“These cynical efforts to undermine and delay the enactment of these voter-approved measures is an affront to the very constituents that these lawmakers are in office to serve.”
The post South Dakota: Governor Announces Intent to Delay Implementing Voter-Initiated Medical Marijuana Access Law appeared first on NORML.
In a small hurdle on the way to legalization, a prickly South Dakotan Judge overruled the voters of the state due to a little technicality.
In November, South Dakota voted in favor of legal marijuana, along with Montana, Arizona, and New Jersey (although New Jersey is also having some trouble enacting on this as well).
But with progressive change comes rigid resistance, and Judge Christina Klinger sided with a superintendent of the State Highway Patrol who brought up a case against the amendment. The pro-legalization activists “fail[ed] to submit Amendment A through the proper constitutional process,” according to Judge Klinger.
Apparently in the state, constitution amendments may only concern one subject at a time, and this legalization amendment includes both hemp and marijuana. It’s a small error and something easily fixed, so the technical hurdles brought forth by the anti-legalization side in the state will be no match for time.
Medicinal marijuana, which was also approved by voters, was not affected by this ruling.
Read full story at Vice.
One of the most common uses of marijuana is for getting a peaceful, uninterrupted night’s sleep. Especially those indica strains. But the question has been brought up many times if this is actually a healthy way to combat insomnia.
In a study from the University of New Mexico, a correlation was found between legalization of marijuana and a drop in sales of sleep aides in that region. The public’s preference on medication is clear here.
However, one of the concerns is the reduction of REM sleep when using marijuana before going to bed. REM (rapid eye movement) is the stage in which we dream, and is crucial for allowing our body to rest. In some cases this is the intention – those who suffer from night terrors or PTSD would prefer to leave any dreaming out of their night. But a sustained lapse in the REM stage of sleep can cause longer lasting exhaustion.
In a recent study published in BMJ Journals, chronic pain patients were observed. Overall, the result seems positive as a short term gain in all-night sleep with much less periods of waking up throughout the night. However, over time a tolerance builds.
“[Medical cannabis] use may have an overall positive effect on maintaining sleep throughout the night in chronic pain patients,” study authors concluded. “At the same time, tolerance towards potential sleep-inducing properties of [medical cannabis] may occur with frequent use.”
There is much more research that needs to be done, in particular with the long term effects of reduced REM stages of sleep. However, if the choice is between marijuana and over the counter sleep aides, the answer remains much safer and healthier on the marijuana side.
Read more at the Regina Leader-Post.
“In this study, we have demonstrated for the first time in a placebo-controlled trial that cannabinoid treatment has the potential to decrease disruptive behaviors associated with ASD, with acceptable tolerability.”
The post Clinical Trial: Whole-Plant Cannabis Extracts Associated with Improved Outcomes in Autistic Patients appeared first on NORML.
February 3, 2021 – Santa Fe, NM — Today, the New Mexico House Health and Human Services Committee unanimously passed House Bill 123 (Rep. D. Armstrong), authorizing overdose prevention programs (OPPs), also known as safer consumption spaces or supervised injection facilities, as a critical public health tool to combat overdose deaths and provide a bridge […]
February 3, 2021 – Santa Fe, NM — Today, the New Mexico House Health and Human Services Committee unanimously passed House Bill 123 (Rep. D. Armstrong), authorizing overdose prevention programs (OPPs), also known as safer consumption spaces or supervised injection facilities, as a critical public health tool to combat overdose deaths and provide a bridge […]
A study has been released showing positive signs for us older potheads.
While the studies based on humans had less control than ones done on rodents, both point to a lack of long term adverse effects in cognition.
It seems that as long as the THC levels are relatively lower, humans over 50 years old don’t have much to worry about in terms of additional cognitive decline (beyond, you know, the natural kind).
Better-controlled rodent studies indicate that the relationship between ∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cognitive function in healthy aging depends on age and level of THC exposure. Extremely low doses of THC improved cognition in very old rodents. Somewhat higher chronic doses improved cognition in moderately aged rodents.
Too early to really draw any blanket conclusions from this, but yet another good sign that moderate marijuana use has a serious lack of harm attached. Keep your joints lit.
Read the study here.
A new Op-Ed on Med Page Today makes the case for more regulation on the THC levels of some marijuana products, in particular within Colorado.
When Colorado legalized marijuana for medical use in 2000, the highest concentration of THC in the plant was 5% and there were no concentrated products like “wax,” “shatter,” or “dabs.” Over the last 20 years, without any state governmental regulation to limit potency, the industry has dramatically increased the concentration of THC to where the average in the plant is now 18.8%. They have also created a range of concentrates with the average THC potency of 69.4%, some up to 95% THC.
Along with increased THC levels, studies of cannabis that have allowed it to gain its medical label were all done under 10% THC concentrates, so discerning the medical benefits or drawbacks of dabs or shatters is more difficult.
It is still widely understood that it is impossible to overdose from marijuana, but that isn’t stopping some from questioning whether or not there should be limits to the amount of THC within a single dose.
In 2011, the Netherlands took steps to limit THC levels. In the country, there would be two classifications for marijuana: one below 15% (Schedule II) and one for anything above (Schedule I). However, this policy proposal has been controversial with little data backing it, and has yet to be implemented.
Ultimately, while the reduced THC argument seems to make cautionary sense, there is still very little scientific data backing the move, with most of the arguments being based off of fear and assumptions. More research must done within a multitude of THC levels before anything concrete should be enacted.
(Editor’s note: This story is part of a recurring series of commentaries from professionals connected to the hemp industry. Larry and Jackie Berg are co-founders of CBD Marketing Hub, a digital-to-door agency focused on CBD and cannabis marketing.) Seismic advancements have dominated the CBD market over the past decade with some of the industry’s largest brands seeing […]
Santa Fe, NM – With the New Mexico Senate and House of Representatives both expected to introduce marijuana legalization bills today, Emily Kaltenbach, Senior Director for Resident States and New Mexico for the Drug Policy Alliance, released the following statement: “Today, it is expected both the New Mexico Senate and House of Representatives will introduce […]
