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
Company recalls injectable CBD products following FDA warning letter
5/21/20--A Food and Drug Administration (FDA) letter warning Biota Biosciences about its marketing of injectable CBD products has led to a voluntary recall that the federal agency announced on Wednesday. The agency said the company was violating federal statutes both by engaging in interstate commerce of an unapproved new drug and failing to properly label the products by neglecting to include directions for use. Read Consumer Brands Association launches Coalition for Smart CBD Regulation
5/21/20--The Consumer Brands Association today announced the launch of the Coalition for Smart CBD Regulation, a cross-industry group committed to protecting consumer safety and advocating for necessary resources and uniform federal policies around cannabidiol (CBD). Read Assessing the public health impacts of legalizing recreational cannabis use: the US experience
5/11/20--Wayne Hall Michael Lynskey review US research on the effects of legalization on cannabis use among adults and adolescents and on cannabis‐related harms; the impact of legalizing adult recreational use on cannabis price, availability, potency and use; and regulatory policies that may increase or limit adverse effects of legalization. Read Considering the health and social welfare impacts of non‐medical cannabis legalization
5/11/20--Hall and Lynskey review the state of knowledge to date regarding cannabis legalization's impact on public health outcomes. As they correctly observe, the current (mostly North America‐based) evidence base regarding the impacts of legalization is limited, and mixed, including heterogeneous effects on cannabis use and related harms. Read To legalize or not to legalize cannabis, that is the question!
5/11/20--Hall and Lynskey highlight that two of the key arguments of the legalization lobby are: a) that it will reduce adolescent access, and b) that the available cannabis will be safer and less potent because of state‐controlled levels of its active ingredient, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). They also give a comprehensive snapshot of the outcomes that have followed the changes in cannabis law since 2012 in the US. Read Marijuana & Health
Cannabis use and fungal infections in a commercially insured population, United States, 2016
6/1/20--In this study, health insurance claims data from 2016 was used to evaluate the prevalence of fungal infection diagnosis codes among persons who use cannabis and persons who do not use cannabis and to compare demographic and clinical features between these 2 groups. Study results indicate that within this large commercially insured population in the United States, cannabis use was associated with a higher prevalence of certain fungal infections. Although these infections were uncommon, they can result in substantial illness and even death, particularly in immunocompromised persons. Read Acute effects of cannabinoids on symptoms of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: A human laboratory study
5/7/20--This is the first placebo-controlled investigation of cannabis in adults with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). The data suggest that smoked cannabis, whether containing primarily THC or CBD, has little acute impact on OCD symptoms and yields smaller reductions in anxiety compared to placebo. Read Intensity of cannabis use: Findings from three online surveys
5/1/20--Respondents who reported using cannabis daily (i.e., 30 days in the past month) consumed almost twice as much per day of use on average as did those reporting less than daily. The study finds only modest increases in intensity among those using less than daily, but then a substantial increase (p< 0.001) for those who use daily. Read Trump Admin could let researchers study marijuana dispensary products, scientist argues after DOJ memo released
5/1/20--Sue Sisley of the Scottsdale Research Institute (SRI), who is involved in a case that forced the release of a previously “secret” Justice Department document about federally authorized marijuana research this week, is now calling on Congress to urge administrative action to more rapidly expand studies into the therapeutic potential of cannabis. Read Heavy pot use linked to mental problems, even after quitting
4/30/20--Nearly half of people who have been or are now dependent on pot have some form of mental illness or dependence on another substance, according to a report this month in the journal Advances in Preventative Medicine. That compares with 8% of people with no history of pot dependence have mental illness or another drug or alcohol addiction. Read Marijuana & Safety
Appeals Court rules that New Jersey company must cover employee’s medical cannabis costs
1/17/20--An appeals court in New Jersey has ruled that an employer must reimburse a former employee for the cost of medical cannabis in a move that could have far-reaching effects for the industry. Steve Schain, senior attorney at Hoban Law Group, views the New Jersey ruling as a monumental moment for the medical cannabis industry and its patients for other reasons, too; namely, that it may encourage private insurance companies—and perhaps even government insurance—to also cover medical cannabis. Read Driving under the influence of marijuana and illicit drugs among persons aged ≥16 Years — United States, 2018
12/20/19--According to a report published by the CDC, during 2018 approximately 12 million (4.7%) U.S. residents aged ≥16 years reported driving under the influence of marijuana, and 2.3 million (0.9%) reported driving under the influence of illicit drugs other than marijuana during the past 12 months. Thus, further indicating that the use and co-use of alcohol and drugs has been associated with impairment of psychomotor and cognitive functions while driving. Read Car crashes in pot-legal states have soared
11/13/19--Car crashes in the first three states to legalize recreational marijuana have soared as law enforcement and regulators struggle to define driving high, let alone determine how to fight it. Colorado, Oregon, and Washington saw a combined 5.2% increase in the rate of police-reported crashes after legalizing recreational marijuana, compared with neighboring states where such sales are illegal, according to data compiled and analyzed by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Researchers tallied crash rates between 2012 and 2016. Read EPA announces review of pesticide applications for hemp
8/21/19--The Environment Protection Agency (EPA) announced on Wednesday that it is seeking public input on 10 pesticide applications for hemp. The pesticides under consideration are already approved for use on other crops, but that approval does not yet extend to hemp. In a draft notice set to be published in the Federal Register, EPA said providing hemp farmers with this tool “will likely be essential to supporting the success of this industry going forward.” Read Highway Accident Brief: Collision between passenger train and refuse truck at active grade crossing, Crozet, Virginia
3/20/19--The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of the crash in Crozet, Virginia, was the truck driver’s decision to enter an active grade crossing and his inaction when he encountered obstacles while attempting to cross the railroad tracks, most likely due to his impairment from the combined effects of the drugs marijuana and gabapentin. Read Marijuana & Commerce
Charlotte’s Web earns U.S. Patent for improved hemp variety
5/20/20--Charlotte's Web has earned U.S. utility patent U.S. 10,653,085, its second U.S. patent for hemp genetics. This patent is for 'CW1AS1', a new hemp variety created by company co-founder Joel Stanley and Sr. Director of Cultivation R&D Bear Reel. The patent takes Charlotte's Web's premier proprietary genetics to the next generation, and builds a strong wall of protection around it, and the products made from it. Read Lavish parties, greedy pols and panic rooms: How the ‘Apple of Pot’ collapsed
5/24/20--In early June, 2018, MedMen looked to become the Apple of pot, the first mainstream, nationwide consumer brand for the product. Then, just a few months after its Abbot Kinney opening, it all began to unravel. The company’s stock now trades for a fraction of what it did just months earlier, and it has lost more than 95 percent of its market value. As stated in a Politico article, "MedMen stands as a cautionary tale of American Wild West capitalism." Read Who funds cannabis research? Increasingly, it’s the Industry Itself
5/14/20--Millions of dollars pour into cannabis research each year at universities across the world, and that funding is increasingly coming from the cannabis industry itself. Industry giants such as Canopy Growth, Curaleaf, Tilray, Cronos, and Charlotte’s Web have funded, or otherwise partnered on, university research on a wide range of cannabis-related issues. Read Why marijuana legalization won’t solve the industry’s problems
5/2/20--According to an article published in The Motley Fool, although legalizing marijuana could lead to significant opportunities in the industry, it won't be a band-aid solution for all of its problems. The article points out that one of the main reasons why is because marijuana companies are not profitable. and this has much more to do with a company's management than with whether it can sell across the country. Read Companies making CBD gummies, vapes, and lube got millions in bailout loans
5/2/20--The Trump administration has doled out millions in forgivable emergency loans to companies selling CBD gummies, oils and vape cartridges, despite blocking state-legal marijuana dispensaries from accessing those same rescue funds. At least three specialty CBD vendors scored a total of over $4 million in federal loans in April, according to Securities and Exchange Commission filings reviewed by VICE News. Read Marijuana & Culture
Healey joins group of bipartisan attorneys general to tell Congress to pass marijuana banking as part of coronavirus bill
5/20/20--A bipartisan coalition of 34 state and territory attorneys general, including Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, is urging Congress to pass coronavirus relief legislation that includes a provision to protect banks that serve marijuana businesses from being penalized by federal regulators. Read High Times makes bold move into marijuana retail with $80 million deal
4/28/20--The owner of pioneering cannabis magazine High Times said it is acquiring 13 operating and planned marijuana retail stores in California for $80 million. The purchase, which is being made mostly in stock, reflects an aggressive move into retail under the company’s new management team. Read High Times owner scores 13 California marijuana dispensaries
4/28/20--The owner of High Times is going to start selling marijuana after championing its use in the pages of its magazine for nearly half a century. Hightimes Holding Corp. said Tuesday is acquiring 13 dispensaries from Harvest Health and Recreation, one of the largest multi-state producers and sellers of cannabis in the U.S. Read Drs. Oz & Roizen: Medical marijuana can have negative side effects too
4/30/20--Marijuana can have serious interactions with 21+ different drugs and moderate interactions with 286+, says RxList.com. It can also trigger anxiety and paranoia, according to a study published in the Journal of Cannabis Research. Researchers at the University of Washington discovered that more than half of 1,500 students surveyed had experienced anxiety and/or paranoia while using cannabis. Read How weed became ‘whatever’: Leagues are ditching old policies
4/30/20--The only states in which any of the four major pro league teams play where there are no broad laws legalizing marijuana are Indiana, Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin. In short, sports leagues have adapted. For professional athletes, advocacy for a more lenient marijuana policy has typically centered around pain and mental health management. So what's next for marijuana in professional sports? Many expect an eventual change in the NBA, and the NFL is embracing new realities. Read Marijuana & Enforcement
Feds sue company over claims its CBD products can treat cancer
4/30/20--The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently sued the California-based Whole Leafs Organica over unsanctioned medical claims it was making about a line of CBD products and supplements by marketing products as treatment options for conditions such as cancer and COVID-19 without supporting scientific evidence. Read Playboi Carti arrested in Georgia following traffic stop
4/4/20--On Thursday, The Clayton County Sheriff’s Department announced it had arrested rapper PlayBoi Carti after a traffic stop. In a news release, the Sheriff’s Department said members of an “elite” enforcement unit pulled over a Lamborghini with an allegedly expired tag and discovered 12 bags of marijuana, 3 guns, Xanax, codeine, and oxycodone. Read Analysis: DEA releases long-awaited rules for federal cannabis research
3/20/20--In 2016, the US Drug Enforcement Administration said it would, for the first time, open applications for those hoping to become federally-licensed cannabis researchers. The details came four years later. The DEA announced Friday, to “expand opportunities for marijuana growers who seek to grow marijuana for research purposes and outline the agency’s proposed process for administering the new program, consistent with applicable law.” There will then be a public comment period. Read Proposed class action targets CBD maker over ADA website accessibility
2/7/20--Last month, a putative class action lawsuit was filed in New York federal court against Charlotte’s Web, Inc., a Colorado-based maker of cannabidiol (“CBD”) oils, balms and gummies claiming that its website is not accessible to visually impaired shoppers, in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”). Read Large-scale marijuana operation with Mass. ties shipped drugs in golf cart boxes, Feds say
1/19/20--William P. Murphy and Claudio Cardaropoli, co-conspirators in a $20 million nationwide marijuana trafficking ring, often shipped drugs in boxes purporting to contain golf carts, according to an FBI agent who testified at a hearing in U.S. District Court. Both have been charged with marijuana trafficking conspiracy, money laundering, and drug distribution. Read