According to Health Canada, there are currently 134 companies licensed to produce cannabis in Canada — 90 of those were licensed in the last 16 months

Health Canada says legal cannabis shortages that have been experienced in some provinces, including Nova Scotia, will likely continue into the New Year.

Karen Casey, Nova Scotia’s finance minister and deputy premier said in an interview Wednesday, the province is only receiving 35 to 40 per cent of the cannabis it needs to meet the demands of consumers, leading to store closures in some cases and raising concerns about continued reliance on the black market.

Other provinces have been facing similar issues, Casey said, and have approached Health Canada with their concerns.

– Read the entire article at The Chronicle Herald.

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Months after saying it would not cap the number of licences for retail pot shops after cannabis was legalized, the Ontario government has reversed course, saying it will now only be able to issue 25 licences by April.

In a statement Thursday evening, the province says it plans to take a “phased approach” to authorizing retail cannabis outlets because of “severe supply shortages” across the country.

Only a limited number of licences will be handed out for the launch of private retailers on April 1, with the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario implementing a lottery system to determine who is eligible.

The results will be announced in January, the government says.

– Read the entire article at CBC News.

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The use of medical cannabis for at least a month is associated with reduced opioid use in pain patients, according to a new study.

The study, titled Opioid dose reduction and pain control with medical cannabis, was published by the Journal of Clinical Oncology. It was conducted by researchers at the Kymera Independent Physicians medical group.

For the study, “A retrospective cohort was evaluated to understand the pattern of care and QOL [quality of life] outcomes with MC [medical cannabis] use across rural multidisciplinary practices in New Mexico. ” QOL questionnaire included a graded pain scale, and “morphine equivalent (ME) dose was used to estimate changes in opioid dose.” ODR was defined “as any reduction of baseline opioid dose.” A chi-square was performed to evaluate associations.

“A total of 133 patients were identified between Jan 2017- May 2017. (M/F) 65/68; median age of 53 (range 20 – 84)”, states the study. “Nineteen percent (25/133) had a cancer diagnosis. Pain score improved in 80 % of patients with cancer and in 75% (64/89) of non-cancer patients (x2 0.24 p = 0.62).”

Opioid dose reduction (ODR) was achieved in 41% of all patients using medical cannabis. Of these, “63% (34/54) had a 25% ODR

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Heeding the pleas of parents convinced that their kids’ severe autism could be helped by cannabis consumption, members of the Iowa Board of Medicine voted on Friday to expand the conditions for which medical CBD oil can be prescribed. Ulcerative colitis and severe autism were added to the list of conditions cannabis can be used for. Lindsay Gaunt, mother of an autistic child, said she cried tears of joy upon hearing the news.

“I would do anything for my kids, and I’m hoping to bring this to Iowa not only for Obreigh, but for many families,” said Gaunt of her six year old daughter, a nonverbal autism patient who often resorts to banging her head and forcing herself to vomit when she is given her current medication.

“To have the opportunity to have this medication as an option is something that would be absolutely fantastic for families like mine,” said Mary Roberts, a local mother who has two kids with autism that she will now look into treating with CBD oil.

Families are now facing a wait of 60 to 90 days during which the board will hammer out the regulatory details of making cannabis available to people with autism.

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Mario Ramos of I Bud You, Inc. spent one year and 20 days in jail for growing 226 plants, also known as a non-violent cannabis crime. A multi-decade advocate and activist, he wrote us this impassioned letter while serving time at Morris County Correctional Facility in New Jersey. Details on Mario Ramos’ story is to come. In the meantime, however, here’s a glimpse of who he is and his gripes with the current state of canna-political affairs in the United States. Just remember: If weed was truly legal, people wouldn’t be going to jail for it anymore. For authenticity, we transcribed the letter exactly as it was written.

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Mario Ramos’ handwritten letter

Marijuana vs. Medical Marijuana

Let’s start with a quote from the Architect, himself:

“I have given you every herb that yields seeds which is on the face of all the Earth and every tree whose fruit yields seed to you; it shall be for food and to every beast of the Earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the Earth in which there is life. I have given every green herb for food.”

If the Grand Architect of the Earth

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Zixian Long was an arts student at the University of Edinburgh, in Scotland. As the fall semester came to a close last December, Long’s final term, she remembers finishing up her final projects when her mother approached her about a free travel opportunity. Long’s mother had been contacted by a person she met on the internet, who offered to pay her and her daughter’s round trip travel costs to Barcelona, if only they would bring a suitcase back with them.

Ignoring the warning signs, they accepted. And on their way back into Scotland, unaware that the shrink-wrapped suitcase they were carrying had more than $125,000 worth of weed in it, Border Force agents arrested them. Despite denying any knowledge of the contents of the suitcase, a jury convicted Zixian Long today on drug trafficking and drug dealing charges.

International Student Unwittingly Traffics 10 Kilos of Cannabis into Scotland

21-year-old Zixian Long landed at the Glasgow Airport on New Year’s Eve, 2017. It’s a day the Scots call Hogmanay, a nationwide celebration of the New Year. She and her mother had just flown in from Barcelona, Spain, where they spent the week sightseeing and checking out the art museums.  At the

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Kate Holowchik didn’t grow up in a household that was particularly open to experimenting with marijuana.

“My dad was a senior chief in the Navy,” she said. “He’s 6-foot-3. I was always afraid to step out of line.”

But as an adult, she said cannabis has become a necessity. Holowchik suffered from high-functioning anxiety and frequent panic attacks, and after being prescribed several different types of medication, she turned to cannabis.

– Read the entire article at Boston.com.

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With the deadline looming for Ontario municipalities to decide whether to opt in or out of allowing cannabis retail stores within their boundaries, many communities remain undecided.

The province has given municipalities until Jan. 22, 2019 to opt out of having private cannabis storefronts operate within their boundaries. If the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) has not received written notification from a municipality by the Jan. 22 deadline, private cannabis retail stores will be allowed within their jurisdiction by default.

According to the AGCO, if a municipality chooses to opt out, it is able to opt back in at any time, however once a municipality opts in it will no longer able to opt out.

If a municipality chooses to opt in, it will have little say as to where cannabis retail stores will be located within the community. That decision is left up to the AGCO, which will be responsible for approving or denying site applications for retail cannabis stores.

– Read the entire article at Global News.

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Two state senators tired of their peers’ inaction on the issue have announced the creation of a 2020 ballot measure campaign to put the future of medical pot in the hands of Nebraskan voters. Lincoln’s Anna Wishart and Adam Morfeld submitted the paperwork to establish campaign committee Nebraskans for Sensible Marijuana Laws on Thursday morning. The measure will look to create a constitutional amendment that would ensure the right to medical cannabis, a feat that’s proven difficult to accomplish previously in the state’s legislature.

“Today is the first step towards establishing a compassionate medical marijuana law for sick and suffering Nebraskans,” said Senator Wishart. “Thirty-two states have already adopted effective medical marijuana laws, and Nebraska will soon be joining their ranks.”

Early supporters include the Marijuana Policy Project, which helped to fund victories for similar measures in Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, and Utah. The senators’ efforts are also backed by a politically diverse coalition. The measure’s campaign committee includes registered independents, Republicans, and Democrats.

Marijuana Policy Project deputy director Matthew Schweich is also on the campaign committee.  “Medical marijuana is a bipartisan issue that enjoys strong support across the country, including in conservative states like Nebraska,” he said. “We are

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Each issue of Freedom Leaf includes an article provided by Women Grow. This article appears in Issue 34.

For several years, I’ve assisted thousands of patients with an alternative form of medicine: cannabis. Through direct feedback and observational studies, patients have indicated that CBD, in particular, provides a significant benefit to mediate certain healthcare needs.

As a scientist who earned her PhD in cellular biology with extensive studies in cancer research, including breast and colon cancer, and evolved into developing a model to understand the mechanism of how prostate cancer metastasizes to bone, I’ve studied and consulted with many patients. When I opened my dispensary, National Holistic Healing Center, in 2015 in Washington, DC, I’d already had 15-plus years researching the impact medical marijuana and hemp has on patients.

During my time at Howard University as Director of STEM Education in the College of Engineering, Architecture and Computer Sciences, where I was awarded over $10 million in federally funded grants, I had the opportunity to train MDs, PhDs and advanced undergraduates in biomedical research for infectious diseases in several global communities to address healthcare disparities. This was where my education, experience and skillset contributed greatly in my understanding

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