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
Compliance with Cannabis Act regulations regarding online promotion among Canadian commercial cannabis-licensed firms
7/12/21--In this cross-sectional study of 261 Canadian cannabis-licensed firms, widespread violations were observed in online Canadian cannabis promotion. Among the 261 licensed firms, 86.3% with an online platform had at least 1 violation, which was significantly more likely to occur on social media compared with a website. A lack of age restrictions for youth, unsubstantiated claims, omission of risk information, and glamorization of cannabis products were found. Read How should we do drugs now?
7/8/21--Michael Pollan, who teaches writing at Harvard and at the University of California, Berkeley, and is the author, most recently, of “This Is Your Mind on Plants,” pens an editorial published in The New York Times covering how much harder it is to envision what the drug peace will look like. Pollan poses the question: How will we fold these powerful substances into our society and our lives so as to minimize their risks and use them most constructively? He makes the point that conversation begins with the recognition that humans like to change consciousness and that cultures have been using psychoactive plants and fungi to do so for as long as there have been cultures. Read
Coalition pushes for federal marijuana legalization as chagrin with Biden grows
7/9/21--A bipartisan coalition of business and advocacy groups, including the powerful billionaire Koch family, issued a white paper this week with recommendations for federally legalizing marijuana like alcohol or tobacco. The 14-page white paper by the recently formed Cannabis Freedom Alliance came at the same time legalization advocates expressed increasing frustration with President Joe Biden’s stance on marijuana as exemplified by his response to sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson’s exclusion from the U.S. Olympic team for using the drug. Read Cannabis Liberalization in the U.S.: The Policy Landscape
7/1/21--An article conceived and drafted by Rebecca Haffajee published in Health Affairs, the leading journal of health policy thought and research, mentions that state cannabis policies are inconsistent across jurisdictions and often conflict with federal policy. She believes policy makers should adopt an approach to cannabis liberalization that addresses these inconsistencies, improves the safety of cannabis supply, and combats health disparities and other inequities. Read Recommendations for federal regulation of legal cannabis
7/5/21--This white paper was prepared to help guide federal legislators and regulators as they consider the end of cannabis prohibition in the United States in ensuring a free, fair, open, and equitable cannabis marketplace. Read Marijuana & Health
Addiction treatment in the postpartum period: an opportunity for evidence-based personalized medicine
7/8/21--In this article, the existing evidence as well as highlight opportunities for both clinicians and researchers to advance the integration of tailored approaches for postpartum women into personalized SUD medical and behavioral treatments are reviewed. Read High potency weed linked to psychotic episodes, mysterious vomiting illness in young users
7/11/21--Colorado and Washington became the first states to legalize recreational marijuana in 2012. Several years later, doctors in Colorado and other states are expressing alarm over the increasing potency of cannabis and the health risks it may pose for young users — from psychiatric issues, including violent psychotic episodes, to the mysterious condition officially called "cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome" but now known to health care workers as "scromiting," a mashup of "screaming" and "vomiting" — has popped up with increasing frequency at hospitals in Colorado, doctors say. Read Drug use, alcohol blamed for excess deaths of Canadians under 65 in the last year
7/12/21--Drug use and alcohol, and not COVID-19, are largely to blame for an excess of deaths in Canadians younger than 65 from March last year to April 2021, new research suggests. The deaths pushed up the mortality rate in that category to a peak higher than what occurred in Canada during the opioid crisis in 2017, according to the research by Statistics Canada. Read FTC approves final administrative consent order against Kushly
7/6/21--Following a public comment period, the Federal Trade Commission has approved a final administrative consent order against Scottsdale, Arizona-based Kushly Industries LLC (Kushly) and the company’s owner, Cody Alt, for allegedly making false or unsupported health claims during the marketing and sale of cannabidiol (CBD) products to consumers. Read Women oppose Sha’Carri Richardson’s marijuana suspension while men support it, poll finds
7/4/21--There’s been widespread condemnation over the United States Anti-Doping Agency’s (USADA) recent decision to suspend U.S. runner Sha’Carri Richardson from at least some Olympic competition over a failed marijuana test. According to a new poll, women are notably more likely to oppose the suspension (44 percent) than men are (39 percent). Men, on the other hand, are more supportive of the penalty (48 percent) than they are against it (38 percent). Read Marijuana & Safety
House approves bill to let researchers access marijuana from state-legal dispensaries
7/1/21--The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday approved a large-scale transportation bill that includes a provision that would allow researchers to access marijuana from state-legal dispensaries in order to effectively study impaired driving. Under the House-passed measure, a federal report would need to be issued with recommendations on establishing a national clearinghouse with samples of different types of marijuana that scientists from non-legal states could obtain for studies. Read Crash rates jump in wake of marijuana legalization, new studies show
6/7/21--More evidence is emerging that crash rates go up when states legalize recreational use and retail sales of marijuana. According to a new study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and another by the affiliated Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) show, crash rates spiked with the legalization of recreational marijuana use and retail sales in California, Colorado, Nevada, Oregon and Washington. Read Republic Committee leaders introduce the STARTER Act 2.0 – an Investment in Roads, Bridges, Transit, and Highway Safety
5/19/21--Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Ranking Member Sam Graves (R-MO) and other Republican Committee leaders today introduced a long-term surface transportation reauthorization bill that provides historic levels of investment in America’s roads, bridges, and core infrastructure to meet the Nation’s growing transportation needs. Read Cannabis legalization and link to increase in fatal collisions
4/6/21--Legalization of recreational cannabis may be associated with an increase in fatal motor vehicle collisions based on data from the United States, and authors discuss the implications for Canada in an analysis in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). Read Driving impairment following vaporization of cannabis
3/23/21--This study confirmed previous findings from on-road and driving simulator studies showing that THC produces modest but clinically relevant driving impairment similar to that seen in drivers with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.05%. It also showed that THC-induced impairment was transient and no longer present between 240 minutes and 300 minutes after vaporization, even though most drivers still tested positive for THC in blood. Read Marijuana & Commerce
2021 Study: How legalizing recreational marijuana impacts home values
7/12/21--As legalization brings marijuana into the mainstream, it’s sparked questions for real estate professionals and individual citizens alike. Will legalization impact property values, for better or worse? Will communities begin to reap benefits of marijuana legalization — or suffer the consequences? According to data from Zillow and the U.S. Census, among other sources, overall marijuana legalization leads to higher property values and millions of dollars in new tax revenue. Read UN world drug report calls for global ban on marijuana advertising & THC potency caps
6/25/21--Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) reports the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) released the latest edition of the annual World Drug Report, which highlighted the fact that while use of marijuana among young people has increased to levels not seen since the early nineties, the perception of harm from use among the same demographic is at a historic low. The report also called for a global ban on marijuana advertising and the implementation of a cap on THC potency in marijuana products where the marijuana industry has expanded. Read America’s pot labs have a THC problem
6/29/21--Experts say that lab corruption is widespread because the incentives to cheat are too high and enforcement is mostly ineffective. America’s legal weed industry sold over $17 billion of pot last year and the industry’s obsession with THC, pot’s most famous intoxicant, has created financial rewards for every marginal increase in THC potency. Weed shoppers use THC percentages like nutritional labels, purchasing products based on their THC content, yet the lab system entrusted with measuring the compound is vulnerable to corruption. Read Broadcasters eager to advertise pot tap lobbyists for Hill push
6/28/21--A coalition of state broadcaster associations seeking to cash in on TV and radio ads for marijuana products hired a team of lobbyists with ties to senior lawmakers to secure congressional approval to air spots for pot. The coalition hired bipartisan boutique lobbying firm Klein/Johnson Group to work with policymakers on its behalf, according to lobbying registration filed with Congress. Read Cannabeta Realty
6/16/21--Cannabeta Realty is the first real estate brokerage firm in the New York and New Jersey area dedicated to serving the needs of the cannabis industry. Read Marijuana & Culture
Can the latest Olympic controversy change cannabis policy?
7/13/21--In an op-ed penned by Jordan Tishler, MD, cannabis specialist and President of the Association of Cannabinoid Specialists, he expresses his unique perspective on the science and the politics of cannabis and believes that this Olympic controversy pertaining to Sha'Carri Richardson's suspension is entirely a political problem. Tishler also firmly believes it is unfortunate that Richardson has become the victim of decades of racist policy and states it's time for these policies to be changed. Read Sha’Carri Richardson suspension underscore frustration with Biden’s marijuana policy
7/8/21--Advocates for marijuana legalization are expressing disappointment and frustration with the Biden administration’s response to Sha’Carri Richardson’s disqualification from the Tokyo Olympic Games, which they say highlights the White House’s refusal to move forward on cannabis policy. Read Apple now allows marijuana businesses on its App Store, while Google maintains ban
7/1/21--Apple will no longer prohibit marijuana delivery services from being hosted on its App Store—one of the latest pro-cannabis developments to come out of the tech industry. The policy was updated last month to remove the ban, with some restrictions. A marijuana app must be geo-restricted to jurisdictions where cannabis is legal, and the program must be “submitted by a legal entity that provides the services, and not by an individual developer.” Read Sha’Carri Richardson, a track sensation, tests positive for marijuana
7/1/21--The American sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson, who was set for a star turn at the Tokyo Olympics this month, could miss the Games after testing positive for marijuana. The United States Anti-Doping Agency announced the positive test result Friday morning, and said Richardson had accepted a suspension of one month, starting on June 28. That could clear her in time to run in the 4x100 meter relay that takes place later in the Games — if she is named to the U.S. team. Read Illegal drugs trade goes digital for pandemic
6/9/21--According to Europe’s drugs agency, the illegal drugs trade went digital to serve its customers during lockdown, and could stay that way when the COVID-19 pandemic is over. The pandemic has forced changes to every level of the drugs trade, from wholesale traffickers and smugglers to neighborhood dealers. Read Marijuana & Enforcement
States and cities near tentative $26 billion deal in opioid cases
7/20/21--The three largest pharmaceutical distributors and Johnson & Johnson are on the verge of a $26 billion deal with states and municipalities that would settle thousands of lawsuits over their role in the opioid epidemic and pay for addiction and prevention services nationwide. Read Opening access to psilocybin therapy for seriously ill patients: The petitioners’ opening brief in AIMS et al v DEA
5/19/21--Emerge Law Group represents a Seattle palliative care physician and co-director of an integrative oncology clinic, and a number of his patients with advanced cancer in a case seeking to open access to psilocybin therapy for patients with serious illness under state and federal Right to Try laws. Today they filed their brief, Petitioners Opening Brief, in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Read The declining significance of race in criminal sentencing: Evidence from US Federal Courts
3/15/21--Racial inequality in sentencing has decreased substantially over the last decade. In 2009, the average sentencing difference between black and white defendants in federal court was nearly 3 yrs. By 2018, this difference was less than 6 mos. During the same time, the black–white gap went from 47 mos. down to zero among drug defenders. Read 2020 National Drug Threat Assessment
3/2/21--The 2020 National Drug Threat Assessment (NDTA) is a comprehensive assessment of the threat posed to the United States by the trafficking and abuse of illicit drugs, the diversion and abuse of licit drugs, and the laundering of proceeds generated through illicit drug sales. It also addresses the role domestic groups, including organized violent gangs, serve in domestic drug trafficking. Read DEA releases 2020 National Drug Threat Assessment
3/2/21--DEA Acting Administrator D. Christopher Evans today announced the release of the 2020 National Drug Threat Assessment, DEA’s annual publication outlining the threats posed to the United States by domestic and international drug trafficking and the abuse of illicit drugs. Read