9/11/18--The National Institute on Drug Abuse recently released the results of its latest study, which examined trends on substance use among non-college and college young adults. More than 13 percent of young adults not in college reported using marijuana daily or near daily, which is the highest level ever among the group. As a result, NIDA said daily marijuana use is now three times as high among non-college young adults as among college students. Read
Tag: United States
Greater risk for frequent marijuana use and problems among young adult marijuana users with a medical marijuana card
11/25/18--According to a study comparing young adults with and without a medical marijuana (MM) recommendation from a provider (“MM card”) on their developmental trajectories of frequent marijuana use and marijuana-related problems in young adulthood, young adult marijuana users with a MM card had a higher risk profile for marijuana use and related problems compared to those without an MM card. Given expanding state legalization of marijuana for medical use, this issue warrants further attention. Read Coca-Cola CEO on coffee strategy: We’re not going head to head with Starbucks
11/16/18--According to Coca-Cola President and CEO James Quincey, Coca-Cola's $5.1 billion acquisition of U.K. coffee chain Costa was less of an effort to take on giants like Starbucks than a move to create a new type of coffee experience. Read New momentum in veterans’ fight for medical marijuana
11/19/18--Military veterans lobbying for an end to federal classification of marijuana as a lethal substance with no redeeming medicinal value may be closer to that goal than ever before, given the midterm election results. Between the Democratic takeover of the House of Representatives, last week’s forced resignation of Attorney General Jeff Sessions, and a federal lawsuit led by a 12-year-old girl with epilepsy, the marijuana prohibition drama is set to unfold on multiple fronts. 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 Addiction often begins with a ‘beautiful’ boy or girl
11/5/18--Robert L. DuPont, M.D., president of the Institute for Behavior and director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, discussed his perspective on the movie, "Beautiful Boy," a new film about the relationship between a good father and his good son as the teenager dives into addiction. According to DuPont, this movie is a cautionary story for teens and families, and one of the many reasons he highly recommends seeing "Beautiful Boy" is because of the riveting, relentless, and powerful portrayal of how addiction hijacks the brain. Read Blue Moon’s founding brewer pops top on pot-infused beer
11/12/18--Keith Villa, who invented Blue Moon Belgian Wheat more than two decades ago, next month will launch the first beer from new venture CERIA Brewing Co. Grainwave Belgian-Style White Ale has no alcohol and includes 5 milligrams of THC, the high-producing ingredient found in marijuana plants. Made with blood orange peel and coriander, the ale "has a richer, deeper orange character and a little different type of bitterness because of the cannabinoids," Villa said. Read
Notice of Intent to Publish a Funding Opportunity Announcement for Exploring the Mechanisms Underlying Analgesic Properties of Minor Cannabinoids and Terpenes
11/7/18--The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) intends to publish a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) to solicit applications for research on minor cannabinoids and terpenes in the cannabis plant as it relates to pain and nociception. Read Marijuana ballot initiative campaigns raised $12.9 million, final pre-election numbers show
11/6/18--In the lead-up to the election, committees supporting or opposing marijuana ballot initiatives have raised a total of $12.9 million in cash and in-kind services over the past two years to convince those voters, Marijuana Moment’s analysis of the latest campaign finance records filed the day before Election Day shows. Read Content, exposure, and effects of public discourses about marijuana: A systematic review
11/5/18--This review presents a comprehensive picture of research studies about marijuana-related content in news, social media, and advertisements. Studies that examined the extent of people’s exposure to the messages and its effects were also included. Read Adolescent cannabis use alters development of planning, self-control brain areas
11/6/18--Adolescent marijuana use may alter how neurons function in brain areas engaged in decision-making, planning and self-control, according to researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago. The findings are the result of an animal model study focused on the structural development of the prefrontal cortex, or PFC, which controls high-level cognitive functions. Read
New insights into the neural risks and benefits of marijuana use
11/6/18--Research released today underscores both the dangers and the therapeutic promise of marijuana, revealing different effects across the lifespan. Marijuana exposure in the womb or during adolescence may disrupt learning and memory, damage communication between brain regions, and disturb levels of key neurotransmitters and metabolites in the brain. Read Rat models of opioid use and addiction explore risk of abuse
11/6/18--New research revealed today highlights the power of animal studies to explore mechanisms of opioid addiction, withdrawal, and relapse to inform new prevention strategies and treatments for people. Read
Impact of opioid epidemic on children varies by state
11/6/18--A new report released by the Drug Enforcement Administration finds most overdose deaths are caused by prescription drugs, including opioids. While opioid abuse continues to plague certain states more than others, each state is unique in how it attempts to stem the crisis and its effect on families. These differences have resulted in significant variation across the country between opioid prescription rates and the number of children placed into foster care. Read Trump ousts cannabis threat Jeff Sessions as attorney general
11/7/18--U.S Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who less than a year ago stunned the marijuana industry by ripping up Obama-era protections for state-legal MJ businesses, has been forced out by President Trump. The development could ease industry concerns that the Department of Justice will unleash a crackdown on state-legal marijuana businesses – though much will depend on whom Trump picks as Sessions’ permanent replacement. Read Sharp uptick in pregnant women using marijuana during a key time in baby’s development
11/6/18--The number of pregnant women who say they used marijuana over the last two decades has nearly doubled, according to federal data. While still rare, prenatal use is growing. Between 2002 and 2016, marijuana use in pregnant women rose from 2.85 percent to almost 5 percent, according to data from the U.S. National Survey of Drug Use. Of the 12,000 women ages 18 to 44 surveyed, 3,500 who said they used the drug were in their first trimester of pregnancy, a critical time in a baby's development. Read Alcohol, cigarette, and marijuana use between 2002 and 2016 in pregnant women from a nationally representative sample
11/5/18--In the National Survey of Drug Use and Health, the adjusted prevalence of past 30-day cannabis use in pregnant women aged 18 to 44 years rose from 2.37% in 2002 to 3.85% in 2014. Another study found a relatively similar increase from 4.2% in 2009 to 7.1% in 2014. Corresponding rates of alcohol use and cigarette smoking during pregnancy have generally decreased. These reports encourage more detailed characterization of patterns of substance use during the course of pregnancy. 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 Effect of cannabidiol on medial temporal, midbrain, and striatal dysfunction in people at clinical high risk of psychosis
11/8/18--In this investigation comparing 33 individuals at clinical high risk of psychosis who were part of a double-blind randomized clinical trial and 19 healthy control individuals, a single oral dose of cannabidiol modulated activation in the striatum, medial temporal cortex, and midbrain. In each of these regions, the level of activation following administration of cannabidiol to patients at clinical high risk of psychosis was intermediate between the response in healthy control individuals who did not receive any drug and in patients at clinical high risk receiving placebo. Read Association of cannabinoid administration with experimental pain in healthy adults
11/8/18--This systematic review and meta-analysis of 18 studies including 442 adults found that cannabinoid drugs were associated with modest increases in experimental pain threshold and tolerance, no reduction in the intensity of ongoing experimental pain, reduced perceived unpleasantness of painful stimuli, and no reduction of mechanical hyperalgesia. Read Notice and Public Comment: NACB Advertising Standard
10/1/18--The National Association of Cannabis Businesses (NACB) is the first and only self-regulatory organization in U.S. cannabis. The organization's Standards Governance Board and Members voted to adopt the Advertising Standard in October 2018. Read AB InBev watching the legal marijuana market closely
10/28/18--The world’s biggest brewer, Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev), says it is keeping a close eye on the burgeoning marijuana market. Major brewing giants are increasingly linking up with marijuana producers as countries legalize the plant. This is partly because brewers are in some cases selling less beer where marijuana has been legalized. Read Why Is CBD everywhere?
10/27/18--Cannabidiol is being touted as a magical elixir, but according to a New York Times article by writer Alex Williams, it’s hard to say the precise moment when CBD turned into a mainstream panacea. With its proponents claiming that CBD treats ailments as diverse as inflammation, pain, acne, anxiety, insomnia, depression, post-traumatic stress, and even cancer, it’s easy to wonder if this all natural, non-psychotropic and widely available cousin of marijuana represents a cure for the 21st century itself. Read Marijuana legalization has gone mainstream. Rick Steves has helped.
10/27/18--Rick Steves, a travel writer and public radio and television host, is an outspoken activist for the legalization of recreational marijuana. He says smoking pot is like a “declaration of independence.” The legalization of marijuana is a more mainstream issue now than it has ever been, and this trend is both reflected and powered by the advocacy of people like Steves, who campaigned for legalization in his home state of Washington in 2012 and now travels the country doing the same thing. Read
Mike Tyson shops TV show about life as marijuana grower
10/26/18--Mike Tyson is shopping a new TV show, based on the boxer’s life as a marijuana grower and marketer. Tyson will star in the scripted comedy, called “Rolling With the Punches.” Tyson is a big proponent of weed’s health benefits and said 85 percent of pro athletes use some form of marijuana to relieve pain, inflammation, and anxiety. Read Marijuana use associated with faster kidney function decline in patients with CKD
10/27/18--Joshua L. Rein and his colleagues from Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai analyzed data from the ASSESS-AKI parallel matched cohort study to investigate whether marijuana use was associated with kidney function decline and albuminuria. According to data presented at the ASN Kidney Week 2018, patients with baseline chronic kidney disease who used marijuana experienced more rapid eGFR decline. Read
Verano™ Holdings launched to consolidate national cannabis assets with $120 million financing and Acquisition of Florida licenses
10/23/18--Verano Holdings, LLC Co-founders George Archos and Sam Dorf today announced an $120 million financing comprised of $88 million equity investment by Toronto-based Scythian Biosciences Corp., an additional private financing of $32 million, as well as acquisitions, transactions, and executive hires that bring together numerous successful marijuana enterprises under the newly created Verano Holdings, LLC, and verano™ master brand. Read Michael Douglas and Danny DeVito bonded over weed
10/24/18--Danny DeVito befriended Michael Douglas in 1967 over their shared love of marijuana leading to a long friendship for over 50 years. Read States’ rights and federal wrongs: The misguided attempt to label marijuana legalization efforts as a ‘states’ rights’ issue
5/3/18--Advocates for liberalization of the federal statutes outlawing marijuana have argued that the issue of whether and how to regulate marijuana should be left to the states to decide. Congress should re-examine how federal law regulates marijuana, but Congress should be guided by the judgment of the FDA as to the costs and benefits of liberalizing marijuana use. Read Combustible and electronic tobacco and marijuana products in hip-hop music videos
10/15/18--Combustible and electronic tobacco and marijuana use frequently occurred in popular hip-hop music videos from 2013 to 2017. The genre’s broad appeal, use of branded products by influential artists, and rise of electronic product and marijuana use may contribute to a growing public health concern of tobacco and marijuana use. 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 Marijuana can help treat symptoms from multiple sclerosis, study finds
10/16/18--Multiple sclerosis (MS) could be yet another illness that could benefit from medical marijuana, according to new research. A study published in the journal JAMA Network Open found that “cannabinoids produce a limited and mild reduction of subjective spasticity, pain, and bladder dysfunction in patients with MS.” Read Bill Weld: Former governor, now marijuana hype man
10/19/18--As a featured speaker at the Cannabis World Congress and Business Exposition in Boston, Bill Weld, former US attorney and governor of Massachusetts, appeared to be a hype man for Acreage Holdings. Weld actually supported marijuana for medical use as governor in the early 1990s, long before that policy had the widespread support of Americans. He also strongly endorsed the STATES Act, a bill that would repeal the federal prohibition of marijuana and allow states to set their own policies on the drug. 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
Study shows higher rate of stroke among pot smokers
10/19/18--A new study ties marijuana to a raised risk for stroke. The risk for any stroke could increase by 15 percent and it could jump 29 percent for an ischemic stroke -- the most common kind, said lead investigator Dr. Krupa Patel, a research physician at Avalon University School of Medicine in Willemstad, Curacao. In the study, Patel and her colleagues found that among more than 2.3 million American recreational marijuana users who were hospitalized, the risk of stroke rose, compared with people who didn't use the drug. Read Marijuana caused more damage to teens’ brains than alcohol, study finds
10/6/18--Marijuana use may pose a greater risk to the developing brains of teenagers than alcohol consumption, according to a new study this week. The analysis, published Wednesday in the American Journal of Psychiatry, found that cannabis had greater short and long-term consequences than alcohol on four key components of teens' memory. The finding greatly surprised researchers. Read
What is marijuana kief and what can you do with it?
10/6/18--In short, marijuana kief is when tiny bulbs are separated from the plant's buds. Kief has been sold at dispensaries in Oregon on a more regular basis as the industry has continued to evolve, and it is also a key ingredient in tarantula joints, which involves kief being stuck to the outside of a joint with a marijuana concentrate serving as a bonding agent to keep the kief in place. Kief costs more than the flower, and it is extremely potent. Read Canopy Growth and 4 other cannabis stocks that look good here
10/6/18--Timothy Collins of Real Money identifies 5 marijuana stocks that offer some diversification or unique features in the legal-weed space: GW Pharma, Canopy Growth, KushCo Holdings, Pyxus International, and CannaRoyalty. Read From Willie to Whoopi, big names are getting behind the booming business of legal weed
9/27/18--As marijuana's popularity has increased, so has the number of celeb-branded pot products available in legal weed states. Some of them come from performers whose careers are already synonymous with marijuana, while others include mainstream stars who have leveraged their celeb status to get involved in medicinal marijuana-based projects. Read Teens who’ve tried marijuana have used it in more than one form
9/28/18--Most teens who've tried marijuana have used the drug in more than one form, including products that are smoked, eaten, or vaped, new USC research shows. The study, published Friday in JAMA Network Open, raises concerns about adolescent health amid a booming marijuana market that touts sleekly packaged products claiming an array of health benefits. Read
Marijuana stock GW Pharmaceuticals nabs DEA Schedule V
9/27/18--The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) has awarded GW Pharmaceuticals' epilepsy drug, Epidiolex, Schedule V status, its least restrictive classification. The decision clears the way for GW Pharmaceuticals to begin offering the only CBD oil that's cleared by the DEA for use nationwide, and it puts the company on a path to disrupt how doctors treat patients who fail to respond to existing anti-epilepsy medications. Read Constellation Brands execs will join Canopy Growth Board; Ontario marijuana laws unveiled
9/27/18--Two senior executives of Corona parent Constellation Brands will become directors of Canopy Growth after the Canadian marijuana producer's shareholders approved the beer-and-wine giant's $4 billion investment in the company. Additionally, the government of Ontario proposed rules that it said would create a "tightly regulated" marketplace for brick-and-mortar cannabis shops in the area. Read High Times parent hustles to lure cannabis investors; here’s what you need to know
9/13/18--High Times Holding Corp., the parent company of the iconic marijuana culture magazine High Times, is looking to attract a large number of small investors as the publication works to go public, bolster its brand, and shore up a balance sheet mired in debt. Read Federal chokehold on marijuana stymies studies on epilepsy, autism
9/11/18--In an editorial published in Spectrum, Shaun Hussain, director of the Infantile Spasms Program at the University of California, Los Angeles Mattel Children’s Hospital, addresses the cumbersome regulations discouraging many talented and motivated researchers from investigating the potential value of marijuana. Hussain openly expresses his views about marijuana containing 100 mostly unexplored chemicals (known collectively as cannabinoids), any one of which could aid the treatment of not just epilepsy and autism but any number of conditions. Read 4 niche marijuana stocks with massive market share
9/11/18--Marijuana stocks offering competitive advantages might prove attractive to investors. Throughout the industry, there are four such niche stocks that bring massive market share potential to the table: CannaRoyalty, Kush Bottles, GW Pharmaceuticals, and Innovative Industrial Properties. Read
Why the adult cannabis market could kill its medical counterpart
9/11/18--As more states continue to legalize recreational marijuana, speculation among industry pundits is that this could be the precursor to a major slowdown, if not death knell, for the medical marijuana industry. According to estimates by leading cannabis researchers ArcView Market Research in partnership with BDS Analytics, the latest revenue projections for the U.S. medical marijuana industry in 2018 is $4.3 billion versus $6.7 billion for adult use. Last year, medical racked up $5.9 billion while adult use snagged $2.6 billion. Read Alcohol companies are seeing green in weed
9/11/18--As alcohol consumption around the world keeps falling, big distillers and brewers are putting their money into marijuana-infused, non-alcoholic cocktails. A string of deals between alcohol companies and marijuana companies illustrate the next big thing in beverages. Read Marijuana comes to your coffee and candy—but is it legal?
9/12/18--Companies are selling a growing number of products that contain cannabidiol, or CBD, a chemical found in hemp. It’s being added to everything from gumdrops to beverages, as marketers claim benefits such as pain relief and stress reduction. Read Anheuser-Busch heir shuns beer for push into Colorado marijuana
9/12/18--Adolphus Busch V, the 27-year-old great-great-grandson of the beer magnate Adolphus Busch, has launched a line of disposable marijuana vape pens, under the brand ABV Cannabis. The ABV vape pens are now in about two dozen stores. Busch decided to focus on the product because of growing popularity among marijuana users who want to avoid smoking. Read Longtime tobacco supplier sees the future in marijuana
9/12/18--Alliance One International Inc. is the latest company pivoting to pot. With a valuation just north of $215 million, the North Carolina-based company is banking on the Canadian market to drive growth as tobacco cigarette smoking rates stagnate around the globe. The move comes as investors are pouring billions of dollars into the burgeoning industry, catapulting the value of marijuana stocks. Read Heated tobacco products: another tobacco industry global strategy to slow progress in tobacco control
9/12/18--There has been a global decline in tobacco consumption that, if continued, will negatively impact the tobacco industry’s profits. This decline led the industry to invent and market new products, including heated tobacco products (HTP). HTP are an extension of the industry’s strategies to undermine government’s tobacco regulatory efforts as they are being promoted as part of the solution for the tobacco epidemic. Read Comparing medical and recreational marijuana use among employees
9/4/18-- As policies and laws regarding marijuana use rapidly change, concerns have arisen over employees’ use of marijuana, for both medical and recreational purposes. While extant workplace research has not distinguished between types of marijuana users, other studies have found that those who use marijuana for medical purposes are clinically and socio-demographically different from non-medical users. Read Why all sides in Congress can get behind Rep. Gabbard’s new cannabis legislation
7/25/18--Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) and Carlos Curbelo (R-Fla.) introduced the Marijuana Data Collection Act. The legislation itself takes no position on cannabis reform and instead, seeks to encourage research on existing and future state legalization programs so that policymakers can better understand the impact of those state laws. Gabbard’s bill takes a step that more people in Congress should consider: using data to inform policy. Read New partners in weed startup: Jimmy Buffett and Wrigley Scion
9/11/18--Singer Jimmy Buffett and billionaire William “Beau” Wrigley Jr. are getting behind a U.S. marijuana startup, joining other companies betting on the increasingly crowded marijuana industry. Mr. Buffett will license his Coral Reefer brand to Surterra Holdings Inc. for a line of cannabis products including vape pens, gel caps, edibles, and lotions. Read The marijuana stock that Wall Street likes the most
9/9/18--Currently, four pure-play marijuana stocks are listed on U.S. stock exchanges, Scotts Miracle-Gro, Canopy Growth Corporation, Cronos Group, and Tilray. According to The Motley Fool writer Keith Speights, Tilray, at least for now, ranks as the marijuana stock that Wall Street likes the most. Tilray is attracting investors' attention because of the potential that it could be the next to land a major deal -- perhaps with Diageo, another big beverage company reportedly looking for a marijuana partner. Read These three cannabis stocks have been hijacked by traders
9/9/18--Three stocks, Canopy Growth, Cronos Group, and Tilray, have rallied sharply since August 14th. These three companies share a common trait in that they are all listed on the NASDAQ or the NYSE. This listing status has attracted traders in the U.S. who have avoided the sector. According to Cannabis industry analyst Alan Brockstein, traders have pushed these three stocks much higher than their peers that don't trade on a major U.S. exchange. Read Cities defiant after Justice Department’s threat on ‘supervised injection sites’
9/4/18--Cities seeking to open sites where illegal drug users are monitored to prevent overdoses responded defiantly to a Justice Department threat to take “swift and aggressive action” against that approach to the nationwide opioid epidemic. Read Inside the weird and wild crusade for clean pot
3/1/18--Figuring out what the rules should be to prevent impurities from contaminating pot is nearly impossible. There are no national standards like there are for food crops. “And unfortunately, pretty much all of the marijuana in the United States is drenched in harmful chemicals,” according to Rolling Stone reporter Amanda Chicago Lewis. “But let’s just say that if you like pot, you have absolutely exposed yourself to chemicals that can damage your central nervous system, mess with your hormones and give you cancer. Read Fight drug abuse, don’t subsidize it
8/27/18--According to Rod J. Rosenstein, deputy attorney general of the United States, Americans struggling with addiction need treatment and reduced access to deadly drugs. They do not need a taxpayer-sponsored haven to shoot up. Advocates euphemistically call them “safe injection sites,” but Rosenstein believes they are very dangerous and would only make the opioid crisis worse. Read Report warns of ‘serious risk’ to Peace Corps from drug use by volunteers
8/24/18--The Peace Corps has a drug problem related to an increasingly outdated view of marijuana, but significant enough to the agency’s Office of Inspector General that it warns of a “serious risk to the integrity and reputation of the Peace Corps as well as the health and safety of Volunteers.” Read