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  • United Nations Report Scolds Countries for Cannabis Legalization

    The United Nations International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) recently issued its 2017 annual report, and the takeaway with regard to cannabis is clear: The INCB is deeply concerned with the spread of adult-use legalization.

    The report contains stern warnings, accusing countries like Uruguay of acting in “clear violation” of global drug control accords, according to Leafly.

    The Board, which monitors compliance with international drug control treaties, is made up of individuals, not U.N. member states. That’s meant to protect it from political pressure. The Board’s charter also stipulates, however, that it must include individuals with “medical, pharmacological or pharmaceutical experience.”

    That means Big Pharma is well represented, while advocates for cannabis legalization—whether medical or adult-use—have no seat at the table.

    Read the full story here.

  • Medical Cannabis for Pain May Reduce Need for Opioids

    The use of appropriate dosing of medical cannabis and following key treatment regimen recommendations can lead to “remarkable” improvements in pain and a reduced need for opioids in both adults and children, two pain specialists suggest.

    Describing his experience in treating pain with medical cannabis over the past 4 to 5 years, Mark S Wallace, MD, professor of clinical anesthesiology at the University of California, San Diego, said he starts with some basic criteria, including that patients have not responded to efforts for pain relief with standard therapy, according to Medscape.

    “Our approach in recommending medical cannabis for pain is that patients have failed to respond to conservative therapies first. However, this should be considered before chronic opioids,” Wallace said during a presentation at the American Pain Society (APS) 2018 meeting.

    Read the full story.

  • Woman Given Six Weeks to Live Claims Cannabis Oil Cured Her

    A woman claims cannabis oil has 'cured' her terminal cancer.

    Joy Smith, 52, from Coventry, England, was given just six weeks to live after being diagnosed with inoperable stomach and bowel cancer in August 2016, according to the Daily Mail.

    Desperate for a solution, Ms Smith reluctantly took cannabis-based tablets, alongside chemotherapy, after reading about a cancer patient in the US who went into remission after producing her own marijuana oil.

    Nearly two years on, doctors, who described Ms Smith as 'the luckiest woman in the world', are baffled as her scans show just a small amount of the disease is left in her stomach, which she is confident will disappear with continued cannabis use.

    As well as approaching a miracle remission, Ms Smith has also recently won £84,000 after entering a TV competition while 'under the influence' of cannabis oil.

    Read the full story.

  • Cannabis and Schizophrenia: Do THC and CBD Affect It Differently?

    In the push for cannabis legalization, the link between cannabis and schizophrenia sometimes enters the discussion.

    Many fear that cannabis increases risk for developing schizophrenia, while others declare its value in helping relieve symptoms of the condition, according to Leafly. But what does the research say about the role of cannabis in developing—and potentially treating—schizophrenia? 

    Traditional pharmaceutical treatments, though, do little to treat negative symptoms such as a flat emotional state, a struggle to feel pleasure, and a lack of motivation to engage socially. They also fail to improve cognitive deficits, often leaving patients with impaired attention, memory, and problem-solving abilities.

    Read the full story.

  • Study: Cannabis Effective at Treating Symptoms of Fibromyalgia

    Cannabis therapy mitigates symptoms of the chronic pain condition fibromyalgia and is associated with a reduction in the use of other prescription drugs, according to clinical data published online ahead of print in the Journal of Clinical Rheumatology.

    An estimated 3 to 6 million Americans are afflicted by fibromyalgia, which is often poorly controlled by standard pain medications, according to NORML.

    Israeli investigators assessed the safety and efficacy of inhaled cannabis in a cohort of 26 patients with fibromyalgia. They reported that medical cannabis treatment “was associated with significant favorable outcomes in every item evaluated,” such as reductions in pain and increases in energy.

    Read the full story.

  • New Mild Cannabis Products Are Catching on With Parents

    Many a meme has been made about “wine moms”—mothers who joke online about their love for a relaxing glass of cabernet, or three. But a new drug is gaining popularity with the playgroup circuit, according to the Atlantic.

    As it becomes more socially acceptable, more moms are using marijuana and its various incarnations to deal with everything from the daily aches and stresses of motherhood, to postpartum depression and anxiety, to menstrual cramps.

    And forget the simple bongs and pipes of the past; as the industry expands, it’s creating a whole new world of sprays, drinks, drops, and oils. The needs of this market of marijuana-friendly mothers have inspired a new crop of cannabis products.

    Read the full story.

  • Rhode Island Committee Postpones Recreational Marijuana Recommendation

    The push to legalize recreational marijuana in Rhode Island hit a snag when a state commission delayed until next year issuing a recommendation that could have advanced the adult-use issue.

    The commission – a group of medical marijuana patients, clinicians and law enforcement officials that was formed in June – won’t release a recommendation on whether to legalize recreational cannabis in the state until 2019, according to Providence TV station WPRI.

    The commission, which has met four times since October, was expected to release its findings to lawmakers March 1.

  • Proposed growing, testing and preparation complex’s potential environmental and aesthetic impacts

    [tweet https://twitter.com/BerkshireEagle/status/968878461723947013 width=300]

  • The One Number That Matters for the Hottest Marijuana Stocks

    The One Number That Matters for the Hottest Marijuana Stocks

    It’s been a busy few months for Aurora Cannabis. Just how busy was made crystal clear when the Canadian marijuana grower reported its fiscal 2018 second-quarter results last week.

    While Aurora’s Q2 results were impressive, the most important number of all won’t be found on the company’s income statement or its balance sheet, according to Nasdaq.com.

    Instead, the one number that matters the most for Aurora was 240,000. That’s the number of kilograms of cannabis the company will be able to produce on an annual basis with currently owned facilities.

    Read the full story.

     

     

  • 10 Cities With the Most and Least Expensive Marijuana in the World

    10 Cities With the Most and Least Expensive Marijuana in the World

    In case you haven't noticed, the cannabis industry is growing at an incredible pace.

    Within the U.S., according to a report from Marijuana Business Daily released in 2017, legal weed sales are expected to grow by 45% in 2018, mainly because California opened its doors to legalized recreational weed.

    Throughout North America, cannabis research firm ArcView estimates the industry can grow by an average of 26% annually through 2021. That type of growth is hard for investors to ignore, and it's a big reason many pot stocks have doubled or tripled in value over the trailing year.

    But as you're probably aware, even with marijuana being viewed in a more positive light in the U.S. and many other countries around the world, the industry is completely different from one country to the next. This is perhaps no more apparent than when examining the price per gram for cannabis across the world.

    Read the full story.