Category Archives: News

Ohio Congressman To File Federal Cannabis Legalization Bill

Republican U.S. Representative David Joyce of Ohio will soon introduce a new bill to legalize cannabis at the federal level, according to a report from Forbes published on Wednesday.  The new legislation is characterized as a “modernized” version of a bill Joyce introduced in 2019 known as the STATES Act. Although the measure has not […]

DEA Warns Georgia Pharmacies To Stop Selling Low-THC Cannabis Oil

Federal law enforcement agents sent a warning letter dated Nov. 27 to pharmacies across Georgia, warning them that dispensing and selling cannabis oil is illegal under federal law. The letter arrived a month into Georgia’s medical cannabis program. Last June, Georgia’s Board of Pharmacy released a set of regulations that enable the state’s independent pharmacies […]

Minnesota Adult-Use Cannabis Sales Set for 2025

Minnesota is still trucking along with building up its cannabis team. Star Tribune recently interviewed Charlene Briner, who explained the current status and challenges of the Office of Cannabis Management (OCM). “I am here for a little longer than anybody had planned, at least through the early part of 2024,” Briner told Star Tribune. “I […]

New York Details Latest Efforts To Crack Down on Unlicensed Weed Businesses

New York’s state cannabis regulatory agency this week detailed its latest action to crack down on unlicensed cannabis shops. The New York Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) released a report on its efforts, noting it was the second in a monthly series of enforcement action updates against unlicensed cannabis shops across the State. The agency […]

Six Governors Push Biden To Reschedule Pot in Open Letter

Governors across America are tired of waiting for President Joe Biden to fulfill his goal to swiftly determine if the country should reschedule cannabis at the federal level—leading six of them to urge the president in a letter to do something after months of inaction. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Louisiana Gov. […]

Japan Amends Cannabis Law Allowing for Medicinal Products, Criminalizing Rec Use

Like many other Asian countries, cannabis in Japan is illegal for both medicinal and recreational use. Though even with some of the world’s strictest cannabis-related laws, the future for cannabis in Japan looks just a little brighter as a recent move has opened the door to potentially usher in a new medicinal cannabis and industrial […]

Hemp Cannabinoids Could Be Source of New Pesticides

Recent research into the potential uses of hemp shows that cannabinoids produced by the plant could one day be the source of new natural pesticides, according to researchers at Cornell University in New York. The study by scientists at the School of Integrative Plant Science at Cornell AgriTech’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) […]

Judge Blocks Suspended Massachusetts Cannabis Commission Chair’s Hearing

In September, Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission Treasurer Deborah Goldberg suspended Chairwoman Shannon O’Brien from her position, just a year after she was chosen to take on the role. Three people have held the chair since the commission was first created in 2018, though there was limited information as to why O’Brien received the suspension — […]

Medical Cannabis Use Shows No Cognitive Impairment in Patients

Summary: A study published in CNS Drugs found no evidence of cognitive impairment in patients with chronic health conditions using medical marijuana. The research, conducted in Australia, involved 40 participants self-administering a single dose of medical cannabis and undergoing neuropsychological tests. The findings suggest minimal acute impact on cognitive function, contrasting with the effects of […]

Recreational Pot Surges in Rhode Island’s First Year of Legal Sales

Local news outlet WPRI reported last week that the state’s Office of Cannabis Regulation says that recreational marijuana sales “have steadily increased almost monthly over the past year, and the estimated sales for Fiscal Year 2024 is $76 million.” “That sales estimate, if met, would translate into more than $15 million in state and local […]