Grow Life 420

Cannabis is now legal in 37 states for medical use and fully legal in 23 states, but on a federal level, its status has barely changed since the 1970s. Cannabis currently shares the same federal classification as heroin, ecstasy and LSD. Cannabis stocks jumped after the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommended easing restrictions on marijuana in August. However, cannabis also has seen slower-than-forecast progress on the legalization front. These two factors highlight…

Lawmakers in Hawaii are giving the legalization of recreational marijuana another shot in 2024 with at least three bills to end criminal penalties for the possession of cannabis by adults introduced in the state legislature in January. One measure would legalize recreational marijuana possession and sales, while a second would leave the decision up to the state’s voters. A third, more limited measure would decriminalize weed possession for adults, although those caught with weed would…

A three-year study, funded by the National Football League, has been approved to investigate the potential of CBD for preventing concussion in players. The study, which will also explore whether cannabinoids can be used as an alternative to opioids for pain management, hopes to address an unmet need among athletes at risk of head injuries on the field. In 2022, the NFL announced it was putting forward $1 million in funding to investigate the use…

A bit of weed before a workout can boost motivation and make exercise more enjoyable. But if performance is the goal, it may be best to skip that joint. That’s the takeaway of the first ever study to examine how legal, commercially available cannabis shapes how exercise feels. The study of 42 runners, published Dec. 26 in the journal Sports Medicine, comes almost exactly 10 years after Colorado became the first state to commence legal…

It's a new milestone for the medical cannabis industry and for Europe: The Ukraine parliament has voted to legalize medical cannabis. Now it’s set for President Zelensky for official approval. The new law, which was proposed by Prime Minister Denys Smyhal, will go into effect in six months. - Read the entire article at Forbes.

As new states implemented the legalization of adult-use cannabis and federal agencies continued considering a massive overhaul of the Controlled Substances Act, 2023 marked another monumental year for the cannabis industry. As 2023 comes to a close, it’s worth looking back at key events and lessons learned to anticipate what the future of the cannabis industry has in store for 2024 and beyond. On the federal level, the Biden administration took steps to loosen restrictions…

Are cannabis users better equipped to understand and process emotions?A team of researchers in Mexico found evidence showing a new potential benefit of medical cannabis: increased empathy, or an enhanced ability to understand the emotions of others. Published Nov. 8, in the Journal of Neuroscience Research, a new study suggests regular cannabis users could have a heightened ability to understand the emotional states of others. Psychological assessments and brain imaging show that the people who…

Columbus Day arrived this year on Oct. 10, and as in previous years, the federal observance was repurposed in many quarters as “Indigenous Peoples’ Day,” a name change proclaimed by no less than President Joe Biden. That change applies not just to the holiday’s name but to its cultural significance. “Indigenous Day” is being welcomed by Native Americans as an alternative to traditional celebrations of the Italian explorer — despite his grim legacy of murder…

The process to legalize adult-use cannabis in Germany has recently rekindled the interest of US and Canadian cannabis companies to invest in Europe. Canadian cannabis company Tilray said on Sept. 6 that it initiated a policy roundtable with German regulators on adult-use cannabis legalization in Germany. However, Burkhard Blienert, the commissioner on narcotic drugs at Germany's Federal Ministry of Health, corrected the company's claim clarifying that the meeting with Tilray consisted of a one-time conversation…

Australian Greens announced a plan to legalize cannabis in the country by 2023. New South Wales (NSW) Senator David Shoebridge announced on Twitter on Monday, September 26, that he has obtained legal advice showing that the Greens could pass a bill to legalize adult-use cannabis at the national level. "All state legislation criminalizing its legal use, possession, and sale could be overridden. We could legalize cannabis across the country this year!" he tweeted. - Read…

Earlier this month, UK's King's College of London launched Cannabis & Me, a scientific study into the effects of cannabis on mental health, considered the largest cannabis study of its kind. The study, which aims to involve 6,000 participants, will research environmental and biological factors behind the different effects of cannabis consumption on the human brain and provide information to physicians in the UK and across the world for prescribing cannabis safely. The Medical Research…

Global cannabis sales will grow to $57 billion in 2026, according to the latest projections from BDSA, a top Colorado-based cannabis market research firm. Furthermore, in the U.S., cannabis sales will skyrocket to $42 billion in 2026, which will make up 75% of total global cannabis sales. And, despite concerns caused by inflation, legal cannabis sales in the U.S. will surge to $27 billion by the end of this year, a 7% jump over last…