Growing

American marijuana industry leaders are looking at the impending legalization of recreational marijuana in Canada as a potential asset, rather than a threat to their own businesses. “Anything that moves the conversation forward in terms of legalization is a broad positive,” Hadley Ford, managing partner of New York cannabis-centric holding company iAnthus Capital, said.

Industry insiders expect that a successful rollout of a legal Canadian market will boost investor confidence in the global cannabis market, which will in turn benefit American canna-businesses.

After their triumphs in the US and Canada

Uruguay, which in July will become the first country selling state-produced cannabis in pharmacies for recreational use, will open a user registry on Tuesday, authorities said.


Any Uruguayan or permanent resident wishing to purchase cannabis in that way will be required to register.
The drug will be sold for $1.30 per gram, in five and 10-gram packets, with each user limited to 10 grams (0.35 ounce) per week.
For now, Uruguay has a supply of 400 kilos (880 pounds) of marijuana on hand, produced by two private firms under state control.

Maryland Governor Larry Hogan has ordered a study to investigate whether minorities are getting equal opportunities to become involved in the state's growing medical marijuana industry. The disparity study will be initiated by the Governor's Office of Minority Affairs, working in conjunction with the state's medical marijuana commission and transportation department.

The study was ordered in response to lobbying from the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland, who have been fighting to ensure equal opportunities in the new industry.

The Weed Blog is excited to announce that one of Oregon’s premier cannabis farms, Yerba Buena, has created and released their highest testing CBD strain, “Corazon” (Spanish for “Heart”). This new highest testing CBD strain is a cross between Charlotte’s Web and AC/DC. Testing at 22.5% CBD and 2.71% THC by Pixis Labs under Oregon’s ORELAP-certified testing regulations, the Corazon has the highest recorded CBD content in history.

Marijuana poised to steal market share from the alcohol industry. A new study from OutCo and Monocle Research shows 51% of millennials in California will replace alcohol with marijuana.

Researchers are using liquid chromatography tandem-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) to identify and characterize metabolites of synthetic cannabinoids (SCBs). A better understanding of how metabolic pathways transform synthetic cannabinoids can provide information needed to develop new treatments to counteract the drug's effects. Credit: Anna Radominska-Pandya, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
Synthetic cannabinoid abuse is a growing problem in the United States, with new versions of the drugs coming on the market every year. New research is examining how the body processes these man-made drugs and the role that genetics might play in their metabolism.

Since Prop 64 was passed last November, California has anxiously prepared for what will undoubtedly make it the central hub of the world’s cannabis industry. But while the Left Coast braces itself for the explosive market that recreational legalization is predicted to create, regulators and utility companies are concerned about how cultivation will impact the state’s energy supply.   

Back in February, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) hosted a workshop to study the potential effects of large-scale cannabis cultivation on the state’s power grid.

Legal cannabis has been regulated in Washington State since the first recreational pot shop opened in the summer of 2014.

Higher than ever, a new Quinnipiac poll released on 4/20 indicates America’s recently surveyed electorate overwhelmingly supports the idea of legalizing marijuana in the United States.
Broken down along several demographics, the poll surveyed 1,062 voters from April 12 – April 18.