Author: News Room

As Ohio voters prepare to decide on a marijuana legalization initiative on the November ballot, only about one in 10 Ohio prosecutors say they’re likely to take advantage of a separate recently enacted law that allows them to independently seal the records of people with low-level drug convictions—and most of those say they’d focus on cannabis-related offenses—according to a new study. Researchers at Ohio State University surveyed 86 municipal prosecutors this year to better understand the practical impact of the reform, which passed the legislature in late 2022. They found that 12 percent of the officials were either “somewhat likely”…

As the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under the Trump administration prepared to propose federal restrictions on kratom, a number of top officials intervened, criticizing the agency’s “bias” and stopping it “on the spot” from moving ahead with scheduling, a former White House drug czar said in a new interview. “They did not give—did not have—the entire facts. They didn’t have the science,” said Jim Carroll, who served as director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, or drug czar, under President Donald Trump from 2018 to 2021. “FDA did not paint the entire picture. Maybe they didn’t…

May’s total was the lowest since September 2022, when the state reported sales at $80.9 million. By David Abbott, Arizona Mirror Arizona’s marijuana market trended downward in May, according to the latest numbers released by the Arizona Department of Revenue (ADOR), as adult-use, recreational sales dipped to $82.9 million, while medical cannabis sales dropped to just $28.3 million, the lowest since recreational sales began in January 2021. Medical sales have declined consistently since reaching a peak of $73.3 million in April 2021. By July of that year, medical cannabis sales dropped below $40 million for the first time. The market…

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) are again expanding representation of the hemp industry in federal trade advisory committees, doubling the number of officials who will help bolster cannabis commerce. On Thursday, USDA and USTR announced the appointments of two more hemp officials: one a top regulator for the crop in Oregon and the other a member of the National Industrial Hemp Council of America (NIHC). That raises the total number of federal hemp trade advisors to four. Eric Pike, a member of the Oregon Hemp Commission and founder of the…

A new study suggests that some lesser-known cannabinoids produced by hemp and marijuana—with names like THCV, CBDV, CBC, CBM and CBN—may help treat dermatological diseases such as psoriasis, eczema and acne. “The findings of this review suggest that minor cannabinoids hold therapeutic promise in the management of dermatological diseases,” says the study, published this week in the peer-reviewed journal Molecules. “Incorporating minor cannabinoids into dermatological therapies could potentially offer novel treatment options of patients and improve their overall well-being.” To reach those conclusions, Polish researchers Emilia Kwiecień and Dorota Kowalczuk reviewed existing literature published in scientific journals and found that…

While all subcultures are expansive, few are as colorful and unique as graffiti. No matter where in the world you may be, we’ve all got at least one thing in common: there’s someone in your city absolutely obsessed with writing their name on things as large and as high up as possible. Now, most locales have something of their own flavor—from the gang markings in Los Angeles and the political notes of dissent scattered across Europe to the 1 UP Crew literally sculpting a coral garden in their standout block print underwater in Australia—but if there’s one city synonymous with…

First Known Mention in Pharmacopoeia, circa 2800 B.C. Shutterstock There’s plenty of evidence to suggest the ancient use of cannabis in multiple civilizations, dating back 10,000 years and beyond. According to the University of Sydney’s Lambert Initiative, Emperor Shennong’s pharmacopeia Classic of the Materia Medica was one of the first to formally list cannabis as a medicine circa 2800 B.C. (It also introduced acupuncture and 365 herbal medicines like ginseng.) Emperor Fu Hsi, whom the Chinese credit with “bringing civilization” to China, mentioned “ma,” which may have referred to cannabis 100 years earlier. First Arrest Under Marihuana Tax Act, 1937…

The audit found CRA didn’t complete disciplinary action for “555 formal complaints with violations that, as of September 30, 2022, had been open an average of 529 days.” By Scott McClallen, The Center Square An audit marked Michigan’s Cannabis Regulatory Agency (CRA) with one “material condition”—the most severe ranking. The CRA administers the state’s cannabis programs, including licensing, inspection, investigation and enforcement for growing, processing, testing and selling cannabis. The Office of the Auditor General found the CRA “averaged 196 days and took up to 757 days to complete disciplinary action for 123 formal complaints involving licensee violations.” The audit…

Ohio officials have unanimously approved ballot language for an initiative to legalize marijuana that will appear before voters on the November election. At a hearing on Thursday, the Ohio Ballot Board voted 5-0 to adopt a summary that was drafted in the past week by the secretary of state’s office, which recently certified that advocates had turned in enough valid signatures to qualify for ballot placement. The board approved the text without discussion. No supporters or opponents testified at the meeting. The text of the approved summary language for the initiative—designated as Issue 2—says the measure would legalize and regulate…

A New Jersey administrative law judge has dealt another blow to Jersey City’s police chief and mayor, ordering the reinstatement of another officer who was fired after testing positive for marijuana despite state constitutional protections. The Jersey City Police Department has contested the state’s policy permitting off-duty cannabis use, including by law enforcement, and has fired several officers due to positive THC metabolite tests. But now two administrative law judges, as well as the Civil Service Commission (CSC), have overruled the department, upholding the constitutional protections that were enshrined under the state’s marijuana legalization law in 2021. Accordingly, the department…