#NORML #News
Source: @norml @WeedConnection
Posted By: norml@weedconnection.com
media :: news
- Tue, 17 Jan 2017 04:20:21 PST

Study: History Of Cannabis Use Not An Independent Risk Factor For Stroke

Stockholm, Sweden: The use of cannabis is not an independent contributing factor to the risk of stroke in those under 60 years of age, according to population-based data published online ahead of print in the journal Stroke.

An international team of investigators from Sweden and France assessed the relationship between marijuana use and stroke risk in a population-based cohort of over 49,000 men. Researchers reported "no significant association between cannabis use in young adulthood and overall incidence of stroke" in those less than 60 years old. By contrast, the use of alcohol and tobacco "showed clear dose-response shaped associations" with stroke.

They concluded, "[B]y examining cannabis use in young adulthood in relation to subsequent risk of stroke in a large population-based cohort, we found no evident association between cannabis use and stroke, including stroke before 45 years of age." Full text of the study, "Cannabis, tobacco, alcohol use, and the risk of early stroke: A population-based cohort study of 45,000 Swedish men," appears in Stroke.


Report: Legal Marijuana Industry Has Created 123,000 Full-Time Jobs

Seattle, WA: The legal cannabis industry is responsible for the creation of an estimated 123,000 full-time jobs in the United States, according to data provided by the online content provider Leafly.com.

Authors analyzed state-by-state economic data to draw their extrapolations. They estimated some 58,000 full-time jobs in states where both the medical and social use of cannabis was legal. They identified another 65,000 full-time jobs in states that permit a medical marijuana market.

California (43,374 full-time jobs), Colorado (23,407), and Washington (22,952) led the country in marijuana-related job creation.

Authors acknowledged that their figures may potentially underestimate the actual size of the cannabis-related job market, but added, "[W]ith the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics refusing to acknowledge the existence of a single legal cannabis job, a conservative estimate may be the best we're going to get."


Attorney General Nominee Comments On Conflict Between State/Federal Marijuana Laws

Washington, DC: United States Attorney General nominee Jeff Sessions responded to questions on Tuesday with regard to how he believes the Justice Department ought to respond to states that have legalized the use of marijuana.

While testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Sessions indicated that the agency's future actions will be largely determined by federal priorities and resources. Notably, he called the federal priorities outlined in the 2013 Cole memorandum to be "truly valuable in evaluating cases" worthy of federal intervention, and did not overtly indicate that the incoming administration would take action to rescind those guidelines.

The Senator also acknowledged that marijuana remains federally classified as an illicit substance and that it is the responsibility of Congress, not the Justice Department, to amend federal laws. "One obvious concern is the United States Congress has made the possession in every state and distribution an illegal act," he said. "If that's something that's not desired any longer Congress should pass a law to change the rule. It is not the Attorney General's job to decide what laws to enforce."


Maine: Lawmakers Push To Delay Implementation Of Voter-Approved Marijuana Law

Augusta, ME: Leading lawmakers have introduced an emergency resolution, LD 88, to delay the enactment of several key provisions of the voter-initiated measure Question 1: The Marijuana Legalization Act.

If signed into law, the bill would postpone the establishment of rules specific to the retail production or sale of marijuana, the social use of marijuana, and the consumption or possession of marijuana-infused products until at least February 1, 2018. The measure would not delay forthcoming changes specific to the adult possession and cultivation of marijuana, which go into effect on January 30, 2017.

Because the measure is being proposed as an 'emergency resolution,' it requires passage from two-thirds of the House and Senate in order to go to the Governor's desk.


Colorado: Marijuana Sales Surpass $1 Billion in 2016

Denver, CO: Retail sales of marijuana in Colorado totaled well over $1 billion in the first ten months of 2016 and are estimated to reach $1.3 billion by year's end, according to data provided by the state's Department of Revenue.

The sales totals are an increase over last year, when retailers sold $996,184,788 in marijuana-related products.

Cannabis sales in 2016 have yielded an estimated $151 million in tax revenue to date, $40 million of which will be directed toward school construction.

Year-end totals for 2016 will not be available until February.


NORML Responds To National Academy of Sciences' Marijuana Report

Washington, DC: The National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine released a comprehensive report today acknowledging that "conclusive or substantial evidence" exists for cannabis' efficacy in patients suffering from chronic pain, and sharply criticized longstanding federal regulatory barriers to marijuana research – in particular "the classification of cannabis as a Schedule I substance" under federal law.

Authors of the report also addressed various aspects of marijuana's effect on health and safety, acknowledging that the substance may pose certain potential risks for adolescents, pregnant women, and for those who may be driving shortly after ingesting cannabis. In each of these cases, these risks may be mitigated via marijuana regulation and the imposition of age restrictions in the marketplace. Commenting on the report, NORML Deputy Director Paul Armentano said:

"The National Academy of Science's conclusions that marijuana possesses established therapeutic utility for certain patients and that it possesses an acceptable safety profile when compared to those of other medications or recreational intoxicants are not surprising. This evidence has been available for some time, yet for decades marijuana policy in this country has largely been driven by rhetoric and emotion, not science and evidence.

"A search on PubMed, the repository for all peer-reviewed scientific papers, using the term 'marijuana' yields over 24,000 scientific papers referencing the plant or its biologically active constituents -- a far greater body of literature than exists for commonly consumed conventional drugs like Tylenol, ibuprofen, or hydrocodone. Further, unlike modern pharmaceuticals, cannabis possesses an extensive history of human use dating back thousands of years, thus providing society with ample empirical evidence as to its relative safety and efficacy.

"Today, 29 states and Washington, DC permit physicians to recommend marijuana therapy. Some of these state-sanctioned programs have now been in place for nearly two decades. Eight states also permit the regulated use and sale of cannabis by adults. At a minimum, we know enough about cannabis, as well as the failures of cannabis prohibition, to regulate its consumption by adults, end its longstanding criminalization, and to remove it from its Schedule I prohibitive under federal law."

The report marks the first time since 1999 that the National Academy of Sciences has addressed issues surrounding marijuana and health. Authors reviewed over 10,000 scientific abstracts in their preparation of the new report.


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