WeedLife News Network

“The economic impact is large. It just doesn't seem fair that an entire industry is going to get destroyed as collateral damage for someone else's decisions.”

B.C. cannabis stores have already begun shutting down as their only supply source has been cut off by a 10-day-old B.C. General Employees Union strike at government distribution warehouses.

To take the temperature of stakeholders involved, the office hopes to open up a conversation to better meet industry needs.

News 6 traffic expert answers viewer questions.

ORLANDO - News 6 traffic safety expert Trooper Steve Montiero answers viewer questions about the rules of the road every week, helping Orlando-area residents become better drivers by being better educated.

Trooper Steve on Thursday was asked, “Can you be charged with a DUI for using marijuana?”

“Yes,” Trooper Steve said. “If your normal faculties are impaired by anything that affects your operation of a motor vehicle, you could be charged with DUI.”

There are medical laws that pertain to transportation, but we’re talking about driving under the influence of the drug, Trooper Steve said.

“Under no circumstance, whether you’re prescribed marijuana or another type of narcotic, can you operate a motor vehicle while under the influence of that substance,” he said.

The first day of classes is just around the corner and this year, some Rhode Island students will soon be able to take medical marijuana at school.

"It's about providing health equity, student health equity,” said Linda Mendonca, President of the National Association of School Nurses and a consultant for the Rhode Island Department of Health.

School districts must develop a medical marijuana policy for their students. Those policies would then only apply to students who have a medical marijuana card, which requires permission from a parent and a doctor.

Right now, the Department of Health says just 20 children statewide have medical marijuana cards, along with 154 older teens ages 18 and 19 -- out of about 150,000 students in K through 12th grade.

​"Smoking medical marijuana is prohibited. It's pretty clear. Self-administration of medical marijuana is prohibited as well,” Mendonca said.

School nurses would have to keep the drug locked up, and document each time it was dispensed to a student. Marijuana is not FDA approved, and it's still illegal at the federal level. That means nurses may choose to have a parent or caregiver administer it to students at school, rather than doing it themselves.

The new zoning rules make it easier to gain Pima County approval for new marijuana dispensaries, manufacturing facilities and cultivation businesses.

“It aligns more closely with the city’s (Tucson) codes, as in the dimensions and setbacks,” said Chris Poirier, deputy director of Pima County development services. “Even with the Type III permits, it is still much easier than what had to be done to start one of these businesses.”

The proposal for reducing restrictions for marijuana business permits passed the Pima County Board of Supervisors 3-2 earlier this month. 

There’s a new cannabis flower brand in Massachusetts, and it’s LIT. 

Ayr Wellness, one of the largest publicly traded cannabis companies in the United States, recently announced that it partnered with Lit to bring its line of cannabis genetics to its Massachusetts dispensaries.

Lit is the latest West Coast cannabis flower brand that is trying to make the jump to the East. Short for Lost In Translation, the brand was co-founded by Ray Schiavone, who originally launched it in Nevada with Tahoe Hydroponics Company. 

Even with elaborate and accurate equipment, there are likely to be many legal battles fought over how legitimate the equipment is.

As marijuana becomes legal and regulated in many states, law enforcement is often struggling to keep up with the times. There is definitely a learning curve when something that was illegal suddenly becomes legal, and this is particularly true with marijuana. In fact, determining whether someone is under the influence of cannabis remains a difficult thing to prove in a court of law.

The study, published in the American Journal on Addictions, is among the first to examine nicotine use among patients of a medical marijuana dispensary.

What are the substances, which enhance one's nicotine addiction? In a first, a study published in the American Journal on Addictions, is among the first to examine nicotine use among patients of a medical marijuana dispensary. According to a study, people who use medicinal cannabis are more prone to consumption of nicotine products than the general population. 

Concerns have been expressed that young people are using vapes which contain cannabis extracts, and that these products are being purchased online or “under the counter”.

Denis Murray, one of the country’s senior adolescent addiction counsellors, confirmed that a vape given to him by a concerned parent contained an oily liquid which subsequently tested positive for Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) — a controlled drug.

A recent report is raising questions over whether teen vaping can lead to marijuana use later in life.

Findings from the Centers for Disease Control found that 1 in 9 high school students said they had vaped in the past month. And research from a recent study published in the JAMA Network Open found that adolescents who use e-cigarettes are over three times more likely to move on to marijuana.

Dr. David Fagan, vice chair of pediatrics at Cohen Children’s Medical Center, told FOX 5 NY he isn’t surprised, as he says kids have more access than ever before.

"Now we’re saying nicotine may be the gateway which hits pleasure-seeking areas of the brain which then you’ll say ‘I’ll try cannabis’," Dr. Fagan said. "As more states legalize the recreational use of marijuana there’s this idea it’s safe and harmless."

Other findings from the study show that more than 1 in 10 youths who say they have never used cannabis go on to do so within a year. 

"A lot of adults think vaping is a way to quit smoking," said Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds, President and CEO of Family and Children’s Association. "We know when it comes to young people vaping tobacco is the training wheels before they move on to marijuana."

The board approved a resolution by a 4-2 vote during last week’s meeting for City Manager Aeric Ripley, City Attorney Tony Constanzo and other staff members to begin developing an ordinance regarding the establishment of adult-use marijuana facilities in the city.

The Alma city commission is considering allowing the sale of recreational marijuana. The board approved a resolution by a 4-2 vote during last week’s meeting for City Manager Aeric Ripley, City Attorney Tony Constanzo and other staff members to begin developing an ordinance regarding the establishment of adult-use marijuana facilities in the city.

Commissioners Audra Stahl and Danny Wernick cast the dissenting votes without comment. Commission Nick Piccolo was absent.

Three years ago the city commission OK’d the sale of medical marijuana but opted out of the Michigan Regulation and Taxation Marijuana Act that would have allowed the sale of recreational marijuana.

At that time commissioners cited state laws “were vague” and wanted to wait until the regulations became more clear-cut.

Innovative Industrial Properties (NYSE: IIPR) -- often referred to as IIP -- quickly became one of the hottest growth stocks in the cannabis industry.

The real estate investment trust (REIT), buys and leases industrial properties to licensed medical marijuana operators. At its peak in February 2021, it had grown 916% in five years.

But its stellar growth has come to a screeching halt. Concern over the legalization of cannabis, followed by a class action lawsuit, and now a default from its largest tenant have pushed shares down 64% from recent highs.

Investors rightfully are wondering if the stock is going up in flames, or if it's bound to recover. Here's what's going on, and where the stock could be headed in the future.

Lompoc leaders could enact a moratorium on new cannabis businesses in the city amid concerns that a glut in the market is resulting in too much competition.

The request for changes comes from existing cannabis businesses which say there are too many pot shops in a city of just 45,000 people, especially at a time when inflation has dampened demand for cannabis and other non-essential items.

Unlike many other municipalities, Lompoc took a laissez-faire approach to commercial cannabis.

“It would vastly change the current ordinance on the books so we want to be very careful about how we move forward on that,” Lompoc Mayor Jenelle Osborne told KSBY.

The city has issued 46 cannabis licenses with another 16 applications pending.

SANTA CRUZ - SC Labs today announced it has rebranded Agricor, Botanacor, and Can-Lab to become one company under the SC Labs name.

The company now offers seamless testing services for cannabis across California, Michigan, Oregon, and Colorado, as well as hemp testing capabilities nationwide. This represents the first stage of expansion that will deliver significant value to multi-state cannabis operators and large wellness brands in need of streamlined and accurate testing across state lines.

Not long after the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision that abortions are not a right covered by the U.S. Constitution, award-winning actress Bette Midler posted to Twitter a doctored picture of a New Mexico welcome sign.

Added to the sign were the words, “We’ve got chile, weed and reproductive rights,” referring to the fact that state lawmakers removed a criminal penalty for abortions and that the state legalized recreational-use cannabis. Hours later, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s reelection campaign jumped on the opportunity and reposted the picture with the added words, “And we’re going to keep it that way.”

If Lujan Grisham’s Republican opponent and former television meteorologist Mark Ronchetti wins the election in November, it’s likely that he will push for a change to the state’s abortion law, but his campaign has said little about whether he would push for changes to the state’s Cannabis Regulation Act. 

Medical cannabis patients and cannabis business owners who spoke with NM Political Report about cannabis and the upcoming gubernatorial election had various views on how each candidate might impact the current law, but most agreed that there is still more work to be done when it comes to the state’s cannabis industry. 

Alyssa Pearson, the chief operating officer of the cannabis company Dr. Green Organics Co., said her business is in the final stages of opening a cannabis retail store in Mesilla Park, in Southern New Mexico. Pearson declined to discuss who she plans on voting for in the upcoming election, but said she hopes lawmakers and the governor address what she sees as needed changes to the current law.  

“At this point, all that needs to be done to kill small businesses like ours is ambivalence,” Pearson said. “I know that that’s something that my business partners and I would never want to do, is vote for somebody who could potentially jeopardize the feasibility of the social equity mission of cannabis, because that’s, for us, such a huge thing. This should be economic development in New Mexico for New Mexicans, and somebody who doesn’t vote for the micro business changes that we’re hoping for, or doesn’t sign that bill into law, jeopardizes our future and in our minds, the futures of other people like us who are using this as a potential stepping stone.”

BARCELONA - Cannabis prescribed for chronic pain is associated with an elevated risk of heart rhythm disorders, according to research presented at ESC Congress 2022.

Study author Dr. Nina Nouhravesh of Gentofte University Hospital, Denmark said: “Chronic pain is a rising problem. According to Danish health authorities, 29% of Danish adults over 16 years of age reported chronic pain in 2017, up from 19% in 2000. Medical cannabis was approved in January 2018 on a trial basis in Denmark, meaning that physicians can prescribe it for chronic pain if all other measures, including opioids, have proven insufficient. Safety data are sparse, hence this study investigated the cardiovascular side effects of medical cannabis, and arrhythmias in particular, since heart rhythm disorders have previously been found in users of recreational cannabis.”

Medical cannabis comes in various formulations depending on tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) levels. Dronabinol (high THC), cannabinoid (more THC than CBD), and cannabidiol (high CBD) can be prescribed in Denmark. The drug can be inhaled, eaten, or sprayed in the mouth.

The researchers identified a total of 1.6 million patients diagnosed with chronic pain in Denmark between 2018 and 2021. Of those, 4,931 patients (0.31%) claimed at least one prescription of cannabis (dronabinol 29%, cannabinoids 46%, cannabidiol 25%). Each user was matched by age, sex and pain diagnosis to five non-users with chronic pain who acted as controls. Users and controls were followed for 180 days and their risks of new cardiovascular conditions were compared.

The median age of participants was 60 years and 63% were women. The study reports, for the first time, the chronic pain conditions of medical cannabis users in Denmark. Some 17.8% had cancer, 17.1% arthritis, 14.9% back pain, 9.8% neurological diseases,  4.4% headaches, 3.0% complicated fractures, and 33.1% other diagnoses (mostly unspecified chronic pain).

The absolute risk of new-onset arrhythmia was 0.86% in medical cannabis users compared with 0.49% in non-users, for a relative risk of 1.74. The risks of new-onset acute coronary syndrome and heart failure did not differ between the two groups. The results were similar for each chronic pain condition and each type of medical cannabis.

In July 2022, the Ukraine's Ministry of Healthcare (MoH) published for public discussion a draft governmental resolution (“Draft Resolution”) aimed at relaxing current cannabis legislation in Ukraine to facilitate medical use of cannabis-based products.

The MoH proposes amending the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers No. 770 (2000), which lists the schedules of controlled psychoactive and narcotic substances.

For several years, regulating medical cannabis has been an important though contested issue on the Ukrainian political agenda. The full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine has only reinforced the importance of this topic since the pool of potential users of medical cannabis (for pain relief, PTSD, etc.) has risen manifold and the tendency does not appear to be changing. The Draft Resolution is the second initiative launched in recent months (alongside draft law No. 7457) that aims to improve the situation.

Here are the Draft Resolution's key proposed changes.

Allowing circulation of cannabis, cannabis resin, extracts and tinctures for medical and scientific purposes

One of the biggest issues surrounding the use of cannabis for medical purposes in Ukraine is the classification of cannabis, cannabis resin, extracts and tinctures as particularly dangerous and fully prohibited under Ukrainian legislation. While there are several cannabis-derived substances for which limited circulation is allowed (e.g. Dronabinol, Nabilone, Nabiximols and CBD isolate), the broad prohibition on the use of cannabis has created legal uncertainty, which has significantly hampered the development of this market. While the Draft Resolution does not reschedule cannabis, cannabis resin, extracts and tinctures, it expressly allows their use for medical and scientific purposes. Medical use is only allowed in the form of medicines or active pharmaceutical ingredients.

Allowing THC for medical and scientific purposes

In another potential positive development, the MoH proposes allowing the use of the cannabis compound THC for scientific purposes, as well as permitting the use of pharmaceuticals containing THC for medical purposes. Currently, Ukraine only allows circulation in the form of medicines of the following substances containing THC: Dronabinol and Nabiximols, as well as Nabilone that mimics the effect of THC. The Draft states that Dronabinol, Nabilone and Nabiximols may also be used for scientific purposes in any form.