These Google Queries Set A Record High During Peak Pandemic
A news study shows that the pandemic prompted many to turn to Google for some self-diagnosis during lockdown.
The post These Google Queries Set A Record High During Peak Pandemic appeared first on The Fresh Toast.
Cannabis may be a viable treatment for opioid addiction, according to a new study.
Quest reported that cannabis “continues to top the list of the most commonly detected illicit substances across all workforce categories.”
Depression Attracts Frequent Marijuana Users, And Could Worsen Symptoms
A new study found people with depression were double the risk of using marijuana than those without, and were more likely to consume at a near-daily rate.
The post Depression Attracts Frequent Marijuana Users, And Could Worsen Symptoms appeared first on The Fresh Toast.
The loss of an elder herd member has triggered stress and grief in an elephant living in a zoo in Warsaw. Specialists are going to try to treat her with CBD.
A new independent study by Leafreport has found that the CBD beverage industry has some serious quality control issues.
To conduct their investigation, Leafreport partnered with Canalysis Laboratories, a licensed cannabis testing facility based in Las Vegas. The companies analyzed 22 CBD beverages from 20 major national brands to determine the exact CBD content of the drinks. The results were less than promising, with more than half of all drinks containing less cannabinoid content than they claimed.
Out of all 22 drinks, only four matched the CBD content advertised on the label — within an acceptable threshold of 10 percent. Twelve of these drinks (54 percent of all tested products) contained less CBD than advertised. One drink had around 20 percent less CBD than advertised, nine products had 30 percent less CBD, and two products actually had no CBD in them at all.
Six of the drinks contained more CBD than stated on the label as well, and one of these contained more than 30 percent more CBD than what was claimed. In all, 81 percent of all products differed from their advertised CBD content by more than 10 percent, and 61 percent of the products differed from their labels by over 40 percent.
Leafreport noted that they expected to see large discrepancies in their testing, “because CBD beverages are difficult to formulate and contain relatively small amounts of CBD, which means that variations of even a few milligrams (mg) can have a big effect.” The study also found no link between each brand’s reputation and the quality control of their products. Lesser-known brands were found to be just as inaccurately labeled as more popular drinks.
The Farm Bill legalized hemp and all of its byproducts at the end of 2018. But, the legislation only really legalized pure CBD oils, and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) made it clear that infused drinks and foods would remain illegal until it developed regulations to cover these products. Twenty months later, those regulations have yet to arrive. The FDA is currently hiring people to study CBD products, however, so the regulations may finally be on their way.
Regardless of the law, companies have flooded the market with thousands of CBD drinks, foods, lotions, lubes, and pretty much any other product you can think of. But since federal regulations have yet to be established, CBD companies are under no obligation to actually stick to the content guidelines that they advertise.
Other studies have found that mislabeling is common throughout the entire CBD industry, and not just the infused beverage sector. A 2019 investigation found that many CBD products contained illegal THC levels, including one with a highly psychoactive THC content of 30 percent. A 2017 study found that two-thirds of all CBD extracts in Pennsylvania were inaccurately labeled, and a UK study also found that over half of all CBD products did not match the cannabinoid content advertised on their labels.
Labor Day Highlights Cannabis Union Controversy
With unionization becoming ever more common in the cannabis industry, Labor Day 2020 provides an opportunity to take a closer look at the state of cannabis labor unions in the U.S..
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The COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on the economy, forcing many businesses to shut their doors for months on end and reducing the discretionary income of all but the wealthiest billionaires. But, unlike most industries, the legal weed market is going strong, and according to Illinois’ top cannabis regulator, this is a strong indication that the industry is both pandemic- and recession-proof.
In a recent interview with Canopy Growth, Toi Hutchinson, Illinois’ Senior Advisor on Cannabis Control, pointed out that the Prairie State has been breaking weed sales records every single month since the pandemic began. Illinois began selling adult-use cannabis in January, and the state’s first stores were only in business for about ten weeks when the state announced its COVID quarantine.
“The biggest surprise I think for people is that we were waiting to see whether cannabis sales would be impacted by COVID,” Hutchinson said, according to Marijuana Moment. “And we’ve proven here in Illinois, even with our small program, that it’s recession-proof and it’s pandemic-proof. Our numbers in terms of our sales have been just through the roof.”
On the first day of sales alone, excited customers spent nearly $3.2 million on pot. In January, the state sold $40 million of legal weed – more than any other adult-use state other than Nevada. Sales slowed slightly in February and March, but as the pandemic hit, sales increased. In April, sales climbed back to $37 million, and last month, the state made a new record of $61 million.
Hutchinson said that officials were unsure how well the market would fare in Illinois. But when sales finally began, “it landed like thunder heard around the world because, even when we were preparing for any anger or any cynicism or any political fights we had to put out, you saw happy people standing in line, giving each other hot chocolate and food trucks pulling up and lines around the block that was sustained through really, really heavy winter Chicago days all the way up and down through the state.”
Tax revenues generated by these sales could certainly help Illinois’ pandemic-induced economic problems, but the state is still committed to using these funds to pursue social justice initiatives. This May, the state offered $31.5 million in restorative justice grants, all funded by weed tax revenue.
In the interview, Hutchinson said that the state did not legalize weed just “to make as much money as fast as we possibly could,” but was “actually doing this for people… If we really were looking at this for the economic boom, we probably would be seeing a lot more money entering into the state as a result of this. What we decided to do was have an equity principle at every single measure of this program.”
Illinois is not the only state to see a boom in weed sales during the pandemic. Colorado raked in an amazing $192 million in legal pot sales in May, Oregon sold a record-breaking $89 million of pot in April, and Oklahomans bought $73 million of medical marijuana that same month. Overall, US weed sales are predicted to surpass $15 billion by the end of the year, even if the pandemic continues.
Here’s What You Should Know About Legal Marijuana Delivery
The legal delivery of marijuana is becoming increasingly more popular. Here are some basics you should know.
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Minnesota’s White Earth Nation recently voted to legalize medical marijuana, becoming the second Native American tribe in the state to do so.
The measure, which passed with a margin of 994-150, will legalize the production, regulation, and distribution of cannabis for medical use within the borders of the White Earth Nation Reservation, Minnesota’s single largest Native jurisdiction.
Minnesota’s medical marijuana regulations rank among the nation’s toughest, but as a sovereign government, White Earth Nation’s Tribal Council will operate free from state rules or interference.
White Earth Nation now follows Red Lake Nation, which became the first reservation to legalize medical weed in Minnesota last May. That measure passed with more than 80 percent of the vote, with 1,765 in favor and 425 against.
Both Native tribes will cultivate cannabis flower for medicinal purposes, in opposition to Minnesota’s existing restrictive medical marijuana program, which only allows for certain cannabis products to be sold in the state — smokeable products, and THC-edibles and drinks are not permitted. This difference will establish tribal reservations as the only outlets in the state offering proper weed for health purposes.
But, White Earth Nation isn’t the only Indigenous American community moving to legalize cannabis. Last week, Michigan’s Bay Mills Indian Community fully legalized marijuana outright. The tribe also announced plans for a 10,000-plant indoor growth facility to supply cannabis outlets near the tribal-owned Bay Mill Resorts and Casinos, as well as on Native properties near the cities of Flint, Gaylord, and Port Huron.
Not all nations are rushing to legalize cannabis, however. Earlier this year, Cherokee Nation, the largest indigenous peoples tribe in the United States, assembled a work group to determine the best course of action for its members and territories regarding cannabis.
Cherokee Nation is headquartered in Oklahoma, a state that legalized medical marijuana in 2018. However, just as the sovereign status of other tribes enables them to legalize weed regardless of state regulations, the Cherokee Nation opted to keep cannabis illegal on its Oklahoma reservations despite the state’s move to legalize medical marijuana use.
“State law legalization of medical marijuana has no effect on the Cherokee Nation as state law does not apply to Cherokee Nation,” Cherokee Nation Deputy Attorney General Chrissi Nimmo said. “The possession and distribution of marijuana remains illegal under tribal and federal law.”
The tribe has since reconsidered the issue. “As Chief, I want well-informed policy, and the team we have assembled will be a great asset in that regard,” Chuck Hoskin Jr., Cherokee Nation Principal Chief, stated. “I believe there are opportunities for Cherokee Nation, our businesses and our citizens to benefit from this emerging industry. But we need to move forward carefully and responsibly and in absolute strict adherence to the law in order to ensure success and sustainability.”