Author: News Room

Virginia lawmakers last week passed legislation that would finally license and regulate retail marijuana sales in the commonwealth—where use, possession and limited home cultivation of cannabis is already legal. The bill now heads to the desk of Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R). Supporters have worked for years to adopt a framework for legal sales after the legislature passed a cannabis legalization law in 2021, but those efforts have repeatedly been halted by Republican lawmakers. This year, however, the Senate’s new Democratic majority passed a retail sales bill that would see stores open in May 2025. Led by Sen. Aaron Rouse (D)…

In the heart of Europe, German rapper Antifuchs is blending beats with beliefs to champion the cause of cannabis wellness. Inspired by her personal journey and the transformative power of cannabis, Antifuchs has crafted an anthem for the movement: a song about her favorite cannabis brand, Munich-based Drapalin Pharmaceuticals, a beacon of innovation in Germany’s medical cannabis landscape. Together, they recently visited Lagom Pharmatech s.r.o in the Czech Republic, a supplier to Drapalin Pharmaceuticals, to film a music video to go with the rapper’s newest hit, “Drapalin”. Amidst a sea of green, they filmed a music video that’s as much…

New Mexico officials are celebrating a new milestone for the state’s marijuana industry, with retailers hitting recording more than $1 billion in total sales since the launch of the state’s adult-use cannabis market. February’s sales totals included more than $35 million in adult-use purchases—the second-highest monthly amount on record, according to figures from the New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department’s Cannabis Control Division. The state’s medical marijuana market, meanwhile, recorded over $12 million in sales. With those additions, the cumulative amount sold in the state reached $1.01 billion. That includes both medical and adult-use cannabis receipts going back to April…

A federal traffic safety agency says that there’s “relatively little research” backing the idea that THC concentration in the blood can be used to determine impairment, calling into question laws in several states that set “per se” limits for cannabinoid metabolites. In a draft report posted last month, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) discussed mixed scientific findings about marijuana and driving but questioned the broader concept of impairment testing that’s based on THC content in a person’s system. “Several states have determined legal per se definitions of cannabis impairment, but relatively little research supports their relationship to crash…

“Appellants’ declaration that they brought this suit to ‘promote the public health, safety, morals, and general welfare’ confirms that their claim to standing reduces to their abstract policy disagreement with CREAMMA.” By Sophie Nieto-Munoz, New Jersey Monitor A group of New Jersey residents is waging a legal battle against a Middlesex County borough over the town’s approval of cannabis sales, a fight the state Attorney General’s Office says could improperly nullify the state’s marijuana legalization law. The anti-cannabis group—seven Highland Park residents and a group called Cannabis Industry Victims Educating Litigators—say the town’s leaders are violating federal law by green-lighting…

A marijuana company specializing in manufacturing pre-rolled joints has launched a campaign to hire for what it calls the “ultimate stoner dream job,” seeking a content creator who will “get paid to smoke weed.” Custom Cones USA announced on Monday that it is hiring for the role with its new direct-to-consumer brand DaySavers, which produces rolling papers. The full-time social media creator and event marketer job will pay $70,420 with perks including cannabis product testing and all expenses paid travel to marijuana events. “We are thrilled to be launching our Ultimate Stoner Dream Job campaign in the hopes that we…

Bicameral congressional leaders have released a spending package that contains a number of marijuana-related items—including bill provisions preserving protections for state medical cannabis programs and report language that calls for the federal government to study state legalization laws and expand scientists’ access to commercially available cannabis for research. The legislation covering Fiscal Year 2024 was posted on Sunday by the House and Senate Appropriations Committees, with bipartisan legislators aiming to pass the package this week before the latest continuing resolution providing funding for several federal agencies expires at midnight on Friday. The section of the legislation covering Commerce, Justice, Science,…

The Delaware lawmaker behind the state’s marijuana legalization law says he will be introducing cleanup legislation in the coming days to help “get the industry up and running” as regulators continue to propose rules and consider the possibility of letting existing medical cannabis dispensaries start selling to adult consumers sooner. Rep. Ed Osienski (D) and Delaware Marijuana Commissioner Robert Coupe gave updates on the work to stand-up the cannabis market during interviews with Delaware Public Radio last week, explaining how the implementation process may be further tweaked to expedite sales. Osienski gave credit to the governor, who allowed legalization to…

Marijuana legalization has been “associated with a decline in beer sales,” suggesting a substitution effect where consumers shift from one product to the other, according to a new Canadian study. As Canada sees cannabis tax revenue surpass that generated from beer and wine, the study published in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence found that, since the country legalized adult-use marijuana in 2018, beer sales have continued to drop. “Canada-wide beer sales fell by 96 hectoliters per 100,000 population immediately after non-medical cannabis legalization and by 4 hectoliters per 100,000 population each month thereafter for an average monthly reduction of…

A draft law that would recriminalize cannabis in Thailand could severely restrict the business in CBD and other extracts derived from hemp flowers.Health Minister Cholnan Srikaew has said he expects the cannabis law, intended mainly to reverse the previous government’s historic – if mismanaged – efforts to legalize marijuana, will be in place by the end of the year.Because the law is still being written, it is unclear what provisions on hemp extracts will eventually be included. But the government of Thailand’s new Prime Minister, Srettha Thavisin is on record as saying it intends to strictly regulate the production and…