiol dosages were equally efficacious in reducing tuberous sclerosis complex–associated seizures compared with placebo, but the smaller dosage led to fewer adverse events. Read Cannabis-related psychosis, addiction, ER visits: For young users, marijuana can be a dangerous game
12/23/20--Marijuana is generating increasing concern as a dependency-causing drug capable of serious impairment and harm, particularly among its youngest users. While it was once doubted as an addictive substance, treatment professionals now say they are seeing more adolescents and young adults with cannabis use disorder. Often starting in their early teens, many graduate to daily use. Read Researchers find nationwide links between vaping and COVID-19
12/2/20--According to an analysis led by Dongmei Li, Ph.D., an expert in biostatistics at the University of Rochester Medical Center, states with more vapers had larger numbers of daily coronavirus cases and deaths in the early weeks of the pandemic — with New York state as a hot spot. The study adds to growing national data that links vaping and the coronavirus, and it raises more concerns about vaping, which has also been linked to outbreaks of other illnesses and deaths from the chemicals in vaping products. Read Comorbid cannabis use disorder with major depression and generalized anxiety disorder
12/16/20--This review confirms the evidence of high prevalence and a 3-fold comorbid association between CUD with MD and CUD with GAD. Implementation of evidence-based policy interventions with effective, integrated management of comorbid CUDs with psychiatric disorders may contribute to positive patient outcomes. Read Cannabis use, cannabis use disorder, and comorbid psychiatric illness: A narrative review
12/23/20--According to this narrative review designed to provide a concise overview of the literature on the comorbidity of cannabis use and cannabis use disorder (CUD) with other substance use and psychiatric disorders, empirical evidence shows that cannabis use is associated both with CUD and comorbid psychiatric illness -- although the general population in the United States increasingly perceives cannabis to be a harmless substance. Read Marijuana & Safety
Analysis of US teen driving marijuana, 2017
12/23/20--This study aiming to estimate the prevalence of and factors associated with driving after using marijuana (DAUM) among US teenaged drivers found that almost half (48.8%) of teen drivers who currently use marijuana reported DAUM, which is 17% higher than the rate found in a study of first-year college students in 2012. The study also found that the prevalence of DAUM (12.7%) was more than double the prevalence of drinking and driving (5.0%), perhaps reflecting teens’ perception that DAUM is less dangerous and more acceptable than driving after using alcohol. Read Impaired driving
12/28/20--CDC reports that every day 29 people in the United States die in motor vehicle crashes that involve an alcohol-impaired driver.1 This is one death every 50 minutes.1 The annual cost of alcohol-related crashes totals more than $44 billion. Fortunately, there are effective measures that can help prevent injuries and deaths from alcohol-impaired driving. Read With pot rules relaxed, more U.S. teens driving while high: Study
12/30/20--According to a new study lead by researcher Dr. Motao Zhu, professor of epidemiology at Ohio State University College of Public Health, the wave of marijuana legalization that has swept the United States has likely contributed to the problem of driving under the influence by making pot easier than ever to obtain. Survey results on youth risk behaviors indicates that overall twice as many teens report driving under the influence of marijuana than admit to drinking and driving. Read Effect of Cannabidiol and Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol on Driving Performance
12/1/20--In a crossover clinical trial that assessed driving performance during on-road driving tests, the SDLP following vaporized THC-dominant and THC/CBD-equivalent cannabis compared with placebo was significantly greater at 40 to 100 minutes but not 240 to 300 minutes after vaporization; there were no significant differences between CBD-dominant cannabis and placebo. However, the effect size for CBD-dominant cannabis may not have excluded clinically important impairment, and the doses tested may not represent common usage. Read Driving under the influence of CBD of THC – Is there a difference?
12/1/20--According to a JAMA article, little is known about how people who consume CBD fare behind the wheel. Much of the research into cannabis’s effect on driving performance has focused on the whole plant and its other main cannabinoid, tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, which produces euphoria. Read Marijuana & Commerce
How state marijuana legalization became a boon for corruption
12/27/20--In the past decade, 15 states have legalized a regulated marijuana market for adults over 21, and another 17 have legalized medical marijuana. But in their rush to limit the numbers of licensed vendors and give local municipalities control of where to locate dispensaries, they created something else: A market for local corruption. Read The fight over who gets to sell weed in New Jersey
12/29/20--Voters in New Jersey were set to issue a verdict on legal marijuana. New Jersey voters amended the state constitution and joined the ranks of the now 15 states that have approved recreational pot use and sales. The measure was broadly popular: More than two-thirds of voters were in favor, a margin higher than in any other state so far, and the amendment is expected to create a pot market second only in size to California’s. Many have hailed the voters’ decision, including Gov. Phil Murphy, who championed the measure. Read THC-infused tonics find their place in cannabis beverage market in 2020
12/23/20--According to an article published in Cannabis Dispensary, several companies—from cannabis giants like Canopy Growth and Acreage Holdings to historic, household brands like Pabst Blue Ribbon (PBR)—have placed their bets on cannabis-infused beverages, announcing releases (or plans to) in Q4 2020. Read University at Buffalo and Charlotte’s Web announce collaboration to advance hemp cannabinoid science
11/19/20--Charlotte's Web Holdings, Inc., the market leader in hemp CBD extract products, announces a collaboration between its CW Labs science division and the University at Buffalo's Center for Integrated Global Biomedical Sciences to advance hemp cannabinoid science through a research program that provides a better understanding of the therapeutic uses and safety of cannabinoids. Read Cannabis company Aphria to acquire SweetWater Brewing for $300M
11/4/20--Canadian cannabis giant Aphria is expanding into the U.S. with its $300 million acquisition of SweetWater Brewing Company, according to a release. The deal is expected to close by the end of 2020. Based on volume, SweetWater Brewing is one of the biggest independent craft brewers in the U.S. Aphria has several medical and adult-use cannabis brands in Canada. Read Marijuana & Culture
Opinion/Letter: Science ignored on marijuana legalization
12/6/20--A commentary, authored by Carol Formica of Middletown, discusses Newport Planning Board’s rejection of the ban on marijuana sales in Newport. She questions how can the same government leaders in Newport who have used science to support their positions on climate change, advocated for a brighter future and better education for their students, and pointed to statistical guidelines to address issues of public health and safety during the pandemic, simply turn away from the science and evidence-based data regarding the societal impacts of marijuana legalization. Read The Schedule I Status of Marijuana
9/11/20--The Controlled Substances Act (CSA) places various substances in one of five schedules based on their medical use, potential for abuse, and safety or risk for dependence. Marijuana is listed as a Schedule I controlled substance under the CSA, and has been on Schedule I since the CSA was enacted in 1970 (P.L. 91-513). The Schedule I status of marijuana means that the substance is strictly regulated by federal authorities. Read IRS sweetens the pot with new marijuana industry web page
9/14/20--The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has released a new marijuana business webpage to help business owners understand and meet their tax responsibilities. The IRS says that it “understands this is a new and growing industry and provided frequently asked questions about record keeping, cash payment options, large cash amounts, and other related topics to help promote voluntary compliance in the industry.” Read How legal weed destroyed a counterculture icon
9/4/20--Constantly running afoul of authorities, High Times magazine became an icon of the counterculture and an indispensable guide to the underground world of cannabis. It also survived the suicide of its outlaw founder, the war on drugs, and three federal grand jury investigations, as reported in a Politico article. But now that cannabis has become legal across much of the country, High Times finds itself in a different kind of trouble. Read Twitter partners with feds on campaign flagging ‘marijuana’ searches while giving ‘alcohol’ a pass
9/10/20--Twitter is partnering with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), a federal drug agency, to promote substance misuse treatment resources when users of the social media platform search for “marijuana” or certain other substance-related keywords—but no such health warning appears with results for alcohol-connected terms. Read Marijuana & Enforcement
9 amicus briefs filed with Supreme Court in support of removing cannabis from Controlled Substances Act
9/17/20--Plaintiffs in the Washington v. Barr case, which seeks to declare the federal law that criminalizes marijuana unconstitutional, have received impressive support in the form of several amicus briefs from cannabis industry organizations, researchers and current federal lawmakers. The case, brought by former NFL player and current cannabis business owner Marvin Washington, claims that the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) is unconstitutional by blocking patient access to the medication and sits in contradiction with the U.S. government’s own statements. Read “False and Misleading:” Suit claims select vapes contain less THC than labelled
7/31/20--A new class action lawsuit against Oregon cannabis company Cura CS LLC seeks more than $10M over claims that its Select Elite vape cartridges contained much less THC than labeled. Read Court Denies DEA’s attempt to dismiss medical marijuana case
8/21/20--On Tuesday, the Ninth Circuit filed a one-page order denying the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)’s motion to dismiss in a lawsuit in which the Scottsdale Research Institute and its president, Dr. Suzanne Sisley, are attempting to reschedule medical marijuana. Read
SEC files charges in $25 million cannabis-related offering fraud
7/29/20--The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced charges against six individuals and their companies for defrauding investors in connection with unregistered securities offerings that raised over $25 million. Read Cannabis companies facing proposed class-action lawsuit over alleged mislabelling
6/18/20--Some major cannabis companies in Canada are facing a multi-million dollar proposed class-action lawsuit over allegations the potency of their products is “drastically different” than advertised. The statement of claim filed in Calgary on Tuesday accuses the companies of failing to properly label their products and alleges negligence on their part. Read