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 most interesting 2019 marijuana bills that you might have missed
1/31/19--The Boston Globe presents some of the most interesting marijuana legislation filed this year that may have been missed. These are just a small handful of the more than 500 marijuana-related bills that have already been filed for 2019 legislative sessions that in most cases began less than a month ago. Read Taxing cannabis
1/23/19--For decades, analysts interested in the tax revenue potential of legalizing marijuana had to use unreliable survey data and speculation regarding how a legal market might operate. But this is changing, and various options exist for structuring state and local taxes on marijuana. A report presented by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) undertakes an in-depth exploration of state marijuana tax revenue performance and offers a glimpse into what may lie ahead for these taxes. Read If weed is medicine, so is Budweiser
1/17/19--Ten states and the District of Columbia have legalized recreational marijuana use, and another eight look likely to do so in 2019. In an editorial published in The Wall Street Journal by Peter Bach, Director of the Center for Health Policy and Outcomes at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Bach states that although he is in favor of the move, he is troubled by the gateway to it, and we should not pretend that legalized marijuana is therapeutic. Read
Top states for CBD retail shops?
1/11/19--As legal marijuana is slowly but surely finding its way into the mainstream, the modern pot shop has begun to provide a full-blown brand experience. And while the adoption of pro-marijuana legislation is still in its infancy in the U.S., cannabidiol (or CBD) is essentially available in all 50 states. Remedy Review combed Yelp Reviews to identify 1,000 most populous cities in America with the best-rated shops, the cheapest products, and the markets on the horizon. Read New Distilled Spirits Council study shows no impact on spirits sales from legalized recreational marijuana
1/10/19--Distilled spirits sales have not been negatively impacted in the three states that have had legalized recreational marijuana retail sales the longest, according to a study by the Distilled Spirits Council. This new in-depth analysis, utilizing state-level alcohol tax receipts and actual alcohol shipment data, examined per capita alcohol sales in Colorado, Washington state and Oregon for the two years prior to recreational marijuana legalization and up to 3-4 years post-legalization. Read Marijuana & Health
Marijuana, cocaine may play role in young Americans’ rising stroke rate
2/4/19--The number of younger adults having strokes is rising. New research suggests growth in illegal drug use could be playing a role. According to a new study, although alcohol and cigarette use in the stroke victims remained stable over the two-decade study period, drug use rose dramatically, from 4.4 percent in 1993-1994 to 30.3 percent in 2015. It's necessary for doctors to increase their efforts to get young adults to understand the health consequences of using drugs. Read Genetic study of impulsiveness reveals associations with psychiatric disorders
2/4/19--Impulsiveness and substance use share a genetic basis, according to genome-wide association studies published in JNeurosci by academic and industry researchers. With more than 20,000 participants, the research represents the largest genetic analysis of impulsive personality traits to date. Read Depressive symptoms and suicidality in adolescents using e-cigarettes and marijuana
1/24/19--A study recently published in the Journal of Addiction Medicine reports that youth with single and dual e-cigarette and marijuana use had increased odds of reporting depressive symptoms and suicidality compared to youth who denied use. There is a need for effective prevention and intervention strategies to help mitigate adverse mental health outcomes in this population. Read Effect of marijuana smoking on pulmonary disease in HIV-infected and uninfected men
1/24/19--Lung disease is a common comorbidity in people with HIV/AIDS, independent of smoking status. The effects of marijuana smoking on risk of lung disease in HIV-infected individuals are unclear. Read Cannabis use disorder: The policy climate matters
1/23/19--Adolescents and young adults living in states with more liberal policies reported higher average rates of past-year marijuana use than those in states with more conservative policies, according to a new study conducted at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. However, the rates of marijuana use disorder -- abuse or dependence on the drug -- were significantly lower in states with more liberal policies compared to states with more conservative policies. Read Marijuana & Safety
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 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
Marijuana & Commerce
How much is too much weed? New vaporizers take out the guesswork
2/1/19--GoFire Inc., a Colorado startup, says it’s solved one of the emerging problems in the legal marijuana industry: how to get the dose exactly right. The company has developed a high-end vaporizer, backed by patents, that doles out a precise amount of marijuana oil — 2.5 milligrams — that is heated, turned into vapor, and inhaled. Read Beer makers, thirsty for growth, push into cannabis market
1/17/19--The makers of Budweiser, Coors, and other large-scale brewers are placing their bets on marijuana as a way to fight saturated markets and shifting consumer trends. For years, the industry’s largest players have struggled with stagnating markets and shifting consumer tastes, so now they are fighting back by pushing into the marijuana industry as a potential engine for future growth. Read The marijuana billionaire who doesn’t smoke weed
1/16/19--Brendan Kennedy’s Canadian cannabis company Tilray has unexpectedly become America’s gateway to the legal marijuana industry. Tilray sells marijuana for medical use and, more recently, recreational use. It wears the crown as the hottest IPO of 2018, returning 315% for the year and valuing the Canada-based but American-run company at $9 billion today. To stay ahead, Kennedy, who actually had an antidrug upbringing, spends a lot of time trying to predict which country will be the next to legalize marijuana, so that Tilray will be there when it does. Read Pot unites democrats, republicans as ex-party chiefs join Tilray
12/13/18--Michael Steele and Dean Howard, former chairmen of the Republican and Democratic parties respectively, are among the heavyweights joining a Canadian company’s effort to boost the prestige of the marijuana industry. Tilray Inc., the first marijuana company to list directly on a U.S. exchange, announced the formation of a 10-person advisory board. Read People searched for a certain marijuana product a lot in 2018, Google says
12/10/18--People in the U.S. were really interested in learning about cannabidiol (CBD) gummies in 2018, according to Google’s year-end trend report. “CBD gummies” was the third most popular food-related Google search of the year—following unicorn cake and romaine lettuce. Read Marijuana & Culture
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 Alex Berenson: Pot is not a cure-all medicine – I told the truth and the backlash has been incredible
1/18/19--Alex Berenson, author of 'Tell Your Children: The Truth About Marijuana, Mental Illness, and Violence,' is taking on his critics and responding to the widespread negative feedback about his book. According to Berenson, marijuana advocates appear unwilling to accept anything less than full national legalization of marijuana – even if they must downplay or hide the drug's very real mental health risks, and overstate its potential medical benefits, to do so. Read Does marijuana use cause schizophrenia?
1/22/19--Currently, there is not enough evidence to support whether or not heavy use of marijuana causes schizophrenia or other syndromes. Even top scientists who specialize in marijuana research are divided, drawing opposite conclusions from the same data. The debate centers on the distinction between correlation and causation. People with psychotic problems often use marijuana regularly; this is a solid correlation, but it is unclear which came first, the marijuana habit or the psychoses. Read Marijuana industry boosts DC lobbying team
1/11/19--The marijuana industry is boasting its largest lobbying team in Washington ever, as it gears up to push through major legislation in 2019. The Cannabis Trade Federation (CTF), a nonprofit to educate and advocate for cannabis in public policy, has hired 15 lobbyists to push the Strengthening the Tenth Amendment Through Entrusting States (STATES) Act. The bill would protect state laws regulating marijuana use from the federal government. Read D.C. pot lobbyist : The future of marijuana legalization on Capitol Hill
1/10/19--Massachusetts is one of 10 states that has legalized recreational marijuana, but it's still illegal on the federal level, resulting in a confusing patchwork of conflicting laws. Michael Correia, known on Capitol Hill as "The Pot Lobbyist," is working to change this. WGBH Morning Edition anchor Joe Mathieu spoke with Correia while in Washington D.C. to talk about his efforts to legalize pot around the country and a recent attempt by Senator Elizabeth Warren to protect states that have already gotten that far. Read Marijuana & Enforcement
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 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