#NORML #News Source: @norml @WeedConneciton Posted By: norml@weedconnection.com media :: news - Wed, 26 Feb 2020 04:20:21 PST
Los Angeles: Officials to Dismiss 60,000 Felony Marijuana Convictions
Los Angeles, CA: The Office of the District Attorney for Los Angeles County (population: 10 million) has announced that it will be dismissing an estimated 66,000 marijuana convictions.
Some 53,000 people are anticipated to have their records expunged. Nearly 60,000 of the cases under review are marijuana-related felony convictions, some of which date back to the 1960s.
"The dismissal of tens of thousands of old cannabis-related convictions in Los Angeles County will bring much-needed relief to communities of color that disproportionately suffered the unjust consequences of our nation's drug laws," D.A. Jackie Lacey said in a news release. "I am privileged to be part of a system dedicated to finding innovative solutions and implementing meaningful criminal justice reform that gives all people the support they need to build the life they deserve."
Los Angeles County is one of several California counties participating in a pilot project that automatically reviews and expunges marijuana-related criminal convictions. To date, District Attorneys in other counties, such as Contra Costa, Sacramento, and San Francisco, have dismissed more than 85,000 marijuana-related convictions.
For more information, visit California NORML.
Report: Legal Marijuana Industry Employs Over 240,000 Full-Time Workers
Seattle, WA: Jobs in the state-licensed cannabis industry rose 15 percent during the past 12 months, and the industry now employs over 243,000 full-time workers, according to data compiled online.
According to its 2020 report, the regulated cannabis industry added 33,700 new jobs over the past year. States adding the greater number of new cannabis-related jobs were Massachusetts (10,266 jobs) and Oklahoma (7,300 jobs). Overall, the total number of full-time jobs in the licensed cannabis industry has doubled since 2017.
Cannabis Job Growth in America "The refusal [of the federal government] to acknowledge the existence of legal cannabis jobs is a powerful act of shaming and stigmatization," the report concludes. "There are now nearly a quarter of a million Americans whose professional lives are categorized as [either] illegal or nonexistent by the government of the United States. ... If cannabis industry jobs were tallied like other jobs, ... legal cannabis would be acknowledged as the fastest growing industry in America."
Full text of the study, "Leafly Jobs Report 2020," appears online. Additional information is available in the NORML fact-sheet, 'Marijuana Regulation: Impact on Health, Safety, Economy.'
Survey: Medical Students Seldom Receive Training About Cannabis
Washington, DC: Most medical students report receiving no formal education about the therapeutic use of cannabis during their time as undergraduates, according to survey data published in the journal Complimentary Therapies in Medicine.
Investigators surveyed medical students attending George Washington University in Washington, DC. Sixty percent of respondents reported having received "no formal education on medical cannabis" while attending medical school, while 38 percent said they received only "a little bit." Fewer than two percent of those surveyed said that they received "a sufficient amount" of education on medical cannabis-specific issues while in school.
A majority of respondents acknowledged being "not at all prepared" to discuss issues regarding the potential benefits and risks of marijuana with their patients. Seventy-seven percent of respondents agreed that "there should be more formal education on medical cannabis in medical school."
Authors concluded: "Altogether, deficits in cannabis knowledge will need to be addressed as medical and recreational legalization continues to expand throughout the US. ... We urge medical schools and medical education regulatory bodies to strongly consider adopting standards for cannabis education to ensure that future physicians can provide the best possible care to their patients."
Their findings are similar to those of other studies, such as those here, here, here, and here, concluding that health professionals receive insufficient training about medical cannabis.
Full text of the study, "Medical students are unprepared to counsel patients about medical cannabis and want to learn more," appears in Complimentary Therapies in Medicine.
Study: Marijuana Use Associated with Smaller Waistline, Lower Triglycerides
Quebec, Canada: The use of marijuana is associated with a smaller waistline and lower levels of triglycerides, according to data published in the journal Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research.
An investigator from the Canadian National Public Health Institute assessed the relationship between cannabis use, waist circumference, and triglyceride levels. Data analyzed in the study was extracted from a nationally representative database (the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey).
The researchers reported that those subjects who consumed marijuana at least four times a week typically possessed a smaller waistline and lower triglycerides than either non-users or former consumers.
The finding is consistent with several prior studies, such as those here, here, here, here, and here, indicating that marijuana use is associated with lower rates of obesity, BMI, and cholesterol levels.
Full text of the study, "Lifetime average cannabis use in relation to hypertriglyceridemic waist phenotype in US adults: A population-based cross-sectional study," appears in Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research.
Case Report: CBD Mitigates Anxiety, Depression, Substance Abuse in Adolescent Subject
Vienna, Austria: The daily administration of capsules containing purified CBD is associated with improvements in the treatment of depression, anxiety, and substance abuse disorder, according to a case report published in the journal Neuropsychiatrie.
A team of investigators from the University of Vienna observed the effects of CBD treatment in an adolescent male with depression, social phobia, and multiple substance use disorders. The subject consumed up to 600mgs of CBD daily for eight weeks.
Researchers reported: "Upon treatment with CBD and cessation of the antidepressant medication, the patient improved regarding depressive as well as anxiety symptoms, including simple phobias and symptoms of paranoia and dissociation. Furthermore, the patient quit abusing illegal drugs including THC without showing withdrawal symptoms."
The absence of illegal drug intake was assessed via daily clinical evaluation and confirmed using urine tests showing continuously negative results for a broad range of substances.
Authors concluded: "This is the first report of CBD medication in a patient with multiple substance use disorder with a positive outcome. ... CBD was a safe and well-tolerated medicine for this patient."
Full text of the study, "Cannabidiol treatment in an adolescent with multiple substance abuse, social anxiety and depression," appears in the journal Neuropsychiatrie.
