Cannabinoid hypermesis syndrome (CHS) was first reported in Australia in 2004, and it’s in the news again after a Missoulian article came out about the disease this month.
CHS causes recurring nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. Symptoms have reportedly improved after patients take a hot shower or bath or stop using cannabis.
They opposed REC sales in Arizona.
Here’s your daily dose of pot news from the newsletter WeedWeek.
Several former executives of Insys Therapeutics, which sells the powerful opiate fentanyl, were arrested accused of “ bribing doctors, defrauding insurance companies, and fueling America’s opioid addiction crisis.” Insys contributed to successfully defeat Arizona’s November REC vote.
GW Pharmaceuticals reported some “pretty grim” quarterly numbers, but it could benefit from its anti-epilepsy experimental drug Epidolex which is in late stage clinical trials.
Bloomberg suggests there’s a Canadian pot-stock bubble.
Legalization in more states could depress California’s export market. And in another interesting piece by Madison Margolin, California’s “extract artisans” now have some legal protections from meth-lab laws.
Vice dives into regulatory tech which it calls the “ cannabis surveillance state.”
Home grow system Leaf raised $2M.
Celebrity-branded weed costs about 24% more than unbranded. Forbes asks if the trend has gone too far.
Commercial landlords in northern California prepare for legalization.
Quartz profiles marketing company Octavia Wellness which throws pot parties for seniors. The art world is joining efforts to re-brand cannabis.
The Denver Post’s Cannabist won most influential media source at the cannabis business awards.
A new study in Pharmacological Research, by Czech and Italian researchers, found that pot is an aphrodisiac. Read the study here.
New York state wants patients to be able to access MED in hospitals. A study found that cannabis users have lower in-hospital mortality rates.
In an effort to reduce opioid use, Oregon wants opioid patients monitored for marijuana use. The health agency view on marijuana vis a vis opioid use is unclear.
The world’s first clinical trial to test MED for chemotherapy patients is beginning in Australia.
A device developed by Israeli start-up distributes “ nano-droplets” of CBD as a nutraceutical to relieve inflammation and pain is on sale in the U.S. KKTV looked at the cannabis research happening at Colorado State-Pueblo.
The U.S. is lagging Israel and other countries in cannabis research.
The Washington [state]CannaBusiness Association is starting a fund to support MED access for the needy.
A judge ruled last week to reopen Montana’s medical marijuana dispensaries.
In November, voters struck down the Montana Marijuana Act, passed in 2011, renaming it the Montana Medical Marijuana Act. The renaming brought certain changes, one of which forced a three-patient limit on providers — a decision that closed medical dispensaries across the state, leaving thousands of registered medical patients without providers.
President Elect Donald Trump selected Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt (R) to run the Environmental Protection Agency. Pruitt has repeatedly sued the agency to block anti-pollution laws. While this might be seen as support for states’ rights — and by extension the marijuana industry — Mark Joseph Stern at Slate calls Pruitt “ one of the phoniest federalists in the GOP.”
In particular, Pruitt joined Nebraska in suing Colorado over the state’s REC industry. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the case.
Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Homeland Security, retired Marine General John F. Kelly, opposes legalization saying that it increases health care costs and crime, and that the state experiments with it open the U.S. to accusations of hypocrisy from Latin American nations. Kelly is open to the plant having medical benefits.
It also emerged that Jim O’Neill, a Silicon Valley investor who Marijuana.com describes as a “ Marijuana legalization activist,” could be tapped to lead the Food and Drug Administration. O’Neill is neither a doctor or scientist, typical credentials for the position. For more see here.
Marijuana entrepreneurs want Trump to see them as “ job creators,” Forbes reports.
The New York Observer, which is owned by Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner, called for rescheduling.
In an effort to protect marijuana laws under the Trump administration, Colorado is cracking down on home growers. The state is poised to surpass 3,000 licensed businesses next year.
What attorney general nominee Sen. Jeff Sessions (R) means for state-legal pot business remains the big green question. In an in-depth piece, Politico says Sessions could easily “ ignore the will of millions of pro-pot voters” and crack down. Time lists seven reasons Trump is unlikely to go after the industry.
The Sessions hearing has been scheduled for Jan. 10 and 11.
Pro-cannabis group Americans for Safe Access (ASA) is petitioning the Justice Department to correct what ASA says is incorrect or misleading information about cannabis on the DEA web site. ASA is represented pro-bono by the major San Francisco law firm Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe.
Though he’s promised to legalize next year, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he still wants police to prosecute dispensaries. His pro-pot supporters feel “cheated.”
Canadian producer Cronos Group will work with First Nations groups in Canada to help them join the cannabis economy.
An upcoming March ballot measure for regulating the industry in Los Angeles raises many questions.
A Democratic state Senator in Texas introduced a “longshot” MED bill. Virginia Senate Majority Leader Thomas K. Norment Jr. (R), asked for a study of how the state’s cannabis laws might be changed.Tennessee could also be in play.
Oregon took emergency steps to lower the testing burden on growers, but the industry is skeptical.
REC opponents in Maine were accused of not providing enough volunteers for a recount of the recent vote. A judge ruled that following the recent vote, MED dispensaries in Montana can reopen immediately.
Maryland named 102 pre-approved dispensary license winners. In New York, licensees are worried about competition in the relatively small market.
Guam is implementing a MED program. Dusseldorf, Germany is on the path to legalization.
On Friday, December 9, HEATERZ is taking over the Space Gallery for a glass show featuring prominent glass artisans. They’re showcasing incredible high-end bongs and pipes retailing for anywhere from $10,000 to $100,000. These artisans created a studio together in Evergreen three years ago.
“The first day I touched glass, I knew I wanted to be using it every day for the rest of my life,” ELBO says.
According to Joe Peters, the artists met each other because of glass, and friendships evolved because or their shared passion.
Peace of Mind Massage has introduced a new product the company incorporated into its massages, and customers are feeling the difference: CBD-infused oil. Peace of Mind didn’t start out as a marijuana-centric endeavor, and owner Elena Davis says that’s not going to change. Patrons can request the CBD oil for their appointment or opt out, but Davis says she’s seen incredible changes for clients who opt in.
“These are repeat clients who have been coming to us for years…. It’s really showing the results,” Davis says. “For us, already having that established business and then adding in that product is allowing people to really see it make a difference.”
The election of Donald Trump and his nomination of marijuana-hating senator Jeff Sessions as attorney general has raised concern among members of the cannabis community about a crackdown on pot laws in states such as Colorado.
Such worries aren’t without merit. University of Denver law professor Sam Kamin recently outlined three ways Donald Trump could shut down state-legal marijuana, and NORML executive director Erik Altieri told us that “we need to make sure we’re ready to stand up and fight should that time come.”
Like Altieri, Aaron Smith, co-founder and executive director of the National Cannabis Industry Association, among the oldest and largest marijuana business organizations, stresses the importance of lobbying Congress to hold the line against a pot-biz crackdown. But in a wide-ranging interview on view below, he describes himself as cautiously optimistic that the worst-case scenario won’t come to pass.
The Colorado Department of Agriculture has not only created the first hemp-seed certification program in the country, but it just certified its first three seed varieties. Passing state-regulated THC and observation trials, these industrial hemp seeds are now eligible to be grown by the Colorado Seed Growers Association for production as a “CDA Approved Certified Seed.”
“This moves hemp toward mainstream agriculture and the same practices of other crops,” says Duane Sinning, assistant director of the CDA’s division of plant industry.
How soon can we expect to see Initiative 300 implement in Denver? Not soon, as revealed during a briefing for Denver City Council members on December 5. By the end of December, the city will have finalized the makeup of the Social Consumption Advisory Committee and crafted an initial draft of the Social Consumption Rules and Regulations that will guide the implementation of 300.
The committee will be comprised of representatives from city goverment and Registered Neighborhood Organizations (RNOs), as well as industry leaders and members on each side of the 300 issue, according to Ashley Kilroy, director of the Denver Department of Excise and Licenses and former director of the city’s Marijuana Policy Civision.
Denver may not see the social use of marijuana as soon as some people would like.
On December 5, Denver City Council members met with representatives from the City Attorney’s Office and the Department of Excise and Licenses to discuss the process and timeline for implementation of Initiative 300, which Denver voters approved November 8. The city will have applications available by January 21 for businesses that want to apply for social-use licenses under I-300, but Ashley Kilroy, director of Excise and Licenses, warned that the city may not accept those applications for some time.