JULY 2019 DIGEST
CBD Could Cause Liver Damage at High Doses, Says Study
Congress Holds First Hearing on Ending Federal Cannabis Prohibition
Cannabis in the UK: London Backs Legalization and “Millions Misled over CBD”
ANALYTICALCANNABIS.COM Contents
CBD Could Cause Liver Damage at High Doses, Says Study 3 Notes from the Editor Canada Considers New “Cannabis Health Jack Rudd Products” Category 5 Welcome to the tenth issue of the Analytical Cannabis in the UK, London Backs Cannabis Digest, a free monthly resource Legalization and “Millions Misled over CBD” 7 covering the latest developments in cannabis extraction, science and testing. Cannabis Could Replace Opioids in This month we take a look at the proposals TreatingPain and Insomnia 10 for new cannabis product categories in Canada and new research on the use of CBD Could Help Treat Angelman Syndrome, cannabis to reduce the burden of opioid Says Study 12 use. We also provide a review of the recent congress hearing on paving the way the to Congress Holds First Hearing on Ending the end of federal cannabis prohibition in Federal Cannabis Prohibition 14 the US and much more.
High Stakes, The Legal Route to Cannabis If you have an idea for a cannabis science Profit in the UK 17 related story or would like to contribute to our coverage of the industry, please feel Reparations Are Leading Today’s Cannabis free to email me at any time - Reform Movement - Here’s Why 20 [email protected] Teenagers Are Less Likely to Use Cannabis When It’s Legal, Study Finds 23
The Swiss Government Wants To Legalize Medical Cannabis 25
2 AnalyticalCannabis.com CBD Could Cause Liver Damage At High Doses, Says Study By Alexander Beadle
Cannabidiol (CBD) has built up a reputation over in Epidiolex,” which is an CBD drug used to treat the past few years as being the safe, therapeutic rare forms of epilepsy approved by the US Food part of the cannabis plant. But does it fully and Drug Administration. deserve this reputation? Or are users of CBD products unknowingly putting themselves at “You have to take into account the body size risk of developing harmful side effects? A new and the metabolism rate,” study author Dr Igor scientific research paper suggests as much. Koturbash told Nutra Ingredients USA. “There is a formula where you put in the information and The paper, published in the journal Molecules, how much of a specific compound to use. Is it details recent work from researchers at the perfect? No. But in research we like to say that University of Arkansas and the University of every model is wrong, but some of them are Mississippi. Specifically, the paper examines useful.” links between CBD doses and the potential for developing “hepatotoxicity” — drug-induced liver In the single dose experiment, the mice on damage. the highest dosage, 2460 mg/kg CBD, became sluggish, lost their appetite, showed significant increases in liver-to-body weight ratios, and Laboratory Mice Show marginal body weight loss. The mice were also Signs Of Liver Injury found to have higher levels of liver enzymes ALT and AST, which are markers for liver damage, and To investigate this CBD hepatotoxicity, a higher total bilirubin count than normal, which researchers designed two experiments. The first, implies the inability of the liver to excrete the which looked at acute toxicity from a singular pigment normally. dose, gave the mice a dose of either 0, 246, 738, or 2460 mg/kg of CBD. The second experiment Mice at the slightly lower 738 mg/kg dose also examined lower CBD doses over a longer exhibited lethargy, changes in body weight, timeframe, which here meant daily doses of either increases in liver-to-body weight ratio, and smaller 0, 61.5, 184.5, or 615 mg/kg of CBD over a period but still significant increases in the liver enzymes of 10 days. ALT and AST.
The paper states that these doses were chosen In the multi-dose experiment, mice at the highest as they were the “allometrically scaled mouse dose once again exhibit lethargy, loss of appetite, equivalent doses (MED) of the maximum and changes in body weight at the start of the recommended human maintenance dose of CBD trial period, accompanied by rising ALT, AST and
3 JULY 2019 AnalyticalCannabis.com bilirubin levels. However by the end of the third this study imply any sort of immediate danger for day, four of the six mice being studied at the people currently taking CBD medication, or using highest dose were showing signs of severe liver CBD products. Instead, he feels that this research damage and were terminated. The remaining two should encourage further investigation of the mice completed the 10 day course on this high safety profile of CBD at various doses, and ensure dose and exhibited no visible signs of toxicity. that those people who are bringing CBD products None of the mice taking lower doses showed to market check that their advertised dosages are any visible signs of toxicity over the course of the safe for long-term use. experiment.
As well as these two experiments, the researchers also conducted a gene expression analysis, using an array of more than 80 genes that have been previously recognized as markers of liver toxicity. The researchers found that CBD had the power to regulate more than 50 genes, with the last majority of those affected being so in a dose- dependent manner. Is It Time To Start Worrying?
It’s hard to argue with dead mice — at some doses, CBD does indeed cause hepatotoxicity.
But do consumers need to worry?
As the study says, the doses chosen were calculated to reflect the mouse equivalent of the maximum recommended human dose. But here, the dose equivalent to the maximum human dosage was actually the lowest of the CBD dosages in each experiment, at 246 mg/kg and 61.5 mg/kg respectively. The other dosages were chosen to reflect 3x and 10x the maximum recommended dose for Epidiolex in humans.
As no signs of visible liver toxicity were seen in either experiment for the lowest dose, this would imply that Epidiolex, and other CBD preparations of a similar recommended dose, are still safe to use. Though, as Dr Koturbash points out in his interview with Nutra Ingredients USA, the Epidiolex packaging does include a warning message which advises people taking other medications that can damage the liver, or have pre-existing liver damage, to consider taking only low doses of Epidiolex, or to not use the product entirely.
“There is a potential for liver injury,” he says. “ If you look at the Epidiolex label, it clearly states a warning for liver injury; it states you have to monitor the liver enzyme levels of the patients.”
Dr Koturbash does not believe that the results of
4 JULY 2019 AnalyticalCannabis.com Canada Considers New “Cannabis Health Products”Category By Alexander Beadle
Canadian citizens and industry stakeholders are and the Food and Drugs Act, it is currently illegal to being invited by Health Canada to take part in sell a cannabis product that is marketed as having a new consultation launched by the healthcare some kind of health benefit in humans or animals regulator last week. without the oversight of a doctor. This means that recreational cannabis products cannot be The consultation is set up to discover if there is marketed and sold with any accompanying medical an appetite for the creation of a new “Cannabis claims, and medical cannabis cannot be sold Health Products” product category, which would without a prescription. allow cannabis-containing products to be sold for therapeutic use without the need for a In the adjoining consultation document, Health prescription from a doctor. Canada say that they are aware of interest from some Canadians in bringing non-prescription CHPs to the country’s legal market. The healthcare Current Canadian regulator also noted that cannabis products, and Cannabis Product Law particularly cannabidiol (CBD) products, with unauthorized health claims are already being sold In a document provided alongside the basic through unregulated channels, where they are consultation information, it is explained that marketed as a treatment for minor ailments, such Health Canada previously conducted a cannabis as muscle and joint pain and inflammation. product consultation during the creation of the Cannabis Act, which legalized cannabis use in While the consultation exists to gather feedback Canada when it came into force in late 2018. In the from the public in order to shape any future final summary report from that consultation, the regulations, Health Canada has said that any future Canadian Government committed to maintaining market for CHPs will be required to meet certain access to medical cannabis products and devices expectations. Namely, a new market pathway on prescription, with the possible regulation of should have in place strict controls that will protect non-prescription cannabis health products, of the youth, displace the illegal market, restrict the CHPs, to be given further consideration at a later promotion of cannabis use, and encourage a firmly date. This current consultation is that such future evidence-based approach to regulation. consideration.
Under the current framework of the Cannabis Act
5 JULY 2019 AnalyticalCannabis.com What Might Be Proposed? Lucas McCann, the chief scientific officer at CannDelta also gave comment, saying that Legally, CHPs would be required to meet controls the proposals from Health Canada would be a set out by the Cannabis Act, as they are still welcome sight to those who feel trapped between cannabis products at their core; but CHPs would the cracks of the adult-use and medical cannabis also be assessed for quality and safety using markets. measures from the Food and Drug Act. “What Health Canada is doing with the consultation The approach currently being proposed would not is setting the framework for these CHPs to come permit general health claims to be made about into existence and to tie scientifically founded, CHPs, but would allow more specific ones. These evidence-based claims to cannabis health more specific claims would also need to be backed products,” he said. up by modern scientific evidence, not just a history of traditional use. “These are baby steps, but let’s not forget that legalization is a big ship to steer.” Cannabis would need to be listed as an active ingredient for the CHP in question, and evidence The consultation is currently open for comment would need to sufficiently demonstrate the and will close on September 3, 2019. Canadians association of cannabis — through a specific who are interested in one day purchasing CHPs phytocannabinoid component — with the health and companies who may consider manufacturing claim being made. or selling CHPs are the main focus of the consultation, though other interested parties are It is expected that Health Canada will be seeking also being encouraged to respond. expert advice with regard to what should qualify as satisfactory scientific evidence that demonstrates The survey can be found here and the consultation safety and efficacy. paper with additional information here.
While Health Canada does not want the packaging of CHPs to be appealing to youth, they have suggested that young people may be able to access CHPs through the intermediary of a responsible adult, such as a parent or guardian. The adult would be allowed to purchase CHPs on behalf of the young person, with the understanding that they would be responsible for overseeing the sensible consumption of the CHP for treating minor ailments. Fulfilling A Need For Clarity
The proposal for a legal path to market for CHPs has been praised by many in the industry. The new rules proposed by Health Canada would provide significant clarity and will save people from unintentionally breaking the law, said Sherry Boodram, CEO of Toronto-based regulatory consulting firm CannDelta, toMarijuana Business Daily.
“Currently, there are a lot of conversations and misinformation among the general public in regards to cannabidiol, specifically if CBD products can be freely imported/exported, can it be sold in health food stores, in beauty stores,” she said.
6 JULY 2019 AnalyticalCannabis.com Cannabis in the UK: London Backs Legalization and “Millions Misled Over CBD”
By Alexander Beadle
It’s been a momentous month for cannabis news 30ml high street pharmacy product costing £90 – in the United Kingdom. London played host to containing 0 percent total CBD. Another surprising Europe’s premier medical cannabis conference, a product was one that contained 3.8 percent shocking CBD industry report was released, and ethanol. For comparison, some alcoholic beers the country finally saw its first major cannabis contain as little as 3.4 percent ethanol. attitude poll since the legalization of medical cannabis last year. Additionally, almost half of the selected products tested contained measurable levels of THC Below, we’ve collated the biggest headlines out of (tetrahydrocannabinol, mean content 0.04 the UK from the past two weeks, so you don’t miss percent) or CBN (cannabinol, mean content 0.01 out on any of the conversation. percent), bringing the legality of these products into question.
New CBD Report Calls While industrial hemp, the raw material from For Better Regulation, which most CBD products are made, may legally contain up to 0.2 percent THC, this rule doesn’t Legal Clarity necessarily apply to the finished CBD products. According to guidance from the Home Office, if An investigation by the Times newspaper is a CBD product containing any other controlled suggesting that millions of British consumers are substances, like THC or CBN, it is highly likely that being misled by companies that are exploiting the the product will also be controlled. cannabidiol (CBD) health craze. Despite this, a position paper from the Cosmetic, In new laboratory tests, organized by the new Toiletry and Perfumery Association notes that trade body the Centre of Medicinal Cannabis, some CBD products may be able to qualify as a more than half of the CBD products tested didn’t legally “exempt product” (defined in Regulation contain the levels of CBD promised on the label; 2(1) of the 2001 Misuse of Drug Regulations) and only 11 of the 29 products tested were within a 10 so would be able to contain up to 1 milligram of percent margin of the advertised CBD content. THC legally per container of product.
A further 11 contained less than 50 percent of Clarifying the confusion over these legal the advertised CBD content, with one product – a limits is just one of the asks being made of
7 JULY 2019 AnalyticalCannabis.com the government and others by the Centre of £2.5 billion away from black market criminals and Medicinal Cannabis. The conclusion of the report into the regular economy, and 68 percent were also recommends that the government consult compelled by the ability to use a predicted £1 with the CBD industry to devise new working billion of tax revenue raised on public services. regulations and offer support and asks regulators to focus their enforcement actions on priority Health reasons and criminal justice arguments harms and to assist in educating the public about were also rated strongly, with 68 percent CBD. convinced by the argument that legalization would allow authorities to regulate the strength and The Centre also wants the medical profession in potency of cannabis being sold. Sixty-six percent the UK to help with supporting CBD research and were also persuaded by a potential reduction in generally taking the drug seriously and asks the children’s ability to access cannabis, and another industry to be socially responsible and undertake 66 percent were compelled by the idea that voluntary self-regulation to ensure product quality legalization would lead to less drug violence. and safety. The arguments found most compelling against Nearly Half Of UK And legalization were that it could lead to more car accidents (65 percent compelling), an increase Two-Thirds Of Londoners in cannabis-related mental health problems (63 percent), and that it could lead to the legalization Support Recreational of other drugs (49 percent). Cannabis Legalization Speaking of the poll, Liz McCulloch, the directory Also making headlines was a new major poll from of policy for Volteface, said: “This is the first time the Evening Standard which showed Britain’s fast- the public have been asked what arguments for changing attitude to cannabis legalization. and against they find most convincing.”
The poll, carried out by the independent think- “The result shows the economic incentive is most tank Volteface, found that 63 percent of London prominent, as well as health concerns to limit residents support the total legalization and potency of cannabis, which probably reflects regulation of cannabis, which is currently a Class concerns around the harms of high potency B drug carrying an unlimited fine and/or up to 5 cannabis known as skunk. The link between heavy years in jail for possession or 14 years for supply use of skunk and psychosis rightly worries the and production. Just 18 percent of residents in the public, so legalisation campaigners would have capital city expressed opposition to the idea. to assure the public that it would lead to fewer mental health cases, not more.” In the country at large, 47 percent of the 2,037 British adults surveyed supported legalization, The Evening Standard has claimed that the with 30 percent opposing and 20 percent claiming commissioned poll marks the start of a continued to neither support nor oppose the idea. A further investigation by the newspaper into cannabis 3 percent answered that they didn’t know. This is reform. a rather dramatic shift from the last major opinion poll, conducted last summer by YouGov, which London Welcomes found 43 percent of their 1,654 respondents in support of legalization, compared to 41 percent in Cannabis Industry Experts opposition. To The Cannabis Europa As well as asking about general support or Conference opposition, the latest poll also looked into what arguments in support or against legalization that From June 24 - 25, over 1,200 delegates attended the public found the most compelling. Cannabis Europa London 2019, Europe’s premier medical cannabis conference, to discuss the Of the statements offered in support of biggest questions facing the European cannabis legalization, economic factors held the most industry. The event gathered cannabis industry sway. Seventy-two percent found it persuasive experts from the worlds of politics, finance, that legalization could potentially divert around healthcare and science, and included keynote
8 JULY 2019 AnalyticalCannabis.com speeches from the best and the brightest. The next two days saw speeches and panel discussions that tackled European investment, the Kicking off the proceedings, co-founder of responsibilities of the industry, CBD regulations, Cannabis Europa George McBride told the business leadership, tackling misinformation, and audience: “Around the world countries are more. changing their laws at an ever-increasing pace to allow access to medicines derived from this Closing out the event was a “Cross Party Cannabis fantastic plant.” // UK Politics” discussion, which saw the BBC’s Andrew Neil moderate a panel including Liberal “I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who Democrat MP Norman Lamb, Conservative MP has come along and shown an interest in this Crispin Blunt, and Avon and Somerset Police and sector, shown an interest in this plant. And is Crime Commissioner Sue Mountstevens, in a helping push things along so that we can provide discussion of the UK’s cannabis debate. access to medicines for everyone who needs it, build an industry that’s spread around the globe A full program for the event, complete with a list and provide jobs for everyone in this room and of speakers, can be found on the Cannabis Europa hopefully have some fun along the way.” website, alongside a more detailed summary of the proceedings. Selected highlights from the Following the opening address from McBride, social media hashtag headline partner and chief operations officer of Aurora Cannabis, Cam Battley, took the stage #CannabisEuropa have also been collated online. with a speech celebrating the mainstreaming and professionalization of the cannabis industry.
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9 JULY 2019 AnalyticalCannabis.com Cannabis Could Replace Opioids To Treat Insomnia And Pain, Says Study By Alexander Beadle
Anecdotally, medical cannabis patients consistently not exclusively survey adult-use only dispensary tell of how they use cannabis as a preferential customers. Now, thanks to a new study published alternative to prescription medications. In the in the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, scientific study past few years, these claims have been backed up is beginning to address this gap in knowledge. by scientific studies which have linked cannabis consumption to a noticeable fall in the use of other prescription medication, especially opioid Adult-Use Cannabis medications. Commonly Used As Pain
But very little is known about individuals who are Relief And Sleep Aid using cannabis from the recreational adult-use market to treat their ailments. Researchers surveyed 1,000 adult-use only customers from two cannabis retail stores in Medical cannabis access often requires individuals Colorado between August and October 2016 using to obtain a prescription from a physician and an electronic questionnaire, screening to make be registered in a state database of medicinal sure that the participants were not also registered users; but because of poor healthcare access or medical cannabis patients. patchy state employment protections for medical cannabis patients, this is not a feasible option for Of the 1,000 people surveyed, 65 percent many people. Normally, adult-use legal cannabis reported using cannabis in order to relieve pain, markets do not have these same sort of barriers with 80 percent of those users finding cannabis to access, and so individuals who are unable or to be “very or extremely helpful.” Additionally, a unwilling to register with a state medical cannabis majority of those who found cannabis helpful and program may choose to use cannabis bought from who were previously taking over-the-counter pain a recreational cannabis retail outlet to treat their medications or opioid analgesics, began reducing symptoms instead. or even completely stopping their use of those drugs. Eighty-two percent of people taking over- Previous surveys have turned up evidence of the-counter pain relief reported a reduction or individuals choosing to substitute cannabis stoppage in their use of the medication, with this for prescription opioids, benzodiazepines, and number rising to 88 percent of the individuals antidepressants, but these questionnaires did using opioid analgesics.
10 JULY 2019 AnalyticalCannabis.com Even more common than taking cannabis to reduce pain, 74 percent of survey respondents Cannabis As An reported using the drug to improve their Alternative To Opioid sleeping, with 84 percent of those who did saying that cannabis was very or extremely Medications helpful. Again, a pattern was observed in which the people who found cannabis to be helpful Approximately 20 percent of American adults suffer also reduced or stopped their use of other from chronic pain, and one in three adults do not medications, in this case over-the-counter (87 get enough sleep,” notes fellow study author and percent) or prescription (83 percent) sleep aids. assistant professor of clinical pediatrics at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Dr The Dangers Of Opioids Gwen Wurm. While all the results of this survey are interesting That’s a lot of people who might be eligible to take in a given light, arguably the most significant opioids. And over-the-counter drugs aren’t exactly result is the observation that cannabis use could risk-free either. be reducing opioid use. “Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) Opioids are extremely effective at treating such as ibuprofen cause GI bleeding or kidney moderate-to-severe pain, and so they are often damage with chronic use,” explains Wurm. prescribed following surgery, serious injury, or “Paracetamol (Acetaminophen) toxicity is the to treat severe chronic pain; but opioids are second most common cause of liver transplantation far from a miracle drug — they can be highly worldwide, and is responsible for 56,000 ER visits, addictive narcotics, and use of the medications 2600 hospitalizations, and 500 deaths per year in for an extended period of time is known to result the US.” in dependency and the development of an opioid use disorder. “In states where adult use of cannabis is legal,” Wurm continues, “our research suggests that many The opioid overdose epidemic in the United individuals bypass the medical cannabis route States is so severe that in 2017 the Acting (which requires registering with the state) and are Secretary of Health and Human Services declared instead opting for the privacy of a legal adult use the opioid crisis a nationwide public health dispensary.” emergency. Cannabis isn’t necessarily squeaky-clean itself In 2016, drug overdose deaths rose to roughly — high THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) cannabis 64,000, a higher count than the number killed products have been shown linked to dependency in the entire 20-year-long Vietnam War. In 2017 and the development of cannabis use disorder. But this figure rose further to 72,000 deaths. For unlike opioid use disorder, cannabis dependency context, that’s around 200 deaths a day, and at is non-fatal; in fact, there are no known cases of least 17,000 more deaths than car crashes, HIV/ fatal overdose from cannabis use in the medical AIDS, or guns have ever caused in a single year. literature. If cannabis is indeed lowering opioid use, Opioids are estimated to be responsible for at as suggested by this study, it could realistically be least two-thirds of these drug-related deaths. saving lives in the process.
“People develop tolerance to opioids, which But researcher caution that further research is means that they require higher doses to needed to understand any potential health risks achieve the same effect,” says Dr Julia Arnsten, that might come with long-term cannabis use, and professor of medicine at Albert Einstein College to properly assess the health benefits and side of Medicine, and one of the authors of the new effects of cannabis as a therapeutic. study. “This means that chronic pain patients often increase their dose of opioid medications “The challenge is that health providers are far over time, which in turn increases their risk of behind in knowing which cannabis products work overdose. and which do not,” says Wurm. “Until there is more research into which cannabis products work for which symptoms, patients will do their own ‘trial and error,’ experiments, getting advice from friends, social media and dispensary employees.”
11 JULY 2019 AnalyticalCannabis.com CBD Could Help Treat Angelman Syndrome, Says Study By Alexander Beadle
Cannabidiol (CBD) should be investigated as a syndrome, then those people will lack any active treatment for Angelman syndrome in humans, say copies of the gene in these regions of the brain. scientists from the University of North Carolina, after a recent mice model experiment of theirs It’s worth noting that in a small percentage of cases returned promising results. Angelman syndrome can result from other genetic mechanisms, such as the inheriting of two paternal Their study, which is available as in pre-print via copies of chromosome 15. But most commonly, it is bioRxiv, claims that CBD dosing was able to reduce caused by a direct deletion or mutation within the seizures and abnormal electroencephalogram maternal copy of the UBE3A gene itself. (EEG) brain activity readings in a mouse model of Angelman syndrome. Signs of Angelman syndrome begin to show at around 6-12 months old, starting with relatively The study has not yet been peer-reviewed, but minor characteristics, such as the young child being if the findings are found to be valid, this could unable to sit unsupported, or making babbling provide a solid foundation for the argument of noises. As the child ages, they may not be able using CBD as an adjunctive treatment for the to speak at all, though many people with the syndrome. syndrome will learn how to communicate well using gestures or forms of sign language.
What Is Angelman Also common among the early symptoms are Syndrome? problems with balance and coordination (ataxia), stiff and jerky movement, and hyperactivity. Around Angelman syndrome is a complex genetic condition, 85 percent of people with Angelman syndrome will caused by deletions or mutations of the maternally also develop epilepsy, with the first seizures usually inherited UBE3A gene. Ordinarily, people inherit beginning between the ages of 18 months and 3 one copy of the UBE3A gene from each parent and years. both copies are active in many of the body’s tissues, but the maternal copy (inherited from the person’s There is no cure for Angelman syndrome, though mother) is uniquely active in certain regions of the with the help of anti-epileptic medications, brain. If the maternal copy of the UBE3A gene is lost physiotherapy, and communication therapy or sign or mutated, as is usually the case with Angelman language lessons, people with the syndrome are
12 JULY 2019 AnalyticalCannabis.com able to live a healthy life of good quality. Some of littermates. Once again, an acute dose of 100 mg/ the symptoms, such as hyperactivity, also lessen kg CBD was able to reduce the severity of the naturally with age. seizures and significantly reduce their frequency. A lesser dose of 50 mg/kg was also able to However, for a great many adults and children successfully reduce the seizure severity in a dose- with the syndrome, their seizures are refractory dependent fashion. to existing epilepsy medications and taking these drugs offers them no relief. The researchers state that individuals with AS are often observed to have a higher EEG power across Given the previous success of CBD in treating all frequencies (especially so in the delta range) as other drug-resistant forms of epilepsy, such as compared to neurotypical controls, and so they Dravet syndrome or Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, also conducted experiments with the AS and WT the researchers here from the University of North mice to investigate this. Carolina decided to investigate the use of CBD in satisfying this unmet need for better seizure Once again, the human observations translated control in people with Angelman syndrome. well to the AS model mice, as they also had more powerful EEG readings, particularly in the delta Mice Model Shows CBD but also the theta activity ranges, than those in the WT mice. CBD treatment was able to reduce the Effective Against Seizures elevated delta and theta activity, normalizing both to the levels observed in WT mice with the only And Abnormal Brain observable side effect being slight weight gain. Activity
Much like humans, mice with a maternal loss or CBD As A Treatment For mutation in the UBE3A gene will exhibit epileptic Angelman Syndrome phenotypes and other behavior patterns similar to Angelman syndrome. The researchers used This paper is the first to show that CBD is able mice with this gene anomaly (AS-like mice) and to reduce both acoustically- and hyperthermia- compared them in a variety of situations to induced seizure severity in AS model mice, and so their wild-type (WT) littermates to examine the suggests that CBD could be effective in treating responses of both groups to acute and two- the multiple concurrent seizure types found in AS weeklong courses of CBD treatment. individuals.
Using a flurothyl seizure model, AS model mice In addition, researchers found that CBD treatment responded similarly to their WT littermates during often exhibited a mild sedative effect. While the initial seizure inductions and the subsequent the AS mice model is generally similar to AS-like week of kindling, but at a re-test a month later, behavior in humans, AS model mice tend to display the AS model mice demonstrated a markedly hypoactivity, whereas AS-like individuals are often increased sensitivity to flurothyl-induced seizures hyperactive. As a result, the researchers suspect compared to the WT mice. Elevation of core body that an equivalent human CBD dose could help temperature also triggered seizures in AS mice to combat this hyperactivity, though this certainly but not in WT mice, which the researchers say hasn’t been proven by the mouse model. resembles clinical observations in which people with AS are more susceptible to seizures with “The study lends critical support for using CBD moderate increases in body temperature. to treat seizures, along with behavioral and EEG abnormalities in AS,” write the researchers in their When the mice were given acute CBD (100 mg/kg), paper, “and [the paper] expands the potential the researchers were surprised to see that it had beneficial spectrum of CBD.” little-to-no effect on the flurothyl-induced seizure threshold or on the body temperature for onset of The researchers say their results provide “critical the hyperthermia-included seizures. However, CBD preclinical evidence” that they hope will help did significantly reduce the severity and duration of support the rational development of CBD as a the hyperthermia-induced seizures in the AS mice. therapeutic treatment for people with Angelman syndrome. AS mice also had an elevated seizure response to acoustic stimuli, as compared to their WT
13 JULY 2019 AnalyticalCannabis.com Congress Holds First Hearing On Ending Federal Cannabis Prohibition By Alexander Beadle
“We must stop using a sledgehammer to kill a This hearing marks the first time that congressional weed.” members have explicitly hosted debate on “how” to end the federal criminalization of cannabis, not These were the words of guest witness Dr David “if” it should be done. Witnesses testifying at the Nathan MD, DFPA, in his opening statement before hearing included Dr David Nathan of the group the members of the House Judiciary Subcommittee Doctors for Cannabis Regulation, Marilyn Mosby, on crime, terrorism, and homeland security on Esq., State’s Attorney for Baltimore City, Dr G. Wednesday. Malik Burnett, COO of The Tribe Companies, LLC (formerly of the Drug Policy Alliance), and Neal His testimony formed part of the historic Levine, the chief executive officer of the Cannabis congressional hearing, Marijuana Laws in America: Trade Federation. There was some disagreement Racial Justice and the Need for Reform. Together, and debate during the hearing over what exactly Republican and Democrat lawmakers and four any legislative reform should look like, but expert witnesses, including Dr Nathan, came to conversations remained engaged and informative debate the merits of various policy proposals throughout, with all present avoiding the use of for future federal cannabis law reform, including anecdotal evidence and instead focusing on data rescheduling the drug within the Controlled gleaned through scientific study Substances Act, or descheduling (removing) it entirely. Supporting Policy Reform To date, eleven states plus Washington DC have legalized adult recreational use of cannabis within The lawmakers seemed united in their support their borders, and some thirty-three states, four for some kind of policy reform, and focused their US territories, and Washington DC have legalized conversations mainly on issues relating to racial medical cannabis. Additionally, twenty-six states – justice, including social equity in the legal industry, including most recently Hawai’i – have taken action and repairing the harm done to communities that to decriminalize the possession of small amounts were disproportionately impacted by failed “war of cannabis. on drugs.”
Despite these state-level reforms, cannabis has Committee chairwoman Karen Bass (D-CA) set remained illegal at the federal level, where it is the tone of the proceedings with her opening classified as a Schedule 1 controlled substance. statement, in which she said that “the war on
14 JULY 2019 AnalyticalCannabis.com drugs was racially biased from its inception and have been made illegal for consenting adults. It is has been carried out in a discriminatory fashion less harmful to adults than alcohol and tobacco, with disastrous consequences for hundreds and the prohibition has done far more damage to of thousands of people of color and their our society than the adult use of cannabis itself.” communities.” Throughout, the focus remained on social justice. “There is a growing consensus in this country that At one point in the proceedings, a conversation current marijuana laws are not appropriate and we between witness Dr Burnett and Rep. Hakeem must consider reform.Today’s hearing is a first step Jeffries (D-NY) brought to light the racist origins of in that process,” the congresswoman concluded. the federal push to prohibit cannabis. Rep. Jeffries Representative Tom McClintock (R-CA) followed read quotes from a Harry J. Anslinger, who was Congresswoman Bass’ opening statements. the head of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics in the 1930s and a leading figure in the beginnings “Marijuana decriminalization may be one of the of federal cannabis prohibition, aloud to the very few issues upon which bipartisan agreement subcommittee. can still be reached in this session,” he began. Rep. Jeffries listed a number of incorrect “I believe more permanent reforms are needed statements about cannabis that Anslinger had to allow individual states to control, regulate and made at the time that unfairly targeted black and tax marijuana as each one sees fit. The present Latinx people, saying that “[black people’s] satanic conflict between state and federal law is no longer music, jazz and swing, result from marijuana use” sustainable, and it must be resolved.” and that “this marijuana causes white women to seek sexual relations with negros, entertainers, and The Republican representative’s comments were others.” praised by Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), who opened his own speech by saying that he “had the pleasure In turn, Dr Burnett concurred that “the foundations of agreeing with every word” spoken by Rep. of marijuana policy are inherently racist.” McClintock, with the exception of a later comment he made about Democrats “playing the race card “The state of cannabis policy today is best at today’s hearing,” to which Nadler responded described as a tale of two Americas,” Burnett said, that the racially disparate enforcement of cannabis during another particularly poignant moment in prohibition laws was “a fact of life.” the hearing.
“Personally, I believe cannabis use in most cases “In one America, there are men and women – is ill advised,” Nadler continued. “But many things most of them wealthy, white and well-connected are ill advised that should not be illegal but should – who are starting cannabis companies, creating rather be left to the informed judgement of free jobs, amassing significant personal wealth and men and women.” generating billions in tax dollars for states which sanction cannabis programs. In the other America, The Impact Of Potential there are men and women – most of them poor, people of color – who are arrested for cannabis Change and suffer the collateral consequences associated with criminal conviction.” Proceedings continued on past this somewhat testy exchange, and over the course of the next Baltimore State’s attorney, Marilyn Mosby, told two hours the congresspeople and witnesses the subcommittee of the decision taken by her discussed the potential impacts of a variety of office tostop prosecuting cannabis possession policy alternatives: including the STATES Act, which cases in Baltimore, and spoke on the need would give protections to states that deciding their for reform specific to cannabis prohibition own cannabis policies; and the Marijuana Justice enforcement practices. “We need to reinvest in Act, which would end the federal prohibition of the those individuals and those communities that have drug and expunge the criminal records of people been disproportionately impacted [by marijuana with past cannabis-related convictions. prohibition],” she told the committee. “The STATES Act does not do that, and that’s one of the reasons Dr Nathan also offered a medical perspective why I’m opposed to it.” on the prospect of legalization, stating that “as physicians, we believe that cannabis should never
15 JULY 2019 AnalyticalCannabis.com Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla), who is a co-sponsor of get it all done. I appreciate Mr Gaetz’s work on the the STATES Act and one of the Republican party’s issue, and I understand incremental [changes], leading voices in favor of cannabis law reform but after forty years it’s time to just zap straight urged his fellow congresspeople to support the up. Get it all done. Schedule 1 gone.” bill, even if it may not go as far as some would like on issues of restorative justice, saying that it could Coinciding with this hearing, drug reform still be a first step towards legalization. advocates have announced the formation of a new advocacy coalition, called the Marijuana Justice “My deep concern is that concerns over how far Coalition which will “advocate for federal justice to go on some of the restorative elements in our reform through a racial justice lens.” policy could divide our movement,” he said. The coalition is made up of ten high-profile civil rights, immigration, and drug policy groups, Removing Schedule 1 which include the ACLU, Center for American Progress, Center for Law and Social Policy, Drug Congressman Steve Cohen presided over the end Policy Alliance, Human Rights Watch, Immigrant of the proceedings, closing out the hearing with Legal Resource Center, Lawyer’ Committee for his own views on the matter. Civil Rights Under Law, Leadership Conference on Civil & Human Rights, NORML, and Students for “I appreciate all the witnesses today. This has Sensible Drug Policy. been a historic hearing. I don’t think the judiciary committee has had a hearing on marijuana The full hearing is available to watch via the House [before], and so I thank Chairwoman Bass for Judiciary Committee website, which also hosts scheduling the hearing, and I thank her for full-text written witness statements given by Ms allowing me to close it.” Mosby, Mr Levine, and Drs Burnett and Nathan.
“I have been working on this issue for forty years,” said Cohen. “And it’s just crazy that we don’t just
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16 JULY 2019 AnalyticalCannabis.com High Stakes: The Legal Route To Cannabis Profit In The UK By John Binns
John Binns is a partner in the business crime and corporate regulatory department of BCL Solicitors LLP in London (www.bcl.com), whose expertise includes the UK regulatory aspects of the cannabis industry.
Last month’s Cannabis Europa conference in worded exception: for “cannabis-based London was a showcase for the increasingly well- medicinal products” (CBMPs), though only where heeled global cannabis industry, and a signal of prescribed by a specialist clinician (not just a its keen interest in the developing commercial, general practitioner), or granted a marketing regulatory, and scientific landscape for cannabis authorisation by our Medicines and Healthcare products in Europe. products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
The choice of London as a venue, though, invited Those restrictions have proved to be severe a stark rejoinder for those who are apt to forget, in practice. So much so that many recent UK or fail to recognise, just how strictly regulated headlines have asked why, despite the legal the UK continues to be in this field. For many, change, the number of patients who can actually the elephant in the room remains the stubborn access medicinal cannabis in the UK remains designation of cannabis under UK law as a extremely small and why patients who are forced dangerous, illegal drug. to obtain their medicines abroad are still seeing them seized at the border? Didn’t The UK Legalize Medical Cannabis Last Isn’t It Legal In The UK Year? To Cultivate Low-Thc Until recently at least, the casual observer could Cannabis (Hemp)? be forgiven for thinking that the position was Another common misconception is that cannabis, rather more nuanced than it is, thanks to eye- or cannabis products, with a THC level below catching headlines in autumn last year to the 0.2 percent are straightforwardly legal in the effect that medical cannabis had beenlegalized . UK. It arises because the threshold is relevant for various purposes in EU legislation and other In reality, the limited exception previously EU jurisdictions, and in the UK plays a role in available only to GW Pharma’s Sativex medication determining when the specialist licensing unit of had been joined by another, more generally the Home Office would be prepared to entertain
17 JULY 2019 AnalyticalCannabis.com applications for a cultivation licence (and what That does not necessarily mean that a UK fees would be applicable for such licences). investor in a Canadian cannabis company, for instance, would be breaking the law by doing so. But where the question is whether a substance But there are judgement calls to be made about contains THC, so as to make it a controlled drug, whether, when, and how the investment should it plays no role at all, and the better legal view is be reported to the National Crime Agency (NCA), that if there is any measurable THC content, the with the aim of obtaining consent. Importantly, prohibition applies (subject, of course, to having a they are not made in isolation but alongside Home Office licence). similar judgement calls by banks and others in the regulated sector, who have their own Surely CBD Is Lawful In responsibilities to consider. The UK? What Are The Legal
That same question has also given rise to Routes For The Cannabis widespread confusion about CBD oils and other CBD products in the UK, which are increasingly Industry In The UK? ubiquitous on the high street. None of this, of course, means that it is impossible to run or invest in a cannabis An MHRA statement in 2016 stated to the business in the UK, although the prudent option effect that it would treat CBD products that had is of course to do so with advice on what laws are medical purposes (a category that, in practice, involved, and on when and how to deal with the largely depends on how they are marketed) as relevant authorities. medicines, was widely misunderstood. While those few CBD products that are described in For CBMPs, that will mean engaging with the that way will need MHRA authorization, the MHRA and its regulatory framework; for hemp statement has no effect on the broader wellness cultivation and (some) CBD products, it will market, including food supplements, or on (say) mean establishing a constructive conversation cosmetics, or vaping products. with the Home Office’s licensing unit, even if the upshot if that no license is needed. For overseas For them, unless the products contain literally investments, it will mean ironing out money no THC or are produced from the non-controlled laundering concerns with banks and others parts of the plant, the legal route to consider involved, and could involve obtaining consent is in the category of “exempt products,” which from the NCA (which, for mildly complex reasons, involves stricter minimum thresholds, and is less difficult than it may sound). for which a Home Office license would still be necessary. Many who are not well versed in this The bottom line is that while there are a lot of area may in fact be taking the risk of products businesses that (deliberately are not) are taking being seized, premises raided, or personnel the chance that they will escape attention from arrested, which some recent cases (such as a raid the UK authorities, the route of staying carefully of the CBD café in Brighton) have shown are not on the right side of the law here, with advice and merely theoretical. engagement where needed, is both prudent and eminently possible. What About UK Investors In Non-UK Cannabis What Is The Future For UK Business? Cannabis Laws? In case all of this leads the UK business or One common reason for entering the UK cannabis entrepreneur to invest instead in (say) a industry is that while the regulatory framework Canadian cannabis business, it is worth noting may remain quite strict today, it is possible to that there are also potential pitfalls hidden in envisage future legal and policy changes in which the UK’s laws on money laundering, which define many more opportunities become available. “criminal conduct” to include anything done The medical cannabis regime is still clearly ripe lawfully overseas that would be unlawful if it for reform, and importantly there are numerous were done in the UK. supporters for change in the press, in parliament and in the ruling Conservative party.
18 JULY 2019 AnalyticalCannabis.com But the practical issues around hemp cultivation and CBD – in particular, the increasing interest in the wellness market and in CBD vaping as an alternative to nicotine – also have the potential to drive significant changes in policy and, where needed, in the legislation itself.
While it is not easy to see yet what the regulatory framework will look like in (say) five years’ time, few would bet on it staying the same as it is today – which, of course, is one of the features that makes this such a fascinating industry.
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19 JULY 2019 AnalyticalCannabis.com Reparations Are Leading Today’s Cannabis Reform Movement - Heres Why By Alexander Beadle
Last month, Illinois became the 11th state to Prior drug convictions can provide a barrier to legalize recreational cannabis, and the second to accessing many services, including securing legalize the drug through its state legislature. But, business loans, applying for student aid, and perhaps just as importantly, Illinois became the seeking employment. These exclusions can first state in the nation to include language in their make it extremely difficult for those who were legalization bill which would offer reparations, criminalized in the “war on drugs” to participate in the form of a comprehensive social equity in a now-legal cannabis market in their state. program, to local communities that had suffered And beyond merely making it difficult, some disproportionately from strict cannabis prohibition states have made it outright impossible for during the country’s wider “war on drugs.” a person with a past drug conviction to be involved in the legal market, by categorically What Are These Social barring those with historic drug offenses from Equity Programs? working in the industry. Even without previous drug offenses, many Drug policy experts and cannabis legalization people of color and low-income individuals advocates say that reparations and social struggle to get involved in the legal market. Sarah equity programs are sorely needed in order to Cross, the chief operating officer of Green Rush compensate for the decades of disproportionate Consulting, told Buzzfeed News that it takes an suffering that certain communities experienced as estimated quarter of a million dollars to start up a result of cannabis criminalization. your own legal cannabis business. After centuries of systemic discrimination, black Americans are The Drug Policy Alliance says that lower income less likely to be able to raise the kind of amounts communities and communities of color often needed to start their own business; similarly, disproportionately bear the impact of these individuals from low income areas may face the strict drug laws. Higher arrest and incarceration same challenge. Also notable is the fact that while rates for these communities, they say, are more cannabis remains federally illegal, banks cannot reflective of law enforcement’s disproportionate give small business loans to cannabis companies. focus on these communities rather than any real Social equity programs exist to counteract increased prevalence of drug use. these challenges. While the exact benefits
20 JULY 2019 AnalyticalCannabis.com available through social equity programs differ business plan development and industry best between regions, their general aim is to provide practice education, to eligible applicants and added support to members of disadvantaged licensees in order to reduce the barriers to entry communities who are seeking to get involved in the in the state cannabis industry. cannabis industry. Most often, this aid takes the form of prioritized license applications, subsidized Inside Illinois’ Equity license fees, and low interest business loans, but some also provide additional services such as Program professional mentoring or accounting assistance. Illinois’ new cannabis equity program, like The Rising Prevalence Of those above, also supports business owners, employees, and licensees that have been These Programs directly impacted by cannabis prohibition, whether this is by themselves having a previous While Illinois is the first state to implement such cannabis conviction, or through having a program alongside its legalization bill, social ties to a community or area that has been equity programs are becoming increasingly disproportionately impacted by poverty and/or common in other parts of the nation. cannabis prohibition enforcement.
As of the end of 2018, four cities in California Social equity applicants will be given additional have independently established their own points boost in Illinois’ points-based business social equity programs: Los Angeles, Oakland, license application scoring system. A Cannabis Sacramento, and San Francisco. These cities offer Business Development Fund worth an initial $12 support through their equity programs in the million has also been established by the state in form of technical assistance and reduced rent or order to provide social equity applicants with low- license fee payments. They also all offer a route interest business loans. This fund is anticipated to to the expungement of past cannabis-related grow to almost $30 million once additional early offenses on an individual’s criminal record. fees are transferred into the fund.
Also in 2018, Californian Governor Jerry Brown Additionally, the state has set up a “Restore, has also signed off on theCalifornia Cannabis Reinvest, and Renew Program,” also known as the Equity Act, which offers financial and technical 3R Program. The program will take a quarter of assistance to eligible small cannabis businesses the total tax revenue raised from the sales of legal in the state. In total, state lawmakers have cannabis in the state and reinvest it directly into allocated $10 million of initial funding to go disadvantaged communities through the funding towards implementing the aims of the Equity Act of local community groups and initiatives. and providing additional support to the four pre- existing social equity programs. A Vision For The Future Massachusetts has also put in place a number When California brought in its Cannabis Equity of equity provisions. For a limited time after Act, its author Sen. Steven Bradford made a legalization was announced, the state’s Cannabis statement saying that “if people of color with Control Commission operated an Economic financial capital and high business acumen are Empowerment Priority Review program for having difficulty gaining licenses, one can only applicants who could demonstrate that their imagine the struggles individuals with zero capital business was based in, majority owned, and/or and previous convictions are faced with. Although operated by people who have lived in identified California isn’t the first state to legalize the adult “areas of disproportionate impact” within use and sale of cannabis, we can be the first state the state. The program offered to prioritize to do it right – by including those who were once the review and decisions process for license punished but can now contribute. applications from these eligible businesses to ensure “economic empowerment in communities However, despite the best intentions of those disproportionately impacted” by prohibition. who run and who advocate for these initiatives, some social equity programs are facing big While this review program is now closed, the challenges. Much of the discontent in California state still operated a social equity program which stems from problems with funding and staffing, offers training and technical assistance, including and the long waits for licenses that some
21 JULY 2019 AnalyticalCannabis.com qualifying applicants experience. it,” said the congresswoman, in an interview with BET. “We want to make sure that there is “I don’t think we’ve passed the point where the equality in our laws. I don’t think it’s just for that social equity program can’t satisfy its intent,” said kind of economy that exists within this policy [of Donnie Anderson, co-founder of the California conflicting state marijuana laws].” Minority Alliance, to Green Entrepreneur. Others who spoke to the news outlet were less Rep. Omar also went further, pointing out that optimistic, with Felicia Carbajal, an activist with pure legalization alone would not be enough California Cannabis Advocates saying she had to ensure equity, and so tandem efforts need “heard some social equity applicants who are to be made to center those from historically like, ‘This is just a joke’.” disadvantaged communities in the legal market.
While increases in funding and staffing could go “You have to have the capital to be able to start a long way to fixing these flawed state and local the business, to understand where to even initiatives, some are already looking towards a begin,” she said. “But also many licenses for bigger picture, and towards federal legalization. businesses are tied to your criminal record. And so there are a lot of things we have to make Most recently, Representative Ilhan Omar has sure we’re taking care of so that we are setting said that the federal legalization of cannabis the black and brown community to be in equal must happen in order to ensure social equity footing when that happens.” and to end the disproportionately enforced prohibition in communities of color.
“It’s important for us to [legalize cannabis] federally and not allow for the states to pick and choose, because what happens is you will have a state where someone is publicly and professionally able to profit, and in the next state someone could be sentenced to life for
22 JULY 2019 AnalyticalCannabis.com Teenagers Are Less Likely To Use Cannabis When It’s Legal By Leo Bear-McGuinness
Marijuana use among teenagers may actually be declining in legalized states in the paper, they decline after recreational legalization, according to do state that “it is more difficult for teenagers to new research. obtain marijuana as drug dealers are replaced by licensed dispensaries that require proof of age.” Published in the American Medical Association, the new study also claims that there is no evidence Previous research efforts have also concluded that the legalization of medical marijuana that the legalization of cannabis can help reduce encourages cannabis use among young people. the proportion of teenagers consuming the drug. One study in Washington – one of the first states States that legalized recreational cannabis were to legalize marijuana for retail sale – showed associated with an 8 percent fall in the number of that use went down significantly among 8th and high school-age teenagers who claimed they used 10th graders after legalization. Although, other cannabis in the last 30 days, and a 9 percent drop studies have demonstrated legalization may be in the number who said they’d consumed the significantly increasing cannabis use in young drug at least 10 times in the last 30 days. people over the age of 18.
“I think the big takeaway is that we find no The study’s authors used data from across 27 evidence that teen marijuana use goes up states drawn from Youth Risk Behavior surveys after legalization for medicinal or recreational conducted from 1993 to 2017. More than 1.4 purposes,” Mark Anderson, an associate professor million high school students’ results were included at Montana State University and lead author of in the final analysis, and researchers examined the study, told Analytical Cannabis. the responses before and after cannabis laws were implemented. “We view this as a very important result from a policy perspective because opponents often claim “We observed pre- and post-treatment data for that teen use will skyrocket after these laws are 27 medical marijuana states and DC, and we passed. Based on our analysis, this has simply not observed pre- and post-treatment data for 7 been the case.” recreational marijuana states. The remaining states in the analysis serve as controls,” Anderson Although Anderson and the other authors don’t explained. give a detailed reason as to why cannabis use may
23 JULY 2019 AnalyticalCannabis.com “To our knowledge, no other study in the more data have become available.” literature has leveraged this amount of policy variation. As a result, we view our estimates as Other investigations into how teenagers’ cannabis the most credible to date.” consumption rates have changed in legalized states have also been less conclusive. A 2018 But while more comprehensive than most of report from the Colorado Division of Criminal its peer papers, Anderson did admit that the Justice Office of Research and Statistics found study has its limitations. After all, the association that the proportion of high school students in concluded in the study is not necessarily a causal the state – which legalized adult cannabis use in relationship, and more research will be needed to 2014 – who claimed to have used marijuana in determine why this association exists. their lifetime or over the past 30 days remained statistically unchanged from 2005 to 2017. “Because the recreational marijuana laws are so recent, we observed limited amounts of post-treatment data for some of these states,” Anderson continued. “It would make sense for us to update these estimates in a few years when
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24 JULY 2019 AnalyticalCannabis.com The Swiss Government Wants To Legalize Medical Cannabis By Alexander Beadle
Switzerland is looking to make it easier for The exemption process complicates access to patients to access medical cannabis treatment, treatment, states the website, and is delaying with the Swiss Government last week unveiling the start of therapy for the prospective medical a proposal to allow cannabis to be prescribed in cannabis patients. The FOPH also reports that treating people suffering from cancer or other in 2018 alone the federal agency issued nearly serious conditions. 3,000 cannabis authorizations for patients, and so the current situation no longer reflects “The proposal makes it possible for doctors the exceptional nature that the Narcotics Act to directly prescribe cannabis as part of their described. treatment,” said the Swiss cabinet in a statement, according to Reuters. A formal comment period on the proposed change is currently open, and will run until October 17, The proposed legal amendment to allow 2019. prescriptions (full text available here in French) would replace the current system, in which What Else Will The New patients who want medical cannabis need to apply to the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) Amendment Change? for an exception to use the otherwise illegal drug. Primarily, the amendment will give doctors the While Switzerland relaxed its cannabis prohibition exclusive power to issue prescriptions for medical laws slightly in 2013, people without such an cannabis, thus ending the need for FOPH cannabis FOPH exception who are found possession of up use exemptions. But in order to do this effectively, to ten grams of the drug are still made to pay a the amendment also includes a number of other fine of CHF100 ($110), with possession of greater minor law changes. amounts of the drug initiating legal proceedings. With the new amendment in place, the cultivation, According to the official FOPH website, the use processing, manufacture, and trade of cannabis of medical cannabis has risen sharply in recent for medical purposes would be legally regulated years, and the exemption process is ill-prepared within the framework of the country’s drug to deal with the growing number of applications. regulatory agency, Swissmedic. This would be
25 JULY 2019 AnalyticalCannabis.com similar to the system already in place for narcotic drugs that are used for medical purposes, such as Other Cannabis-Related methadone or morphine. Action In Switzerland
Similarly, the ban on marketing cannabis for This new medical cannabis amendment is medical purposes would be lifted. However, independent of another recently proposed Swiss nothing will change with respect to the marketing Narcotics Act amendment, which would allow of cannabis for non-medical use; it remains some 5,000 people to experiment with using prohibited. recreational cannabis products as part of a government pilot project. Notable in its absence is any change to how insurers are expected to handle the The purpose of the project would be to gather reimbursement of costs for medical cannabis scientific data on the use of non-medical cannabis treatment. Currently, treatments are reimbursed in the country, with a focus on studying the on a case-by-case basis after taking into account socioeconomic impact of legal cannabis on areas a number of criteria, including factors such as such as employment, family, public safety, as well whether other treatment options had previously as examining any effect on the country’s illicit failed to give relief. drug market. The project would consider a range of products, “The biggest obstacle to automatic including cannabis flower, resins, oils, and edibles reimbursement is that the scientific evidence of with a tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content of efficacy is not yet sufficient and the conclusions of up to 20 percent by weight. Strict packaging existing studies are sometimes contradictory,” the regulations would be in place, with advertising government said. of cannabis products remaining prohibited. Restrictions would also limit the amount of In the consultation document the FOPH has said cannabis products a participant could acquire to that it will clarify by the end of 2020 whether no more than they can consume in a month and prohibit the transmission of cannabis products to further measures relating to insurance costs a third party. are needed. The FOPH is also launching an evaluation project to answer questions about the If the project is approved by Parliament, it would effectiveness of cannabis as a therapeutic drug, be valid to run for up to ten years. and to examine what conditions it might be most useful in treating.
26 JULY 2019 AnalyticalCannabis.com