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Cannabis Treatment Admissions Among Youth Decline Sharply In Legalization States

Written by Johnny Green on . Posted in Politics.

One of the favorite talking points amongst cannabis opponents is ‘what about the children?’ They go to that talking point early and often when a state/country is trying to reform its cannabis laws, warning of dramatic spikes in cannabis use among youth.

For many decades that was an effective talking point in that it scared a lot of people, and it was hard to disprove because cannabis prohibition was in full effect and there wasn’t any data to point to in order to directly debunk the claim.

Fortunately, that has changed in recent years due to the fact that a number of states in the U.S. and two countries have legalized cannabis for adult use.

We all now know that the children will be just fine and that regulation is a better public policy approach compared to prohibition, as highlighted in the results of a recent study. Below is more information about the study via a press release from our friends at NORML:

The number of adolescents admitted to drug treatment programs for marijuana-related issues has fallen precipitously in states that have legalized and regulated its adult-use, according to data published by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Commenting on the study, NORML Deputy Director Paul Armentano said, “These findings add to the growing body of scientific literature showing that legalization policies can be implemented in a manner that provides access for adults while simultaneously limiting youth access and misuse.”

The report, entitled Trends in Adolescent Treatment Admissions for Marijuana in the United States, 2008-2017, finds that, nationally, “adolescent treatment admissions for marijuana declined in most of states. The mean annual admissions rate for all states declined over the study period by nearly half, from 60 (admissions per 10,000 adolescents) in 2008 to 31 in 2017.” States experiencing the “steepest level of admissions decline” were among those that had enacted adult-use legalization laws.

While the report’s author suggested various possible reasons for the trend, he did not assess whether declining marijuana admissions rates were correlated with changes in marijuana law enforcement and sentencing. Data published in 2017 in the journal Substance Use & Misuse reported that over half of all young people entered into drug treatment for marijuana are placed there by the criminal justice system.

The CDC report concludes, “[T]his research suggests that a precipitous national decline in adolescent treatment admissions [is occurring], particularly in states legalizing recreational marijuana use.”

Separate studies have similarly reported that the prevalence of problematic marijuana use (so-called cannabis use disorder a/k/a CUD) among young people and adults has declined steadily since 2002.

In addition, a 2019 study published in JAMA Pediatrics concluded: “Consistent with the results of previous researchers, there was no evidence that the legalization of medical marijuana encourages marijuana use among youth. Moreover, the estimates reported … showed that marijuana use among youth may actually decline after legalization for recreational purposes. This latter result is consistent … with the argument that it is more difficult for teenagers to obtain marijuana as drug dealers are replaced by licensed dispensaries that require proof of age.”

Additional information regarding marijuana use patterns among young people is available from the NORML fact sheet.

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NORML advocates for changes in public policy so that the responsible possession and use of marijuana by adults is no longer subject to criminal penalties. NORML further advocates for a regulated commercial cannabis market so that activities involving the for-profit production and retail sale of cannabis and cannabis products are safe, transparent, consumer-friendly, and are subject to state and/or local licensure. Finally, NORML advocates for additional changes in legal and regulatory policies so that those who use marijuana responsibly no longer face either social stigma or workplace discrimination, and so that those with past criminal records for marijuana-related violations have the opportunity to have their records automatically expunged.

Find out more at norml.org and read our Fact Sheets on the most common misconceptions and myths regarding reform efforts around the country.

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Cannabis Reform Moves On Internationally On Multiple Hemispheres

Written by Marguerite Arnold on . Posted in Politics.

No matter how strange this period of time is and what it will be remembered for, cannabis reform can not be held back because of a global pandemic. Indeed, during a month of new lockdowns, several countries continued on a path to legalization that cannot be held back.

Israel Commits To Recreational Reform In 9 Months

By far the biggest news is that Israel, home of the original cannabis reform, has announced that it will proceed with a recreational market in about 9 months. Users will have to be at least 21 and will not be able to consume the drug in public. 

One of the biggest problems facing Israeli patients, a problem which has continued even after pharmacy chain distribution, is that patients are still having a hard time accessing their medication. Beyond this reason?  Decrim alone  (as the incoming Biden Administration has committed to) is not enough to address the many issues of the continuing black market.

This is also an interesting timetable for sure – coming on the heels of several national elections where cannabis was one of the hottest political topics – and roughly scheduled for when Luxembourg will begin its own recreational cannabis experiment. 

That this announcement also comes about a month before the WHO is expected to meet to decide the scheduling of cannabis and its extracts is also an interesting statement – globally.

Fall 2021, as a result, is likely to be a big season for recreational reform.

Argentina Moves Forward On Medical Reform, Cultivation, Subsidized Access

South America has also made strides on the reform front. Argentina has also just announced that three years after beginning the first tentative steps into research, patients will be able to cultivate their own cannabis. As of November 12, existing patients who are registered with the government may cultivate their own cannabis. 

Even more intriguing, Argentinian health insurers are now mandated to cover the cost of the drug when it is prescribed by a doctor.

The new regulations are specifically designed to increase access for patients who are still struggling – just about everywhere – to afford the cost of their drug. And further, to make sure that every Argentinian patient has access to the whole plant itself – not just extracts.

Bottom line? 2021 is sure to be an interesting year.

Be sure to book your tickets for the International Cannabis Business Conference when it returns to Europe in 2021

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Mexico’s Legislature Set To Advance Adult Use

Written by Marguerite Arnold on . Posted in Politics.

The country’s lawmakers have a deadline to meet, set by the Supreme Court

Mexican lawmakers are set to vote this week on cannabis legalization mandated by the Supreme Court to happen before December 15. Indeed Mexico is the only country, so far, to have had to go to the Supreme Court twice, not just once (as for example happened in Canada). First to move the issue of medical reform forward, and then on the recreational side. It is also the only country so far where the issue of recreational cannabis reform is mandated by a country’s top judicial legal body.

The legislation is intended to regulate the recreational and hemp market. The medical vertical is beyond the scope of focus. Mexico actually approved medical cannabis in 2017 – but the law has never been properly implemented.

What Next?

The legislation will make provisions for the establishment of a cannabis agency. It is also expected to create a licensing infrastructure for a nascent industry. Foreign ownership of licenses would also be limited.

This in turn creates the fascinating political reality of the United States being bordered on both sides, with federally legal recreational cannabis markets.

The implications of the same at a time when federal reform has all but been put on a backburner in the U.S.- no matter whether the House of Representatives votes for reform or not before the end of this legislative session – are significant for the American discussion. Namely, why, in a country ravaged by a pandemic, and where a third of the population live in a recreational reformed state, has final and full reform stalled?

That said, given the forward motion on reform, just about everywhere, the idea of the U.S. continuing to foment the Drug War south of the border is as outdated as the idea of resisting the green wave, no matter how slowly it is moving.

Latin America Is Moving Beyond The Drug War

With the U.S. at least side-lined in this discussion, cannabis reform in Latin America and the Caribbean is finally unshackled from the threat of U.S. military intervention or financial sanctions (see banking). Reform is clearly moving forward in the region (see Argentina of late).

The next question, however, rather glaringly on the table, is where will most cannabis in the future be sourced from? Imports to the U.S. from Latin America are indeed not all that far away and that path is opening already between Latin America and Europe.

For the most up to date information on the rapidly changing global cannabis industry, be sure to book your tickets to the International Cannabis Business Conference when it returns to Europe

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Is Israel On The Verge Of Legalizing Cannabis For Adult Use?

Written by Johnny Green on . Posted in Politics.

At the beginning of 2020, it was expected that at least one, if not multiple countries, would legalize cannabis for adult use. Mexico seemed like the most likely candidate given the fact that Mexico’s Supreme Court mandated it via a 2018 ruling.

However, once the pandemic hit in 2020 lawmakers in Mexico pushed for an extension on the Court’s deadline to pass legalization legislation, for a second time, and that request was granted.

Lawmakers in Mexico have until the end of the year to comply with the mandate, but so far have failed to pass a legalization measure. It’s unclear what will happen if/when the latest deadline cannot be met.

Another country that was high (no pun intended) on people’s radar when it came to cannabis legalization in 2020 was New Zealand. Voters in New Zealand got to vote on a legalization measure in October.

Polling was all over the place leading up to the vote, with some polls indicating that the measure would pass, which no doubt led to some cannabis supporters being optimistic about its passage. Unfortunately, the measure was voted down.

One country that was likely not on people’s watch list is Israel. However, it is being reported that an adult-use legalization measure is about to be proposed. Per Times of Israel:

“A governmental committee tasked with reviewing Israel’s cannabis laws is reportedly set to recommend full legalization in a report due to be published this week.

The inter-ministerial committee made up of representatives from the Israel Police, the Public Security Ministry and the Health Ministry will recommend that the government continue efforts to decriminalize cannabis on the way to full legalization.”

Israel has long been an international leader when it comes to medical cannabis, especially from a science and research perspective. Non-medical cannabis has been decriminalized in Israel since 2017.

Per the previously cited article, as many as 27% of all adults in Israel report using cannabis, which if true, is obviously significant.

The legalization winds of change are picking up around the globe, and while it’s unlikely that Israel will legalize before the end of 2020 (time is quickly running out), it’s a safe bet that the country will legalize cannabis sooner rather than later.

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Why The U.S. Still Pushes The Global Cannabis Reform Discussion Forward

Written by Marguerite Arnold on . Posted in Politics.

If there is one thing most Americans can celebrate together across party lines about the turbulent events of last week, it is that cannabis reform moved forward, and significantly in the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. Four more states moved into the recreational camp, with a total of five in sum passing cannabis reform over all. Several of those markets, notably, New Jersey and North Dakota, are designed to fast-forward recreational market implementation.

Indeed, this was good news in a more global climate where recreational reform has very much been put on (tempered) time release by just about everyone else also concurrently considering the question.

It also speaks volumes to the obvious and glaring reality that reformers still have to face: Namely, that in the highest ranks of the governing world – from the U.S. to Germany and New Zealand beyond that – the idea of recreational reform is on a delayed if far from back burner.

That said, it is also clear that the idea of medical reform is on the front of several national policy agendas, one way or the other. Namely, from North Dakota to New Zealand, the average voter believes that cannabis has impactful even if not yet (shamefully) scientifically proven efficacy. Even if they are not ready for recreational reform.

For this reason, it is also unlikely that the WHO will delay (again) another vote on reclassification – although where exactly this will end up at this point is anyone’s guess. Most people believe that cannabinoid-based drugs (at minimum) will end up with Schedule II global designation (rather than say a more reasonable Schedule III). Certainly those with THC in them. Even if, in a last-minute nod to the holdouts, the raw plant ends up stuck in Schedule I, of any international treaty.

A Call For Federal Reform?

It is absolutely clear that one of the many negotiations that the new Biden-Harris team will engage in is the issue of federal reform. At this point, everyone who has been around the American discussion for decades knows that this, like many of the past Democratic Party platform positions on the same, was established in the name of “moderation for the election.” Even though, at this point, it is not likely to hold for long, even if it fits the character of those just elected.

Joe Biden has a rather unfortunate history with drug reform issues, at least legislatively, although the official platform is now set to change the basic bar on decriminalization. Kamala Harris as a prosecutor and politician in a state that has been medical friendly most of her career is also not exactly the best recreational advocate. Thus the so-far “moderate” position of the incoming
administration that nobody believes will last for long.

With four years of tempestuous negotiations already on the docket, no matter who wins the American Senate in the January runoffs in Georgia, it is also just as clear that national reform will absolutely be on the agenda at least by the midterms (in 2022) if not the next general election in four years.

This in turn, will continue to drive the conversation elsewhere, starting with Europe.

It is also clear that the rest of the world is avidly watching not Canada, but in fact the U.S. And that at least for now, in turn, federal decision-makers in the U.S. are waiting for the signoff of the WHO – an organization America will now be re-joining – before going any further. Even then, it is likely that, much like alcohol, marijuana reform will be a state-based rather than a federal decision for (at least) the first half of the new Administration’s term.

Be sure to stay abreast of developments. The International Cannabis Business Conference intends to return to Europe in 2021.

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What A Biden Win Will Mean For US-European Cannabis

Written by Marguerite Arnold on . Posted in Politics.

The impact of the new Biden presidency will be felt in U.S. exports to Europe.

There is one thing to absolutely rejoice across the industry about the new Biden win. Given the European Parliament’s recent vote to raise the amount of THC in hemp that is sold here (as raw flower) from 2-3%, the signs are good that American biomass (at least) will find a ready home in Europe.

What this development means, beyond the potential for European harmonization on at least hemp, is that the European market is opening itself up to (at least) biomass of the American kind.

Beyond this, the US-EU MRA which went into effect in July last year means that American firms who meet the strictures of EU-GMP will also be able to import across a continent that is looking for sources of high-grade product as the entire conversation now trickles through the political process.

However, the reality is that the normalization of the entire conversation in the U.S. including decriminalization (at minimum for now), and the equalization of the topic in Europe will absolutely lead to greater opportunities for the American industry, finally, to expand to Europe in a much more concentrated way.

The biggest issue, as still continues to haunt the Canadians, is meeting those European certs. And that, beyond EU-GMP on the cultivation side, and Novel Food if not EU-BIO on the hemp one, also applies to labeling.

The Hurdles Are Still High

One of the biggest hurdles facing American exporters, as those who have begun to brave these new waters know, is making sure that certs match up all the way down the chain. This starts with American farmers familiarizing themselves on how to grow crops that are acceptable in the European market place, and further, how to find exporters who have the ability to translate both state and federal law to customs officials.

That in and of itself is still a shark-strewn body of water, but it is also one in which those who meet standard quality tests will win. This is a conversation that absolutely comes down to science. The calibrating tests now available and indeed required, do not lie.

For the latest trends in a still-developing market, be sure to stay tuned to the International Cannabis Business Conference blog as well as attend the conferences when they return to Europe in 2021!

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Cannabis Reform Is Poised To Win Big On Election Day In The U.S.

Written by Johnny Green on . Posted in Politics.

Today is Election Day in the United States where voter turnout is expected to be extremely strong. Presidential elections in the United States almost always have a higher voter turnout rate compared to midterm and special elections, however, this year’s enthusiasm for voting is through the roof.

At the time of the posting of this article voters across the United States are heading to the polls to cast their vote, with over 102 million voters having already voted early, either in person or by mail.

Voters in five U.S. states will see cannabis initiatives on their ballots. In Arizona, Montana, New Jersey, and South Dakota voters will decide on adult-use cannabis legalization measures.

In South Dakota and Mississippi, voters will decide on medical cannabis legalization initiatives. South Dakota is the first state to see both adult-use and medical legalization measures on the same ballot.

Whereas candidate races may take some time to determine a winner for various reasons, not the least of which is mail-in vote-counting provisions in states like Pennsylvania, the legalization measures in the previously listed states should be decided fairly quickly unless the vote totals are really, really close.

Polling leading up to Election Day has been favorable for all of the initiatives, which is a sign of the times. In a political environment that is often hostile and contentious, cannabis reform is something that a vast majority of U.S. residents can agree on.

Below is a summary of polling leading up to Election Day, via our friends at NORML:

  • Arizona – roughly 60% support for adult-use legalization
  • Montana – adult-use legalization is ahead 49-39%
  • New Jersey – over 60% support for adult-use legalization
  • South Dakota – 74% in favor of medical legalization and 51% for adult-use legalization
  • Mississippi – 52% support for medical legalization

Keep in mind with the numbers listed above, there were quite a few undecided voters that did not choose either way, so the support for the measures could likely be considerably higher (no pun intended) since presumably some of those voters will ultimately vote for the measure(s) that they see on their ballots.

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A Missed Opportunity In New Zealand

Written by Johnny Green on . Posted in Politics.

2020 is an election year in various countries across the globe, including in New Zealand. This year’s election in New Zealand was of particular interest to cannabis observers due to the fact that there was a cannabis legalization measure on the ballot.

Only two countries have legalized cannabis for adult use so far, Uruguay and Canada, and both of them legalized via the legislative process versus letting voters decide the issue directly.

The vote, which was referred to voters by New Zealand lawmakers, was originally scheduled to occur in September, however, due to a spike in Covid cases the election was postponed until October 17th.

In New Zealand, the results for referendum measures take longer to release to the public versus results for candidate races. With that in mind, cannabis enthusiasts had to wait a couple of weeks before learning the outcome of the vote in New Zealand.

Unfortunately, when the results were finally released they were not favorable. Per The New York Times:

New Zealand will join a small number of countries that have legalized euthanasia after its citizens voted overwhelmingly in favor of it in a referendum this month.

A second question on the ballot during the Oct. 17 general election — on legalizing recreational marijuana use — was set to fail, according to preliminary results released on Friday.

Proponents of the cannabis measure expressed frustration with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who had declined to take a position on legalization before the election and revealed only on Friday that she had voted in support of it.

Cannabis activists across the globe were hopeful that New Zealand would become the third country to legalize cannabis for adult use, but that will apparently have to wait. It’s unclear if/when New Zealand will try to vote on legalization again.

The focus of the international cannabis community will now likely move back to Mexico, where lawmakers are working to pass a legalization measure before the end of the year to fully implement a previous Supreme Court decision which ruled that Mexico’s cannabis prohibition policy was unconstitutional.

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European Parliament Votes In Favor Of Raising Hemp THC Limit

Written by Johnny Green on . Posted in Politics.

The hemp industry is booming across the globe. Many international farmers have cultivated the hemp plant for years for the purpose of creating textiles, however, in recent years many hemp farmers have cultivated the plant for another purpose – CBD.

Hemp farmers, especially new ones, are scrambling to produce as much raw hemp to sell to companies that will take the raw biomass and turn it into CBD oil and other CBD products.

Many countries have updated their laws recently to permit legal hemp cultivation and to try to distinguish hemp cannabis from non-hemp cannabis.

The legal difference between the two cannabis varieties hinges on a THC threshold. If the cannabis tests above the THC threshold, then it is legally deemed to not be hemp, and if it tests below the THC threshold then it is legally considered to be hemp.

Members of the European Parliament recently voted to raise the THC limit in its policies, as reported by Hemp Today:

The European Parliament has voted in favor of increasing the authorized THC level for industrial hemp “on the field” from 0.2% to 0.3%, a critical step in the process of re-establishing that level of THC for European hemp.

The proposal, long advocated by the European Industrial Hemp Association (EIHA), was included in the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reform adopted by the Parliament today.

“This is an historic moment for our industry, for our farmers, for a green future and for all Europeans,” said EIHA President Daniel Kruse. “Finally, the EU has a level playing field again with the global industrial hemp sector.”

While it is good to see the THC threshold increased, a 0.3% THC threshold is still very low. Many hemp industry observers have stated publicly that a threshold of 1% makes more sense.

For instance, Switzerland has a hemp THC limit of 1% that applies to CBD products sold within its borders.

Despite having a THC threshold that is over 3 times greater than many other countries, including the United States which also has a 0.3% limit, Switzerland has not experienced any issues.