Author: News Room

“We always want to tout that our state is open for business, until we don’t like that business.” By John Hult, South Dakota Searchlight The state Senate has voted to pass the original, stricter version of a ban on the widely available, hemp-derived “diet weed” products that induce highs similar to marijuana. House Bill 1125 had originally targeted a wide swath of products. The gummies, vape pens, pre-rolled joints and smokable flowers can be produced using high concentrations of the psychoactive chemicals present in minuscule amounts in industrial hemp, or using synthetically derived versions of those same chemicals. The chemical…

A lesser-known cannabinoid, THCV, appears to have more energizing effects without the fatigue and “munchies” associated with marijuana’s more prominent delta-9 THC compound, according to a new double-blind clinical study. On Tuesday, the cannabis genetics company Phylos and marijuana research firm People Science announced the results of the study they conducted, which demonstrated that a THCV product “significantly increased energy, activity, motivation and well-being compared to placebo.” The cannabinoid, which was previously coined “diet weed” due to its apparent lack of appetite-inducing effects, is one of numerous cannabis constituents that have emerged on the market. In this latest Institutional Review…

Supporters of legalizing retail marijuana sales in Virginia are scrambling after a Senate committee on Tuesday moved to adopt amendments to pending legislation to enact the reform. In making the changes, senators brought the House-passed measure away from a negotiated compromise reached last week—a move that could eventually send the issue to a bicameral conference committee to hammer out the differences. To avoid that, lawmakers are now exploring how to bring the bill back into alignment with its Senate-passed counterpart that is now pending in the House. Already the House has pressed pause on the Senate legal sales measure, SB…

As Alaska lawmakers continued to advance legislation to study how to license and regulate psychedelic-assisted therapy in anticipation of federal approval, a new survey has found that nearly half (49.4 percent) of adults in the state would support a ballot measure to more broadly remove criminal penalties for using substances such as psilocybin mushrooms. But that support rose markedly—to nearly two thirds (65 percent)—when participants were told that Alaska has high rates of mental illnesses that could potentially be treated with psychedelics. The statewide survey of 1,179 Alaska residents was released last week by the Alaska Entheogenic Awareness Council (AKEAC),…

A Florida bill that sought to cap THC potency if voters approve a legalization initiative that could appear on the November ballot is effectively dead for the session, the GOP House sponsor says. Similar versions of the legislation, which would have prohibited dispensary sales of adult-use cannabis flower with a potency of greater than 30 percent THC, advanced through committees in both chambers but are now presumed dead given time constraints. The Senate measure moved through the Health Policy Committee earlier this month, but it was not placed on the Fiscal Policy Committee’s agenda for its final meeting of the…

The sponsor of a House-passed bill to legalize marijuana in New Hampshire is defending her proposal from bipartisan critics in the Senate, who said over the weekend that they prefer a different approach that would establish a novel, state-controlled market. Sens. Daryl Abbas (R) and Cindy Rosenwald (D) said in a recent TV interview with WMUR that they’d rather legalize cannabis through a state-run franchise model, which has the support of Gov. Chris Sununu (R). “What was passed in the House,” Abbas said, “I would not support that if it came to the Senate.” But the sponsor of HB 1633, Rep.…

Cannabis appears to be a “viable alternative” treatment option for dogs suffering from a common skin disease—especially if they experience adverse side effects from conventional steroid therapies—according to a new case study. Researchers at the Federal University of Santa Catarina in Brazil published their findings in the journal Frontiers in Veterinary Science this month, detailing the efficacy of full-spectrum CBD oil on a dog with the autoimmune disease discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE). The condition, which causes hair loss and redness that could progress to lesions, is typically treated with corticosteroids and other medications that can put a strain on a…

“California is less than a $5 billion market today (and shrinking). The state has, by far, the lowest per capita sales of any mature cannabis market.” By Hirsh Jain, Ananda Strategy In late February, well into the seventh year of adult-use cannabis sales in California, the Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) announced to some fanfare that it had launched a set of “interactive data dashboards,” which it said would allow the public to view information on harvests, retail prices, sales and licensing in the state’s cannabis market. Following a private DCC briefing with cannabis industry reporters, some reported that with…

Virginia lawmakers have turned back a bill that sought to increase the legal limit for THC in industrial hemp plants to 1.0% and ease state licensing requirements.The proposed measure, House Bill 1485 (HB 1485), recently tabled by the House Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources committee, sought the higher THC allowance only for industrial hemp crops intended for fiber and grain outputs, and did not apply to the plant’s flowers, which produce CBD and other cannabinoids.Stakeholders in Virginia and across the U.S. have been pushing to raise the current 0.3% limit for THC to a full 1.0% to relieve farmers from the…

Gilbert Shelton is an American underground comix icon. Now in his early 80’s the creator of self published and distributed characters like “Wonder Warthog” and “The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers” has been getting laughs from around the world beginning in the early 1960s. Fast-forward to 2021 and Shelton’s “Freak Brothers” have recently enjoyed renewed attention after being adapted into an animated series on Tubi, featuring the talents of Woody Harrelson (Freewheelin’ Franklin Freek), John Goodman (Fat Freddy Freekowtski), Pete Davidson (Phineas T. Phreakers), and Tiffany Haddish (Kitty) among other Hollywood veterans. Gilbert Shelton’s career in cartooning began in 1961 with…