NewsRoom Articles - Page 41 of 593

TuesdayJul 09, 2024 4:20 pm

420 with CNW — NCAA Removes Cannabis from List of Banned Substances

Marijuana will no longer be prohibited for Division 1 athletes following a vote by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The decision comes approximately five months after the association’s Division I Council recommended the change. The new policy highlights that cannabis should be viewed similarly to alcohol because it isn’t a performance-enhancing substance. Further, the change follows a 2022 policy revision that increased the allowable THC levels for college athletes, bringing the NCAA’s rules in line with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). The new rule modifies the NCAA’s drug-testing guidelines for student-athletes participating in postseason football and sports championships, applying…

MondayJul 08, 2024 4:20 pm

420 with CNW — Brazilian Supreme Court Ends Criminalization of Cannabis Possession for Personal Use

The Brazilian Supreme Court recently voted to decriminalize cannabis possession for personal use, joining other Latin American nations in this reform and potentially reducing its substantial prison population. The majority of the justices, since the discussions began in 2015, have supported this move. The justices now need to decide on the maximum amount of cannabis considered for personal use, with the effective date of the ruling expected soon. The justices who favored the decision noted that decriminalization should only apply to personal use amounts, keeping the sale of drugs illegal. A 2006 bill passed by the U.S. Congress sought to…

MondayJul 08, 2024 10:00 am

Advocates Say GOP Using Marijuana Odor as Excuse to Preach Prohibition

In the last couple of years, we have seen the District of Columbia and 24 other states legalize the recreational use of marijuana. Fourteen other states have also approved the drug for medical use. Of the total number of states that have legalized recreational use, New York is the only state that doesn’t penalize the drug’s use in public. Now, some GOP legislators claim that the public consumption of cannabis is a nuisance to individuals who don’t like the smell. Advocates of cannabis legalization argue that legislators are overstating the scale of the issue and using the smell as a…

FridayJul 05, 2024 4:20 pm

420 with CNW — Marijuana Operators in Pennsylvania Complain About Software Mandated by Regulators

Pennsylvania’s medical cannabis market generated more than $1.3 billion in sales in 2023, despite numerous issues and outages with the state’s mandated track-and-trace software. Operators claim these problems could be avoided if the software provided by MJ Freeway functioned correctly. Although MJ Freeway recently merged with BioTrack to form Alleaves, it remains the sole provider under a contract established in 2017. Industry operators and a few legislators have voiced frustrations regarding MJ Freeway’s lack of a two-way Application Programming Interface (API) with other approved software used for sales and inventory management. This means businesses must manually input data, such as…

FridayJul 05, 2024 10:00 am

US Transportation Secretary Says Marijuana Reclassification Won’t Change Trucker Drug Testing

Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg recently announced that cannabis’ reclassification wouldn’t impact drug testing policies for truckers. While speaking at a congressional hearing this past week, he explained that this was primarily because the U.S. Transportation Department listed cannabis as a substance to screen for. Buttigieg had been responding to a question tabled during a hearing of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure asked by Representative Rick Crawford. Crawford had brought up concerns about the extensive public safety and health consequences of cannabis rescheduling on the country’s highway system and those who used it, such as members of the…

WednesdayJul 03, 2024 10:00 am

IRS Tells Cannabis Firms That 280E Tax Deductions Are Unavailable Till CSA Reclassification Complete

In a recent press release, the Internal Revenue Service advised that cannabis companies refrain from taking federal tax deductions for business expenses. While these deductions are provided for other businesses under section 280E, cannabis businesses aren’t allowed to mainly because the drug is still a controlled substance. Section 280E doesn’t allow credits or deductions for any amount incurred or paid in conducting any business or trade that includes trafficking a Schedule 1 or 2 substance. This applies to businesses that sell cannabis, even if they operate in legal states. Currently, cannabis is classified as a Schedule 1 substance under the…

TuesdayJul 02, 2024 4:20 pm

420 with CNW — Study Finds Older Medical Marijuana Patients Experience Marked Health, Well-Being Improvements

A recent study has revealed that medical cannabis can offer numerous therapeutic benefits for older adults, positively impacting their mood, sleep, health and well-being. The study observed significant reductions in both pain interference and severity in older adults who use cannabis to manage chronic pain. Published in the “Drugs and Aging Journal,” the study addresses the limited high-quality studies on marijuana use among older adults. Typically, clinical trials exclude participants older than 65 years of age, even as this demographic increasingly turns to medical cannabis for relief. The research, which was carried out by a group from Drug Science and…

MondayJul 01, 2024 4:20 pm

420 with CNW — Florida Medical Cannabis Patients Surprised by Email Blast

Florida boasts more than 700,000 medical cannabis patients, and GOP Governor Ron DeSantis, who is currently opposing a proposal to legalize recreational cannabis, wants to highlight his achievements to this targeted group. Recently, Florida’s Health Department sent out an email to medical-cannabis patients, praising DeSantis for signing the state’s budget. The email also promoted a cancer research initiative by First Lady Casey DeSantis and highlighted various health issues addressed in the budget, including syphilis, HIV and hepatitis. However, the email did not mention medical cannabis, which has raised concerns among advocates and patients who argue that the administration misused the…

MondayJul 01, 2024 10:00 am

DEA’s Rescheduling of Marijuana Could Be Delayed Beyond November Polls

Some experts believe that legislators that opposing the reclassification of marijuana under Schedule 3 may call for public hearings that will delay the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) final rule past the election. Some claim that this is the goal — to prevent President Joe Biden from boosting his appeal to younger voters. The 60-day public comment period on marijuana rescheduling, which shall inform the DEA’s decision, is set to lapse on July 20, 2024. Thirty days after this period ends, the DEA is expected to decide on whether to move marijuana from its Schedule I classification. The decision will…

FridayJun 28, 2024 4:20 pm

420 with CNW — Ohio Companies Prepare for Recreational Cannabis Sales Launch

Ohio’s move from solely medical cannabis sales to also allowing recreational sales is taking a unique path compared to other states. The specific date for the start of recreational sales remains unclear, even though the application period for converting medical cannabis licenses to dual-use began on June 7, 2024. Industry insiders anticipate that the first dual-use licenses might be approved in the coming weeks, but state officials have not confirmed this timeline. Ohio’s regulators are also prioritizing applications from testing labs, cultivators and processors over retailers. This means cannabis businesses and consumers will see approvals happen in stages based on…