United States
Higher than US
Lower than US
US Average
Usage in last month, 2016-2017 National Survey on Drug Use and Health State Estimates
Marijuana & Legalization
The leader of the DOJ marijuana working group has a message for regulators: Slow down
4/13/19--In an exclusive interview, US Attorney Billy Williams weighs in on banking, hemp, overproduction, black-market diversion—and marijuana regulators who fail to think things out. Williams’ advice to lawmakers and regulators considering legalization? “Slow down, wake up, and get serious about what you’re doing.” Read The Marijuana Policy Project helped bring the US to the brink of legalization. Now what?
4/16/19--During a one-on-one interview with Cannabis Wire co-founder Alyson Martin, Steve Hawkins, the new executive director of the Marijuana Policy Project, talks equity, federal legalization, and the organization’s role in the booming, multibillion dollar global cannabis industry, while also discussing the future of the Marijuana Policy Project organization, which has been on the ground floor of marijuana legalization in the US since the 1990s. Read Doctors oppose legalizing marijuana in New York and three other states
3/22/19--Groups representing doctors in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Delaware released a rare joint statement opposing the legalization of recreational marijuana in their states. “We have serious concerns about the lack of scientific evidence that supports recreational marijuana use by adults and young adults. Most importantly, not enough research has been done to prove marijuana is safe,” the presidents of the four state medical societies said. Read The Marijuana Delusion
3/25/19--Even as the legalization push gains momentum, scientific journals report mounting evidence of the drug’s harmful psychological effects and social consequences, and pockets of resistance to the pot movement are emerging. According to Steven Malanga, senior editor of City Journal, the inherent contradiction of a country facing growing addiction problems in tandem with states rushing to legalize marijuana has not been lost on everyone. Read Marijuana manufacturers flock to CBD e-commerce amid ongoing legal confusion
3/20/19--The dominant sales channel for CBD – e-commerce – is becoming a major draw for marijuana manufacturers, who are using hemp-derived CBD to tap into new revenue and a wider consumer base. They’re doing this despite repeated warnings from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that it is illegal to include CBD in food, cosmetics or dietary supplements. Read Marijuana & Health
Joe Biden applauds anti-marijuana speech at opioid forum
4/15/19--During an opioid forum, professor Bertha Madras claimed that patients who consume marijuana experience the same levels of pain and don’t decrease their opioid use, and she also characterized legislative efforts to allow patients with opioid use disorder to access medical marijuana as “disrespectful”—a rant that Biden enthusiastically applauded. The tacit endorsement of the panelist’s anti-cannabis speech appears to signal that Biden remains opposed, or at least skeptical about, changing marijuana policies. Read Regular cannabis users require up to 220% higher dosage for sedation in medical procedures
4/15/19--Researchers in Colorado examined medical records of 250 patients who received endoscopic procedures after 2012, when the state legalized recreational marijuana. They found patients who smoked or ingested cannabis on a daily or weekly basis required 14% more fentanyl, 20% more midazolam, and 220% more propofol to achieve optimum sedation for routine procedures, including colonoscopy. Read Indicators of despair rising among Gen X-ers entering middle age
4/15/19--Indicators of despair -- depression, suicidal ideation, drug use and alcohol abuse -- are rising among Americans in their late 30s and early 40s across most demographic groups, according to new research. These findings suggest that the increase in 'deaths of despair' observed among low-educated middle-aged white Baby Boomers in recent studies may begin to impact the youngest members of Generation X more broadly in the years to come. Read Acute illness associated with cannabis use, by route of exposure
4/16/19--According to an observational study conducted to describe and compare adult emergency department (ED) visits related to edible and inhaled cannabis exposure, visits attributable to inhaled cannabis are more frequent than those attributable to edible cannabis, although the latter is associated with more acute psychiatric visits and more ED visits than expected. Read Was ‘Reefer Madness’ right?
3/21/19--Reefer Madness portrayed cannabis as a powerful drug capable of sending users into psychotic, violent rages. In Alex Berenson's book Tell Your Children: The Truth About Marijuana, Mental Illness, and Violence, he argues that the connections between marijuana and mental health are being ignored amidst the headlong rush to legalization. Read Marijuana & Safety
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 As legal pot farms expand, so do air pollution worries
1/24/19--Researchers want to know more about how pot farms affect air quality. One study, for instance, suggested that more than 600 indoor pot farms in Denver could be worsening the city's air pollution. Next month, Colorado officials will launch one of the largest studies to date of pot farm emissions. Those findings could also aid regulators across the nation, who face a dearth of data as they try to evaluate the pot industry's potential effects on indoor and outdoor air quality as well as worker health. Read Driving under the influence of cannabis among medical cannabis patients with chronic pain
1/9/19--Driving under the influence of cannabis (DUIC) is a public health concern among those using medical cannabis. Understanding behaviors contributing to DUIC can inform prevention efforts. A recent study evaluated three past 6-month DUIC behaviors among medical cannabis users with chronic pain. With more research needed on how to best measure DUIC, prevention messaging for DUIC may be enhanced by addressing alcohol co-consumption. Read NASA to launch safety review of SpaceX and Boeing after video of Elon Musk smoking pot rankled agency leaders
11/20/18--NASA has ordered a safety review of Boeing and SpaceX, the two companies it has hired to fly astronauts to the International Space Station. A months-long assessment would involve hundreds of interviews designed to assess the culture of the workplaces. The review was prompted by the recent behavior of SpaceX’s founder, Elon Musk after he took a hit of marijuana and sipped whiskey on a podcast streamed on the Internet. Read Legalized marijuana linked to a sharp rise in car crashes
10/18/18--There has been an increase by up to 6 percent in the number of highway crashes in four of the states where the recreational use of marijuana has been legalized, according to a pair of new studies. According to David Harkey, president of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s Highway Loss Data Institute, the new reports do not prove there’s a direct risk caused by the use of marijuana among motorists, but they raise caution flags. Read Marijuana & Commerce
Beyond Massachusetts, states struggle to limit marijuana behemoths
3/21/19--Massachusetts is not the only state struggling to limit the dominance of large marijuana companies. Maryland bars companies from owning more than one store. In December, the Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission expressed concern about a “proliferation” of management agreements, saying it had objected to at least a half-dozen that appeared to skirt state regulations. But the commission announced in January it will wait for guidance from the state’s Legislature before taking further action. Read Marijuana motifs go from hippie to high (jewelry, that is)
3/22/19--With the legalization of marijuana in Canada, as well as in 10 states and the District of Columbia in the United States — and with every state but Idaho having passed some sort of marijuana legalization law — it was only a matter of time before jewelers picked up the vibe. Read CVS joins cannabis wellness trend by adding CBD products
3/21/19--CVS Health Corp. this week will begin selling products infused with the trendy, non-intoxicating hemp component at more than 800 of its stores as part of a distribution deal with marijuana company Curaleaf Holdings Inc. The company’s CBD products will be available in about 800 stores to start and hopes to expand to more. Read Cannabis drinks confront a serious buzz kill—They taste terrible
3/10/19--Cannabis drinks are hitting the global market, promising anxiety reduction, pain relief and better sleep. One thing none of them tout is taste. Read Medical marijuana gaining traction as alternative to prescription drugs
2/27/19--Overall, the number of countries that have already moved to legalize marijuana on some level has prompted other countries to consider marijuana for medicinal use as well. According to data compiled by Imarc Group, the global medical marijuana market was estimated to become more than 11 billion dollars (US) in 2017. Read Marijuana & Culture
What Trump said in private conversations about cannabis revealed
2/25/29--President Trump immediately rebuked then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions on the day that he rescinded Justice Department guidance on federal marijuana enforcement priorities, Senator Cory Gardner revealed. According to Gardner, there was an obvious disagreement between the president and the attorney general on this issue. Apparently, this isn’t something Trump supports, but it was too late to reverse the decision. Read FDA head reveals new details about agency’s CBD regulation plans
2/27/19--Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Scott Gottlieb revealed new details about plans to pursue alternative pathways for CBD regulation and also acknowledged that federal prohibition drives research into medical marijuana overseas on Wednesday. Read Optimism mixes with distrust: Cannabis industry reacts to Trump’s new attorney general
2/15/19--Donald Trump's choice for new Attorney General, William Barr, has been confirmed by the United States Senate. Barr signaled that marijuana entrepreneurs had less to fear from him than they did under former Attorney General Jeff Sessions. With Barr in charge, many in the industry hope that legal marijuana will mature further. Yet, according to Barr’s statements, there is little chance he will legalize marijuana at the federal level. Read Is smoking marijuana safe? Why we can’t let Big Weed bury the risks the way Big Tobacco did
2/13/19--Millions of Americans died from smoking-related illnesses before legal and political pressure forced the industry to admit the truth. Now, the risk of history repeating itself, with a different drug and a new generation of conflicts of interest — but, sadly, some of the same companies. According to Alex Berenson, author of "Tell Your Children: The Truth About Marijuana, Mental Illness, and Violence," marijuana is another addictive smoked product, and even as its use rises, we are still trying to figure out exactly how dangerous it might be and how to discourage its use. Read Does marijuana use really cause psychotic disorders?
1/20/19--Scientists with a combined 70-plus years of drug education and research on psychoactive substances believe author Alex Berenson’s assertions in his new book about marijuana causing psychotic disorders leading to violent crimes are misinformed and reckless. According to Carl L. Hart, chairman and Ziff professor of psychology and psychiatry at Columbia University, evidence from research indicates that aggression and violence are highly unlikely outcomes of marijuana use. Read Marijuana & Enforcement
Senators are angry that marijuana sentences are longer than Paul Manafort’s
3/8/19--A lot of people, including U.S. senators, are picking up on the sentencing disparity that exists between repeatedly defraud financial institutions and the government versus non-violent marijuana offenses and the illegal possession of marijuana in a prohibition state. Read Ending weed prohibition hasn’t stopped drug crimes
12/7/18--A study recently published in The Economic Journal found that after medical marijuana was legalized in California, violent crime fell 15 percent. Yet, authorities in California’s Emerald Triangle, say that ever since California’s 1996 medical-marijuana initiative, violent crime in Humboldt, in particular, has increased. According to Ben Filippini, a deputy sheriff in this jurisdiction, "All legalization did here was create a safe haven for criminals.” Read Deputy Attorney General names U.S. Attorney Williams Chair of National Marijuana Working Group
11/7/18--Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein today named Billy J. Williams, U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon, chair of the Attorney General’s Marijuana Working Group. The working group is part of the Attorney General Advisory Committee’s (AGAC) Controlled Substances Subcommittee. Read Can Article V federally legalize cannabis?
8/12/18--Article V, a legal precedent set by America’s founding fathers, permits two-thirds of the states to call for a Convention of States to put forth proposed amendments to the Constitution. If the proposed amendment is passed by three-fourths of the states as they are comprised in Congress, then the Constitution will be amended. Article V has been considered to be the latest legal avenue to pursue to potentially challenge the current, federal administration’s predilection for prohibition. However, according to cannabis law expert, Bob Carp, pursuing an Article V legal strategy would be an exercise in futility. Apparently, Article V is not the best precedent for challenging federal prohibition. Read FDA rejects petition to further restrict marijuana
7/5/18--The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has denied a request from an anti-legalization group to place marijuana and its derivatives on a list of restricted substances that are not "generally recognized as safe and effective." The move is "not necessary for the protection of public health," Janet Woodcock, the director of FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and research wrote on Monday in a letter to the group, Drug Watch International. Read