WeedLife News Network

The past year has seen a surge of interest in marijuana’s CBD, a non-intoxicating cannabis compound with significant therapeutic properties.

Numerous commercial start-ups and internet retailers have jumped on the CBD bandwagon, touting CBD derived from industrial hemp as the next big thing, a miracle oil that can shrink tumors, quell seizures, and ease chronic pain — without making people feel “stoned.” But along with a growing awareness of cannabidiol as a potential health aid, there has been a proliferation of misconceptions about CBD.

CBD is medical. THC is recreational

Project CBD receives many inquiries from around the world and oftentimes people say they are seeking “CBD, the medical part” of the plant, “not THC, the recreational part” that gets you high. Actually, THC, “The High Causer,” has awesome therapeutic properties. Scientists at the Scripps Research Center in San Diego reported that THC inhibits an enzyme implicated in the formation of beta-amyloid plaque, the hallmark of Alzheimer’s-related dementia.

The federal government recognizes single-molecule THC (Marinol) as an anti-nausea compound and appetite booster, deeming it a Schedule III drug, a category reserved for medicinal substances with little abuse potential. But whole plant marijuana, the only natural source of THC, continues to be classified as a dangerous Schedule I drug with no medical value.

THC is the bad cannabinoid. CBD is the good cannabinoid

The drug warrior’s strategic retreat: Give ground on CBD while continuing to demonize THC. Diehard marijuana prohibitionists are exploiting the good news about CBD to further stigmatize high-THC cannabis, casting tetrahydrocannabinol as the bad cannabinoid, whereas CBD is framed as the good cannabinoid. Why? Because CBD doesn’t make you high like THC does.

Believe it or not, we're nearly halfway through 2020. It's been a rough year so far for many marijuana stocks, although a few have fared much better than others.

I expect that the overall cannabis industry will gain some momentum over the next six months. If I'm right, that should be good news for the stocks of leading cannabis companies. But what's the top marijuana stock to buy for the second half of 2020? My view is that there's a really strong argument for Innovative Industrial Properties (NYSE:IIPR).

In 2020 it’s possible to buy hemp rope, soap, shoes, and even beer. The question is, are these hemp products moving us to a more sustainable future?

Hemp an eco-friendly fibre

There is often an underlying confusion in society between hemp and marijuana, and whether they are the same thing or not. They do both indeed derive from the cannabis plant. However, hemp plants contain very small amounts of THC. The industrial cultivation of hemp has been legal in Canada since 1998 but it’s been around for thousands of years prior to this. Additionally, it is one of the first plants to be spun into usable fibre. Hemp has been labelled as one of the eco-friendly fibres in our world today.

What is an eco-friendly fibre? I’m glad you asked. Eco-friendly fibres are alternative to two things; petroleum-derived fibres and GMO cotton.

It depends on which products you compare hemp to, but hemp is a lot better for the environment than most, if not all of it’s alternatives. A large portion of textiles comes from petroleum-based products. The source of synthetic fibres like polyester, nylon and acrylic is from fossil fuel crude oil.

The combination of words, crude oil, is becoming a swear word in many households. In reality, the movement away from petroleum-based products can’t happen overnight as many of the world’s industries are essentially propped up on the use of crude oil. Can you guess what isn’t derived from crude oil? You guessed it, hemp products.

It’s hard to back away from the fact that yes, hemp is definitely more sustainable than its two alternatives. Some benefits of growing and using hemp are;

With that being said, I’m a believer in stepping back and looking at both sides of the argument with a unbias opinion. Some downfalls of hemp include;

The hemp industry is moving the world to a more sustainable future. If anything, it’s pushing the envelope for developers of other eco-friendly fibres to create more sustainable practices. Canada is still relatively new in the hemp industry but does have a head start on its neighbour down south who just legalized hemp cultivation in 2018.

Since the Covid-19 pandemic struck, we’ve heard a lot about resetting the economy and the need to focus on sunrise, not sunset, industries. At the same time, during the Alert Level 4 lockdown in April, the Ministry of Health pushed play on New Zealand’s Medicinal Cannabis Scheme.

The regulations are now in effect, enabling local commercial cultivation of cannabis and the manufacturing of THC and CBD products. New Zealand GPs can now apply their professional discretion to prescribe medicinal cannabis.

Estimated to reach $55 billion by 2025, the medicinal cannabis industry is one of the fastest growing in the world.

In New Zealand, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment forecasts a strong market opportunity in the next 10 years. The pharmaceutical cannabis segment is expected to reach $320 million - $50m from within New Zealand and $250m in export sales. The broader cannabis health product segment could represent a $1b market opportunity per annum.

Medicinal cannabis reforms took effect in Australia in 2016, with its success hindered by higher hurdles for patient access. But, in recent months, its government has awoken to the potential of medicinal cannabis to lift GDP and aid Australia’s economic recovery.

The Swiss government wants to empower doctors to prescribe cannabis for medical purposes without authorisation. On Wednesday, the Federal Council submitted a revised version of the narcotics law to parliament for deliberation.

Cannabis, whether for recreational or medical purposes, has been banned in Switzerland since 1951. However, doctors may prescribe a medicine based on this substance if they get an exceptional green light from the Federal Office of Public Health.

But the government believes this process complicates access to treatment, delays the start of therapies and is no longer adequate in view of the growing number of requests.

Multiple treatments

In 2019, around 3,000 authorisations were issued for patients suffering from cancer, neurological diseases or multiple sclerosis. That figure excludes patients who procure cannabis directly on the black market.

The government wants to tweak the narcotics law so that the decision to prescribe cannabis-based drugs would be taken directly by doctor and patient. The ban on recreational cannabis would remain in place, and physicians would be required to share data on the use of cannabis for treatments.

Medicinal cannabis as a treatment for acute illnesses and ailments such as chronic pain, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, liver disease and cancer is still in its infancy, but already the prospects for this emerging scientific field look promising.

As a sector, the global cannabis extract market is expected to be worth $23.7 billion by 2025, thanks to legislation becoming more relaxed in major economies around the world, the rising popularity of “lifestyle” CBD products, and increased public and medical awareness around cannabis’ therapeutic powers.

However, like traditional medicine, cannabis-based treatments can be potentially life-threatening if a child accidentally ingests concentrated doses.

In this article, Rich Quelch, global head of marketing at Origin, a designer and manufacturer of pharmaceutical packaging, looks at the role that packaging is currently playing in the field of medicinal cannabis to keep young children safe.

The first line of defence

Stephen J Wyatt, founder and CEO of Hemp Futures, based in Estonia, tells MCN about the importance of customer engagement and accountability.

Estonia-based CBD producer Hemp Futures was founded in 2019 with the goal of creating ‘clean, green and organic’ products; and operates across more than 68 hectares of certified organic land.

“Estonia is a hidden jewel,” explains Hemp Futures founder and CEO Stephen J Wyatt, a former US Marine. “The environment is very pristine; the water is good; the soil is organic. We’re lucky in that we don’t have a lot of native pest insects, which means we don’t need many pesticides for growing hemp.”

Medical cannabis dispensaries can begin delivering products to their patients at home, a long-awaited move that intends to ease patient access and allow them to stay away from dispensaries to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

The state Department of Health announced Thursday it has issued a waiver that allows for home delivery.

“The Department continues to prioritize patient access during this unprecedented pandemic,” Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said in a statement. “This new waiver will allow [alternative treatment centers], once they have submitted a plan to the Department for approval, to deliver across the state.”

Jake Honig’s Law, which Gov. Phil Murphy signed last summer to expand the state’s medical marijuana program, included provisions for home delivery. But the service never launched.

But when hours-long lines backed up dispensaries in March, the program began to talk about ways it could better serve patients — many of whom have pre-existing conditions that make them vulnerable — in the midst of a public health crisis.

The Department of Social Development says that it is in the process of developing new legislation around the possession and use of cannabis in South Africa.

In a ‘national drug master plan‘ published on Thursday (25 June), the department said that the new rules would be in line with the September 2018 Constitutional Court ruling on private use.

At the time, the relevant departments were given 24 months to respond and make changes in line with ruling, meaning the updated legislation should be tabled within the coming months.

“A steering committee has been established to deal with the amendments cited in the Constitutional Court judgement, with a specific program and plan with time frames to abide by the judgement,” the department said.

“Currently the relevant departments as outlined in the ruling are in the process of aligning specific section on the cited legislation to comply with the ruling, and to make sure that there is no ambiguity in the possession and private use of Cannabis.

We’ve all seen social media accounts get shut down left and right in the cannabis industry, especially on Instagram. It’s been happening for years, and brands are often left frustrated and scrambling to appeal or get a new account up quickly.

When your Instagram account is taken down, the first thing you need to do is file an appeal. If you haven’t broken any of the community standards, you should get it back fairly quickly.

After a lot of community blowback about not being inclusive enough and a failed attempt at social equity last year, The Los Angeles City Council may adopt new cannabis licensing and social equity plans that would overhaul the existing licensing system. 

n today's rapidly changing economy, there is a lot of discussion about best practices to successfully emerge from the initial impact of the recent COVID-19 crisis.

A Department of Justice whistleblower has said that U.S. Attorney General William Barr directed the agency’s Antitrust Division to investigate proposed mergers of cannabis companies because of his “personal dislike of the industry.” In written testimony released on Tuesday before a planned congressional appearance, Justice Department attorney John Elias said the investigations were a waste of federal resources and were continued over the objections of career staff.

Elias, who testified before the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, wrote that the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division had been instructed to look into a total of 10 cannabis industry mergers. In one case, the merger of MedMen and PharmaCann, employees were instructed by Barr in March 2019 to continue an investigation, despite the findings of a preliminary review that the cannabis industry appeared to be fragmented and that “the transaction was unlikely to raise any significant competitive concerns.”

“Rejecting the analysis of career staff, Attorney General Barr ordered the Antitrust Division to issue Second Request subpoenas,” Elias said, referring to the Justice Department’s most exhaustive type of merger probe. “The rationale for doing so centered not on an antitrust analysis, but because he did not like the nature of their underlying business.”

Including the MedMen merger with PharmaCann, “the Antitrust Division launched ten full-scale reviews of merger activity taking place in the marijuana, or cannabis, industry,” Elias wrote. “These mergers involve companies with low market shares in a fragmented industry; they do not meet established criteria for antitrust investigations.”

DOJ Leaders Aware Of Barr’s Bias

Elias also contends that several members of the division’s political leadership were aware of Barr’s disdain for the legal cannabis industry. During a staff meeting last September, Assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim, the head of the Antitrust Division, “acknowledged that the investigations were motivated by the fact that the cannabis industry is unpopular “on the fifth floor,” a reference to Attorney General Barr’s offices in the DOJ headquarters building,” Elias wrote. “Personal dislike of the industry is not a proper basis upon which to ground an antitrust investigation.”

A free medical cannabis education platform has been launched by Sapphire Medical Clinics in response to a recommendation by The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).

This week Sapphire Medical Clinics has launched ‘The Sapphire Institute for Medical Cannabis Education’ with the aim of educating healthcare professionals and patients on medical cannabis. This groundbreaking initiative provides the first free comprehensive platform for medical cannabis education in the UK and was established in response to the NICE evidence review committee recommendation highlighting the need for specific training of healthcare professionals in cannabis-based medicines.

A comprehensive cannabis education platform

The Sapphire Institute for Medical Cannabis Education is a comprehensive educational platform with activities ranging from CPD-accredited didactic teaching to interactive web-based learning and clinical networking opportunities, with additional specific content for patients.

Free membership of the Sapphire Institute for Medical Cannabis Education is offered to healthcare professionals and will grant access to a series of online webinars and e-learning modules. These cover the latest evidence for treatment with medical cannabis across a range of conditions, dosing and monitoring, modes of administration and key case study examples. The Institute has already held five successful online webinars, all of which will be freely available to members.

Topics include Medical Cannabis for Pain, Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders and its role in Palliative Care.

Marijuana history ties directly into larger conversations around police brutality and systemic racism than most Americans realize.

When Brookings Institution senior fellow John Hudak wrote Marijuana: A Short History in 2015, cannabis legalization was still regarded with a curious novelty by many Americans. Since then, cannabis has emerged in the national conversation through politics, culture, medicine, wellness, and more. And in light of recent discussions around policing and systemic racism in the United States, Hudak believed it was important to build upon that history and discuss how the roots of prohibition impact us today.

Hudak wrote a new edition to his book, which will be available June 30. To promote the book’s launch, Brookings hosted a webinar with Hudak, Buddings Solutions CEO/founder Shanita Penny, and Politico reporter Natalie Fertig to unpack how cannabis sits at the intersection of race, politics, and culture in America.

When many Americans think about marijuana history, Hudak explained, they focus on the 60s and 70s, when Richard Nixon introduced the Controlled Substances Act, which officially criminalized cannabis. But the foundation of cannabis laws as we recognize them today really started at the turn of the 20th century.

“Cannabis law and drug policy in general really had explicitly racist roots in the United States. Cannabis laws initially came about out of fear of Mexican immigration to the United states,” said Hudak. “The term ‘marijuana’ was rooted in that attempt white Americans and immigrants coming across the border of Mexico. That spiraled into a broader, racially divisive set of policies that, by the 1920s, begin to vilify black Americans, in addition to Latinos and immigrants.”

Aurora Cannabis Inc. announced Tuesday it is closing five of its production facilities and laying off about 700 workers as the pot giant continues restructuring its operations in a bid to achieve profitability. 

The Edmonton-based cannabis producer said in a statement it is closing five smaller-scale facilities in Quebec, Saskatchewan and Alberta this year to consolidate production at its four remaining plants, while booking a $60-million impairment charge related to the closures in its fourth quarter. Aurora also said it plans to take a $140-million charge related to a revaluation of its raw cannabis given shifting consumer demand. 

Canopy Growth Corp. is doubling down on its cannabis-infused vapes and drinks, as well as upcoming U.S. CBD products, while continuing to cut costs as it looks to rebuild investors’ trust.

The world’s biggest pot company discussed plans to address its sagging market share in the Canadian recreational market as well as its strategy for the U.S. cannabis market in a presentation to investors Monday. 

Four major U.S consumer groups are urging Congress to reject proposals to fast-track approval of cannabidiol (CBD) use in dietary supplements and food products.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is currently evaluating the safety of CBD – and taking their time doing it. Last year the Administration acknowledged the potential for cannabidiol, but said it needed to “CBD”: Collect Better Data. As recently as March, the agency said it still had many gaps in knowledge.

The time the FDA is taking is causing all sorts of issues for the nation’s hemp sector and creating confusion in consumers. The Administration has come under increasing pressure from some corners of Congress to provide official guidance on cannabidiol extracted from hemp.

However, the Consumer Federation of America, the Center for Science in the Public Interest, Consumer Reports, and the Public Health Institute want the FDA to have all the time it needs.

Furthermore, a letter co-signed by the four groups urges Congress to give FDA the resources and authority it needs to ensure all dietary supplements and food additives are safe, and to defer to FDA’s expertise in conducting safety reviews.

Members of the cannabis industry often tout their field as one of the most inclusive. The legal cannabis market is, after all, being constructed and furnished right before our very eyes — why wouldn’t it be diverse and accepting and progressive?

After all, given the medical marijuana movements close ties to the AIDS crisis (shout out to medical marijuana pioneers Dennis Peron and Brownie Mary!). But unfortunately, when something like the promise of an industry free from the ills of discrimination and patriarchy sounds too good to be true, that’s usually because it is.