A roll-up of all the cannabis news discussed over recent weeks on 95bFM’s Marijuana Media with Chris Fowlie from NORML and Milly from bFM Drive – thanks to The Hempstore!
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Exporting East Coast cannabis: Tairawhiti-based Rua Biosciences has inked a deal to export their East Coast genetics to Canada, and from there the world. Cannabizreported on the deal with Apollo Green “to introduce its East Coast Tairawhiti cannabis strains into the Canadian firm’s genetics library which includes more than 1,000 unique cultivars.”
Pregnant pause: University of Utah researchers found cannabis users had a 1.3 x greater risk of complications during pregnancy. The strongest association was low birth weight. The findings, published in JAMA, suggest taking a break if you’re expecting. Co-author Robert Silver said “If possible, you shouldn’t use cannabis during pregnancy.”
Other studies have found no association between cannabis use and pregnancy complications, or any long term effects. NORML says the data is “mixed” and points to a systematic review in the journal Frontiers in Psychology of 40 longitudinal studies assessing cognitive and developmental skills in marijuana-exposed offspring. That study concluded, “The [available] evidence [to date] does not support an association between prenatal cannabis exposure and clinically relevant cognitive deficits” later in life.
Other news:
Ireland’s Government proposes nine-month delay on marijuana legalisation bill vote, calling for special committee, reports Marijuana Moment.
Two cruise passengers onboard the Norwegian Joy discovered with 70kg of cannabis, reports NZ Herald.
Happy 82nd birthday to Michael Aldrich, the most notable activist you’ve never heard of. Ed. of Marijuana Review, co-founder in 1969 of Amorphia (which became California NORML), wrote the first PhD dissertation on cannabis in the US (“Marijuana myths and folklore”, 1970).
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Bob Marley One Love film has opened in cinemas. I was lucky enough to go the premiere. It’s a biopic produced by Ziggy and Rita Marley. I agree with the review in Stuff that after a slow start it really got a groove on, with great music and some killer set pieces. This needs to be seen in theatres. It’s a great soundtrack. Fans will love it, and for potheads there is Ganja throughout. For Rasta, cannabis is a way of life. The herb is a medicine and a sacrament.
The Fiji Times reports “High hopes” for medical cannabis there, with the PM announcing a NZ firm will invest $65m in the medicinal cannabis industry. Sitiveni Rabuka said the Cabinet has approved the policy framework to establish the medicinal cannabis industry in Fiji. The government would fund a feasibility study, and the Ministry of Trade will enter into a three-year MOU with Aether Pacific Pharmaceuticals Ltd trading as Medical Kiwi, who intend to construct a cultivation and manufacturing facility in Fiji. The grow won’t be local seeds.
Pregnant Pause Part 2: A new study, published in Drug Alcohol Depend this month, asked Is legal recreational cannabis associated with cannabis use during pregnancy, beliefs about safety, and perceived community stigma? It found legal recreational cannabis was not associated with cannabis use during pregnancy, continuation or increase in use, frequency of use, or safety beliefs. But legal recreational cannabis was associated with lower perceived community stigma. Researchers concluded “Legal recreational cannabis may be associated with lower community stigma around cannabis use during pregnancy, which could have implications for pregnant people’s disclosure of use and care-seeking behavior.”
Feedspot has Marijuana Media at Number 11 in the world’s best Marijuana Potcasts! Up from #74 last year.
Other news:
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Is cannabis psychedelic? Psychology Today reports a recent study compared the effects of oral THC, microdose LSD, and methamphetamine on brain activity to answer the question is cannabis psychedelic? In 1956, the psychiatrist Humphrey Osmond coined a term to encapsulate such “mind-manifesting” phenomena: psychedelic.
In the study by Murray et al in Nature, volunteers were given oral thc (synthetic, Marinol), a microdose of LSD, medical meth, or placebo. Listen to the pot-cast to find out more.
The 2024 NZ Drugs Trends Survey is up & live! Massey Uni drugs researchers are asking about the availability and prices of drugs around the country, vaping, psychedelics, medical use, social media, pharmaceuticals and help services. This is the 6th year of surveying, with 15,000 people doing it last year. Complete the anonymous survey at NZ Drug Trends
The US Navy has revised its policy on new recruits arriving at boot camp with detectable levels of THC. Rear Adm. James Waters announced that the service can now grant waivers for recruits testing positive for THC, marking a significant shift in policy. “We recognize that many states have legalized marijuana,” but “We don’t do drugs in the military.” Cannabis Now reports it is part of efforts to help the Navy retain more recruits instead of forcing them out. NZ Police & NZDF still do pre-employment tests.
Memories! Twenty-two years ago, I fought the law and I won! I recently found a grainy old VHS tape of when this was lead story on TV3’s 6pm news (and the front page of the Herald).
On trial for a scrap of weed I didn’t even know was in my pocket, I was found Not Guilty and set a precedent that police cannot just claim to smell weed to conduct random searches of people minding their own business. Even better, Wellington’s DominionPost newspaper erroneously reported I had been jailed and then refused to correct this – which led to a defamation payout that funded a worldwide trip investigating cannabis policy, and set me up to be a cannabis expert witness in court cases, and cannabis podcast host and blog writer.
Auckland’s first medicinal cannabis club: Whakamana at The Blue Frog. It’s possible, and legal, because prescribed medicinal cannabis can be used anywhere legally. The Smokefree Environments Act s2, which would otherwise prohibit smoking or vaping indoors, says a “vaping substance … does not include a medicinal cannabis product”.
Marijuana Media – Thanks to The Hempstore – airs every Thursday at 4:20pm on 95bFM, with bFM Drive’s Milly and Chris Fowlie from The Hempstore. Stream or download hundreds of Marijuana Media pot-casts at 95bFM.com (or via iTunes / RSS feed). Thanks to The Hempstore!
