Before legalization in Colorado as we know it, there was Boulder— a mountainside utopia where droves of hippies found refuge in the late 1960s. Also home to the University of Colorado, students have sparked spliffs for decades, too, with its campus playing host to the largest 4/20 smoke-out and rally in the country every April. While the spirit of free-love and free-thinking refreshingly remains, the city has since morphed into a mecca for the outdoorsy set to explore a backyard playground of more than 45,000 protected acres of open space.

Thriving technology, art, culture and culinary scenes have emerged in more recent years and after a longtime illegal love affair, Boulder is an original epicenter of the ever-growing cannabis industry. Whether you’re taking a day trip from Denver, making a pit stop en route to a ski town or planning a dedicated vacation to the notoriously blissful “Boulder Bubble,” here’s a how-to for the high-minded traveler:

– Read the entire article at Forbes.

Read More Here…

With the legalization of marijuana around the corner, condominium boards across the city are updating their smoking bylaws — with some opting to completely ban smoking on premises.

Moreover, with city hall looking to update its own public smoking bylaws, boards across the city are hoping to stay ahead of the curve.

“Overall, I think it’s a good idea for boards to at least sit down and discuss whether they want to be proactive about this,” said Zachary Dolman, who owns a condominium in the west-end. “They have an opportunity to step back and look at their current bylaws and legislation and see whether or not it is effective today.”

Dolman’s own condominium board is in the process of reviewing its bylaws and is toying with the idea of a total ban on smoking on the property.

– Read the entire article at The Star.

Read More Here…

Even though it’s far from over, 2018 has been a stellar year for cannabis research. Here’s a look at the most important studies released so far.

Hundreds of cannabis-related studies have been released this year. A huge amount of these studies came to the conclusion that cannabis is beneficial in a wide-range of medical ailments, with others showing that its prohibition is detrimental to individuals and society as a whole. As difficult as it was to do so, we’ve narrowed these studies down to the 10 most important, with a few honorable mentions.

Below is that list (in no particular order):

Study: Marijuana Crackdowns Are a Form of Structural Violence, Have Negative Effects on Health, Social and Economic Well-Being

Study: Marijuana Legalization Associated With Reduction in Crime, Drug and Alcohol Use

Study: Marijuana Use Associated With Reduced Mortality Following Orthopedic Surgery

Study: Legalizing Medical Marijuana Associated with a 33.7% Reduction in Workplace Fatalities Among Those Aged 25 to 44

Study: Cannabinoids May Help Protect Blood-Brain Barrier After Intracerebral Hemorrhage

Study: CBD May Help Treat, and Cause the Death of, Endometrial Cancer

Study: Cannabinoid Receptors a Promising Target

Read More Here…

According to the Oregon Department of Revenue, the state made over $8.5 million in taxes from legal marijuana sales in June.

The $8,560,616 million in taxes came from the sale of roughly $45 million worth of marijuana and marijuana products (such as edibles and oils). The taxes garnered is slightly less than the $9 million made last month, but isn’t far off from the single-month record of $9.3 million made in January.

Of the $8.5 million in marijuana taxes Oregon made in June, $7.41 million came from the state’s 17% tax on marijuana sales. The remaining $1.49 million came from local taxes (which vary, but legally can’t be above 3%).

This new data brings Oregon’s total marijuana tax revenue made in 2018 to $51,262,688, putting the state on track to make over $100 million by the end of the year. This would mark a 47% increase from the $68 million in marijuana taxes made last year.

Below is a chart detailing the month-by-month tax revenue Oregon has garnered from marijuana from the start of legal sales in early 2016.

Read More Here…

The most recent issue of the journal Frontiers presents findings of the first pharmacokinetic study and clinical trial on the use of cannabinoids to treat dogs with osteoarthritis and multi-joint pain.

The objective of this double-blind, placebo-controlled study was to “determine basic oral pharmacokinetics, and assess safety and analgesic efficacy of a cannabidiol (CBD) based oil in dogs with osteoarthritis (OA).”

In conducting their study, researchers found that “canine brief pain inventory and Hudson activity scores showed a significant decrease in pain and increase in activity with CBD oil.” Veterinary assessment “showed decreased pain during CBD treatment”, while “No side effects were reported by owners”.

Researchers state that “This pharmacokinetic and clinical study suggests that 2 mg/kg of CBD twice daily can help increase comfort and activity in dogs with OA [osteoarthritis].”

The full study, including its abstract, can be found by clicking here.

Read More Here…

Same day marijuana use isn’t associated with an elevated risk of dating abuse, according to a new study published in the journal Violence Against Women, and published online by the National Institute of Health.

“The purpose of this study was to investigate same-day alcohol or marijuana use and dating abuse (DA) perpetration in a sample of 60 noncollege-attending young adults”, states the study’s abstract.

Participants reported daily data over a three month period. It was found that “DA perpetration was more likely on days when participants also reported alcohol use, but analyses of the temporal order indicated that alcohol use was not a proximal predictor of DA.” Same day marijuana use “was not associated with elevated risk of DA perpetration.”

According to the study’s researchers, “The idea that marijuana may not be causally related to increased risk of partner aggression is consistent with the results of several other studies.”

The study was conducted by researchers at Boston University, the University of Tennessee and the University of Texas Medical Branch.

The full study can be found by clicking here.

Read More Here…

A new Gallup poll has revealed that nearly one in four young adults in the United States is a cannabis user. The results of the telephone poll were released by the research company on Wednesday.

The poll found that 24 percent of adults age 18-29 years old said that they “regularly” or “occasionally” use or smoke marijuana. For all adult age groups overall, 13 percent of Americans said that they smoke pot, with 5 percent saying they used it regularly and 8 percent claiming occasional use.

Thirteen percent of those 30-49 years old said that they were cannabis users. The poll showed that 11 percent of adults 50-64 years old were weed smokers and for those 65 and older the figure was 6 percent.

By geographic region, more adults in the West, at 20 percent, admitted to using cannabis than any other area of the country. All other regions reported significantly lower and similar rates of cannabis use. In the East, 12 percent of adults said that they smoked weed. In the South, the figure was 11 percent, while 10 percent of Midwesterners said that they were pot smokers.

All three coastal states in the West, California, Oregon, and Washington, plus Nevada and Colorado,

Read More Here…

A ballot measure to legalize medical cannabis for patients with HIV, epilepsy, chronic pain, and other severe health problems is under threat in Utah again, this time from a lawsuit alleging the measure violates the religious freedom and freedom of speech of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Proponents of Proposition 2 are calling the second attempt to sue the measure a long shot. And they’re blasting the opposition’s efforts to keep it off the ballot.

Anti-Cannabis Coalition Files “Hail Mary” Lawsuit Against Medical Marijuana Vote

A coalition of anti-cannabis groups, including the Utah Medical Association, the Eagle Forum, and members of Drug Safe Utah, has filed a lawsuit on behalf of Walter J. Plumb, a lawyer and active member of The Church of Jesus Chris of Latter-day Saints. The lawsuit takes issue with a provision in Proposition 2 that would prevent landlords from discriminating against tenants who are legal, registered medical cannabis users in Utah.

The opposition group says such a provision would compel Plumb to act against his religious convictions. It would force people like Plumb, whose faith precludes using or association with people who use mind-altering substances, to do business with or rent

Read More Here…

The mayor of Richmond Hill has said that his city will opt out of the government’s plan to introduce private retail stores for cannabis by April 2019.

Mayor David Barrow said that while some residents disagree with his stance, city council will not be in favour of legal pot shops in the city.

“We’re not a willing host of recreation retail outlet,” Barrow told CTV News Toronto on Wednesday. “We had a number of people attend our council meetings and say they weren’t interested in being a part of any of this process.”

– Read the entire article at CTV News.

Read More Here…

Those in Colorado purchased over $129 million worth of marijuana and marijuana products in June, a roughly 5% increase from the month prior.

In total there was $129,523,030 in marijuana and marijuana products purchased legally in Colorado in June, according to new data released by the state’s Department of Revenue. This is a slight increase from the amount sold in May ($122 million) and April ($124), but falls short of the record-setting $135 million sold in March.

Of the $129 million in marijuana sold in June, around $27 million came from the sale of medical marijuana, with the remainder from the sale of recreational marijuana. These sales helped Colorado garner around $20 million in tax revenue for the month of June.

The new data brings the state’s total marijuana sales for 2018 to $742,387,820. This puts Colorado on track to sell around $1.5 billion in legal marijuana for 2018, which would be on par with the $1.5 billion sold in 2017, and slightly higher than the $1.3 billion sold in 2016.

Marijuana was legalized in Colorado in 2012, with marijuana retail outlets opening for business in 2014.  Marijuana is taxed at 15% (plus the standard 2.9% statewide sales tax),

Read More Here…