MjLink Cannabis Business News and Press

With social distancing and stay-at-home orders still in effect, cannabis events and enthusiasts are turning to an online format for celebrating the 4/20 cannabis holiday later this month.

In light of the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, major cannabis events and festivals have announced online 4/20 celebrations where cannabis enthusiasts can come together from all over to celebrate the cannabis holiday while still honoring social distance and active stay-at-home orders.

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Graham Abbott ~ Ganjapreneur.com ~ 

Researchers are calling for formal clinical trials into the efficacy of marijuana for treating opioid use disorder after a newly published study found that cannabis may ease many common symptoms of opioid withdrawal.

The study, conducted by researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and published in the forthcoming issue of the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, asked 200 people with past-month opioid and marijuana use whether their symptoms of opioid withdrawal improved or worsened when they consumed cannabis.

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Ben Aldin ~ MarijuanaMoment.net ~ 

So far in 2020, there has reportedly been $157 million in reported marijuana sales in the state.

A cannabis industry market research company on Tuesday predicted that the marijuana market in Massachusetts will reach $1.35 billion in 2024.

However that estimate comes before anyone can know what impact will be seen from the halt of adult-use operations during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Melissa Hanson ~ Masslive.com ~

Dr. Sue Sisley is leading the next generation of cannabis medical science, taking the fight directly to the FDA and DEA to help cut through the red tape that hinders research.

In order for a drug to get FDA approval, the data on said drug’s effects must be reviewed by the Center for Drug Evaluation & Research (CDER) and the drug must be determined to provide benefits that outweigh its known and potential risks.

Now, what if research is impeded by a variety of governmental red tape? That is exactly the case with cannabis. And this is where Dr. Sue Sisley comes in. 

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Alex Moersen ~ CannaTechToday.com ~ 

Once limited to just plant or butter form, the recreational market has opened up products like tinctures, vape pens, topicals, and much more.

If you’re new to cannabis, or live in an illegal state, that alone may be news to you.

But there’s even more innovation going on in the cannabis industry, beyond the typical products. So we’ve rounded up product picks of some unusual forms of cannabis consumption.

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Meg Hartley ~ Leafly.com ~ 

Cannabis use hit an all-time high in March as lockdown measures spread across the U.S., giving people more free time with less to do.

A March survey of 2,500 consumers by Cowen & Co. found that 33% had tried cannabis at some point in their lives, a record high.

For the past month, 12.8% of respondents said they’d used pot, above the 12.5% average in 2019.

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Kristine Owram ~ Bloomberg.com ~ 

Figi, 13, was the namesake for Charlotte’s Web products. Her story changed the way the public sees marijuana.

Charlotte Figi, the Colorado Springs girl who, as a gleeful and fragile child, launched a movement that led to sweeping changes in marijuana laws across the globe, has died from complications related to the new coronavirus. She was 13.

Charlotte’s death was announced by a family friend Tuesday night on the Facebook page of her mother, Paige Figi.

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John Ingold ~ The Colorado Sun ~

Well, it's now clear how a lot of Oregonians got through their first month of quarantine: by smoking a lot of weed.

Sales data from the Oregon Liquor Control Commission show Oregonians bought $84.5 million worth of cannabis products in March —the most in a single month since the state legalized recreational use in 2015.

The previous record, set in July 2019, was just shy of $80 million. 

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Matthew Singer ~ Willamette Week ~ 

The results of a world-first study at The University of Western Australia have shown that medicinal cannabis can be used as a novel treatment for adults suffering from chronic insomnia.

Around one in three Australians has regular difficulty getting to sleep and the sedation effect brought on by medicinal cannabis is believed to be an alternative treatment for those experiencing the condition.

The study was coordinated through the UWA Centre for Sleep Science using a cannabinoid extract provided by Zelira Therapeutics, an Australian medical research and development company.

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University of Western Australia ~ 

In an unusual turn, NIDA will pay researchers up to $100K per year to find out if smoking weed impacts COVID-19 symptoms.

Earlier this week, Canadian doctors announced their interest in researching whether properties found in the cannabis plant, including cannabinoids and terpenes, could cure COVID-19 symptoms.

Now, the American government also wants scientists to study the relationship between marijuana and coronavirus, though not in the same way.

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Brendan Bures ~ TheFreshToast.com ~ 

As a primary care doctor who has incorporated medical cannabis into his practice, it is notable how many silver-haired patients are coming in to discuss the pros and cons of a trial of medical cannabis.

These patients range from people in their 60s with kidney failure who can no longer take certain pain medications but still need to manage chronic pain, to patients in their 90s, who are looking for a good night’s sleep and are leery of the side effects of traditional sleep medications.

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Peter Grinspoon, MD ~ Health.Harvard.edu ~ 

Cannabis companies that were planning to host elaborate monthlong celebrations around 4/20 have been forced to change plans and are turning to virtual parties that include specials and giveaways.

Gone are large gatherings of people celebrating the unofficial April 20 cannabis holiday.

The pivot has proved costly and forced companies to scramble.

Some marijuana businesses, for example, have already forked over thousands of dollars for events and concerts that no longer will happen.

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According to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, adult-use cannabis sales hit $35,902,543.22 in March.

The department said the numbers do not includes taxes collected.

In February, total sales were $34,805,072, and in January sales reached $39,247,840.83.

As for March, the IDFPR said most sales came from Illinois residents; $27,096,931.23. Out of state buyers spent $8,805,611.99.

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While some medical marijuana states allow home cultivation, others do not, potentially harming lives during the coronavirus outbreak.

This past month, numerous cities and states recognized marijuana as an essential good under quarantine from the novel coronavirus, allowing medical dispensaries and recreational cannabis stores to remain open during the pandemic.

Governments also lifted restrictions around delivery and curbside pickup rules. 

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Brendan Bures ~ TheFreshToast.com ~ 

COVID-19 is having a multi-million dollar impact on the state budget. One lawmaker said the solution might be to legalize recreational marijuana.

Representative Scott Fetgatter (R) Tulsa said job losses from COVID-19 coupled with low oil prices leaves the state more than $220 million in the red this and another $250 million in the red next year.

“With the current situation with oil prices being down, COVID-19, the economic impacts from those things, I just am wondering if it wouldn’t be a good idea to have a discussion in the legislature about a full access program adult use over 21 alongside our medical program,” Fetgatter said.

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Aaron Brilbeck ~ News9.com ~ 

Chemists at some of the biggest legal-weed companies are after an elusive prize: a predictable, reliable product.

The retail showroom of INSA, a farm-to-bong cannabis company in western Massachusetts, is a clean industrial space on the first floor of a four-story brick building in the old mill town Easthampton.

When I visited recently, before the coronavirus shut down recreational sales and forbade crowds, the crew of eight behind the glass display cases looked a lot like the staff you’d see dispensing lattes at Starbucks or troubleshooting iPads at the Genius Bar: young, racially diverse, smiling.

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Gary Greenberg ~ NYTimes.com ~ 

Much like the grocery stores trying to fill orders for rice and potatoes, cannabis retailers cannot fill marijuana delivery orders fast enough.

Since Nevada's cannabis industry temporarily switched to delivery-only purchases, retailers have cut short purchasing windows, grown their delivery vehicle fleets and set priority times for medical patients.

"The demand continues to be high, but we are continuing to meet demand," said Tyler Klimas, executive director of the Cannabis Compliance Board.

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Jenny Kane ~ Reno Gazette Journal ~

Researchers at McMaster University in Canada recently published a paper describing how cannabigerol, the common cannabinoid known as CBG, killed a variety of strains of MRSA, the antibiotic-resistant staph bacteria.

The researchers, led by Eric D. Brown, went further than previous studies by moving beyond the petri dish and testing CBD on rodents.

Their results could be the first step in making CBG the newest antibiotic on the market.

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Zoe Sigman ~ Leafly.com ~ 

When medication is consumed it must reach the intended site of action, but what is the degree and rate at which it is absorbed by the human body?

NNE spotlights a vital concept in pharmacology: bioavailability.

Speaking to Christian Carlsen, Business Director of NNE and Morten Allesoe, Principal Consultant at NNE, Medical Cannabis Network gains an insight into the importance of achieving cannabinoid bioavailability, along with understanding ways new therapeutic medications can be developed and monitored to provide effective medication to the patient.

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Shakera Halim ~ HealthEuropa.eu ~ 

While most of the Netherlands struggles through the coronavirus lockdown, marijuana smokers received the welcome news that “coffee shops” selling the drug have reopened for takeaway orders.

All businesses selling cannabis and hashish were ordered to shut, along with sex clubs and saunas, when the Dutch government imposed on March 15 measures to curb the COVID-19 epidemic.

A limited reopening has been allowed to avoid black market drug deals and ensure supplies of medicinal cannabis.

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Hilde Verweij ~ Reuters.com ~