The country’s evolved attitudes toward marijuana has brought a majority of Americans to the conclusion that legalization advocates have preached for decades: alcohol is more dangerous than pot.

That is the takeaway of new survey data published recently in the journal Addictive Behavior, which showed that a majority of United States consumers believe marijuana to bring less potential for abuse than both alcohol and prescription drugs. 

A new study shows cannabis smokers have higher concentrations of dangerous toxins like naphthalene, acrylamide and acrylonitrile in their system than non-smokers.

One exciting development that the United States could see this year in terms of marijuana is a less restrictive attitude toward medicinal use. As part of the party’s campaign platform in the 2020 election, the Democrats, which are set to control the majority in Congress, revealed that “we will support legalization of medical marijuana.”

Although the statement is vague and could mean many things, the federal government is expected to make moves this year to further medical cannabis. Only we wouldn’t hold our breath on Americans being able to consume it by smoking.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is still inching its way towards developing consumer protection standards relating to CBD.

Back in 2019, it appears it came as a shock to many Americans federal standards for cannabidiol (CBD) hadn’t been developed. The FDA has repeatedly stated this has been due to gaps in its knowledge and it’s a situation that continues today.

But the agency hasn’t quite been sitting on its hands as some might suggest – for example, last year it revealed some interesting results from testing of 147 CBD and hemp products it purchased.

When we think of the legalization of cannabis, it is not a short, concise, or simple story. And each step forward has been the result of some kind of governmental policy change due to changing opinions, or legal consequences as the result of a person’s actions. In this article we’re going back to the re-introduction of medical cannabis in America, which all started in the 70’s with Robert Randall, when he beat the U.S. in court.

The U.S. AG has the authority to spur the re-scheduling of cannabis, and has wide latitude when it comes to the volume of enforcement, but they cannot change the law or interpret it on their own whims or politics.

We have a long history here on the Canna Law Blog of analyzing the moves of the federal government, and in particular the Department of Justice (DOJ), when it comes to federal enforcement of the federal Controlled Substances Act (CSA). Over the years, we really focused on the acting U.S. Attorney General and how they treat state-legal cannabis from the top down.

The first several months of the new Congress will tell us everything we need to know about its intentions and its dedication to cannabis reform.

Although Democratic control in Congress this year was supposed to lead to the legalization of marijuana at the federal level, the word on the street is that the newfound leaders of Capitol Hill might not be able to get that done for two years. Two years!

Because medical care in prisons is seriously deficient, the need and inherent right for effective medication may be even greater for prisoners than for the general population.

The Associated Press reports, “A state district judge in Albuquerque has ruled this week that the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Detention Center should not penalize medical marijuana patients under its custody or supervision for using the drug.”   

It is unclear whether other New Mexico jurisdictions will concur with the ruling, but it will inevitably be litigated nationally.   

Products made with CBD oil have become popular, but there are restrictions when it comes to mailing them, as the USPS reminded postal workers on Monday.

“The Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 removed hemp from the Controlled Substances Act. It also clarified that interstate commerce of hemp is permitted and created a process for each state to regulate hemp production and distribution,” according to the post on USPS Link newsletter site.

America has a bad case of pandemic anxiety.

COVID-19 infections are rising.

Tens of millions of workers lost their jobs and face dismal prospects of getting new ones.

There is no end in sight.

Anxiety has gone mainstream and so has marijuana.

Americans are turning to their favorite leaf for pandemic anxiety relief.

Dr. Allan Tiedrich. Photo courtesy of Debbi Tiedrich.