Tag: the war on (some) drugs

Most People Don’t Trust The Government For Marijuana Information, Federally Funded Study Shows

American adults typically don’t get their information about about marijuana from government or medical sources, instead relying mostly on friends and family, according to a new study that was partially funded by a federal agency.

The nationally representative survey of 1,161 adults found that government agencies were the least popular source of cannabis-related information (4.7 percent in the probability-weighted results). And while health and medical care providers were also among the least common sources, at 9.3 percent, they were higher on the list than budtenders (8.6 percent).

The most popular sources of marijuana information, meanwhile, were friends and family (35.6 percent) and websites (33.7 percent).

The study, which received support from the National Institute on Drug Abuse and was published this month in the Journal of Cannabis Research, concludes that most people “draw healthcare information about cannabis from friends and family or online, with very few consulting their healthcare provider or government agencies.”

Notably, people who reported using cannabis for medical reasons were significantly more likely than others to cite healthcare professionals as a source of their marijuana-related information compared to other respondents (16.4 percent versus 5.2 percent, respectively).

Given the trend toward liberalization of cannabis policies in the U.S.—and what the paper describes as potentially “broad effects on public health outcomes related to cannabis” if marijuana is moved from Schedule I to Schedule III of the federal Controlled Substances Act—the paper urges more attention to ensuring healthcare providers are educated on cannabis-related matters and that government messaging is handled with care.

“As cannabis accessibility and legality is increasing,” it says, “there is a strong need for better clinician education, public outreach strategies, and improved communication between patients and clinicians about cannabis.”

NORML Deputy Director Paul Armentano said of the new survey findings that cannabis use “is not a new phenomenon and is not going away” and that sources like healthcare providers and government agencies have a responsibility to seek out and provide accurate information.

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JD Vance Says ‘Bags Of Marijuana’ And Candy Laced With THC And Fentanyl Are Coming Across The Border, Blaming Biden-Harris Immigration Policy

Former President Donald Trump’s 2024 running mate, Sen. JD Vance (R-OH), is accusing Vice President Kamala Harris of failing to stop marijuana and fentanyl disguised as Nerds candy and other popular brands that appeal to children from coming across the border.

At a Faith & Freedom Coalition event in Atlanta last month, the senator talked about being invited to the evidence room of a sheriffs department where he says he saw “every drug you can possibly imagine,” including “bags and bags of marijuana,” pressed fentanyl pills and meth.

“I say, ‘Guys, what is going on here? You’ve got all these drugs here that looks to me just like a box of candy—a box of Nerds candy,” Vance said. “And they say, ‘Well, sir, that’s actually THC and fentanyl.’ But I say, ‘Wait a second, the cartels have disguised deadly fentanyl to look like child’s candy so that they can make it easier to get into our country?’”

“Yet we know that one of those packets of fentanyl is going to end up in one of our neighborhood streets,” he said. “One of those packets of fentanyl is going to end up in a child’s playground. One of those packets of what looks like Nerds candy, but is actually a deadly substance, is going to end up in our schools, and a kid’s going to open up a packet of candy, take a piece of candy out and lose their life because of it.”

“Now that is a sick and deranged human being that would do anything like that. But it’s a sick and deranged human being who would give that person power over the United States of America, and that’s exactly what Kamala Harris has done,” he said. “She has given these drug cartels free reign over our country, and now they’re smuggling in deadly drugs that look like child candy.”

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New Mexico Officials Approve Medical Marijuana As A Treatment For Female Orgasm Difficulty

A New Mexico regulatory board has given preliminary approval to make female orgasm difficulty (FOD) a qualifying condition for the state’s medical marijuana program, voting 7–2 to recommend the change at a meeting on Monday.

The New Mexico Medical Cannabis Advisory Board’s vote does not immediately add FOD as a qualifying condition. A report with the board’s recommendation will next go to the secretary of health, who will review the proposal and consult with staff before either accepting, denying or modifying the recommendation.

That’s according to an email from the acting director of the New Mexico Department of Health’s Center for Medical Cannabis forwarded to Marijuana Moment by Suzanne Mulvehill, a clinical sexologist and researcher who’s helped lead the charge to add FOD as a qualifying condition in a number of states with legal cannabis.

Mulvehill told Marijuana Moment that she’s “very pleased” with the movement in New Mexico, noting that officials in Connecticut and Illinois have also taken steps to add FOD as qualifying conditions in those jurisdictions.

“FOD affects millions of women worldwide,” she added, “and there are no conventional treatments.”

Two additional states are currently considering adding FOD as a medical marijuana qualifying condition. Oregon held a virtual public meeting earlier this month and is accepting public comments through Friday. And in Arkansas, which held a public meeting about FOD last month, officials are taking comments until October 14.

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‘Lesser-Known’ Marijuana Components Like CBG And THCV Are ‘Promising’ Treatments For Parkinson’s And Alzheimer’s, Study Shows

A new scientific review on the potential benefits of marijuana in treating brain disorders says that in addition to THC and CBD produced by the cannabis plant, “a diverse array of lesser-known phytocannabinoids, along with terpenes, flavonoids, and alkaloids” may also “demonstrate diverse pharmacological activities” and could offer therapeutic applications.

Such compounds include THCV, CBDV and CBG.

“Their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and neuromodulatory effects position them as promising agents in treating neurodegenerative disorders,” says the report, authored by a pair of researchers from the Center for Dementia Research at the Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research in New York and released last month through Preprints.org.

Authors evaluated available scientific literature about minor cannabinoids and conditions such as epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, Huntington’s disease and substance and alcohol use disorders. They found evidence not only of neuroprotective effects but also other beneficial outcomes.

“The therapeutic potential of Cannabis sativa extends well beyond the widely studied CBD,” the report says, “encompassing a diverse range of lesser‐known phytocannabinoids that show promise in addressing various neurological disorders.”

“While research has extensively examined the neuropsychiatric and neuroprotective effects of Δ9-THC,” it adds, “other minor phytocannabinoids remain underexplored.”

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Florida Senator Sues State Over Anti-Marijuana Ad, Alleging Unconstitutional Use Of Taxpayer Dollars Ahead Of Legalization Vote

A Florida Democratic senator is suing the state for using taxpayer dollars to fund a recent ad that he says unconstitutionally attempts to influence voters to oppose a marijuana legalization initiative that will be on the ballot next month.

Sen. Jason Pizzo (D), who is expected to run for governor in 2026, announced on Friday that he would be seeking an injunction against the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) over the ad, which warns against driving under the influence of cannabis and then makes a contested claim that “DUI crashes increase in states with legalized marijuana, putting everyone at risk.”

Making such an assertion in an ad supported by tax dollars amounts to “political messaging” and therefore represents an unconstitutional use of appropriations authority, the senator says. The campaign behind the Florida legalization initiative has also sent cease and desist letters to 54 TV stations that have aired the public service announcement.

“For years, our state has wasted precious time, and many millions, peddling divisive and unproductive nonsense, while flouting practical solutions for critical needs,” Pizzo said.

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Marijuana Components Show ‘Promising Potential As Anticancer Agents,’ Study Finds, Though Mechanisms Of Action Are Still A Mystery

A new scientific review on cannabis and cancer concludes that a variety of cannabinoids—including delta-9 THC, CBD and cannabigerol (CBG)—”show promising potential as anticancer agents through various mechanisms,” for example by limiting the growth and spread of tumors.

But authors acknowledged that obstacles to incorporating cannabis into cancer treatment remain, such as regulatory barriers and the need to determine optimal dosing.

“Cannabinoids, including Δ9-THC, CBD, and CBG, exhibit significant anticancer activities such as apoptosis induction, autophagy stimulation, cell cycle arrest, anti-proliferation, anti-angiogenesis, and metastasis inhibition,” says the report, published late last month in the journal Discover Oncology. “Clinical trials have demonstrated cannabinoids’ efficacy in tumor regression and health improvement in palliative care.”

The workings behind those apparent benefits, however, are still largely unknown. “Despite the evident anti-cancer properties of cannabinoids from numerous experimental results,” the review says, “the exact mechanisms of action still require extensive research.”

It adds: “Despite the positive outcomes of using cannabinoids in cancer therapy, there remain significant gaps in knowledge regarding their modes of action, effects on the tumor microenvironment, and the physiology of the signaling pathways they affect.”

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Russian Arms Dealer and “Merchant of Death” Viktor Bout Who Joe Biden Exchanged for Pot-Smoking Brittney Griner Is Back in Business Selling $10 Million in Arms to Houthi Rebels

Another major foreign policy failure by Joe Biden and Kamala Harris

Nothing ever seems to go right for this ridiculous, tyrannical administration.

The infamous “Merchant of Death” Viktor Bout, who Joe Biden traded for WNBA pot-smoking star Brittney Griner, is allegedly back in business. Bout reportedly was caught selling $10 million in arms to Houthi rebels in Yemen, according to The Wall Street Journal.

WNBA star Brittney Griner was found guilty of drug smuggling with criminal intent in a Russian court in August 2022.

The 6’9″ basketball star was accused of possession of vape cartridges containing cannabis oil at a Moscow airport in February, during the lead-up to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine later that month. Griner’s defense team said she was prescribed marijuana by a doctor for pain treatment.

Russia released Brittney Griner in exchange for international arms dealer Viktor Bout, the notorious “Merchant of Death.”

Vikor Bout is a former Soviet military officer, who was serving a 25-year prison sentence in the United States on charges of conspiring to kill Americans, acquire and export anti-aircraft missiles, and provide material support to a terrorist organization. Bout has maintained he is innocent – via CNN.

Bout armed terrorist groups in some of the most violent conflicts in the world.

Bout was arrested back in 2008 in Thailand and extradited back to the United States. His arrest was linked at the time to FARC rebels in Colombia.

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DEA Seeks To Block Experts From Giving ‘Incompetent’ Testimony At Hearing On Proposed Psychedelics Ban

The Drug Enforcement Administration is seeking to block certain experts from testifying in an administrative hearing about the agency’s proposal to ban two psychedelic compounds that scientists say hold significant therapeutic potential.

Ahead of the 10-day hearing that a DEA administrative law judge (ALJ) scheduled for next month, the agency pushed back against the inclusion of multiple experts in the proceeding on the basis that the “proposed testimony and exhibits are incompetent, irrelevant, immaterial, and/or unduly repetitious.”

DEA further asserted that while the head of the agency can consider arguments on “barriers or hinderances to research” in the event that the psychedelics—2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodoamphetamine (DOI) and 2,5-dimethoxy-4-chloroamphetamine (DOC)—are placed in Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), allowing scientific experts to testify about the potential research harm without qualifying evidence “would result in a waste of judicial time and resources.”

“The Government argues that research harm evidence is not relevant to the issues and factors discussed above,” DEA said. That’s in spite of the fact that federal officials have repeatedly discussed the barriers to research associated with a drug’s placement in Schedule I.

Following a public comment period, DEA ALJ Paul Soeffing in August set an administrative hearing on the issue from November 12-22, with a final meeting on November 25, according to a recent notice that was shared with Marijuana Moment by the advocacy group Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP).

On Thursday, SSDP filed a motion responding to DEA’s brief, saying that agency is “purporting much of the testimony and exhibits are incompetent, irrelevant, immaterial, and/or unduly repetitious despite the less rigid evidentiary rules that exist for administrative hearings where courts have repeatedly established that the [ALJ] has great deference in deciding what evidence may be permitted.”

“What is the DEA so scared of that these leading scientists must be muzzled?” Robert Rush, a Denver-based attorney who is working with SSDP on the DOI and DOC case, said in a press release.

“By trying to silence the world’s leading experts in neuroscience and pharmacology, the DEA is attempting to prevent the tribunal—and the public—from understanding the true potential of these substances,” he said. “We vigorously oppose the DEA’s efforts to stop scientific research and call on the tribunal to reject the Government’s motion and ensure that all relevant evidence is heard.”

This all comes as DEA separately scheduled a December hearing to gain additional input on the Biden administration’s marijuana rescheduling proposal—a move that will delay that reform from potentially taking effect until after the presidential election.

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New Cory Booker Bill Would Prevent Housing Discrimination Against People Convicted Of Marijuana And Other Drug Offenses

Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Rep. Maxwell Alejandro Frost (D-FL) have filed a bill to repeal a decades-old federal statute that’s led to the denial of housing for millions of people with prior drug convictions.

The Fair Future Act would strike a section of the 1988 Fair Housing Amendments Act that the lawmakers say has prevented more than nine million people from accessing rental housing no matter how serious the offense was or how long it’s been since they’ve been convicted.

“No one should be permanently denied a place to live because of a prior drug conviction,” Booker said in a press release. “Right now, housing laws have denied people with prior drug convictions the ability to live in rental housing and in turn, denied them a fair chance at reentering society. The Fair Future Act will eliminate this discriminatory barrier to housing and help us put an end to our nation’s cycle of poverty and recidivism.”

Frost said that people “who have served their time, repaid their debt to society, and are looking to re-enter our communities cannot do so when the deck is stacked against them.”

“Housing is the foundation of a safe and secure life–yet outdated housing laws and conflicting state laws on marijuana mean that someone could go to jail, serve time, and be denied housing in one state, while someone carrying the same amount of marijuana in another state is abiding by the law,” the congressman said. “It’s time we allow folks a fresh start and put an end to housing exclusion for folks who have paid for their crimes and are rebuilding their lives.”

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