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Historical acts and facts that have influenced cannabis legislation

Posted on September 7, 2022 Leave a Comment

1906 Federal Food and Drug Act The Federal Food and Drug Act was the first time the government started controlling the regulation of food and drugs (including any medicines that contained such items as cannabis). It was meant to oversee the branding, packaging, and risk of contamination of these items. This Act did not […]

Understanding decriminalization vs legalization

Posted on September 7, 2022 Leave a Comment

Understanding the terms decriminalization and legalization is vital to learning about the current state of cannabis law. Some might think that the words are interchangeable, but alas, they are not. Decriminalizing cannabis means that there are no longer felonies and misdemeanors associated with the drug. Rather, a fine is usually imposed by law enforcement. Legalization, […]

Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of THCA

Posted on October 21, 2021 1 Comment

Tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA) is a cannabinoid produced by the cannabis flower. It is a relatively unstable compound that is easily decarboxylated by heat. While it does not have any psychoactive properties itself, when decarboxylated, it forms into tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive component of cannabis. THCA may play an important role in the treatment of neurological […]

Cannabis and the necessity for USP standards

Posted on August 23, 2021 Leave a Comment

The United States Pharmacopeia (USP) is a non-profit, non-governmental organization that provides official standards for identity, strength, quality, and purity in medicines. As well, they also produce standards for food ingredients and dietary supplements.1 For medicine, food, and dietary supplements, the USP publishes reference standards to ensure accuracy and reproducibility of laboratory procedures. For cannabis, […]

An antidote for cannabis intoxication

Posted on May 24, 2021 Leave a Comment

The use of “antidotes” or drugs that reverse the action of another drug are very familiar to the public today as the opioid crisis continues to grow. Naloxone, otherwise known as Narcan, is the most commonly known drug to treat opioid overdoses. Like Narcan for heroin, rimonabant is an antidote for cannabis intoxication. Most people […]

Classifying cannabis strains

Posted on May 22, 2021 Leave a Comment

The current classifications of cannabis rely on morphologic traits or chemical characteristics. These classifications can be very confusing, especially in with the vast amount of hybridization that has occurred in the cannabis place over the last century. A typical user will classify the various strains as “sativa” or “indica” when in fact they could be […]

Temperature effects on cannabis growth

Posted on April 26, 2021 Leave a Comment

Growing the cannabis plant is relatively easy and straightforward. The plant is hardy to a wide range of temperatures. Growing at an industrial scale, however, is much different, as temperature and humidity can affect the growth rate of the plant as well as flower quality. For such a multibillion-dollar industry as cannabis, growth temperature is […]

A Review of all the Cannabis legislation introduced in the Maryland State Legislature

Posted on March 11, 2021 Leave a Comment

Bill# Cross File# Title Description Senate Hearing and Voting House Hearing and Voting Senate Lead Sponsor(s) House Lead Sponsor(s) 1 HB0217 SB0900 Income Tax – Subtraction Modification – Expenses of Medical Cannabis Grower, Processor, Dispensary, or Independent Testing Laboratory This bill allows what is known as a “subtraction modification” for MD income taxes for […]

What can the cannabis industry do to foster social equity?

Posted on March 6, 2021 Leave a Comment

Entry into the cannabis market is difficult, especially for the part of the population that has been disproportionally affected by the war on drugs. While approximately 60% of the US population is white, 81% of the cannabis industry is owned by white people. Only 4.3% of African Americans, 5.7% have ownership Hispanic, and 2.4% Asian […]

What issues face medical cannabis in schools?

Posted on February 23, 2021 Leave a Comment

The ability to use medical cannabis at school is imperative for those students who face disabilities that can be mitigated by it. One of the critical issues that face the legalization of cannabis use in schools is the necessity of secure storage. Allowing cannabis to be administered at school is important not only to the […]