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
USDA Domestic Hemp Production Program
11/6/19--On October, 31, 2019, USDA formally issued an interim final rule establishing the USDA Domestic Hemp Production Program. The following video is a basic overview of the program. Read CBD interest among Americans surpasses nearly all other health products: ‘This generation’s snake oil’
10/28/19--Cannabidiol, better known as CBD, has undergone a meteoric rise in popularity over recent years. One of the features that makes CBD so appealing is its ability to be ingested or taken in a variety of ways. Still, most major U.S. health leaders, organizations, and departments have remained largely silent on CBD’s proposed benefits mostly due to an overall lack of data on just how popular the oil is, statically. Read The push to unionize cannabis workers, explained
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10/14/19--On Friday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law a requirement that all cannabis stores enter into so-called “labor peace agreements” as soon as they have 20 or more employees. Labor unions have been pushing for these agreements in recent years, as more and more states decriminalize marijuana. They say they want to make sure the $6 billion industry doesn’t exploit workers, who are often paid below the minimum wage or given marijuana instead of wages. Read
Queer roots and major players in Georgia’s medical marijuana boom
10/4/19--Many LGBTQ people are at the center of the growth of the marijuana industry. Colton Griffin, CEO of Flourish, an Atlanta-based company that helps medical marijuana companies monitor logistics, is one of the LGBTQ people playing a role in Georgia’s booming medical marijuana business. Read Marijuana reform should focus on inequality
10/5/19--Each state that reforms its marijuana laws must decide how it will allocate production rights. Currently, states severely restrict the number of licenses awarded to cannabis growers, ensuring corporate domination of the industry. Rules favor well-connected corporate growers rather than independent farmers, much less independent farmers of color. Read Marijuana & Health
Insights on the effects of cannabidiol on severe form of epilepsy
11/7/19--Results from a study published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology may help explain why cannabidiol -- a chemical component of marijuana with no psychoactive properties -- reduces the frequency of seizures in patients with a severe form of epilepsy. The effect may be explained by a drug-drug interaction between cannabidiol and the anti-seizure medication clobazam. Read CBD and THC use during early pregnancy can disrupt fetal development
11/5/19--A new study led by Scott Parnell, PhD, assistant professor of cell biology and physiology in the UNC School of Medicine, and published in Scientific Reports, a Nature Research journal, shows how a one-time exposure during early pregnancy to cannabinoids (CBs) – both synthetic and natural – can cause growth issues in a developing embryo. This is the first research to show such a connection in mammals. Read Cannabis use disorder is declining among young adolescents and young adults
10/31/19--The prevalence of cannabis use disorder decreased in 2002 to 2016 among frequent users. Changes in social attitudes and the traits of frequent users may explain the decline, according to researchers. This is one of the first studies to examine the general health profile of people using cannabis daily or almost daily and the trends in the prevalence of cannabis use disorder in this population. Read The first publicly available annotated genome for cannabis plants
9/30/19--The annotated genome allows, for the first time, the use of classical genetics and proteomics tools for the interrogation of these plants. Furthermore, the presence of an annotated genome within the NCBI Genome browser now permits any researcher with a web browser to manually examine or BLAST genetic sequences, vastly reducing the resources required to create primers to amplify genes from the plants or microbial contaminants that may affect them. Read A national survey of marijuana use among US adults with medical conditions, 2016-2017
9/20/19--This survey study using data from 169,036 participants in the 2016 and 2017 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System surveys found that, compared with adults without medical conditions, adults with medical conditions had a significantly higher prevalence of current and daily marijuana use, were more likely to report using marijuana for medical reasons, and were less likely to report using marijuana for recreational purposes. Read Marijuana & Safety
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 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 Marijuana & Commerce
Why marijuana dividend stock Innovative Industrial (IIPR) fell 18% in October
11/2/19--Shares of Innovative Industrial Properties (NYSE:IIPR) declined 17.7% in October, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence. The stock's return was also negative 17.7%, since no dividends were paid during the month. Innovative Industrial stock's subpar showing in October is being attributed to continued weakness in the overall cannabis sector rather than to company-specific happenings. Read Active cannabis marketing and adolescent past-year cannabis use
11/1/19--According to a study published in Science Direct, youth who engage with cannabis promotions and brands had higher odds of past-year cannabis use. After adjusting for several possible confounders, youth who liked or followed a cannabis business on at least one social media platform had 5 times higher odds of past-year cannabis use. Read Value of Portland’s billion-dollar marijuana deal slashed
10/30/19--The Massachusetts company buying Oregon’s biggest marijuana business restructured the transaction and dramatically reduced its value. Instead of nearly $1 billion, the deal could now be worth less than $300 million – though Portland-based Cura Cannabis has the opportunity to earn back some of what’s been lost if it hits newly established sales targets next year. Read The seven “Universal” symbols for cannabis products
10/27/19--Last week, cannabis regulators in Maine unveiled the universal symbol that must appear on all cannabis products sold for adult use in the state. Rather than create their own symbol from scratch, the Office of Marijuana Policy decided to adopt the symbol that’s already being used in Massachusetts. Read Marijuana company NETA settles trademark lawsuit with wood business Boise Cascade
10/25/19--Boise Cascade Company and New England Treatment Access reached a settlement in a federal lawsuit, in which the lumber company had alleged that NETA was ripping off their trademarked logo. The Idaho-based lumber company Boise Cascade, which has a distribution center in Westfield and an administrative office in Billerica, sued the Franklin-based marijuana company NETA in April in U.S. District Court in Boston. Read Marijuana & Culture
Packers LB Za’Darius Smith cited for possession of marijuana, speeding
11/2/19--Green Bay Packers outside linebacker Za’Darius Smith has been cited for possession of marijuana or synthetic marijuana and speeding, according to documents filed in Wisconsin Circuit Court in Racine via ESPN. Smith, who was driving and traveling with teammates Rashan Gary and Kingsley Keke, was not high and none had marijuana on their person; however, when the car was searched, the officer found three hollowed-out cigars filled with marijuana and a vape device. After writing a citing, the three were released by the officer. Read Dr. Sanjay Gupta on medical marijuana: We are in an age of wisdom, but also an age of foolishness
9/27/19--According to Dr. Sanjay Gupta, we are in an age of wisdom, but also an age of foolishness. Gupta further states that great strides have been made with with medical marijuana, but some of the same mistakes that led cannabis to be vilified and misunderstood in the first place have been repeated. Read Miley Cyrus-backed cannabis cafe brings Amsterdam to Hollywood
9/28/19--Lowell Cafe, America’s first lounge to allow consuming cannabis, opens on Monday in West Hollywood. For the first time in the country, customers will legally be able to order pot that can be smoked in pre-rolled joints or vaped -- even as the industry is grappling with a spike in lung damage and deaths linked to vaping. Read Snoop Dogg draws thousands in Ontario for marijuana dispensary grand opening
10/6/19--Thousands of people crowded Hotbox Farms in Ontario Saturday for the dispensary's grand opening, and to see artist Snoop Dogg perform live. Hotbox Farms is the third dispensary to open in Ontario, and the opening comes as Oregon Governor Kate Brown announces a temporary ban on flavored vaping products. Read Senate committee approves McConnell’s push for a fast, lenient FDA policy on CBD
9/20/19--The Senate Appropriations Committee approved Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s additions to the 2020 Senate Agriculture Appropriations Bill. If implemented, the bill will require the Food and Drug Administration to pick up speed on developing more permissive guidance on hemp-derived CBD products, paving the way for increased business opportunities. Read Marijuana & Enforcement
Study: Legalized recreational marijuana has little effect on crime in two states
10/17/19--A study by researchers at several universities finds that crime statistics haven’t changed much in two U.S. states that legalized recreational marijuana use and sales. The study focused on Colorado and Washington, the two first states to legalize recreational marijuana, and looked specifically at property-related and violent crimes. Read Black market pot entered CannTrust facility, flowed into legal market last year: Sources
9/6/19--Senior operating staff working at CannTrust Holdings Inc.’s Pelham, Ont. facility late last year brought marijuana seeds from the black market into production rooms, leading to some illicitly-grown pot flowing into the legal market, according to internal company documents obtained by BNN Bloomberg and four sources directly familiar with the matter. Read Police dogs can’t tell the difference between hemp and marijuana
8/12/19--Because marijuana and hemp are both from the cannabis plant and smell identical, dogs can’t tell the difference, so both the Ohio Highway Patrol and the Columbus Division of Police are suspending marijuana-detection training for new police dogs to uncomplicate probable cause issues in court. Read The link between pot and mass shootings may be closer than we think
8/7/19--According to an article published in the New York Post, a connection between increasing marijuana use, mental illness, and the recent spate of mass shootings by disturbed young males cannot be ruled out. Just last year, the Parents Opposed to Pot lobby group tried to sound the alarm on the link between marijuana and mass shootings, compiling a list of mass killers it claims were heavy users of marijuana from a young age. Read 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