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Every week, Psychedelic Times will bring you a few of the most interesting, overlooked cannabis stories that we come across. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to keep in the loop on marijuana and psychedelic news.
Oregon Will Send $85M To Schools And More From Cannabis Tax — KUOW
Even though Oregon made marijuana legal in January 2016, it’s only now that the Oregon Department of Revenue is getting ready to give some of that weed tax revenue back to the people. Of course, the Oregon Health Authority and the Oregon State Police get their chunk. The state school fund will get the biggest slice of the pie — $34 million.
Anti-weed groups will try to tell you that revenue from recreational marijuana doesn’t make a big dent in state budgets — especially given that Oregon had a debt of $13 billion in fiscal year 2015, according to Ballotpedia. But ask any teacher and they’ll tell you that a little goes a long way. Given the way we fund schools, anything helps — and just remember, all of that money before was being given to cartels and drug dealers.
Gorilla Glue Adhesives Company Reaches Settlement with Cannabis Business — The Cannabist
You may know of Gorilla Glue, the overrated adhesives brand (seriously, it’s not that much stronger than anything else out there), but Gorilla Glue is also a popular name for a strain of weed. It will not surprise you that the superglue company sued a cannabis company called GG Strains LLC for trademark infringement. The two parties recently settled, meaning GG Strains can no longer call any of their strains anything related to epoxies or highland apes — maybe they will change the name to Duct Tape.
New York’s Medical Marijuana Program Is Crumbling — High Times
There’s a right way and a wrong way to implement a medical marijuana industry in your state. Increasingly, many states are choosing the wrong way, including New York, according to USA Today. Even though it’s been two years since an MMJ program began in New York, the first year of operation barely saw 1,000 patients, while the program itself has been plagued by financial problems and legal restrictions.
By comparing New York’s profits (or lack thereof) to states with less restrictive medical cannabis programs, it seems the system was designed to fail — not to mention that it doesn’t even allow patients to smoke marijuana. That may explain why patients are reluctant to participate (not everyone receives benefits from marijuana by eating edibles). “[O]nly around a third of the state’s 31,116 patients are active participants—around 10,000 people,” according to High Times.
Massachusetts Legislators Will Consider Blocking Anti-Pot Towns From Receiving Cannabis Tax Revenue — Merry Jane
Over 100 municipalities in Massachusetts have taken a stand against allowing recreational marijuana in their areas, which could block them from sharing in the estimated $150 million in tax revenue the Bay State will enjoy from treating adults like adults. Some lawmakers plan to introduce a bill in January that would make sure those anti-pot districts don’t see a penny in tax money, according to the Boston Globe. Tell that to people in Santa Clara County, who are also looking to ban legal weed in California.
FDA Hints It May Look Into Marijuana Health Claims — Bloomberg
Can marijuana cure cancer? Well, if you’re making such claims, the FDA may want a word with you. The Food and Drug Administration has hinted that they may look into health claims made about medical marijuana.
Rejoice! While the FDA may be seen as a bureaucratic, inefficient organization, occasionally they do some good work. Two things can happen if the FDA looks into this (assuming they use good science). One, they verify some of these claims and make the DEA and other federal organizations look like idiots for cracking down on a medicine. Two, they debunk some of the more outrageous claims being tossed about, which actually makes the medical marijuana industry safer and better for everyone.
Some medical benefits from cannabis are undeniable. So while extra scrutiny from a federal organization may be not seem like the best idea (clear conflict of interest, anyway), it will likely turn out well for those who benefit from medical marijuana.
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