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
Hemp states running pilot programs in 2020 starting to ask for deadline extensions
1/16/20--Six state agriculture departments have opted to run their 2020 hemp production programs under the existing rules; however, state agriculture officials in several of those states say their pilot programs’ expiration dates could lead to serious problems. Recommendations to the USDA have been made to extend the agency grant deadline to state pilot programs through the end of the 2020 calendar year. Read Cannabis confusion pushes states to ban smokable hemp
1/9/20--The rise of hemp products so similar to marijuana has caught some lawmakers by surprise, and some state lawmakers, alarmed by how difficult it is for law enforcement officers to tell the difference between hemp bud or joints and illegal pot products, are cracking down on smokable hemp. Read These states now have legal weed, and which states could follow suit in 2020
1/1/20--Recreational marijuana use became legal in just one more state, Illinois, with the start of the New Year on Wednesday. More states could follow suit in 2020, with several states set to put recreational marijuana on the ballot. On January, 1, 2020, Illinois became the 11th state to legalize recreational marijuana, and several states are expected to vote on recreational marijuana use measures in 2020. Read Congressional briefing calls for improved regulation of CBD
12/6/19--On Dec. 5, the National Association of County Behavioral Health & Developmental Disability Directors (NACBHDD), together with the National Association for Rural Mental Health (NARMH) and the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), hosted a Congressional briefing for Hill staff on the need for improved regulation of cannabidiol (CBD) products by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Read MAPS to open psychedelic clinics? Let’s hope so
11/20/19--MAPS has taken the reign on the number of trained therapists, in addition to steering the research, regulatory, and public education for the past 30+ years. MAPS is considering whether to get involved in creating a network of psychedelic psychotherapy clinics, initially with MDMA and adding ketamine and cannabis and one day psilocybin, etc. Read Marijuana & Health
Study: College binge drinking down, pot use up in legalized states
1/19/20--A recently published study shows students are turning to marijuana over alcohol in states where weed is legal. Conducted by Oregon State University, the study concludes that states where marijuana was legalized by 2018, including Colorado, had a rise in occasional and frequent pot use by college students, who were 18 percent more likely to have used marijuana in the past thirty days than in states where marijuana is still illegal. Read Newborn’s death linked to acute marijuana toxicity
1/15/20--A recently published report describes the case of an 11-day-old female neonate who died due to acute marijuana toxicity and highlights the need for more research on the impact of marijuana use on pregnancy outcomes. The cause of death was specifically declared to be “extensive necrosis and hemorrhage of the liver and adrenals”, which was deemed to be caused by maternal use of marijuana. Read 2 million people with heart disease report using marijuana, Brigham and Women’s doctors find in new study
1/20/20--More than 2 million people with heart disease in the United States have used or are using marijuana, researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital found in a new study that called for more research about the drug’s potential cardiovascular risks. Although the researchers did not conclude that marijuana causes heart disease, “observational studies have linked marijuana use to a range of cardiovascular risks, including stroke, arrhythmia and diseases that make it hard for the heart muscle to pump properly,” the hospital in a statement. Read More dogs falling prey to THC poisoning. Vets say legal marijuana is a key factor.
1/10/20--Dog poisoning from ingesting cannabis is sharply on the rise. The Schaumburg-based American Veterinary Medical Association reports that cannabis-related calls to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals’ pet poison-control hotline rose 765% during the same period from 2018 to 2019. Also, the Pet Poison Helpline has reported an increase of more than 400% in cannabis poisoning calls over the past six years. Read Marijuana detected in homicide victims nearly doubles
1/8/20--Researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health assessed the time trends in alcohol and marijuana detected in homicide victims and found that the prevalence of marijuana almost doubled, increasing from 22 percent in 2004 to 42 percent in 2016. The findings are published in Injury Epidemiology. Read Marijuana & Safety
Appeals Court rules that New Jersey company must cover employee’s medical cannabis costs
1/17/20--An appeals court in New Jersey has ruled that an employer must reimburse a former employee for the cost of medical cannabis in a move that could have far-reaching effects for the industry. Steve Schain, senior attorney at Hoban Law Group, views the New Jersey ruling as a monumental moment for the medical cannabis industry and its patients for other reasons, too; namely, that it may encourage private insurance companies—and perhaps even government insurance—to also cover medical cannabis. Read Driving under the influence of marijuana and illicit drugs among persons aged ≥16 Years — United States, 2018
12/20/19--According to a report published by the CDC, during 2018 approximately 12 million (4.7%) U.S. residents aged ≥16 years reported driving under the influence of marijuana, and 2.3 million (0.9%) reported driving under the influence of illicit drugs other than marijuana during the past 12 months. Thus, further indicating that the use and co-use of alcohol and drugs has been associated with impairment of psychomotor and cognitive functions while driving. Read Car crashes in pot-legal states have soared
11/13/19--Car crashes in the first three states to legalize recreational marijuana have soared as law enforcement and regulators struggle to define driving high, let alone determine how to fight it. Colorado, Oregon, and Washington saw a combined 5.2% increase in the rate of police-reported crashes after legalizing recreational marijuana, compared with neighboring states where such sales are illegal, according to data compiled and analyzed by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Researchers tallied crash rates between 2012 and 2016. Read 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 Marijuana & Commerce
With alcohol consumption down among millennials, big businesses see opportunities for THC-infused beverages
1/14/20--Cannabis-infused beverages are a relatively small slice of the $11.3 billion in U.S. cannabis sales in 2018. Fortune Business Insights estimated global sales of cannabis-infused beverages totaled $174 million in 2018. The continuing federal prohibition of cannabis has kept risk-averse global brands from investing in the U.S. market. However, brewers that have already developed zero-alcohol alternatives to their traditional offerings are now preparing cannabis-infused versions of those products. Read Major Canadian pot companies facing proposed class-action lawsuits in the U.S.
1/19/20--Some of Canada's biggest cannabis producers are facing proposed class-action lawsuits in the United States after investors were hit with steep financial losses in the stock market. Although the allegations vary, each pot producer is accused of misleading investors or failing to disclose certain problems with their businesses. When those problems became publicly known, the lawsuits claim, share prices plunged and investors were stuck with losses. Read Curaleaf reports third quarter 2019 financial and operational results
11/19/19--Curaleaf, a leading vertically integrated cannabis operator in the U.S., today reported its financial and operating results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2019. Read Co-founder of Steamboat pot shop promoted to COO of international cannabis company
11/13/19--Kevin Fisher, the co-founder of Steamboat Springs’ first marijuana dispensary, has been appointed second in command as the chief operating officer for Parallel, a global company with headquarters in Georgia. His goal as COO is to expand markets across the world and develop new ways for customers to consume marijuana. Read 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 Marijuana & Culture
‘High Times’ will open two cannabis dispensaries
1/21/20--High Times is getting into the retail game by opening two cannabis dispensaries in Las Vegas and Los Angeles. These flagship dispensaries will carry a variety of High Times-branded merchandise alongside locally sourced cannabis products that have previously won awards at Cannabis Cup events. Read New York Times editorial board: Joe Biden
1/14/20--The editorial board of The New York Times conducted an interview with former vice president Joe Biden. He candidly discussed several matters, including policy issues, as well as what he considers mistakes of the 2016 Clinton campaign, and his current opposition to the federal legalization of marijuana. Read Juice WRLD allegedly popped pills on private jet, 70 lbs. marijuana seized
12/9/19--TMZ reports that the private jet Juice WRLD flew on to Chicago was loaded down with 70 pounds of marijuana ... and cops say people on the plane told them the rapper had popped several pills prior to suffering seizures. Several members of Juice's team aboard the flight told them Juice had taken "several unknown pills" prior to the seizures which led to him getting rushed to a hospital. Read Vote to federally legalize marijuana planned in congress
11/16/19--A key congressional committee plans to hold a historic vote on a bill to end the federal prohibition of marijuana next week. The legislation, sponsored by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), would remove cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) and set aside funding to begin repairing the damage of the war on drugs, which has been disproportionately waged against communities of color. Read SAFE Banking Act shouldn’t harm children
11/8/19--The marijuana industry is lobbying hard for the Secure and Fair Enforcement Banking Act (SAFE) of 2019. Its stated purpose is “to increase public safety by ensuring access to financial services to cannabis-related legitimate businesses.” What’s been lost in the congressional debate over the bill, so far, is the safety of children. Congress can demand key safeguards for children that the industry has so far resisted. Read Marijuana & Enforcement
Large-scale marijuana operation with Mass. ties shipped drugs in golf cart boxes, Feds say
1/19/20--William P. Murphy and Claudio Cardaropoli, co-conspirators in a $20 million nationwide marijuana trafficking ring, often shipped drugs in boxes purporting to contain golf carts, according to an FBI agent who testified at a hearing in U.S. District Court. Both have been charged with marijuana trafficking conspiracy, money laundering, and drug distribution. Read 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