Author: Sophie Saint Thomas

[ad_1] South Dakota members of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, with a vote of 5-2, decided last Wednesday to postpone any additional proceedings regarding legislation (SB 82), which aims to limit the medical cannabis access to a sweeping number of patients, NORML reports.  The proposed bill aimed to limit patients to receiving medical cannabis recommendations exclusively from their primary care physician or other healthcare providers suggested by their primary doctor. Any doctors who provided recommendations but did not comply with the bill’s strict criteria would have faced criminal charges. As South Dakota Searchlight reports, out of nine bills…

[ad_1] In 1996, California was the first state to legalize medical marijuana. Following this, 40 states along with the District of Columbia have legalized the medical application of cannabis. Additionally, the District of Columbia and 24 states have allowed cannabis for recreational or adult-use (although four have yet to launch their commercial retail markets). In all of these instances, as with alcohol, the age allowed to use cannabis is 21. But in Washington, there’s a bill that specifically proposes raising the minimum legal sale age for cannabis products with more than 35% THC concentration to 25 years, with an exemption…

[ad_1] Is it cool to use the smell of cannabis as probable cause to search a car? While most readers likely answer with a resounding “no,” just such a question is currently being hashed out, pun intended, by courts in North Carolina, a state that historically leans conservative.  On Tuesday, the North Carolina Court of Appeals overturned a lower court’s ruling to exclude evidence gathered during a traffic stop. This decision comes amidst ongoing legal debates regarding whether the mere scent of cannabis alone constitutes enough grounds for police to conduct a search of a vehicle. While hemp is legal…

[ad_1] In 2022 and the first half of 2023, Canada went through a whopping 611.7 million grams (yeah, that’s 1.3 million pounds) of cannabis dried bud, but not in a fun way. All of the marijuana in question was tossed out by licensed producers as the result of a disparity between how much is grown and how much people use.  They chucked out nearly 44% more than the 425.3 million grams destroyed last year. According to Health Canada, the reported figures actually only account for the weight of destroyed unpackaged cannabis. This indicates that the total volume of cannabis waste…

[ad_1] The American Medical Association, aka the AMA, has recently implemented new standards to assign specific codes to psychedelic therapies. This move coincides with the Food and Drug Administration’s (otherwise known as the infamous FDA) ongoing review of an application to legalize MDMA as a prescription drug in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). These codes, known as Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) III, were established in July as a result of a collaboration between the AMA, the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies Public Benefit Corporation (MAPS), and COMPASS Pathways.  On September 13, 2023, MAPS released the findings from their…

[ad_1] Cannabis might be illegal again in Sarasota, Florida. As twenty-four states, along with Washington, D.C., and Guam, have legalized herb, as the Sarasota Herald-Tribune reports, attitudes are becoming more regressive in some places. As absolutely frustrating as it is to pay fines for cannabis, what’s happening in Sarasota, unfortunately, proves that the government can always make things worse if people don’t follow the rules.  On Monday, the Sarasota City Commission started the process of repealing its marijuana civil citation program. Cops made their case by first presenting a recommendation in what sounds like watching a PowerPoint program from hell.…

[ad_1] According to government data released this week by the U.S. National Institutes of Health, teen cannabis use stands at historic lows, NORML reports.  The data comes from the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) latest National Survey on Drug Use and Health. And, apparently, just over 11% of kids between the ages of 12 and 17 admitted to having consumed a cannabis product within the last year. Of course, there is always a chance that this figure is higher (pun intended), given that the survey is self-reported. While this number is up from data in 202 and 2021,…

[ad_1] According to a recent Gallup poll, there’s a significant change in Americans’ sentiment toward the nation’s handling of the illegal drug problem and its casualties. According to this survey, which has been tracking public opinion since 1972, a majority of U.S. adults, a whopping 52%, now believe that the country is falling behind in its efforts to manage the illegal drug issue, Gallup reports.  While High Times readers may think, well, of course, the feds are failing; this poll marks the first instance in its history where such a negative majority opinion has been recorded. Before 2019, their polling…

[ad_1] The Magnolia Bakery, perhaps one of the most famous bakeries in the world, is now entering the cannabis edibles market. You may know Magnolia Bakery from scenes in Sex and The City, Saturday Night Live, or Broad City. Their cakes (and world-famous cupcakes), are to die for. And now, thanks to their collaboration with incredibles, an award-winning edibles brand, you can get high off their scrumptious confections. In the Sex and the City episodes, pies are thrown, although any sane person would only toss such creations into their mouths.  The bakery, which has 22 locations across the Middle East…

[ad_1] Michigan students enrolled in K-12 schools might be allowed to consume their medical cannabis on school grounds soon (and on the bus, something anyone who was bullied on those tragic vehicles is likely jealous of), FOX 2 Detroit reports. That is if new legislation introduced last week passes. Michigan House Democratic representatives introduced the bill, which would allow students to take edibles, infused beverages, and other low-dose cannabis and CBD products.   However, as much fun as some readers may have to imagine kids lighting up a joint on the back of a school bus and telling bullies where to…

[ad_1] A recent report from Harm Reduction International (HRI) sheds light on how richer countries like the United States and Europe continue to provide substantial foreign aid for the global War on Drugs. However, rather than addressing issues like poverty, hunger, healthcare, and education, this money is primarily allocated to law enforcement and military efforts. As anyone familiar with the War on Drugs knows, the police and feds rarely make things better, especially when given firearms.  As a result, the HRI is calling upon governments, including the U.S., to “stop using money from their limited aid budgets” to endorse policies…

[ad_1] Conor Ryder, from Dorset, England, a man living with Tourette syndrome, is urging the government to make medicinal cannabis more accessible through the National Health Service (NHS), the BBC reports. Currently, he spends thousands on prescriptions from a private clinic as it’s the only treatment, in his experience, that effectively manages his severe tics. The NHS is the U.K.’s publicly funded healthcare system. Medical marijuana became legal in the U.K. in 2018. But the government insists they need more research to ensure its safety before making it more widely available.  Cannabis remains illegal on a federal level and for…