Kentucky's medical cannabis program rollout has been accelerated, with business licence applications now being accepted.Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear signed Senate Bill 47 into law in March last year, which finally legalized medical cannabis in the state effective Jan. 1, 2025. But House Bill 829  subsequently became law in April...

Legislation signed by Delaware Governor John Carney to expand the state's medical marijuana program kicked in at the start of this month.Sponsored by Rep. Ed Osienski, House Bill 285 removed the requirement that a debilitating medical condition is needed to qualify for a registry identification card. This means health...

Following Maryland Governor Wes Moore’s pardon of many thousands of cannabis charges recently, he's launched a workforce development initiative prioritizing those with a history of cannabis-related offenses.Governor Moore announced in June he was granting clemency for 175,000 convictions for misdemeanour possession of cannabis and related paraphernalia, stating no-one...

In the Australian state of Victoria, the State Government has responded to recommendations from a wide-ranging inquiry into hemp held last year.In May 2023, a motion for an inquiry investigating opportunities and challenges for expanding Victoria's hemp sector was passed in Parliament. A final report tabled in late November...

In what's become all all-too-common scenario across the USA, Arizona's medical cannabis program is suffering at the hands of recreational marijuana.The Arizona Medical Marijuana Act came into effect on April 14, 2011, making the state the fourteenth in the USA to legalise cannabis for medicinal purposes. Arizona voters then...

A recent survey highlighted what effects US cannabis users are pursuing, and the main reason why they are using it.In the USA, cannabis is legal in 38 of 50 states and several territories for medical purposes, and 24 states allow marijuana for recreational use. An estimated 46.9% of Americans...

A new study has found significant improvements across all measures of well-being among older individuals using cannabis medicinally.The use of cannabis-based medicinal products (CBMPs) is reportedly increasing most rapidly among people aged 65+ years. But there's still knowledge gaps on the characteristics of this segment and the effectiveness of...

Will 2024 be the year North Carolina finally legalizes medical cannabis?Most US states have legalised medical cannabis in some form, but North Carolina is among the handful of holdouts. This hasn't been through a lack of trying by some lawmakers, with various legislative attempts over the years. It was...

Whether and how cannabis use affects COVID-19 outcomes has been the topic of much debate. This latest study shows consensus is still some way off.Research published in late December last year suggested cannabinoids have the potential to limit susceptibility to and severity of COVID-19 infections, and some earlier research...

What's said to be the second-largest industrial hemp processing facility in the world was officially opened in Wichita Falls, Texas last week.After nearly four years since the Wichita Falls site was announced and more than three years since partial operations were to commence, it's all systems go at the...