Shoppers Drug Mart Now a Licensed Medical Marijuana Producer

Toronto Company Offers Cash to ‘Cannabis Connoisseurs’ to Smoke

Cited in article, September 23, 2018

Comments Off

Toronto-based company AHLOT is offering up to $1,000 a month to 5 pot aficionados.

Getting paid to smoke pot is no longer a toker’s daydream.

A cannabis firm is looking to hire five pot aficionados from across the country to sample the company’s wares and get paid to do it.

Toronto-based company AHLOT is offering up to $1,000 a month to five “cannabis connoisseurs” to sample various strains of marijuana.

– Read the entire article at CBC News.

Study: Daily Marijuana Use Associated With Increased Treatment Retention Rates for Those Addicted to Opioids

Cited in article, September 23, 2018

Comments Off

Daily cannabis use is associated with greater odds of retention in treatment among those addicted to opioids, according to a new study published in the journal Addiction, and epublished online by the National Institute of Health.

“Cannabis use is common among people on opioid agonist treatment (OAT), causing concern for some care providers”, states the study. “However, there is limited and conflicting evidence on the impact of cannabis use on OAT outcomes. Given the “critical role of retention in OAT in reducing opioid-related morbidity and mortality”, researchers “aimed to estimate the association of at least daily cannabis use on the likelihood of retention in treatment among people initiating OAT.” As a secondary aim researchers “tested the impacts of less frequent cannabis use.”

The study comprised a total of 820 people who use illicit drugs (PWUD), who initiated OAT between December 1996 and May 2016. . Participants were followed for a median of 81 month.

The primary outcome was retention in OAT, defined as remaining in OAT (methadone or buprenorphine/naloxone-based) for two consecutive 6-month follow-up periods, and the primary explanatory variable was cannabis use (at least daily versus less than daily) during the same 6-month period. “Confounders assessed included: socio-demographic characteristics, substance use patterns and social-structural exposures.”

In adjusted analysis, “at least daily cannabis use

Study: THC/CBD Effective in Treating Pain From Failed Back Surgery Syndrome

Cited in article, September 22, 2018

Comments Off

According to a new study published by the Journal of Pain Research, THC/CBD can have “remarkable analgesic capabilities” in the treatment of chronic refractory pain caused by failed back surgery syndrome.

“This study aimed to evaluate pain and its symptoms in patients with failed back surgery syndrome (FBSS) refractory to other therapies, treated with a combination of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD), in association with spinal cord stimulation (SCS)”, states the study’s abstract. “Outpatients referred at Pain Unit of San Vincenzo Hospital in Taormina (Italy), between September 2014 and January 2016”, were evaluated.

For the study, eleven FBSS patients diagnosed with neuropathic pain, and suffering from moderate to severe chronic refractory pain and undergoing treatment with SCS and a combination of THC/CBD for 12 consecutive months, completed the Douleur Neuropathique 4 questionnaire.

“All the included patients discontinued previous unsuccessful therapy at least 2 months before the beginning of the cannabinoid therapy, with the exception of the SCS that was continued. Patients received a fixed dosage of cannabinoid agonists (THC/CBD) that could be increased subjective to pain control response.” A Brief Pain Inventory questionnaire “was administered to measure pain and its interference with characteristic dimensions of feelings and functions”, and the “duration of treatment with SCS and

A Severely Epileptic 3-Year-Old Was Refused Medical Cannabis That Could Stop His 120 Seizures a Day

Cited in article, September 22, 2018

Comments Off

Ilmarie Braun says her son is being failed by the expert panel set up to review applications for medicinal cannabis.

The mother of a severely epileptic three-year-old boy who has up to 120 seizures a day has accused the Government of failing him after he was refused the right to use medical cannabis.

Ilmarie Braun says the expert Government panel set up to grant licence applications is just “paying lip service” to the families of seriously ill children.

She and her husband Alex say cannabis oil bought over the counter has reduced their son Eddie’s seizures from around 500 a day to 120.

– Read the entire article at I News.

Canada Estimates $1 Billion in Legal Cannabis Sales in First Three Months

Comments Off

Statistics Canada, the organization behind Canada’s census and hundreds of other crowdsourced data collection programs, is predicting that the country’s legal cannabis sales could reach as high as $1.02 billion from the commencement of the retail market on October 17 through the end of the year. StatCan derived its Q4 estimates from census population data and statistics from the National Cannabis Survey. And beyond the remarkable sales projection, StatCan is also estimating a dramatic shift away from the illicit market as consumers mass-transition to legal purchases.

Canadians Could Spend Over $1 Billion on Legal Weed In 10 Weeks

Statistics Canada’s $1 billion dollar sales projection isn’t a yearly figure. Instead, it’s what the organization estimates Canadian cannabis consumers will spend on weed in just the final 10 weeks of the year. And that’s not even what StatCan expects Canadians to spend on cannabis total. The $1 billion figure represents just legal sales. Add on an extra $250 million to $315 million in illegal cannabis purchases. Then you’ve got the complete picture of StatCan’s pot purchasing predictions.

The ever-increasing demand for legal cannabis currently hovers around 5.5 million consumers in Canada. StatCan predicts 1.7 million people will continue to obtain their cannabis on the

Women Carving Out Their Own Space in the Cannabis Conversation

Comments Off

Katie Pringle knew long before she got into the cannabis industry herself that its culture did not cater particularly well to women.

But as she prepared to conduct focus groups last year ahead of launching her own female-focused cannabis company, even she was surprised by how poorly women were served in the market.

She went to a head shop — a store that sells pipes, bongs and other paraphernalia related to marijuana use — and asked the clerk for their “most beautiful” smell-free jar, something the 34-year-old communications and marketing professional wouldn’t mind displaying in her home.

– Read the entire article at The Star.

Gauging the Cannabis Industry at Green Market Summit

Comments Off

From left: Vivien Azer, Debra Borchardt, Emily Paxhia, Jessica Billingsly, Jeannette Ward Horton, Cynthia Salarizadeh and Tahira Rehmatullah

“This is the most interesting investment concept today,” TV personality Jim Cramer said about the high-flying cannabis industry as he kicked off the Green Market Summit at New York’s World Trade Center on Sept. 14.

Industry experts shared a vision of legal cannabis as a trillion dollar-plus disruptor of the pharmaceutical, food and beverage industries as more Fortune 500 companies take aim at the sector. Panel topics focused on the economics of cannabis, reaching out to consumers and the potential for marijuana to become more mainstream.

One major theme of the one-day conference that drew about 200 people centered around the growing role of Fortune 500 companies in the space, such as Constellation Brands and Molson Coors.

“Rob Sands is a very smart guy,” Cramer said about Constellation’s CEO, who inked a $4 billion deal with Canopy Growth over the summer to produce non-alcoholic cannabis beverages in Canada. It’s the largest investment yet by any major company in cannabis, but more are expected. Constellation owns Corona, Mondavi and many other alcohol brands.

The hemp/CBD industry is estimated to grow from $5.7

Northern Mariana Islands Governor Signs Marijuana Legalization Bill Into Law

Comments Off

Northern Mariana Islands Governor Ralph DLG. Torres has signed HB 20-178, the Taulamwaar Sensible CNMI Cannabis Act of 2018, into law.

“Today, our people made history”, said Governor Torres is a public statement. “We took a stand to legalize marijuana in the CNMI for recreational, medical, and commercial use”.

Torres’ signature on the measure comes shortly after it passed the Senate 6-0-2; it passed the House in August 108-1-1.

The new law allows those 21 and older to possess up to an ounce of marijuana, while also possessing up to 16 ounces of marijuana infused food products and 72 ounces of marijuana infused liquids. Licensed cannabis retail outlets are authorized to distribute the plant.

Under the new law there must be a Cannabis Commission appointed within 30 days. Once formed, the commission will have 180 days to create and adopt rules for the program.

Gover Torres’ signature of HB 20-178 makes the Northern Mariana Islands the first US territory to legalize cannabis.

New Zealand City Has 10 Synthetic Cannabis Overdoses in 48 Hours

Comments Off

The New Zealand city of Christchurch has seen at least 10 synthetic cannabis overdoses in the last two days, according to media reports. Hospital officials report the victims were stricken separately and had come from different areas of the city. Christchurch is New Zealand’s third largest city with a population of about 370,000 and is located on the country’s South Island.

The 10 overdose victims were all taken to Christchurch Hospital for treatment. Dr. Mark Gilbert, one of the physicians treating the patients at the hospital, said that it appeared there would not be any deaths from the rash of synthetic cannabinoid overdoses.

“These 10 will probably be ok but certainly some of them have gambled with their life and there is still some critically unwell people in the Intensive Care Unit so we can’t guarantee that they’ll live,” Gilbert said.

All 10 people who suffered overdoses had taken either AMB-FUBINACA or AB, synthetic cannabinoids that have been tied to several deaths on New Zealand’s North Island. Gilbert warned that smoking even small amounts of synthetic cannabinoids could be very risky.

“Synthetic cannabis is a very dangerous drug, there’s no safe level to smoke and we strongly advise, particularly at the moment where there