Minnesota Democratic Governor Tim Walz yesterday reiterated his promise to sign the cannabis legalization bill that arrived on his desk on Saturday. Minnesota, which legalized cannabis for medical purposes in 2014, will become the 23rd US state to legalize cannabis for adults.

When the bill reaches my desk, Minnesota will become the 23rd state in the nation to legalize adult-use cannabis.

— Governor Tim Walz (@GovTimWalz) May 22, 2023

Minnesota’s House of Representatives and Senate, both controlled by Democrats, previously approved slightly different legalization bills. Bill HF 100, passed by both houses last week, reconciles these differences.

Minnesota Cannabis Legalization Details

Adults 21 or older will be allowed to possess two ounces (56 grams) or less of cannabis in public, share that amount with other adults, keep two pounds (1 kilogram) or less at home, and grow up to eight plants, four of which are flowering. These provisions will come into force on August 1.

The bill also provides for the creation of a cannabis management office to license and regulate commercial production and distribution. Cannabis products will be subject to 10% retail sales tax, in addition to regular local and state sales taxes.

Local authorities will be allowed to regulate retailers and limit their number, but they will not be able to ban them altogether. MP Zack Stephenson, co-sponsor of the bill, said licensed sales are expected to begin in 12 to 18 months.

Initially, cannabis consumption will be limited to private residences. But the law will eventually allow cannabis use in specially licensed businesses and events.

Driving under the influence of cannabis will remain illegal. But Minnesota doesn’t have a standard per se which would make a driver automatically guilty due to the presence of THC in his blood. The law requires proof of impairment.

Bill HF 100 eliminates some cannabis-related offenses and downgrades others. It requires the automatic expunging of criminal records for cannabis possession, a process that the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension says could last until August 2024. The bill calls for the creation of a review board tasked with considering the re-sentencing of people with criminal records for possession of cannabis.

According to a recent SurveyUSA poll, 64% of Minnesota voters support cannabis legalization, including 81% Democrats and 49% Republicans. This figure is similar to the national breakdown among American adults that Gallup reported last fall.

“The current system doesn’t work,” Lindsey Port said ahead of the vote on the cannabis bill in her House, of which she was the main sponsor. “The best way to protect our children from access to cannabis is to legalize and regulate it. »

The French Minister of Health, François Braun, announced on Monday May 15 that the sale of products based on hexahydrocannabinol (HHC) should be banned quickly.

“I think it’s a matter of weeks,” said the minister, when asked about a possible ban on HHC on Franceinfo. However, is it as easy to ban HCC in France as to say it on a TV set?

HHC in Europe

In a technical report published in April, the European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), which centralizes information on drugs and drug addiction, recalls that HHC is not on the list of conventions of the United Nations of 1961 and 1971, which are used to prohibit cannabis. In the European Union, HHC is currently monitored as a new psychoactive substance by the EMCDDA through their early warning system.

The report notes that the pharmacological and behavioral effects of HHC in humans have not been studied, although anecdotal reports from users indicate that its effects are similar to those of cannabis and Δ9-THC. According to the EMCDDA, HHC does not appear to have any documented legitimate uses.

At the date of the report, no Member State had “controlled” – meaning banning – HHC. In the meantime, Finland, Austria or Switzerland have done so.

Ban HHC in France

On what, then, could the prohibition be based? In an article in Ouest-France, Anne Batisse, head of the Paris Addictovigilance Center (AP-HP) explains that “France classifies substances according to health complications, but we still have few reports on HHC. »

And the complexity probably rests on this point. Legally, Yann Bisiou, specialist in drug law, explains to us that the prohibition of HHC in France would probably be based on its classification as a narcotic.

To do this, either it is already included in the list of narcotics, for example in the category of cyclohexylphenols as was mentioned at one time, and the case of HHC is settled.

Either it is not one and its prohibition may take longer. It would then be based “on the need to have to prove the risk to public health and/or the risk of addiction”. Which would mean several months, even years, to study.

The Ministry of Health told Le Monde that “surveys have been launched in regional addiction monitoring centers to define the effects of the substance”, with results expected in “June”.

To date, a report has been reported from drug addiction assessment and information centers of “psychoactive effects in a person after respiratory exposure to CBD containing HHC” according to the Directorate General of Health, still in the world.

For Anne Batisse, “the danger [du HHC] it is above all that uninformed users could rush towards this so-called “legal” cannabis without recommending its use, without knowing that this substance is accident-prone and without us yet knowing all the risks”.

Associations alert them to the risks of heavy metals and solvent residues and the lack of traceability and transparency on the origin and manufacture of HHC. Arguments formerly used for… CBD.

According to a new study, the legalization of cannabis is primarily associated with “small, sometimes significant, declines in longer-term adult tobacco use”.

The researchers found ‘consistent evidence’ that the passage of adult cannabis use laws in US states led to a slight increase in cannabis use among adults – between two and four points, according to the source of data – but tobacco has not followed this trend.

If the apparent substitution effect of cigarettes to cannabis, induced by legalization, were extended nationwide, it could result in healthcare cost savings worth more than $10 billion per year, concludes the study.

“We find little empirical support for the hypothesis that recreational cannabis laws increase net tobacco consumption, as measured across a wide range of combustible tobacco products as well as [les e-cigarettes] “, they write. “The preponderance of evidence instead points to small, sometimes significant, declines in adult tobacco use over the longer term.

“We conclude that recreational cannabis laws may have beneficial effects on tobacco-related health. »

Cannabis legalization and tobacco use

Authors from Bentley, San Diego State and Georgia State Universities published the findings in the Journal of Health Economics last month, calling the report “the first to comprehensively examine the impact of recreational cannabis legalization on smoking.” The study is based on federal data from the PATH survey (Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health) and the NSDUH survey (National Survey on Drug Use and Health).

While cannabis legalization enjoys overwhelming support from Americans, the researchers write that “public health experts have taken a more cautious approach, calling for more research to assess the benefits and costs of cannabis use. of marijuana for health, as well as to understand the potentially unintended consequences on other health behaviors”.

Some fear that the reform could lead to a “renormalization” of smoking, which would risk reversing nearly half a century of decline in cigarette consumption.

Smoking rates have dropped dramatically since the Surgeon General’s first report in 1964, with adult male smoking rates falling from 55% to 16% and female smoking rates from 35% to 12%. “Although the causes of these declines are the subject of much debate”, recognizes the study, “most public health experts seek to preserve the gains in health”.

The authors of the new study acknowledge that their analysis of the NSDUH data shows that legalization leads to “a (largely) statistically insignificant drop of 0.5 to 0.7 percentage points in tobacco consumption”, which includes cigarettes, pipe tobacco, smokeless tobacco and cigars. »

“However, this zero effect masks weak lagged effects of recreational cannabis laws on smoking. Three or more years after the passage of cannabis legalization, we find that tobacco use among adults decreases by approximately 1.4 to 2.7 points”.

With specific reference to cigarette smoking, they continue: “Again, although the overall treatment effect is relatively small […] three or more years after the passage of legalization, we see a statistically significant decline of 1.1 to 1.3 percentage points in adult cigarette consumption”.

To verify, the study also analyzed states that legalized cannabis earlier than others.

“The results support the hypothesis that smoking declined in several of the states that legalized cannabis earliest, including Colorado and Washington, which also saw the largest increases in cannabis use. cannabis consumption after the enactment of the law on the legalization of cannabis consumption. »

Legalization “is associated with a lagged reduction in the use of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), consistent with the hypothesis that ENDS and cannabis are substitutes.”

The researchers reported that the reduction in tobacco use in legal states is “primarily concentrated among men and for regulations that come with open recreational dispensaries,” results they say are “consistent with the hypothesis that recreational cannabis and tobacco may be substitutes for some adults”.

The article notes that the potential health care savings from substituting cannabis for cigarettes “could be substantial.”

“Our estimates suggest a reduction in smoking prevalence of 5.1 million people, which would translate into savings in tobacco-related health costs of approximately $10.2 billion per year,” the article concludes. .

Given that most states where cannabis is legal first passed medical cannabis laws, the study points out that it is possible that “the effects of recreational legalization are confounded with the long-term effects of medical legalization,” especially in light of the delays that often elapse between medical legalization and the start of legal sales in states.

Analyzes of the PATH data, meanwhile, reached similar conclusions. “Consistent with the NSDUH, we find no evidence that the passage of an adult cannabis use law significantly increased the use of combustible tobacco or e-cigarettes in the previous month” , write the authors.

“Although the estimated lagged effects are positive in most cases for the consumption of cigarettes, cigars and all combustible tobacco products, the effects are uniformly less than one percentage point – often less than 0.5 percentage points. percentage – and are statistically indistinguishable from zero at conventional levels. »

Additionally, the study found “no evidence that the adoption of legalization significantly increases tobacco product initiation among non-core users or decreases smoking cessation among core users.” “.

Legalization, however, was associated with a 1.2 to 1.3 percentage point increase in co-use of tobacco and cannabis, which the researchers attribute primarily to “cannabis initiation among the subpopulation of people who were already using tobacco before the policy change.

In a Facebook post published on their page and relayed massively by Mr Mondialization (1.6 million followers), Le Chanvre du Griffoul, a small CBD farm in the Tarn, recounts its misadventures.

Last Wednesday, small agricultural production received a visit from a bailiff who gave them a summons to appear in Albi court on May 26. The dispute concerns La Ferme du CBD’s request to remove the mention “CBD farm” from the Chanvre du Griffoul website.

La Ferme du CBD, a company specializing in the distance selling of CBD products, is owned by the Swiss holding company Audacia Group and is probably one of the Top 10 CBD e-commerce players in France.

The Swiss company is seeking €126,000 in damages, plus €5,000 per day if the terms “CBD farm” remain on the Chanvre de Griffoul site, which, as explained in their Facebook post, barely releases €50,000 per year once the taxes have been paid.

Le Chanvre du Griffoul is not the only target of the legal department of La Ferme du CBD. Many other brands and competitors reportedly received similar emails and removed the requested notices according to Hemp.

Le Chanvre du Griffoul, 4 former Yellow Vests, believes in the resistance that she considers logical and fair. She claims La Ferme du CBD’s marketing tactics mislead customers into thinking they are buying CBD products directly from a farm. Le Chanvre insists that it is the CBD producers who are harmed by the actions of La Ferme du CBD.

Le Chanvre du Griffoul has received support from colleagues in the sector who have also received emails from the legal department of La Ferme du CBD. They are appealing to gather documents and evidence to build a strong case against the company.

They believe that this trial is an opportunity to shed light on the methods of appropriation employed by La Ferme du CBD and to seek justice against what they perceive as a liberal monster. They express their determination and their confidence in the continuation of the case.

We have contacted the CBD Farm and are awaiting their response.

The Australian company Little Green Pharma (LGP) will continue to supply its CBD 20:1 and 50 oils to medical cannabis experimentation in France. It thus won the two calls for tenders in progress while its products were out of stock following its decision not to provide them free of charge for a third consecutive year.

Extension of experimentation

In 2019, the French government unveiled its experiment to provide free medication to 3,000 patients ahead of a possible legalization of medical cannabis in the country.

Under this initiative, the government and patients were not required to pay for the drugs, with the companies supplying them picking up the bill. Although it dealt a blow to the results of the participating companies, this initiative was an opportunity to gain a foothold in the French market, the total value of which is estimated at 5.6 billion euros.

In early 2021, the National Agency for the Safety of Medicines and Health Products (ANSM) selected companies to provide the country’s free medical cannabis pilot program. Among them was Little Green Pharma which provided a CBD 50 oil and a CBD:THC 20:1 oil.

The pilot program was originally scheduled to last two years, but in September 2022 the French government announced a proposal to extend the trial for a third year, until March 2024.

2 tenders

Following opposition from participating companies, a first call for tenders was launched which offered 14 euros per bottle (10mL) of CBD oil. From our understanding, Little Green Pharma’s supply for the extended period under the awarded tender has been capped at approximately 11,000 units of CBD:THC 20:1 oil.

However, the proposed remuneration was too low for the CBD 50 oil. A second call for tenders was therefore proposed by the French government, with a budget of up to 1 million euros.

Little Green Pharma has therefore separately submitted an offer to supply its CBD 50 oil for the extension of the experiment. LGP indicates that, under the terms of the tender, it was authorized to offer commercial prices up to a ceiling of 1 million euros for the equivalent of 22,500 bottles of CBD 50 oil (50 ml ). This call for tenders is now closed and is being evaluated.

To date, the company has supplied its 1:20 THC:CBD and CBD50 oils to patients and claims to have been the majority supplier in the trial with approximately 85% of products delivered.

“If cannabis is legalized in France, LGP believes the trial’s limited number of providers will give it a rare opportunity to capitalize on one of the largest potential markets for medical cannabis in Europe,” the company said.

The company’s partners in this trial are Intsel Chimos, a French pharmaceutical company, and Center Lab, a pharmaceutical manufacturer that works closely with Intsel Chimos in France.

LGP is supplying its drugs to France, while Intsel Chimos and Center Lab are handling batch release, distribution, medical information and pharmacovigilance for the trial.

Until the various product ruptures, the patient feedback on the experimentation was very favorable. 91% of the 1,453 current patients have reported positive results. The various expert reports on the interim results of the trial have all provided positive feedback.

A major clinical trial examining the role of cannabis-based drug Sativex in treating the most aggressive brain tumors has recruited its first patients in the UK/

A pioneering research project, considered the first of its kind on the role of a cannabis-based drug in the treatment of brain tumors, is currently underway in Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and at Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester.

The ARISTOCRAT trial aims to find out if the combination of nabiximols (also known as Sativex) and chemotherapy can help prolong the lives of people with recurrent glioblastoma.

The study, led by researchers from the University of Leeds and the Clinical Trials Unit of Cancer Research UK at the University of Birmingham, aims to recruit more than 230 glioblastoma patients from 14 NHS hospitals across England, Scotland and Wales in 2023.

A fundraising campaign led by The Brain Tumor Charity in August 2021, with the backing of Olympic champion Tom Daley, raised the £450,000 needed to complete the trial.

Glioblastomas are the most aggressive form of brain cancer, with an average survival of less than 10 months after a recurrence. According The Brain Tumor Charitythere are currently very few treatment options for people whose glioblastoma has come back.

The first results are promising

In 2021, a phase I clinical trial in 27 patients showed that nabiximols could be tolerated by patients in combination with chemotherapy and had the potential to prolong the lives of people with recurrent glioblastoma

If the phase II trial proves successful, experts hope nabiximols could be a new boon for patients with glioblastoma – the first since temozolomide chemotherapy in 2007.

Dr. David Jenkinson, Scientific Director of The Brain Tumor Charity, said, “We are delighted to announce that, thanks to the support and generosity of many members of the brain tumor community, the ARISTOCRAT trial has enrolled its first patients. »

“We are very excited that this first global trial, conducted here in the UK, can help speed recovery from this devastating disease. Over the past decade, patients and researchers have shown great interest in the potential of cannabinoids in the treatment of glioblastomas. We are very grateful to everyone around the world who helped fund such an important study. »

“The first results are very promising. We are now eager to understand whether adding nabiximols to chemotherapy could help improve quality of life and prolong life for those affected by a diagnosis of glioblastoma. We hope this will be the first new drug to treat glioblastoma in over 15 years.”

A “one-of-a-kind” randomized controlled trial

Researchers will assess whether adding Sativex to current standard chemotherapy treatment (temozolomide) could provide extra life for adults diagnosed with a recurrence of their glioblastoma after initial treatment.

Participants will be asked to administer up to 12 sprays per day (or the maximum dose they can tolerate if it is less than 12) of Sativex or placebo by mouth.

They will then undergo regular follow-up including clinical evaluation (every four weeks), blood tests, MRI scans (every eight weeks) and answer quality of life questionnaires.

The trial will determine whether adding Sativex to chemotherapy prolongs patients’ lifespan (overall survival), delays the progression of their disease (progression-free survival) or improves their quality of life.

Professor Susan Short, principal investigator of the trial at the University of Leeds, commented: “We are very excited to be opening this trial here in Leeds. We look forward to conducting this study which will tell us if cannabinoid-based drugs can help treat the most aggressive form of brain tumour. The treatment of glioblastomas is extremely difficult. Even with surgery, radiation and chemotherapy, almost all of these brain tumors grow back within a year. Unfortunately, there are very few options for patients when this happens. »

“Cannabinoid drugs have well-described effects on the brain and their use in different types of cancer has long been of great interest. Glioblastomas have cannabinoid receptors on the surface of their cells. Laboratory studies in glioblastoma cells have shown that these drugs can slow tumor growth and are especially effective when used with temozolomide. »

“We now have the opportunity to use these lab results and those from the Phase I trial and study whether this drug could help patients with glioblastoma live longer in this randomized clinical trial, the first of its kind. »

Exercise caution with cannabis therapies

The potential of cannabis to treat and even prevent certain types of cancer is an evolving area of ​​research.

Cannabis products have been shown, anecdotally and in a growing number of scientific studies, to benefit patients in a variety of ways, from managing palliative pain to reducing the side effects of standard treatments. such as chemotherapy.

However, to date, there is no strong evidence for its use in the treatment of brain tumours.

As Dr. Jenkinson points out: “In the meantime, while other cannabinoid products may help relieve symptoms, there is insufficient evidence to recommend their use in the treatment of brain tumours. If you are considering using cannabinoid products or other complementary therapies, it is essential that you discuss these with your medical team first, as they may interact with other treatments such as anti-epileptic drugs or antiepileptics. steroids. »

As Oregon decriminalized small amounts of psilocybin and licensed the first psilocybin therapy center in the United States, its prices were published. The costs, however, may give some potential patients some shock.

A two-and-a-half-gram individual session of psilocybin will cost $2,800, while a four-gram session will cost $3,500.

A “level 1 microdose” session lasting 1 to 2 hours costs $500 for an individual; a “Level 2 Microdose”, “Low Dose” and “Medium Dose” session costs $800, $1,800, and $2,800 respectively for an individual. Less expensive group rates are also available.

Price of psilocybin therapies

“There is some flexibility depending on the number of services you want,” says Cathy Jonas, owner of EPIC Healing Eugene, in a video posted on the company’s website. “We really want to make this a sustainable practice, because it was very expensive to set it up, to open it up, but we also want to serve people. We want to have fun serving people. »

Services will not be covered by health insurance plans.

Although hallucinogenic mushrooms remain illegal at the federal level, Oregon approved psilocybin treatment centers late last year. In March, the state issued a first license to produce psilocybin. In April, the Oregon Health Authority issued Rose City Laboratories a license for the state’s first laboratory to test psilocybin products. Oregon regulators announced last week the first license for a psilocybin service center.

Overpriced ?

Are these first treatments too expensive? Psychedelic Spotlight, an online magazine devoted to psychedelics, recalls that in order to benefit from psilocybin treatment, a person must undergo screening and attend at least three preparatory sessions, as well as the treatment day and the treatment sessions. integration. This treatment usually requires 18-25 hours in total, with therapists typically charging $150-200 per hour.

The cost of a mid-dose psilocybin therapy session, which can be as high as $3,500, can seem daunting at first. However, it is important to compare these costs to current treatments for illnesses such as depression, for example. Traditional treatments for depression can also be expensive. The average monthly cost of generic antidepressants is $62.50, while the cost of branded antidepressants can be as high as $487.75, or $750 and $5,853 per year. Even with insurance, there may be additional costs such as deductibles and copayments. Therapy sessions can also account for up to 50% of the total cost of depression treatment, with each session costing around $100 per hour. And if hospital care is needed, the cost can range from $6,000 to $8,000 per month.

In comparison, studies have shown that a single dose of psilocybin can potentially relieve symptoms of depression for up to a year. Considering the potential long-term benefits of psilocybin therapy and the costs associated with traditional treatments, current prices for psilocybin therapy may in fact be reasonable.

The experience also takes place in a clinical and safe setting. Patients can rest easy knowing that the source of psilocybin is reputable and the dosage will be carefully adjusted.

The 19th Annual Emerald Cup Awards will bring together the best and brightest in Californian cannabis this Saturday, May 13, 2023. One of the most legendary activist entrepreneurs in the global cannabis community, “Hash Queen” Mila Jansen, will join the celebration as the winner of the Emerald Cup.

A legendary journey

Mila Jansen, the Hash Queen, was born in Liverpool on December 5, 1944. She lived in Amsterdam in the mid-1960s and decided to travel overland to India with her baby daughter in 1968. They did not return until in 1988, when Mila began growing cannabis to support herself and her growing family.

Having observed hashish-making in Afghanistan, Pakistan and India, Mila was quick to start making her own hashish. In 1994, she invented the first mechanical dry sifting system that separates trichomes from all plant matter: the Pollinator. This invention earned her the nickname “Hash Queen”, the queen of hashish.

Later came the Ice-O-Lator bags and the Bubbleator, both of which use water and ice in the process. These machines also allowed people to make their own hash. In 2013, Mila organized the first Dab-a-doo, a contest for dry sift, ice hash, solvent-free extracts and rosin. Since its launch, 36 Dab-a-doo events have taken place so far.

In recognition of decades of advocacy for cannabis cultivation and artisanal hashish-making around the world, the Emerald Cup will award Jansen the “Willie Nelson” award (Lifetime Achievement) in 2023.

“I am very happy to come to Richmond to receive the Willie Nelson Award,” Mila Jansen said of her future award. “What an honor to be associated with one of my great heroes. It’s just amazing, wonderful, terribly awesome! »

“A simple look at the prevalence of solvent-free concentrates in the cannabis market today – not just here in California and the Emerald Cup, but around the world – reveals the incredibly positive impact that Mila Jansen has had on how people consume and enjoy cannabis,” says Tim Blake, Founder and Co-Producer of The Emerald Cup.

The Emerald Cup will also award honorary prizes in several categories including the Emerald Cup Prize Breeder’s Hall of Fame for the famous breeder Soma, creator of cultivars such as NYC Sour Diesel and Amnesia Haze.