Author: News Room

Idaho activists have begun collecting signatures for a medical marijuana legalization initiative that they hope to place on the state’s 2024 ballot. The Kind Idaho campaign officially launched in August, with advocates filing the required paperwork with the state to start the signature drive. After getting sign-off on their language from state officials in mid-October, activists started collecting signatures for the measure, which is virtually identical to ones that group filed in 2020 and 2022 that did not end up making the ballot. In order to qualify, the campaign must turn in valid signatures from at least seven percent of registered…

The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a new round of warnings to U.S. CBD vendors, citing violations of the Food, Drug & Cosmetic Act. FDA said the five companies are illegally selling unapproved CBD products, and noted its concern that several “claim to cure, mitigate, treat or prevent various diseases.” Some companies were also cited for making their products appeal to children. One company was also cited for illegal sales of delta-8 THC. Potential for confusion FDA rules bar the marketing of cannabis derivatives in food products, with both CBD and delta-8 THC unapproved for human and…

In a policy document, the German government outlined its plans to legalize cannabis nationally, with plans to allow possession of up to 20 grams by adults 18 and older, the Australian Associated Press reports. The proposal was first reported by the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland media network, which had seen the document.  The plan would limit THC in regulated products to 15% and also allow personal cultivation of up to two plants. The policy would also allow regulated sales, with limits on where dispensaries could operate, with a minimum distance from schools and children’s and youth facilities.  Individuals under 18 caught with…

What’s the difference between CBD sourced from hemp, cannabis, or in an isolate? Do they work differently in the body and brain? Which one should I use? If you’ve been asking yourself these questions lately, we don’t blame you. There’s a lot to know about the cannabis plant, let alone its individual compounds. Cannabidiol, or CBD — one of the active but nonintoxicating chemicals in cannabis — is all the hype right now, which means that CBD research has been increasing as well. This is good news because cannabis prohibition has until recently made research into the plant next to…

Much confusion has arisen when it comes to hemp and CBD. Hemp oil and CBD oil are highly sought after, but due to poor marketing regulations, many believe that the two products are one and the same. Unfortunately for consumers, they are different products and their main ingredients are extracted using different start materials. The Difference Between Hemp, CBD, and Cannabis Though the federal U.S. government might disagree, the difference between these three terms is mostly semantic. Cannabis is the scientific name for the plant often referred to as marijuana, weed, pot, and the other fun monikers. It is a…

Polling surrounding the cannabis legalization initiative is getting tighter as a Talk Business & Politics-Hendrix College Poll conducted from Oct. 17-18, 2022 found 50.5% of respondents were for the amendment with 43% opposed and 6.5% undecided. One month ago, the TB&P-Hendrix Poll found 58.5% support with 29% opposed and 12.5% undecided.  The poll found 36.5% of respondents were “definitely for” the reforms, 14% were “probably for,” 33.5% were “definitely against,” and 9.5% were “probably against.”  Roby Brock, Talk Business & Politics editor-in-chief, described the polling around the amendment as seeing “tremendous movement over the past month.”  “Opponents have been able to…

Cannabis brand Cookies is being accused of marketing to children due to the company’s name and colors used at its storefronts, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports. The San Diego Planning Commission and the Torrey Pines Community Planning Group levied the charges prior to Cookies receiving approval in June to open its third location in Sorrento Valley, California. In an interview with the Union-Tribune, Crystal Millican, vice president of retail for Cookies, defended the firm’s branding saying that the company’s use of blue in its signage is because the color has a calming effect and that its name is derived from…

The Missouri State Highway Patrol says it did not give permission for an individual wearing the agency’s uniform to appear in pro-cannabis legalization ads produced by Legal Missouri 2022, the Kansas City Star reports. The ads are no longer available on YouTube due to a copyright claim by the agency.  “The Patrol is aware of Legal Missouri 2022’s advertisement featuring the Patrol. The Patrol did not give its permission for its emblem, name, or images to be used nor was permission sought.” — Missouri State Highway Patrol in a Facebook post  The ads included video of a uniformed person who…

Bank of America last week suddenly canceled the bank accounts of Scottsdale Research Institute (SRI), a Scottsdale, Arizona-based research institute that studies the medical efficacy of cannabis and certain psychedelics under a license from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). “[Scottsdale Research Institute] conducts FDA approved controlled trials evaluating cannabis as medicine for treating pain/PTSD in military veterans & terminally ill patients [and] this TRAGICALLY shuts down our research,” Dr. Sue Sisley, Scottsdale Research Institute’s President, said on Twitter. Bank of America closes down account of Federally-licensed cannabis researcher. SRI conducts FDA approved controlled trials evaluating cannabis as medicine for treating…

Microblogging social media platform Tumblr has updated its cannabis advertising policies to allow advertisements for hemp CBD and, in some cases, cannabis products. But while Tumblr is the first major social media platform to allow cannabis campaigns, its policy remains strict: cannabis advertisements are only allowed for audiences aged 21 or older, and only in Colorado and California. “Tumblr restricts the promotion and sale of cannabis and cannabis-adjacent products and brands through advertising on its site, with the exception of California and Colorado. ‘Cannabis-adjacent products’ include, but are not limited to, water pipes, rolling papers, and Weedmaps.” — Tumblr advertising…