AARP

Red States Lean Green This Election

Published

1 month ago

October 23, 2024

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The last 20 years have seen a big change for marijuana.

The War On Drugs framed a mindset about marijuana for two generations, but in the last 10 years, the country seems to have moved passed it. Now even red states lean green this election. Nixon’s administration went to battle with drug abuse declared “public enemy number one”. But times have changed and so has public opinion and taste. And in this election, even conservative states are polling positive about opening their border for forms of legal cannabis.

The west coast led the way for legalization with California, Oregon and Washington, but other states were slower in acceptance. But as of 2022, over 50% of the population has access to legal weed and even the AARP has come up in support of it for medical marijuana. And states have enjoyed the robust revenue to the state coffers. States with fully recreational earn more money from cananbis taxes than alcohol. And crime drops also.

In Kansas, the Midwest Newsroom partnered with Emerson College Polling to conduct surveys. More than 72% of the state’s voters said they support legalizing medical marijuana. About 56% support legalizing it for recreational use. Republican leaders in the Sunflower state have opposed legalizing marijuana of any kind. But with some movement at the federal level, recently appointed a special committee on medical marijuana.

North Dakota voters appear split and largely undecided about the marijuana initiative according to poll commissioned by the North Dakota News Cooperative. The Dakotas are traditionally conservative states, but the North’s sister state to the south is showing a bit of difference. The Chiesman Center for Democracy at the University of South Dakota shows an increase in support, but not quite at the level needed to to pass.

Utah, which is not a fan of alcohol or caffeine seems to be leaning green. A recent poll found 50% of the Beehive State voters would support recreational cannabis. Another 38% of Utahns surveyed support medical cannabis only and 9% believe cannabis should be illegal entirely. Three percent were “not sure.”

Florida, one of the largest states, seems to have leaned into saying yes for recreational marijuana according to polls. This is interesting considering the state’s governor, Ron DeSantis, has waged an all out war against the ballot initiative. Currently, there is a court battle about DeSantis using the state’s resources to put pressure on the media to promote public service announcements against legalization.

November 5 could be a big day for cannabis, and a look into the mindset of the country.

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AARP

Lawsuit Says DEA Acting In Bad Faith Over Marijuana

Published

23 hours ago

November 21, 2024

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It has been clear the DEA is slow to change for cannabis…but have they done something shady?

It has been clear Anne Milgram, the head of the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), is no fan of cannabis and is not pleased with the push to reschedule. Now a lawsuit says DEA acting in bad faith over marijuana. David Heldreth, CEO of psychedelic research firm Panacea Plant Sciences, claims the DEA’s recent actions violate federal law and constitutional principles. Filed in filed in the U.S. District Court for Western Washington, names the Department of Justice, Attorney General Merrick Garland, DEA Administrator Anne Milgram and DEA Judge John J. Mulrooney II as defendants. So what’s going on?

It is no secret, the current President isn’t a fan of cannabis and waited 3 years to fulfill his 2020 promise to help the industry. The timing allowed his administration to pass the decision to the next president. DEA head Milgram has been reluctant about the issue despite recommendation from Health and Human Services, the Food and Drug Administration, the American Medical Association and the American College of Physicians. All of those agencies recommended the change due to clear research showing the medical benefits of cannabis, especially with cancer, chronic pain, PTSD, and inflammation. For the DEA not to follow goes against all precedent.

Heldreth’s alleges legal violations in the DEA’s rulemaking process. He contends the agency failed to consult Native American tribes despite ignificant impact rescheduling marijuana would have on tribal law enforcement and health services. Additionally, Heldreth challenges the constitutionality of the DEA’s Administrative Law Judges, arguing their appointment by the DEA administrator violates Article II of the U.S. Constitution.

Heldreth is the latest in complaints as a Veteran’s organization is claiming they have been blocked from the hearings, despite the Veteran’s administration working with the industry to figure out a pathway for veterans with PTSD.

Milgam has been obstructive to the late in term admisntration’s move, working to stop the process. After the announcement to reschedule, Anne Milgram made the unusual request of a “off the record/no notes meeting” to top deputies summoned in March for what she called the “Marijuana Meeting”. What followed with a request to the Department of Justice (DOJ) which would slow the process if not stop it. The DOJ pushed back on the request.

With millions of patients using medical marijuana, including veterans, plus thousands of mom and pop businesses, Milgram’s actions are murky. Science has changed the direction and it seems the DEA is the only agency standing against the movement.

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AARP

How Cannabis Can Help With Dysmenorrhea

Published

2 weeks ago

November 9, 2024

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Millions suffer, but relief could be here thanks to science and a simple plant. Here is how cannabis can help with dysmenorrhea.

It is an uncomfortable topic to discuss, but the painful truth is a majority of women will suffer it at some point and finding relief is invaluable. Around 80% of women experience period pain at some stage in their lifetime. Dysmenorrhea is the medical term for pain or discomfort during menstruation. It is a common gynecologic problem, but the pain can range from dull cramps to indescribable agony. Here is how cannabis can help with dysmenorrhea.

Medicinal cannabis has emerged as a potential treatment option for dysmenorrhea, offering hope for the tens of millions of women who suffer from menstrual pain. Current medical management options primarily consisting of over-the-counter pain relievers and hormonal contraceptives. The effectiveness of these treatments vary greatly.

The endocannabinoid system plays a role in uterine function and pain perception. Cannabinoid receptors CB1R and CB2R, as well as TRPV receptors, have been identified in human myometrial tissue. Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), a primary component of cannabis, can act as a cannabinoid agonist, potentially triggering myometrial relaxation and easing menstrual pain.

The potential benefits of cannabis for dysmenorrhea includes pain relief, improved sleep quality, and reduced reliance on pharmaceutical pain relievers. While research specifically on cannabis for dysmenorrhea is growing, studies on chronic pain provide some insights:

A systematic review of 18 randomized controlled trials found that synthetic cannabis products with high THC-to-CBD ratios may offer moderate improvement in pain severity.
A meta-analysis of 32 trials showed that medical cannabis or cannabinoids resulted in small to very small improvements in pain relief, physical functioning, and sleep quality among chronic pain patients.

There is significant interest in using cannabis for gynecologic pain management:

A survey found that 61.2% of women who had never used cannabis and 90.0% of those who had were willing to try it for gynecologic pain.
After cannabis legalization in Canada, current cannabis use increased from 13.3% to 21.5% among women with self-reported moderate-to-severe pelvic pain.

With th American Medical Association, American College of Physicians and even AARP recognizing the medical benefits of cannabis, it is critical more research is funded. Millions of women may be in pain needlessly due to untreated dysmenorrhea.

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AARP

DEA Delivers Gut Punch To Marijuana Industry

Published

3 weeks ago

November 1, 2024

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The DEA has worked hard to keep marijuana illegal – despite almost 90% believing it shouldn’t be.

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has work diligently to turn the tide of legal marijuana. An agency built on the “War on Drugs” is doing everything to stop cannabis being available to the population and undercutting a vast amount of their efforts. And now again the DEA delivers gut punch to the marijuana industry. The agency is swimming upstream in the process as it is being recommended by Health and Human Services and the Food and Drug Administration to them to reclassify cannabis in part do to the medical benefits. This goes along the American Medical Association and the American College of Physicians encouraging the federal government to change based proven, science based medical help to a variety of patients including cancer, chronic pain, inflammation and more.

The delay until post-election is do to the DEA’s inability to coordinate the next steps so they pushed the in-person testimony for the upcoming marijuana rescheduling until early next year. DEA director Anne Milligan is seen as anti-marijuana and more inline with House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA). When the current administration announced the move to reschedule, Director Milligan had a meeting with key DEA Leaders with “no note taking” and off the record. The DEA not rescheduling would go against the norm as they have always followed HHS and the FDA recommendations.

While both presidential candidates have expressed support for marijuana, a YOUGOV poll has indicated more people have faith in Harris to support the industry. The surprise is the fact is both Democrats (65%) and Republicans (31%) believe her administration would follow through. Pew Research, who has followed the mainstreaming of cannabis, has it at 88+% of the population is for some form of federal legalization. Even AARP has moved toward legalizing marijuana, a key voting block for both parties. But, it seems, the DEA, is against the move and is hoping there is a change of heart in policy making.

In another slap to the cannabis industry, Milligan and the DEA have tried to stack the deck against cannabis. NORML’s Deputy Director Paul Armentano said that he was disappointed but hardly surprised by the DEA’s decision to disproportionately include groups opposed to marijuana policy reform as designated participants. “The fight to end our nation’s outdated and failed cannabis prohibition laws has never been fought on a level playing field,” he said.

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