It has long been rumored that the use of cannabis leads to “munchies” and a subsequent weight gain. However, according to recent findings, cannabis and weight loss have quite a surprising and promising partnership.

Unlike what most people might think, there are certain cannabis strains that have the opposite effect on the body, and look quite promising in the treatment of obesity. Moreover, the connection between obesity and eating is a lot more complex than you might think.

Currently, over 35% of adults in the U.S. are obese, and over 34% are overweight. Obesity also affects 17% of children between the ages of 2 and 19 years. However, the most shocking statistic is that 75% of the American population is estimated to be obese by 2020.

Last week, Radius Global Market Research released the results of its inaugural Cannabis and Hemp Trends Report.

The study surveyed more than 2,000 adults 18+ nationwide and found that between 2018 and 2019 thus far, there has been a significant increase in cannabis and hemp product usage and interest in the United States predominantly to replace prescription medications.

If only this story was an outlier and federal prohibition didn’t continue to make life difficult for veterans, even in states with recreational cannabis. But the Boston Globe published an article today about how a 35-year-old disabled Massachusetts vet, his wife, and their two kids, have been thwarted in their housing search because the guy has a management level job in the cannabis industry — and it’s indicative of issues facing our vets across the country.

By the standards of the rest of Louisiana, New Orleans is a fairly liberal place. But judges in Orleans Parish Criminal District Court may be punishing people — with fines, increased bonds or even jail time — based on a flawed drug testing program, according to a new report by a local watchdog group.

In an ongoing court case that began in New York’s Southern District Court, a cohort of plaintiffs — including pediatric epilepsy patient Alexis Bortell and former pro-football player Marvin Washington — who are fighting to remove cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act, celebrated a small, but consequential administrative victory after Judge Guido Calabresi wrote in the majority opinion on Thursday that the federal government must move quickly on rescheduling marijuana, writes

By now many of you have heard the devastating news: There’s too much marijuana in Oregon. Perhaps I should have told you to sit down first; for those who fainted after reading that sentence, my apologies.

All jokes aside, this is apparently a huge deal. State authorities put the surplus from last year’s harvest alone in excess of 2 million pounds of marijuana. With supply outpacing demand in the state, prices have plummeted, putting many businesses in the crosshairs of failure.

Just half an acre of industrial hemp was (legally) cultivated last year in Nebraska – that should increase exponentially in the not too distant future.

Late last week Governor Pete Ricketts signed a bill into law allowing farmers to grow industrial hemp as an alternative crop.

Championed by Senator Justin Wayne, LB 657 adopts the Nebraska Hemp Act, which will align state law with federal law regarding the cultivation, handling, marketing, and processing of the crop – and products made from it.

The New Jersey Department of Health announced a plan on Monday to issue up to 108 more licenses for growers, manufacturers and retailers to participate in the state’s medical marijuana program.

“Due to the growing patient population served by the Medicinal Marijuana Program over the course of 2018 and 2019, and the projected future expansion outlined in the Department’s Biennial Report, the Department has determined that additional ATCs (Alternative Treatment Centers) are necessary to meet the needs of the population of qualified patients,” reads the announcement.

The Health Department also plans to issue 38 more licenses for cannabis Alternative Treatment Centers in the northern and central regions of the state and up to 32 for the southern region.

Cannabis has an image of being a relatively harmless drug. But all drugs carry a degree of risk, and cannabis is no exception. One of those risks is dependence, which many people assume is only something that happens to those who use “hard drugs”, such as crack or heroin. In fact, the estimated risk of dependence on cannabis is about one in ten. This risk may seem relatively low, but given that there are an estimated 200m cannabis users across the globe, the potential number of people who are dependent on the drug is around 20m – roughly, the population of Romania. It’s worth exploring how this figure of one in ten is constructed.

The Illinois House of Representatives approved a cannabis legalization bill on Friday, likely making the state the 11th to legalize possession and sales of marijuana for adults. The plan has already been approved by the state Senate and Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who campaigned for office promising cannabis policy reform, said in a tweet on Friday afternoon that he is looking “forward to signing this monumental legislation.” “The state of Illinois just made history, legalizing adult-use cannabis with the most equity-centric approach in the nation,” Pritzker said in a statement. “This will have a transformational impact on our state, creating opportunity in the communities that need it most and giving so many a second chance.” First Legislature to Legalize Pot Sales