D.C. activists meet with White House officials. On the heels of the first National Cannabis Festival in the Washington, D.C., this past weekend, one of the city’s largest cannabis advocacy groups, DCMJ, has a meeting with White House officials today. The festival brought together a mix of cannabis activists and recreational enthusiasts, as the grounds outside RFK Stadium were buzzing with conversations, soapbox speeches, and musicians, including De La Soul. No telling what will come out of the White House meeting, but we’ll keep you updated as we hear more.
A Denver company will connect landlords with tenants who want to grow. Housing Guru acts as a property manager and a go-between for tenants who want to grow marijuana plants, evaluating properties, making repairs, and keeping an eye on issues that come up along the way. The new service could be particularly helpful to wary landlords who might otherwise be reluctant to allow legal cultivation on their leased or rented property. Housing Guru currently manages a number of properties along Colorado’s Front Range, renting to tenants young and old, from accountants to scientists. Tenants are required to stick to Colorado’s legal limit of six plants per household, with no more than three ready for harvest at any given time.
Utah study shows improvement in children with epilepsy. The research, sponsored by the University of Utah’s Pediatric Division of Pediatric Neurology and Primary Children’s Medical Center, began nearly two years ago and has already produced promising results. Neurologist Francis Filloux reported that participants experienced a 40 percent reduction in the frequency and severity of seizures while under the effects of Epidiolex, a drug containing CBD extracted from cannabis. Made by U.K.-based GW Pharma, Epidiolex has not yet been approved for use in the United States but is currently undergoing Phase 3 FDA trials. There are currently 113 Utah residents who qualify to possess whole-plant CBD extracts as part of the limited medical CBD program in the state, and results from the state-commissioned study could be used as evidence in a possible push to expand the program.
Boston Globe columnist argues against legalization. Renee Loth points out that Massachusetts’ medical marijuana law has been fraught with corruption and lawsuits, and it took nearly three years for the first dispensary to open. She argues that a legalization push would be similarly bumpy and difficult to enact. We at Leafly are dubious. The transition in Colorado and Washington hasn’t necessarily been smooth, but the results are fantastic: In both states the economy is thriving, thanks in no small part to new jobs and revenue from cannabis excise taxes, and the system is steadily improving.
QUICK HITS:
- Real nun is displeased with the Sisters of the Valley. Sister Theresa Aletheia Noble, a Catholic nun with the Daughters of Saint Paul, took to a Catholic news site to protest the Sisters of the Valley, telling them to give up the “schtick.” The criticism sparked a plethora of responses, both positive and negative, on the topic of cannabis and Catholicism — a fascinating combo.
- A study on the long-term effects of cannabis use jumps to unfounded conclusions. Again. A study of 45,000 men and found that those who used cannabis heavily at ages 18 and 19 were more likely to die by age 60 compared to those who had never used it. We invite you to read the study for yourself and ask questions about correlation and causation.
- And finally, a man with half a beard (but one HELL of a half-beard) gets arrested in Miami, on 4/20, for selling cannabis. How does one maintain such a glorious mane? We may never know.
