WeedLife News Network

Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is backtracking after saying the legislation would be unveiled this month.

The wait for the Senate’s version of a cannabis legalization bill will continue for months, with Democratic leaders in the chamber indicating Thursday that it will come sometime in the summer.

According to The Hill, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said that he’s proud of the progress senators have made in “bringing this vital bill closer to its official introduction” before the recess in early August.”

The timeline marks a shift from what Schumer had said previously and it may dismay legalization advocates who had hoped that the Senate’s legislation would arrive sooner—especially after the U.S. House of Representatives passed its own bill to end prohibition on the federal level earlier this month.

The New York Democrat said after the House’s passage that he hoped the Senate would unveil its legalization measure by the end of this month.

On April 1, the Democratic-led House passed the Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment, and Expungement (MORE) Act, which would remove marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act, effectively ending the federal prohibition on pot.

The AI-powered company is unlocking the hidden healing potential of plants by finding active compounds that could target specific conditions. Next up: diabetes and sleep disorders.

For six weeks in July 2017, Lee Chae, a Stanford-educated plant biologist, sat at his kitchen table in San Francisco—where he can smell and hear the Pacific Ocean—and opened up his laptop. It sounds like a typical workday morning for many, but Chae did something more than just fill out a few spreadsheets. He began building an artificial intelligence platform that can identify bioactive compounds in plants and identify potential remedies for specific human ailments.

That same year, Chae, along with co-founders Jim Flatt and Sofia Elizondo, launched bioscience startup Brightseed to identify unknown compounds present in plants and develop them into various food ingredients, supplements and medicines. For the last five years, the trio have been collecting plants that humans have been using as food and medicine for millennia, grinding them into powder, extracting the active chemicals and running them through their AI platform—which they affectionately call “Forager”—to find the next blockbuster supplement.

The company’s first discovery is a pair of compounds—N-trans-caffeoyltyramine (NCT) and N-trans-feruloyltyramine (NFT)—found in cannabis seed shells and black pepper that have shown promise in two preclinical studies on mice to remove fat from the liver. The studies, both of which were published in Cell Death and Disease, a Nature peer-reviewed journal, suggest that these compounds could be used to manage non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, a chronic condition that afflicts about a quarter of the world’s population. Currently, there is no FDA-approved treatment for NAFLD but patients are encouraged to lose weight and eat healthy. Serious cases require weight-loss surgery or even a liver transplant.

“Cannabis is known for THC and CBD,” says Chae, naming the psychoactive component in pot that gets people high and the chemical compound associated with anti-inflammation and other health-related benefits.

“And yet, there are these other two compounds that have been sitting in there after all this time and it's a totally different chemical that helps us process fat from the liver. It just tells you how little we know, even of plants that we have a very intimate knowledge, that there's still a lot to discover in how you can use plants.”

Pot’s energy, water use is under scrutiny

Marijuana’s reputation is about as green as they come. Not only is it an oxygen-producing and carbon-dioxide-absorbing plant, its alternative-medicine bona fides and hippie ethos are often associated with the environmental movement.

Yet cannabis plants suck up around twice as much water as maize, soybeans, wheat and wine grapes, according to a 2021 study in the Journal of Cannabis Research. Additionally, growing indoors requires extensive lighting and climate control, making it particularly energy intensive. Morningstar estimates that cannabis cultivation will account for 1% of total U.S. electricity demand by 2030.

It’s a problem that the industry is trying to address — but cultivators have a long way to go, according to my interviews in the run-up to last week’s industry meeting, called Regenerative Cannabis Live, at the United Nations. Marijuana’s federal illegality means there hasn’t been much research into its environmental footprint. 

“People are looking at cannabis as if it’s just up the ladder from crypto mining in terms of sustainability,” said Chris Hagedorn, executive vice president of Scotts Miracle-Gro and division president of Hawthorne Gardening Co., a subsidiary that provides lighting, nutrients and other materials for indoor and hydroponic growing. Mining for cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin, which requires vast computing power, is famously harmful to the environment. 

For the nascent cannabis industry’s small, young companies, the initial challenge of getting up and running has largely outweighed questions about environmental impact, but that’s beginning to change, Hagedorn said. Since Hawthorne started offering more energy-efficient LED lights to customers in 2019, they’ve quickly become 70% of the company’s lighting sales, he told me.

There are several studies on the topic of cannabis concentrates and psychosis expected this year.

Cannabis legalization has picked up speed in the U.S. over the last few years. The topic has become one of those unlikely things that people with differing political parties agree on, a substance that is now accepted, if not embraced, by many.

Still, popular opinion differs on policies, an issue made strikingly clear by the amount of research there is to date on the drug.

U.S. states that have enabled marijuana programs are now finding themselves rushing to study the drug and its possible side effects. Its long-term influence is not known, especially in relation to potent versions of THC and the effect that may have on the brain.

Marijuana’s potency has increased over the years, particularly in concentrate products such as wax and shatter, which in the U.S. can have THC levels as high as 85 per cent. For reference, a joint with a high potency may have about 20 per cent THC.

Several studies have found links between THC and mental health conditions, including psychosis. While not wholly understood, the association is concerning, with one study suggesting that people who consume cannabis on a daily basis are five times more likely to have a psychotic episode.

While you may want to buy legal cannabis at the age of 18, that will be quite impossible since provisions and policies put in place by weed legalized states do not permit it.

Election Day 2012 saw voters in Colorado approve a ballot initiative to legalize the recreational sale and use of cannabis. This bold step by the citizens of Colorado saw the state become the first to do so in all of the United States.

Since then, 17 other states, Guam, and Washington, D.C., have followed suit, and public support for cannabis legalization has significantly grown. However, the recreational use of cannabis is still very much illegal at the federal level.

While many states have legalized the recreational and medical use of cannabis, the approach and policies of each state differ. To this end, a young person needs to know what applies in each state to avoid the wrath of the law.

Here are the states where the recreational sale and use of cannabis is legal:

As mentioned earlier, each of these states has specific provisions for the buying, sale, and amount of cannabis an adult can legally possess. These states also have different rules as regards adult growing cannabis plants for personal recreational use. However, one similarity these states share is that individuals above the age of 21 years can legally buy and use cannabis for recreational purposes. Here are the provisions and legalization measures in each state.

StupidDOPE LLC (or “stupidDOPE") announced today the launch of an in-house brand marketing, content distribution and big data advertising agency serving the Cannabis and CBD industry. With a focus on big data and content distribution partnerships within the cannabis industry, the lifestyle brand will help companies intelligently target and engage in-market Cannabis and CBD shoppers.

stupidDOPE delivers social media, photo and video, press trips, media buys, influencer marketing, and experiential event strategies since 2008. Its custom-built digital marketing campaigns are powered by a patented algorithm that delivers personalized content on behalf of 200M+ mobile users in the U.S. stupidDOPE’s in-depth experience in the Cannabis and CBD industry provides insight into reaching shoppers, while meeting certified corporate and regulatory compliance standards.

“Major advertising channels, including Google and Facebook, continue to shut down digital Cannabis and CBD campaigns in response to the complex regulatory market in the U.S.,” said LeVar Thomas, co-founder, stupidDOPE.

“At stupidDOPE, we are solving this dilemma for Cannabis, CBD brands and retailers who need to reach new customers without access to the most popular digital marketing channels available.”

Founded in 2008, stupidDOPE brings together a massive audience and top tiered content distribution partnerships with its lifestyle destination, sharing the latest in video, music, travel, culture, fashion, art and more. The company has worked with Fortune 100 companies and global brands, including AT&T, Harley-Davidson, Sony Entertainment Network, Frito-Lay, Topgolf USA, State Farm, M&M’s Racing, Nissan and many more. A Google, Bing, and Apple News publisher, stupidDOPE delivers timely content on trending topics, infused with unique advertising opportunities and custom created content.

An effort to save a bill that would legalize medical cannabis in South Carolina failed on Wednesday in the state legislature, dimming its prospects this year.

The State newspaper of Columbia, South Carolina reports that “House lawmakers on Wednesday voted 59-55 against an appeal proposed by House Minority Leader Todd Rutherford, D-Richland, to keep the bill alive,” which followed a request from a Republican member of the state House that “the proposal be ruled unconstitutional since it creates a new tax, arguing that revenue-raising bills can only originate in the lower chamber.”

As the newspaper noted, the move “likely [ends] any hope of passage this year.”

It marks a disappointing development after the bill won approval in the state Senate in February. Members of that chamber deemed medical cannabis a major priority at the start of the legislative session earlier this year.

The bill’s sponsor, GOP state Sen. Tom Davis, has been pushing a medical cannabis bill since 2015.

“If you pound at the door long enough. If you make your case. If the public is asking for something, the state Senate owes a debate,” Davis told The Post and Courier in January.

Hemp and CBD are legal in Tennessee but marijuana (medical and recreationional) is not. So where does this leave Delta-8?

A Tennessee lawmaker proposed a bill this legislatative session that would have regulated and taxed Delta-8 products, but the bill didn’t make it out of committee. Meanwhile, stores selling Delta-8, CBD and hemp products are cropping up across the state, and there’s even a CBD restaurant and bar that’s coming to Nashville.

Despite the recent spike in interest in the cannabis industry, startups still experience difficulties when it comes to setting up businesses.

Similar to crypto institutions, cannabis businesses struggle to access financial services from banks and other payment providers. These businesses would either be denied financial services outright or have to pay exorbitant fees for receiving them.

Utilizing blockchain and cryptocurrency, global blockchain technology company BitCanna offers an alternative in the form of cashless payment. 

Alternative funding for cannabis companies

As mentioned, BitCanna ensures cannabis companies can gain access to financial services through blockchain. Instead of dealing with the restrictions set by credit card companies and banks, cannabis groups can receive payments through BitCanna Pay — an application providing instant, worldwide access to payments.

Built on the Cosmos blockchain (ATOM), BitCanna transactions take an average of five seconds to process and cost less than a tenth of a cent. The network is powered by its BCNA token, which is harnessed by both users and cannabis companies to facilitate payments. 

Not only this, but BitCanna assists the cannabis industry and users in tracking and tracing cannabis-related products by utilizing blockchain technology. This to ensure transparency regarding quality and origin to provide information regarding product standards.

Jukebox will replace the Copperstate cartridge line and expand the product suite to include cartridges, pre-rolls, edibles and pre-packed flower.

Food and Drug Administration ‘concerned’ about unproven health claims and packaging that appeals to children

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued warnings to companies selling products including delta-8 THC, a cannabis compound, for making unsupported claims about the health benefits of the items.

The FDA said even though there is very little research on delta-8 THC, a substance found in the cannabis sativa plant, online retailers and cafes are claiming products containing the compound will reduce anxiety or help with sleeping.

Delta-8 can induce a “high” in users but is derived from a similar part of the marijuana plant to CBD, a non-psychoactive and legal compound, which makes the legality of delta-8 unclear.

The FDA said several people had been hospitalized after taking delta-8 and sent warning letters to five companies – ATLRx, BioMD Plus, Delta 8 Hemp, Kingdom Harvest, and M Six Labs – for allegedly making false claims about its benefits.

“The FDA is very concerned about the growing popularity of delta-8 THC products being sold online and in stores nationwide,” said Janet Woodcock, deputy commissioner of the FDA. “It is extremely troubling that some of the food products are packaged and labeled in ways that may appeal to children.”

Digital marketplaces may allow small cannabis farmers follow in the footsteps of successful craft brewers.

As legalized weed becomes massive business, California's small cannabis farmers have been left in the dust by vertically-integrated brands and national conglomerates. Now, in a move that resembles the strategic alignment of the craft beer movement a decade ago, these independent farmers are banding together to save their craft. 

The solution is a Web3 platform that aims to connect growers directly with consumers via a crypto-exclusive POS ecosystem. It's called Emerald Road, and the marketplace is the brainchild of legacy farmer Justin Calvino. Part brand store and part consumer-brand interface platform, the dream is to let customers interact directly with their favorite farm, take a tour, talk to growers, and buy products that are delivered via Organic Kind, which has signed on as the platform's delivery partner. 

"Large verticals affect small producers by driving down the cost of production, which allows them to sell their own products at a much better price point," Calvino told ZDNet.

"The bigger issue isn't necessarily the competition of value, it is the lack of education for consumers about what makes quality cannabis."

Calvino added that "small batch cannabis produced by legacy farmers is much higher quality than large-scale overproduced, homogenized cannabis put out by corporations." 

Smoking weed during pregnancy significantly can increase the risk of low birth weight, preterm delivery and requiring neonatal intensive care, according to a recent study published in JAMA.

The tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, in marijuana will pass through your system to your baby and may harm your baby’s development. If you are planning to get pregnant, have learned you are pregnant or are breastfeeding, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends stop smoking weed, using marijuana edibles or exposing yourself to secondhand marijuana smoke.

“More research is needed on the harms of marijuana use during pregnancy, but we know there can be significant risks,” said Kathryn R. Bradley, M.D., OB/GYN with Norton Women’s Care. “Those who are pregnant, planning to get pregnant or breastfeeding can protect their own health and that of their baby by not using marijuana.”

Possible risks of smoking weed for your fetus or while breastfeeding

There is no evidence that marijuana eases morning sickness. Your OB/GYN can recommend alternative ways to help your symptoms.

The study in the journal, “Birth Outcomes of Neonates Exposed to Marijuana in Utero,” analyzed the results of 16 other studies that included a total of nearly 60,000 patients. The authors concluded that educating patients about the risks of marijuana could improve neonatal health, especially in light of increased marijuana legalization and use.

The study compared pregnancies and outcomes for those who said they used marijuana versus those who said they didn’t. The authors wrote that enough data exists to rule out tobacco use along with marijuana as a factor in outcomes such as low birth weight and preterm delivery.

Senators on both sides of the aisle are throwing support behind a proposal to tuck key marijuana banking legislation into a larger package aimed at boosting U.S. competitiveness, increasing the odds that a significant cannabis bill gets through the upper chamber this year.

Sen. Patty Murray (Wash.), the No. 3 Senate Democrat, is leading a push to pass the SAFE Banking Act, which would enable cannabis firms to use banking services, as part of a sweeping package lawmakers are hashing out in both chambers that is intended to bolster the country’s supply chains and manufacturing.   

While the cannabis measure was not included in the bipartisan U.S. Innovation and Competition Act that passed the Senate, the legislation was featured in the House’s version of the bill, known as the Competes Act, that passed in February.

Murray says she is “fighting every which way” to get the cannabis legislation included in the final bill. She noted that federal law currently forces weed dispensaries to use cash, making them prime targets for robberies.

“This is a cash-only business right now. It’s dangerous for the employees,” Murray, a member of the Senate conference committee heading negotiations for the final version of the bill, told The Hill.

If you’re looking for more than a sugar rush from a baked good, Holly Teegarden’s business might be your new favorite sweet spot.

She runs Moodedibles, an online bakery specializing in hemp-derived edibles that will soon be popping up around Pittsburgh.

Inside a small commissary kitchen in Sewickley, the treats are made with CBD, Delta-8 THC and other minor cannabinoids that reportedly offer therapeutic, non-intoxicating benefits.

By June, her food trailer will be showing up around town, dispensing information along with goodies. It is already booked for the second and fourth Saturdays at the Terminal in the Strip District.

Teegarden says she’s not in the business of getting people messed up.

The MORE Act becoming law in 2022 is more of a fantasy than reality, and Republicans seem to be succeeding in blocking this bill without receiving much flack.

Last month, and much to the excitement of cannabis enthusiasts, The MORE Act passed in the House of Representatives. While this was not the first time the house passed such a bill, there was a renewed sense optimism, especially since the majority of Americans support some form of marijuana legalization.

In order for the MORE Act to continue on its way towards law, however, it has what appear to be insurmountable hurdles. The Act “will need to gain 60 votes in the evenly divided Senate before moving to President Joe Biden’s desk for his signature, an outcome widely seen as unlikely given the lack of Republican support for the measure,” according to Reuters.

If Republicans do not support the MORE Act, which it looks likely they will not, what will this mean for those Republicans who are up for re-election in states where marijuana is an important issue? Furthermore, how are Republican senators and congresspersons still able to keep their seats when their voting seems to contradict the general consensus of the American people?

One belief is that although many Republican lawmakers are voting “nay” to the MORE Act and other marijuana legislation, they are not doing so simply to adhere to the old and tired Republican “War on Drugs” platform.

“Every two years, you get a new crop of members from both parties, but certainly from the Republican Party, who don’t have to defend the drug war … and they don’t have to prop it up,” cannabis advocate and former Maryland GOP state delegate Don Murphy told Politico. He says that instead, they are able to vote with their conscience. This also means, however, that these congress members and senators are able to use a long list of new reasons as to why they vote against marijuana legalization.

Seth Rogen recently invited Architectural Digest to present a tour of the Houseplant headquarters’ interior décor and operations. Architectural Digest often explores the personal living spaces of celebrities, such as Cara Delevingne, Serena Williams, Chelsea Handler, Neil Patrick Harris, and Binging with Babish, to name a few.

Architectural Digest’s tour of Houseplant, which went live on April 27, is a little different. It explores the décor both as a home, as well as a business space. Houseplant was founded in 2019 by Rogen and his business partner, Evan Goldberg. Originally they partnered with Canopy Growth Corp. to operate exclusively in Canada, but have since moved to operate out of California instead, as of 2021.

The brand sells a line of cannabis that is currently only available in California, but also offers a variety of unique and modern home décor items such as ashtrays, lighters, and even a lighter caddy in the shape of Rogen’s dog, a Cavalier King Charles named Zelda.

Houseplant’s headquarters is located in a 1918 bungalow in Los Angeles. Architectural Digest describes it as “Mid-century-modern-inspired furniture creates a cozy but streamlined aesthetic.”

If anyone thought that the road to cannabis reform was going to be easy, a decision last week in Cologne, Germany has just confirmed the fact that this is going to be a prolonged battle, fought all the way with regressive skirmishes and undoubtedly, setbacks.

Here is the latest example. Shockingly, the Administrative Court in Cologne has just ruled that the legal classification of CBD drops (i.e. good old CBD extract) are medical products. As such, they must be approved by the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM)—Germany’s version of the American Food and Drug Administration (or FDA).

The court’s logic on this ruling is that the nutritional value of CBD is still an unknown. Further as outlined in the legal decision, the plaintiff company could not prove that there were comparable products on the market or that CBD might be used as a part of a diet rather than medical regime. The plaintiff’s suggestion that hemp tea might serve as one example was dismissed as the court maintained that cannabis tea is subject to narcotics law—thanks to the indecisive ruling on this in 2021.

The timing of this case, not to mention the finding of the court is also telling. It could potentially throw the entire German CBD business back to the dark ages—even though this is just a state-level, not a federal ruling. Walk into every health food store, not to mention the growing number of CBD specialty shops in Germany, and it is possible to find CBD oil, of various concentrations, on the shelves.

According to Kai-Friedrich Niermann, a leading cannabis attorney in Germany, “The ruling of the Cologne Administrative Court poses a significant risk to the CBD market in Germany if further authorities and courts refer to BfArM and the ruling.”

Whether you need to twist a cartridge on or grind up some flower first, vaping eliminates the need for sometimes messy joint rolling, cleaning glass pipes, etc.

Vaporizing cannabis has quickly become the preferred consumption method for many. Also known as vaping, it’s easy to see why people like it compared to smoking.

Both vaporizers are:

Discreet and portable: Vape pens are discreet compared to using bowls or even a joint. The smoke produced is minimal and smaller, allowing individuals to vape even indoors without having to worry about the smell. The exception here are desktop vaporizers, which are meant to be used the way its name sounds: on desks or tables.

Rechargeable: Except for disposable vape pens, other vaporizers are rechargeable. This is beneficial for heavy consumers who want to have peace of mind that you’ll never run out of juice when you need it.

Easy to use: Vape pens are designed to be easy to use. Some may be more complex in design, but you can easily learn how to use them after a few tries. There are also some models on the market that have more options to learn such as the temperature controls, though they are still fairly easy to learn. Meanwhile, others simply require clicking a button a few times to smoke, while some will automatically shut off to save battery.

Cannabis and hemp extraction technology company Boulder Creek Technologies and hemp-derived cannabinoid producer Red Mesa Science & Refining are partnering to utilize Vapor-Static™ Extraction Technology to produce CBD and other minor cannabinoid raw materials for B2B distribution to contract manufacturers, co-packers and white-labelers.

Red Mesa Science & Refining is the first industrial-scale hemp producer to implement Boulder Creek Technologies Vapor-Static™ 5000 system, creating a profound improvement in process optimization and workplace safety, while significantly reducing costs and environmental impact.

“Having this partnership with Utah-based Red Mesa is exciting because of what a strong and dynamic company they are,” said Rick Bonde, CEO and Founder of Boulder Creek Technologies.

“We’re really thrilled that they’ve given Boulder Creek Technologies the opportunity to provide extraction equipment. Red Mesa is science-based, technology-driven and innovation-focused with rich engineering resources to really optimize our technology at a commercial scale. We think this partnership showcases the strength and viability of Vapor-Static Extraction.”

Capable of processing 5,000 pounds of hemp biomass each day in a self-contained, continuous, fully automated system, the equipment will produce a highly refined, concentrated form of oil ready for distillation, as opposed to the traditional crude oil produced from cold ethanol technology.