WeedLife News Network

If Virginia legalizes marijuana, sales could generate up to $300 million in annual state tax revenue and create 11,000 jobs, according to a Joint Legislative Audit & Review Commission (JLARC) report issued Monday. But legalizing the drug would not be without hurdles.

When three former Marines started laying the groundwork for a veteran advocacy group, the connections between opioid use and suicide became readily apparent, prompting them to look for a way to make a bigger impact.

Bryan Buckley, Matt Curran and Andy Miears started Helmand Valley Growers Company in 2019 as a for-profit cannabis business that would donate 100 percent of its proceeds to Battle Brothers Foundation, a nonprofit founded by Buckley dedicated to researching medical cannabis treatments for veterans with ailments such as post-traumatic stress disorder.

“It’s essentially a call to arms for the cannabis community,” says Buckley, the CEO of HVGC and the president of Battle Brothers.

Miears, now the chief cultivator of HVGC, was the first in the group to champion cannabis, due to the positive effects it was having on his life. Cannabis helped Miears “transition from a warrior to a gardener,” Buckley says.

“Our mission is to provide an alternative to doctors and the health-care system, and that (alternative) is cannabis,” says Curran, the company’s chief operating officer, who acknowledges that cannabis can’t fix every problem, but is “a very effective tool that has marginal side effects when you look at it next to a prescription drug.”

Marijuana won big this election, gaining legal ground in five states, but it remains illegal in North Carolina. That’s not expected to change with the state’s incoming legislature.

Why it matters: Coronavirus has left deep scars on our economy, and proponents of legal marijuana say it could be the jump-start North Carolina needs. Especially for the state’s many tobacco farmers, some of whom have already leaned into the rising hemp industry. In 420-friendly states like Colorado and Washington, marijuana sales has generated hundreds of millions in tax revenue and employed tens of thousands.

Opponents, however, cite a lack of research on the drug’s effects and potential risk factors.

Public opinion: 72.5 percent of N.C. residents support legal marijuana for medical purposes. Unlike other states, legalization can’t be put to a public vote; it’s up to the state legislature. Still, constituents play an important role in any path forward through their vote and their voice.

Where legalization stands: Federally, marijuana is illegal, but a majority of states have now legalized it for medical or recreational use, or both.

A small farm in upstate New York is working to revolutionize the organic farming industry, starting with supporting their local ecosystem while growing, among a variety of grains, hemp — the plant behind the multi-million dollar CBD industry.

Hemp, a species of cannabis that does not create a marijuana-like high, has an ancient history with usage dating back centuries.

Ben Banks-Dobson, who runs Stone House Farm's 2,600-acre operation, is hoping to help the Earth while promoting the unique plant and its variety of uses.

"Hudson Hemp was born out of a transition from conventional to organic farming," he told CBS News' Michelle Miller. "Our corn and soybeans only goes into chicken and hog feed for local farms selling their meat locally."

A new study finds that women are now more open to treating gynecological conditions with cannabis.

A new study reveals that women would consider using cannabis to treat different gynecological conditions, from menopause to menstrual pains.

Published in the Journal of Women’s Health, the study shows that women have a history of using cannabis to cope with chronic pelvic pain, menstrual cramps and pain associated with gynecological cancer. “A larger proportion of women who reported ever using cannabis were willing to use cannabis to treat conditions commonly seen in gynecological practices compared to never-users (91.6% vs. 64.6%),” says Leo Han, MD, MDH, and one of the lead authors of the study.

Authors of the study theorize that this willingness to give cannabis a shot could be influenced by the relative safety associated with cannabis use and with the negative side effects that are common when using opioids for pain management. It’s important to note that conditions like endometriosis are infamously difficult to diagnose and treat, resulting in more and more women being willing to try alternate methods of treatment.

According to Journal of Women’s Health Editor-in-Chief Susan G. Kornstein, MD, the study found that “a large proportion of those women who had never used cannabis were willing to try it to treat gynecological pain. Fewer, but still a substantial percentage, would use it for procedural pain or other gynecological conditions.”

Illinois saw more than $100 million in marijuana sales in October, the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation reported Monday.

There was a record $75 million in recreational pot sales last month, up nearly $8 million from the previous month. Sales of medical marijuana totaled another $33 million, according to officials. The first 10 months of legal cannabis sales total more than $500 million, with about $300 million in medical marijuana sales.

Marijuana sales to adults is legal in 11 states and Washington D.C. Four more states approved recreational marijuana use in Tuesday’s election, while six Chicago suburbs joined a growing list of Illinois municipalities allowing cannabis dispensaries for adults.

“There is mass acceptance of the U.S. cannabis industry by the consumer and the voter,” said Ben Kovler, founder and CEO of Chicago-based Green Thumb, a cannabis manufacturer and retailer. “In this divided country, there are very few issues that have that kind of universal acceptance.”

Cannabis industry analyst Andy Seeger said October’s sale figures do not rise to the market’s potential. He says Illinois should be on pace to sell around $1.2 billion in weed this year.

Nearly 75% f the country has legalized cannabis to some extent – either medical, recreational, or both – which begs the question, how are employers dealing with the rapidly changing laws in their regions?

As of election day, November 3rd, 2020, a total of 36 states, District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Island have approved comprehensive medical cannabis programs. Out of those, 15 states have legalized adult-use marijuana. Recreational is even legal in our nation’s capital, Washington D.C., where you will find a robust legal market.

Despite all of that, marijuana is still federally illegal. This presents many unique challenges for employers who maintain drug testing policies and have concerns about productivity and workplace safety, as well as issues for employees who may be denied employed for cannabis use when they are responsible users who are otherwise, completely qualified.

How are these issues being resolved? Is common ground between employees and employers achievable?

Medical use vs recreational use

When it comes to denying employment based on cannabis use, a very important distinction is whether the patient uses it recreationally or medicinally. Outlined under state laws, marijuana can be prescribed for a variety of preapproved conditions. If someone is using marijuana for panic attacks, for example, this could warrant random, all-day availability and use.

“Employers must understand their rights and duties when it comes to drug testing because state laws are evolving,” said David Reischer, attorney and CEO of LegalAdvice.com. “Marijuana is still federally illegal, and employers generally are allowed to have a drug-free workplace and to enforce zero-tolerance policies.”

Cannabidiol (CBD) is extremely popular right now.

In fact, it is so popular that Google search data for the last few years shows that CBD is searched more often than THC.

For many decades THC was the cannabinoid that most scientists and cannabis enthusiasts focused on, however, that has clearly changed.

Products containing CBD are far more legally available in the global marketplace compared to products containing large amounts of THC.

That, combined with a growing body of peer-reviewed studies that find CBD to be an effective medicine, has resulted in exponential growth in the use of CBD worldwide.

Young Europeans are drinking less alcohol and also smoking less—but are increasingly dabbling with cannabis, a continent-wide study showed Thursday.

"Smoking and drinking among 15-16-year-old school students are showing signs of decline, but there are concerns over potentially risky cannabis use and the challenges posed by new addictive behaviour," according to the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD).

ESPAD interviewed close on 100,000 15- and 16-year-olds across 2019 in 35 countries on teen attitudes towards addictive forms of behaviour in its seventh study since 1995.

The study, in conjunction with EU drugs agency EMCDDA, showed a decline in drinking in the wake of recent toughening of legislation on alcohol sales to minors.

The study found more than three-quarters of those questioned had used alcohol and 47 percent had consumed in the past month—but the trend is down on 91 percent and 63 percent in 2003.

Argentina’s government on Thursday legalised the growing of cannabis for medical use by individuals and networks, as well as the sale of creams and oils made from the plant in pharmacies.

The move was made official via the publication of a decree published in the Official Gazette. The new rules are revisions to a law first approved back in March 2017 that authorised the medicinal use of cannabis oils, but maintained an existing prohibition on the cultivation of the plant and the possession of seeds by individuals or groups.

The new decree, signed by President Alberto Fernández, seeks to allow "timely, safe, inclusive and protective access for those who need to use cannabis as a therapeutic tool," according to its text.

"It is urgent to create a regulatory framework that allows timely, safe, inclusive and protective access for those who need to use cannabis as a therapeutic tool," reads Decree 883/2020. 

The new rules state that the sale of cannabis oils and creams in pharmacies and the personal and organised cultivation of the plant is authorised for users, researchers and patients who are registered under the Reprocann programme (“National Cannabis Programme”), a scheme that was created by the 2017 law but is not yet fully operational.

State says recreational marijuana license won't be available for a year

If you thought Montana's approval of recreational marijuana means you can start legally selling pot right away, the state says not so fast.

Voters approved a pair of initiatives on Election Day, a step which most have seen as opening the door to legal and possible legislative challenges which must be resolved first.

And now the Montana Department of Revenue is saying even absent any legal roadblocks, there's a "lot of work to do" before the state will make licenses available to legally sell non-medical marijuana.

Director Gene Walborn said the state is starting the process of setting up that system, but he doesn't expect the first licenses will be issued until October 1st next year.

Denver hasn't adopted a new state law allowing marijuana industry billboards in Colorado, but that could change soon.

State laws implemented in January let marijuana companies advertise outdoors using billboards, but as with many new pot freedoms, local jurisdictions have to opt in first. And so far, Denver hasn't.

Colorado’s current marijuana advertising laws, created by the State Licensing Authority, follow voluntary advertising restrictions similar to those used by the alcohol industry to prevent the sale or diversion of marijuana to minors. However, the plant's federal status led to a more restrictive advertising landscape for pot than for alcohol.

Even as historically conservative states have embraced legalization, reefer madness is alive and well in Nebraska.

At least with the state’s governor, Pete Ricketts, who on Tuesday once again sounded the alarm on something that a growing majority of the country is cool with.

“Well, we’ve certainly seen in other states like Colorado when you pass legalization of recreational, as well as medicinal, marijuana that you see an increase in traffic fatalities that are caused by marijuana use and an increase in a number of other things such as young people getting a hold of the marijuana,” Ricketts said, as quoted by Omaha-based television station KETV. “The marijuana has the opportunity to create psychosis in people and that could lead to a number of very bad outcomes as well, so those bad health effects happen when you legalize marijuana.”

Ricketts made the comments in response to last week’s election results in the Cornhusker State’s northern neighbor, South Dakota, where voters approved separate measures legalizing medical marijuana and recreational pot. The results mean that Nebraska will soon border two states where cannabis is legal for adults, with Colorado voters paving the way for an end to prohibition back in 2012. 

Consistency in Ricketts’ Comments

For Ricketts, a Republican currently serving his second term as Nebraska’s governor, the comments are hardly a surprise. In August, ahead of his state’s expected vote on a medical marijuana measure, Ricketts was highly dismissive of cannabis as a treatment for patients.

In states across America where cannabis is legal, dispensaries and pot boutiques have been deemed essential during the COVID-19 pandemic.

It’s a decision that may have baffled those who don’t partake but it made perfect sense, from a public health perspective.

Cannabidiol (CBD) is extremely popular right now.

In fact, it is so popular that Google search data for the last few years shows that CBD is searched more often than THC.

For many decades THC was the cannabinoid that most scientists and cannabis enthusiasts focused on, however, that has clearly changed.

Products containing CBD are far more legally available in the global marketplace compared to products containing large amounts of THC.

That, combined with a growing body of peer-reviewed studies that find CBD to be an effective medicine, has resulted in exponential growth in the use of CBD worldwide.

As more research finds that CBD can be a useful medicine for dogs and cats, the compound has become one alternative medicine that’s being considered much more now than ever before.

In the U.S. and many other countries, dogs and cats alike are adored as loving family members. The ASPCA has estimated that in the U.S., 78 million dogs and 85.8 million cats are owned and treated as pets. Similarly, 44% of all American households have a dog as a pet, and 35% have a cat. Due to the abundance of pet dogs and cats, the demand for medical and veterinary services is significantly high, and it keeps growing.

For decades, pharmaceutical medications and traditional treatment methods tended to be the norm. However, in recent years, cannabidiol (CBD) has been making a large splash within the veterinary medicine industry. So, stick around to learn about the unique relationship between cannabis, but specifically CBD and modern-day veterinary medicine. 

CBD Usage and Pet Mammals—What the Research Says

As more research findings are released about CBD’s medicinal properties that can be reaped by mammals including dogs and cats, the compound has become one alternative medicine that’s being discussed and/or considered much more now than ever before.

To date, publications from Colorado State University (CSU) and Cornell University have documented the pharmacokinetics of CBD in dog subjects. The study reported that orally administered CBD (by mouth) is absorbed more effectively than transdermally administered CBD (applied on the skin’s surface). The study also found that orally administered CBD was well tolerated, which supports CBD’s solid safety profile.

There's a bill going through the House of Lords which will decide how the country will regulate its medicines after January 2021. It's called the medicines and medical devices bill. Among other things, it will decide how a post-Brexit UK will maintain a high degree of patient access to the best medicines, guarantee patient safety and high manufacturing standards, and ensure British regulators do not stifle global investments into our life sciences industry.

The main sentiment underlying that debate is that Britain must retain its international reputation within the life sciences and pharmaceutical industries.

Brexit represents a step into the unknown. A no-deal Brexit will create abrupt and fast changes to British regulation, threatening the country's attractiveness. But it might at least prompt a shake-up of the regulatory status quo.

One of the industries that stands to greatly benefit from any change to the status quo is the British medical cannabis industry. Since its legalisation in 2018, the sector's environment has stagnated. British patients have barely benefitted: patient access has been sluggish and confined to less than 20 cannabis products being prescribed on the NHS. The 1.4 million patients who currently self-medicate are stuck paying for pricey private prescriptions or accessing their medicine through the black market and risking arrest.

For such a leader in healthcare, why have so few British patients and businesses benefited from the industry getting the green light in 2018? A lack of NHS funding into research hasn't helped, and nor has a highly restrictive prescribing regime. There's been an extreme reluctance by the government to approve more domestic cannabis cultivation or allow British businesses to export.