Author: Sophie Saint Thomas

[ad_1] Cannabis regulators in New York state gave the green light to pass updated and expanded regulations Tuesday, signaling a more inclusive shift in the application process for licensed cannabis shops. Until now, such licenses were primarily limited to “justice-involved” people with prior convictions related to cannabis that occurred when the drug was still illegal. Under the updated rules, “social equity” applicants, including disabled military veterans, minority and women-owned businesses, and struggling farmers, will also be eligible to apply for licenses to operate marijuana dispensaries starting on October 4th, the New York Post reports. In policy, social equity aims to…

[ad_1] Colombia broke a new record for cultivating the coca leaf, the plant used to make cocaine, according to a United Nations report. The process involves extracting alkaloids from the leaves using solvents like gasoline. This crude extract turns into a coca base by mixing it with alkaline solutions. Then, with a bit of further refinement, thanks to chemicals like hydrochloric acid, the result is crystalline cocaine hydrochloride. The final product is dried, diluted, packaged, and ready for distribution (and likely stepped on multiple times; one can only hope not with fentanyl) before hitting the illicit market. Colombia is the…

[ad_1] The Pennsylvania Medical Marijuana Advisory Board recently debated and voted on what, at least to the ears of a stoner, sounds like a waste of taxpayer money: whether edibles are legal based on whether you chomp, swallow, or let it sit (no sexual jokes are included in this article).  In Pennsylvania, the legality of edibles all comes down to how much you chew it, basically rendering rules down to the movement of one’s teeth and the amount of spit present.   Cannabis that dissolves in the mouth is deemed legal, but if it’s designed to be chewed, then you’re in…

[ad_1] Much like the United States, Europe is currently figuring out how to incorporate psychedelic therapy into its healthcare landscape most effectively. A lobby group representing developers and professionals within the industry advocates for including seasoned practitioners as integral members of a “multidisciplinary advisory body.” They would serve as a guiding authority, offering essential insights to regulators and healthcare practitioners regarding optimal practices as the field expands and changes. This effort comes from the European Psychedelic Access Research and European Alliance (PAREA), as reported by Politico, as per a briefing document slated for submission to the European Medicines Agency (EMA).…

[ad_1] The tens of thousands of people stranded at Burning Man began their mass exodus on Monday after a massive storm and flooding kept Burners stranded. Burning Man is an annual event in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada, typically unfolding during the final days of August and the commencement of September. Burning Man is all about fun self-expression, self-reliance, communal effort, and art and costumes, although this year, such ethos came with water rationing and mud. Usually it’s sandstorms that Burners have to deal with; this year came the floods.  The roughly 70,000 people on-site at the counterculture festival…

[ad_1] The people of Arkansas spent $23.2 million on medical cannabis in July, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports. According to the Department of Finance and Administration, such recent spending is set to surpass the state’s record sales from last year. Scott Hardin, a spokesman for the Department of Finance, said July’s sales numbers demonstrate that Arkansas will exceed 2022’s record medical marijuana sales, which reached $270 million. Arkansas medical marijuana patients spent $164.6 million on cannabis from January to July of 2023, which marks a $7.3 million increase from the first seven months of 2022. That figure accounts for a whopping 5,157…

[ad_1] Foster parents in Missouri can now legally possess and grow cannabis in their homes. This news results from an emergency rule the state Department of Social Services filed last week. However, of course, there are guidelines. Foster parents must store their cannabis in a manner “so as to be inaccessible to the children,” the rule says. And don’t think of lighting up around kids; consuming cannabis in a method that releases smoke or vapor is still prohibited inside the house, so duck outside to light your joint.  These caveats aren’t unheard of. Rather, they follow similar guidelines for how…

[ad_1] Infamous (and now deceased) El Paso drug trafficker Jimmy Chagra’s son, 44-year-old Jamiel Alexander Chagra Nichols, was arrested for allegedly selling cocaine, fentanyl, and LSD. Some of his clients included Fort Bliss soldiers, Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) officials said.  The El Paso Times reports that the special agents arrested Nichols on Friday, August 18. It’s currently estimated that five Texans die every day, on average, from a fentanyl overdose. In April of this year, Texas Governor Greg Abbott launched a $10 million effort, the “One Pill Kills” campaign, to combat the fentanyl crisis, including sending overdose-reversing meds…

[ad_1] People like to rag on boomers for never changing, but at least when it comes to cannabis, seniors are ready to get down (and get high). The number of Americans over 65 who have used cannabis nearly tripled over a decade, rising from 11% in 2009 to 32% in 2019, according to a federal survey, The Hill reports. Additionally, over half of the 60-64 demographic reported cannabis use.  While other generations like to hate on baby boomers for regressive attitudes, in their defense, many of them did come of age in the 1960s and 70s, the era of psychedelic…

[ad_1] Cannabis businesses in Texas may soon make more money than the wine industry, the Austin Business Journal reports. Cannabis companies brought in over $8 billion in revenue in 2022, according to a new report from Whitney Economics, an Oregon-based cannabis and hemp analytics firm. Even though plenty of people enjoy both wine and weed (sometimes together), the booze hounds and the stoners are always competing against one another, even just for fun. And, at the moment, in Texas, the sommeliers may need to watch their backs.  However, unfortunately, there is one major setback keeping the stoners from celebrating this…

[ad_1] Microsoft founder Bill Gates shared with actor and acclaimed stoner Seth Rogen that he, too, has a history with cannabis (although we can assume Gate’s tolerance is much lower than Rogen’s). Gates appeared on an episode of Rogen’s new podcast Unconfuse Me, which was released last week. Rogen and his wife, Lauren Miller, talked all things cannabis with the billionaire and philanthropist, such as research barriers, cannabis potency, and Gates’ attempts to be a popular kid.  Although considering the tech pioneer is worth $117.6 billion, it’s safe to say it was advantageous for him to embrace his true nerd…

[ad_1] Portugal approved the decriminalization of synthetic drugs, The Portugal News reports. Portugal has had the most liberal approach to all drugs across Europe for decades. The drug strategy, put in place in 2000 and enacted in July 2001, was initially created to reduce the HIV/AIDS toll stemming from intravenous drug use cases using a harm reduction model. (In 1999, Portugal had the highest rate of HIV amongst such drug users in the European Union.) Their policy included decriminalizing personal drug possession and would influence similar efforts in places such as Oregon. And it worked, at least at drastically reducing…