Here are some of this week’s cannabis headlines that caught our attention. Legalization seems to be moving along quicker than anticipated; it almost feels like this week was a tipping point for the movement.
Big3 Basketball League Legalizes CBD for Recovery and Pain Relief
Spotted via Chicago Tribune, Ice Cube’s 3-on-3-basketball league said it’s the first pro league to allow CBD usage after the World Anti-Doping Agency removed it from its banned substance list earlier this year. “The BIG3 is uniquely positioned in professional sports as a player-powered league that looks at our players as partners not property,” Big3 co-founder and co-CEO Jeff Kwatinetz said in a press release. “As a testament to our relationship with our players, we listened to their feedback on CBD, as well as feedback from professionals in the regulatory and CBD industry, and decided to take this major step to support their health.”
The U.S. Senate Just Approved a Bill to Legalize Hemp
Spotted via our friends at Merry Jane magazine, the Senate’s farm bill contains provisions that would allow the cultivation, sale, and processing of industrial hemp, which will also permit hemp-derived CBD products. “For the first time in 80 years, this bill legalizes hemp. We forget, but hemp was widely grown in the United States throughout the mid-1800s,” Sen. Michael Bennet said to his fellow lawmakers during a floor debate, Forbes reports. “Americans used hemp in fabrics, wine, and paper. Our government treated industrial hemp like any other farm commodity until the early 20th century, when a 1937 law defined it as a narcotic drug, dramatically limiting its growth.”
The bill would remove hemp from the Controlled Substances Act, effectively legalizing the plant federally and allowing it to be grown, processed, and sold as an agricultural commodity.
Marijuana Dispensaries Don’t Increase Crime, Study Finds
The study by the Institute of Labor Economics looked at the effects of marijuana dispensary laws on crime in California counties, “Our findings indicate that policymakers should be careful in how they regulate the presence of dispensaries, while not jumping to the conclusion that dispensaries are clearly crime generating hot-spots. Similarly, while police are right to be wary about potential crime effects from the introduction of cash-dependent businesses, our results demonstrate that current policy has not led to a wave in crime (even if this may be due to actual police practices). Our findings suggest that it is possible to regulate these markets and find a common ground between safety and access to medical marijuana. Natural experiments like the one being undertaken in California will only further help researchers better understand exactly how to find this ideal common ground.
Vicente Fox: “I Believe In Legalizing All Drugs”
Earlier this year, Civilized publisher Derek Riedle met with Vicente Fox, the 55th president of Mexico. In the first part of this wide-ranging conversation, Fox discusses the failed War on Drugs, his work with the CannaMexico World Summit, and his efforts to fight violent crime through progressive drug policy, taking power away from criminals. Watch the interview below, and stay tuned to Civilized as they will be sharing more of the interview in the coming days.
Chuck Schumer Introduces Bill to Federally Decriminalize Marijuana
Spotted via High Times, if the bill is passed into law it would:
- Establish funds specifically for marijuana businesses owned by women and marijuana business owners of color.
- Set aside $750 million for highway safety programs and other public health projects.
- Allow the Treasury Department to regulate certain aspects of cannabis advertising and marketing.
- Set up around $100 million in grants to help expunge criminal records of folks who have been convicted in the past for marijuana-related crimes.
Daily Cannabis Use is on the Rise in American Adults
While studies show that cannabis use among teens is on the decline, a new study by researchers at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health showed that American adults have increasingly used cannabis daily since 2007. The findings are published online in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs. “Middle-age adults ages 50 to 64 were the only group with increases in nondaily cannabis use both before and after 2007. If trends continue, prevalence estimates of cannabis use among ages 50 to 64 could surpass those of adults ages 35 to 49.”
Dave Chappelle and the next Governor in Maryland
Spotted via Merry Jane. “I didn’t start out on this journey over a year ago planning on [marijuana legalization] being a big issue in my campaign, but Dave has made the argument to me for almost a quarter century,” Jealous told Melber.
Vast Majority of Americans Want Legalization of Cannabis
Spotted via The Maven, undertaken by think tank Center for American Progress (CAP) and research firm GBA Strategies, the survey was released on Wednesday June 20. “This finding of widespread, bipartisan national support for marijuana legalization is important as Congress begins to take initial steps in this arena,” said Ed Chung, vice president of Criminal Justice Reform at CAP. “There is clear overwhelming public support for marijuana legalization, and cities and states across the country are taking action. It is time for a national effort to catch up with legislation to liberalize outdated marijuana policies.”
Here is a breakdown showing the broad demographics of Americans who want cannabis legalized:
- 57 percent of Republicans
- 77 percent of Democrats
- 62 percent of independents
- 66 percent of men
- 69 percent of women
- 69 percent of whites
- 72 percent of African Americans
- 64 percent of Latinos
First Cannabis-Derived Drug Approved by FDA
Spotted via The Maven. The FDA has approved a prescription drug derived from CBD oil. The medication, Epidiolex, has been shown effective in significantly reducing seizures caused by two rare forms of epilepsy that begin in childhood: Dravet Syndrome (DS) and Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome (LGS). “This approval serves as a reminder that advancing sound development programs that properly evaluate active ingredients contained in marijuana can lead to important medical therapies,” FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said in a statement, reported by AP. “And, the FDA is committed to this kind of careful scientific research and drug development.”