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
FTC order stops the marketer of “Thrive” supplement from making baseless claims it can treat, prevent, or reduce the risks from COVID-19
7/10/20--The California-based marketer of a supplement called Thrive, which consists mainly of Vitamin C and herbal extracts, is barred from continuing to make baseless claims that it can treat, prevent, or reduce the risk of COVID-19, under an administrative settlement with the Federal Trade Commission announced today. Read CBD may be legal, but challenges still persist in obtaining CBD product trademark registration
7/7/20--Last week, the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) ruled that a Colorado Cannabidiol (CBD) company could not register a trademark for hemp oil extracts because it violated the Food, Drug & Cosmetics Act (FDCA). Trademark registrations associated with cannabis have repeatedly been refused because they cannot be “lawfully used in commerce." Read As signature deadlines approach, here’s where marijuana and drug policy reform campaigns stand
7/2/20--Several drug policy reform campaigns are in the final stretch as deadlines to submit signatures for proposed ballot initiatives loom this week and next. The proposed ballot measures would accomplish everything from legalizing cannabis to decriminalizing psychedelics such as psilocybin and ayahuasca. This article provides a status update on where they stand. Read Curaleaf announces private placement of subordinate voting shares
7/2/20--Curaleaf Holdings, Inc., a leading multi-state cannabis operator in the United States, announces today a private placement of up to C$27,500,000 of subordinate voting shares of the Company (the "Subordinate Voting Shares") at a price of C$7.70 per Subordinate Voting Share (the "Offering"). The Offering is being conducted in connection with the anticipated closing of the proposed and pending acquisition of GR Companies, Inc. d/b/a Grassroots. Read The word of God in the Age of legal larijuana
6/28/20--As more believers begin to tolerate legalization, current and former religious leaders find themselves in the middle of a debate over health, race and law enforcement. Read Marijuana & Health
Cannabis use among US adults with anxiety from 2008 to 2017: The role of state-level cannabis legalization
9/1/20--According to study results, cannabis use is increasing among American adults overall, yet is disproportionately common among Americans with anxiety especially among those residing in states where cannabis has been legalized. Read Drug overdoses: The hidden epidemic in the pandemic
7/5/20--Suspected cases of drug overdoses soared between March and May, according to data from medical teams,hospitals and the police. According to a Washington Post report, the isolation and economic upheaval caused by the pandemic are fueling this hidden epidemic. Heather Long who co-wrote that story joins Hari Sreenivasan to discuss. Read Medical marijuana: A clinical handbook provides readers the most up-to-date insights on the science of cannabis and its medicinal use
7/7/20--A new textbook, Medical Marijuana: A Clinical Handbook provides an objective look at the history and science of the plant and strips away the cultural and political baggage that often clouds any meaningful examination of cannabis's therapeutic value. The authors, Drs. Samoon Ahmad and Kevin P. Hill, wrote the book to provide clinicians with the most accurate information available on cannabis and empower them to give their patients the best advice on treatment. Read Is marijuana really harmless?
7/8/20--According to an article published in Rare Lake National News, it is reported that many people who regularly use marijuana may believe that the drug is relatively safe. However, marijuana is a mind-altering substance that can create negative long-term consequences, both bodily and mentally. Furthermore, regular marijuana use can create long-term memory problems, issues with brain development in younger users, and detrimental mental health problems. Read Marijuana use while pregnant boosts risk of children’s sleep problems
7/2/20--Sleep Health: The Journal of The National Sleep Foundation is the latest paper to link prenatal cannabis use to developmental problems in children and the first to suggest it may impact sleep cycles long-term. It comes at a time when—while the number of pregnant women drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes has declined in the United States—It has risen to 7% of all pregnant women as legalization spreads and more dispensaries recommend it for morning sickness. Read Marijuana & Safety
LaMalfa leads bipartisan group of lawmakers in introducing bill to eradicate illegal marijuana grows on public lands
7/9/20--Congressman Doug LaMalfa issued the following statement after he and Rep. Jared Huffman, Rep. Doug Lamborn, Rep. Salud Carbajal, Rep. Hal Rogers, and Rep. TJ Cox introduced the Protecting Lands Against Narcotics Trafficking (PLANT) Act. This legislation provides resources to help local, state, and federal law enforcement eradicate illegal marijuana grows on public lands and establishes a fund to restore land that has been damaged by illegal cultivation activities. Read Feds hire hazmat firm for marijuana eradication training
7/6/20--The U.S. Forest Service will spend nearly $50,000 to hire a hazardous materials consulting firm to train employees how to safely remove marijuana grown on public lands under a newly awarded government contract. The agency says the training is needed to protect employees, some of whom reportedly have been taken to emergency rooms after being exposed to hazardous chemicals while clearing marijuana plants in years past. Read Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee (MCSAC); public meeting
6/25/20--Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announces a meeting of the MCSAC, which will take place via videoconference. The meeting will be held Monday, July 13, and Tuesday, July 14, 2020, from 9:15 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Eastern Time. Read Reducing Impaired Driving Fatalities: Data Need to Drive Testing, Enforcement, and Policy
6/22/20--The 2 studies evaluating the association of recreational cannabis laws with motor vehicle crash deaths by Santaella-Tenorio et al and Kamer et al in this issue of JAMA Internal Medicine contribute to an emerging body of research necessary to inform policy on cannabis and impaired driving. Both studies use natural experiments in policy implementation to provide a high-level perspective of how legalization of recreational cannabis use may affect motor vehicle crash deaths in the population. Read Association of Recreational Cannabis Laws in Colorado and Washington State With Changes in Traffic Fatalities, 2005-2017
6/22/20--Using a synthetic control approach, this ecological study found that recreational cannabis laws were associated with increases in traffic fatalities in Colorado (mean of 75 excess fatalities per year) but not in Washington State. These findings suggest that unintended effects of recreational cannabis laws can be heterogeneous and may be specific to variations in how these laws are implemented (eg, density of recreational cannabis stores). Read Marijuana & Commerce
You know what else has sold well during the pandemic? Weed edibles
7/13/20--Pandemic anxiety and mounting concerns about vaping have contributed to the increase of cannabis product sales. Since March, the cannabis industry has seen an influx of new customers, and as fear of inhaled products has risen — spurred partly by studies of “vaping illness” and exacerbated by respiratory risks associated with the coronavirus — many consumers have opted to enjoy cannabis in edible form. Read Increasing popularity of 7/10 exemplifies rise in cannabis concentrates
7/10/20--July 10, also known as 710 or Oil Day, is the cannabis industry’s second annual “holiday.” Although not as popular or as well celebrated as 4/20, July 10 has picked up steam in recent years due to the rising popularity of concentrated cannabis products. Read Wirecard under criminal scrutiny by U.S. authorities as part of probe into alleged bank-fraud conspiracy
7/8/20--The Justice Department is examining whether scandal-plagued German payment company Wirecard AG played a critical role in an alleged $100 million bank-fraud conspiracy connected to an online marijuana marketplace, according to people familiar with the investigation. Two businessmen have already been charged in the alleged fraud, accused of conspiring with third-party payment processors and others to trick U.S. banks into approving credit-card payments for marijuana products. Read Innovative Industrial Properties announces exercise of option to purchase additional shares of common stock
7/2/20--Innovative Industrial Properties, Inc. announced today the full exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase an additional 402,504 shares of common stock in connection with the Company’s previously announced follow-on offering that priced on June 29, 2020. In total, the Company sold 3,085,867 shares of common stock in the offering, raising gross offering proceeds of approximately $258.7 million. Read ‘Cash is king’ for expansion opportunities and COVID-19 cushion: Q&A with Charlotte’s Web CEO Deanie Elsner
7/2/20--Deanie Elsner joined Charlotte’s Web as CEO last year. She told Hemp Industry Daily that moving into the CBD market at the helm of Charlotte’s Web has been “fun, challenging and quite and adrenaline rush” and the Colorado-based company has been a good fit for her background of specializing in corporate turnarounds. In this interview with Hemp Industry Daily, Elsner provides insight on the company’s recent acquisition and global expansion plans and offers her take on the impact of COVID-19, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s regulatory delay and what is needed for the industry to move forward. Read Marijuana & Culture
Congressman, leaders in the legal marijuana space to talk about reform, business at this special live event
6/27/20--Advance 360 in collaboration with NJ Cannabis Insider will host a national webinar “Cannabis Reform 2020: America’s Growing Pains & Possibilities” on July 13, featuring heavyweights in the cannabis space to discuss national and regional cannabis policy. Read Bipartisan senators file marijuana and CBD research amendment to defense spending bill
6/29/20--Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Brian Schatz (D-HI) are trying to attach marijuana and CBD research language to a large-scale defense spending bill that’s on the Senate floor this week. The senators are seeking to include the proposal—titled the Cannabidiol and Marijuana Research Expansion Act—in the annual renewal of the National Defense Authorization Act. Read Marty Baron made The Post great again. Now, the news is changing.
6/28/20--According to an article by Ben Smith published in The New York Times, the revival of The Washington Post by the executive editor Mr. Baron and its owner, the Amazon founder, Jeff Bezos, is perhaps the greatest news business success story of the past decade. But that journalistic revival has in some ways masked a messier story, one of many contradictions. Read HBO teams up with marijuana companies to sell THC gummies promoting new TV series
6/29/20--HBO is partnering up with major marijuana businesses to market a line of promotional cannabis edible gummies meant to bring attention to an animated series premiering next week, the entertainment giant announced on Monday.Each blend was developed to produces effects the network says reflect the personalities of the four main characters from “Close Enough,” which will be streaming on HBO Max. Read NBPA Executive Director Michele Roberts discusses Cresco Labs and NBA’s BKM message
6/18/20--Michele Roberts, the Executive Director of the National Basketball Payer's Association, made history earlier this month when she became the first woman and person of color to join the board of marijuana firm Cresco Labs. Roberts, in her role with the NBA, has also been one of the most essential members in setting up the NBA's return this season. Read Marijuana & Enforcement
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 Scientists and veterans file lawsuit challenging DEA’s marijuana rescheduling denials
5/28/20--Researchers and veterans are challenging the DEA's denial of prior cannabis rescheduling requests. The Scottsdale Research Institute (SRI) filed suit last week in the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, asking for a review of DEA’s scheduling determinations in 2020, 2016 and 1992. In all cases, the agency denied the petitions, citing statutory obligations to maintain the status of cannabis as a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act. Read 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