United States
Higher than US
Lower than US
US Average
Usage in last month, 2015-2016 National Survey on Drug Use and Health State Estimates
Marijuana & Legalization
New momentum in veterans’ fight for medical marijuana
11/19/18--Military veterans lobbying for an end to federal classification of marijuana as a lethal substance with no redeeming medicinal value may be closer to that goal than ever before, given the midterm election results. Between the Democratic takeover of the House of Representatives, last week’s forced resignation of Attorney General Jeff Sessions, and a federal lawsuit led by a 12-year-old girl with epilepsy, the marijuana prohibition drama is set to unfold on multiple fronts. Read Marijuana ballot initiative campaigns raised $12.9 million, final pre-election numbers show
11/6/18--In the lead-up to the election, committees supporting or opposing marijuana ballot initiatives have raised a total of $12.9 million in cash and in-kind services over the past two years to convince those voters, Marijuana Moment’s analysis of the latest campaign finance records filed the day before Election Day shows. Read Why Is CBD everywhere?
10/27/18--Cannabidiol is being touted as a magical elixir, but according to a New York Times article by writer Alex Williams, it’s hard to say the precise moment when CBD turned into a mainstream panacea. With its proponents claiming that CBD treats ailments as diverse as inflammation, pain, acne, anxiety, insomnia, depression, post-traumatic stress, and even cancer, it’s easy to wonder if this all natural, non-psychotropic and widely available cousin of marijuana represents a cure for the 21st century itself. Read Marijuana legalization has gone mainstream. Rick Steves has helped.
10/27/18--Rick Steves, a travel writer and public radio and television host, is an outspoken activist for the legalization of recreational marijuana. He says smoking pot is like a “declaration of independence.” The legalization of marijuana is a more mainstream issue now than it has ever been, and this trend is both reflected and powered by the advocacy of people like Steves, who campaigned for legalization in his home state of Washington in 2012 and now travels the country doing the same thing. Read
States’ rights and federal wrongs: The misguided attempt to label marijuana legalization efforts as a ‘states’ rights’ issue
5/3/18--Advocates for liberalization of the federal statutes outlawing marijuana have argued that the issue of whether and how to regulate marijuana should be left to the states to decide. Congress should re-examine how federal law regulates marijuana, but Congress should be guided by the judgment of the FDA as to the costs and benefits of liberalizing marijuana use. Read Marijuana & Health
Older Americans are flocking to medical marijuana
12/7/18--Oils, tinctures and salves — and sometimes old-fashioned buds — are increasingly common in seniors’ homes. Doctors warn that popularity has outstripped scientific evidence. Physicians who treat older adults expect their marijuana use to increase as the number of states legalizing medical marijuana keeps growing. Read Greater risk for frequent marijuana use and problems among young adult marijuana users with a medical marijuana card
11/25/18--According to a study comparing young adults with and without a medical marijuana (MM) recommendation from a provider (“MM card”) on their developmental trajectories of frequent marijuana use and marijuana-related problems in young adulthood, young adult marijuana users with a MM card had a higher risk profile for marijuana use and related problems compared to those without an MM card. Given expanding state legalization of marijuana for medical use, this issue warrants further attention. Read Addiction often begins with a ‘beautiful’ boy or girl
11/5/18--Robert L. DuPont, M.D., president of the Institute for Behavior and director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, discussed his perspective on the movie, "Beautiful Boy," a new film about the relationship between a good father and his good son as the teenager dives into addiction. According to DuPont, this movie is a cautionary story for teens and families, and one of the many reasons he highly recommends seeing "Beautiful Boy" is because of the riveting, relentless, and powerful portrayal of how addiction hijacks the brain. Read Notice of Intent to Publish a Funding Opportunity Announcement for Exploring the Mechanisms Underlying Analgesic Properties of Minor Cannabinoids and Terpenes
11/7/18--The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) intends to publish a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) to solicit applications for research on minor cannabinoids and terpenes in the cannabis plant as it relates to pain and nociception. Read Adolescent cannabis use alters development of planning, self-control brain areas
11/6/18--Adolescent marijuana use may alter how neurons function in brain areas engaged in decision-making, planning and self-control, according to researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago. The findings are the result of an animal model study focused on the structural development of the prefrontal cortex, or PFC, which controls high-level cognitive functions. Read
Marijuana & Safety
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 States with legal marijuana see rise in car crashes, studies find
10/19/18--Car crashes were up as much as 6 percent in states where the recreational use of marijuana has been legalized. According to research from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and the Highway Loss Data Institute, the frequency of collision claims filed to insurers were higher in four states where marijuana is legal: Colorado, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington. Read
Inside the weird and wild crusade for clean pot
3/1/18--Figuring out what the rules should be to prevent impurities from contaminating pot is nearly impossible. There are no national standards like there are for food crops. “And unfortunately, pretty much all of the marijuana in the United States is drenched in harmful chemicals,” according to Rolling Stone reporter Amanda Chicago Lewis. “But let’s just say that if you like pot, you have absolutely exposed yourself to chemicals that can damage your central nervous system, mess with your hormones and give you cancer. Read Marijuana use among drivers killed in crashes doubled from 2007 to 2015
8/16/18--NHTSA, an organization with a mission to save lives, prevent injuries, and reduce economic costs due to road traffic crashes through education, research, safety standards, and enforcement reports marijuana use among drivers killed in crashes doubled from 2007 to 2015. The organization also states that if you feel different, you drive different. Read Marijuana & Commerce
Coca-Cola CEO on coffee strategy: We’re not going head to head with Starbucks
11/16/18--According to Coca-Cola President and CEO James Quincey, Coca-Cola's $5.1 billion acquisition of U.K. coffee chain Costa was less of an effort to take on giants like Starbucks than a move to create a new type of coffee experience. Read Blue Moon’s founding brewer pops top on pot-infused beer
11/12/18--Keith Villa, who invented Blue Moon Belgian Wheat more than two decades ago, next month will launch the first beer from new venture CERIA Brewing Co. Grainwave Belgian-Style White Ale has no alcohol and includes 5 milligrams of THC, the high-producing ingredient found in marijuana plants. Made with blood orange peel and coriander, the ale "has a richer, deeper orange character and a little different type of bitterness because of the cannabinoids," Villa said. Read
Trump ousts cannabis threat Jeff Sessions as attorney general
11/7/18--U.S Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who less than a year ago stunned the marijuana industry by ripping up Obama-era protections for state-legal MJ businesses, has been forced out by President Trump. The development could ease industry concerns that the Department of Justice will unleash a crackdown on state-legal marijuana businesses – though much will depend on whom Trump picks as Sessions’ permanent replacement. Read Notice and Public Comment: NACB Advertising Standard
10/1/18--The National Association of Cannabis Businesses (NACB) is the first and only self-regulatory organization in U.S. cannabis. The organization's Standards Governance Board and Members voted to adopt the Advertising Standard in October 2018. Read AB InBev watching the legal marijuana market closely
10/28/18--The world’s biggest brewer, Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev), says it is keeping a close eye on the burgeoning marijuana market. Major brewing giants are increasingly linking up with marijuana producers as countries legalize the plant. This is partly because brewers are in some cases selling less beer where marijuana has been legalized. Read Marijuana & Culture
Content, exposure, and effects of public discourses about marijuana: A systematic review
11/5/18--This review presents a comprehensive picture of research studies about marijuana-related content in news, social media, and advertisements. Studies that examined the extent of people’s exposure to the messages and its effects were also included. Read Mike Tyson shops TV show about life as marijuana grower
10/26/18--Mike Tyson is shopping a new TV show, based on the boxer’s life as a marijuana grower and marketer. Tyson will star in the scripted comedy, called “Rolling With the Punches.” Tyson is a big proponent of weed’s health benefits and said 85 percent of pro athletes use some form of marijuana to relieve pain, inflammation, and anxiety. Read Michael Douglas and Danny DeVito bonded over weed
10/24/18--Danny DeVito befriended Michael Douglas in 1967 over their shared love of marijuana leading to a long friendship for over 50 years. Read Combustible and electronic tobacco and marijuana products in hip-hop music videos
10/15/18--Combustible and electronic tobacco and marijuana use frequently occurred in popular hip-hop music videos from 2013 to 2017. The genre’s broad appeal, use of branded products by influential artists, and rise of electronic product and marijuana use may contribute to a growing public health concern of tobacco and marijuana use. Read High Times parent hustles to lure cannabis investors; here’s what you need to know
9/13/18--High Times Holding Corp., the parent company of the iconic marijuana culture magazine High Times, is looking to attract a large number of small investors as the publication works to go public, bolster its brand, and shore up a balance sheet mired in debt. Read Marijuana & Enforcement
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 Judge allows hemp oil seller’s defamation suit to continue
6/15/18--U.S. District Judge John Steele will allow a hemp oil company’s defamation suit to continue against a Florida doctor interviewed by a local TV news station. The federal judge denied Dr. Joseph Dorn’s request to dismiss the lawsuit filed by AFI Holdings of Illinois last year over the doctor’s comments to a reporter about a hemp oil product. Read Jeff Sessions struggles to get planned marijuana crackdown going
6/10/18--Attorney General Jeff Sessions vowed to use federal law to get tough on marijuana, announcing in January he was ending Obama-era protections for the nascent pot industry in states where it is legal. Six months into his mission, he is largely going it alone. In fact, Mr. Sessions’ own prosecutors have yet to bring federal charges against pot businesses that are abiding by state law. Read