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Hemp News, Laws & Product Updates

A curated news hub focused on hemp regulation and policy changes, cannabinoids (CBD/Delta-8/Delta-9/hemp-derived THC), lab testing and COAs, product safety, brands, and industry trends.

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https://hightimes.com/

Illinois Delta-8 Regulation Bill Stalls in House of Representatives

An Illinois bill to legalize hemp-derived cannabinoids such as delta-8 THC has stalled in the House of Representatives after lawmakers left the state capitol without passing the legislation that would have banned sales of the popular products.  The measure was supported by many representatives of Illinois’ regulated marijuana industry who argue that unregulated hemp products give minors unfettered access to intoxicating substances and are a risk to consumers. Hemp advocates maintain, however, that the bill will destroy the fledgling industry and the small businesses it supports. Jennifer Weiss, the owner of Chicago-based Cubbington’s Cabinet, a manufacturer and retailer of personal and pet CBD-infused products, said the bill jeopardizes the viability of the business. “The bill is so restrictive it would outlaw almost everything in my store,” Weiss said, according to a report from local news. Over the weekend, the Illinois Senate voted 54-1 to approve a bill that would have limited sales of hemp products that contain THC to licensed marijuana dispensaries. Democratic Senator Kimberly Lightford, the sponsor of the bill, said the legislation was a bipartisan attempt to control unregulated sales of delta-8 THC and other intoxicating hemp cannabinoids. But on Wednesday, members of the House of Representatives adjourned for the summer without taking up Lightford’s bill. “After months of negotiations, the Senate passed a bipartisan bill that all sides agreed upon, further ensuring our common goal to have a fair, just and safe industry,” Lightford said in a statement, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. “The bill we put forth showed the dire need to regulate the hemp industry before we lose yet another young life to these pervasive products. It’s unfortunate the House could not meet the urgency.” Democratic state Rep. La Shawn Ford agrees that sales of delta-8 and other intoxicating cannabinoids need to be regulated but says that the bill passed by the Senate is not an appropriate solution. Ford sponsored a competing bill favored by the hemp industry, but the House of Representatives failed to advance the legislation. “We don’t want pop-up smoke shops opening on every corner,” said Democratic state Representative La Shawn Ford. “We need to make sure we have some licenses and limit how many we have, so we don’t turn Chicago into ‘Delta and Marijuana City.’” Ford’s bill would allow existing hemp companies to continue doing business by obtaining a $500 license and completing required product testing. The bill would also levy a 10% tax on hemp businesses and restrict sales of hemp products to adults aged 21 and older. “It’s not like we can get rid of it. You can’t ban something that’s grown like this,” Ford said. “Let’s not try to have an industry that directly competes with cannabis. Put this industry in its own lane, just like beer is in its own lane and rum and spirits are in their own lane.” Tiffany Chappell Ingram, executive director of the Cannabis Business Association of Illinois that backed Lightford’s bill, said that members of the group “are disappointed the House failed to pass needed reforms to our state’s cannabis laws and will continue to allow synthetic hemp products that are sickening children and adults to be sold with no oversight.” “Despite overwhelming bipartisan support for these measures in the Senate, there is clearly more work to do to educate legislators about these important matters,” Chappell said in a statement. Adam Terry, CEO of cannabis-infused beverages manufacturer Cantrip, encouraged lawmakers to continue working to develop a plan to regulate hemp-derived cannabinoids. “The Illinois legislature is trying to do what we all want – find a path to regulating the consumable hemp products market,” Terry wrote in an email to High Times. “But in the session, it didn’t get to a workable solution.” “All good faith hemp operators are interested in affirmative regulation that lays out clear and workable guidelines,” he continued. “Any hemp operator simply clamoring to exist in a perpetually unregulated state of affairs is not serious about long-term business health or public safety.”
https://hightimes.com/

Research Shows Terpenes Can Help Treat Pain Caused by Chemo Medications

A new study released earlier this month on May 2 in the research journal Pain suggests that an injection of cannabis terpenes is “roughly equal” to the number of pain reduction markers from an injection of morphine. “Terpenes from Cannabis sativa induce antinociception in a mouse model of chronic neuropathic pain via activation of adenosine A2A receptors” features researchers hailing from multiple departments at the University of Arizona as well as with awarded funding from the National Institutes of Health. Researchers sought out to see how cannabis can potentially treat chronic pain. “A question that we’ve been very interested in is could terpenes be used to manage chronic pain?” said John Streicher, PhD, who is the lead author of the study. “What we found is that terpenes are really good at relieving a specific type of chronic pain with side effects that are low and manageable.” While both CBD and THC have been found to be beneficial in treating chronic pain, researchers explained that the effects are moderate, and “can come with unwanted psychoactive side effects.” Terpenes are a path around the use of psychoactive substances, which “offer an alternative path to pain relief without adverse side effects.” For the purpose of this study, researchers examined five different terpenes: alpha-humulene, beta-caryophyllene, beta-pinene, geraniol, and linalool. Researchers utilized a mouse model focused on neuropathic pain, which is a well-known condition that stems from nerve damage caused by chemotherapy medications. Each terpene was tested on its own and the results were compared with morphine as well. All five terpenes showed significant pain reduction “near to or above the peak effect of morphine” individually, and even more powerful effects on pain when combined. “That was really striking to us, but just because something relieves pain doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to be a good therapy,” Streicher said. The negative effects of using opioids include an activation of the reward system in the brain, which can lead to an increased tolerance to the effects over time, and addiction as well. But terpenes don’t lead to these same effects. “We looked at other aspects of the terpenes, such as does this cause reward? Is this going to be addictive? Is it going to make you feel awful?” said Streicher. “What we found was yes, terpenes do relieve pain, and they also have a pretty good side effect profile.” Researchers also examined the method of consumption with terpenes, including injection, oral dosing, and inhalation. When orally administered or inhaled, the effects were “significantly reduced or absent.” “A lot of people vape or smoke terpenes as part of cannabis extracts that are available commercially in states where cannabis use is legal,” said Streicher. “We were surprised to find that the inhalation route didn’t have an impact in this study, because there are a lot of at least anecdotal reports saying that you can get the effects of terpenes whether taken orally or inhaled. Part of the confounding factor is that terpenes smell quite nice and it’s hard to disguise that aroma, so people could be kind of having the psychosomatic placebo-style effect.” Previously, Streicher and his team published their findings from a similar study back in July 2021. At the time, their results showed promising evidence regarding terpenes being used for pain relief, especially when studying the benefits of the entourage effect. Although their hypothesis was to examine how cannabinoids affected pain, they were ultimately surprised by how powerful the entourage effect actually was. “It was unexpected, in a way,” Streicher said in 2021. “It was our initial hypothesis, but we didn’t necessarily expect terpenes, these simple compounds that are found in multiple plants, to produce cannabinoid-like effects.” Looking toward the future, Streicher plans to utilize these results in his next research endeavor. In a press release, he explained that his next hypothesis will explore if terpenes can block the body’s reward system and also still provide the same pain treatment as seen in the most recent results. “This brings up the idea that you could have a combination therapy, an opioid with a high level of terpene, that could actually make the pain relief better while blocking the addiction potential of opioids. That’s what we are looking at now,” said Streicher. Over time, other terpene studies have revealed how they can serve as a treatment option for certain conditions.  A study from 2020 published in Molecules defined terpenes in detail to “describe sources of cannabis terpenes and to explain the biosynthesis and diversity of terpene profiles in different cannabis chemovars.” Their results showed that terpenes and cannabinoids used together show evidence of the entourage effect. In February 2023, one study from researchers at the University of New Mexico found that patient relief was best experienced with higher terpene levels. In October 2023, a study performed by researchers at Abstrax Tech and published in the American Chemical Society’s journal, Omega, showed that the importance of terpenes is “overstated” when it comes to defining the differences between cultivars. “This discrepancy suggests that while these classifications may be helpful for chemotaxonomic purposes, they lack the chemical information necessary to differentiate these varieties from an aroma perspective,” the study stated.
https://hightimes.com/

Self-Care Sundaze

Dedicated to my imaginary friends Hoppy Soppy and Monster Scooter. My therapist Peter-Tuesdays-At-Noon (and sometimes Peter-Fridays-At-Nine) said I need a healthier work/life balance. He suggested taking Sundays off, and doing whatever I want. I asked him, “Could I write about it?”  He said, “That’s work.”  I said, “No, it’s fun.”  He said, “If you must.” So, with P.T.A.N.’s blessing every Sunday I’m making it my mission to get lifted and live more!  This Sunday I got high, drank coffee, ate a bagel, saw the movie IF with a friend, walked home, got high, ate pizza, watched NHL highlights and sneaker videos on Youtube, jacked off, went to bed. If you’d like a more in-depth look into my self-care Sunday let’s get into it! (Editor’s Note: There will not be an in-depth look into jacking off. We aren’t sure why he tried to fight us on this.) I usually start my mornings by checking my phone, and being called a cuck on Instagram — but not on Sundays! On Sunday, I began my morning with a 5mg gummy followed by checking a group text asking friends who can see a movie.  The group text was off to a rocky start.  So, I decided to check back later, and go get some breakfast. Maybe by then Steve Bannon will respond. Walking into an Alfred coffee shop, the edible started to make my bones settle. I ordered my standard fare: a large iced black coffee. The barista asked if I wanted any milk, but I declined saying, “No thanks.” Low-key milk gives me diarrhea, but my intuition told me she didn’t want to hear that truth.  After getting my coffee I turned the corner towards the Yeastie Boys bagel truck. I think the Beastie Boys are massively overrated [Editor’s Note: he’s wrong about this.], but Yeastie Boys are not. I grabbed an everything bagel with a jalapeno cheddar cream cheese schmear. They hooked the schmear up! I offered them an edible as thanks, but they said no so I ate theirs. Great way to start a Sunday! My good buddy Gabe texted me back to see IF at 4:30 at The Grove AMC Theater.  We coordinated seating, and I locked the tickets in. Movie theater seating is crucial for a stoner. I prefer a back corner seat like L1 so I can hit a vape throughout the movie. However, this was opening weekend, so call me Liam Neeson because my seat was Taken. Instead, I took an aisle seat with a clear pathway to the bathroom to go vape in a stall if the movie stunk. This is where it goes south. As an AMC A-Lister I can see three movies a week for free, and I get to stand in a special VIP concession line that cuts in front of the peasants waiting for their snacks in the basic bitch regular line. A-List costs $25 a month, and is worth it in every way except one. They check every A-Lister’s ID when they scan your ticket. They claim it’s to make sure people aren’t sneaking into movies for free on someone else’s account. It makes me so mad. I don’t pay all this money every month, essentially keeping the movie industry in business single-handedly, to be treated like riff raff. You don’t check the plebs’ ID’s to make sure they’re who they say they are too. What’s next? Making me wear a scarlet A on my Fear of God t-shirt to be allowed in? Fix it, AMC CEO Adam Aron. He follows me on Instagram so he will see this. We also saw a table claiming to help your child be discovered in Hollywood, but after seeing Quiet on the Set this is giving big pedo/groomer vibes so I’m gonna move on. IF is rated PG. It was the perfect movie for a theater packed with families, and two very stoned dudes. We all had a blast. It’s two hours of childlike escapism filled with imaginary friends, silly jokes, vibrant montages, and swirling music. The perfect stoner cinematic experience — and not to brag but I figured out the twist in the kids movie before it was revealed. I only had three complaints.  1) Every review of it is written by adults, and they trash it. Hey Dumdum, it’s not for you. Let kids write reviews for kid movies. See it in a theater filled with children like we did, and you’ll hear them laughing, cheering, gasping in wonderment, and their parents finding a moment of peace. 2) Parents, pick up your trash. The theater was a disaster when the lights came up. Popcorn cartons, soda cups, and candy wrappers everywhere. Teach your kids to pick up after themselves so the people who work at AMC don’t have to do it. It’s gross, and you’re better than that.  3) I took this pic when someone clapped after the Nicole Kidman commercial. Buddy, we’re past that. Its moment is up. Also, Nicole’s sitting in an empty theater for the whole thing. That’s not giving “I love movies” like you think it is. Sundaze rock. I’m all about taking the day off to get lifted and live life. I’m not sure what I’ll do next Sunday, but I hope Kelly Anne Conway is free.  Mike Glazer is a comedian who loves weed. He’d love it if you followed him on Instagram and Youtube.
https://hightimes.com/

‘Elegí el Porro en Vez de las Drogas’: Tiffany Haddish Aboga por la Legalización de la Marihuana para la Salud Menstrual y Habla de su Colaboración con Berner

Nota por Javier Hasse publicada originalmente en El Planteo. Más artículos por El Planteo en High Times en Español. Síguenos en Instagram (@El_Planteo) y Twitter (@ElPlanteo). “La endometriosis me hacía querer saltar de un edificio”, admite con franqueza Tiffany Haddish, revelando el alcance de su dolor crónico. Para la actriz, el cannabis ha sido una herramienta vital para sobrellevar la implacable agonía a la que se enfrenta durante su ciclo menstrual. Su voz transmite verdadera seriedad cuando describe cómo fumar marihuana le ayuda a aliviar el dolor físico que sufre desde hace años. “Cuando descubrí el poder real de la marihuana y cómo puede ayudar a aliviar la inflamación y el dolor, me ayudó muchísimo”, explica. “Fui a Panamá y aprendí las diferentes cosas que puede hacer el cannabis y cómo se puede utilizar. Me gusta mezclarlas [las hojas de cannabis] con agua de coco y hacer té con la flor”. Contenido relacionado: Porro y ‘Problemas Vaginales’: la Historia de Lara Parker, su Endometriosis y el Cannabis Tiffany Haddish no es para nada ajena al cannabis. Lo probó por primera vez a los 18 años, pero se encontró abrumada por la risa e incómoda. “No me gustaba. No podía parar de reír. Así que me dije: ‘No me voy a meter con esto'”, cuenta. Volvió al porro más tarde, a los veinte años, mientras atravesaba una crisis emocional. “Tenía que elegir entre la marihuana y otra droga. Y elegí la marihuana porque sentí que era una carta, frente a la otra cosa que había sobre la mesa”, dice. Desde ese momento, la marihuana ha desempeñado un papel importante en su vida, pasando de ser un escape ocasional a una fuente fiable de alivio en sus momentos más dolorosos. “Me relajaba. Me quitaba mucho dolor emocional. Al principio, era algo ocasional. Después, cuando sufría los dolores de la endometriosis, sobre todo durante los ciclos, durante la regla, fumaba marihuana durante una semana seguida mientras sangraba. Y, eso cambió el juego para mí. Era capaz de funcionar. No estaba llorando y muy sensible todo el tiempo”, añade. La cómica lleva mucho tiempo hablando sin tapujos de cómo el cannabis ha influido positivamente en su vida. No es tímida a la hora de hablar de sus beneficios médicos y cuenta cómo el cannabis le ha ayudado a controlar el dolor y a mejorar su bienestar general. El uso del cannabis para tratar la endometriosis ha suscitado interés en los últimos años, con investigaciones que ofrecen datos prometedores sobre su eficacia. Un estudio publicado en el Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Canada encuestó a mujeres australianas con endometriosis confirmada quirúrgicamente, revelando que el 13% de ellas recurrió al cannabis como estrategia de autocontrol para aliviar los síntomas. Contenido relacionado: ¿Se Puede Usar Cannabis para Tratar la Endometriosis? El estudio demostró que el cannabis era especialmente eficaz para reducir el dolor, con una puntuación de eficacia autodeclarada de 7,6 sobre 10, y que el 56% de las mujeres que consumieron cannabis pudo reducir su dependencia de los medicamentos farmacéuticos al menos a la mitad. Las participantes también informaron mejoras en el sueño, las náuseas y los vómitos, y se observaron pocos efectos adversos. Asimismo, otros estudios recientes han investigado más a fondo el potencial del cannabis para tratar el dolor relacionado con la endometriosis y sus síntomas asociados. Una revisión de 2023 publicada en el Journal of Clinical Medicine analizó la investigación existente sobre el consumo de cannabis para la endometriosis, descubriendo mecanismos prometedores en los que los cannabinoides interactúan con el sistema endocannabinoide y el microbioma intestinal para aliviar los síntomas. La revisión destacó que los compuestos derivados del cannabis pueden tener efectos antiinflamatorios, disminuir la permeabilidad intestinal y actuar como analgésicos naturales, ofreciendo un alivio significativo de la hinchazón, un síntoma común de la endometriosis. Otro estudio publicado en PLOS One recogió datos de más de 250 participantes con endometriosis autodeclarada, registrando más de 16.000 sesiones de consumo de cannabis. Los resultados indicaron que el cannabis reducía eficazmente el dolor pélvico y mejoraba los síntomas gastrointestinales y el estado de ánimo, mostrando el cannabis inhalado un alivio rápido del dolor, mientras que la ingestión oral tenía un efecto más duradero para los síntomas relacionados con el estado de ánimo. Contenido relacionado: Menstruación y Marihuana: Usar Cannabis para Aliviar los Síntomas Menstruales En opinión de Tiffany Haddish, muchas mujeres sufren en silencio debido a la falta de comprensión y concientización sobre enfermedades como la suya. Para ella, la marihuana para la endometriosis ofrece una solución viable. “Creo que no se habla mucho de esto porque los hombres no tienen endometriosis. Si los hombres tuvieran endometriosis, probablemente se hablaría de ello… Hay que dar a las mujeres el derecho a poder fumar o ingerir cannabis legalmente… Si se va a quitar a las mujeres el derecho a tomar decisiones sobre su útero, entonces hay que darles el derecho a poder fumar o ingerir cannabis legalmente, en todos los ámbitos”, afirma. “Por eso creo que soy una actriz fenomenal; aprendí a actuar a través del dolor, pero me muero al segundo día [de mi ciclo]”, asegura Haddish, haciendo hincapié en los estragos que la endometriosis causó en su vida diaria. Fumar marihuana le permitió funcionar en esos momentos difíciles. Con los años, se hizo más consciente de las formas en que el cannabis podía mejorar su salud. Para Tiffany Haddish, el cannabis también es clave para controlar otros problemas de salud. Cuenta historias de amigxs que padecen esclerosis múltiple. Al principio, estaban en contra de la marihuana, dice, pero el consejo médico les convenció para que la probaran. Rápidamente experimentaron una mejora de la movilidad y la comunicación. Por eso, Haddish subraya cómo el cannabis puede ayudar a quienes tienen problemas de salud con moderación y cuando se utiliza con propósito. “Nunca he ocultado a nadie mi uso de cannabis, excepto quizá a mi abuela. Hice un programa de televisión en 2008. Y sé que ella lo sabía, porque podía ver las tucas en el cenicero, aunque yo intentaba esconderlas debajo de la cama y esas cosas cuando venía a mi casa”, dice Haddish entre risas. Contenido relacionado: Tampones con CBD: Una Alternativa Segura y Efectiva para el Dolor Menstrual, según Nuevo Estudio A pesar de su amor por el cannabis, Haddish ha tenido que cambiar recientemente su forma de usarlo. Menciona que ha dejado de consumir THC durante varios meses debido a los requisitos de las pruebas, pero se mantiene imperturbable. “No he experimentado ningún síndrome de abstinencia”, señala, y añade que todavía puede disfrutar de los otros beneficios del cannabis a través de productos sin THC, como tés y otros extractos. Cookies, la influyente marca de cannabis cofundada por el rapero y empresario Berner, se ha unido al programa de televisión The Freak Brothers para una colaboración única que fusiona la cultura del cannabis con el entretenimiento. Para Berner, entrar en el mundo de The Freak Brothers es surrealista. “Es un verdadero viaje verme en el universo Freak junto a artistas a quienes admiro desde hace tiempo”, comenta, apreciando la oportunidad de mezclar su pasión por el cannabis con un proyecto que tiene raíces tan profundas en la contracultura. La serie original de cómics The Freak Brothers, creada por Gilbert Shelton a finales de los ’60, tiene un legado que sigue dando forma a la cultura del cannabis en la actualidad. Conocido por su humor contracultural y su visión satírica de la vida de lxs fumetas, el cómic ha encontrado un nuevo hogar como serie de animación para adultxs, ahora con un reparto que incluye a Tiffany Haddish, Woody Harrelson, John Goodman, Pete Davidson y Berner. Esta encarnación moderna rinde homenaje a las raíces de la serie, a la vez que la traslada al mundo contemporáneo del cannabis y el entretenimiento. Contenido relacionado: Entrevista a Berner: ‘La Marihuana Mantiene a la Gente Unida’ Conjuntamente con el programa de televisión, Cookies y The Freak Brothers han producido un porro especial, bautizado acertadamente como el LSD Joint (o “porro LSD”). La colaboración en torno a este producto refleja el espíritu común de ambas marcas. Como explica Berner, “la sinergia era innegable, una especie de encuentro entre la vieja y la nueva escuela, ya que ambos somos de la bahía”. La colaboración encarna su visión de la cultura del cannabis, con el objetivo de crear un producto que los propios Freaks originales habrían disfrutado en los años ’60 y ’70. “Como los Freaks son un grupo muy volado, sabíamos que teníamos que sacar algo que a lxs propios Freaks les hubiera encantado en los años ’60 y ’70”, añade el rapero. Esta colaboración entre Cookies y The Freak Brothers es un claro ejemplo de lo lejos que ha llegado la cultura del cannabis. Es un testimonio de la evolución de la percepción de la marihuana en la cultura popular, donde las líneas entre el entretenimiento y el activismo son cada vez más difusas. El LSD joint es un símbolo de esta intersección, que une a lxs entusiastas del cannabis de la vieja y la nueva escuela a través de un aprecio compartido por la planta. Berner está entusiasmado con el cambio cultural que permite que un programa de fumetas como The Freak Brothers llegue al gran público. “Hombre, me encanta ver que más entretenimiento mainstream abraza la cultura, ya era hora”, dice. En el cambiante terreno de la aceptación del cannabis, Tiffany Haddish encarna un espíritu de autenticidad y franqueza que cala hondo en la comunidad. Se apresura a contrarrestar los estereotipos negativos que rodean a lxs usuarios de cannabis, especialmente los que suponen que conduce a la pereza o a la falta de productividad. “Si eres vago, eres vago. Y punto”, afirma, señalando que el cannabis puede ser parte integrante de un estilo de vida equilibrado y sano. Contenido relacionado: ‘Miss Representation’: Mujeres Porreras en Cine y TV “Hay mucha gente muy productiva, con mentalidad empresarial, orientada a los negocios y resolutiva que fuma o ingiere marihuana de algún modo, forma o manera”, añade. Haddish no duda en destacar los efectos contrastados del alcohol y el cannabis, sugiriendo que el alcohol debería ser ilegal debido a sus impactos negativos en la sociedad. “Hay mucha violencia doméstica a causa del alcohol. Mucho abuso infantil a causa del alcohol, pero no a causa de la marihuana”, señala. Para Haddish, el cannabis favorece la relajación y la calma, en claro contraste con la agresividad que suele ir unida al consumo de alcohol. A modo de conclusión, la actriz subraya la importancia de la intención en el uso, instando a la gente a entender su propósito de consumir marihuana y alinearlo con sus objetivos, ya sea para dormir, controlar el dolor o aliviar la ansiedad. Cree firmemente en la legalización, especialmente para las mujeres. En su opinión, hay muchos conceptos erróneos sobre el cannabis, y “muchas mujeres están en la cárcel ahora mismo, a causa de la endometriosis, porque te hará tomar algunas malas decisiones”. “Pero nunca he visto a nadie intentar hacer daño a nadie ni pelearse con nadie después de haber usado un poco de marihuana”, termina. Vía Forbes, traducido por El Planteo Foto por Agenda Magazine, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons, editada en Canva por El Planteo Más contenido de El Planteo: 
https://hightimes.com/

Study: Psychedelics May Help Stuttering

A newly published study from researchers at New York University found that individuals dealing with a stutter derived some benefit from substances such as psilocybin, the psychoactive compound in “magic mushrooms,” and LSD. “Given the positive effects of psychedelics on conditions like anxiety and PTSD, which share symptoms with stuttering, we think that investigating the potential impact of psychedelics on stuttering can be a fruitful area of research,” said Eric S. Jackson, an associate professor of communicative sciences and disorders at NYU Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, and the lead author of the study.  The research, published this month in the Journal of Fluency Disorders, is the “first study to explore self-reported experiences of self-identified stutterers using classic psychedelics.” “Stuttering poses challenges to social, occupational, and educational aspects of life. Traditional behavioral therapies can be helpful but effects are often limited. Pharmaceutical treatments have been explored, but there are no FDA-approved treatments for stuttering. Interest has grown in the potential use of classic psychedelics, including psilocybin and LSD, which have shown effectiveness in treating disorders with similar symptoms (e.g., anxiety, depression, PTSD). The potential effects of psychedelics on stuttering have not been explored,” Jackson and his team wrote in the study’s abstract. Stuttering is “typically characterized by its symptoms—intermittent disruptions in speech,” they added.  “Stuttering, or the possibility of stuttering, also triggers anxiety, fear, and shame which significantly impact quality of life. Negative reactions of listeners, such as teasing or mocking exacerbate these feelings, complicating the individual’s ability to cope with and move forward in speech when stuttering occurs. The speech of stutterers is amenable to change in therapy, but such change is often not durable with relics of tension, struggle, and avoidance re-emerging,” the researchers said. “To achieve lasting changes, stutterers may benefit from redefining their relationship with stuttering, exploring concepts like openness and self-acceptance. There is a pressing need for innovative approaches that support overall well-being, reduce negative thoughts and emotions, and enhance ease of communication for stutterers.” They “conducted a preliminary investigation of self-identified stutterers who report their experiences taking classic psychedelics on the online messaging forum, Reddit,” before performing a qualitative analysis on “114 publicly available posts, extracting meaningful units and assigning descriptor codes inductively.” The researchers said that their search of Reddit “yielded 167 posts, with 14 excluded for lacking firsthand accounts (e.g., describing others’ experiences) and 39 for not discussing classic psychedelics (rather, they discussed ketamine or MDMA).  “The final sample comprised 114 posts from 104 Reddit distinct users, including multiple contributions from some users. Due to 12 users deleting their usernames, the exact number of unique users was estimated to be at least 92. Results reflective of individual percentages were based on 104,” they explained. “We then deductively organized responses into an established framework of psychedelics which includes behavioral, emotional, cognitive, beliefbased, and social effects. These effects were subsequently grouped under organizing themes (positive, negative, neutral),” they wrote. A majority of the users –– 74 percent –– ”reported positive overall short-term effects particularly related to behavioral and emotional change (e.g., reduced stuttering and anxiety), but negative (9.6%), mixed (positive and negative; 4.8%), and neutral overall experiences (11.6%) were also reported.”  “The results support the possibility that psychedelics my impact stuttering, but caution must be applied in their interpretation given the entirely uncontrolled research setting and potential adverse health effects of psychedelics as reported elsewhere. While these results do not encourage the use of psychedelics by stutterers, they suggest that future work could examine the impact of psychedelics on stuttering under supervised and in clinically controlled settings,” the researchers wrote.  They explained that the “results from a qualitative analysis of self-identified stutterers’ experiences of classic psychedelics, providing an initial investigation of the potential impact of psychedelics on stuttering from the perspective of stutterers.”  The most reported effect among Reddit users, the researchers said, “was reduced stuttering, with half of users reporting a reduction in their stuttering.”  “Users also reported reduced effort, ‘improved’ speech, and increased speech control while on psychedelics or shortly thereafter,” the researchers said.  “People who stutter are in need of more effective treatments to manage intermittent disruptions in speech communication and also provide relief from distress that accompanies their social experiences, such as anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation,” they wrote in their conclusion. “To date, there are no FDA-approved pharmacotherapies to treat stuttering. Our study suggests that some users on the internet forum Reddit who self-identify as people who stutter have reported beneficial short-term outcomes.” Jackson said that the “results support the possibility that psychedelics may impact stuttering, but caution must be applied in their interpretation given the entirely uncontrolled research setting and potential adverse health effects of psychedelics as reported elsewhere.”  “While these results do not encourage the use of psychedelics by stutterers, they suggest that future work could examine the impact of psychedelics on stuttering in randomized controlled clinical trials,” Jackson said. 
https://hightimes.com/

Yale Researchers To Study Psilocybin for PTSD, Mental Conditions

A pilot program on the benefits of synthetic psilocybin for mental health issues like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is set to begin this summer at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut.  A study cohort will consist of 50 patients, mostly veterans and first responders, who are with mental health concerns like depression and addiction. Participants will take 25 mg of synthetic psilocybin, and after the psychedelic effects wind down, they will discuss issues and progress (or lack thereof) with trained therapists. Connecticut Post reports that the goal is to fulfill the need for state data that has been lacking, according to state Rep. Michelle Cook (D-Torrington). “We need to have the data to show that there is documented proof of what that therapy does,” Cook said. “We know that it has some incredible outcomes when it is done right, when it’s done by people that are trained in how to use it for treatment of PTSD and so forth.” Researchers at Yale have been studying the “psychological, neurobiological, and therapeutic effects of psychedelic substances” like psilocybin for decades.. Using a Schedule 1 drug in a clinical setting creates a set of unique problems, including the inability to use insurance. “Even though it’s a research program, you are treating them clinically. And then, in order to treat them clinically, you need to have malpractice coverage,” said Yale researcher Ben Kelmendi. Kelmendi and his team are about to embark on a first-of-its-kind study, a pilot program at Yale. Research on the medical benefits of  psilocybin have been severely hampered due to legal restrictions, Kelmendi said. Only certain qualifying conditions are acceptable in this case. PTSD, for instance, is a complex issue that many people fail to treat. “With veterans, they will not seek treatment right away,” Kelmendi said. “They will start turning to alcohol or other substances, and so that now they have a comorbidity, and that comorbidity—which really is their own way of coping—will exclude them from the study. They are real patients who are actually suffering and who actually need help. They cannot access these medicines because they do not fit that cookie-cutter profile.”  The impact of PTSD is hard to define as it affects multiple aspects of daily life. “There is no one scale that actually captures the complexity of one’s daily functional impairment. It’s actually an index of several different scales,” he said. “One is days missed at work, productivity and relationships, just more daily living. I think that is much more important than saying ‘Oh, have your PTSD symptoms improved or not?’” Participants will take 25 mg of synthetic psilocybin, enough to induce a psychedelic experience, and the therapy is patient-directed. They will be taken in a comfortable space and about six hours later, participants will undergo a psychotherapy session.  “Twenty-five milligrams would be considered a moderate dose. It’s not a heroic dose necessarily, but it’s a psychoactive dose, for sure,” Kelmendi said. “The non-directive supportive psychotherapy is to be done after the dosing rather than during the dosing.” The Yale Program for Psychedelic Science supports this goal with several currently active studies on psilocybin. These include studies on Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), cluster headaches, post-traumatic headaches, and migraines. Kelmendi is working on several of them.A 2022 report published by a working group under the direction of the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, was clear about the potential of psilocybin in therapeutic medicine.  Even people who don’t necessarily intend to gain benefits for mental health from psilocybin are still benefitting, a separate study suggests. A study published last September found that using psilocybin outside of a clinical setting was associated with mental health benefits including decreases in anxiety and depression. The research, which was published September in the journal Frontiers in Psychiatry, studied nearly 3,000 people who reported on their experience taking psilocybin mushrooms.  To conduct the study, which is reportedly the largest study of psilocybin in a naturalistic (non-clinical) setting, researchers spent two years collecting data from 2,833 participants who planned to take psilocybin for purposes of “self-exploration.” Most participants were college-educated white men in the United States who had previous experience taking psychedelic drugs. The study participants were asked to fill out five surveys as part of the research. The first survey was completed two weeks prior to the psilocybin experience, which usually consisted of ingesting dried mushrooms, and again the day before the planned psychedelic trip. The remaining surveys were taken one to three days after the experience, two to four weeks after and two to four months after taking the psilocybin.  After analyzing the data from the surveys, researchers determined that participants reported long-lasting reductions in anxiety, depression, alcohol misuse, neuroticism and burnout. Additionally, the participants reported improvements in cognitive flexibility, emotion regulation, spiritual well-being and extraversion. The new research aims to add to the body of knowledge of what is known about the effects of psilocybin.
https://hightimes.com/

Missouri Cannabis Revenue Funds $15 Million to Three Primary Beneficiaries

Since adult-use cannabis passed in Missouri in 2022, the state recently divided $15 million in adult-use sales revenue to fund support services for military veterans and substance abuse treatment programs, as well as the Missouri Public Defenders budget. That amount is projected to increase to $19 million by the time the fiscal year ends on July 1. Division of Cannabis Regulation (DCR) director Amy Moore recently said that she was pleased with the fund accumulation so far. “It is so rewarding to see the impact of this voter-approved program on organizations that provide vital services to Missourians. We look forward to watching this impact grow and are grateful to be a part of it.” Moore said. The collection of medical and adult-use cannabis revenue in Missouri differs slightly once operational costs have been paid. The constitutional amendment that legalized medical cannabis five years ago goes directly to the MVC, whereas adult-use cannabis revenue must first pay out any fees relating to cannabis offense expungement, and the leftover amounts are divided up among the three beneficiaries. These three groups include the Missouri Veterans Commission (MVC), Missouri State Public Defender, and the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS). The MVC is described as a health care and “other services” group that serves both veterans as well as their families, while the Public Defender is a legal option for low-income Missourians. The DHSS’s goal is “to operate a grant program for subrecipients to increase access to evidence-based, low-barrier drug addiction treatment prioritizing medically proven treatment and overdose prevention and reversal methods and public or private treatment options with an emphasis on reintegrating recipients into their local communities, to support overdose prevention education, and to support job placement, housing, and counseling for those with substance use disorders.” This includes maintenance of veterans’ homes and various cemeteries.  The most recent transfer to these groups on May 17 included a total of $15,229,302 split three ways, with each beneficiary receiving $5,076,434. In January 2024, Moore gave a presentation in front of the House Veterans Committee showing that the MVC will receive a total of $19 million from cannabis sales revenue by the time that the fiscal year ends on July 1. Furthermore, Moore estimated that next year that amount will increase to approximately $22 million. “The governor’s recommendation is quite a bit more than expected and that is tied to the unexpectedly robust sales, mostly on the adult-use side,” Moore said.  At the time, Moore’s data showed that Missouri had collected $98,873,147 in medical cannabis revenue ($41,406,336 of which went to DCR operating expenses and $39,978,820 to veterans). The state had also collected a total of $57,743,824 in adult-use revenue so far (split between $8,152,210 for DCR operating expenses, in addition to the three sets of beneficiaries receiving $1,278,973). The MVC has received a grand total of $39,978,820 in medical cannabis sales revenue funds since the transfer began in September 2020. During that first year, the MVC received $2,135,510, followed by $6,843,310 in September 2021, $5 million in May 2022, $13 million in September 2022, and finally $13 million in October 2023. Rep. Dave Griffith, who is also the veterans chair committee, commented on the success of legalization so far. “The amount of sales that they’ve had with commercial marijuana has been just record-breaking and exceeded all expectations and projections,” Griffith said. “Because of that, there’s going to be even more money into that pool than what they projected right after [Amendment 3] passed.” Griffith also commented that his goal is to increase the amount of funds given to the MVC to $50 million annually, citing the need for more money to better serve veterans services. “Many of them, they’re so overburdened with their caseloads that it’s hard to get in with them,” said Griffith. “If we can increase the number we have, we can start trying to cut down on that wait time many veterans have.” During the most recent round of funds transferred, Moore released a statement in October 2023 about the positive growth coming from the adult-use cannabis market. “It is incredible that Missouri voters passed the adult use amendment less than one year ago, and we are now starting to see the financial impact the program’s success will have on multiple organizations and the Missourians they serve,” Moore said. At the time, MVC executive director Paul Kirchoff also provided a statement about the benefits of the program. “These funds will help MVC continue to support the existing infrastructure of our seven Veterans Homes,” said Kirchoff. While legal cannabis continues to serve Missouri, the topic of psilocybin continues to evolve. In March, the Missouri House Veterans Committee recently passed a psilocybin legalization bill (Senate Bill 768) which if passed would allow veterans to use psilocybin therapy.  In April, the Missouri House of Representatives approved a budget bill that sets aside $10 million in psilocybin research grants, which would come from the state opioid settlement funds. The research studies would study how psilocybin affects people with opioid abuse disorder. Originally this also included the research of ibogaine for treating the disorder but was changed to focus on psilocybin instead. According to Rep. Cody Smith who introduced that budget bill, the switch from ibogaine to psilocybin was due to a discussion he had with the Department of Mental Health the week prior. “They had concerns about the ibogaine research they had read, and there are concerns about the dangers involved in that research,” said Smith. “However, they are interested in the psilocybin piece. And we’ve seen many other states use their opioid settlement funds to that end.”
https://hightimes.com/

Jelly Roll Says ‘Marijuana Has Kept Me Sober’

In an interview with Taste of Country published on May 24, Grammy Award-nominated country artist Jason “Jelly Roll” DeFord said that he smokes weed to stay away from hard drugs that he’s used in the past—namely opioids and benzodiazepines. Given his past as an addict and his role in speaking against the use of fentanyl sweeping the country, the interview quickly shifted on the topic of drugs. But Jelly Roll doesn’t see weed the same way as hard drugs which can tear families apart and lead to deadly overdoses. “I get in trouble for this, all the time, but my stance on marijuana will always be the same: I believe marijuana has helped me in so many regards, with my anxiety,” Jelly Roll told Taste of Country. “This is a hot button topic, but, truly, marijuana has kept me sober.” The country superstar paused for a moment, then added, “I think a world without weed, Jelly Roll’s drinking codeine and popping Xanax and snorting cocaine again, but a world with weed, I’ll be alright.” Jelly Roll abandoned hip-hop for a career in country music—which turned out to be a wise and lucrative decision. Jelly Roll’s album Whitsitt Chapel hit number 1 on the Billboard Top Rock Albums chart and number 2 on the Billboard Top Country Albums in 2023. In November 2023, he won the award for New Artist of the Year at the 57th Annual Country Music Association Awards. He’s won three CMT Music Awards and several other accolades. TMZ reports that Jelly Roll has been a huge voice against fentanyl use and an example for people dealing with drug addiction. Last January, he appeared in front of Congress to back anti-fentanyl legislation called the Fentanyl Eradication and Narcotics Deterrence (FEND) Off Fentanyl Act. Jelly Roll gave an opening statement at a Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee hearing about fentanyl awareness and legislative solutions to stop illegal smuggling of fentanyl. “Fentanyl transcends partisanship and ideology…this is a totally different problem,” he started the hearing with in a speech that was described by many as “powerful.” ‘The sad news is that narrative is changing, too, because the statistics say that in all likelihood almost every person in this room has lost a friend, family member of colleague to the disease known as addiction,’ DeFord told the committee chaired by Cleveland Democrat Sherrod Brown. ‘I could sit here and cry for days about the caskets I’ve carried of people I love dearly.’” His messages about fentanyl and hard drug use, and the potential of replacing them with a less dangerous substance such as pot, have made a lasting impact. Cannabis has been explored for its potential role in fighting addiction of hard drugs. Some studies have focused on CBD for treating addiction disorders, some of which are caused by compulsive cravings, while others focused on THC as well. While many studies have focused on cannabis to curb opioid use with some looking more broadly at stimulants, new research suggests that it could prove useful for those with crack use disorder (CUD). In fact, the popular non-psychoactive CBD, or cannabidiol, seems to be the key element. The study, published recently in the International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, utilized a double-blind randomized clinical trial comparing CBD to three drugs commonly used to treat CUD: fluoxetine, valproic acid and clonazepam. Authors represent a number of Brazilian academic and official institutions, comprising various departments at the University of Brasília, the Brazilian Federal District’s secretary of health and forensic institute and the Federal University of São Paulo. The research ultimately found that participants who took CBD had better health outcomes and fewer adverse effects compared to those who underwent traditional pharmaceutical options. In another study published in the journal Addictive Behaviors, researchers found that cannabis is not only widely used to manage stimulant cravings but that it may be an effective strategy to reduce stimulant use. To further analyze how cannabis use may affect people using stimulant drugs, researchers collected data from three cohorts in Vancouver, Canada: the At-Risk Youth Study (ARYS), the Vancouver Injection Drug Users Study (VIDUS) and the AIDS Care Cohort to Evaluate Exposure to Survival Services (ACCESS). Researchers used a cross-sectional questionnaire alongside logistic regression models to analyze the relationship between cannabis use to manage stimulant cravings as well as self-reported changes in the frequency of stimulant use.  Many others say cannabis replaced their daily alcohol use. The studies seem to back up some of the claims about cannabis and sobriety. Jelly Roll, like country outlaw Willie Nelson, are helping to spread the good word on cannabis to the country music world.
https://hightimes.com/

Connecticut Hires Nation’s First Weed Ombudsperson

Connecticut made legal weed regulatory history on Monday as Erin Gorman Kirk, the nation’s first cannabis ombudsperson, began work as the state’s official advocate for medical marijuana patients.  Gorman Kirk, an attorney, entrepreneur and experienced consumer advocate, is a medical marijuana patient who has been instrumental in drafting cannabis and hemp policy in Connecticut and several other states. Her personal experience with utilizing cannabis, for both herself and other patients she has helped, inspired Gorman Kirk to apply for the new position of cannabis ombudsperson, a position created by the Connecticut General Assembly last year. The state created the Office of the Cannabis Ombudsman to monitor the palliative use of cannabis and the medical marijuana industry and to act on behalf of medicinal cannabis patients and caregivers. The cannabis ombudsperson operates with administrative support from the state Office of the Healthcare Advocate. Gorman Kirk said that as Connecticut’s new cannabis ombudsperson, she intends to be a “vigilant guardian of patient interests, making sure that every decision and action taken by producers aligns with the highest standards of care and compassion.” “We will not only monitor but actively engage with all stakeholders to improve the palliative marijuana market, making Connecticut a model state for patient advocacy in the cannabis sector,” she told CTInsider. Gorman Kirk was hired from a pool of more than 800 applicants for the position. While she has been actively involved in developing cannabis policy, Gorman Kirk noted that her primary focus has been advocating for patients and consumers, not business interests. “I am not a lobbyist. Never have been. I’m an advocate,” Gorman Kirk told online news source CTNewsJunkie in a recent interview. “I do probably 750 to 1,000 hours of pro-bono a year. I’m the only lawyer in the country who did every application on a pro-bono basis for social equity candidates. That’s how much I care about people and patients.” Gorman Kirk noted that she is aware of the potential risks consumers and patients face when they use cannabis. At one time, she noticed adverse effects after using cannabis that had been grown in Connecticut. After she stopped using the products, her symptoms improved. “Someone said to me, oh, there’s a lot of mold in it. So I started to do some research,” she said. “I went to some of the people that I help with recommendations and caregiving, one of whom is a 95-year-old Parkinson’s patient, who’s a Korean War veteran, and asked them how they were feeling. Everyone was feeling poorly. And I became concerned when I realized these mold levels and or remediation levels, of which we have not been apprised, something was going on, that was different from what you get at a farm.” Connecticut legalized the medical use of marijuana in 2012, followed by the legalization of adult-use cannabis in 2021. With recreational weed now available, the number of patients registered in Connecticut’s medical marijuana program has begun to decline. In January 2023, nearly 49,000 patients were registered to use medical weed. By April of this year, the number of patients had dropped to just over 40,000. Gorman Kirk says that Connectiuct’s medical marijuana program has also seen other effects following the legalization of recreational marijuana. “There was an absolute dearth of product availability but lacking consistency,” she said. “Patients could not get the same product week after week. So, we learned that people were driving to Massachusetts to get their medicine, which concerns me deeply as an attorney. Unfortunately, as absurd as it is, you cannot take your medicine with you on vacation. And so that presented a problem and it was also a loss of revenue, and it was clear that the medical-marijuana patients had been left behind as far as I was concerned.” All regulated cannabis in Connecticut must be tested for safety and purity to protect the health of consumers and medical marijuana patients, many of whom have compromised immune systems or other serious medical challenges. A lack of uniform testing standards, however, means that cannabis that passes testing in one state may be deemed unsafe in a state with more stringent standards. Gorman Kirk says she would like to see industry-wide standards developed in the interest of public safety. “There’s a company called ASTM,” she said. “And they are trying to create standards and I think standards would be great in other states. I think Missouri, for example, won’t let you even use hybrid or Sativa or Indica. They are demanding you utilize terpenes. So, I would love to see universal standards brought in.” Lou Rinaldi, a medical cannabis patient advocate who testified before the state legislature on the bill that created the Office of the Cannabis Ombudsman, praised the launch of the new patient advocacy position in Connecticut. “It has taken far too long, but medical cannabis patients in Connecticut finally have a champion to give them a voice in their own program,” Rinaldi told CTInsider. “I am thrilled to see Erin Gorman Kirk in this role and I look forward to what will undoubtedly be a lengthy list of impactful accomplishments geared toward improving patient outcomes.”
https://hightimes.com/

Book Review: How To Play a Necromancer’s Theremin

The drug of choice in How To Play a Necromancer’s Theremin is bookpowder: “ground-up pages of a reality-disrupting book called The Unfashionable Western Spiral.” The effects are similar to DMT, and the powder can be sucked up like an anteater, made into tea, or sprinkled into a blunt. Several of the characters in the novel—a “postpostpostpostmodernmodernisthyperrealitypataphysicalexperiment” written by Chase Griffin and Christina Quay, published by Maudlin House—are on a constant trip, slipping in and out of actuality, free from the constraints of “spacetimeconsciousness.” “I stared in stoned awe at a beast with a body made of books, the head of an alligator, and teeth of broken piano keys. I gawked at a giant baby doll climbing the Eiffel Tower with thousands of spindly naked people flying out of its mouth. The visual journey ended with a serpentine creature whose lamprey mouth coiled around the door’s border as hundreds of tiny tendrils extended from the mouth’s center. The tendrils reached toward the baby doll and alligator book creature and its piano key teeth, while other nightmare beasts danced at their feet and in the background.” If a plot must be attached to this book, it’s that a group of people—fans of a cult psychedelic writer named Rocco Atleby—go on a journey to all of his old stomping grounds, beginning in Paris and ending…? It reminds me of a handful of books, though much weirder than all of them: Juan Emar’s Yesterday, where a married couple wanders around Santiago, Chile, seeing all sorts of beheadings and strange animals; Soledad Brother by George Jackson, in its frenzied attempt to write its way out of a cage; The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, self-explanatory; Mount Analogue by René Daumal and Exploits and Opinions of Dr. Faustroll, Pataphysician by Alfred Jarry, both of which can be put into the same unidentifiable category. How To Play a Necromancer’s Theremin is Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus, if Wittgenstein dropped the act. “Synthesis is not a merging. It should be renamed Step Fucking Three. Step Fucking Three is the solidification of bifurcation. Step Four, Parentheses, is when the cooperation near the center begins to get gunked up with the system’s own inherent unsustainability. And then comes Paralysis, which we already talked about.” There’s reference to glossolalia, or speaking in tongues—described as “the spontaneous discovery of the universal text that exists just below our layer of actuality.” Also, in case you’d forgotten or never knew, a theremin is an electronic musical instrument that can be played without any physical contact. For those of you that read High Times’ WEIRDOS column, I imagine this book will put a smile on your face because it’s chock-full of rants and raves, some of which touch upon the same subjects we’ve covered. “What a journey it’s been. It’s one narc after the next. These narcs keep approaching me and asking if I needed an archetypal old man in my life. What happened, by the way? Why did we stop using the word narc? Do we think narcs don’t exist? And that there’s no such thing as psy-ops? And that people from the bad side are unable to pose as a member of your good side? Why are all of us so nervous about admitting that psy-ops are real? Do all of us believe that psy-ops conspiracy fuckery is equal to lizard people and nanobot vaccines? The GSN blasted its classic rotten archetype, fnordz, holomultigraphic interfacing proscenium arch eristic analytical overlays.” The book also adds a lot of unnecessary z’s to the ends of words, like the cannabis industry—a match made in trippy drippy, goopy plasmate, phantasmagorical heaven. It can seem overwhelming until you start to go with it. Then, like all expeditions, including regular ol’ boring life, the words begin to prove themselves kind and rather inviting. How To Play a Necromancer’s Theremin is a step in the right direction toward breaking down the walls of what’s considered “normal” and “acceptable,” in literature and beyond. Hats off to those traveling in a formless state.

https://hightimes.com/

U.K. Architects Show Off ‘Hempcrete’ Studio

Kate Nicklin and Graham Mateer, the directors of Commonbond Architects, an architectural firm in London, work in a self-built studio located in the garden behind their bungalow. Nicklin and Mateer had an additional motivation for the studio. As the website AJ Building Library explains, the couple wanted “to explore the potential of using hempcrete as a breathable biocircular building material.” “The main idea behind the project was to create something that felt permanent and not like a standard lightweight timber shed,” Nicklin told Dezeen, which noted that, in addition to hempcrete, Commonbound Architects also “used reclaimed materials and a timber frame to create the cuboidal volume, which is topped with a mono-pitched roof.” “Hempcrete offered an alternative construction which was good for self-building,” Nicklin added. “We like that it can be sourced in the UK and supports small-scale growers, we like that it creates a healthy environment to be in with no off-gassing and its breathable properties, that it sequesters carbon and is ultimately biodegradable.” According to the Natural Building Alliance, a Colorado-based organization that champions natural building techniques, hempcrete is “a bio-composite building material that is created by coating and mixing particles of hemp hurd (also known as shiv – the inner woody core of a hemp plant) with water and lime and then allowing the materials to dry and harden into a natural insulation material.” “Like traditional insulation, hempcrete can be the infill material to a wall structure or the insulation material for floors, ceilings, roofs, or windows. When it comes to walls that are framed using studs or heavy timbers, builders can use temporary formwork or permanent, permeable sheathing that is situated around framing to cast monolithic hempcrete walls,” the group explains.  “Molding and casting walls involve a steady process of creating and mixing hempcrete in conjunction with a bucket brigade of helpers pouring, spreading, pressing, or tamping the hempcrete into formwork. Prior to casting and upon being dumped out of a mixer, hempcrete mixes typically look like crumbly oatmeal with no cohesion until builders squeeze and tamp the mixtures. When builders spread and press the mixture in formwork, they typically do it at a depth of four to eight inches at a time. When the formwork is full, the team of helpers can then remove and raise the slip forms for further assembly to complete the wall. For hempcrete installation that goes beyond the framing of one or both sides of the wall, builders can use spacers attached to the slip forms to extend the depth of the wall.” Nicklin and Mateer began construction on the studio in May of 2020 and completed it last July.  The RIBA Journal said that Nicklin and Mateer “had development in mind when, as project architects with 10 years’ experience at other firms, they bought the bungalow.”  “We were always doing things on skinny little sites so we saw the potential,” Nicklin told the outlet.  The RIBA Journal has more background on the studio: “A decision taken even before the final form of the building was worked out was to use hempcrete, and the pair have become enthusiastic advocates for the biocircular material. Combined with a timber frame, it provides structure, breathable insulation and fireproofing, and is so easy to use that the architects could draft in equally unskilled friends to help, making for sociable construction. Outside, the vegetal walls are coated in thick gobs of lime render flicked on with a paint scraper and finished with many thin coats of chalky limewash. Laborious but economical, says Mateer, and another pragmatic choice for people with little hands-on building experience. It gives the small building with its overhanging, monopitch roof a soft but weighty character quite distinct from a typical garden shed. Rustic roughness is also melded with some refinement: oak-framed windows – with triangular mullions inspired by a medieval house at the Weald & Downland Museum – are beautifully made, again by the architects. Even so, stepping through oak doors at either end brings surprise.  “Daylight fills the sunken rooms through garden-facing windows, set above built-in bench seating, from which ribbed oak wainscotting extends around the base of subtly textured painted hempcrete walls. Reflections from a pond dapple the soffit of the overhanging roof outside – a deliberate recreation of the effect produced by puddles on the balcony of the couple’s last flat. Small windows in the back wall are placed on the outside face to make the best of the west light.” The studio is a testament to hemp’s versatility as a material –– whether for building supplies or consumer products. A company in Ohio signed a deal with a processor earlier this year to provide raw material for hemp-based bioplastics.
https://hightimes.com/

U.S. Drug Policy Director Discusses Impact of Cannabis Rescheduling

The Office of National Drug Policy (ONDCP) director Dr. Rahul Gupta, often referred to as President Joe Biden’s appointed “drug czar,” spoke about the ongoing discussion of rescheduling cannabis. In a recent interview with Star Tribune on May 24, which was originally featured in the news outlet’s free email newsletter, the first question inquired about Gupta’s “main takeaway” in regard to federal rescheduling. “We’ve had a policy for over half a century where so many lives have been upended because of our failed approach to marijuana,” Gupta responded. “We’ve had so many people arrested, prosecuted and incarcerated. We know white, Black and brown people use marijuana at similar rates, but Black and brown incarceration rates are higher.” He cited Biden’s October 2022 announcement to pursue pardoning cannabis offenses and instructing the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Department (of Health and Human Services (HHS) to review the current schedule category that cannabis is positioned in. Now that request has been acted upon through the HHS in August 2023, with more recent moves suggesting progress within the Drug Enforcement Administration as well, Gupta commented on the importance of what happens next. “This is going to be really important to remove barriers to critical research and perhaps drug development, and it could also lead to more research into the benefits of medical marijuana,” he said. “Clearly this decision is going to have a historic and long-lasting impact.” When asked if Gupta could offer clarity in how federal law enforcement will alter their prioritization of cannabis, he referred to other substances that are included in the Schedule III classification and thus have much lower priority, such as Tylenol with codeine and testosterone. “It will have an impact on racial disparity, incarceration and prosecutions,” he said. “And whether in Massachusetts or West Virginia or Texas, Americans should be able to get treatment for their condition.” It’s important to note the differences between rescheduling cannabis and federally legalizing cannabis. Rescheduling cannabis doesn’t include approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which means that it can still lead to cannabis-related prosecution. Furthermore, the status of cannabis as a federally illegal substance means that incarcerations and prosecutions will continue if or when cannabis is rescheduled to a Schedule III substance. In another interview between WGCU and Gupta published on May 20, he suggested that Schedule I substances have no approved medical use, but anything categorized between Schedule II-V “can be prescribed when appropriate by a licensed provider who has a DEA registration…” However, the FDA hasn’t approved cannabis as a medicine overall, just a few exceptions with drugs derived from cannabis. The Star Tribune subject shifted to the topic of banking, but preferred to refer the question to others involved more closely in that discussion. “We do know the drugs that are Schedule III are in legitimate interstate commerce within the federal system. I’ll leave it to others to talk about the commercial process,” he said. “The focus for the president has been making sure Americans are able to get the help they need no matter where they live, and on the other side making sure we’re not [harming] people.” One of the final questions in the interview asked that if a new president is elected later this year, how this entire process of rescheduling could be paused, canceled, or reversed. “The president has given the opportunity to Congress to take action; he did because he could wait no longer,” Gupta said. “The independent reviews of these agencies followed established processes and procedures in getting to this result. That process is driven through science. I can’t provide any hypothetical answers to what may happen. This is a change that is driven by policy, by science, by data, regardless of the political process.” He concluded the interview by restating how the president is following through with his promise to help the people avoid being incarcerated. “The president has been very consistent: No one should be in jail for using or possessing marijuana,” Gupta said. “These steps to move marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III is a policy that is consistent with science in the 21st century.” Former ONDCP director Gil Kerlikowske, who served under former President Barack Obama between 2009-2014, recently spoke on the podcast Sagely Speaking with Mary Bono on May 13. Kerlikowske’s response to Biden’s approach to rescheduling cannabis was more negative. “It’s not medicine. This is all Big Cannabis,” Kerlikowske said. “This isn’t people my age that are just old hippies that want to open up a pot shop somewhere. This is a huge business like Big Tobacco. Absolutely.” He explained that the HHS decided not to reschedule cannabis due to no evidence of health three years ago, but now has changed its tune, with the DOJ expected to follow suit. Later on in the discussion, Kerlikowske compared the rise of cannabis to the rise of Big Tobacco.
https://hightimes.com/

Gratitude Increases After Ayahuasca Experience, Study Shows

Individuals in a survey reported greater gratitude, nature relatedness, and nature appreciation after embarking on an ayahuasca retreat experience.  The active chemical in ayahuasca is DMT (dimethyltryptamine) and it also contains monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) that play a role. The survey respondents rated effects on several scales to determine which effects were most prominent. PsyPost reported Tuesday that 65 participants were observed who attended a well-known ayahuasca retreat in Costa Rica frequented by Americans. The study, “Effects of Ayahuasca on Gratitude and Relationships with Nature: A Prospective, Naturalistic Study,” was published recently in the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs. The study was led by Jacob S. Aday and a team of researchers associated with Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. Aday was assisted by Emily K. Bolesch, Alan Kooi Davis, Sarah E. Domoff, Kyle Scherr, Josh D. Woolley, and Christopher C Davoli. Sixty-five participants attended the Soltara Healing Center in Puntarenas Province, Gigante, Costa Rica. Soltara is an all-inclusive ayahuasca retreat center where attendees pay to participate in ayahuasca ceremonies with indigenous Shipibo curanderos (plant healers) from Peru. It’s attracted celebrities such as former New York Jet and commentator Aaron Rodgers. As compensation for their participation, study authors entered participants in a drawing to potentially win $100. The participants stayed at the Soltara center for 5-12 nights and participated in 2-7 ayahuasca ceremonies during their stay. Participants received an email with the study survey, and in it, they completed assessments of gratitude using an Appreciation Scale, relatedness to nature using a Nature Relatedness Scale, and the appreciation of nature using an Appreciation of Nature Scale. The second survey contained the same three assessments from the first one, plus more related to their ayahuasca experiences: mystical experiences during the ceremonies using an Mystical Experience Questionnaire, awe using an Awe Experience Scale, and ego dissolution using an Ego Dissolution Inventory. Researchers observed that gratitude increased significantly after the retreat. Nature relatedness and appreciation of nature were also more pronounced after the retreat. These increases were more pronounced in participants who reported stronger mystical experiences. “Here, participants completed validated surveys related to gratitude, nature relatedness, and nature appreciation one-week before, one-week after, and one-month after attending an ayahuasca retreat center,” the study reads. “Compared to baseline, there was a significant increase in gratitude, nature relatedness, and nature appreciation at the one-week and one-month follow-ups. Ratings of mystical-type experiences and awe, but not ego dissolution, during participants’ ayahuasca sessions were weakly-to-moderately correlated with these increases.” Researchers were also able to learn several more things about the impact of an ayahuasca experience. “The number of ayahuasca ceremonies attended at the retreat was not related to change in outcomes, underscoring the importance of the quality rather than the quantity of the experiences in post-acute change,” the study continues. “Lastly, participant age was negatively related to the occurrence of mystical-type experiences and awe, supporting literature indicating blunted psychedelic effects with increased age. In the context of study limitations, the results suggest that mystical-type experiences and awe occasioned by ayahuasca may be linked to prosocial changes in gratitude and relationships with nature that may be beneficial to mental health.” Interestingly, the strength of ego dissolution experiences and the number of ayahuasca ceremonies attended were not associated with significant changes in the level of gratitude, appreciation of nature, and nature relatedness. Many other potential uses for ayahuasca in therapy are being explored. A study published earlier this year, for instance, found that ayahuasca may help individuals become less narcissistic. The findings, published in April 2023 in the Journal of Personality Disorders and based on a three-month evaluation of more than 300 adults, suggested that after “ceremonial use of ayahuasca, self-reported changes in narcissism were observed,” although the researchers did urge some caution. “However, effect size changes were small, results were somewhat mixed across convergent measures, and no significant changes were observed by informants. The present study provides modest and qualified support for adaptive change in narcissistic antagonism up to 3 months following ceremony experiences, suggesting some potential for treatment efficacy. However, meaningful changes in narcissism were not observed. More research would be needed to adequately evaluate the relevance of psychedelic-assisted therapy for narcissistic traits, particularly studies examining individuals with higher antagonism and involving antagonism-focused therapeutic approaches,” the researchers wrote. Another study published in the British Journal of Pharmacology in February explored how ayahuasca (shortened to AYA for the use in this study) and DMT interacts with serotonin receptors in the part of the brain that regulates fear. In that study, ayahuasca was found to affect serotonin receptors in the infralimbic cortex of the brain, where fear is regulated. With a better understanding of how ayahuasca impacts gratitude and a connectedness with nature, we can better understand how it could be applied in psychedelic-assisted therapy.
https://hightimes.com/

California Psychedelics Legalization Advocates Push for 2026 Ballot Initiative

Psychedelics policy reform advocates in California are calling for a ballot initiative to legalize certain drugs including psilocybin and MDMA after legislative attempts at change failed to cross the finish line two years in a row. Last year, California lawmakers approved a bill from Democratic state Senator Scott Wiener that would have allowed regulated access to certain psychedelic substances. However, California Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed the legislation in October, calling on the legislature to instead pass regulations to govern the therapeutic use of psychedelic drugs. Wiener responded earlier this year with a new bill he co-authored with several Senate colleagues to regulate the therapeutic use of psychedelics. But that measure is now apparently dead for the legislative session after a Senate committee failed to advance the bill earlier this month. After two unsuccessful bids at psychedelics reform in the legislature, advocates for change including Wiener are considering a ballot initiative to allow voters to decide the issue. “We are not giving up, whether that means introducing a new bill or ballot measure, this issue is not going away,” Wiener told KQED public television news after the bill’s demise. “We know these substances are helping people turn their lives around.” Wiener said that the psychedelics legalization ballot measure would likely appear on the ballot for the 2026 general election. He added that he may also return to the legislature with another bill, noting that both avenues of change can be pursued simultaneously. Psychedelics advocates are considering whether a potential ballot measure should be broader than the bill to regulate the therapeutic use of the drugs sought by Newsom and are looking to the governor to take a leadership position on the issue. “We hope Governor Newsom puts his action where his mouth is. He’s the one that suggested this bill. Now is the time for him to also be a leader in this space and help us find a path forward,” former Army Ranger Jesse Gould told KQED. In 2017, Gould launched the Heroic Heart Project to help fellow military veterans gain access to psychedelics-assisted therapeutic services. Many vets seek out such services in foreign countries where regulations are more permissive to treat post-traumatic stress disorder or other mental health challenges. Others make use of unregulated therapists in the United States. Advocates for change say all paths to reform are still under consideration. “All options are on the table. A ballot measure certainly is,” Gould said. “It’s clear that if the politicians won’t speak for their people then we need to bring this to the people. And this is a popular subject for voters in California.” Support for psychedelics policy reform is growing nationwide, with cities including Seattle, San Francisco, Denver and Washington, D.C. passing ordinances to effectively decriminalize possession of some psychedelic drugs. Public opinion surveys show strong support for reform, including a 2023 U.C. Berkeley poll showing that 61% of American registered voters support legalizing the therapeutic use of psychedelics. “Californians will continue to seek out psychedelics for all sorts of reasons, including to help alleviate mental health challenges like PTSD, depression and anxiety. Many will do so without guided support and use psychedelics on their own, which increases risks,” said Jared Moffat, Campaign Director for the Alliance for Safer Use of Psychedelics, in a statement. “We’re not backing down, and will keep pushing to ensure facilitated access to psychedelics becomes a reality in California and that Californians are protected from harm.” The calls for a psychedelics legalization ballot measure come less than two weeks after Wiener’s most recent legislation, Senate Bill 1012, was rejected by a legislative committee in the upper chamber of the California state legislature. Despite the failure, the San Francisco Democrat vowed to renew the fight. But future legislation could be a hard sell with state leaders facing shortfalls in the upcoming budget. “We’ve been working for four years to legalize access to psychedelics in California, to bring these substances out of the shadows and into the sunlight, and to improve safety and education around their use,” Wiener said in a May 16 statement after the Senate Appropriations Committee declined to advance the bill. “We’re in a terrible budget year, where all bills with significant costs are at risk. Nevertheless, it’s disappointing for this bill not to move forward. Psychedelics have massive promise in helping people heal and get their lives back on track. It makes enormous sense for California to lead in creating regulated access under the supervision of a licensed professional. I’m highly committed to this issue, and we’ll continue to work on expanding access to psychedelics.”
https://hightimes.com/

Atlanta Lawmaker Pushes City To Study Psilocybin, Ketamine Treatments

A city councilmember in Atlanta has proposed a measure that could open the door for both psilocybin and ketamine treatments. The councilmember, Liliana Bakhtiari, believes that health plans for city workers should include the treatments, which research has shown to be effective in combating mental health disorders such as PTSD. “We should be offering our employees — and especially our first responders, who are expected to be superhuman — the same amount of grace and providing them with a tool set to essentially overcome this issue,” Bakhtiari said in an interview with Axios. Per Axios, the proposal “tasks the city’s HR department with studying the pros and cons of ketamine and psilocybin to treat mental health issues and whether the employee health plan could cover the treatments.” The outlet adds that “ketamine can be taken under the care of a psychiatrist” in Georgia, and that Bakhtiari “says she has used ketamine therapy to treat past trauma,” and that “some sessions can cost roughly $350 out of pocket.” As a councilmember, Bakhtiari has been a vocal champion of the treatment and drug reform. In 2022, Bakhtiari introduced a resolution that would have “formally request[ed] that police make it ‘the lowest law enforcement priority’ to investigate or arrest people for ‘planting, cultivating, purchasing, transporting, distributing, engaging in practices with, or possessing Entheogenic Plants, Fungi, and Spores or plant compounds,’” Marijuana Moment reported at the time. With a growing body of research on the efficacy of psychedelics as a mental health treatment, more lawmakers across the country have pushed for reform. Earlier this year in Vermont, lawmakers passed a measure to set up a working group to look into psychedelics and their application in therapy. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore signed a similar bill into law earlier this month. The measure will create the “Task Force on Responsible Use of Natural Psychedelic Substances,” a 17-member panel that will make recommendations designed to “[enable] broad, equitable, and affordable access to psychedelic substances.” The law requires the task force to make the recommendations “regarding any changes to State law, policies, and practices needed to create a program that enables broad, equitable, and affordable access to psychedelic substances; and requiring the Task Force to report its findings to the Governor and the General Assembly on or before July 31, 2025.” Meanwhile, a bill recently introduced in the New York Assembly would legalized psilcoybin service centers. The proposal would change the existing law “in relation to promoting the health and well-being of the citizens of the state of New York by establishing a comprehensive framework supporting public health and safety through regulated adult use, support services, and cultivation of psilocybin-containing fungi.” Additionally, the bill would seat up the “Regulated Psilocybin Advisory Board,” comprised of 13 members who would be charged with studying laws and policies pertaining to psilocybin, and then provide recommendations to the state’s Department of Health. Per the text of the bill, the board would “develop a long-term strategic plan for ensuring that psilocybin services in the state will become and remain a safe, accessible and affordable therapeutic option, including in therapeutic and medical treatments, for all persons eighteen years of age and older for whom psilocybin services may be appropriate.” A study published earlier this year revealed that individuals with major depressive disorder experienced improvement in their symptoms following intravenous ketamine infusion therapy. The report, based on a clinical trial involving 75 patients across four sites in the United States, was published in the Journal of Affective Disorders. The patients “received 3 IV ketamine infusions over an 11-day period.”  “Key exclusion criteria were psychotic symptoms, significant substance abuse, unstable medical conditions, and any use of cannabis. Pre-existing antidepressant medication was maintained. Primary outcome was remission as measured by Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS), with secondary outcome of 50 % reduction in Beck Suicide Scale score. Safety monitoring and varying durations of infusions were also key parameters,” the authors of the study wrote.  “The consistency of outcomes across 4 clinical sites and across multiple instruments, suggests high acute efficacy and safety of IV ketamine for serious depressive episodes. Duration of infusion did not alter outcomes,” the authors wrote in their conclusion.  “Meaningfully, 40 % of non-responders after a single infusion did reach remission subsequently, while only 20 % of non-responders after 2 infusions achieved remission, suggesting early response is suggestive for eventual remission. Our data on varying ketamine infusion duration adds novel insights into the clinical administration of this new treatment for refractory and severe patients. Our limitations included a lack of a control group, necessitating caution about conclusions of efficacy, balanced by the utility of reporting “real-world” outcomes across multiple clinical sites. We could also not separately analyze results for bipolar disorder due to small numbers. Together, the Bio-K clinical results are promising and provide significant sample sizes for forthcoming biological markers analyses.
https://hightimes.com/

2024 Farm Bill Amendment Would Ban Hemp-Derived THC Products

The U.S. House Committee on Agriculture recently released a 942-page draft of the 2024 Farm Bill, also called the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2024, on May 17. Currently the bill is projected to cost $1.5 trillion over a 10-year period. During a Farm Bill hearing on May 23, the committee passed an group of amendments en bloc, one of which would essentially prohibit all hemp-derived products. In its current form, the amendment would implement a ban on “all ingestible hemp products with any level of THC.” It would also redefine hemp to “only include naturally occurring, naturally derived, and non-intoxicating cannabinoids,” and remove cannabinoids “synthesized or manufactured outside of the plant” from the definition of legal hemp. The amendment was proposed by Illinois Rep. Mary Miller. “My amendment will close the loophole created in the 2018 Farm Bill that allows intoxicating hemp products like delta-8 to be sold,” Miller said on May 23. “These products are being marketed to children and sending hundreds of them to the hospital. We must stop teenagers and young children from being exposed to addictive and harmful drugs.” Some representatives expressed support for Miller’s amendment, but requested more information. Tennessee Rep. John Rose explained that more clarification is necessary to separate the “intentional and unintentional products” in the 2018 hemp definition. Virginia Rep. Abigail Spanberger added that she only seeks to make changes that would benefit farmers in her state. “Greater clarity is incredibly important, and particularly for fiber hemp producers, this amendment would make clear the valuable work that they do and make clear the viability of their product,” Spanberger added. However, many more legislators opposed the amendment, such as Indiana Rep. Jim Baird. He argued that since the 2018 Farm Bill was passed, many farmers have invested everything they had into farm businesses. “American farmers deserve the certainty afforded with the current definition of hemp. The proposed amendment arbitrarily changes the current congressionally written definition of hemp,” Baird said. While Miller’s amendment is an attempt to protect children, Rep. Derrick Van Orden argued that many Americans have embraced their hemp businesses as their livelihood in order to care for their families. “American farmers deserve the certainty afforded with the current definition of hemp,” said Van Orden. “The proposed amendment arbitrarily changes the current congressionally written definition of hemp.” Indiana Rep Zach Nunn also echoed this opinion, stating that he wants to work with his colleagues to protect kids from drugs, but the amendment “goes too far” by banning hemp grain and fiber industries. Many hemp organizations such as the independent nonprofit U.S. Hemp Roundtable immediately released statements regarding the  news. “We had been assured on several occasions by committee staff and the Chairman personally that they would not support any effort to kill the hemp industry,” the organization wrote about the en bloc amendment passage. “But unfortunately, the decision was made by the Chairman to use a procedural tactic to avoid a separate vote on the issue.  And that resulted in passage of a deeply flawed and deeply objectionable policy.” The Farm Bill and its amendments have been sent to the House floor for discussion, but the U.S. Hemp remains confident that it won’t pass. “Even if the House should pass the Farm Bill, the differences between House Republicans and Senate Democrats are considerable at this point,” the organization continued. “And even if the major issues dividing the parties are resolved, we continue to have many friends in both branches on both sides of the aisle who will work with us to defeat this hemp-killing language.” Indigenous Cannabis Industry Association founder Rob Pero (also called Bad River) also published a statement expressing concern, especially for the unknown effects such an amendment would have on CBD products. “This would not only impact potentially impairing products like Delta-8 but would also extend to non-intoxicating CBD products with any quantifiable amount of THC” Pero stated. “Such a broad prohibition would effectively eliminate 90-95% of the hemp products market, jeopardizing the livelihoods of countless farmers, entrepreneurs, and Indigenous communities relying on the hemp industry for economic sustainability.” The National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA) expressed its recommendations on how to best regulate intoxicating hemp products, as according to its paper, “Navigating the Future of Cannabinoid Regulation.” This includes regulating intoxicating THC hemp products in the same manner as cannabis or alcohol, increasing the THC percentage allowance in hemp products to 1% (up from 0.3%), and creating “reasonable” THC content limits per serving. “Congress has the opportunity to protect public health and support small businesses by enacting sensible regulations for cannabinoid products,” said NCIA CEO Aaron Smith.
https://hightimes.com/

Eaze Faces Foreclosure Amid Legal Challenges

Eaze—California’s largest cannabis delivery service, once valued at $700 million and backed by Snoop Dogg—now faces foreclosure. SFGate reports that it follows an ownership battle in court for the once-mighty delivery service that’s dragged on for over a year.  WeedWeek reports that the company defaulted on a loan issued by tech investor Jim Clark. Clark, who founded Netscape, among other entities, invested in Eaze and took over a role on the company’s board of directors since 2021. In August 2022, a shell company co-owned by him issued a $36.9 million loan to Eaze that gave Clark power to seize control of Eaze if it failed to meet monthly revenue requirements laid out by Clark’s company, according to a 2023 lawsuit filed by other Eaze investors. Clark currently is foreclosing on the company and demanding all collateral owned by Eaze, according to the court filing. Cory Azzalino, Eaze’s CEO, told SFGate that the foreclosure is the result of a dispute among the company’s investors. The investors believed they could be losing their equity rights to the company.  In another lawsuit, Clark allegedly misrepresented the company’s financial status to attract more investment in the company, but that lawsuit was dismissed by a San Francisco judge in November 2023. But Azzalino clarified that the foreclosure would not affect the company’s immediate operations and said Eaze is still in a “healthy financial position.” San Francisco-based Eaze launched in 2014 by Keith McCarty to deliver medical cannabis to patients across California. But two years later, as the company grew, McCarty stepped down from his position as CEO. Several spinoff companies launched such as EazeMD, a service that helps people get a recommendation for medical cannabis from a doctor, and Eaze Insights, a research company. Eaze Wellness, on the other hand, provides products infused with CBD. “As California’s largest legal cannabis marketplace, we bring enjoyment and convenience to our customers, break down barriers to access, and cultivate community in everything we do,” the company states. “With nearly 8 million cannabis deliveries to-date, we are committed to creating a more diverse and sustainable industry through our Momentum business accelerator, Social Equity Partners and Eaze Compassion Programs.” “Eaze’s mission is to deliver good with the goods,” the company states, describing its social equity values. “We believe the legal cannabis market can help address some of the biggest problems facing America and supports social and economic initiatives around key issues important to the cannabis community. Every day, we work to embody the values of increasing access, supporting patients, and addressing harm caused by the War on Drugs.  In 2019, Eaze had to scale back ambitions after projecting it would sell $1 billion worth of cannabis in 2020 to less than $500 million in gross transaction value. Unionization efforts have clashed with Eaze leadership. MJBizDaily reports that 500 of the company’s delivery drivers and depot employees in Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, and Northern California were ready to walk off the job after negotiations fell apart last March to secure the first labor contract between staffers and the San Francisco-based delivery company. Last April, nearly 600 workers at 11 depot locations owned by Eaze, a cannabis-delivery company in southern and northern California, threatened to strike over pay and conditions. United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) applauded the strike after members rejected Eaze’s final union contract offer. Former driver Ron Swallow and his co-workers unionized with near unanimous support in March 2023. “They cut our mileage rate. We’d been hired at 56 cents a mile and then they cut it to 42 cents,” Swallow told The Guardian. “That cost drivers $300 to $700 a month on average, depending on how much you drive and that was pretty annoying. It was also the first time in my whole life I’ve ever come to a job and then been told I was going to get paid less.” Swallow explain other issues he ran into while working for the company. “They wanted to offer us 45 cents and we of course said no to that because it didn’t get us back up to where we started out. We’re very united,” said Swallow. “When you join with a union, you just become the union, the people working become that and that is one of the coolest things that I’ve seen, drivers come together just being supportive of each other and our staff as well, because our staff is underpaid, too.” Eaze of Sacramento also joined the Teamsters. Last March, delivery drivers at Eaze in Sacramento voted unanimously to join Teamsters Local 150. California’s cannabis industry as a whole has hit some major hurdles. MedMen, the largest cannabis distributor in California once worth billions of dollars, declared bankruptcy last month. In addition, dispensary chains have faced similar clashes with union memes.
https://hightimes.com/

Majority of Texans Now Support Legalizing Pot for Adult Use

A statewide poll in Texas revealed that six out of 10 adults support legalizing cannabis in the state—the first time the poll has shown a solid majority. The issue of cannabis is gaining increasing bipartisan support, gaining support from states that typically vote blue or red. According to results from the 18th annual Texas Lyceum Poll, 60% of adult Texans say they support adult-use cannabis—representing a 14% jump from the last time the survey asked about marijuana in 2015. “Overall, 60% of Texas adults say that they support legalizing the use of marijuana in Texas, a 14 point increase since the question was last asked in 2015, when a majority of voters (50%) expressed opposition. Asked about expanding legal casino gambling in Texas, 57% of Texans said they would be supportive of expanded casino gambling, while 28% said they would be opposed.” The Dallas Morning News reports that only older adults, Republicans, and self-identified conservatives were divided on support for adult-use cannabis. Among Texans over the age of 65 and Republicans, 49% said they support legalization, and among those who identified as conservative, 46% were in support, and 31% of those polled said they oppose cannabis legislation. The questions weren’t always clear as to why people oppose legalizing cannabis. For instance, some simply want to decriminalize it instead: Among those who oppose legalization, 42% said that they would support decriminalizing possession of small amounts to a citation and fine. The poll also asked about numerous other topics such as politics, religion, housing, and space exploration. Gambling is also gaining support in Texas, according to the Texas Lyceum Poll. In November of this year, the Texas Lyceum will hold a conference on South Padre Island entitled, “Win, Lose or Draw: The Future of Marijuana and Gambling in the Lone Star State.” The state’s unique politics come into play when it comes to cannabis. Texans have voted Republican in every general election since 1976.  Some analysts believe that having a Bush on the ticket in every election from 1980 through 2004 (except 1996) helped cement Texas as a “reliably red state.” In 2020 however, that lead waned, and Donald Trump won the state by 6.5% over Joe Biden, the narrowest margin since 1996. But the demographics in Texas are changing quickly. Patients who are eligible can access low-level THC cannabis under the state’s compassionate use program, established in 2015. But it only allows certain physicians to prescribe low-THC products to patients with seizure disorders, multiple sclerosis, and other conditions. The Texas Legislature expanded the program’s eligibility to include patients with all forms of PTSD and cancer in 2021. Decriminalization attempts at the city level have faced opposition from state leaders. Last February, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed lawsuits against five cities that have passed cannabis decriminalization measures. The lawsuit was filed against the cities of Austin, San Marcos, Killeen, Elgin, and Denton “for adopting amnesty and non-prosecution policies that violate Texas laws concerning marijuana possession and distribution,” according to the attorney general’s office. In 2022, the five cities enacted ordinances or civic policies that bar police officers from enforcing state laws prohibiting the possession or distribution of cannabis.  After filing the lawsuits, Paxton said that such policies are prohibited by the Texas Local Government Code, which bars municipal and county governments from adopting “a policy under which the entity will not fully enforce laws relating to drugs.” “I will not stand idly by as cities run by pro-crime extremists deliberately violate Texas law and promote the use of illicit drugs that harm our communities,” Paxton said in a statement on Wednesday. “This unconstitutional action by municipalities demonstrates why Texas must have a law to ‘follow the law.’ It’s quite simple: the legislature passes every law after a full debate on the issues, and we don’t allow cities the ability to create anarchy by picking and choosing the laws they enforce.” In 2022, Denton voters approved an ordinance to decriminalize cannabis, with 71% of voters in favor, but some officers and the mayor of Denton ignored the law anyways. High Times also reported on Texas cops who essentially ignored hemp laws in Texas and the 2018 Farm Bill and raided hemp sellers anyways. Currently, possession of up to two ounces of cannabis in most areas of Texas is a Class B misdemeanor and punishable by up to 180 days in jail and a fine of up to $2,000. Possession of over two ounces can result in up to a year in jail, and more than four ounces is a felony crime, with a mandatory minimum sentence of two years. Any amount of cannabis concentrate is considered a felony in Texas punishable with a minimum $10,000 fine and 180 days in jails. In addition, paraphernalia is also illegal and can result in a $500 fine.

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