Here you can find a selection of cannabis scientific studies published in the latest month. Each article is correlated with a short abstract describing the purpose of the study and the main research findings. A great cannabis culture comes from great and peer reviewed sources! For this reason we believe in the importance of consulting reliable sources. Whether you are interested in a particular article don’t hesitate to read the full piece for more information.
Cannabis and Health ⎯ Best new findings
The potential for medicinal cannabis to help manage challenging behavior in people with intellectual disability: A perspective review
Cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) can potentially treat psychiatric and behavioral issues. By analyzing recent literature from neurobiological, pre-clinical and clinical studies related to cannabis use in case of people with intellectual disabilities (PwID) it is possible to understand the advancement in the field and the potential of the plant in treating challenging behaviors. Nevertheless there are still doubts and questions about the use of to treat this group of vulnerable population. More studies should be done in order to fully understand the risks associated and how to best manage the behavioral issues of PwID.
Attitudes of medical students regarding legalization of cannabis and cannabis-education
With the more and more permissive legislation about cannabis, there is a need to understand the opinion among young doctors about this topic. The study follows a cross-sectional, comparative, quantitative design. Data were collected by means of a structured questionnaire. Final-year medical students were identified as participants via a convenience sampling technique. This study illustrates the need for academic research regarding medicinal cannabis but interestingly shows that medical students want more guidance from their training institution about the topic.
Effect of cannabis and subproducts on anthropometric measures: a systematic review and meta-analysis
This research aims to evaluate the effects of cannabis and derivatives on body measurements. This is because obesity is a serious concern in nowadays society. Randomized controlled trials evaluating cannabis and/or cannabis derivatives use and changes in anthropometric measures led to the highlight of an actual change in the bodyweight: the use of cannabis reduced the weight by 1.87 kg (95% CI: −3.71 to −0.03)
A Continuing Pharmacy Education (CPE) Program Assessing Cannabidiol (CBD) Knowledge and Confidence Among Practicing Pharmacists
In order to assess the knowledge gap of pharmacists on CBD (cannabidiol) and CBD-containing products, a continuing pharmacy education (CPE) program altering the pharmacist’s confidence and competency on CBD knowledge was tested. This program can lead to increased competences and could potentially reduce the possibilities of drug interactions and unpleasant drawbacks for the patients using cannabis and derivatives.
The purpose of the current study was to provide data regarding the Hexahydrocannabinol (HHC) use patterns and perceived effects within a sample of participants who endorsed recent HHC use. The main reason to use HHC is the potential treatment of anxiety and pain. Only 17% of the sample reported adverse effects. It should be noticed that the people who stopped using HHC reported withdrawal symptoms. These data are important as a preliminary track to perform solid scientific research in order to investigate the potential therapeutic effects and detrimental effects of this cannabinoid.
Absorption and Bioavailability of Novel UltraShear Nanoemulsion of Cannabidiol in Rats
This study constitutes a compelling demonstration of the high speed and efficiency of oral-gastrointestinal cannabidiol (CBD) absorption of CBD UltraShear nanoemulsions. The new formulation permits the improved CBD absorption, three to four times higher compared to other formulations and administration methods. The improved absorption levels can be achieved within 6 to 24 hours. This observation offers great promise for possible rapid absorption and increased bioavailability via alternative non-oral-GI delivery, including potential sublingual, buccal, intranasal, rectal, and possibly transdermal routes. These results strongly invite additional testing of alternative delivery routes.
Aqueous Extracts from Hemp Seeds as a New Weapon against Staphylococcus epidermidis Biofilms
This research investigated the antibiofilm activity of water-soluble extracts obtained under different pH conditions from Cannabis sativa seeds and from previously defatted seeds. The extracts contained high levels of fatty acids, monosaccharides, amino acids and glycerol in ratios depending on extraction pH. The extracts showed great inhibitory activity against Staphylococcus epidermidis biofilms. In particular the most active extracts presenting the antibiofilm effect were the ones composed mainly by glycerolipids. More studies should be done in order to assess the potential synergistic activity of other extract components in the antibiofilm activity.
An In Silico Study for Expanding the Utility of Cannabidiol in Alzheimer’s Disease Therapeutic Development
In this study, the potential cannabidiol (CBD) targets associated with Alzheimer’s disease using a drug-target binding affinity prediction model and generated CBD analogs through a genetic algorithm combined with a molecular docking system were measured. It came out that six CBD targets associated with Alzheimer’s disease were identified and the improved stability of various CBD analogues was reported.
Canine immune cells express high levels of CB1 and CB2 cannabinoid receptors and cannabinoid-mediated alteration of canine cytokine production is vehicle-dependent
The purpose of this research was to examine whether the plant-derived cannabinoids, CBD and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), would suppress immune function in canine peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). It was shown that canine immune cells are sensitive to suppression by cannabinoids, with the most relevant effect occurring at early stimulation times and predominantly by THC. Moreover the study shows that the cannabinoid-mediated suppression was dog- and vehicle-dependent with CBD and THC delivered in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) producing more immune suppressive effects as compared to (ETOH). More studies should be done to fully understand the mechanism and effects of cannabinoids on dogs.
PSXIII-20 The Effect of Hemp Varieties and Cannabidiol Concentrations on the in Vitro Ruminal Microbiome
This research investigates the impact of different CBD concentrations coming from various hemp varieties on in vitro microbiota diversity and abundance relative to alfalfa (Medicago sativa). The sample type might play a larger role on microbiome than CBD concentrations and further studies should be done in order to assess the changes associated in microorganisms due to CBD in rumen.
Herb ran an interesting piece comparing and contrasting Canada’s federal legalization and the patchwork State’s rights approach taken in the US. While Canada’s approach offers more stability and consistency, the US offers greater product innovation, says the author.
L’Éclaireur Progrès spoke with the owners of Quebec micro cultivator LaHoja Organique about the fierce competition in the cannabis industry and their current pivot from the Quebec market into Ontario.
Health Canada’sForward Regulatory Plan: 2023-25 includes continuing to think about maybe considering amendments to the Cannabis Regulations (Flavours in Cannabis Extracts), their proposed Approach to the Regulation of Health Products Containing Cannabidiol (CBD) that would not require practitioner oversight and Streamlining Certain Regulatory Obligations.
Canopy Growth announced a one-for-ten share consolidation in an effort to regain compliance with the Nasdaq minimum bid price requirement. The post-consolidation shares are expected to start trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq at market open on Dec. 20, subject to final confirmation from the TSX and the Nasdaq.
The CBC reported that the CRA is claiming medical cannabis advocate Chris Enns didn’t report more than $2.5 million worth of sales at dispensaries he operated a decade ago. Enns says the claims are based on inaccurate police records. At the same time, the CRA alleges Enns inaccurately reported income from cannabis sales and the resulting benefits he received as a company shareholder. This spring, the CRA quietly set up a full-time “illicit income” program that includes 80 auditors across the country.
An investigation that arose from a double shooting in Vancouver in September led police to a grow op in East Van and one in Abbotsford. The BC government now wants to seize more than $7 million in property and cash as the proceeds of crime.
Politico shared some older news about the $167.6 million Veterans Affairs Canada spent on cannabis for medical purposes in 2022-2023. VAC has spent $600.6 million to reimburse veterans for cannabis since Canada legalized in 2018, although the program predates the legal non-medical regime.
Continuing their series on cannabis, Nature looked at cannabis use and teens. James MacKillop, a clinical psychologist at McMaster University in Hamilton, says that while there was no initial spike in cannabis use among adolescents when the drug was legalized in Canada five years ago, there was a rise in use when illegal cannabis stores that are not licensed by the government began to open.
Greenhouse Canada looked at novelty soil amendments with Seaborn Organics’s Cannabis Indoor Cultivation Research Labs (Cannabunker) at the Daniel J. Patterson campus in Niagara-on-the-Lake.
“Nationalism of one kind or another was the cause of most of the genocide of the twentieth century. Flags are bits of colored cloth that governments use first to shrink-wrap people’s minds and then as ceremonial shrouds to bury the dead.”
~ Arundhati Roy
Ah, nationalism and patriotism, the scourge of all mankind. Just the thought of these terms brings to mind a telling song by John Prine; “Your Flag Decal Won’t Get You Into Heaven Anymore.” I have long considered the heinous nature of nationalism and patriotism an afront to all things good in life; merely excuses for hate, hypocrisy, gross arrogance, and committing atrocities against innocents on a massive scale. Most country’s peoples tend to think well of themselves, a natural phenomenon, and in many cases, they think they are the best, but no country’s population on earth has ever taken this position to any such obscene extreme exceeding that of the people of the United States of America. This insane position consumes many if not most in this country today, even though this is a time of hating any traditional history or moral structure ever to exist. They believe this simply because they are here by an accident of birth, and nothing more. This useless attitude has brought nothing but brutality, massacre, aggressive war, and the slaughter and murder of others around the world, and left this country and the rest of humanity much worse off than imagined.
No one can even define what it means to “love a country” or “hate a country,” mainly because it means nothing. When the rulership uses these terms, it is meant as a trick to fool the people into supporting the State and its governing forces. When the common dolts use these terms, it means a support for all that government does right or wrong, but since governments cannot do right, it really means that the people who claim to be patriots and nationalists support most all government action that is heinous and wrong. This is the essence of horrific nationalism, and the antithesis of independence and freedom. This is why those who claim to be patriots and nationalists, usually have no clue as to what they speak.
Before some of you have a cow, let me clarify a few things. First, I have rarely, if ever, heard any say “I love my country,” who were simply referring to nature, the landscape, or the societal herd. It is almost always said as a political statement, and in many cases, it is in direct relation to support for aggressive war, or egotistical exceptionalism, neither of which are legitimate. In addition, these terms are used as weapons against any who do not toe the line of worship for the State and all the evil it does in the name of its captive ‘citizens.’ There are even firm rules as to how the blood-soaked cloth called the ‘flag,’ must be treated and respected, as if it were a living being instead of a hideous symbol of a nation-state and its totalitarian government. These vile terms also indicate that one must support without question, the brutal escapades of the murderous military, who will kill anything or anybody on orders from the State and its military heads running the war machine.
Every single American should know, but they do not, that any real ‘patriot’ would negate, disobey, dissent, fight against the State and its government, and never blindly support it. No real ‘patriot,’ would ever kill anyone on orders, and would only use force for actual self-defense, not to prop up the State’s power, and fill the coffers of the profiteers of war. In my case, I would never support any State, government, any governing entity of any kind, any war, or any rule for any reason. I guess that would make me the ultimate ‘patriot,’ but I so abhor that label. The mere mention of it turns my stomach because it is so misunderstood and mis-used.
There are those out there who say that they ‘love’ their country but not its government. This confusing statement is usually meant as an attempt for one to separate himself so as to take both sides at once, and more times than not, I have heard several politicians attempt this strategy. That is telling, as they are already a part of the State, but feign disgust while remaining in their position of power in the State hierarchy. As you can clearly see, this is just blatant hypocrisy.
How many of you have ever said to others that you “love your country?” When you said it, what did you really mean? How did you justify claiming the country was ‘yours?’ Did you claim ownership of the country because you were born here, or were able to move here by gaining permission from a heinous government to be a captured, indentured, and taxed citizen-slave? Or like the majority who might say these words, were you saying this to show that you accept this country’s existence and its activities ‘good’ or bad?
The ruling sector of this country and its government are committing atrocities on a daily basis, and have been doing so since the so-called founding. As I write this, the U.S. is up to its neck in a partnered genocide with Zionist Israel of an entire people in Palestine. The brutality, torture, humiliation, and murder of innocents by Zionists, their enforcers, and their supporters and partners, is horrendous, and being done in the open, and without any moral constraint whatsoever. This is pure evil, so how could any sane person support a ‘country’ (nation-state) guilty of such sadistic barbarity?
This country’s government has been warring aggressively for nearly its entire history over almost 250 years, murdering or causing the death of tens of millions of innocents, and more likely, is responsible for hundreds of millions of maiming’s and death over time. Carpet bombings and chemical and biological weapon releases against civilians worldwide has been a mainstay, whether in Germany, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, and the Middle East, and now of course in Palestine. The death (slaughter by sanction) of 500,000 Iraqi children under the age of 5 years, was lauded by Secretary of State Madeline Albright (your government ‘representative’) as worth it, as loudly announced to the world without pause or concern. All of you have been lied to, abused, stolen from, had your children used as cannon fodder, and had your lives torn apart by this country’s governing system, and yet, you still scream out “love of ‘country” while waving a flag of death. Recently, you have been locked down, held in home prisons, forced to wear worthless masks and take deadly toxic bioweapon injections, lost your jobs, and watched as intentional inflation is devastating the entirety of this population, with of course, the exception of the rich and powerful, who continue to revel in your misery as they get wealthier while taking over the world.
I have not even scratched the surface of all the horrors of government, all governments, that are supported by clueless populations seeking false protection and dependency, while clinging to mass indifference, pretending not to see the terror committed in their name.
Many will think this view too extreme, but is it really? I think not, as one honest look at this country and the world today should send shockwaves of terror throughout all societies, as humanity sinks deeper and deeper into the abyss of an immoral and empty existence consumed by hate and mass slavery to the State. This world today is little more than one after another concentration camp filled with people who have been taught and conditioned to give up everything to their masters. They languish in the idiocy of rule, labor for the benefit of the State, while discarding their own sovereignty in favor of obedience and reverence to their masters.
“All wars are civil wars because all men are brothers… Each one owes infinitely more to the human race than to the particular country in which he was born.”
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Republican lawmakers from Ohio are proposing a slew of amendments that would cause significant changes to the state’s voter-approved cannabis legalization measure. With the new legislation taking effect last Thursday, GOP lawmakers are looking to implement changes such as banning home-cannabis cultivation, increasing cannabis taxes and adjusting how the state distributes marijuana taxes.
Titled Issue 2, the recreational cannabis legalization measure was passed by Ohio voters last month and is subject to amendments by the legislature. The measure is currently in committee and has already been subject to many attempted changes. This includes a proposal to ban voter-approved home-cultivation provisions that would allow Ohioans to cultivate up to 6 cannabis plants per home and up to 12 plants per household.
Furthermore, GOP senators are proposing to raise the approved marijuana product tax from 10% to 15% and tax cannabis cultivators at rate. Tax revenue collected from the cannabis supply chain would be spent on law-enforcement training, general state funding, safe-driving training, and substance-abuse treatment and prevention.
The voter-approved measure would have directed most of this revenue to a social-equity program and local government-hosted dispensaries.
Northern Ohio Republican Senator Rob McColley says the changes to tax revenue allocations are meant to ensure cannabis tax revenue benefits the state instead of going back into the sector. Columbiana County Republican Senator Michael Rulli says the Senate General Government Committee’s goal is to provide Ohio adults with safe cannabis products.
However, Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol spokesperson Tom Haren has criticized the proposed amendments and said they will “gut” the measure’s most critical provisions, such as social equity and home cultivation while increasing taxes on legal cannabis. Haren noted that ramping up cannabis taxes would make legal cannabis more expensive and encourage Ohioans to purchase more affordable cannabis from the black market or from Michigan’s cannabis market.
Despite dozens of states now allowing both recreational and medical cannabis, the United States still has an entrenched illicit cannabis market that has consistently undercut the legal industry. If states such as California, which has the largest cannabis industry on the globe, still cannot compete with their illicit markets, Ohio would undoubtedly struggle to remain competitive against cheaper cannabis from the black market.
It will take some time before the proposed changes are permanent. The changes will first have to clear the Senate before heading to the House, which despite having a Republican majority is more inclined to legalize recreational cannabis compared to the Senate.
Columbus Democrat Senator Bill DeMora has also criticized the changes, saying they “ignore the will of the voters,” especially the amendments eliminating home cultivation and changing cannabis tax allocations.
Companies such as Aurora Cannabis Inc. (NASDAQ: ACB) (TSX: ACB) that keep a close eye on the industry developments happening in different jurisdictions will probably follow the goings on in Ohio to see what form the recreational-cannabis industry takes in the months to come.
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Or (One Coupon Per Order, But You May Order Twice if you Wish)
Add 6 Heartmend to shopping cart,. You only pay for 4, 2 will be free with when the coupon code HMHOLIDAYS is used.
For any other order you may still used our coupon code TheNewNow to receive 11% off.
Recent Testimonials from some big ‘healers’
”Just to let you know the two bottles have arrived safely. Already I recognize ‘distance attunement’ to my deeper healing needs.”
J.R.
”I did get the FlorAlive order and started the healing support essence. So far I’ve noticed I am more sensitive to things, as if my Cancer Crab shell has softened. I am also remembering more of my dreams a little more vividly. I do like it. ”
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It’s been quite the year for the garden. There was heat, torrential rain, drought, and smoke from wildfires. Climatologists said it was all enhanced by a warming atmosphere and planet, and we all need to do more to keep our world cool. I hope I made the nice list this year because I have a few sustainable gift ideas!
Good Gardening Deeds
I used my garden ollas this year to offset water usage during drought. During hot weather, I kept the ground covered with mulch and plants so the roots and the tiny microorganisms living underground wouldn’t get thirsty.
I didn’t panic when smoke from wildfires descended on the garden. I researched and learned it could have benefits. I planted in containers that I turned into hügelkultur havens so the plants they held could be nourished by living soil. I refrained from cleaning up the leaves littering the garden in the fall, and instead, I left them to decompose and add nutrients back into it over winter.
I’ve written up a Christmas wish list so I can continue with my good gardening deeds next year!
Worms
Vermicompost is the product of earthworm aerobic decomposition and digestion (aka worm poop). When worms are added to organic matter, they work to produce a rich organic soil amendment containing a diversity of plant nutrients and beneficial microorganisms that help the soil hold in carbon. The worms in my garden won’t do the job. They are soil-dwelling and won’t reproduce in tight spaces like composting bins. So, a package of red wiggler worms under the tree would be great.
Comfrey
A few comfrey plants would be very appreciated. Comfrey is a perennial herb with large green leaves and purple, pink, or white flowers. It serves as a natural fertilizer because of its high nitrogen content. The comfrey leaves can be used as mulch around fruit trees and, if spread on the vegetable garden in the fall, will decompose over winter, adding nitrogen to the soil, a building block of healthy plants.
Rock Dust
If you could ask the elves to grind some rocks into powder, that would be great, Santa. Rock dust, aka rock powder or soil remineralizer, is a natural source of minerals and trace elements. When added to garden soil, it can provide elements such as calcium, potassium, and iron, essential to plant growth and help bind soil particles together. This improves soil structure and prevents erosion often caused by cold, rain, and heat.
A Bucket Of Sand
As you deliver gifts to tropical places, please scoop up some beach sand for my garden. Sand improves drainage and allows airflow and oxygen into the soil. If I mix sand with compost and add it to my containers, it will be great for the plants that live in them and the soil.
Bags Of Coal
Finally, I won’t mind if you leave me some lumps of coal. Did you know that biochar, a form of charcoal produced from plant matter, is good for the soil and can improve its ability to retain water next summer when it’s hot again?
Thanks, Santa. I know my requests are strange and all about the soil in my garden. When plants take in carbon, it’s converted into food for billions of creatures underground who eat it and keep it out of the atmosphere. In the era of climate change, that microscopic ecosystem might save us all! It’s essential to take care of it so it can take care of us.
BREDA, Netherlands (AP) _ A paradox at the heart of the Netherlands’ permissive pot policy went up in smoke Friday in two Dutch cities as “coffeeshops” began selling the country’s first legally cultivated cannabis as part of an experiment to regulate the trade.
The experiment could mark the beginning of the end for a long-standing legal anomaly — you can buy and sell small amounts of weed without fear of prosecution in the Netherlands, but growing it commercially remains illegal.
“This is really a very, very big step in the right direction,” Derrick Bergman, chairman of the Union for the Abolition of Cannabis Prohibition, said as he sat in the De Baron cannabis cafe in the southern Dutch city of Breda.
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Dutch Health Minister Ernst Kuipers visited earlier to launch the new policy. The plan for the experiment dates back to 2017 and is seen as as a way of providing “quality-controlled” weed to coffeeshops – places that are allowed to sell marijuana – and shutting out illegal growers.
“By regulating the sale of cannabis, we have a better insight into the origin of the products and the quality,” Kuipers said. “In addition, we can better inform consumers about the effects and health risks of cannabis use.”
Bart Vollenberg, who grows cannabis for the experiment, called it a “happy day for the Netherlands.”
“The most significant advantage is that it is not criminal activity, and it becomes transparent,” he said. “You can test the weed in the laboratory. With all the knowledge and skills of Dutch horticulture, we can start improving the quality of the weed now. No longer need to make all kinds of twists and turns in illegality.”
A trailblazer in decriminalizing pot since the 1970s, the Netherlands has grown more conservative. Amsterdam, long a magnet for marijuana smokers from around the world, has been closing coffeeshops in recent years and has banned smoking weed on some of the cobbled streets that make up its historic center.
Across the nation, there are 565 coffeeshops. That is down from around 2,000 “in the real heyday,” Bergman said.
Meanwhile, other countries around the world and some U.S. states have taken steps to legalize the recreational use of cannabis.
“We are finally taking a small place on the international stage back again,” Bergman said. “It’s not like we’re back full on. It’s a small experiment.”
Friday marked the first day of what the government calls the “closed coffeeshop chain experiment.” The initial phase is scheduled to last a maximum of six months and could then be rolled out to 11 municipalities across the Netherlands.
“During the startup phase, growers, coffeeshop owners, transporters and supervisors will gain experience with the supply and sale of regulated cannabis and its supervision, secure transport and the use of the track and trace system,” the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport said in a statement.
Coffeeshops in Breda and nearby Tilburg are allowed to have a maximum of 500 grams (17.64 ounces) of weed from legal growers in stock at a time.
Breda Mayor Paul Depla said the initial experiment in his city and Tilburg would help detect any “growing pains” in the system.
“It is also a great opportunity to see how cooperation within the closed chain between legal growers, coffeeshop owners and all other authorities involved works,” he said.
The Trimbos Institute, a Dutch organization that raises awareness about mental health and the use of drugs, alcohol and tobacco, is involved in the experiment and promoting measures to prevent cannabis use.
“We think it’s important that people who use cannabis are well informed about the risks and options for help,” spokeswoman Harriette Koop said in an email.
For longtime campaigner Bergman, an upside of the new policy is that smokers can now easily see who grew the cannabis they are using and let friends know whether it’s any good.
“It’s a relief that the weed is quite good,” he said, smiling as he lit his marijuana cigarette in a small puff of thick white smoke.
There is a downside, Bergman added. He looked at a plastic beaker in a plastic bag holding the new legally grown weed and a much smaller plastic container for illegal pot.
“The new system produces much more plastic waste,” he noted.
The MAPS Public Benefit Corporation (MAPS PBC), a psychedelics-focused, drug-development company, has submitted a new drug application (NDA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). MAPS PBC is asking the FDA to approve the use of MDMA (ecstasy, molly) as a prescription medication for treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The company is requesting that the federal agency provide an expedited review of the psychedelic as the FDA had already designated it as a breakthrough therapy.
The FDA granted breakthrough therapy designation for MDMA in PTSD treatment in 2017 and reached an agreement with MAPS to design two MDMA phase 3 trials (MAPP1 and MAPP2) under the Special Protocol Assessment Process (SPA). MAPS Public Benefit Corporation has spent the past several years studying MDMA-assisted psychotherapy to treat severe PTSD and has generated encouraging results in its pair of phase 2 trials.
If the FDA approves the new drug application for MDMA, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) would have to reschedule the psychedelic in tandem, making it the first hallucinogen in history to receive approval for use as a pharmaceutical.
Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), the nonprofit that wholly owns MAPS PBC, has reportedly completed six late-stage clinical trials. MAPS CEO Amy Emerson said the recently filed NDA was the culmination of more than three decades of clinical research, collaboration, dedication and advocacy focused on developing a potentially new treatment option for American adults living with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Studies from MAPS and other institutions have found that MDMA-assisted therapy can be incredibly effective at offering long-term relief against PTSD with barely any negative side effects.
According to MAPS PBC, it provided the FDA with substantial scientific data collected from several clinical tests that show MDMA can be effective at treating moderate to severe PTSD. Results from a MAPS phase 3 trial published in the journal “Nature” in September state that the psychedelic “significantly attenuated PTSD symptomology.”
Adults with PTSD currently use treatments such as antidepressants and cognitive behavioral therapy, but these treatments are only modestly effective. In addition, they often come with a variety of side effects. Additionally, PTSD patients who don’t respond to conventional therapies often do not have alternative options for treatment.
Psychedelics such as MDMA present an opportunity for these individuals to finally gain long-term relief from the debilitating condition that is PTSD with little to no side effects to their health and well-being.
The FDA now has 60 days to decide whether it will approve the NDA. The success of this NDA is likely to be celebrated by the entire psychedelics industry, including major companies such as atai Life Sciences N.V. (NASDAQ: ATAI) since it will be a major milestone that finally brings psychedelics into the mainstream medical field.
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A year after formally announcing plans to explore options for regulating the supply chain for its hundreds of cannabis “coffee shops,” the first two such locations have begun selling the first legally cultivated cannabis in the Netherlands.
The Dutch government announced its plans for the project in 2022, which includes exploring the possibility of a “closed cannabis chain” for cannabis coffee shops in several cities across the country.
The goal of the closed-loop experiment is to explore the possibility of a quality-controlled cannabis production and distribution system in the country as an alternative to the current “tolerance policy” that has not-legal-but-tolerated “coffee shop” style points of sale, and unregulated, illicit growers who supply them.
“By regulating the sale of cannabis, we have a better insight into the origin of the products and the quality,” said Dutch Health Minister Ernst Kuipers said recently. “In addition, we can better inform consumers about the effects and health risks of cannabis use.”
The Dutch cities of Breda and Tilburg are home to the first two of these shops to sell cannabis from
Another handful of cities will be participating in the program, as well, with products supplied by ten different cannabis growers selected to supply cannabis for the project with product quality control and preventive efforts to reduce health risks being implemented.
The selected coffee shops are allowed to have a maximum of 500 grams cannabis from these legal growers at a time.
Currently, there are around 565 cannabis coffee shops in the country.
The policy that has provided for these shops to exist was first introduced in the Netherlands in 1967, which has allowed adults to buy small amounts of cannabis in designated “coffee shops.” However, the issue of how to properly regulate the supply of those coffee shops has long-simmered in the country, citing concerns with public safety and law enforcement, especially with many of the commercial growers located in residential areas.
Then, in 2009, an advisory committee looking into the issue recommended a small-scale experiment to explore how to regulate coffee shops’ supply. In 2015 the Association of Dutch Municipalities added to the pressure on the government to regulate these supply chains.
This led to the creation of the Coffee Shop Chain Act, which was successfully passed through parliament in 2020. Since then, the Dutch government has been preparing for the study, based on the input of its expert committee.
The committee—which consisted of experts in public health, addiction, law enforcement, local government, criminology, and law—held round table discussions with stakeholders like mayors, coffee shop owners, cannabis producers, regulators, scientists, cannabis users, and addiction experts.
The committee recommends including numerous small and medium-sized cities across the country. Seventeen out of 23 municipalities who applied were eligible to participate.
In addition to being able to better monitor both the safety of the cannabis and its supply chains, the program will also seek to evaluate consumer purchasing habits, such as how many purchases occur within the currently “tolerated” system vs the entirely unregulated illicit market in the country.
Similar to Canada, the committee’s report also discusses the challenges of such an experiment and any possible future legalization, which is still in contradiction to existing international laws. This is one reason why the government is not seeking to import any cannabis for this trial.
Growers selected for the program will be required to pass various microbial and pesticide testing standards, and will potentially need to adhere to Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) and Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP). The committee also recommends a “soft” approach to any recommendations for irradiation or remediation, given stakeholder feedback citing consumer distaste for such a designation.
Product labels will be required to include warnings, related information, and a THC logo, and products must be sealed in a resealable child-safe container. Selected growers will be required to be registered with the Chamber of Commerce.
Growers will also be asked to offer a variety of THC and CBD levels. This is based on samples of cannabis from the country’s coffee shops showing cannabis sold to have an average THC content of about 17 per-cent, compared to about 6.9 per-cent THC for samples from illicit imported cannabis (primarily from Morocco, says the report).
Imported hash had an average THC content of 20.8 per-cent in the 2016/17 testing. In the report, Dutch-made hash had an average THC content of 35.1 per-cent in the same year. Of all cannabis products, only imported hash had a significant CBD content at 8.4%.
Based on this, the committee recommended fifteen cannabis varieties and ten hash varieties should be sufficient for the initial stages of the pilot project. The committee does not recommend including “space cakes” and other edible cannabis products, citing public safety concerns, especially with accidental ingestion from young people.
Although taxes cannot be collected due to international law, the committee recommends a possible surcharge on cannabis sales through the program that could feed into a national fund for the prevention of cannabis use, abuse and addiction
Retailers (which can be “coffee shops” or other points of sale) will be required to only sell cannabis through the closed-loop program and, like the growers, be registered with the chamber of commerce. Sales will not be allowed to those under the age of 18.
While the goal of the experiment will be to explore the possibility of a regulated domestic cannabis supply chain, the committee also notes that the study may show such a program is not feasible. Such a decision will be made by the government in the future based on these results.
At the end of 2020, the Netherlands had 564 officially “tolerated” coffee shops spread over 102 municipalities. The number of cannabis coffee shops has been declining year-by year since at least 1999 when there were still 846 coffee shops.
According to a 2019 survey, the average price of one gram of Dutch-grown cannabis rose from 6.20 euros in 2006 to 10.31 euros in 2018, and dropped for the first time in 2019 (9.90 euros). The price of imported hashish in the Netherlands has fluctuated since 2009. The price per gram (9.97 euros) in 2019 was comparable to that in previous years (2017 and 2018).
A collective appeal has been made by six state governors to President Joe Biden, urging him to facilitate the rescheduling of cannabis by year’s end. The letter, jointly signed by the governors of New York, Colorado, New Jersey, Illinois, Maryland and Louisiana, stresses the economic and fiscal advantages that would accrue to marijuana businesses if rescheduling occurs.
Currently classified as a Schedule I substance under the CSA, cannabis is federally considered a hazardous substance. Reclassifying it to Schedule III designates it as a lower-risk substance and would provide increased protection to the existing state-level cannabis industry and its consumers, benefiting both public health and the economy.
Last year, President Biden initiated a review of cannabis’ schedule, tasking the attorney general and HHS secretary with the exploration of reclassifying the substance from Schedule I. In August, the HHS sent a letter to the DEA advocating for the cannabis reclassification to Schedule III. Despite this, notable progress in rescheduling cannabis has been lacking since then.
The governors, in their letter, lend their support to the call for cannabis rescheduling, underscoring that 38 states have legalized cannabis for either recreational or medical use. Furthermore, 88% of people in the country back legalization, according to a 2022 Pew Research survey.
The economic advantages serve as a compelling endorsement for cannabis rescheduling. The letter reveals that state programs have contributed $14.9 billion in tax revenue to fund law enforcement, education and other historically underfunded priorities. Economically, reclassifying cannabis would alleviate the restrictions imposed by Section 280E of the IRS, allowing cannabis businesses to claim ordinary deductions, just as other U.S. businesses do.
The governors elucidate in the letter that relieving cannabis businesses of the burdens of Section 280E would render the industry financially viable, simultaneously preserving jobs and ensuring the health and safety of consumers. The governors also express concern about consumer health risks stemming from the absence of a federal cannabis policy, citing worries about unregulated products. They advocate for cannabis rescheduling to fortify protection against the unlicensed market and argue that maintaining its Schedule I status and prohibition policies is futile given the significant consumer demand for marijuana.
The fate of cannabis rescheduling lies with the DEA, which holds final authority over drug scheduling. The DEA has historically rejected rescheduling, citing reasons such as a lack of reproducible and known chemistry, limited expert support, and insufficient efficacy and safety studies. Once made, the DEA’s decision will be subject to a proposed regulation and notice-and-comment period and may face legal challenges because no specified timeframe is currently in place.
Cannabis rescheduling would remove one of the many hurdles that U.S.-based marijuana companies such as Trulieve Cannabis Corp. (CSE: TRUL) (OTCQX: TCNNF) have to navigate in their bid to serve a growing client base.
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