A Weekly Roundup of Stories We Found Interesting – From The Profound To The Profane

Canadians Spend Nearly As Much on Weed as on Wine
A new report by Canada’s federal statistics agency estimates about 5 million Canadians consumed about 700 tons of cannabis in 2015. It’s important to note that cannabis will be not legal until the new year.

VA Doctors Are Now Cleared To Talk About Medical Marijuana With Patients
There’s some good news for veterans in states with legal medical marijuana programs who rely on the sticky green herb and its various distillations for treatment: the Department of Veterans Affairs has officially cleared its physicians and care teams to speak openly with veteran patients about their marijuana consumption.

Are There Too Many Weed Licenses in Oregon?
Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC) cannot set limit in awarding licenses to cannabis businesses whether for production, processing, wholesaling, or retailing. Will the state do anything to prevent oversaturation?

Why Isn’t Anyone Talking About China And Its Bid To Rule The Cannabis Industry?
While marijuana was made illegal to farm or possess in China in 1985, the country’s farmers continued to make the most of cannabis as a non-psychoactive hemp product. Americans are currently lapping up hemp items — the raw product of which is supplied largely by China, according to a report by the US Congressional Research Service, which notes that retail sales of hemp products in the US totaled nearly $600 million in 2015, and is rising annually.

Everything We Learned about the Health Effects of Marijuana in 2017
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine released a massive report in January that gives one of the most comprehensive looks — and certainly the most up-to-date — at exactly what we know about the science of cannabis. The committee behind the report, representing top universities around the country, considered more than 10,000 studies for its analysis and drew nearly 100 conclusions. Many of those findings are summarized in this article.

Mexico is Soon To Legalize Marijuana
Mexico in the process of legalizing the sale of marijuana-based medications, foods, drinks, cosmetics and other products early 2018, its health regulator stated this past Wednesday, bringing some forms of cannabis into legal commerce even as the country struggles with the illicit drug trade.

The Stoner Stereotype is Dying, According to Kevin Smith
Despite being the most popular creator of stoner cinema since Cheech and Chong, Kevin Smith hadn’t picked up many blunts until after the Jay and Silent Bob saga. Smith’s newfound appreciation of the herb is less about glorious slackerdom and more about medical wellness.

Merry Christmas!