Sativex has played a significant role in marijuana history. It’s the first cannabis-derived pharmaceutical to be legalized in many countries around the world, including the UK, Spain, United States, Canada, and New Zealand.  The drug’s utility may be about to expand, however. The UK’s federal health agency and cancer non-profits have announced they will launch a study to see if Sativex can help slow the progression of brain cancer. A non-profit called the Brain Tumour Charity hopes to provide funding for the three-year study of 232 people with glioblastoma, which is said to affect 2,200 p ..read more

It’s an issue around the world: Governments continue to approve expensive, cannabis-based pharmaceutical products for medicinal use, while cultivation of the plant remains illegal for patients (and their families) to grow at home. Thankfully, Peru recently corrected this problem by passing a law in July that expands cannabis patients’ rights. Now, registered patients and their legal representatives (or associations formed by them) can grow and refine their own medicinal supply.  But as journalist Gabriela Machuca Castillo of Somos Magazine points out, the country might have never gotten t ..read more

The third-largest tobacco company in the US just won a trademark infringement lawsuit against a small California cannabis company.  Earlier this year, tobacco conglomerate ITG Brands filed a lawsuit against Los Angeles-based Capna Intellectual for ripping off the logo of its Kool cigarettes brand. Capna, which produces a variety of legal adult-use cannabis products under the Bloom Brands name, was accused of intentionally copying the interlocking “OOs” from ITG's Kool logo to use in its own Bloom logo. The lawsuit called the Bloom logo a deliberate and “transparent rip-off of ITG’s Kool m ..read more

Pretty much every pothead has had a stoned run-in with the cops. But in Ohio, one man almost died trying to avoid getting busted for possession.  Last month, Ohio State Trooper Charles Hoskin pulled a man over for a routine traffic stop. When approaching the vehicle, the cop saw that the shirtless driver seemed to be choking on something. Dashcam video released by the Ohio State High Patrol (OSHP) shows Hoskin asking the man if he can breathe as he exits the vehicle. Moving to a safe distance behind the car, Hoskin performed the Heimlich maneuver on the driver, dislodging a small bag from ..read more

Adult-use weed may still be prohibited throughout most of the US, but a quick browse through Instagram, Facebook, or Google will still turn up dozens of “businesses” offering a wide variety of THC vape carts for sale.  If this story sounds too good to be true, that's because it is. Many of these vape carts are illegally produced by shady black market dealers, and what's worse, some of them are contaminated with toxic pesticides or heavy metals. Buddah Bear carts are one of many new questionable vaping products that have hit the street recently. In the past three years, Buddah Bear-branded ..read more

Actress and comedian Mila Kunis just sold over $8 million worth of NFTs that grant exclusive access to Stoner Cats, an animated comedy about – you guessed it – cats that get high. These five-to-seven-minute animated shorts track the lives of Ms. Stoner, an older medical marijuana patient with Alzheimer's Disease, and her five loving felines. Kunis will be playing the role of one of the cats, along with her husband Ashton Kutcher and comedians Chris Rock and Seth McFarlane. Jane Fonda will provide the voice of Ms. Stoner, and Vitalik Buterin, the co-founder of Ethereum (the cryptocurrency used ..read more

Democratic leaders in both chambers of Congress have come up with a new plan that would make it easier for scientists to access high-quality cannabis for research.  This weekend, the Senate released the final draft of a massive infrastructure bill that would invest billions of dollars into modernizing the country's failing highways and transportation systems. On the surface, this bill has nothing to do with weed, but lawmakers have managed to include a new provision that would allow clinical researchers to study cannabis purchased from state-legal dispensaries. Lawmakers have shrewdly man ..read more

On August 1st, Louisiana became the 32nd US state to decriminalize or legalize minor cannabis possession.  The Pelican State's new decriminalization law reduces the penalty for possession of up to 14 grams of weed to a simple $100 fine, with no threat of jail time. And unlike other states that impose additional penalties for repeat offenders, the new law applies no matter how many times a person is busted. Under the previous law, anyone caught with a small amount of weed could be fined up to $300 and jailed for up to 15 days.  “This is not a decision I took lightly,” said Gov. John B ..read more

Regular medical cannabis use may reduce chronic neurological inflammation in patients with HIV (PWH), according to new research published in the Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society. Previous research studies have found that HIV patients who use cannabis tend to have lower rates of neurocognitive impairment than those who do not. While most of these studies were unable to explore the biological mechanism responsible for this phenomenon, one recent study found that HIV patients who used cannabis recently showed reduced signs of inflammation. To explore the issue further, rese ..read more

Eleven-time NBA All-Star Allen Iverson has just announced a new multi-year partnership with Viola, a cannabis company run by Al Harrington, another basketball legend who spent 16 seasons on the court.  Harrington and Iverson started their relationship on opposing teams, facing off 25 times over the course of their careers. But this March, Harrington reached out to Iverson and invited him to tour Viola's cultivation facility in Detroit. Harrington stressed that his company was focused on boosting minority participation and ownership in the cannabis industry, and his commitment inspired Ive ..read more