WeedLife News Network

One by one, US states have been adopting marijuana legalization programs, with the latest two: New York and New Mexico, happening within 24 hours of each other, and bringing the total number of states with legalization policies to 17. The south has been a bit slower to adopt, with states like Maryland, Virginia, and now Texas, leading the way. Within the last month, the Texas senate approved several bills for marijuana decriminalization, as well as to expand the medical cannabis industry, lower the penalty on THC concentrates, and to force the study of psychedelics.

The recent Texas marijuana decriminalization bill shows just how accepted cannabis has become. Every state seems to be updating its policies these days, creating room for more and more products, in a bigger and bigger market. And this is excellent for you! New products are on the rise, like delta-8 THC. This alternate form of THC provides users with a clear-headed, slightly less psychoactive high, and none of the anxiety created by delta-9. Sound interesting? If it does, we’ve got a host of Delta-8 THC products to try out. So go ahead and pick your products, and we’ll get them to you ASAP.

The US and cannabis

On the nights of March 31st 2021 and April 1st, 2021, New York and New Mexico respectively, passed legislation to open the two states for recreational cannabis markets. These two added on to become the 16th and 17th states to adopt legalization policies, with 20 locations total in the US, including Washington, DC, and the territories Guam and the Mariana Islands. All locations together include: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Guam, Illinois, Maine, Mariana Islands, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Nevada, Oregon, South Dakota, Vermont, Washington, and Washington DC.

As you’ll notice, though New Mexico, Arizona, and California are in the south, or have southern parts that touch the Mexican border, no state on the list is associated with ‘the South’, and certainly not of ‘the deep South’. However, two over from Arizona to the right, is Texas. And Texas is considered ‘the South’, along with Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.

Of the states listed as ‘southern’, there are no current legalizations for recreational cannabis, however, the following states do have some form of medical cannabis legalization: Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia. Not bad for an area that was completely against such changes when the first medical legalizations happened a few decades ago.

A proposed amendment in Massachusetts would allow for the addition of hemp-derived CBD ingredients to food, dietary supplements and animal feed, and permit the sale of hemp flowers to consumers.

A vote on Amendment 130 in the state Senate is expected this week while the Massachusetts House of Representatives is to consider a parallel bill with similar language in a virtual public hearing on June 1. In the Senate, the amendment was filed by Sen. Diana DiZoglio, a Democrat from Methuen, as part of the 2021 budget.

CCC guidance is limiting

For now, CBD can only be used as an ingredient in non-food products, and may not be marketed in dietary supplements, under guidance recently issued by the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission (CCC).

Those rules permit the sale of some industrial hemp products to licensed cannabis retailers, but restrict sales of unprocessed hemp, including flowers, to wholesale transactions among licensed growers and producers.

Products such as hempseed, hempseed oil, building materials, textiles & fashions, and other products and materials derived from hemp fiber are eligible for wholesale to cannabis retailers under the new guidance, according to the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources.

The process to make canna-butter and canna-oil are the same, but I prefer to make my extractions using whole buds, not leaves or stems because the better and stronger the cannabis you use, the better the final product will be. It is best to make a strong extraction and dilute it to personal tastes with plain butter or oil when you prepare a meal.

You can extract cannabis into any cooking oil, I personally choose coconut oil for its health benefits. Additionally, it has a high fat content which means it binds to a lot more of the cannabinoids you are trying to ingest.

Most of my recipes suggest a serving size that contains between 2-3 teaspoons of medicated butter or oil. If I am planning a progressive dinner I will use less in each of the courses so I don’t overwhelm my guests. On occasion I will offer a medicated garnish that is optional, some folks can use it if they wish.

Ingredients:

1 ounce dried cannabis flower
2 cups butter or two cups oil; coconut, canola, olive, peanut

Equipment:

Large saucepan
Wooden spoon
Large clear bowl or container
Cheesecloth
String, rubber band or tape

The cannabis industry and sustainability movement have met at a critical intersection, changing the upward trajectory of social responsibility in the industry for good.

Driven by evolving environmental regulations, consumer demand, and the best interests of the business, cannabis operators looking to promote sustainable business practices are no longer alone in their venture. Ancillary product and services vendors are supporting operators in new ways.

As the cannabis industry matures and competition intensifies, ancillary vendors are looking for ways to provide added value to their customers.

Generally, ancillary vendors seek to provide additional value through cost savings and efficiency gains that boost profitability. Now, they’re adding sustainability practices and expertise to the list.

When it comes to sustainability, having an ancillary vendor that is already experienced with sustainability initiatives allows the vendor to serve as a trusted advisor to the operator.

New York’s effort to legalize recreational marijuana for adult use took three years to accomplish and resulted in a 128-page, 7,000-line law that will require more than a year to fully take effect.

Let’s just say it’s complex. But the most fundamental thing to know is that it’s now legal for those 21 and over to possess up to three ounces of marijuana for personal use.

I grew up on the East Coast and my earliest weed dealers used to offer only two choices: Take it or leave it.

I always chose “take it.”

Nowadays I live in California and the modern marijuana retail experience offers so many strains, concentrates, edibles, topicals and delivery devices that it requires a concerted effort (and consistent product sampling) to keep it all straight — never mind stoned. So I included a special section on pot shopping in my book, “How To Smoke Pot (Properly):  A Highbrow Guide to Getting High.”

Whether you’re buying recreational weed in Colorado, marijuana in Michigan, or ordering off a coffee-shop menu in Amsterdam, the retail cannabis experience remains both delightful and disorienting to the unaccustomed. So here’s a few tips for keeping your wits about you when faced with all those wonderful choices.

Make a Budget for Getting Bud

Unless you grow your own, or have some lovely hookup, cannabis is most definitely a luxury item. And while it’s certainly OK to splurge on the herb from time to time, that’s a decision best made in advance, not once you’re faced with a menu of enticing strains, concentrates, and edibles. So decide how much you can afford to spend and how long it’s got to last in advance, and you’ll have a lot of fun weighing your options when the time comes, without stressing out about next month’s rent.

Currently, there are no fully legal adult-use cannabis countries in Europe, but Luxembourg is moving forward. The only two countries that have legalized cannabis for adult use are Uruguay and Canada.

With that being said, there are already countries in Europe that are quasi-legal, such as in Switzerland where low-THC cannabis is bought and sold legally.

In Italy, the Supreme Court ruled previously that home cultivation is legal, and while lawmakers are still trying to sort things out, there are now some legal protections in place for consumers.

Several countries are exploring legalization, and in some cases even launching limited pilot programs such as in the Netherlands, however, one country may be on the fastest path to full legalization in Europe.

Luxembourg Takes Another Step Forward

Luxembourg may not be the first country that people think of when it comes to the debate of which country will be the first to fully legalize in Europe.

Oregon regulators pulled marijuana vape products off retailers’ shelves because they allegedly contained cannabis-derived terpenes imported from California. The Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC), which regulates the state’s licensed recreational marijuana market, issued a health and safety recall for marijuana vaping products sold under the “Naked Extracts” and “Native” labels.

Promising news for cardio-conscious medical cannabis consumers has come to light.

The consumption of certain medical cannabis products is not associated with an increased risk of “serious cardiovascular effects,” according to a meta-analysis published in the Journal of the American Pharmacists Association.

“The objective of this study was to evaluate the cardiovascular toxicity associated with medical use of cannabinoids,” write the authors, who note that “several systematic reviews (SRs) have summarized the potential effectiveness of medical cannabinoids, but it is unclear to what extent safety-related outcomes were incorporated.”

A team of clinicians analyzed a total of 47 studies involving 2,800 patients. Forty-five per cent of the studies excluded patients with underlying cardiovascular diseases, they noted.

Although cannabis use was “significantly associated with increased risks” of non-serious issues such as orthostatic hypotension and hypotension (low blood pressure), as well as “a trend of increased risk” of tachycardia (a racing heartbeat), researchers noted that none of the studies reviewed noted any “serious cardiovascular effects.”

Just a little more than two months after Validcare released the preliminary results of a study on cannabidiol’s (CBD’s) effect on the liver, the company has announced the release of a separate report on CBD usage among Americans that it simultaneously conducted along with consumer marketing research company Cannabis Business Experts (CBE).

More than 1,400 CBD users from across the U.S. participated in CBE and Validcare’s “CBD Motivations, Use and Benefits Study,” including the 839 users that took part in the liver research. CBE and Validcare’s study. Researchers looked at various information about users, such as their age; sex; weight; the amount and frequency of their CBD usage; perceptions of the cannabinoid’s effect on various symptoms; and interactions with other drugs such as prescription and over-the-counter medicines, nutritional supplements, alcohol and tobacco.

In a press release announcing the report, CBE stated the study answers the question, “How do perceptions of general wellness change with CBD usage?” While those interested in learning those details will need to purchase the report, CBE co-founder Ashley Grace told Hemp Grower that users have reported an improved perception of their personal wellness—-in other words, they feel their wellness has improved since they began using CBD.

“I can share with you that the overall efficacy of the CBD working in that regard is quite remarkable,” said Grace, who was also the founding chief marketing officer of Charlotte’s Web and HempFusion. “It's helping just about everyone at least maintain their status, if not improve. There are very few, if any, observations where things are getting worse for CBD users, which is quite remarkable from a research standpoint.”

After the Florida Supreme Court hears arguments in a case, justices typically try to hand down a ruling within six months.

Although the court heard final arguments in Florida Department of Health v. Florigrown nearly eight months ago, it has yet to render a judgment.

It’s difficult to overstate the stakes of the case. The court could decide to upend the state’s medical marijuana regulations, throwing a $1.2 billion industry with several national conglomerates into a state of uncertainty. Lawmakers and bureaucrats would have to rewrite the rules for the industry — potentially from scratch.For months, the people invested in one of Florida’s fastest growing industries have swapped nervous texts and phone calls every Thursday at 11 a.m. — when the Supreme Court publishes its opinions — bracing for a ruling that could make or break their companies.

“We look to see if it is, in fact, the day of reckoning,” said Taylor Biehl, a Tallahassee lobbyist and the co-founder of the Medical Marijuana Business Association of Florida.

Judges could uphold all or parts of the state’s current regulations, dealing a blow to smaller firms like Florigrown, a Tampa-based company that applied to become a medical marijuana treatment center in 2017. The company was turned down by the state because at the time, the Florida Department of Health had not yet made rules to regulate the industry.

It’s official: Minnesota has legal medical cannabis flower! Governor Tim Walz just signed legislation into law that allows medical patients to access flower instead of just extracts or non-smokables. 

Previously, Minnesota was only one of a few medically legal states that still did not allow patients to access flower medicine. 

Now, patients who are 21 and over with a valid med card can also access flower. The bill was approved earlier this month as part of a broader omnibus bill through a bicameral legislative conference committee. The bill was related to healthcare in general and was approved by both the Minnesota House and Senate. 

Additionally, the bill allows for curbside pickup and increases the number of patients per caregiver from one to six. The commissioner is also now allowed to remove existing, qualifying conditions from the no-prescribe list if they receive a petition to do so, meaning those who currently don’t have their condition covered may soon have a way to access cannabis as medicine. 

In the House, the bill passed 77 to 57, a close margin. The Senate passed it much more clearly with a 66 to 1 vote on the last day of the 2021 legislative session. However, the stand-alone piece of legislation that would have legalized adult-use cannabis and set up a retail system passed the House, but did not receive consideration in the Senate. 

Will The House Approve This Revised Cannabis Reform Bill?

A crucial and important chairman has set a goal to reintroduce a bill to federally legalize marijuana. Along with this bill will be measures that promote social equity. This reintroduced legislation may come as soon as next week in the House. As well its language will have at least two important modifications in comparison to the previous version of the bill. The news arrives as advocates anxiously await the filing of a separate cannabis reform bill. Currently, this bill is being planned by Senate leaders.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler has stood in favor of supporting the MORE Act. The Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment, and Expungement Act were passed in the chamber. This approval was a historic time in the House even though it was shut down in the Senate. According to an email thread from advocacy groups, it’s set to be refiled as soon next week with some new terms.

Different references that are familiar with the strategy shed some insight on the matter. They also said their understanding is that Nadler plans to introduce the revised legislation ahead of Congress’s Memorial Day recess. However, a spokesperson in the chairman’s office was not able to verify details by press time.

This new reform bill will not include language that was added just before last year’s House floor vote. Which would have stopped people with previous cannabis charges from obtaining federal cannabis permits. Which you would need to run a legal marijuana business

That was a controversial stipulation that surfaced at the last moment which advocates strongly stood against.

Do You Have These Top Marijuana Stocks On Your Watchlist In May?

In recent trading, many marijuana stocks have started to build more market momentum. This current upward push for most cannabis stocks has been long overdue after coming off a 3-month downtrend. Yet during this downtrend, all was not lost for the cannabis industry and investors. For one when cannabis stocks were trading at lower share prices, this created a big buying opportunity. Next was many leading cannabis companies were able to further expand and grow their business.

Weed hangovers are a mystery. Unlike alcohol hangovers, which happen to even the most resilient drinkers, when weed hangovers happen there’s never much of an explanation. Maybe you smoked more than you’ve ever smoked or maybe you consumed weed in a brand new way. It could never happen to you or it could happen often.

Weed hangovers encompass a range of effects that include brain fog, headaches, fatigue and feeling like you’re still high hours later. While they’re not as uncomfortable as an alcohol hangover, they can still be pretty limiting, starting from the moment you smoke until hours after.

Due to marijuana’s legal status, there’s not a lot of information out there on why these types of hangovers occur. Anecdotal evidence suggests it’s related to the amount of weed that’s consumed. This varies from person to person, depending on the individual’s cannabis threshold.

In general, the more THC there’s in cannabis, and the more you consume of it, the higher the odds of getting a cannabis hangover. Marijuana hangovers aren’t as crippling as alcohol hangovers but there are a few things you can do to put them under control.

If you get recurring weed hangovers

Recurring weed hangovers may indicate that something is off with your cannabis consumption. Everyday users should try to limit the amount of cannabis they ingest, consuming it every other day or just on the weekends. A change of your cannabis smoking schedule might also help; if you get hangovers when you smoke at night, trying smoking during the day.

As will all THC products, reading labels carefully, asking questions, and understanding how cannabis affects the body are all important steps before partaking in the compound.

With new cannabis-based beverages hitting the market, dispensaries are seeing a rise of individuals asking for the liquid delivery method. Citing a $4.4 billion legal cannabis market, the Long Beach Business Journal stated that liquid-based cannabis sales are set to skyrocket.

“According to data from Seattle-based cannabis analytics firm Headset, sales of cannabis-infused beverages increased 40.3% last year compared to 2019 across all states where recreational cannabis is legal, meaning the submarket slightly outperformed in terms of growth the overall cannabis market, which increased 39.4% in the same time period.”

Photo by skeeze via Pixabay

For the average consumer looking for new ways to consume cannabis, liquid-based offerings can be exciting. With THC-infused beverages taking off in dispensaries and beyond, here are three things to know before you indulge.

Australia’s Queensland University of Technology (QUT) has received almost $700,000 to investigate the effectiveness, safe dosage and side-effects associated with THC and CBD.

Around 770 children aged up to 14 years are diagnosed with cancer each in Australia, and sadly approximately 100 children under the age of 15 years die from it annually.

It’s hoped medicinal cannabis can play a role in alleviating children’s suffering in the final stages of their illness.

A 3-year QUT trial will compare different combinations and ratios of cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) to determine which is the more effective in managing symptoms in children with advanced cancer, including lack of appetite and energy, pain, drowsiness, nausea and vomiting. The impact on other areas such as sleep, activity, anxiety and depression will also be measured.

The study marks the first time such an investigation has taken place in Australia involving medicinal cannabis and children with cancer receiving palliative care.  While exploratory in nature rather than a definitive randomised controlled study due to the frailty of the children, it’s envisioned the research will make a significant contribution to the current scant scientific evidence currently available.

New York Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes estimates that the first legal sales will begin between 18 months and two years after the signing of the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act (MRTA), which occurred on March 31, 2021. That means that the first legal sales would start between September 2022 and March 2023.

In order for those sales to happen, New York must first establish a regulated marketplace. That’s because under the MRTA, a license is required to produce, process, distribute, deliver, or sell cannabis. Those licenses will be issued by the Cannabis Control Board (the Board) with significant input from the Office of Cannabis Management (the Office).

The website for the Office launched on April 2. The next likely step for the Office will be the appointment of an executive director. The executive director will be nominated by the Governor with advice and consent from the state legislature. In addition, the five members of the Board must be selected. The MRTA provides that the Governor shall appoint three members, with New York Senate and Assembly each appointing one of the remaining two members. Peoples-Stokes estimates that the Board will be “set and running” before the legislative session ends in June 2021, according to a report from The City.

Once the positions on the Board and the Office are full, these regulators will need to establish robust rules under the MRTA, governing adult-use cannabis, medical cannabis, and hemp in the State of New York. This will include establishing an application process and rules establishing a criteria for granting licenses.

The New York State Administrative Procedures Act requires that government agencies notify the public sixty days before adding, amending, or repealing rules. Agencies must also provide 60 days notice before holding a public hearing on a proposed rule. These time periods are called “notice and comment” periods and, as the name suggests, they are required so that the public can provide comment on proposed government regulations.

Humans have been consuming cannabis for thousands of years, that we already know. We also know we’re a population of animals that sure loves to eat! Put them together and you’ve got a fantastic market for cannabis edibles. But we’re not talking about any old edible right now. Here we’re looking at the most interesting edibles, and the most creative ways of eating cannabis.

Food is the best, and there are a million interesting edibles on the market for cannabis! Whether you like your edibles sweet, or salty, there’s something for everyone. Some are higher in CBD, some in THC, and some are made with delta-8 THC, the alternate form of THC on the market, which produces slightly less psychoactive effect, and a more energetic, clear-headed high. No matter how you like to consume cannabis, there are plenty of options, and that goes for delta-8 as well. If you have yet to try D8, check out our awesome Delta 10 THC and Delta-8 THC deals, and pick up a new kind of cannabis product.

How they used to do it

There are a lot of cool and interesting edibles on the market for cannabis, though its good to remember that cannabis has been eaten throughout history, just not as the edibles we know today. Back then, it wasn’t understood that cannabinoids are fat soluble, or that they can be leached out into substances like butter. One of the first mentions is from China back in 1,500 BC when cannabis was being consumed as a tea. The records from this time are actually written in the past tense, indicating this tradition might be even older than the dated records.

Cannabis became big in Hindu culture around 1,000 BC, when the drink bhang came into play. Not only is the drink still big today in India, but it was even the basis for the cording in the current international law that governs cannabis legality globally, the Single Convention on Narcotic Substances treaty.

A little less ancient history

Obviously, there’s a huge difference between edible cultures of ancient history, and the edible culture of today. Today’s edible culture started with an American in Paris. Enter Alice B. Toklas, the life partner of American author Gertrude Stein, who was a part of the Paris literary upper class in the early-mid 1900’s. Alice was famous for her cannabis fudge, which ended up in her 1954 cookbook, the Alice B Toklas Cookbook, which can still be bought today. The recipe for ‘Haschisch Fudge’ which shows up in the cookbook, uses ground cannabis, not hash, creates more of a fudge than a brownie, and apparently was not Alice’s own recipe, but had come from someone else.

It’s 2021. Of the 50 states in the country, 48 have legalized marijuana for medical use, and 15 for recreational use. A whopping 91% of Americans believe it should be legal for either medical or recreational use. The medical marijuana industry alone is projected to be worth up to $66.3 billion by 2025.

Despite these numbers, the substance is still considered illegal on a federal level. What does federal marijuana legislation look like in 2021 and how will it push the industry toward new innovation?

A federal marijuana timeline? ‘Soon’

Sources close to President Joe Biden believe that he’s in favor of federal marijuana decriminalization, if not legalization, but he hasn’t said either in so many words. We’re already behind Canada and Uruguay, both of whom have legalized recreational marijuana. Mexico might be the next country to join that exclusive club. That hasn’t stopped Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer from promising to bring federal legalization legislation to the Senate floor.

The problem isn’t the will — it’s the timeline. Schumer has spoken at length about how the Democratic caucus is in favor of legalization or at least ending the prohibition on the substance, but when asked about when this might happen, his answer is simply, “I am going to put this bill on the floor soon.”

Right now, the lack of federal support means that marijuana companies operating legally in various states can’t get any sort of financial backing, such as loans or payroll management. In many locations, they can’t even take credit or debit payments, operating as a cash-only business. Only time will tell when this legislation will make an appearance but that hasn’t stopped tech companies from pushing the envelope to improve related technologies.