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Nevada governor announces plans to pardon small marijuana possession convictions

A resolution being drafted by Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak would pardon tens of thousands of people who have been convicted for possessing small amounts of marijuana, according to a statement posted to Twitter Thursday.

"If approved, this resolution will clear the slate for thousands of people who bear the stigma of a conviction for actions that have now been decriminalized," Sisolak said on Twitter.
Purchase, possession, and consumption of recreational marijuana, with some restrictions, became legal for people over the age of 21 in Nevada on January 1, 2017, according to a state website. The proposed resolution would pardon people who have been convicted of possessing less than one ounce of marijuana.
The pardon, which would be without conditions, would not apply to convictions of possession for the purpose of sale, according to the statement.
The resolution is on the Board of Pardons Commissioners' agenda for next week, the statement said.
If the plan goes through, Nevada would join several other states in pardoning marijuana convictions following legalization of the drug.
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee announced a "Marijuana Justice Initiative" in 2019 to expedite record clearances for thousands who were convicted of small-time possession charges. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker granted more than 11,000 pardons for low-level marijuana convictions one day before a sweeping law made cannabis legal in the state for people 21 and older in December.
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A new study reveals that high-potency weed won't actually get stoners any higher than regular weed

While the generally held assumption is that high-potency weed — say with a lofty THC count — will produce a higher high, a new study suggests that isn’t actually the case.

Researchers from the University of Colorado, Boulder looked to see if physical and cognitive impairment among regular cannabis users varies based on THC blood concentration. Touted as the first study to assess the acute impact of cannabis among real-world users of legal market products, it involved randomly assigning higher- or lower-THC products to 121 users.  Participants used weed they had bought on their own and consumed it in their homes before being tested.

Beyond drawing participants’ blood, their mood and intoxication levels were assessed, and their cognitive function and balance tested before, directly after and an hour after they had consumed weed.

The findings?

Smoking high-potency marijuana will boost blood levels of THC more than twice as much as conventional weed, but it doesn’t get you higher.


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Cancer And Medical Marijuana: A Patient’s Perspective

A breast cancer patient from Minnesota shares  her cancer journey and how medical marijuana has made a great deal of difference in her treatment.

“Marijuana has been used in herbal remedies for centuries. Scientists have identified many biologically active components in marijuana. These are called cannabinoids. The two best studied components are the chemicals delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (often referred to as THC), and cannabidiol (CBD). Other cannabinoids are being studied.” — American Cancer Society

With states all over the U.S. legalizing medical marijuana for those with certain conditions, many more cancer patients are not hesitating to ask their care teams if marijuana could help them through cancer treatment, recovery and beyond. 

Nancy (whose name was changed to protect her privacy), a breast cancer patient from Minnesota, shared exclusively with The Fresh Toast her cancer journey and how medical marijuana has made a great deal of difference in her treatment. When asked how marijuana had augmented her treatment, Nancy shared that while she had hesitation in the beginning, marijuana changed her life in a matter of hours. “I am able to be off my anti-nausea cocktails now. It’s pretty remarkable how medical marijuana is not only helping my nausea and appetite, but my pain as well.”

Nancy isn’t the only cancer patient who has seen a dramatic shift while taking marijuana. Time Magazine featured stories of cancer patients and the marijuana they received in their documentary, “Weed the People.” Hosted by veteran television star and producer Ricki Lake, the documentary focused on real-life examples of patients seeking alternative drugs. Lake explained, “I want to get people seeing it as a medicine, seeing what it was able to do for these children, and fight for this medicine to be available to everyone who needs it.”

cannabis during breast cancer treatment what are the benefits

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South Dakota voters to decide future of medical and recreational marijuana in the state

To legalize, or not to legalize? That is the question South Dakotans will answer when it comes to marijuana in the state. In November, voters will decide on Constitutional Amendment A and Initiated Measure 26.

Amendment A would legalize, regulate, and tax marijuana as well as require laws ensuring access to medical marijuana. IM 26 would establish a medical marijuana program for qualifying patients. On Wednesday, South Dakotans for Better Marijuana Laws held a Zoom news conference to make its case to legalize it. However, local law enforcement has questions about the implications of approving the amendment and initiated measure.

South Dakotans for Better Marijuana Laws want voters to say yes to cannabis in the state.

“The outright prohibition on cannabis does not work,” Brendan Johnson, former U.S Attorney and member of Better Marijuana Laws, said.

Supporters include Johnson and Chuck Parkinson , who worked for President Reagan’s administration on the frontlines of the famed War on Drugs.

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Ohio medical marijuana: Panel recommends one new qualifying medical condition

Proposals to treat autism and anxiety with medical marijuana were rejected Wednesday by a state medical board committee.

The panel recommended the full board approve one new condition: cachexia, or wasting syndrome.

Anxiety, autism spectrum disorder and cachexia had been considered to join the list of 21 qualifying medical conditions included in Ohio’s 2016 medical marijuana law.

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CBD Spectrums: Choosing Full-Spectrum, Broad-Spectrum, Or Isolate

It’s a common misconception that all CBD products contain the same hemp-derived ingredients, but in fact there are three major types of CBD products called spectrums. They are full spectrum, broad spectrum or CBD isolate, named based on the hemp-based compounds in the product.

It’s understandable if your head is already spinning. The CBD industry is filled with 1000s of different products . To make things even more confusing, these products are marketed in a variety of different ways — often without consistency from brand to brand.

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CBD Spectrums: Choosing Full-Spectrum, Broad-Spectrum, Or Isolate

It’s a common misconception that all CBD products contain the same hemp-derived ingredients, but in fact there are three major types of CBD products called spectrums. They are full spectrum, broad spectrum or CBD isolate, named based on the hemp-based compounds in the product.

It’s understandable if your head is already spinning. The CBD industry is filled with 1000s of different products . To make things even more confusing, these products are marketed in a variety of different ways — often without consistency from brand to brand.

As a consumer this can make it a challenge to identify the specific hemp-derived content in a product. This is a big deal, as these specifics play a BIG role in the effectiveness and accessibility of CBD. Luckily, a little education goes a long way.

By digging in and identifying the spectrum of a CBD product you’ll be able to make educated shopping decisions. This will help you find the most effective products for your needs while avoiding any potential substances that you don’t want in your products.

Keep reading and we will walk you through the three primary spectrums of CBD products, the advantages and disadvantages of each, how to identify them, and how to pick the right one for your needs. 

Two beakers of green fluid rest on a table to either side of a small pile of hemp leaves.

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Market research firm predicts global cannabis sales to reach $20.4 billion this year

Global cannabis sales are expected to surge 38% to $20.4 billion this year despite the coronavirus-induced recession, according to new research from Arcview Group. 

The market research company released the 8th edition of its The State of Legal Cannabis Markets report this week, which also predicted sales will climb to a whopping $46.8 billion in 2025. 

Other highlights from the report include insights and statistics on both new and established legal cannabis markets in the U.S.

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Hemp Went Up Then It Went Down: What’s Next?

When hemp and cannabidiol (CBD) finally hit the stock market – after decades of nationwide prohibition – many investors saw an opportunity. However, in 2019, much of the optimism behind hemp’s stock jump came tumbling down – namely due to an overabundance in products and lack of demand for this quantity.

So, where can we expect the hemp stocks into the future?

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Why NJ Marijuana Advocates Should Be ‘Cautiously Optimistic’ Ahead Of Election

The Garden State will be facing a budget shortfall through the end of the next fiscal year as a result of the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Can marijuana legalization help?

Registered voters in New Jersey are expected to vote in favor of adult-use marijuana legalization in November — but uncertainty surrounds the pending legislation.

“Cannabis advocates looking forward to creating an adult use regulated and taxed cannabis marketplace have reason to be cautiously optimistic as we approach the consideration of the issue in the form of a public question on the ballot for the voters in November,” says Charles Gormally, co-chair of the Brach Eichler LLC cannabis practice group.

Early polling has shown consistent support for the question. Nevertheless, Gormally said he expects to see a large influx of pro- and anti-pot advocacy on the question in the months leading to the election itself.

“Since the early 1970s, we have created a significant number of stake holders in the failed cannabis prohibition regime that continues to dominate federal and state law enforcement interest groups,” he says. “In addition, advocacy groups touting the false narrative of cannabis as a ‘dangerous gateway drug’ are well financed and powerful forces that oppose cannabis law modernization.”

Following Failure By Legislators, New Jersey Voters Will Decide Marijuana Legalization in 2020

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Why Does California Still Have a Black Market for Cannabis?

California was the first state to pass legislation for medical marijuana, and it was among the first to generate a legal adult-use weed industry. After just two years of operation, the recreational dispensaries have generated over $1 billion in tax revenue, which has gone to fund childcare and anti-drug programs for the state’s youth, environmental initiatives like park maintenance and wildland restoration and public safety grants for local police and fire departments. It is amazing to see so many good things come from the simple act of legalizing marijuana.

Unfortunately, California’s tax revenues could be much higher and the benefits of legal weed greater — if only it could get a handle on its thriving cannabis black market. Currently, California’s black market for weed is more profitable than its legal one. Read on to learn more about why people are opting for illegal purchases over legal ones and what the state can do to change it.

Taxes Are Prohibitively High

Almost across the board, states with legal adult-use cannabis tax the stuff at an alarming rate. The high taxes on recreational weed serve a few purposes. First, high taxes tend to financially limit how much product a single user can accrue, which seems like an effective way to keep marijuana use in check. More importantly, however, tax revenue is one of the most compelling reasons to legalize marijuana, and it is one that pro-weed advocates tend to harp on. Thus, when cannabis does gain adult-use regulations within a state, lawmakers aren’t afraid to jack the taxes up sky-high.

California piles layer after layer of taxes upon recreational marijuana:

·       State taxation. At the state level, California charges cultivators $9.25 per ounce of flower, $2.75 per ounce of leaves and $1.29 of fresh plant material.


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Why Does California Still Have a Black Market for Cannabis?

California was the first state to pass legislation for medical marijuana, and it was among the first to generate a legal adult-use weed industry. After just two years of operation, the recreational dispensaries have generated over $1 billion in tax revenue, which has gone to fund childcare and anti-drug programs for the state’s youth, environmental initiatives like park maintenance and wildland restoration and public safety grants for local police and fire departments. It is amazing to see so many good things come from the simple act of legalizing marijuana.

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Ontarians spent $20M on Cannabis 2.0 items in first three months of sales: OCS

Ontarians shelled out almost $20 million in the first three months that edibles and other products in Canada's second wave of legalization were available for sale — and experts believe that number will only grow.

Cannabis vapes, topicals, concentrates and edibles such as gummies and chocolates hit store shelves in January with beverages following in March, but roughly $19.3 million worth of those products were sold in Ontario in the 12 months ending at March 2020.

The province's distributor, the Ontario Cannabis Store, said vapes were the most popular products in the second wave of legalization, known as Cannabis 2.0. About $14.8 million worth of vapes were sold in the first three months they were available.

Sales of edibles totalled $3.8 million, beverages reached $410,000, topicals hit $40,000 and concentrates amounted to $300,000 in the same period.

The data was revealed in a new report the OCS published this week to offer a glimpse at the country's first full year of legal cannabis operations, which saw 35 tonnes or $385 million worth of cannabis sold during that time.

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Data Shows Roadside Searches Decrease After Marijuana Legalization

Traffic searches, a longtime tool in the War on Drugs, dropped dramatically following marijuana legalization, new data reveals.

Two weeks have passed since George Floyd was killed while in the custody of Minneapolis police, sparking nationwide protests against police brutality and systemic injustice. National organizations and lawmakers have admitted that rolling back Drug War policies is an important step to fixing inequalities that exist in criminal justice.

Sen. Cory Booker noted racial imbalances in marijuana enforcement as just one explanation for the protests. California Gov. Gavin Newsom, meanwhile, described cannabis legalization as a “civil rights” issue.

That’s because, as data shows, legalizing marijuana changes the behavior of police departments. Colorado and Washington voters approved recreational cannabis in 2012 and a 2017 analysis by the Stanford Open Policing Project examined how this affected the focus of state police. Data shows that roadside searches dropped by nearly half post-legalization, with the most dramatic decrease occurring among Black and Hispanic drivers. In addition, Burlington police in Vermont released data last year that showed traffic searches dropped by 70% after the state legalized marijuana.

According to Stanford researchers, the threshold to pull over minority drivers is lower than it is for white drivers. Though traffic stops eventually dropped by more than 50% in both Colorado and Washington following legalization, that disparity between white and minority drivers remained.

Can Police Search Cars For Marijuana Based On Odor Alone?

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This doctor’s insight on treating the pandemic with cannabis

One medical research team in Israel believes they have a small piece to the coronavirus puzzle. In an exclusive interview with The Fresh Toast, Dr. Igal Louria-Hayon, head of the Medical Cannabis Research and Innovation Center at the Rambam Health Care Campus in Haifa, Israel, says the healing properties in cannabis may be able to help the body fight against COVID-19.

Announced in May, Dr. Louria-Hayon and his team of researchers announced they would begin a clinical trial in studying how cannabis aids in inflammation within the body and if that could decrease the effects of COVID-19. One of the main causes of death with the disease is “cytokines” — proteins that signal cells to turn on to fight — that are released, causing the body to react in uncontrollable ways against the virus. As a part of the body’s endocrine signal process, once cytokines are turned on past their maximum, the proteins become difficult to control and can cause a shockwave of effects, leading to death.

In some studies, cannabis was proven to help regulate inflammation and cytokines, offering better signalling to the body. The goal of the upcoming study is to “examine the receptors to which these substances bond, the cellular messages that are communicated and the extent to which cannabinoids reduce the inflammatory response.”

Especially important to note, Dr. Shlomit Yehudai-Reshef, director of the Rambam Medical Research Institute, shared that her team was able to identify a key method to understanding the virus and the human body’s subsequent reaction: white blood cells. “Despite the complexity and high risk, we found a safe way to separate the white blood cells, including the immune cells from verified patients,” explained Dr. Yehudai-Reshef, clarifying that when the cells were separated, they were easier to study and manipulate.

FILE: University of Lethbridge researcher Igor Kovalchuk is leading a study on medical cannabis as a potential therapy for COVID-19. / Photo: Supplied. Summited photo


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California Gov. Gavin Newsom: Marijuana Legalization Is A ‘Civil Rights’ Issue

Though California legalized marijuana to roll back unjust Drug War policies, cannabis taxes help fund police operations.

California Governor Gavin Newsom discussed during a press conference last week how the state plans to fix issues of systemic injustice and racism following widespread protests of police brutality. Newsom referenced California’s efforts to roll back the consequences and policies of the War on Drugs, including mandatory-minimum sentencing and the disparity between prosecuting crack vs. cocaine drug possession.

A major act of criminal justice reform, Newsom highlighted, was California legalizing recreational marijuana in recent years. The governor went so far as to describe legalization as a “civil rights” issue.

“That’s why the state was one of the early adopters of a new approach as it relates to cannabis reform—legalization around adult-use of marijuana,” Newsom said. “It was a civil rights call from our perspective.”

“I was proud to be out in front in those efforts,” he continued. “It was about addressing the disparities. It was about addressing incarceration. It was about addressing the ills of this war on drugs.”

Your Ultimate Guide To West Coast Cannabis Tourism

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Two Marijuana Stocks That Are Showing Consistent Gains

The months of May and June have already shown a great amount of positive gains for many leading marijuana stocks. As we continue to traverse into the summer, it looks like these cannabis stock gains are becoming more and more consistent. There are several reasons as to why the cannabis industry is showing so much upward propensity right now. For one, the cannabis industry has recorded more percentage gains and on a more consistent basis than most other areas of the stock market. This has been one of the main reasons that so many investors are attracted to the cannabis industry.

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Washington May Redefine What It Means To Own A Marijuana Business

On May 20, 2020, the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (LCB) held a virtual listen and learn forum on 

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A Cancer Survivor’s Guide to Using Cannabis to Cope With Chemotherapy

When I was diagnosed with Stage 3 colon cancer, I decided to get my California medical cannabis card and used medicinal cannabis products for effective symptom management. This helped me avoid taking other pharmaceuticals that could have caused further complications during treatment. There are so many things I wish I would have known then that I know now, but my expertise today helps other patients make empowered choices about their cannabis use.

My first experience in a dispensary left me feeling as though I was doing something wrong and had me fearful of asking questions. When I did ask questions, I received vague answers. In turn, I made mistakes in my self-medication and, though not fatal, at times it was uncomfortable and inconvenient.

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Drug Trial Planned For Synthetic Cannabinoid COVID-19 Treatment

By using this powerful anti-inflammatory, a Philadelphia cannabis company believes it can mitigate the immune response triggered by COVID-19.

A Philadelphia cannabis firm has joined the race to create a COVID-19 cure using cannabinoids. FSD Pharma announced last week that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had approved the company’s application proposal to conduct clinical trials around the medicine. The treatment will use a drug called ultramicronized palmitoylethanolamid (or micro PEA) that includes synthetic molecules that mimic cannabinoids.

Micro PEA is a unique drug. It’s believed to act as an anti-inflammatory and promoted between 1969 and 1979 in former Czechoslovakia as treatment for influenza and the common cold. Clinical trials conducted at the time showed PEA was an effective prophylactic in respiratory infection, with no registered side effects. According to scientists behind the research, it could act as a quick therapeutic answer should a flu epidemic occur.

Today, the drug is promoted as a prescription nutraceutical in Italy and used to treat chronic inflammation. Pharmaceutical firm Epitech Group owned the rights to the drug and sold it under the names Normast and Pelvilen. Earlier this year, FSD, which is headquartered in Toronto, Canada, purchased the worldwide rights from Epitech for $17.5 million and re-branded it as FSD-201.

“We contacted the FDA in late-March 2020 after becoming aware that several Italian physicians and scientists were advocating for use of ultramicronized PEA for patients suffering from symptoms of COVID-19, based on the drug’s mechanism of action as a potent and safe anti-inflammatory agent that reduces the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines,” Philadelphia-based physician and FSD CEO Raza Bokhari said in a statement.

The Latest On FDA Clinical Trials During COVID-19 Pandemic

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