WeedLife News Network

Focusing on novel traits of cannabis plants, a partnership among CannaPacific, Xing Technologies and Newcastle University, seeks to develop “one of the most advanced medical cannabis genomic breeding programs in the world,” notes a statement from CannaPacific.

It is hoped that engineering novel cannabis varieties with less variability and more productivity will lead to new low-cost medicinal formulations and improved delivery of products.

“There is over 100 cannabinoids in the plant, and many are still yet to be exploited,” says CannaPacific chief executive Joshua Dennis, according to the Newcastle Herald. “THC and CBD are there in the highest quantities, but there is a whole gamut of other cannabinoids in the plant in really low quantities,” Dennis says.

Minor cannabinoids, some of which have been shown to have medicinal benefits or promise, are present in strains. The trick will be identifying the new varieties with more of them.

By developing genetic markers, it will be possible to identify specific significant parts of the plant genome and “select which plants to incorporate into our breeding program in order to combine desirable traits such as specific cannabinoid profiles and yield,” Professor Christopher Grof, director of the university’s Centre for Plant Science, says in the CannaPacific release.

Numerous studies have revealed the many health benefits of incorporating CBD into your life.

In fact, even healthcare professionals are finally starting to acknowledge the healing properties that come with the drug.

Due to recent popularity, CBD is easily accessible and comes in a variety of forms.

There are coffees, teas, capsules, candies, creams, shampoos, and a stunning variety of products to suit every taste.

Whether you’re a newbie or an enthusiast, if you’re looking to incorporate some healthy CBD into your diet through innovative and creative products, you’ve come to the right place.

This has been an unforgettably difficult year for many Americans. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has cost lives, jobs, and completely upended our normal societal habits. But amid this chaos is the reality that, in just 51 days, Americans across the country will head to their local voting booth or mail in their ballots to decide who'll lead this country for the next four years.

Keep in mind that it's not just the presidency or the make-up of Congress that'll be decided on November 3, 2020. Residents in six states will be heading to the polls to decide if marijuana will be legalized from an adult-use or medical standpoint.

We entered 2020 with two-thirds of all states having legalized medical pot, along with 11 states that have legalized the consumption and/or retail sale of recreational weed. By the time the November election is over, there could be as many as two new states to legalize medical marijuana and up to four new states that might wave the green flag on adult-use cannabis.

Here are the five states guaranteed to be voting on marijuana in November.

New Jersey

All the way back in mid-December 2019, New Jersey became the first state to guarantee that there would be a marijuana initiative on its November ballot. Interestingly, New Jersey appeared to be very close to legalizing recreational cannabis at the legislative level during the first quarter of 2019. However, momentum for a legislative approval was derailed by a late push for certain social reforms. 

Including CBD in your skincare is so hot right now. It’s estimated to be a $580 million global market. But it may not just be a fashionable fad – research is indicating cannabidiol may be effective in treating a number of skin problems.

CBD, or cannabidiol, is a natural chemical compound found in hemp and marijuana. The cannabinoid isn’t intoxicating, it won’t get you high and it is seriously gaining traction in the world of medicine for its potential to reduce the effects of anxiety, insomnia, pain, inflammation and some forms of epilepsy. Skin conditions such as acne, eczema and psoriasis may be next on the list of conditions treated or managed by CBD.

While many skincare treatments focus on the wellness angle, boasting CBD as a natural ingredient that soothes and calms skin, it’s likely that there’s a lot more to the use of serums or oils containing CBD. The antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of CBD lend to its use in topical treatments that relieve inflammation or dryness, as well as being a option worth investigating for those with sensitive skin.

Promising for acne sufferers, research has shown CBD reduces the production of sebum; sebum being the oil secreted from glands present in skin. So, incorporating a CBD topical treatment in your skincare regime has potential to unclog your pores, while calming the redness and oiliness of your skin.

Studies looking into cannabinoids’ role in the management of the body’s response to injury and infection indicate that the use of CBD could treat and permanently fix skin problems while simultaneously reducing skin sensitivity. Unlike many other topical treatments that just temporarily soothe your skin, CBD might not just reduce your symptoms; it may get rid of them altogether.

Medical marijuana sales from Aug. 21 through Wednesday ticked up compared to the last reporting period, according to the sales report the state revenue agency released Friday.

Daily sales during the 20-day period that ended Wednesday were $600,000 on average. The daily sales average during the 16-day reporting period that ended Aug. 20 was $592,000. The Department of Finance and Administration said the 29 dispensaries in operation during the most recent reporting period averaged $20,698 in daily sales.

About $12 million in sales from 1,766 pounds sold was reported during the 20-day period. Since the state's first legal sale of the drug in May 2019 in Garland County, dispensaries have reported $143 million in sales from 22,530 pounds sold. More than half the sales revenue occurred in the past four months.

Suite 443, where the first legal sale of the drug in Arkansas was transacted last year, was third in sales for the second-straight reporting period. It reported 119.52 pounds sold for the 20-day period that ended Wednesday. The Malvern Avenue dispensary in unincorporated Garland County was second in sales during the 21-day period that ended Aug. 4 and fourth during the 19-day period that ended July 14.

Green Springs Medical, the only dispensary in Hot Springs' city limits, ranked 11th with 71.4 pounds sold. It was the daily sales average leader for more than a year, but as more dispensaries have come online its market share has shrunk.

The money was supposed to fund veteran programs but instead Missouri is burning through cash to defend itself in court.

In 2018, Missouri voters approved a ballot measure to legalize medical marijuana in the state. Two years later and licensed sales have yet to occur. Instead, businesses that applied for a license and were rejected have filed more than 800 lawsuits against Missouri. To date, 785 of the cases remain unresolved.

Missouri regulators have spent $1.3 million in court fees defending themselves against the 853 appeals filed. Lisa Cox, the Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) spokeswoman, said these were a one-time fee associated with getting the program off its feet. There were 2,270 facility applications sent to the state, but only 348 licenses were awarded.

“The number of appeals is not an indication of flaws in the process, but rather the high number of applicants,” Cox told The St. Louis Dispatch.

Funds generated from the program support operating and administrative costs. Whatever is left over gets deposited into a newly created Veterans’ Health and Care Fund. Although business application and medical card fees produced $19 million as of December 2019, the Missouri Veterans Commission, which determines how to spend allocations, has yet to receive a penny. However, a state release announced the DHSS had transferred $2.1 million to the Veterans’ Fund over the weekend.

The aging process for humans can really be a sad thing.

As time goes by the human body starts to break down and condition(s) develop.

Unfortunately, it’s a reality that cannot be overcome.

Getting older can be a tough thing to navigate for many people.

The aches and pains are a constant reminder that Father Time is undefeated.

Curaleaf, the state’s largest medical marijuana company, has announced it will open its second New Jersey dispensary in Bordentown Township early next year.

The Massachusetts-based company announced it will open its first satellite dispensary on Route 130 North. It currently operates a dispensary and cultivation site as Curaleaf NJ in Bellmawr.

The company said it will begin construction on its 9,000-square-foot dispensary in the fall. It has 92 dispensaries in 23 states.

The dispensary is one of several expected to open in the coming months, including MPX NJ in Atlantic City, TerrAscend in Phillipsburg and a second location of Harmony in Hoboken.

That will bring the total number of dispensaries in the state to 15. But more than 85,000 patients have enrolled in the program, and they often face lines, product shortages and long drives to get to dispensaries.

Research continues to prove what many have been saying for years: cannabis can stay in the system for a long time after the substance was used, and therefore cannabis blood tests are not a fair way to tell if someone has just used cannabis.

A new study titled “Residual blood THC levels in frequent cannabis users after over four hours of abstinence,” which appeared in the Drug and Alcohol Dependence journal, provides more evidence that alcohol can stay in the bloodstream long after a high has passed or after cannabis has been used. The study was conducted by researchers affiliated with the University of British Columbia, and then their results were published in an official study.

“Some stakeholders worry that current per se limits may criminalize unimpaired drivers simply because they use cannabis,” the researchers explained. “We conducted a systematic review of published literature to investigate residual blood THC concentrations in frequent cannabis users after a period of abstinence.”

So far, the study shows that if more than 2ng/ml are detected in the blood from cannabis use, they can persist for an extended period of time, so it’s not fair to look at that amount in the bloodstream and claim someone was recently exposed to cannabis, and it is certainly not fair to determine the person is still intoxicated. 

Authors reported: “[I]n all studies where participants were observed for over a day, blood THC [levels] in some participants remained detectable during several days of abstinence,” with some subjects continuing to test positive for up to 30 days. Some subjects also demonstrated a so-called ‘double hump’ pattern “where their THC levels rose toward the end of the week after an initial decline.

The image has become familiar: presented by floor-to-ceiling shiny windows and a smiling, iPad-holding greeter, dispensaries in California look far more like an Apple Store than the smelly back alleys and strip mall parking lots where we used to buy our weed.

No longer the “devils lettuce,” cannabis is now a feature of “wellness,” and “plant medicine.” If Don Draper were real and working today, he’d certainly be pushing pot.

Marijuana possession arrests in the state of Texas dropped 30% in 2019 compared to the previous year, according to data recently released by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS).

Texas legalized hemp last year, forcing law enforcement officials to drop low-level marijuana cases across the state due to the crop being virtually indistinguishable from the psychoactive and illegal form of cannabis. 

In order to prosecute someone for marijuana possession, a test proving the seized plant contains a THC content above 0.3% would need to be carried out.

However, as most crime labs in Texas are unable to perform potency tests, prosecutors have been dumping cases involving the possession of small amounts of potential weed, which is punishable with up to 180 days in prison or a $2,000 fine. 

The data released by the DPS showed there were roughly 63,000 marijuana prosecutions in Texas in 2018. Last year, the number dropped to 45,000 as the new law legalizing hemp took effect. Meanwhile, cannabis manufacturing arrests fell from 2,700 to 1,900 during the same period. 

The House Committee on Energy and Commerce approved a bill this week that seeks to improve and accelerate research on medical marijuana in the United States. 

The Medical Marijuana Research Act, introduced by Representative Earl Blumenauer, is a bipartisan piece of legislation that tackles the inefficiency of current cannabis research in the country on several fronts.

First, the bill would streamline the elaborate and lengthy process of obtaining a license to conduct cannabis research. Furthermore, it would help provide cannabis researchers with better quality marijuana, a major sticking point in current research efforts. 

Researchers in the U.S. currently have access only to cannabis grown at the University of Mississippi and run by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), whose crops have been described as “subpar” by scientists. The only existing federally authorized facility for growing research-grade marijuana also appears to be cultivating cannabis that is more akin to hemp.

“With some form of cannabis legal in nearly every state, it’s inexcusable that the federal government is still blocking qualified researchers from advancing the scientific knowledge of cannabis,” Representative Blumenauer said. 

A new U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) interim rule about CBD and hemp manufacturing has sown distress and confusion in the federally legal industry.

Operators say the rule makes it effectively impossible to produce CBD products legally. On his blog, North Carolina cannabis lawyer Rod Kight wrote that the new rule “threatens to destroy” the industry.

The federal government considers cannabis plants and products containing less than 0.3% THC to be hemp, which was legalized in the 2018 Farm Bill. Cannabis containing more than 0.3% THC, however, is an illegal schedule I controlled substance. Hemp businesses have long understood the distinction, and compliant operators strive to grow plants and sell products below the limit.

The rule, which was unveiled August 21 and took effect immediately, says any extract or substance produced during manufacturing or processing which contains more than 0.3% THC is an illegal drug, even if it derives from legal plants and is diluted or refined to legal limits before it reaches consumers. (Read the rule here.) While there are numerous ways to convert hemp plants into CBD products or additives, many if not all involve concentrating the plant matter, resulting in substances that contain more than 0.3% THC.

With the new rule, “It’s almost as if they’re trying to cut the legs out from under the industry,” said Dave DiCosola, CEO of Chicago-based CBD brand Half Day. 

Roughly a mile from the Little Bay de Noc in Michigan’s upper peninsula, tucked in a strip mall off Interstate 2, you’ll find Family Video, the last video rental store in the city of Escanaba. 

Family Video has been a dependable source of entertainment in this post-industrial town for 20 years. Today, the store’s neon green-and-orange marquee reveals the only discernible change to the place in the past two decades: instead of the week’s new movie releases, the letters announce WE SELL CBD NOW! The pivot to cannabis might seem like a major branding miss for a “family” video store in a straight-laced rural area, but Escanaba residents who frequent the store aren’t bothered by the change. They know Michelle Graham manages Family Video, and Michelle can be trusted.

When Michelle started working at Family Video five years ago she was well suited for the job. An extremely personable 35-year-old mother of five, it was easy for her to treat her customers like members of her family, which incidentally was part of her job description. The tedious aspects of the job that would bother most people—patiently nodding through dubious justifications for late rental returns, or listening to a scandalized mother rant about movie ratings—were minor obstacles en route to getting to know and understand her customers more deeply. “I’m like a sponge.” Michelle told me, her brown hair and glasses framing her smile when I spoke with her in July. “I soak up everyone’s stories.”

Today, Michelle’s conversations with customers have higher stakes. Since Family Video started selling CBD in 2019, she has been working with the urgency of an ER physician and the passion of a born-again preacher to deliver the good news about CBD—a cannabis compound that doesn’t contain psychoactive THC—to penny-pinching skeptics and convention-loving “Yoopers”. The vigor of her approach makes it clear why Escanaba’s Family Video is consistently named one of the top ten sellers of CBD products from among the chain’s more than 700 outlets nationwide. The breathless excitement with which Michelle speaks to anyone who will listen about the nuances of CBD, the proper way to use it, the different effects of an oil versus a balm and other details might come across as a sales pitch, unless you know the motivation behind it. For years, Michelle has watched as opioid addiction has devastated her community; in CBD, she sees a potential remedy. For Michelle, Escanaba is a city on fire, and through Family Video she’s found herself in an odd position to fight the blaze.

Twelve years ago Michelle was in a car accident that sent her from the back seat of a car through the front windshield. Since then, she says she’s been “living with the body of an 80-year-old.” She’s had chronic back, nerve, and joint pain, a bone spur, vision loss, carpal tunnel tendonitis, arthritis, and deterioration of tendons and cartilage in her knees and ankles. She had foot surgery for plantar fascitis. She lost her spleen which has left her battling hemorrhoids and severe anemia. And she was only managing three to four hours of sleep a night due to pain.

Led by surging cannabis sales, farm cash receipts in the first half of the year bucked the general decline caused by the coronavirus.

Receipts of $16.7 billion increased 5.2 per cent over 2019, says the Statistics Canada report.

Without a 62 per cent increase — $685 million — in cannabis sales, farm cash receipts would have increased a mere .8 per cent.

Higher crop receipts of $1.3 billion helped offset a $629 million decline in livestock sales. The decrease was caused by market restrictions when COVID-19 broke out.

Lentil receipts tripled to $604 million with better prices and increased exports to India and Turkey.

The Austin Police Department will no longer cite or arrest people for small possessions of cannabis, Police Chief Brian Manley wrote in a July memo. The announcement essentially decriminalized weed possession in the city, but data shows that marijuana arrests were already trending downward statewide.

Cannabis possession arrests declined 30 per cent between 2018 and 2019, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS). Although about 63,000 cannabis arrests were prosecuted by the state in 2018, that figure dropped to 45,000 possession arrests in 2019 and actual prosecutions declined by more than half.

These declines are associated with hemp legalization in Texas. THC-rich cannabis remains illegal in the state, but the similarity between the plants have caused confusion among state police. That’s because Texas law technically defines marijuana as any cannabis plant above 0.3 per cent THC.

That caused the dominoes to fall that lawmakers did not intend. Back in February, Texas crime labs announced they would stop testing suspected cannabis in low-level possession cases. Accordingly, state prosecutors began dismissing possession cases without lab reports that proved THC was present in the cannabis.

Since hemp legalization, cannabis manufacturing arrests also dropped from about 2,700 in 2018 to 1,900 in 2019.