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Colombian Medical Cannabis Will Be Covered By Insurance

Colombian Medical Cannabis Will Be Covered By Insurance

Colombian medical cannabis

Khiron Life Sciences Corp., a vertically integrated medical cannabis leader with core operations in Latin America, announced on January 4th that the Government of Colombia has added medical cannabis to its list of mandated covered medications for every insurance provider in the country.

Khiron became the first licensed distributor of Colombian medical cannabis in March 2020. The company has currently sold 57,000 prescriptions, with over 16,000 patients across the country.

The plans to mandate insurance coverage for medical cannabis was implemented in December 2020, and throughout 2021 Khiron has been working with insurance providers across Colombia to include their medical cannabis in their coverage. In 2021, 60% of medical cannabis sales done by Khiron were through insurance providers.

The inclusion of medical cannabis in insurance coverage has greatly increased the number of prescribed patients as well as patient retention as medical cannabis becomes more easily accessible and more affordable through insurance.

Additionally, starting in 2022 any Colombian can get their medical cannabis card nearly for free, regardless of their insurance. These new implementations will make Colombia one of the only, and also the leading cannabis provider through insurance in the world.

The implications of having one sole provider of medical cannabis for the entire country of Colombia are yet to be seen. Whether there will be more space for competition in the future is also unknown.

All New York Cannabis Business License Types

All New York Cannabis Business License Types

New York cannabis business license types

Cannabis legalization in New York has many entrepreneurs looking to capitalize on what will likely become the largest cannabis industry in the country. However, the state’s Cannabis Control Board [CCB] has already announced delays to the cannabis business license process.

Little has been revealed in terms of the application process and regulations, which won’t be released until 2022. However the Marijuana Regulation and Tax Act, which legalized cannabis in New York, outline what cannabis business licenses will be available.

In total, there are nine separate cannabis business licenses for New York. These licenses are:

  • Cultivator
  • Processor
  • Cooperative
  • Distributor
  • Retail Dispensary
  • Microbusiness
  • Delivery
  • Nursery
  • On-site Consumption

New York Cultivator License

A Cultivator license allows everything involved with growing and harvesting cannabis plants for the purpose of sale to licensed processors. However a business with a Cultivator license can also perform minimal processing themself without a processing license.

Additionally a Cultivator licensee can have one Processor license and one Distributor license. Anyone with a Cultivator license cannot have any ownership connection to a cannabis retail dispensary.

New York Cannabis Processor License

A cannabis processing business purchases cannabis from cultivators and finishes production. This includes extraction, infusing, packaging, labeling and branding. A processor can only sell their finished product to a distributor.

However a process can also have a distributor license as long as they company is selling their own products. Just like the Cultivator license, a Processor Licensee cannot have any connection to a cannabis retail dispensary.

New York Cannabis Cooperative License

A cannabis cooperative in New York can cultivate, process and distribute their own cannabis products. Additionally a cooperative can sell to other distributors, on-site consumption businesses, registered organizations and retail dispensaries.

A Cooperative Licensee cannot sell directly to consumers, must have democratically elected leadership consisting of New York state residents and must be registered as an LLC or LLP. As with other New York cannabis business licenses, cooperatives can’t have an ownership connection to a retail dispensary, microbusiness or on-site consumption site.

Anyone who is a member of the co-op is prohibited from having any ownership connection to any recreational cannabis license.

New York Cannabis Distributor License

A Distributor licensee can purchase cannabis products from cultivators, processors, cooperatives, micro-businesses or registered organizations. They can then sell the products to retail dispensaries or consumption sites.

A distributor can’t be tied to any microbusiness, dispensary, consumption site or registered organization.

New York Cannabis Retail Dispensary License

A Retail Dispensary License allows someone to open a retail location which can purchase cannabis products from distributors and sell them to consumers. No one person is allowed more than three retail licenses.

This license includes strict zoning requirements. A retail store must be on ground level in a business district, and cannot be within 500 feet of a school or 200 feet of a religious organization. Any municipalities that want to opt out of allowing retail locations must do so before 2022, and hundreds of counties in the state have opted out already.

New York Cannabis Microbusiness License

A micro-business licensee will be allowed to cultivate, process, distribute, deliver and sell a limited amount of its own cannabis products. The CCB has yet to determine the size, scope, and eligibility criteria for micro-businesses, but they are prioritizing social and economic equity applicants.

Micro-business owners can’t have connections to more than one micro-business or any other type of cannabis business.

New York Cannabis Delivery License

A Cannabis Delivery licensee can deliver cannabis products from a retail store, micro-business or delivery business directly to the consumer. Each delivery business can have up to the equivalent of 25 full-time workers per week.

The CBB will provide more information about the application process, criteria, and scope of licensed activities in 2022. Licensees may not have any ownership connection to more than one delivery business.

New York Cannabis Nursery License

A cannabis nursery owner is permitted to produce clones, immature plants, seeds and other agricultural products used specifically for the cultivation process.  The nursery can sell these products to cultivators, co-ops, micro-businesses or registered organizations.

Cultivators may have a nursery license in order to sell products to other cultivators, co-ops or microbusinesses.

New York On-site Consumption License

On-site consumption licensees can purchase cannabis products and sell them to consumers for use in a designated area. Commonly called cannabis lounges or cannabis clubs, these sits will be similar to a hookah bar, but for cannabis.

The legislation outlines several strict regulations about the license application process, the physical site, and how business should be conducted at the site, similarly to retail dispensary locations. Licensees may not have any ownership connection to more than one site or any other type of cannabis business.

Thailand plans to legalize cannabis in 2022

Thailand plans to legalize cannabis in 2022

Thailand Ministry of Health to legalize cannabis

The Ministry of Public Health of Thailand stated that it will push for the legalization of cannabis in 2022.

As reported by the Bangkok Post, the country had already removed cannabis stems and branches from its list of category 5 narcotic substances but kept flowers and buds.

However, the new Narcotics Code, which came into force last Thursday, no longer includes cannabis and hemp.

According to the Thai newspaper, Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul outlined the next goals in the regulation of the plant: “What we have achieved so far is to declare that cannabis stems, roots, and leaves are not drugs. Starting next year, we will remove everything – stems, roots, leaves, buds, flowers, and seeds – from the list of narcotic drugs.”

Cannabis And Hemp In Thailand

The only exception to the new rule is that CBD extracts with a THC percentage higher than 0.2% will not be allowed. Charnvirakul justified this by saying that “the figure has not been set unilaterally by Thailand. It is the standard of the World Health Organization.”

In the meantime, once the new narcotics schedule comes into effect, all cannabis-derived products (such as oil, soap, cosmetics, and supplements, which normally have less than 0.2% THC) will be authorized in the country.

The objective behind the relaxation of cannabis regulations is to stimulate the economy, agricultural tourism, and encourage people to grow and process cannabis to supplement their income.

Thus, residents of the country who wish to grow cannabis at home will be able to do so without quantity restrictions. The only requirement is to obtain permission from local authorities before doing so.

Cannabis Study Shows Occasional Use Does Not Cause Lung Damage

Cannabis Study Shows Occasional Use Does Not Cause Lung Damage

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.

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.

California cannabis companies warn of being at ‘breaking point’

California cannabis companies warn of being at ‘breaking point’

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.