Boxer Six, a new craft brand on the California market, is bringing a new standard to cannabis with precisely dosed, all-natural treats that take as little as six minutes to kick in.
The post How Boxer Six delivers a finely tuned high—with almost zero wait time appeared first on Leafly.
Officials in Berkeley, California are set to consider a proposal that would decriminalize psychedelics, including LSD.
The measure is a byproduct of a years-long project that has “lingered for three years in the Berkeley City Council,” according to Berkeleyside, which added that the council is set to “come back to life in a few weeks.”
What distinguishes Berkeley’s proposal from other communities that have moved to legalize hallucinogens is that the northern California city would represent “an even broader proposal: one that could make it the first in the U.S. to decriminalize LSD,” according to Berkeleyside.
“Of the 15 U.S. cities that have softened restrictions on psychedelics, none has included this synthetic hallucinogen. Berkeley Community Health Commissioners Joseph Holcomb Adams and Karma Smart explained that the logic for decriminalizing LSD is that it meets the technical definition of psychedelics,” Berkeleyside reported.
“Berkeley’s resolution was initially drafted by the Oakland-based nonprofit Decriminalize Nature in 2019, and proposed decriminalizing only natural psychedelics, such as psilocybin mushrooms, ayahuasca, and mescaline cacti,” the outlet continued. “The resolution spent two years in the hands of the city’s Community Health Commission (CHC), one of 22 civil commissions advising the City Council. Over the last year, Adams and Smart, the two commissioners appointed to study it, entirely rewrote it. If approved by the City Council, the personal consumption of psychedelics will cease to be criminalized in Berkeley; sharing, giving, or distributing psychedelics will, however, continue to be crimes.”
According to NBC Bay Area, Berkeley “city health commissioners voted unanimously to recommend to the city council decriminalize the use of hallucinogens.”
The legalization and decriminalization of hallucinogens has emerged as the latest frontier in the United States’ drug reform movement.
Earlier this month, U.S. Sens. Cory Booker, a Democrat, and Rand Paul, a Republican, introduced a bill requiring the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to classify therapies involving psilocybin and MDMA in order to improve access for patients and researchers.
“Recent studies suggest that some Schedule I substances such as MDMA and psilocybin could represent an enormous advancement for the treatment of severe post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and addiction,” Booker said in a statement. “Unfortunately, regulatory red tape and a series of bureaucratic hurdles involved in studying Schedule I substances impedes critical research on these and other promising Schedule I compounds. This bill reduces these unreasonably burdensome rules and regulations that delay or prevent researchers from studying – and patients from accessing – this entire class of potential medicines.”
Paul said he was proud to co-lead this legislation, which is known as the Breakthrough Therapies Act, with Sen. Booker that would streamline the registration process for breakthrough therapies currently restricted by outdated drug classifications.
“This bill will make it easier for researchers to conduct studies that can lead to breakthrough therapies to treat patients battling serious and life-threatening conditions,” Paul said in a statement.
The legislation has won the endorsement of Martin R. Steele, a retired United States Marine Corps lieutenant general who leads the Veteran Mental Health Leadership Coalition.
“We urge Congress to swiftly pass the Breakthrough Therapies Act, which responsibly reduces the barriers to research and limited access of potentially life-saving treatments like MDMA- and psilocybin-assisted therapy,” said Steele. “Veterans should not be forced (nor should anyone else) to leave the country – at great expense – to access breakthrough therapies that can be safely provided and further studied in real-world settings here at home.”
Should the bill pass and become law, it would force the DEA to reschedule the aforementioned substances under the Controlled Substances Act.
The post Berkeley Officials Consider Move To Decriminalize Hallucinogens appeared first on High Times.
A number of military veterans in South Carolina are pushing lawmakers in the state to legalize medical marijuana.
Local news station WACH reports this week on the group of vets, who “say it needs to be a top priority for lawmakers when they return to the state house in January after several proposals were stopped in their tracks earlier this year.”
“No one has died from an overdose with cannabis ever,” Cody Callarman, a former member of the Marine corps, told the news station. “For me, I can say, it definitely helps me to go to sleep and stay sleep and alleviate a lot of nightmares.”
“I say this is the land of the free, and the home of the brave, and we were the brave ones. We should have our choice of medical treatment,” Callarman added.
Another veteran named Robert Leheup told the station that the “idea of us not allowing veterans to have access to these tools is something that we need to remedy immediately.”
“It’s definitely one of those things that if you use it, along with counseling for example, it has the potential to have profound impacts,” Leheup told the station.
Lawmakers in South Carolina considered a medical cannabis bill earlier this year. The legislation won approval in the state Senate, but in May, it was voted down in the state House of Representatives.
The sponsor of the bill, Republican state Sen. Tom Davis, has been in the vanguard of the effort to legalize medical cannabis treatment in the state for years.
“If you pound at the door long enough. If you make your case. If the public is asking for something, the state Senate owes a debate,” Davis said in January. “The people of South Carolina deserve to know where their elected officials stand on this issue.”
After the legislation was approved in the state Senate in February, Davis commended his colleagues.
“Even those that were opposed to the bill, I mean, they could’ve just been opposed. They could’ve ranted against it, they could’ve tried to delay things. They didn’t. They expressed their concerns, but what they then did is dug in and tried to make the bill better. And so, what you saw over the last three weeks is what’s supposed to happen in a representative democracy,” Davis said at the time.
But in May, Davis’s bill was rejected by his counterparts in the state House of Representatives by a vote of 59-55.
“We suffered a setback procedurally in the House today,” Davis said at the time. “I can’t cry about it. I can’t pout about it. I can’t come back and lash out and try to hurt other people’s bills. That’s not productive. I just need to find out a way to get this thing on the merits up or down in the House and that’s what I’m going to be working on.”
Should lawmakers take up the proposal in the upcoming session, there will be opposition.
Local news station WACH quoted state House Rep. Vic Dabney, a veteran himself, who said he intends to oppose the next legislation.
“I know a lot of veterans that are not sitting down eating gummy bears laced with cannabis,” Dabney told the station. “We’ve got enough drugged up people in America as it is.”
“It was going to be another government program and a huge boondoggle where you’d have more than 400 dispensaries across the state,” Dabney added. “That was further reasons for me to vote against it.”
The post Vets in South Carolina Push for Medical Pot appeared first on High Times.
The delta-9o collection is the latest innovation to join 3CHI’s deep catalog of hemp-derived highlights. Find out what we experienced when we tried it out.
The post We tried delta-9o with 3CHI appeared first on Leafly.
The Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (“LCB”) has clarified what cannabinoid additives are allowed in Cannabis products in WA. The LCB recently published a notice that it had adopted interpretive statement IS22-01, “Use of Additives in Authorized Cannabis Products”. The adopted policy statement clarifies that non-cannabidiol (“non-CBD”) cannabinoids may be added to cannabis products in WA if they have been produced by or purchased from an LCB-licensed processor or processor within the I-502 (adult-use statute) system.
The cannabis sativa plant produces over 100 cannabinoids, not all of which have psychoactive or intoxicating effects. The two most common cannabinoids are delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (“THC”) and cannabidiol (“CBD”). THC is the cannabinoid that has psychoactive effects resulting in users getting “high”, while CBD is not considered psychoactive and is used for a variety of purposes including as an FDA approved treatment for epilepsy (Epidiolex).
The Revised Code of Washington (“RCW”) chapter 69.50.326 already allows for the addition of CBD to cannabis products, but in 2020 the LCB became aware of other cannabinoids being added to cannabis products and has sought to provide guidance on the matter ever since.
Legalization of recreational cannabis in the many U.S. states has led to the development and increased presence of non-CBD cannabinoids in recreational cannabis marketplaces. Among the more common are cannabigerol (“CBG”) and cannabinol (“CBN”). CBN can produce intoxicating effects, but not to the degree of THC, and CBG does not produce intoxicating effects.
Cannabinoids can be derived from the cannabis plant itself, from both hemp and high-THC plants, as well as artificially synthesized. As the recreational cannabis marketplace continues to grow with more states each year codifying recreational use laws, more obscure cannabinoids will undoubtedly be isolated for addition into cannabis products. Naturally, the states have an interest in ensuring that new or novel cannabinoids are safe for use and produced according to regulatory standards, which is the aim of the LCB in adopting IS22-01.
As is the case for most LCB updates, the important point for cannabis businesses is compliance. At this point, the most affected businesses are going to be those manufacturing cannabis products as opposed to retailers.
Non-CBD cannabinoids may only be added to cannabis products if they were lawfully produced or purchased within the I-502 system. Consequentially, processors in particular need to ensure that supply chains for non-CBD cannabinoids being added to their products comply with this new regulation.
Representative samples of all cannabis infused products must be tested according to the provisions of RCW 69.50.348. Cannabis businesses adding non-CBD cannabinoids to products should keep records showing they were produced and purchased from within the I-502 system. The procedures for dealing with failed test samples in RCW 69.50.348 are that the lot from which the failed sample is taken must be destroyed. This means that if non-CBD cannabinoids are added to cannabis products in WA, and not compliantly sourced from within the I-502 system, they must be destroyed.
The LCB did not opine on how widespread the addition of non-CBD cannabinoids is within the I-502 system. Nonetheless, cannabis businesses should ensure that if such cannabinoids are being added to their products that meticulous records are kept to show that they are sourced from within the I-502 system.
The post Washington Cannabis Update: Non-CBD Cannabinoid Additives appeared first on Harris Bricken Sliwoski LLP.
Meet the CEOs behind the dirty south’s dankest cannabis brands. For the ‘28 grams of game’ series, these Atlanta weed pioneers show Leafly how they went from underground legends to legal operators.
The post Atlanta’s cannabis kings: Sharklato, Real 1, GasHouse appeared first on Leafly.
Cannabis is magical all on its own. So magician Ben Zabin made it the star of his new weed magic show, Smokus Pocus. We investigated if its all smoke and mirrors.
The post ‘Is this your eighth?’: Reflections from NYC’s Smokus Pocus magic show appeared first on Leafly.
A non-profit organization called Kind Idaho, which was originally founded in 2021, recently announced that it would be pushing for an initiative to legalize medical cannabis in 2024.
Kind Idaho has between now and April 2024 to collect enough signatures (at least 74,000) to qualify its Idaho Medical Marijuana Act for the ballot. According to Kind Idaho Treasurer Joe Evans, advocates are ready to make medical cannabis legalization a reality. “One of the things that we’re looking at is making sure that those are available and legal, without necessarily presenting the opportunity for abuse,” Evans told KTVB7. “So it’s a combination of education on what the potential uses are, and responsible use.”
Idaho is one of 12 states that have not yet legalized medical cannabis. Evans cites the success and safety of medical cannabis as a treatment option in comparison to opioids. “When it comes to patient advocacy seeing medical marijuana, which is a successful, nonlethal pain management program that is nearly impossible to overdose on, is one of those options that many are looking for simply because they don’t want to have to carry around the significant number of prescriptions, pain management, oxycodone, you know, opiates,” Evans said.
More importantly, Evans points out that legal access is paramount. “We want the opportunity for Idaho residents to succeed on their own terms. And for many of those people on their own terms, the best solution is medical marijuana,” Evans stated.
Starting Dec. 1, Kind Idaho will start attending events to promote education about medical cannabis, bolster a social media presence, and begin the signature collecting process.
A recent poll from the Idaho Statesman shows that 68% of residents show support for medical cannabis legalization. However, advocates in Idaho have been attempting to make medical cannabis legalization a reality for the past 10 years without success.
The state saw its first official ballot initiative for medical cannabis in 2012, but it failed to get enough signatures to make it onto the ballot. In 2013, the Idaho legislature passed a resolution against cannabis in any form. That same year, advocates began collecting signatures for the 2014 ballot, but they were unable to collect enough signatures. New Approach Idaho collected signatures in 2015 which would have established a medical cannabis program and decriminalize small amounts, but the following year it withdrew the petition due to wording issues. Later in 2016, another ballot initiative surfaced. Even this year, a legalization effort began but was cut short due to lack of signatures.
Idaho Gov. Brad Little did sign House Bill 1265 in April 2021, which made Idaho the 50th state to legalize industrial hemp. In September 2022, the Idaho Department of Agriculture announced that hemp and CBD products are not recognized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and therefore not allowed to be sold legally as feed for animals. “As such, these products are not approved feed ingredients and cannot lawfully be added to or incorporated into commercial feed. This includes feeds, treats and remedies intended for pets, livestock, or any other animal,” the Idaho Department of Agriculture said. This restriction took effect on Nov. 1.
Organizations such as the National Animal Group have spoken up about the restriction, urging legislators to lift the ban. “This decision will likely harm animals whose owners will no longer be able to access the products their pets rely on for a variety of health and wellness reasons,” stated a Change.org petition. “It will also have a serious economic impact on Idaho businesses that manufacture and sell these products.”
The post Idaho Plans for Medical Cannabis Legalization on the Ballot in 2024 appeared first on High Times.
A Buddhist temple in Thailand is even quieter than usual these days after several monks there failed a drug test.
Agence France-Presse reports that a total of four monks “including an abbot at a temple in Phetchabun province’s Bung Sam Phan district tested positive for methamphetamine on Monday.”
Boonlert Thintapthai, an official in the central Thailand district, told Agence France-Presse that the “temple is now empty of monks and nearby villagers are concerned they cannot do any merit-making” after the four monks were sent to a drug rehabilitation clinic.
“Merit-making involves worshippers donating food to monks as a good deed. Boonlert said more monks will be sent to the temple to allow villagers to practise their religious obligations. Thailand is a major transit country for methamphetamine flooding in from Myanmar’s troubled Shan state via Laos, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. On the street, pills sell for less than 20 baht (around $0.50). Authorities across Southeast Asia have made record meth seizures in recent years,” Agence France-Presse reports.
The raid of the temple comes at a turbulent moment for the country and its enforcement of drug laws.
In June, Thai lawmakers passed a measure that removed cannabis from its list of prohibited drugs, making it the first Asian country to decriminalize weed.
But the new law has resulted in ambiguity, and frustration for government officials.
The new law made it legal to cultivate both cannabis and hemp, but it also opened the door for restaurants to serve food and drinks that contain THC.
These cannabis cafes have sprouted up in recent months throughout the capital city of Bangkok, much to the chagrin of Thai officials.
“It’s a no,” Thai Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said in the summer when asked whether recreational pot use would be allowed. “We still have regulations under the law that control the consumption, smoking or use of cannabis products in non-productive ways.”
But the cannabis cafes have been a boon for the country’s tourism industry, with foreign travelers eager to catch a buzz in the southeast Asian state.
That, too, has drawn pushback from the Thailand government.
“We don’t welcome those kinds of tourists,” Anutin said in August.
After the new law was passed in June, Anutin said that the goal was never to open the door for recreational use.
“Thailand will promote cannabis policies for medical purposes,” Anutin said at the time. “If [tourists] come for medical treatment or come for health-related products then it’s not an issue but if you think that you want to come to Thailand just because you heard that cannabis or marijuana is legal … [or] come to Thailand to smoke joints freely, that’s wrong. Don’t come. We won’t welcome you if you just come to this country for that purpose.”
Physicians in the country have also objected to the new law. In July, more than 850 doctors in Thailand signed a petition calling on more stringent rules and restrictions.
“Cannabis was removed from the Public Health Ministry’s Narcotic list on June 9, but no policies have been launched to control the use of cannabis for personal pleasure,” a spokesperson for the doctors said. “This lack of [legal] direction makes cannabis more accessible for children and teenagers.”
The group of doctors argued that “government and related departments should stop threatening people’s health as soon as possible.”
“The use of cannabis for medical purposes should be under control for the best benefits and safety as the government claimed from the first place,” the group said.
The post Buddhist Temple Left Empty After Monks Fail Drug Tests appeared first on High Times.
Over the course of the past two years, TheraPsil has assisted over 130 patients, but it calls the country’s current limitations a “cruel approach” on the part of Health Canada. The organization has attempted to set up a formal meeting with parliament members, but so far has been denied, so it’s taking the conversation straight to the capital to protest between Nov. 28-30.
According to TheraPsil CEO Spencer Hawkswell, there needs to be a proper channel for patients to be able to legally access psilocybin and psilocin. “There is ample evidence of both the safety and efficacy of psilocybin in the treatment of various mental health conditions,” said Hawkswell in a press release. “The previous Minister recognized this and started approving exemptions. Unfortunately, this Minister has stopped and refused to consider reasonable regulations to ensure vulnerable Canadians don’t have to go to Court to access treatment that can improve their quality of life and death.”
Currently, psilocybin and psilocin are listed as a Schedule III substance under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. However, some patients gain legal access with an improved exemption called the Special Access Program.
TheraPsil uses the example of Thomas Hartle, who was diagnosed with cancer in 2016, to demonstrate the problems that patients are encountering. Hartle was one of the first to receive approval from former Health Minister Patty Hajdu to use psilocybin to treat “end-of-life anxiety” in 2020, which was valid for one year. His treatments were successful, and he reapplied for continued access in October 2021, but was denied by current Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos.
“We hope to meet with the Minister to find out why he and his officials are being so cruel to us,” said Hartle in a press statement. “Instead of a compassionate response, Health Canada is referring dying and vulnerable patients to a special access program that results in lots of red tape but no access for most. Many, like me have gone over a year without a response to their urgent requests.”
TheraPsil will be arranging media interviews over the next few days to raise awareness both for the medical benefits that psilocybin offers, as well as the need for improved access. “Mental health is a non-partisan issue,” said palliative care physician Dr. Valorie Masuda. “Reasonable treatment options should be available to Canadians who have the right to MAiD [Medical Assistance in Dying]. It is cruel to withhold medicine from vulnerable patients, especially when those medicines have worked for them.”
TheraPsil also sent a joint letter earlier this month signed by medical practitioners and social workers calling for the need for psilocybin regulations. “We believe that our patients have a right to Medical Psilocybin and this open letter is to demand this right on their behalf. We need a compassionate and immediate response and solution to the Section 56 applications for psilocybin access and seek your response to our proposed request for ‘Access to Psilocybin for Medical Purposes Regulations,’” the letter stated.
Meanwhile in Canada, Apex Labs received a “no objection” letter from Health Canada, which effectively greenlit the first North American study on psilocybin as a treatment for military veterans who suffer from conditions such as depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. “Veterans are already self-medicating with micro-doses of unregulated psilocybin products without knowing the potency and safety of the product they are consuming,” said Apex Labs CEO Tyler Powell. “Our goal is to expand access to pharmaceutical grade drug products through regulated systems, providing transparency and support for patients in need.”
A new study published in The New England Journal of Medicine on Nov. 3 also provided evidence of the benefits of psilocybin in a double-blind trial. “In this phase 2 trial involving participants with treatment-resistant depression, psilocybin at a single dose of 25 mg, but not 10 mg, reduced depression scores significantly more than a 1-mg dose over a period of 3 weeks but was associated with adverse effects,” the researchers wrote. Those adverse effects included headaches, nausea, dizziness, and suicidal ideation.
The post Non-profit Organization Marches on Canadian Capital To Fight for Therapeutic Mushrooms appeared first on High Times.
Many cannabis companies spend significant resources developing new cannabis cultivars or refining popular strain genetics. As they do so, more and more are looking for strategies to protect those investments. Plant patents for purportedly novel cannabis plants are increasingly common, but are plant patents really the best way to protect cannabis genes?
In addition to traditional security measures, there are 3 types of intellectual property available that may be used to protect new cannabis strains: (1) plant patents, (2) utility patents, and (3) the Plant Variety Protection Act. Each option has its own set of benefits and comes with its own particular registration requirements.
Plant patents are one potential option to protect a newly invented cannabis cultivar. Plant patents can protect new plant varietals that are capable of asexual reproduction.
Cannabis is typically a sexually reproducing plant: both male and female versions can contribute genetic material to offspring (but only female plants produce the cannabinoid-rich flowers in which most people are interested).
Cannabis plants, however, are also relatively easy to reproduce asexually via cloning or cutting. Newly created cannabis strains, whether created accidentally or by intentional crossbreeding, may be therefore eligible for a plant patent once they have been reproduced asexually.
Drafting and prosecuting plant patent applications is relatively superficial compared to other patent types, making plant patents cheap and efficient to obtain. But the trade-off, and the reason why plant patents are not very popular for cannabis or other hybridized crops, is that the scope of protection that plant patents afford is extremely limited. Plant patents only cover genetically identical copies, reproduced asexually from the claimed plant.
“In the case of a plant patent, the grant shall include the right to exclude others from asexually reproducing the plant, and from using, offering for sale, or selling the plant so reproduced, or any of its parts….” 35 U.S.C. § 163.
That means to infringe a plant patent, one must directly clone the patented plant– a narrow base for an infringement claim. A plant patent does not prevent someone in possession of an authorized plant from crossbreeding or otherwise sexually reproducing it. Practically, absent direct evidence of theft or breach of a patent license, it is incredibly difficult to prove infringement of a plant patent.
Utility patents are the most popular flavor of patent and they are the favorite tool of major agricultural genetic companies. They are more expensive to obtain than plant patents, but can provide a far broader scope of protection.
Utility patents are used to protect methods, devices, and chemical compounds. Because utility patents can protect novel chemical compounds, the inventor of a new cannabis strain can claim a plant, seed, or other plant part with a particular genetic sequence (i.e., chemical structure).
One major advantage of utility patents over plant patents is that they can prohibit cross breeding and sexual reproduction. This means that a utility patent owner can, if they wish, prevent a customer from replanting seeds harvested from a licensed plant.
Utility patents require that the inventor describe the claimed invention in sufficient detail to enable a person of ordinary skill in the art to make and use it as claimed (for after the patent expires). Thanks to gene editing technologies such as CRISPR, it may be possible to satisfy that enablement requirement for some genetically modified cannabis strains by describing the gene editing process and reproducing the gene sequence base pairs. In other cases where the gene sequences are more complex or unknown, as is typically the case with cannabis, the inventor must deposit samples with the Patent Office from which others could reproduce the invention.
The last vehicle that can protect the IP of a new cannabis strain is the Plant Variety Protection Act of 1970 (“PVPA”). The PVPA provides similar protections to a plant patent but was designed specifically to protect any new, distinct, uniform, and stable sexually reproducing plants, such as cannabis. The 2018 Farm Bill further extended this protection to asexually reproducing plants.
The PVPA, however, contains a strict requirement that at least 3,000 seeds of the claimed plant species be deposited with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The deposit requirement adds an additional wrinkle for cannabis breeders. All seed deposits must be made to the USDA depository in Fort Collins, CO. The USDA will not accept any deposits for plants that are classified as controlled substances, including cannabis.
However, in January 2022, the DEA issued an opinion stating that cannabis seeds that with less than 0.3 % delta-9-THC (i.e. pretty much all of them) are not controlled substances. This decision should open the PVPA protection to cannabis cultivar, but it is not yet clear wither the USDA will follow the DEA’s position and accept cannabis seed deposits.
Each type of genetic protection comes with its own set of benefits and challenges. In addition to physical security, trusted employees, and well-drafted contracts, the best strategy for protecting proprietary cannabis genes is a woven network of patent and pseudo-patent rights.
The post Patenting Cannabis Genes: Three Ways To Protect New Cultivars appeared first on Harris Bricken Sliwoski LLP.
Five adult-use cannabis stores are scheduled to open on Thursday morning. Come join the celebration!
The post Rhode Island’s weed stores open Dec. 1. Here’s how to find them appeared first on Leafly.
An Irish lawmaker last week introduced a bill to legalize the possession of small amounts of cannabis for personal use. The legislation was introduced on Thursday by Gino Kenny, a lawmaker known as a Teachta Dála (TD) and a member of Ireland’s People Before Profit political party. If passed, the bill would legalize the possession of up to seven grams of cannabis and 2.5 grams of cannabis resin for personal use.
Kenny’s bill would amend Ireland’s Misuse of Drugs Act, which has been in force since the 1970s, and apply to adults aged 18 and older. Kenny said that he expects further debate on the proposed legislation to occur next year.
“The Bill is quite moderate. It amends existing legislation that dates back 42 years,” Kenny said during a recent debate in the Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish Parliament. “Forty-two years is a very long time. I believe the existing legislation is out of date and out of time. We need a different narrative around drug reform.”
“I hope the Government can support this legislation,” he continued. “It is timely. Different parts of the world are looking at different models which do not criminalize people and which take a harm-reduction approach. I look forward to the debate.”
In an op-ed explaining the legislation published on November 24, Kenny said that “the present laws on criminalization do not work” and noted that many countries in Europe and beyond have reformed their cannabis policy or are in the process of doing so.
Although the text of the bill states that possession of up to seven grams of cannabis use by adults aged 18 and older “shall be lawful,” Kenny referred to the legislation as a decriminalization measure. The lawmaker said the legislation would amend Ireland’s unsuccessful policy of total cannabis prohibition.
“[E]ven though it is illegal in Ireland, we can see that the use of cannabis has increased. Ireland has one of the highest usage rates of cannabis in the EU,” Kenny wrote. “Almost 30% of adults between the age of 15-64 in Ireland have said that they have used cannabis at least one in their lifetime, whilst 17% of the adult population has used cannabis in the last 12 months – over double the European average of 7%.”
The lawmaker noted that under the proposal, the criminal penalties for low-level cannabis possession would be eliminated but the plant would remain illegal. Cultivation and sales of marijuana would continue to be prohibited, meaning the illicit market will continue to be the source of cannabis for most consumers.
Although Kenny’s bill will likely jumpstart the conversation surrounding cannabis reform in Ireland, whether or not it will succeed is another matter. In an interview with the Irish Independent, the head of the Irish government, Taoiseach Micheál Martin, warned against the prospect of the proposed legislation making cannabis more desirable.
“I think we have to be careful that we don’t glamorize cannabis either because there are real concerns within the health community and the medical community about what cannabis can do to young people,” he said, adding that he would support a more healthcare-based approach to addiction and warned about the potential harms posed by cannabis.
“I would prefer a system that decriminalizes in the sense that it were there to help people with challenges with harmful substances such as cannabis,” said Martin. “Cannabis can do real harm too, to young people, and many people in the medical world have said that to me. That’s just a concern I have. I’ve been a strong advocate for the facilitation of medical cannabis for people.”
Medical cannabis is legal in Ireland, although each patient must obtain authorization from the national health ministry. Kenny said that his proposal would end the prohibition of cannabis for all users, a position that is supported by his party.
“People Before Profit are totally opposed to the criminalization of cannabis users,” he wrote in his op-ed. “We believe that prohibition should come to an end, and that proper research should be undertaken by agencies that are independent of corporate influence into the benefits of regulation.”
The post Irish Lawmaker Files Cannabis Legalization Bill appeared first on High Times.
We have all heard of the dog who ate the homework, but rats who ate the weed? That’s a new one, but it is apparently the account that has been offered up by law enforcement officials in India, who are blaming the pesky rodents for getting their fangs on some seized marijuana.
CNN has the weird (and disgusting) details, reporting on court documents that spell out the damage that rats have imposed on confiscated contraband in northern India.
The network quotes a court in the city of Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, which noted that “local police were unable to furnish almost 200 kilograms of confiscated cannabis that was supposed to be used as evidence in a recent case.”
“Rats are small animals, and they aren’t scared of the police,” the court said, as quoted by CNN.
“Court documents said the police had been asked to provide 386 kilograms of cannabis, but the prosecution flagged to the court that more than 700 kilograms of marijuana stored in various stations across Mathura could be impacted by the rat infestation,” CNN reported. “And this was – allegedly – not the first time the rats had struck. The judge hearing the case cited Mathura police as blaming the rodents for destroying a total of more than 500 kilograms [a little more than 1,100 pounds] of cannabis that had been seized in various cases and stored at the city’s Shergarh and Highway Police Station.”
It should be noted that not everyone accepts that version of events. Mathura City Police Superintendent Martand Prakash Singh told CNN that the weed had in fact been “destroyed by rains and flooding,” not rats.
“There was no reference to rats in the (report submitted to the court) … the police only mentioned that the seized cannabis was destroyed in the rains and flooding,” Singh said.
India’s laws on cannabis use and cultivation are spelled out in the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act of 1985. According to the website The Print, the law “prohibits the sale and use of cannabis resin and flowers, [but] it permits the use of its seeds, stems, and leaves.”
In 2019, with concerns surrounding vaping mounting around the world, India issued a ban on all electronic cigarettes.
“Unfortunately, e-cigarettes got promoted initially as a way in which people can get out of the habit of smoking cigarettes. It was to be a weaning process from using cigarettes,” Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said at the time, as quoted by CNN. “The Cabinet rightly thought it is time and we immediately took a decision so that the health of our citizens, of our young, is not thrown to a risk.”
According to CNN, “Sitharaman added that the ban would cover e-cigarette production, manufacturing, import, export, transport, sale, distribution, storage and advertisement,” and that it included “all forms of ENDS, heat-not-burn products and e-hookah devices.”
“People who violate the ban once could face up to one year in prison or a fine of 100,000 rupees ($1,400) or both. For subsequent offenses, the penalty would be five years imprisonment and a fine of 500,000 rupees ($7,000). Storing e-cigarettes would also be punishable with up to six months in prison and a 50,000-rupee ($700) fine,” CNN reported at the time.
The Indian government said at the time that those “novel products come with attractive appearances and multiple flavors and their use has increased exponentially and has acquired epidemic proportions in developed countries, especially among youth and children.”
The post Police in India Say Rats Ate More Than 1,100 Pounds of Confiscated Weed appeared first on High Times.
Harris Bricken attorney Jonathan Bench will participate in the Utah Cannabis Law Section’s upcoming CLE over the lunch hour on December 5th. The CLE will be an in-person event held at the Utah Bar Association Offices. The title of the CLE is “To Be Blunt, Can I Be A Cannabis Lawyer In Utah? – the Legal Ethics of Cannabis Law.” Jonathan will be joined by Hannah Follender (Stoel Rives LLP), Cory Talbot (Holland & Hart LLP), and J.D. Lauritzen (WholesomeCo), on the panel.
The panel will answer questions vital to Utah’s cannabis landscape including:
The panelists will take questions at the end of the event.
Event Details:
Please register online no later than December 4, 2022. Feel free to contact sectionsupport@utahbar.org with any questions. We hope to see you there!
Registration for Section Members
The post CLE Event: To Be Blunt, Can I Be A Cannabis Lawyer In Utah? appeared first on Harris Bricken Sliwoski LLP.
Register here!
We are excited to announce that Harris Bricken lawyers Adams Lee, Fred Rocafort and Vince Sliwoski will present on Cannabis and International Trade on Thursday, December 1 from 12pm to 1pm EST. This presentation is hosted by the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America (NCBFAA) by and through the NCBFAA Educational Institute (NEI).
Below is summary description of the panel put together by NEI:
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Register here!
In the meantime, for more on cannabis and international trade by Adams, Fred, Vince and others here at the Canna Law Blog, check out the following:
The post Cannabis and International Trade CLE: Join us December 1st! appeared first on Harris Bricken Sliwoski LLP.
A Montana-based company called Gaize has developed a device which can scan the user’s eye and utilize crazy futuristic robot intelligence to detect THC impairment.
According to the company’s founder, Ken Fichtler, American law enforcement agencies have already agreed to use the technology, though he could not specify which ones.
“I’ll preface all of this by saying I am pro cannabis. I’m pro cannabis legalization. I’m doing this because I see a distinct need at the federal level to have some product to detect impairment so we can keep roads safe,” Fichtler said.
The device is akin to a virtual reality headset of sorts that a police officer would hypothetically place on the head of a driver suspected of reefer smoking. It shrouds the suspect in darkness for a few moments before shining a bright light to electronically scan the movement of the suspect’s eyeballs.
“The eyes are the window to the soul. The eyes offer a remarkably clear picture into the mental state of a person. They’re full of involuntary micro-movements and reflex responses that transmit information about someone’s impairment or sobriety,” the Gaize website states.
According to Fichtler, the scan cannot be used as evidence in court, much like a traditional breathalyzer, but police officers can use it in the field if they suspect someone is high so as to take their own bias or out of the equation completely. Gaize cannot yet quantify impairment like a traditional breathalyzer does, but it can essentially indicate if the person is intoxicated enough for their eye to respond to stimulus differently than it normally would.
“You can’t simply measure THC and say, ‘Yeah, okay, this guy’s high because he’s got five nanograms of THC in his body,’ right? It just doesn’t work that way,” Fichtler said. “What we’re doing is actually directly measuring how impairment manifests in the body, which I think is a much more rational, measured and fair path forward.”
Fichtler said the test is based on several different studies which have spanned the last 40 years, including a 350-participant clinical trial Gaize conducted themselves. A cursory search of “how cannabis affects eye movement” does indeed show several peer-reviewed studies on the matter dating back to at least 1979. As with most scientific studies there’s a lot of room for misinterpretation or error but try as I might I could not find much to dispute the science behind this technology. It turns out eyeballs are just dirty little snitches that will sell stoners out at every turn.
“There’s a lot of changes that happen and a lot of them happen at a scale that a human couldn’t necessarily see unless they were looking really close or even using a magnifying glass or something. Our product is sensitive enough that we can detect these really minute changes,” Fichtler said.
Fichtler did make a point of saying Gaize will not be selling the technology arbitrarily to be used for nefarious purposes but if you work a dangerous job or like to get high on your morning commute, you may find yourself staring into the bright light of a Gaize headset soon.
Fichtler was not able to provide High Times with an estimated date that law enforcement agencies might begin to roll out the use of these headsets but for what it’s worth he seemed to speak with the voice of a man who had signed one or more non-disclosure agreements, rather than a man waiting for orders to start coming in.
“It’s being evaluated by some really high profile departments,” Fichtler said. “They haven’t all adopted it yet, but some have. My hope is that within a couple of years, maybe this is sort of standard practice.”
The post Cops May Soon Be Able To Scan Your Eyeballs To See if You’re Driving Stoned appeared first on High Times.
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Last-minute gift givers & self-care procrastinators alike can rest assured that buzzy delta-9 gummies are just an online order away.
The post Delta-9 gummies from Diamond CBD are a holiday treat that ship nationwide appeared first on Leafly.
Elevate your next NYC museum with a little cannabis or psychedelic pairing. You'll never see art and science the same way.
The post The best NYC museums to visit after tripping or toking appeared first on Leafly.
SIU researcher Dr. Dale “Buck” Buchanan, who is also a professor of physiology at the university, is a founding member of the Cannabis Science Center. “We started the Cannabis Science Center in … December 2018, when they took it off of the controlled substances lists and legalized use of industrial help nationwide,” said Buchanan in an interview with SIU’s college newspaper, The Daily Egyptian. “Since then there has been an amazing explosion.”
Buchanan explained that since the 2018 Farm Bill was passed, he has been interested in cannabis’s ability to treat cancer. “The vast majority of ovarian cancer research is focused toward extending what we call ‘progression-free survival,’” he added. “So it seems misguided to me that the focus of the research is on this incremental increase in life … so we’re really interested in prevention.”
Although rodents are the easiest subject to study, Buchanan notes that there is a similarity between chickens and ovarian cancer. “But the chicken is kind of counterintuitive. It gets the same ovarian cancer that women get. Women give live birth and chickens lay eggs, but the ovaries are remarkably similar and the thing that makes them so similar is the number of lifetime ovulations.”
In his observations, he’s found that Omega-three acids have natural anti-inflammatory proteins that help heal scar tissue which develops during ovulation, ultimately reducing cancerous tissue growth. “The consequence of this is that it has a 70% reduction in the severity of cancer and a 30% reduction in the incidence, and all we did was introduce flax into their diet,” he said. “But we know nothing about how it works, so that’s our work.”
This finding has led researchers such as Graduate Student Didas Roy to explore how the body’s endocannabinoid system, specifically Receptor 1, works. “So in the endocannabinoid system, there are cannabinoids produced inside our bodies … and they’re binding to specific receptors, one and two,” said Roy. “So two is not that much expressed in the ovary, but receptor one is there in high abundance, and it seems like the expression of those receptors increases in cancer.”
More specifically, Roy’s current focus is on Transforming Growth Factor ß (TGF-ß) protein, which is present in the ovaries, as well as the endocannabinoid system. “We know TGF-ß is also implicated in cancer, so we are trying to see how the both of them are related to each other, who is controlling whom and how they’re contributing to the ovarian cancer,” Roy added. “TGF-ß is a family of many, many receptors and ligands, so I’m trying to look at all of them.”
According to the American Cancer Society, approximately 19,880 women will receive an ovarian cancer diagnosis in their lifetime [in 2022], and about 12,810 women will die from the condition. More waves of research are being conducted to further explore how cannabis can reduce suffering and even potentially save lives. In August 2019, one study examined the efficacy of CBD for treating low grade ovarian carcinoma. In September 2022, one study found that cannabis’s anti-cancer properties could help patients fight against ovarian cancer and chemotherapy resistance.
There is a growing resource of studies identifying cannabis as a beneficial treatment for many types of cancer as well. One study published in August 2022 shows how cannabis users are less likely to develop common liver cancer, or hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), which affects about 25,000 men and 11,000 women in the U.S. annually (and kills about 19,000 men and 9,000 women each year). Another study shows how cannabis can be beneficial to cancer patients by treating pain and reducing their reliance on opiates, which were responsible for more than 923,000 deaths in the U.S. as of 2020.
The post Southern Illinois University Examining the Use of Cannabis for Ovarian Cancer appeared first on High Times.
According to The Charlotte Observer, the cultivation site is located in the eastern part of the state in The Qualla Boundary. In addition to beginning its first harvest on Nov. 18, the tribe also plans to open the largest medical cannabis dispensary in the state sometime in 2023, which will be located in an old building previously used for bingo. “I’m really proud of my tribe taking this step, one with the betterment of this community in mind,” said general manager of Qualla Enterprises LLC, Forrest Parker.
The cannabis business is expected to create 400 to 500 new jobs (with “several hundred” applications already received for various positions), which will increase the EBCI’s total employment number to 7,500. “Most special to me is the employment opportunity,” Parker said. “We can teach them skills they can use for the rest of their lives in what is a very well-paying industry.” Over the summer, the EBCI employed about 40 people to work on cultivation, with about 80% of them members of the tribe.
The EBCI’s Tribal Council approved Ordinance No. 539, which legalized medical cannabis on tribal land in August 2021. Far beyond the state’s progress on medical cannabis legislation, the Tribal Council saw cannabis as a benefit for medical patients. “The Council’s approval of a medical marijuana ordinance is a testament to the changing attitudes toward legal marijuana and a recognition of the growing body of evidence that supports cannabis as medicine, particularly for those with debilitating conditions like cancer and chronic pain,” said Principal Chief Richard Sneed.
According to the EBCI cannabis website, the tribe will control all aspects of production. “It all begins as a seed…and develops into the plant that is the basis to all cannabis. EBCI Farms will be the source for all of its products that are sold to the public. Everything from seed to sale begins here,” the website states. Currently, the business plans to produce cannabis flower, pre-rolls, edibles, concentrates, and topicals.
“It’s a vertical market. We have to plant it. We have to cultivate it. We have to harvest it. We have to process it. We have to package it and move through all of that network of product and get it there. It’s a lot of people,” Parker told ABC13 News.
The ECBI also has its own Cannabis Control Board, which consists of five healthcare and law enforcement experts, to manage the tribe’s cannabis regulations. Current rules dictate that non-tribe members may purchase up to one ounce of cannabis per day, but not to exceed more than six ounces in a month. This also extends to a limit of 2,500 milligrams of THC in products per day, but not more than 10,000 milligrams in a month.
The New York-based Oneida Indian Nation announced in September that it would launch a seed-to-sale cannabis business sometime in 2023. Also in New York, the Saint Regis (Akwesasne) Mohawk Tribe partnered with actor Jim Belushi to open a dispensary on Oct. 27, called Belushi’s Farm Akwesasne.
Additionally, the Seneca Nation of Indians announced that its building a cannabis dispensary in the city of Niagara Falls, New York, which is slated to open in February 2023 as well. “After extensive research and planning, the Seneca Nation is excited to create a new, Nation-owned business in the growing and competitive cannabis market,” said Seneca Nation President Rickey Armstrong Sr.
There are many tribe-owned and operated cannabis dispensaries throughout the country already, including Mountain Source Santa Ysabel operated by the Iipay Nation Tribe (located northeast of San Diego), to the Paiute-owned NuWu Cannabis Marketplace in Nevada, and the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe’s Joint Rivers dispensary in Washington State.
The Indigenous Cannabis Industry Association (ICIA) hosted the National Indigenous Cannabis Policy Summit on Nov. 15-16 in Washington, D.C., which covered a variety of topics in relation to create solutions to common challenges that tribes face in the industry. “The Summit brings together Tribal leaders, elected and government officials, business, healthcare, veterans groups, and advocacy organizations to provide solutions to the most pressing challenges and opportunities growing for Indian Country,” the event website states.
The post First Medical Cannabis Crop Harvest Begins in North Carolina appeared first on High Times.
Welcome to Part 2 in this series on New York’s cannabis retail dispensary regulations, covering security. In Part 1, we covered the rules around dispensary operations.
As we also previously summarized, on Friday, October 28, 2022, the Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) released its “Guidance for Adult-Use Dispensaries” (the Regulations). The Regulations are promulgated to provide guidance for Conditional Adult-Use Retails Dispensary (CAURD) licensees and applicants. Last week, at a hearing with the Cannabis Control Board, it was announced that 36 CAURD applicants were granted a license.
The information contained in the Regulations is a mix of substantive requirements, operational guidance and insight into the OCM’s plans for the issuance of licenses and operation of New York’s cannabis industry. As part of our series explaining and detailing the Regulations, this post provides licensees with guidance on the security measures and systems that must be operational in the premised utilized as a retail dispensary. Of course, this post cannot go into each and every mundane detail of the Regulations. Instead, it should serve as a basis for your knowledge going forward and as usual, we encourage you to review the Regulations and consult with an attorney.
Licensees must implement sufficient security measures to deter diversion, theft or loss of cannabis and cannabis products, theft or loss of cash, prevent unauthorized entrance into areas containing cannabis or cannabis products, and to ensure the safety of the licensee’s workers and the general public.
Per the OCM, the Licensee must implement and maintain a security plan which must include, at a minimum, a description of the measures a licensee will undertake to prevent unauthorized access to the licensed premises, protect the physical safety of all individuals on the premises, deter theft or loss of cannabis products, and prevent loitering.
During the design and buildout of the licensed premises, Licensees must ensure that both the inside, and the outside perimeter of the premises are sufficiently illuminated to facilitate surveillance and the trees, bushes and other foliage outside of the licensed premises must be maintained in such a way as to prevent a person from concealing themselves from sight.
The maintenance of the outside foliage may present a challenge because the Licensees cannot choose their location and the foliage may belong to another entity or town/city/state that prohibits the Licensee from removing or modifying such foliage. Watch for some interesting issues here.
Licensees are also required to have a security system at the dispensary that utilizes commercial grade equipment to prevent and detect diversion, theft, or loss. The system, at a minimum, must include a perimeter alarm that communicates with an internal designee and a third-party commercial central monitoring station when intrusion is detected and specific video camera surveillance and technology. The security alarms and video surveillance system must be able to remain operational during a power outage for a minimum of eight hours.
The Licensee must maintain video camera surveillance in all areas that may contain cannabis products, at all points of entry and exit, and in any parking lot. Video camera surveillance shall meet, at a minimum the following additional requirements:
Stay tuned for upcoming posts in this series. And be sure to join us on December 7 when we host a free webinar on the CAURD guidelines, and what every applicant and licensee needs to know.
The post New York’s Cannabis Retail Dispensary Regulations, Part 2: Security and Surveillance appeared first on Harris Bricken Sliwoski LLP.
The new Cookies flagship store at Herald Square may backdrop Al Roker's standups on Thursday.
The post The future of cannabis is about to photobomb the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade appeared first on Leafly.
Research suggests that cannabis users are significantly less likely to be obese than non-users (despite its ability to provoke the munchies). Learn more about how weed may be able to help with weight loss.
The post Can cannabis help you lose weight? appeared first on Leafly.
The New York Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) announced its final list of applicants who will be issued the first retail cannabis licenses in the state. Thirty-six applicants were announced on Nov. 20, which were chosen out of a pool of 903 applicants.
“BREAKING: In a historic decision, the #NYCCB has approved the first round of CAURD [Conditional Adult-Use Retail Dispensary] licensees. 28 Justice-involved individuals & 8 Nonprofit organizations will make the first adult use-sales by New York farmers and bring countless opportunities to our communities. #NYCCB” the OCM wrote on Twitter on Nov. 21. The regions with the most CAURD licenses include Manhattan (22), Long Islands (20), Brooklyn (19), Mid-Hudson (19), and Queens (16).
According to The New York Times, a majority of the finalists are owned by people who have been previously convicted of a cannabis offense, or have a close family member who have been convicted. There are eight non-profit organizations, (such as Housing Works, The Doe Fund, and LIFE Camp), which are also included in the final list.
In addition to the finalist announcement, the OCM also released a 282-page document detailing the state’s draft regulations. “The #NYCCB has voted to advance OCM’s largest adult-use cannabis regulation package since the MRTA [Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act] passed to public comment. These regulations are intended to establish rules for a safe, equitable, consumer-driven market focused on small businesses,” the agency wrote, inviting the public to submit comments to regulations@ocm.ny.gov (which will be open for 60 days).
The OCM has previously stated that it aims to have some retail dispensaries open before the end of 2022. “We’re excited about granting the first adult-use cannabis licenses today,” said OCM spokesperson Trivette Knowles. “New York is ready for adult-use cannabis sales and we’re still working towards the goal of having the first sales begin this calendar year.” Eventually, an estimated 150 retail licenses are expected to be awarded across the state.
This expectation aligns with an earlier statement from New York from Gov. Kathy Hochul in October as well. “We expect the first 20 dispensaries to be open by the end of this year,” Hochul said. “And then every month or so, another 20. So, we’re not going to just jam it out there. It’s going to work and be successful.”
Recent reports state that New York has over $750 million worth of cannabis harvested and stockpiled, but nowhere for it to go without licensed dispensaries to sell them.
According to New York-based Hudson Cannabis farm CEO Melany Dobson, they’ve just been waiting for the OCM to greenlight license approval. “It’s an unclear path to market. We’ve been told again and again that dispensaries will open before the end of the year,” Dobson told Bloomberg. “I’ve acted as though that’s our single source of proof, so we’re prepared for that.”
Cannabis begins to deteriorate when it begins to age, both in color as well as quality. “Old cannabis starts to have a brownish glow,” Dobson explained. While Hudson Cannabis’s operation allows it to store cannabis to prevent degradation for about 12 months, other farms may not be able to preserve their cannabis for long before it becomes unusable.
Recently a judge issued a temporary injunction that prevents New York regulators from issuing retail licenses in five regions of the state. According to a statement from David C. Holland, a partner of the law firm Prince Lobel, this injunction could expand to include other regions of New York as well. “This could have a wider impact across the entire state as the same state-specific contact and conviction requirements were imposed in 14 regions in New York, which are designated to set up a CAURD dispensary and may have prevented justice-involved individuals from other states from applying for a conditional license because of the state’s efforts to protect and promote its emerging cannabis industry,” Holland stated.
The post New York Retail Dispensary Licenses Announced appeared first on High Times.
Could a fentanyl vaccine potentially save thousands of lives? A recent animal study published in the journal Pharmaceutics indicates that a fentanyl vaccine was able to block the drug from entering the brain of rats—thus making it a worthy candidate for human studies and eventually something available to the public that can save lives.
Researchers administered rats with three doses of the vaccine or immunization at three-week intervals, and another group of rats received a placebo. To determine if the drug was working, they tested the immunized rats’ pain responses by heating up their tails for up to 10 seconds and seeing how long they took to pull away.
The vaccination significantly reduced entry of fentanyl into the brain and anti-fentanyl antibodies targeted fentanyl with no cross-reactions to other opioids.
“We believe these findings could have a significant impact on a very serious problem plaguing society for years—opioid misuse,” study lead author Colin Haile told University of Houston (UH) news. “Our vaccine is able to generate anti-fentanyl antibodies that bind to the consumed fentanyl and prevent it from entering the brain, allowing it to be eliminated out of the body via the kidneys. Thus, the individual will not feel the euphoric effects and can ‘get back on the wagon’ to sobriety.”
Haile is a research associate professor of psychology at UH and the Texas Institute for Measurement, Evaluation and Statistics (TIMES), and a founding member of the UH Drug Discovery Institute.
“The anti-fentanyl antibodies were specific to fentanyl and a fentanyl derivative and did not cross-react with other opioids, such as morphine. That means a vaccinated person would still be able to be treated for pain relief with other opioids,” said Haile.
Meanwhile, over 150 people die every day of overdose from synthetic opioids including fentanyl, which is 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine. Just 2 milligrams of fentanyl, or the size of two grains of rice, can be fatal depending on the size of the person.
“These preclinical results demonstrate efficacy in neutralizing [fentanyl]’s effects and warrant further development as a potential therapeutic for OUD and overdose in humans,” researchers wrote in the study. “We expect minimal side effects in clinical trials because the two components of our formulation (CRM and dmLT) are already in other vaccines on the market or have been tested in multiple human clinical trials and shown to be safe and effective. Further, the effective dose of dmLT used in human clinical trials is comparable to the dose used in the present study. Since low vaccine concentrations elicit adequate anti-[fentanyl] antibody levels, we expect there to be no adverse events when this vaccine is tested in humans.”
The vaccine did not lead to any adverse side effects in the immunized rats that were observed.
Researchers plan to begin manufacturing a clinical-grade vaccine in the coming months with clinical trials on humans planned soon.
Efforts are being made to abate the deadly toll fentanyl plays on America. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) announced the results of a widespread drug operation last September, with data spanning May to September, resulting in over 10 million fentanyl pills and what they say is 36 million lethal doses of the drug.
The DEA says that fentanyl is the deadliest drug threat facing this nation. “In 2021, a record number of Americans—107,622—died from a drug poisoning or overdose,” the DEA release reads. “Sixty-six percent of those deaths can be attributed to synthetic opioids such as fentanyl.”
The post Fentanyl Vaccine Called ‘Game-Changer’ appeared first on High Times.
The first round of New York dispensary licenses have been awarded. Here are the nonprofit and justice-involved recipients.
The post New York approves first 36 cannabis stores—Here’s the list appeared first on Leafly.
A top official in Russia suggested last week that the American basketball star Brittney Griner’s detention could be approaching a resolution, but officials in the United States quickly dismissed those claims.
Sergei Ryabkov, Russia’s deputy foreign minister, said on Friday that there was fresh “activity” surrounding a potential prisoner swap involving Griner, who was transferred to a Russian penal colony earlier this month, and Viktor Bout, the Russian arms dealer currently serving a 25-year prison sentence in the United States.
Ryabkov’s comments were quoted in Russian media.
“We haven’t found common ground yet, but, undoubtedly, Viktor Bout is among those being discussed and obviously we are hoping for a positive result,” Ryabkov said, as reported on by ESPN. “The Americans are showing certain activity and we are working on this through appropriate channels.”
But the State Department splashed cold water on that, saying that Russia has not been a serious party to the negotiations.
“We are not going to comment on the specifics of any proposals other than to say that we have made a substantial offer that the Russian Federation has consistently failed to negotiate in good faith,” a State Department spokesperson said, as quoted by ESPN. “The U.S. Government has continued to follow up on that offer and propose alternative potential ways forward with the Russian government. The Russian government’s failure to seriously negotiate on these issues in the established channel, or any other channel for that matter runs counter to its public statements.”
The U.S. has proposed a prisoner swap with Russia that would secure the release of both Griner and Paul Whelan, a United States citizen who has been held in Russia since 2018 on espionage charges, in exchange for Bout. But so far, a deal has yet to materialize.
Griner, a star for the Phoenix Mercury of the WNBA, has been detained in Russia since February, when she was arrested in a Moscow airport on drug charges (officials found cannabis oil in her luggage).
Griner pleaded guilty to the charges in July, but said it was a mistake and that she did not intend to break the law. In August, Griner was convicted by a Russian court, which sentenced her to nine years in prison.
Last month, the court denied Griner’s appeal.
Earlier this month, Griner’s lawyers confirmed that their client had been transferred to a Russian penal colony.
U.S. officials met with Griner earlier this month for the first time since her arrest in February, when she was returning to Russia to play for UMMC Ekaterinburg, a team for which which she has played during the WNBA’s offseason since 2014.
“We are told she is doing as well as can be expected under the circumstances,” the White House press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre said regarding the meeting.
“As we have said before, the U.S. government made a significant offer to the Russians to resolve the current unacceptable and wrongful detentions of American citizens Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan,” Jean-Pierre added. “I can also tell you that in the subsequent weeks, despite a lack of good faith negotiation by the Russians, the U.S. government has continued to follow up on that offer and propose alternative potential ways forward with Russians through all available channels.
President Joe Biden, who met with Griner’s family members in September, said in a news conference following the midterm election earlier this month that he is hopeful Russian President Vladimir Putin will be willing to negotiate a release.
“My hope is that now that the election is over, that Mr. Putin will be able to discuss with us and be willing to talk more seriously about a prisoner exchange,” Biden said.
The post Russia Signals That Griner Could Be Released, But U.S. Skeptical appeared first on High Times.
