Last week, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) shared that marijuana would be rescheduled from a Schedule I, meaning that the plant was classified as a substance with no accepted medical value, such as heroin, to a Schedule III, controlled substances that allow for some medical use, such as ketamine. While cannabis advocates, stoners, and anyone with the ability to reason welcomed this news (although it fell short of actually declassifying or legalizing it), just a day following the DEA announcement, a prominent group opposed to cannabis legalization already sent out an email to its supp ..read more

Margaret “Peggy” Mellon Hitchcock, an ultra-wealthy heiress who grew up in the Andrew Mellon estate and its fortunes, funded LSD-fueled adventures for Dr. Timothy Leary and Dr. Richard “Ram Dass” Alpert, passed away on April 9 and an elaborate obituary was written by Penelope Green for the New York Times on May 3. “Pretty Peggy Hitchcock was an international jet-setter, renowned as the colorful patroness of the livelier arts and confidante of jazz musicians, racecar drivers, writers, movie stars. Stylish, and with a wry sense of humor, Peggy was considered the most innovative and artistic of t ..read more

On May 2, the Alaska House of Representatives recently approved House Bill 228 in a 36-4 vote, which would establish a task force to regulate various psychedelic-assisted therapies. The official name of the group will be Alaska Task Force for the Regulation of Psychedelic Medicines Approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration. Passing HB-228, according to Rep. Jenny Armstrong who sponsored the bill, is an attempt to get ahead of possible future substance rescheduling and/or federal approval. “This August, it is widely anticipated that FDA will approve the most significant medicin ..read more

Patients with osteoarthritis reported a reduction in pain associated with the disease when using medical cannabis, according to the results of a recently published study by British researchers.  Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative disease of the joints characterized by the wearing down of cartilage at the ends of bones. The condition is the most common form of arthritis, affecting more than 32.5 million adults in the United States, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. OA occurs most frequently in the hands, knees and hips, causing pain, swelling and sti ..read more

When it comes to medical benefits, cannabis is often associated with its anti-inflammatory, pain-relieving and sedative properties. But given the versatile nature of the plant, researchers are looking beyond some of the more common qualifying medical conditions to uncover the full medicinal potential of cannabis.  Though it’s largely under-researched, it’s possible that cannabis could work to help folks with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) to better manage their symptoms. A recent observational study published in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology Reports found that, inde ..read more

A fruity yet spicy rendition of Permanent Marker from Pleasant Effects is boosting the profile of the Rhode Island-based grower across the East Coast, as is its eye-catching and artistic packaging including a nostalgic take on a Shel Silverstein classic. Sam, one of the co-founders behind the brand, gained non-cannabis know-how at a local hydroponics company that was designing large-scale hydroponic produce farms. There, he was a head grower, putting together hydroponic systems, but for edible plants. “Growing cannabis is always what I’ve loved to grow the most. I’ve always been passionate abo ..read more

Hop latent viroid (HLVd) is one of the most devastating things ever to hit cannabis, with researchers estimating it could be costing the industry up to $4 billion per year in financial loss. But are the streets safer than the recreational mega-farms that were decimated in the transition to legalization? We reached out to some hitters from both sides of the fence to see if HLVd has had the same impact on the underground cannabis market that it’s had on the recreational market. For those not in the know, HLVd is one of the worst things to happen to cannabis since the creation of the Drug Enforce ..read more

How We Got Here If you woke up from a decades-long coma or were dropped onto Earth by aliens, you’d be forgiven for assuming that weed is legal in the United States. It seems like every gas station, corner store, and smoke shop from Miami to Montana is ready to get you some kind of stoned whenever you’d like. Gummies, vapes, pre-rolls, it’s all there with neon weed leaves in the window.  Of course, cannabis is not legal in the United States. Despite plenty of regulated and taxed state-legal weed sales, the plant is still a Schedule I narcotic in the eyes of the federal government. Hemp, o ..read more

Findings published in the journal Pharmacopsychiatry, based on an online survey conducted in Germany between June 2020 and August 2020 with more than 1,000 patients, debunked the claim that high-THC cannabis poses unique health risks. “Patients were allowed to participate only if they received a cannabis-based treatment from pharmacies in the form of cannabis flowers prescribed by a physician,” the researchers explained.  “Overall, the mean patient-reported effectiveness was 80.1% (range, 0–100%). A regression model revealed no association between the patient-reported effectiveness and th ..read more

MindBio Therapeutics Corp. said that “MB22001, a proprietary and self-titratable form of Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD) designed for safe take home microdosing” has been approved for take-home use in a pair of clinical trials. “The trials in women’s health aim to address a huge unmet need in effectively treating Pre-Menstrual Syndrome (PMS) and Pre-Menstrual Dysphoric disorder (PMDD) without the side effects of anti-depressants and the combined oral contraceptive pill often used in treatment,” the company said in a press release. The company “now has in its portfolio, multiple Phase 2B clini ..read more