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Cannabis Study Shows Occasional Use Does Not Cause Lung Damage

Cannabis Study Shows Occasional Use Does Not Cause Lung Damage

by | Dec 27, 2021 | Blog, Broscience Mythbusters, Cannabis News, Cannabis Science, Culture, Medical Marijuana, Science & Technology

cannabis study shows cannabis use does not decrease lung function

A study, carried out by the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA), examined both the short- and long-term effects of cannabis on lung function.

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The relationship between cannabis and lung function has been a subject of heated debate for decades. Many are aware of the harm that smoking tobacco causes to the lungs. If anything, the image of what the lungs of a smoker look like is etched in the minds of many. When it comes to smoking cannabis, obvious deductions are often made. Is there any science to back this?

Tobacco smoking has been linked to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). [1] It is also the leading cause of preventable death in the U.S. [2,3] While cannabis smoke contains similar combustion products, it is unclear whether cannabis causes an equivalent level of destruction to the lungs.

Some studies have shown that cannabis smoke causes inflammation of the airway mucosa and triggers pulmonary symptoms such as coughing, increased phlegm production, and wheezing. [4-6] However, there are no studies that have demonstrated a decline in pulmonary function. [7]

As the legalization wave continues to sweep through the U.S, increasingly more people are smoking cannabis. Any adverse long-term effects of cannabis on the lungs is a public health issue that requires immediate attention.

A study, carried out by the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA), sought to understand both the short- and long-term effects of cannabis on lung function. [8] This was compared to data collected from tobacco smokers.

Read Study Results from Terpenes and Testing Magazine

California cannabis companies warn of being at ‘breaking point’

California cannabis companies warn of being at ‘breaking point’

by | Dec 20, 2021 | Blog, Business, Cannabis Business, Cannabis Law, Cannabis Law and Compliance, Cannabis News, Industry News, Legalization, Politics

California cannabis companies are struggling to operate under the state's strict regulations and high taxes
California’s cannabis industry is at a “breaking point.”

That’s the warning coming from 27 people who represent growing operations, dispensaries, retail outlets and industry organizations who want Gov. Gavin Newsom and state lawmakers to reduce taxes on cannabis.

The group issued an open letter to state lawmakers Friday and posted a petition on Change.org, which as of Monday morning had more than 750 signatures.

“It is critical to recognize that an unwillingness to effectively legislate, implement, and oversee a functional regulated cannabis industry has brought us to our knees,” the letter said, noting that the industry’s past reform pleas have failed. “We have collectively reached a point of intolerable tension, and we will no longer support a system that perpetuates a failed and regressive War on Drugs.”

The group issued its warning more than five years after California voters approved Proposition 64, allowing for the legal growth and sale of marijuana and other cannabis products for recreational use. Such sales began statewide on Jan. 1, 2018.

What the industry wants is a tax break, a lifting of the cultivation tax that growers have to pay as well as a three-year break from excise taxes. It also wants to see more retail shops open up throughout California; the state allows local municipalities to decide whether to allow for local sales.

“Excessive taxation, which compounds across the supply chain, makes our product 50% more expensive at retail than the illicit market. This has created an illicit market that is currently three times the size of the legal market,” the letter said.

The current framework is “rigged for all to fail,” the letter said.

“We need you to understand that we have been pushed to a breaking point and we will not remain on our knees. We will not stand for political interests to the detriment of our own livelihoods, the health of our citizens, the prosperity of our families and the state of California’s economy,” it said.

Newsom’s office issued a statement in response to the industry’s plea, saying that the governor sees the need for cannabis tax reform as well as other changes.

Read Full Story from Silicon Valley Business Journal

Cannabis lounge opening in Denver hotel

Cannabis lounge opening in Denver hotel

by | Dec 17, 2021 | 420 Culture & Travel, 420 News, Blog, Business, Cannabis Business, Cannabis News, Culture, Industry News, Legalization

the first cannabis lounge in Denver is opening at the Patterson Inn
The Patterson Inn was recently the first — and only — business to apply for the newly available hospitality license

Weed has long been a social substance — after all, there needs to be someone to pass the dutchie on the left hand side. But because of laws limiting public consumption, there are very few places where tokers can go to socially consume it like they do alcohol at a bar.

Denver regulators and entrepreneurs hope that will soon change, however, since the city recently legalized cannabis hospitality businesses. In November, the city began accepting applications from folks who want to open smoking lounges and Amsterdam-esque gathering places, or run bus tours where consumers are able to consume cannabis.

So far just one person has applied, according to Eric Escudero, director of communications for Denver’s Department of Excise and Licenses. That person is Chris Chiari, owner of Capitol Hill bed and breakfast The Patterson Inn.

Chiari is familiar with the cannabis industry, currently serving as the deputy director of the Colorado branch of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) and having previously invested in a local dispensary. He also co-produced a documentary with rapper and actor Ice-T called “Public Enemy Number One,” which explores the United States’ weaponization of marijuana against communities of color.

 

Chiari first dreamt of turning The Patterson Inn into a cannabis-friendly space about a decade ago when he walked by and saw the address: 420 E. 11th Ave. The property ended up selling to other buyers, but when it came back on the market in 2018, Chiari jumped at the opportunity to purchase it.

“What I envisioned then and am working on today,” he said, “is to combine four-star, boutique hospitality with legally licensed cannabis hospitality and consumption.”

Read Full Story from Denver Post

New Jersey Begins Accepting Cannabis Business Application

New Jersey Begins Accepting Cannabis Business Application

by | Dec 16, 2021 | Blog, Business, Cannabis Business, Cannabis Law and Compliance, Cannabis News, Industry News, Legalization

new jersey cannabis application are being accepted now
The Murphy Administration began accepting applications from cannabis growers, product manufacturers and testing labs on Wednesday — the first step that will usher in the legitimate marijuana industry New Jersey voters endorsed in a referendum 13 months ago.

Within four hours of the application portal going live 9 a.m. Wednesday, 500 people had established accounts, Jeff Brown, executive director for the Cannabis Regulatory Commission announced. By the end of the business day, 635 had created accounts, commission spokeswoman Toni-Anne Blake said.

“We are happy to reach this milestone,” Brown said in a statement. “Applications are coming in, the platform is performing well, and we can officially mark the launch of the state’s recreational cannabis industry.”

The commission will start accepting applications for dispensary owners, the retail shops that will sell the cannabis products, on March 15. There are no deadlines; applications will be accepted and reviewed on a continuous basis, the commission said.

Applicants who are owned by women, minorities and veterans will get reviewed and approved first, as well as from those who have been convicted of marijuana offenses and people from poor communities, the commission has said. One of the goals behind legalizing the sale and possession of weed is to lessen the harm on Black and brown people, who have been more than three times more likely to face arrest and conviction than white people, even though usage rates are the same.

Under the cannabis legalization law signed in February by Gov. Phil Murphy, the commission created the Office of Minority, Disabled Veterans, and Women Business Development to promote diversity.

The commission also created a category for Social Equity Business applicants, defined as entities “owned by people who have lived in an economically disadvantaged area or who have convictions for cannabis-related offenses.”

Read Full Story on NJ.com

Malta becomes first EU country to legalize cannabis

Malta becomes first EU country to legalize cannabis

by | Dec 15, 2021 | 420 News, Blog, Cannabis Law, Cannabis Law and Compliance, Cannabis News, Culture, Legalization, Politics

Malta has become the first EU country to legalize cannabis
Adults will be allowed to carry up to seven grams of cannabis and grow four plants at home, but smoking it in public or in front of children will remain illegal.

Several other nations have similar plans; Germany, Luxembourg and Switzerland being three other EU countries considering legalization. While cannabis use and possession is permitted under certain circumstances in the Netherlands, cannabis isn’t officially legal.

Malta’s parliament voted to legalize cannabis on Tuesday, December 14, 2021 with 36 members voting in favor and 27 against.

Equality Minister Owen Bonnici said the “historic” move would stop small-time cannabis users from facing the criminal justice system. A legal cannabis industry would also “curb drug trafficking by making sure that users now have a safe and regularized way from where they can obtain cannabis”.

However, Malta’s opposition Nationalist Party voted against the new law, claiming an increase in illegal market sales will be the result.

In October the group’s leader Bernard Grech — who initially supported the new law — warned it would “only lead to the strengthening of the illegal market, with organized crime taking advantage,” according to The Times. Opponents have already called on Malta’s president, George Vella, not to sign it into law, which is the final, ceremonial stage.

Under the new law anyone carrying more than seven grams, but less than 28g could be fined up to €100 ($112). The punishment for smoking in public will be a €235 ($265) fine, and those smoking cannabis in front of anyone younger than 18 could be fined up to €500 ($560).

Associations will be set up to distribute the seeds to cultivate cannabis or the consumable version itself in order to regulate how much someone buys. A person can only be a member of one association.

The Malta cannabis law also includes support for minors who are found with cannabis. They will be recommended a care plan or treatment as opposed to facing arrest or criminal charges.

While the EU’s smallest member state, Malta is likely to be the first of a number of nations changing their cannabis laws after the UN last year reclassified cannabis to recognize its therapeutic uses.

Several countries in the EU have decriminalized cannabis for recreational or medical use under certain conditions including Spain and Italy more recently. Switzerland also has plans to implement a legal cannabis industry in the future, and Germany’s new government has announced plans to legalize the plant as well.

As the shifting narratives and stigmatization surrounding cannabis are broken down thanks to more scientific research and studies into cannabis that have been hindered for decades, more countries are beginning to recognize the potential therapeutic and recreational benefits of cannabis.

Cannabis Supply Chain Shortages Becoming More Prevalent

Cannabis Supply Chain Shortages Becoming More Prevalent

by | Dec 13, 2021 | Blog, Business, Cannabis Business, Cannabis News, Industry News, Legalization

cannabis supply chain is being impacted
Getting basic materials like ceramics, stainless steel and computer chips from China has gotten so difficult that its about to hit one of the few industries that has so far been insulated from supply-chain woes: U.S. cannabis.

Rolling power outages in China have affected about six out of the 13 components that go into vape hardware made by the Blinc Group, according to Chief Executive Officer Arnaud Dumas de Rauly. There are also widespread problems with shipping. All of this may start affecting the price of cannabis vapes, but on top of all of this, Lunar New Year is coming. With it, disruptions and delays are expected to intensify as workers take long holidays, Dumas de Rauly said.

“I believe this issue will go on at least until the end of May,” Dumas de Rauly told me. “It’s not just vape devices. The raw materials for the equipment that fills them with cannabis, the LEDs for the grow houses — all of it comes from China.” The company has noticed shortages of chip sets, which are used in most technology devices, including those for vaping marijuana.

The cannabis industry has so far been shielded from supply-chain woes because most of it is hyper-local. Since it’s a Schedule I substance,  companies risk legal imbroglios unless they grow and process it in the state where it will be sold. But state-specific supply chains can only protect the industry for so long.

4Front Ventures, a company with operations in California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan and Washington, hasn’t seen shortages of raw materials yet, but is already suffering from shipping delays from items such as vape cartridges and specialty packaging, including tin boxes.

“We’re trying to order ahead — we’re not paying more, but we’re paying up front, also we’ve begun to source domestic pools of inventory,” said Josh Krane, the company’s vice president of operations for California. This November, he made orders and paid deposits for goods that he won’t need until April, May or even June, he told me.

So far, both 4Front and Blinc say they’ve managed to avoid passing costs on to consumers by finding alternate suppliers and prepaying far in advance for orders. Whether consumers see an impact will hinge on the multistate operators and dispensaries that sell the end products. Thanks to market dynamics, however, many of them have some wiggle room.

Read Full Story on Bloomberg