#NORML #News Source: @norml @WeedConnection Posted By: norml@weedconnection.com media :: news - Tue, 09 Mar 2021 04:20:21 PST
Virginia: Lawmakers Set Enactment Date for Adult-Use Legalization
Richmond, VA: Members of the Virginia House and Senate have advanced legislation (Senate Bill 1406 and House Bill 2312) to the Governor's desk establishing a statutory timeline for the legalization of marijuana possession, use, cultivation, and retail sales. Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam is expected to sign the bills into law.
Commenting on the passage of the bills, NORML Development Director Jenn Michelle Pedini, who also serves as the Executive Director of Virginia NORML, said: "The advancement of this legislation is another historic step for cannabis justice in Virginia. Stakeholders, the administration, and the legislature have dedicated hundreds of hours to craft legislation that is just and equitable, and that will replace the failed policy of cannabis prohibition with one that promotes Virginia's economy as well as Virginians' public health and safety."
Pedini added: "This effort remains a work in progress and our work in Virginia is far from over. NORML is dedicated to continuing to work with lawmakers and regulators to advance legislative reforms that are most closely aligned with the views of the majority of Virginians who desire a safe, legal cannabis market. In particular, we hope to expedite the timeline with which Virginia adults will no longer face either criminal or civil penalties for the personal possession and cultivation of cannabis."
In a compromise reached by lawmakers in Conference Committee on the final day of the legislative session, legislators agreed to establish an independent agency, the Virginia Cannabis Control Authority, to oversee the establishment of regulations that will govern the adult-use market. That agency will convene this summer. The Committee also established a January 1, 2024 enactment date for the law. Upon that date, but not before then, adults will be able to possess up to one ounce of marijuana and cultivate up to four cannabis plants per household without penalty. The remainder of the 300-page bill, which details the regulatory and market structure, social equity provisions, and repeals criminal penalties, is subject to a second review and vote by the Assembly next year.
Newly released statewide polling data finds that 68 percent of registered voters in Virginia, including majorities of Democrats and Republicans, support legalizing marijuana for adults.
Additional measures facilitating the expunging of past records, permitting dispensaries to provide botanical formulations of cannabis, expanding telehealth access for medical cannabis patients, and protecting certain employees who use cannabis in their off-hours from discrimination in the workplace were also approved by the legislature and now await final action by the Governor.
Study: Enactment of Marijuana Legalization Laws Associated with Reductions in Opioid Prescribing Patterns
Boston, MA: The enactment of statewide legalization laws are associated with reductions in opioid prescribing patterns, according to data published in the journal Health Economics.
A team of investigators from Harvard Medical School and the University of Kentucky assessed the relationship between the enactment of medical-use and adult-use legalization laws and opioid prescriptions for adults (ages 18 to 64) enrolled in employee-sponsored health insurance programs.
Authors reported, "[T]he implementation of medical marijuana laws (MMLs) and recreational marijuana laws (RMLs) reduced morphine milligram equivalents per enrollee by seven percent and 13 percent, respectively." Medical cannabis access was predominantly associated with reductions in older enrollees (those ages 55 to 64), while adult-use access was predominantly associated with reductions among younger and middle-aged enrollees (those ages 35 to 54). Those who reported being in close proximity to retail marijuana sales experienced the greatest percentage decrease in opioid prescription dosages.
Researchers concluded, "Our findings suggest that both MMLs and RMLs have the potential to reduce opioid prescribing in the privately insured population, especially for the middle-aged population."
The study's findings are similar to several others -- such as those here, here, and here --concluding that marijuana legalization is correlated with a reduction in opioid prescriptions among patients enrolled in either Medicaid or Medicare Part D. Most recently, data published in the journal Applied Health Economics and Health Policy reported that the enactment of marijuana legalization in Canada preceded a "marked decline" in the volume of opioids prescribed to patients enrolled in both public and private health care plans. Another recent study, published last month in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), reported that greater availability of cannabis access via storefront dispensaries and retailers is associated with declines in opioid-related deaths.
Full text of the study, "The impact of medical and recreational marijuana laws on opioid prescribing in employer-sponsored health insurance," appears in Health Economics.
AG Nominee: Prosecutions in States with Legal Marijuana Not a Good Use of Justice Department Resources
Washington, DC: Judge Merrick Garland, the Biden Administration's nominee for US Attorney General, reaffirmed in written testimony this week that he would not use Justice Department resources to interfere in the majority of states that have legalized marijuana for either medical or adult-use purposes.
Garland suggested during his initial nomination hearing last week that, under his direction, the Justice Department is unlikely to get involved in states where cannabis is legal -- a policy first outlined by the Obama administration, but later rescinded in 2018 by former AG Jeff Sessions.
"It does not seem to me useful the use of limited resources that we have to be pursuing prosecutions in states that have legalized and are regulating the use of marijuana, either medically or otherwise," Garland said in response to a question posed by Democratic Sen. Cory Booker. He added: "I do think we need to be sure that there are no end runs around the state laws that criminal enterprises are doing. That kind of enforcement should be continued. But I don't think it's a good use of our resources where states have already authorized, and it only confuses people obviously within the state."
This week, he reaffirmed that position in writing, stating: "Criminalizing the use of marijuana has contributed to mass incarceration and racial disparities in our criminal justice system, and has made it difficult for millions of Americans to find employment due to criminal records for nonviolent offenses. ... As I suggested at my hearing, I do not think it the best use of the Department's limited resources to pursue prosecutions of those who are complying with the laws in states that have legalized and are effectively regulating marijuana. ... It is important to focus our attention on violent crimes and other crimes that greatly endanger our society, and prosecutions for simple marijuana possession are not an effective use of limited resources."
NORML's Deputy Director Paul Armentano said, "These comments ought to be reassuring to those employed by the growing state-regulated cannabis industry and to those millions of Americans who rely upon it. That said, such a 'hand off' policy is little more than a short-term band-aid. The long-term solution is for Congress to deschedule cannabis -- thereby repealing the failed federal policy of marijuana prohibition and eliminating the existing state/federal conflict."
Merrick Garland's nomination now awaits confirmation by the full Senate.
DEA Report: Marijuana Seizures at Southern Border Have Fallen Significantly Following Passage of Statewide Legalization Laws
Washington, DC: Marijuana seizures along the southern border have fallen over 80 percent since 2013, according to data published this week by the US Drug Enforcement Administration.
In the agency's 2020 National Drug Threat Assessment publication, author's write: "In US markets, Mexican marijuana has largely been supplanted by domestic-produced marijuana. In 2019, CBP [US Customs and Border Protection] seized nearly 249,000 kilograms of marijuana along the SWB [southwest border], a decline from over 287,000 kilograms in 2018. CBP marijuana seizures along the SWB have decreased more than 81 percent since 2013, when almost 1.3 million kilograms were seized."
Marijuana seizures at the southern border reached an all-time high in 2009, when nearly four million pounds of cannabis were confiscated by federal agents.
Colorado and Washington became the first two states to legalize the commercial production of marijuana for adults in 2012. Thirteen additional US states have since passed similar laws.
Commenting on the sharp decrease in US demand for Mexican-produced cannabis, NORML's Political Director Justin Strekal said: "This dramatic shift in the cannabis supply chain is a welcome development. As reformers predicted, when given the option, consumers choose their cannabis to be grown in America. States' decisions to legally regulate cannabis has, as expected, led to a precipitous drop in demand for imported cannabis and has significantly disrupted the illicit cannabis trade in Mexico. These are important developments to emphasize as additional states continue to discuss replacing cannabis criminalization policies with those that seek to legalize and regulate the marijuana marketplace."
The full text of the DEA's 2020 National Drug Threat Assessment is available for download.
Study: Cannabis Use Mitigates Chemotherapy-Induced Neuropathy
Tel Aviv, Israel: Cannabis use mitigates chemotherapy-induced neuropathic pain according to data published in the journal Therapeutic Advances in Medical Oncology.
A team of Israeli investigators assessed the effect of cannabis on chemotherapy-induced neuropathy in a cohort of 513 patients taking oxaliplatin for gastrointestinal malignancies. Two-hundred and forty-eight of the participants received cannabis treatment and 265 subjects served as controls.
Authors reported that the use of cannabis both mitigated, and in some instances, prevented oxaliplatin-induced neuropathy. Researchers noted that pain mitigation was "more significant in patients who received cannabis prior to treatment with oxaliplatin, suggesting a protective effect."
They concluded: "Oxaliplatin-induced neurotoxicity is a profound adverse effect which, according to the results of our investigation, may be mitigated and prevented by cannabis treatment. A randomized placebo-controlled trial of cannabis use in the setting of oxaliplatin chemotherapy is being planned to further investigate its potentially important neuroprotective effect."
Several prior clinical trials -- such as those here, here, here, and here -- have previously documented that cannabis mitigates neuropathic pain in various patient populations, including those with HIV and/or refractory pain conditions.
Full text of the study, "Effect of cannabis on oxaliplatin-induced peripheral neuropathy among oncology patients: A retrospective analysis," appears in Therapeutic Advances in Medical Oncology.
Study: Daily Cannabis Use Associated with Lower Odds of Opioid Use Among Subjects in Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder
Hamilton, Canada: The daily use of cannabis is associated with lower odds of opioid use among subjects undergoing drug treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD), according to data published in the Harm Reduction Journal.
A team of investigators with McMaster University in Ontario assessed the relationship between self-reported cannabis use and opioid use over a three-month period in a cohort of 2,316 subjects undergoing clinical treatment for OUD. Just over half of the subjects in the study (51 percent) acknowledged using cannabis.
Those who reported consuming cannabis daily possessed significantly reduced odds of using opioids (OR = 0.61). By contrast, those that reported only occasional cannabis use did not possess a similarly lower risk.
Researchers reported: "We found that amongst cannabis users, those who use cannabis daily are less likely to have opioid use than people who use cannabis occasionally. This association was present for both men and women."
They concluded: "For patients using cannabis during treatment, we provide evidence that certain characteristics of cannabis use are associated with less opioid use, including daily use. ... Future studies should further examine specific characteristics and patterns of cannabis use that may be protective or problematic in MAT [medication-assisted treatment]."
Data published in December in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence reported that subjects engaged in opioid agonist therapy (OAT) who also consume cannabis are less likely than non-users to have any recent exposure to fentanyl. A literature review on the subject, also published last year, concluded: "Cannabis has to ease opioid withdrawal symptoms, reduce opioid consumption, ameliorate opioid cravings, prevent opioid relapse, improve OUD treatment retention, and reduce overdose deaths. ... The compelling nature of these data and the relative safety profile of cannabis warrant further exploration of cannabis as an adjunct or alternative treatment for OUD." Another study, published last year in the journal Addiction, reported that daily cannabis users undergoing therapy for opioid dependence are far more likely to complete their treatment regimen than are non-users.
Full text of the study, "The association between cannabis use and outcome in pharmacological treatment for opioid use disorder," appears in the Harm Reduction Journal.
Lifetime Marijuana Not Associated with Increased Risk of Hypertension
Baltimore, MD: Neither the past use nor the current use of cannabis is independently associated with an increased risk of hypertension, according to longitudinal data published in the journal Drug and Alcohol Review.
An international team of investigators from the United States, Canada, Germany, and Russia assessed the relationship between cannabis use and hypertension in a nationally representative sample. Participants were restricted to those who did not possess hypertension at baseline and their health was monitored for a three-year period.
Researchers reported, "After adjustment for all confounders, neither lifetime cannabis use, 12-month cannabis use nor 12-month cannabis use frequency [at least monthly use and less than monthly use] were associated above chance with the incidence of hypertension."
Prior data has shown that cannabinoids may influence blood pressure and other cardiovascular responses, though these effects tend to be short-term in duration. Most recently, Israeli data reported that elderly subjects with hypertension respond favorably to medical cannabis treatment. Investigators involved with that study concluded, "Cannabis treatment for three months was associated with a reduction in systolic and diastolic blood pressure, as well as heart rate."
Full text of the study, "The longitudinal relationship between cannabis use and hypertension," appears in Drug and Alcohol Review.