From Tolerance to Regulation: Dutch Cannabis Market Evolves
The traditionally liberal Netherlands began rolling out its controlled cannabis experiment on a mass level in an effort to replace the “backdoor” black market that has supported coffee shop sales for decades.
The trial is supplying 80 coffee houses in 10 municipalities with cannabis by 10 licensed growers on a legal basis, an extensive increase from the initial three cities under the experiment.
This is a turning point in the drug policy of the Netherlands.
While coffee shops sold cannabis lawfully since the 1970s, growing and wholesaling cannabis were illegal, and this has meant that there has been criminal involvement and no quality control on the produce.
In this experiment, the government is trying to see how the presence of a completely legal chain has any effect on health, safety, and criminality.
The trial will continue for four years and involve ongoing assessment and data gathering throughout this period.
The transformation is welcomed by growers and by cafe operators, who claim the system will promote quality and transparency and protect consumers.
Early participants in the trial say consumers are enthusiastic and open and that lawfully grown cannabis is already on par with or superior to black- and gray-market peers in quality.
Critics say the experiment is still too narrow and is being hampered by keeping out major cities like Amsterdam.
But supporters consider it to be an important breakthrough toward full legalization and regulation in Europe.
Global onlookers are monitoring closely, with the success in the Netherlands creating an international benchmark to be emulated by others with the same regulatory dilemmas.
The government is hoping that if the experiment is successful, the program could open the way to further reforms nationwide.
In the meantime, it is an ambitious move toward legalizing an industry decades in the making that has long operated beneath the radar.
Source: AP News
Choked by Federal Chains: How U.S. Cannabis Laws Are Stifling Research
A new study has identified the significant hurdles facing researchers and states wanting to move forward with cannabis science in the United States, with the ongoing federal prohibition on cannabis being the main obstacle.
Despite 38 states having legalized cannabis in some form—medical, recreational, or both—only 17 have laws on the books to enable cannabis funding through appropriations.
Among those 17 states, only 12 have actually made the appropriation so far, leaving numerous intended studies in suspension.
The why? Cannabis remains on the Schedule I list at the national level and therefore it’s basically impossible to access the plant or obtain funding without having to run through a bureaucratic gauntlet.
The study, which appears in the Journal of Cannabis Research, argues that the tension between state and federal law leads to confusion and risk aversion on the part of state legislators who frequently are not sure how to provide financing to cannabis study efforts legally.
Even among those states that perform procedures to fund research, there is considerable disparity in funding. Minnesota appropriated $2.5 million to its School of Public Health and Utah appropriated $650,000 to construct a medical cannabis research lab facility.
Florida, Kentucky, and Washington State have all appropriated seven-figure sums, with Washington committing 1% of marijuana excise tax funds to research at the state’s colleges and universities.
Interestingly, some states—Alabama, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia, for example—have legislation allowing for cannabis research funding but have yet to allocate any money.
This speaks to a larger reluctance based on the plant’s federally illegal status.
The researchers in top study institutions like the University of Minnesota and the University of California are urging clarification regarding the policies as an imperative matter.
In the lack of federal reforms, they warn that most states will be hesitant to invest to the extent that they are withholding the nation valuable information regarding the risks and potential medical advantages of cannabis.
Source: Marijuana Moment
Cannabis Under the Microscope: Study Finds No Genotoxic Risk in Standard Extracts
A new report in Toxicology Reports has contributed further to the safety profile of Cannabis sativa L. extracts by examining their genotoxicity.
Genotoxicity refers to the ability of a chemical to cause damage to genetic material in cells that can lead to mutation and cancer.
The study showed that the cannabis extract was not genotoxic in any of the performed tests. In so doing, this would mean that under the conditions tested, the extract does not pose any genotoxic effect.
The findings are significant in the way that they are contributing to the evidence accumulating to confirm the safety of the cannabis extracts given their increased application in medicine .
The researchers caution, though, that the extract utilized in this study is not genotoxic and this could be different with any product developed from cannabis.
Genotoxicity may be affected by differences in extraction processes, cannabinoid content along with other substances that could be found in the products.
Since the legal framework surrounding cannabis continues to evolve, evidence like this provides important information with which to inform regulatory policy and public health decision making.
Ensuring cannabis products are safe will protect consumers and ensure that cannabis is used properly in medicine.
Source: ScienceDirect
Cannabis for the Long Haul: Aussie Study Finds Year-Long Relief for Chronic Patients
A landmark Australian study has confirmed that patients on medicinal cannabis experienced health-related quality of life (HRQL) improvement throughout a complete 12 months.
In the QUEST Initiative (Quality of life Evaluation Study), the major observational study monitored more than 2,700 patients who were first being prescribed cannabis oil to control chronic disease during late 2020 and 2021.
Led by researchers from the University of Sydney, the study comprised an heterogeneous population of patients with an array of diagnostic conditions ranging from chronic pain right through to PTSD, anxiety, depression, insomnia, and movement disorders.
The participants filled out standardized questionnaires assessing pain, sleep, fatigue, mental health, and overall quality of life on an ongoing basis over one year.
Despite having only 778 participants reach the 12-month follow-up point, researchers noted that short-term gains made at three months were sustained long-term to an important degree.
Depressed individuals, those with anxiety and chronic pain were some of the people reporting the greatest and most lasting benefits.
They experienced better sleep, decreased daytime fatigue, fewer depression and anxiety symptoms and greater physical and emotional well-being. Those with movement disorders experienced well-being improvement without improvement in upper limp function.
Notably, the observational nature of the study meant that there could be no control group given a placebo, and so causation cannot be inferred.
Nevertheless, the researchers counter that consistency and magnitude of the improvement are strongly suggestive and that medicinal cannabis can be effectively added to chronic regimens—particularly in those who are unresponsive to traditional therapies.
This study contributes to the worldwide evidence base supporting the use of medicinal cannabis as an effective and safe treatment among chronic conditions.
It provides additional voice to calls for continued clinical trial and regulatory advancement in those countries that are resistant to adopting cannabis medicines.
Source: ScienceDaily
Delayed but Delivered: France Rolls Out National Medical Cannabis Plan
After years of hurdles, delays, and lobbying efforts, France finally launched its comprehensive medical cannabis programme—a victory for patients, physicians, and Europe’s cannabis industry.
This launch comes on the heels of an initial pilot program introduced in 2021 that served 3,000 patients and showed clinical value and logistics viability.
The new program allows the full legal production, prescribing and sale of medical cannabis in France.
At the heart of the scheme is the control of licensed growers and producers within French borders, substituting dependence on external suppliers.
Not only will this boost local economic opportunities but guarantee more stable availability of the products to individuals with qualifying conditions.
France’s ministry of health announced that it has confirmed a precise list of medical conditions—like chronic pain, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, chemotherapy side effects, and palliative care—that will qualify for cannabis prescriptions.
The drug will be administered by specifically trained physicians and be routed through ordinary drugstore chains so that cannabis drugs are the focal point of conventional medicine.
Every product has to meet exacting standards both on quality and on testing for safety, making the market one of the world’s most regulated markets for cannabis in the medical sector.
This is amid intense political and medic controversy in France. Public backing has grown despite growing criticism regarding safety and abuse concerns from critics.
However, the proponents argue the improved scheme offers an evidence-based and safer option to patients who are resistant to traditional therapies.
This also positions France to influence more extensive EU regulation on cannabis.
As the Netherlands and Germany move forward with liberalization, France’s model of being driven by medicine could serve as an intermediate model to influence more cautious nations.
The program will be implemented phase by phase from 2025 and will benefit tens of thousands of patients in the subsequent years.
Source: Business of Cannabis