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
NORML pushes top federal health official to admit criminalization is more harmful than marijuana
6/9/20--NORML is asking the head of a federal health agency, who recently acknowledged racial disparities in drug enforcement and the harm that such disparate practices have caused, to go on the record to further admit that this trend in criminalization is more harmful than marijuana itself. While NORML said it’s not arguing that cannabis is harmless, the group maintains that the role of discriminatory cannabis enforcement in systemic racial injustices that are the focus of mass protests across the country cannot be overstated. Read Hemp industry asks Congress to help on FDA guidance
6/4/20--The hemp industry, trying to regain ground lost to the pandemic, is asking the Agriculture Department to make it eligible for COVID-19 aid. Jonathan Miller, general counsel for the U.S. Hemp Roundtable, said that the trade association wants lawmakers to require the Food and Drug Administration to start writing regulations for cannabidiol (CBD) products as dietary supplements and food additives. Read Intervention to Prevent Illicit Drug Use in Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults
5/26/20--The US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has recently published recommendations on primary care–based interventions to prevent illicit drug use in youths. The main intervention is counseling sessions, which can take on various formats. Read Company recalls injectable CBD products following FDA warning letter
5/21/20--A Food and Drug Administration (FDA) letter warning Biota Biosciences about its marketing of injectable CBD products has led to a voluntary recall that the federal agency announced on Wednesday. The agency said the company was violating federal statutes both by engaging in interstate commerce of an unapproved new drug and failing to properly label the products by neglecting to include directions for use. Read Consumer Brands Association launches Coalition for Smart CBD Regulation
5/21/20--The Consumer Brands Association today announced the launch of the Coalition for Smart CBD Regulation, a cross-industry group committed to protecting consumer safety and advocating for necessary resources and uniform federal policies around cannabidiol (CBD). Read Marijuana & Health
COVID-19 pandemic impact on patients, families & individuals in recovery from a SUD
6/8/20--This report from the Addiction Policy Forum sheds light on the experiences of patients and impacted individuals on emotional and health consequences of COVID-19, overdose rates and barriers in safely accessing care during the pandemic. Supported in part by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), a part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Read Centers for Disease Control Director testimony on Coronavirus Response
6/4/20--Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Dr. Robert Redfield testified before a House Appropriations subcommittee on the federal government’s coronavirus response. Committee members questioned Dr. Redfield on a range of issues including contact tracing, CDC coronavirus data reporting, vaccine development, and efforts to address health disparities in minority communities. Read FDA action on cannabis firm’s drug for COVID-19 patients sends Philly pharma firm’s stock soaring
6/3/20--Shares in Philadelphia-based cannabis company FSD Pharma spiked 324% in premarket trading this morning on news that it had been granted approval by the Food and Drug Administration to submit an application for a clinical trial using a synthetic drug that mimics the action of a molecule found in marijuana to treat COVID-19. Read Legal marijuana market size, global industry growth, statistics, trends, revenue analysis 2020
6/4/20--DBMR published a new research publication on “Global Legal Marijuana Market Size, Share, Growth, Industry Trends and Forecast to 2027" with 350+ pages and enriched with self-explained Tables and charts in presentable format. In the study, new evolving Market Size, Share, Statistics, Trends, Drivers, Restraints, Opportunities generated by targeting market associated stakeholders can be found. Read The state of cannabis research legislation in 2020
6/1/20--U.S. researchers lack appropriate access to commercially available cannabis products for clinical trials. Meanwhile, patients continue to use state-sanctioned products marketed as medicines in the absence of evidence to support their benefits or define their harms. Read Marijuana & Safety
Group hopes to shape legal cannabis water standards
6/4/20--Resource Innovation Institute’s (RII), made up of experts in multiple fields and disciplines is hoping to establish water usage and water quality benchmarks for legal cannabis growers, regardless of growing style. The water working group hopes to address this misconception of water usage in cannabis with data and scientific standardization, including coming up with a more accurate method to measure or benchmark a grower’s water usage. Read 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 Marijuana & Commerce
Trulieve receives provisional adult-use cannabis license approval in Massachusetts
6/4/20--Life Essence, Inc., doing business as Trulieve, received unanimous approval for its Adult-Use/Recreational Provisional License from the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission (CCC) to operate as a Tier 9 indoor cultivation and to carry out product manufacturing in Holyoke, Massachusetts. The CCC also awarded Trulieve its Adult-Use/Recreational Provisional License to operate a retail cannabis establishment in Northampton, Massachusetts. Read Perception of cannabis health information labels among people who use cannabis in the U.S. and Canada
6/1/20--This study explored perceptions of cannabis health information labels among people who used cannabis in the last 12 months residing in the U.S. and Canada. Results of the study indicate that respondents living in Canada were less likely to say information was new and rated most messages more believable than those in the U.S. Respondents from legal U.S. states were less likely to say information was new compared to other states. Respondents who used cannabis daily rated acceptability of labels lower (27.8%) than those using 1-48 days (40.6%). Read Perceived importance of factors in cannabis purchase decisions: A best-worst scaling experiment
5/29/20--This study examined cannabis users’ perceptions of the relative importance of policy-relevant factors when they made cannabis purchase decisions. Results indicate that cannabis users in general perceived product characteristics, quality, and price to be important factors in their willingness to buy cannabis in dispensaries. There were heterogeneities in the perceptions by cannabis use purposes. Read Cannabis Weekly Round-Up: CEO stats revealed, canopy results disappoint
5/29/20--In a new report, executive search firm Bedford Consulting Group crunches the numbers, noting that 35 percent of cannabis company CEOs were replaced in 2019. The report, which focuses on executive and board compensation in the North American cannabis industry, also states that total CEO compensation was $1.7 million for companies with market caps of over $1 billion. For those with market caps under $100 million, the amount was $226,250. Read New Hampshire has 441 legal cannabis industry jobs, study finds
5/31/20--The state of New Hampshire has 441 legal cannabis industry jobs, according to a study by Leafly. Moreover, Leafly concludes that cannabis-related jobs are growing faster than the employment growth that’s occurring in the nation’s other industries. Yet the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics does not tabulate the number of jobs supported by legal marijuana, according to the analysis. Read Marijuana & Culture
Rudy Guiliani is looking for $10 million to finance a Ukraine-Biden film
5/28/20--Giuliani and two associates—a Republican fundraiser and a California cannabis entrepreneur—have been trying to round up $10 million to finance the production of a Biden-Ukraine documentary that can be released this year to try to undo Biden’s presidential bid. Documents obtained by Mother Jones indicate that Giuliani and his collaborators are recruiting investors at $1 million a pop and that they have considered the possibility of drawing in investors from overseas. Read Healey joins group of bipartisan attorneys general to tell Congress to pass marijuana banking as part of coronavirus bill
5/20/20--A bipartisan coalition of 34 state and territory attorneys general, including Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, is urging Congress to pass coronavirus relief legislation that includes a provision to protect banks that serve marijuana businesses from being penalized by federal regulators. Read High Times makes bold move into marijuana retail with $80 million deal
4/28/20--The owner of pioneering cannabis magazine High Times said it is acquiring 13 operating and planned marijuana retail stores in California for $80 million. The purchase, which is being made mostly in stock, reflects an aggressive move into retail under the company’s new management team. Read High Times owner scores 13 California marijuana dispensaries
4/28/20--The owner of High Times is going to start selling marijuana after championing its use in the pages of its magazine for nearly half a century. Hightimes Holding Corp. said Tuesday is acquiring 13 dispensaries from Harvest Health and Recreation, one of the largest multi-state producers and sellers of cannabis in the U.S. Read Drs. Oz & Roizen: Medical marijuana can have negative side effects too
4/30/20--Marijuana can have serious interactions with 21+ different drugs and moderate interactions with 286+, says RxList.com. It can also trigger anxiety and paranoia, according to a study published in the Journal of Cannabis Research. Researchers at the University of Washington discovered that more than half of 1,500 students surveyed had experienced anxiety and/or paranoia while using cannabis. Read Marijuana & Enforcement
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 Proposed class action targets CBD maker over ADA website accessibility
2/7/20--Last month, a putative class action lawsuit was filed in New York federal court against Charlotte’s Web, Inc., a Colorado-based maker of cannabidiol (“CBD”) oils, balms and gummies claiming that its website is not accessible to visually impaired shoppers, in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”). Read