Marijuana in Virginia is legal as of July 1st.
When Virginia’s legal cannabis law goes into effect on July 1st, adults 21 and over may possess up to an ounce of cannabis or an equivalent amount of a cannabis product, such as edibles or vape oil.
Adults caught with more than an ounce on them in a public place will face a $25 civil penalty.
Those in possession of more than one pound of cannabis can be convicted of a felony that comes with at least a year in prison and up to a 10-year sentence and a $250,000 fine.
Anyone under the age of 21 caught with marijuana could face up to a $25 fine and be ordered to enter a substance abuse treatment or education program, according to WAVY.com
Cannabis is legalized in New Mexico
After years of an embattled MMJ program, cannabis became legal in New Mexico on Tuesday, including limited personal possession and cultivation for adults 21 and older.
According to the new law, citizens can lawfully possess up to two ounces of cannabis, 16 grams of concentrates, and are allowed to home cultivate up to six cannabis plants for personal use.
Possession of more than two ounces is allowed at home, but it “must not be visible from a public place,” cautioning discretion.
Anyone caught with more than two, but less than eight, ounces of cannabis, 16 grams of cannabis extract, and more than 800 milligrams of edible cannabis in public, could be guilty of a misdemeanor, according to KRQE.
Retail sales are not yet implemented and many of the details are still being ironed out.
New Mexico is the first of three states where adult-use legalization laws took effect this week, with Virginia and Connecticut following suit.
The latter two states have new policies that ended cannabis prohibition as of Thursday.
Mexico Supreme Court Moves to Abolish Laws Prohibiting Personal Use of Marijuana
(Via NORML) Justices on Mexico’s highest court moved to permit adults to possess and cultivate small quantities of cannabis without penalty.
In 2018, the Court determined that the sections of the federal law criminalizing the private use and cultivation of cannabis by adults were unconstitutional.
At that time, the majority opined, “The effects caused by marijuana do not create an absolute prohibition on its consumption.”
Late Monday, Mexico’s Supreme Court mandated that the Health Department begin issuing permits to members of the public who wish to either possess or grow personal use quantities of cannabis.
Activities involving commercial activities remain illegal.
The US Supreme Court Justice questions the legal rationale for continuing federal cannabis prohibition in the United States.
US Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas (best known for allegedly sexually harassing Anita Hill while he was her supervisor at the Department of Education and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) before he was appointed to the highest court in the land), recently questioned the legal rationale for continuing federal cannabis prohibition in the United States.
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas said on Monday that federal laws against the sale and cultivation of marijuana are inconsistent, making a national prohibition unnecessary.
“A prohibition on interstate use or cultivation of marijuana may no longer be necessary or proper to support the federal government’s piecemeal approach,” Thomas, one of the court’s most conservative justices, wrote in a statement.
“Federal policies of the past 16 years have greatly undermined its reasoning,” Thomas added. “The federal government’s current approach is a half-in, half-out regime that simultaneously tolerates and forbids local use of marijuana.”
Full Story here.
International Distribution of MMJ from Australia to Poland
Perth, Australia-based cannabis producer Little Green Pharma (ASX: LGP) and Poland’s Medezin inked a five-year, exclusive pharmaceutical distribution agreement to import Australian medical marijuana oil and flower into Poland.
Medezin is a subsidiary of Pelion SA, an operator in the Polish and Lithuanian healthcare sector with 30 years of operational experience and annual revenue of approximately $3.5 billion.
Under the terms of the agreement, Medezin will hold exclusive rights to distribute Little Green Pharma’s products, subject to meeting certain sales hurdles; including capturing at least 20% of the Polish medical marijuana (MMJ) oil market and at least 10% of the high-THC MMJ cannabis flower market.
Studies
Study Calls for Participants who Smoke Pot
People who consume cannabis and live in Los Angeles are eligible to participate in a study at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
The university is recruiting research volunteers, healthy cannabis smokers, age 21-55, to evaluate the effects of cannabis on pain and mood for a research study.
Scan the QR code below or call (310) 794 -1563 for more information.
Medical marijuana shows efficacy in treating children with epilepsy.
A team of researchers at Hebrew University completed a meta-analysis (a statistical analysis that combines the results of multiple scientific studies) of pediatric patients treated with medical cannabis.
The plant could prove to be a highly effective way to treat severe epilepsy in children. The Hebrew University of Jerusalem team concludes.
The research was carried out under the auspices of Prof. Ilan Matok and led by Hebrew University Ph.D. candidate Nir Treves at the university’s School of Pharmacy.
The research team examined seven clinical studies of approximately 500 patients under 18 years of age.
From the meta-review, the team uncovered both positive and negative effects associated with their medical cannabis use.
Remarkably, they found a marked improvement in seizure rates for children who have uncontrolled epilepsy.
“For some [with epilepsy], the improvement was very significant,” Treves told The Media Line. “It reduced seizure rates for a lot of children by more than 50%.”
While there is plenty of anecdotal evidence to support medical cannabis as a treatment for pediatric epilepsy and Dravet’s syndrome, such as in the cases of Alexis Bortel and Charlotte Figi, respectively, this study is crucial clinical trial evidence.