Although the official city-sanctioned 4/20 celebration on Hippie Hill in San Francisco was canceled this year, it still attracted thousands of people to gather on the holiday. According to a report from SFGate, whose representatives spoke with some of the attendees, the cancellation didn’t hinder anyone’s plans. Jessica Leung told SFGate that she was excited to be there and surprised by the amount of people who still showed up. “4/20 is my favorite holiday,” Leung said. The lower part of the hill was roped off with chains to host a “Peace, Love and Volo Field Day,” free event, inviting people ..read more

States where recreational marijuana has been made legal are seeing upticks in college applications, including from elite students.  That is the takeaway of a study published late last year in the peer-reviewed journal Contemporary Economic Policy.  “Using a two-way fixed effects difference-in-differences model, we investigate the effects of local recreational marijuana (RMJ) policy changes on college applications and find that the three largest state public schools reaped, on average, an almost 54% increase in applications,” the authors of the study said in the abstract.  Recrea ..read more

Plentiful research and anecdotal evidence has suggested that cannabis could be a useful harm reduction tool to help folks wean off of other substances that are more addictive and harmful. 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 medicinal cannabinoid CBD, or cannabidiol, seems to be the key element. The study, published recently in the International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, utilized a d ..read more

There’s another attack on the First Amendment for you to worry about, especially if you live in Colorado. The Centennial State’s Senate approved an epically terrifying social media bill that could require social media platforms to prohibit users from saying anything deemed positive about controlled substances online, including psychedelics legal in the state, specific hemp products, and even some over-the-counter cough syrups. The bill, officially named SB24-158, is a comprehensive measure that addresses internet age verification and content regulations, mandating that social media platforms p ..read more

A hemp producer based in Dayton, Ohio has a new customer for its crop after the firm signed a deal with a processor in nearby Michigan to provide raw material for hemp-based bioplastics. Under its new contract with Detroit-based Heartland Industries, Ohio Hemp Company will provide hemp fiber to produce bioplastic that will eventually become auto parts manufactured by a Belgian firm. Ohio Republican Governor Mike DeWine signed legislation to legalize hemp in the state in 2019, the year after Congress legalized the crop on the national level with the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill. TJ Richardson ..read more

Amid declining revenues and plunging prices, officials in one California county are considering a proposal that would ease some of the financial stress currently felt by area cannabis cultivators.  The Press Democrat reports that officials in Sonoma County, California on Tuesday recommended that the “Board of Supervisors approve new tax rates based on a model that would reduce the tax burden for most cannabis growers.” “Reduced tax rates may be in store for struggling cannabis cultivators and manufacturers in unincorporated Sonoma County, driven in part by decreasing prices affecting the ..read more

Florida has been front and center as of late, after the state Supreme Court recently ruled that its amendment to legalize adult-use cannabis is fit for the ballot in this year’s election. But the Sunshine State is not alone, as North Dakota may be taking another go this November at ushering in its own recreational market. Earlier this week, a group of 27 North Dakotans filed a 2024 ballot measure petition that would legalize adult-use cannabis in the state if approved, according to a report from The Jamestown Sun.  Advocates must gather 15,582 signatures from eligible North Dakota voters ..read more

A former disgraced pharmacist who was sentenced to prison over 20 years ago for diluting drugs for a cheap profit—impacting over 4,000 patients and likely leading to the deaths of AIDS and cancer patients—will soon walk free. The Kansas City Star reports that Missouri native Robert Ray Courtney, 71, was convicted of diluting patients’ medications to treat serious conditions such as cancer, AIDS, multiple sclerosis, and more over 20 years ago. While Courtney has not been charged with murder, a prosecuting attorney said the man is “one of the most prolific serial killers.” He primarily mixed int ..read more

New York is continuing its slow roll toward expanding the number of cannabis businesses operating throughout the state. On April 12, the New York State Cannabis Control Board (CCB) approved 101 more adult-use cannabis licenses, and now the total number of licenses approved in 2024 so far sits at 403. Gov. Kathy Hochul continues to be vocal about celebrating these milestones. “With the Cannabis Control Board’s issuance of 101 adult-use cannabis licenses, New York’s legal cannabis industry continues to make significant progress with over 400 licenses issued in 2024,” said Hochul. “Stre ..read more

A professional organization of physicians who support drug policy reform is calling for the regulation of intoxicating hemp-derived cannabinoids including delta-8 THC, arguing that the safety of products containing the compound is unknown. The recommendation was recently made by Doctors for Drug Policy Reform (D4DPR), a group of healthcare professionals formerly known as Doctors for Cannabis Regulation. “Our stance at D4DPR is that all intoxicating cannabinoids should be subject to a regulatory framework to ensure public safety,” the group wrote in a policy paper released this month. In the pa ..read more