New York PTSD Patients Now Eligible for Cannabis Therapy

NORML | November 15, 2017 ALBANY, NY — Legislation signed into law on Saturday permits patients diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to be eligible to receive medicinal cannabis products. Democrat Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed S.5629/A.7006 into law late last week. The law took effect immediately upon passage. New York is the 23rd state to explicitly permit the use of cannabis for symptoms of post-traumatic stress. Article continues …

Study: CBD Products Sold Online Are Often Mislabeled

NORML | November 15, 2017 PHILADELPHIA, PA — Retail products marketed and sold online as CBD extracts are typically mislabeled with regard to their potency and ingredients, according to findings published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. A research team led by the University of Pennsylvania analyzed the contents of 84 CBD-infused products, produced by 31 different companies. Only 30 percent of the …

Study: Oral THC Mitigates Symptoms of Sleep Apnea

NORML | November 16, 2017 CHICAGO, IL — The use of oral THC mitigates sleep apnea symptoms compared to placebo, according to clinical trial data published online ahead of print in the journal Sleep. Investigators at the University of Illinois at Chicago assessed the efficacy of dronabinol treatment in 73 adults diagnosed with moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). They reported that oral …

Medical Marijuana Patients More Likely to Stop Using Opioids vs Non-Participants

Paul Armentano | November 17, 2017 Chronic pain patients enrolled in a statewide medical cannabis access program are significantly more likely to either reduce or cease their use of opioids as compared to non-enrolled patients suffering from similar pain conditions, according to data published online in the journal PLOS One. A team of investigators at the University of New Mexico assessed opioid prescription …

Study: "Substantial" Clinical Evidence Supports Medical Marijuana Claims

NORML | November 21, 2017 BOSTON, MA — Substantial clinical trial data exists to support the efficacy of medical cannabis in the treatment of chronic pain conditions, pediatric epilepsy, and multiple sclerosis, according to a literature review published online ahead of print in the journal Polish Archives of Internal Medicine. Investigators from Harvard Medical School and New York Medical College reviewed randomized, placebo-controlled …

Aurora Announces Deals to Acquire Quebec MMJ Producer, Greenhouse Design Firm

Aurora Cannabis announced deals to acquire two companies on Thursday – H2 Biopharma Inc., a late-stage Canadian medical cannabis production applicant, and Larssen Ltd., a greenhouse design firm. In total, Aurora will pay $25 million for H2, with an initial $10 million payment; all of which will be paid through the issuance of Aurora common shares. According to a press …

Australian MMJ and Hemp Firm Expands into China

Australia’s Creso Pharma is expanding its reach into China, announcing the company has established a strategic partnership and commercial distribution agreement with hemp-producer Zhejiang Kingdom Create So., Ltd. Kingdom Creative will import hemp and cannabis-derived animal and human health products and invest in the marketing and distribution of the products. Dr. Miri Halperin Wernli, Creso Pharma CEO, said the partnership …

Montana MMJ Draft Rules Released

The Montana Department of Health and Human Services has proposed draft rules for the medical cannabis program under the expanded regime approved by voters last year. The rules put the state program in line with others throughout the U.S., requiring product testing, and seed-to-sale tracking. Under the plan, providers with more than 10 registered patients would need to pay the …

University of New Mexico Study Finds MMJ Program Enrollees Decrease Opioid Use

A University of New Mexico study is the latest to suggest that cannabis could be a tool in the opioid epidemic. The study, which observed 37 habitual, opioid-using, chronic pain patients who chose to enroll in the state’s medical cannabis program, and 29 patients with similar conditions who chose not to enroll in the program, found a 47 percent reduction …