MedMen Dispensary Opens In New York City

With an eye on legalization in the Empire State, a new MedMen dispensary opens in New York City. New York’s newest dispensary, which opened its doors on 4/20, is located on Fifth Ave. Here’s an inside look at the luxurious dispensary that would make the likes of Don Draper proud.

Inside MedMen on Fifth Avenue

The 2,000 square foot flagship store is in good company on New York’s iconic retail street: Barney’s, Apple and Saks Fifth Avenue are mere blocks away. As MedMen CEO Adam Bierman told Business Insider, “It’s the prime retail shopping street in the world.”

The store’s design symbolizes Bierman’s anticipation for what’s next. “This store represents the future,” the CEO explained to a private party on Wednesday. Circular LED chandeliers, crisp walls and iPad displays line the store. Posters on the wall feature people with the subhead ‘Stoner’, crossed out.

MedMen dispensary opens in New York City with a sleek design, a prime location and an important mission: Make marijuana mainstream.

What This Dispensary Is Selling

Currently, MedMen is offering five strains in the form of vape pens, tinctures and capsules. Though California locations carry thousands of products, MedMen abides by New York laws, which are much more restrictive.

The iPad displays offer detailed descriptions of the five different categories: Wellness, Harmony, Awake, Calm and Sleep. They even recommend strains, based on what you’re looking to treat. The display also lists THC and CBDratios.

Need more information? MedMen has a whole staff of pharmacists. No matter what you’re hoping to treat, this dispensary will find the strain and delivery method that’s right for you.

Not Everyone Can Shop At MedMen (For Now)

A MedMen dispensary opens in New York, though most New Yorkers can’t legally buy weed. At least, not yet.

Though you’re more than welcome to explore the dispensary, MedMen only currently caters to medical marijuana users. Until recreational marijuana becomes legal in New York, shoppers will need to provide a medical marijuana card and a doctor’s note before purchasing.

This slims down the market. Out of about 20 million residents, only 33,000 New Yorkers hold medical marijuana cards. Senior vice president of MedMen Daniel Yi explains, “We’re positioning ourselves for what we will believe is going to happen in New York.”

If legalization passes later this year, MedMen, the third dispensary to open to New York City, will be poised to take over the luxury cannabis industry.

The Future of Legalization In New York

Earlier this month, Gubernatorial candidate and Sex and the City star Cynthia Nixon announced that she supports legalizing recreational marijuana.

On Twitter, Nixon explained her position. “There are a lot of good reasons for legalizing marijuana,” she said, but for me, it comes down to this: We have to stop putting people of color in jail for something that white people do with impunity.”

In light of newly released statistics showing racial disparities in New York marijuana arrests, constituents are taking note of Nixon’s critique of racial injustice. Support for marijuana legalization in New York is growing.

So much so that New York’s current governor, and Nixon’s opponent, Andrew Cuomo just changed his mind on cannabis. Just a day after Nixon came out in support of legalizing recreational marijuana, Cuomo reevaluated his position.

“The facts have changed,” explains the Governor, undermining his history of opposing legalization. Once, he even went so far as to call weed a “gateway drug.”

Final Hit: MedMen Dispensary Opens In New York City

MedMen’s arrival on Fifth Ave symbolizes that times are changing when it comes to smoking weed in the Big Apple.

As politicians and big business work towards legalization, the Empire State is poised to become the biggest new marijuana market in the country.

MedMen only has to bide its time.

Missouri House Approves Medical Marijuana Bill

After an evening of sometimes emotional debate, the Missouri House approves medical marijuana bill for the state. House Bill (HB) 1554 was passed by a voice vote on Monday, April 23. The measure would make it legal for some seriously or terminally ill patients to use non-smokable forms of cannabis to treat their conditions.

Rep. Jim Neely, a Republican from Cameron, is the sponsor of the bill. He is also a physician at the Cameron Regional Medical Center.  He addressed the House several times during Monday’s debate, according to local media. Neely told the body that his views stem from his years of experience in the medical field.

“The idea behind that (the bill) is a result of my observation as a person who has worked in healthcare for several decades, and it just seems like this is the right thing to do,” he said.

Neely said that his original intention with the law was to help provide relief to dying patients.

“My bill has to do with people that are terminal, and so I’m trying to provide some comfort to the folks who are in the last stages of life,” Neely said.

HB 1554 defines a terminal illness as one that “without life-saving procedures will result in death in the near future or a state of permanent unconsciousness from which recovery is unlikely.”

Lawmakers Expand Scope of Bill

But as the members of the House discussed the measure, several Representatives offered amendments to allow more patients access to medical marijuana.

Rep. Shamed Dogan, a Republican from Ballwin, proposed adding epilepsy, multiple sclerosis (MS), glaucoma, Crohn’s disease and other medical conditions to the bill.

Republican Rep. Travis Fitzwater of Holts Summit asked his colleagues to support the amendment. He also told the House that both his mother and his sister have MS.

Democrats also got behind the amendment. Rep. Gina Mitten of St. Louis passionately implored all members to help people like the Fitzwater family. Rep. Dogan’s amendment succeeded and lawmakers then added it to the bill.

Rep. Paul Curtman, a Republican from Pacific who is also a Marine Corps infantry veteran, suggested another amendment. He wanted Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) to also be included as a condition eligible for treatment with MMJ.

Curtman shared the story of a Missouri vet who sought help from the VA to treat his PTSD. VA doctors prescribed numerous pharmaceuticals, which failed to provide the vet with relief.

“So, this Marine found some cannabis that he was able to use for medical purposes, but since it was illegal his neighbor called the police, ratted him out. The police came, arrested him,” Curtman said.

Curtman’s voice cracked when he said the stricken vet had eventually taken his own life.

HB 1554 has several more hurdles to clear before it becomes law. The House must vote and give its approval one more time, before sending it the state Senate for consideration. If the bill succeeds there, it would then have to be signed into law by Missouri Governor Eric Greitens.

Marijuana growers, manufacturers have yet to get the green light from L.A.

Months after California legalized the marijuana business, pot growers and manufacturers lament that they are still locked out of the legal industry in Los Angeles.

More than 100 shops have already gotten city approval in Los Angeles, but not the companies that have historically furnished them with cannabis, which were supposed to be second in line under a complex set of city regulations passed in December.

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L.A. had originally planned to finish processing their applications by April but has not even started accepting that paperwork. As 4/20 rolled around Friday — the informal holiday for pot enthusiasts — there was no official word on when that would happen.

That has aggravated marijuana growers, manufacturers and other cannabis companies seeking to do business legally in Los Angeles. Under California law, they cannot get state licenses if they do not have local authorization. And if they don't have a state license, it is illegal for newly licensed shops to buy their products.

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"If people don't get their licenses in the very near future, their businesses are tenuous," said Aaron Herzberg, founding partner of Puzzle Group, a law firm specializing in cannabis licensing and real estate. "Maybe those businesses are driven into the black market entirely."

Marijuana companies that had lined up business locations are being "bled dry" as they hang on to costly leases, said Adam Spiker, executive director of the Southern California Coalition, a cannabis industry group. Ryan Jennemann, manager of the cannabis cultivation company THC Design, said his firm has cut dozens of employees in recent months.

"It's an unsettling feeling," Jennemann said. "We're in a state where cannabis is legal. The 4/20 holiday used to be an underground thing — now they're talking about it on MSNBC. And we don't have permits."

The delay has also prevented any new operators, including shops, growers and other marijuana enterprises, from getting into the legal industry in L.A.

Under the regulations, they would get a shot at city approval in a third phase of applications, after L.A. grants approval to marijuana growers and manufacturers that had been supplying existing shops.

City officials have chalked up some of the delay to short staffing as the newly formed Department of Cannabis Regulation started poring over business applications. The department currently has only four staffers and has relied on workers loaned to it from other city agencies. Council members voted to hire more employees in February, but those positions have yet to be filled.

“The shift from cannabis prohibition to regulation — in the largest cannabis market in the world — is complex,” said Cat Packer, who heads L.A.’s Department of Cannabis Regulation. "Getting it right will take time." (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

As of Friday, the department had granted approval to 139 pot shops that had been operating in line with an earlier set of city rules — the group of businesses that were first in line for approval. But before other marijuana businesses can apply, the city has been trying to work out remaining details for its "social equity" program, which is intended to help people and communities hit hardest by the war on drugs.

To be eligible for the second phase of licensing, longtime growers and manufacturers that supplied the existing shops must also qualify for that program. If not, they would have to seek licenses in the third phase along with all other kinds of applicants.

Eligible social equity entrepreneurs include poor applicants who either have been convicted of some marijuana crimes or have lived in areas disproportionately affected by pot arrests, as well as firms providing space or other assistance to disadvantaged applicants.

But city officials say they are still figuring out how to proceed.

This year, council members asked to reexamine whether additional communities in the San Fernando Valley, Boyle Heights and parts of downtown might have been disproportionately affected by the war on drugs, potentially allowing people who had lived in those areas to qualify for the program.

L.A. also needs to fund and set up the outreach and assistance programs that are supposed to be provided under the program — or decide whether to press ahead with licensing social equity applicants before the city can offer such benefits, city officials said. That decision would be made by council members.

A spokeswoman for City Council President Herb Wesson did not provide comment Friday.

"The shift from cannabis prohibition to regulation — in the largest cannabis market in the world — is complex, and involves a broad range of stakeholders," Cat Packer, who heads L.A.'s Department of Cannabis Regulation, said in a written statement Friday. "Getting it right will take time."

California Minority Alliance Chairman Donnie Anderson, whose group advocated for the social equity program, said that "we definitely wanted the city to be farther along, but I understand that the city has to make sure things are right." He added that the city needs to ensure businesses don't find ways to "scam the system" meant to benefit poor and marginalized applicants.

The proposed budget released last week by Mayor Eric Garcetti includes $3.7 million for the cannabis department next budget year, more than four times as much as this year, and provides for 28 staffers.

In his budget, Garcetti also estimated that the city would get $30 million from taxing the marijuana industry, a crucial infusion that will help bankroll city services. The delay in marijuana licensing has already cost the city this year: It had been anticipating $16 million from taxing cannabis businesses this budget year, but is now expecting to pull in only $4.4 million, according to the mayor's office.

Marijuana's margin, like alcohol, is going to be captured in the end product, investor says

• When looking to the future of cannabis, Navy Capital founder Sean Stiefel says the marijuana industry will look a lot more like the alcohol industry, than big tobacco.
• Insofar as the alcohol industry has distinctive branding, different product lines and end product-based margins, the marijuana industry could be quite similar.
• In the short-term, Steifel anticipates Canada's impending nationwide legalization will drive marijuana prices way up.

There's going to be a massive undersupply of pot: Marijuana investor  5 Hours Ago | 04:23

Navy Capital founder Sean Stiefel says for the burgeoning marijuana industry, the profit isn't in the plant — it's in the end product.

"We're talking about vapes, oils, edibles, topicals, sprays -- all of that stuff is coming, and as science catches up to marijuana, you'll see more and more of those end products," Stiefel said on CNBC's "Closing Bell."

Stiefel founded New York-based investment firm Navy Capital in 2014. In 2017, the firm launched Navy Capital Green Fund, which invests in public equities in the global legal cannabis industry.

In Denver, where recreational marijuana has been legal since 2014, Stiefel said sales of the cannabis plant don't dominate the market, so much as products derived from the plant. And that's where the big money is.

"Look on the other side of it, the cosmetics and some of the more luxury items -- you can't keep them on the shelves," he said.

As for the future of the burgeoning industry, Stiefel thinks marijuana will look a lot more like the alcohol industry than big tobacco, but will likely share traits with both.

Insofar as the alcohol industry has distinctive branding, different product lines and product-based margins, the marijuana industry could be quite similar. And while Steifel does not consider cannabis purely a commodity, like tobacco, he does hope the cost of the actual plant will decline considerably.

"We actually would like for the price of raw marijuana to come down, because we are believers that the margin, like alcohol, is going to be captured in the end product," Steifel said. "You don't necessarily know the price of grain or potatoes going in the vodka or beer, but you know the price of the beer, and there's tremendous margins to be captured when you make products for the end user."

In the short-term, however, Steifel anticipates Canada's impending nationwide legalization will drive marijuana prices way up.

State Troopers Seize $5 Million Worth of Cannabis During Traffic Stop

Some cannabis enthusiasts don’t pack light. On Wednesday evening, state troopers seize $5 million worth of cannabis during traffic stop. Here’s what happened that fateful night in Nebraska, and why weed may be harder to come by in the midwest this 4/20.

The Police Pulled Over A Van and Discovered Much More

At 5:50 pm on April 18th, the police spotted a 2017 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter from Colorado driving in the breakdown lane. They proceed to pull the van over at mile marker 36 near Geneva, Nebraska, according to 1011 Now.

After stopping the van, the K9 police unit recognized the smell of marijuana. In total, the police uncovered 1,853 lbs of marijuana, 46 lbs of hash wax and 8,779 doses of hash oil for vape pens. This ridiculous amount of cannabis is worth approximately $5 million dollars.

The Driver Is Facing Serious Charges

Nebraska and Colorado may share a border, but their marijuana policies are vastly different. Colorado is a trailblazer when it comes to the realities of legalizing weed. In the U.S., the state is a pioneer in cannabis taxation, research and even cuisine.

Surrounding states don’t share their love for the herb. After Colorado passed legalization, Nebraska and Oklahoma sued the state. They claimed that Colorado’s laws are undermining their own marijuana policy and depleting their assets. The Supreme Court threw out the case, but the disparity in policies still remains.

Though Nebraska has decriminalized marijuana to a certain extent, the police are still on high alert for marijuana possession, especially in cars with out of state plates. According to NORML, possession of up to 1 ounce of marijuana in Nebraska results in a fine. Larger amounts, however, can lead to jail time. For one ounce or less, you receive several days in jail for repeat offenses. However, these charges are only misdemeanors.

But possession of over a pound of marijuana is a felony according to Nebraska law. The sentence is five years and carries a maximum fine of $10,000.

On top of possession charges, the state is charging driver Michael Cardis of Arvada, Colorado with intent to deliver and for not having a Drug Tax stamp. The Tax Stamp law compels anyone in Nebraska to purchase a stamp from the state to label their personal marijuana supply.

The police are currently holding the 39-year-old driver in Fillmore County Jail.

Despite Legalization, There Are Still Harsh Penalties For Marijuana Possession

Though California, Colorado, Massachusetts and other liberal states have legalized recreational cannabis, not every state is moving in the same direction. Mormon leaders in Utah have come out against medical marijuana legalization.

Though Maine voted to legalize recreational marijuana in 2016, Governor LePage has threatened to veto marijuana legislation.

The Police Are Anticipating The High Holiday

This is only the latest drug bust before 4/20. Outside Greenfield, Indiana, a similar situation occurred.

The Indiana State Police pulled over a 2017 Ford Expedition when they noticed the vehicle swerving. When the authorities searched the car, they discovered 78 pounds of marijuana, valued at about $250,000.

Final Hit: State Troopers Seize $5 Million Worth of Cannabis During Traffic Stop

State troopers seize $5 million worth of cannabis during traffic stop in an attempt to curb the tide of marijuana seeping into surrounding states from Colorado.

This massive drug bust worth about $5 million dollars will seriously short Nebraska’s weed supply just two days before 4/20.

Chuck Schumer Announces Plans To Federally Decriminalize Marijuana

In what could be seen as a 420 gift to the cannabis community, Chuck Schumer announces plans to federally decriminalize marijuana. The Democratic senator from New York made his intentions known in an interview with Vice News on April 19.

Schumer, the Senate Minority Leader, said he is now officially supporting legislation that would decriminalize cannabis at the federal level. The move is a change for Schumer. He has previously supported marijuana for medicinal use and the rights of states to set their own cannabis policy. But now he thinks that all uses of cannabis should no longer carry federal criminal penalties.

“Ultimately, it’s the right thing to do. Freedom. If smoking marijuana doesn’t hurt anybody else, why shouldn’t we allow people to do it and not make it criminal?” he said.

He also noted that current cannabis laws are too harsh.

“I’ve seen too many people’s lives ruined because they had small amounts of marijuana and served time in jail much too long,” he said.

De-scheduling And More

Schumer expects to introduce his new bill in the Senate sometime next week. The legislation includes several changes to federal cannabis policy, although the senator stopped short of calling the measure “legalization.”

First, the law would remove marijuana from the list of substances covered by the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). That would effectively end federal prohibition and allow the states to create their own cannabis regulations.

The bill will also include funding to research the effects of cannabis as well as its ability to impair driving a motor vehicle. Tax money would also be used to encourage the creation of marijuana businesses owned by women and minorities.

Finally, Schumer’s bill maintains “federal authority to regulate marijuana advertising in the same way it does alcohol and tobacco.” The senator said that provision is an effort to prevent cannabis businesses from marketing to children.

Schumer Joins Other Democrats, New Yorkers

Schumer is now one of several Democrats in the Senate calling for a change in federal marijuana policy. Last year, Sen. Cory Booker from New Jersey introduced the Marijuana Justice Act in the Senate. Rep. Barbara Lee of California joined Booker and sponsored the measure in the House of Representatives.

That bill would remove cannabis from the CSA, as well. It also contains provisions aimed at repairing some of the damage by the United States’ failed War on Drugs. The measure also includes language that would withhold federal funding from states that continue to criminalize marijuana and prosecute minorities disproportionately.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, the Democrat from Vermont who has long been a proponent of de-scheduling cannabis, just announced his support for Booker’s bill, also on April 19.

Schumer is joining other prominent New Yorkers who have already expressed support for a change in cannabis policy. Cynthia Nixon, who is running for governor of New York, recently announced her desire to change cannabis laws in an effort to promote fairness.

“The simple truth is, for white people, the use of marijuana has effectively been legal for a long time. Isn’t it time we legalize it for everybody else?” she said in a campaign video.

One day later, Democratic incumbent Governor Andrew Cuomo jumped on the bandwagon. Because Massachusetts already has legal cannabis and other nearby states like New Jersey are poised to do so, Cuomo said that “for all intents and purposes, it is going to be here anyway.”

Final Hit: Chuck Schumer Announces Plans To Federally Decriminalize Marijuana

If decriminalization succeeds, perhaps you’ll see Schumer at a future 420 party. Although he hasn’t smoked pot yet, he might be up for giving it a try, he told Vice.

“Maybe, I’m a little old, but who knows?” he said.

Bernie Sanders Announces He Will Co-Sponsor Marijuana Justice Act

Bernie Sanders supported marijuana policy reform way before it became popular. Back when he was running for president in 2016, the Vermont senator made history by supporting marijuana legalization. Since then, Sanders has continued to advocate for ending the War on Drugs. Furthermore, he has petitioned the federal government for policy changes and worked to reevaluate marijuana’s Schedule I classification. In his latest pro-marijuana move, Bernie Sanders announces he will co-sponsor Marijuana Justice Act. Here’s a closer look at the proposed marijuana policy and its growing political support.

The Marijuana Justice Act

New Jersey Senator Cory Booker introduced the bill back in August. Since then, Representatives Barbara Lee and Ro Khanna have co-sponsored the House version of the Marijuana Justice Act. According to Marijuana Majority leader Tom Angell, “This is the single most far-reaching marijuana bill that’s ever been filed in either chamber of Congress.”

The act has four major components: It would legalize marijuana on the federal level, retroactively clear all marijuana-related federal convictions, allocate $500 million for job training in communities affected by the War on Drugs and cut law enforcement funding for states that arrest a disproportionate number of people of color.

The Act’s Co-Sponsors

Many other Democrats have stepped up to support the Marijuana Justice Act. To date, twenty-seven legislators are co-sponsoring the bill. Senior Democratic Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon was the first senator to co-sponsor the act after Senator Booker introduced it.

In February, New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand also announced her support. Senator Gillibrand has repeatedly spoken out against Sessions’ marijuana crackdown, tweeting that [Sessions] is “either willfully ignorant or cowing to corporate greed on behalf of pharma special interest profits.”

Advocates for marijuana legalization are hoping that the Democratic Party will work together to make lasting policy reform. NORML political director Justin Strekal told Forbes, “With Senator Sanders co-sponsoring the Marijuana Justice Act alongside Senators Booker and Gillibrand, it’s time for the party to speak with one voice that they will legalize marijuana and expunge the criminal convictions of the millions who are being held back from achieving both employment and the American dream.”

Senator Sanders Has A History of Supporting Legalization

Bernie Sanders announces he will co-sponsor Marijuana Justice Act after years of work on marijuana policy. Years ago, Sen. Sanders introduced the first Senate bill to reschedule marijuana. This legislation also would have stopped private companies from running jails.

Sanders has been a longtime advocate for prison reform, and through it, marijuana policy change. When he ran for President, the Senator became the first serious candidate who said he would vote in favor of legalization.

Sanders has continued to champion legalization in 2018. Earlier this year, the Senator asked those who supported him in his presidential run to petition Congress. Sanders wrote in his mass email: “Marijuana prohibition is part of a larger failed war on drugs that has led to the great national crisis of mass incarceration.”

Final Hit: Bernie Sanders Announces He Will Co-Sponsor Marijuana Justice Act

Sanders has a long record of advocating for prison reform. Thus, the Senator’s co-sponsorship of the Marijuana Justice Act comes as no surprise to his loyal constituents. This does not make the bill’s growing support any less significant. Not only would the Marijuana Justice Act legalize marijuana nationally, but it would help undo decades of racial policing.

Medical Marijuana Bill Moves Forward in South Carolina

After action by a legislative committee, the medical marijuana bill moves forward in South Carolina. Members of the House Medical, Military, Public and Municipal Affairs (3M) Committee voted 14-3 to send the South Carolina Compassionate Care Act to the full House for consideration. The bill would allow seriously ill patients with a doctor’s recommendation to use medical marijuana to treat their conditions.

Janel Ralph is the executive director of the advocacy group Compassionate South Carolina. Her eight-year-old daughter has a rare seizure disorder. She said the that the committee’s vote is a step in the right direction.

“The diligent work of patients, advocates, and supportive lawmakers is paying off, and South Carolinians are closer to finding relief with medical cannabis than ever before,” Ralph said.

“This issue needs to stay at the forefront of the legislature’s attention, and we will continue working to educate them about the need for a compassionate medical cannabis program in our state. Patients will continue to suffer until this bill is passed and implemented.”

“We commend lawmakers for allowing the Compassionate Care Act to progress this far, and urge them not to delay taking it up when the next legislative session begins,” she added.

Democrat Leon Howard represents Columbia in the House and is the chair of the 3M committee. He told local media that the South Carolina Compassionate Care Act would be a positive measure for the state.

“I believe we did the right thing by approving this bill,” Howard said. “Our intent is to help the thousands of patients who can benefit from this medical treatment, including retired military personnel and children who suffer from debilitating illnesses.”

But, he said, those patients will probably have to continue to wait.

“I want supporters of the bill to understand that it is highly unlikely that this bill or any other medical cannabis bill becomes law during this legislative session. That makes it all the more important to contact your elected officials and urging them to support this bill.”

Senate Passed Version Last Month

The Senate Medical Affairs Committee passed a similar measure in March by a vote of 8-6. Under the proposals, patients with “debilitating” conditions would be allowed to use medical marijuana and cannabis products.

The law defines an “allowable amount of medical cannabis” as up to two ounces. The law makes patients with cancer, HIV, PTSD and conditions causing severe pain, nausea or seizures eligible to use medical marijuana. They would have to receive a card from the Department of Health and Environmental Control in order to participate.

A 2014 law allows South Carolina epilepsy patients limited access to medicinal cannabis. But they can use only CBD, and only in approved clinical trials.

Final Hit: Medical Marijuana Bill Moves Forward in South Carolina

Legislative procedures will prevent the Compassionate Care Act from being made law this session because a key deadline has already passed. But activists believe the committee votes in the House and Senate will lead to passage of the bill next year.

A 2016 poll by Winthrop found that 78 percent of South Carolinians support legalizing medical marijuana.

Marijuana's effects on young brains diminish 72 hours after use, research says

Marijuana is notorious for slowing certain cognitive functions such as learning, memory and attention span (maybe that's why they call it "dope"?). But new research in young people suggests that these cognitive effects, while significant, may not persist for very long, even among chronic users.

The meta-analysis, published Wednesday in the journal JAMA Psychiatry, combines data from 69 previous studies that look at the effects of heavy cannabis use on cognitive functioning in adolescents and young adults. It found that those young people who identified as heavy marijuana users scored significantly lower than non-users in a variety of cognitive domains such as learning, abstraction, speed of processing, delayed memory, inhibition and attention.

"There have been a couple of meta-analyses done in adult samples, but this is the first one to be done specifically in adolescent and young adult samples," said Cobb Scott, assistant professor of psychiatry at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and a lead author of the study.

"We looked at everything from learning and memory to different aspects of executive functioning such as abstraction ability," Scott said. "And we basically showed that the largest effects -- which was around a third of a standard deviation -- was in the learning of new information and some aspects of executive functioning, memory and speed of processing."

Weed users found to have poorer verbal memory in middle age

But when the researchers separated the studies based on length of abstinence from marijuana use, the difference in cognitive functioning between marijuana users and non-users was no longer apparent after 72 hours of marijuana abstinence. That could be an indication "that some of the effects found in previous studies may be due to the residual effects of cannabis or potentially from withdrawal effects in heavy cannabis users," Scott said.

The study comes as America continues to debate the merits of marijuana legalization. Recreational marijuana use is legal in nine states. Twenty-nine states and the District of Columbia have legalized some form of medical marijuana use, with at least three additional states potentially deciding on the issue in the upcoming November election, according to Melissa Moore, New York deputy state director for the nonprofit Drug Policy Alliance.

Studies on the long-term cognitive effects of marijuana use among adolescents and young adults have shown inconsistent results. A 2008 study reported that frequent or early-onset cannabis use among adolescents was associated with poorer cognitive performance in tasks requiring executive functioning, attention and episodic memory.

A 2014 study also warned against the use of marijuana during adolescence, when certain parts of the brain responsible for executive functioning -- such as the prefrontal cortex -- are still developing.

"There have been very important studies showing evidence for irreversible damage (from marijuana use), and so there needs to be more research in this area," said Kevin Sabet, assistant adjunct professor at the Yale School of Medicine and president of the nonprofit Smart Approaches to Marijuana, who was not involved in the new study.

"I hope they're right. We want there to be little effect after 72 hours. But given the other studies that have had very large sample sizes that have been published over the past five years in prominent journals, I think we need to look into that more," added Sabet, whose group is focused on the harms of marijuana legalization.

Marijuana legalization could help offset opioid epidemic, studies find

But a number of recent studies have also shown that the association between marijuana use and reduced cognitive functioning disappears after controlling for factors such as psychiatric illness and substance use disorders, according to Scott.

In an attempt to make sense of these discordant results, the new research combined data from 69 previous studies, resulting in a comparison of 2,152 frequent marijuana users with 6,575 non-users. Participants ranged in age from 10 to 50, with an average age of 21.

The researchers found that, overall, the cognitive functioning of frequent marijuana users was reduced by one-third of a standard deviation compared with non-frequent marijuana users -- a relatively small effect size, according to Scott.

"It surprised, I think, all of us doing this analysis that the effects were not bigger than we found," Scott said. "But I would say that the clinical significance of a quarter of a standard deviation is somewhat questionable."

But according to Sabet, even a relatively small effect size could be important, especially in a large meta-analysis such as this one.

"The small effect size may be meaningful in a large population, and again, all (cognitive) measures are worse for those using marijuana," Sabet said.

"The study is pretty bad news for marijuana users," he added. "Overall, I think this is consistent with the literature that marijuana use shows worse cognitive outcomes among users versus non-users."

In an effort to identify other potential factors that could have affected the relationship between marijuana use and cognition, the researchers also separated the studies based on the length of marijuana abstinence, age of first cannabis use, sociodemographic characteristics and clinical characteristics such as depression.

Of these, only the length of marijuana abstinence was found to significantly affect the association between chronic marijuana use and reduced cognitive functioning. Specifically, cognitive functioning appeared to return to normal after about 72 hours of marijuana abstinence -- a threshold identified in previous studies, according to Scott.

"The reason we chose the 72-hour mark is that in looking at the data on cannabis withdrawal effects in heavy cannabis users, 72 hours seems to be past the peak of most withdrawal effects that occur," he said.

Marijuana legalization by the numbers

However, the 69 studies included in the review did not have a uniform definition for "chronic" or "frequent" marijuana use, one of the study's main limitations, according to Sabet.

"When you put all of these studies together that have different definitions of marijuana users and are from different times, it's not surprising that you'd get a smaller effect size," Sabet said.

The studies also relied on a variety of tests to determine cognitive functioning, including the Trail Making Test, the Digital Span Memory Test and the California Verbal Learning test, according to Scott.

"The other thing that's important to highlight is that we're only looking at cognitive functioning. We're not looking at risks for other adverse outcomes with cannabis use, like risk for psychosis, risks for cannabis use problems or other medical issues like lung functioning outcomes," Scott said.

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But the results still suggest that the negative cognitive effects of marijuana use, while significant in the short-term, probably diminish with time. They also shed light on the need for more research in this area, particularly as cannabis policy in the United States continues to change at a rapid pace.

"As attitudes change about cannabis use and cannabis use becomes a little bit more accepted in terms of policy and government regulation and medical cannabis use increases, I think we need to have a real understanding of the potential risks and benefits of cannabis use," Scott said.

Pennsylvania to Make Whole-Plant Cannabis Flower Available to Patients

Dry leaf cannabis is coming to Pennsylvania dispensaries following a decision by the state Department of Health, which on Monday approved a move to make whole-plant cannabis flower available to state medical marijuana patients.

The move is expected to lower costs and improve patient access to cannabis, which went on sale to qualified patients in February. The program currently permits only oils and concentrates.

“Dry leaf or flower will be sold in Pennsylvania dispensaries in a form that can be vaporized, not smoked, later this summer.”

Dr. Rachel Levine, Pennsylvania Health Secretary

Smoking cannabis would still be prohibited under the new rule, which is aimed at allowing patients to vaporize the plant. But while state law prohibits dispensaries from selling products designed to be smoked, patients advocates such as Chris Goldstein have pointed out that cannabis flower sold for vaping could also be smoked.

Still, the law is clear: “Dry leaf or flower will be sold in Pennsylvania dispensaries in a form that can be vaporized, not smoked, later this summer,” Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine said in a statement. But in practice, the two forms are indistinguishable, and it’s not clear what measures, if any, the state may take to prevent patients from smoking the plant.

Other changes approved by the Health Department would expand the list of qualifying conditions, eliminate the need for patients to pay for a medical cannabis ID card more than once per year, allow doctors to opt-out of a public list of registered physicians, and require children’s recommendations to be certified by a pediatrician or pediatric specialist.

Only a few states have adopted medical cannabis programs that explicitly forbid the sale of smokable flower. Some that have, such as Minnesota, have struggled to attract patients or move them out of the illicit market. Others, such as Florida, have been hit with legal challenges.

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“Allowing cannabis in its natural, flower form and expanding the list of qualifying conditions will have a huge positive impact on seriously ill Pennsylvanians,” Becky Dansky, legislative counsel for the Marijuana Policy Project, said in a statement. The advocacy group said that the current restriction on whole-plant cannabis has led to product shortages and “prohibitively expensive” medicine across the state.

In Florida, where the state’s medical cannabis law prohibits smokable flower, a judge last week ruled that a 77-year-old man could grow his own cannabis for juicing. None of the treatment centers licensed in that state currently offer whole-plant or juicing products, yet a doctor recommended cannabis juice as part of treatment to prevent a relapse of stage-four lung cancer.

A separate lawsuit challenging Florida’s ban on smokable forms of cannabis is scheduled to go to trial next month.

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In Pennsylvania, the changes approved by Health Department are set to take effect on May 12, when the agency promulgates official regulations.

“By being able to provide medical marijuana in plant form, producers will be able to get medicine into the hands of patients much more quickly and for much lower cost to patients,” Dansky said. “This is vitally important for patient access right now while the program is still getting off the ground and production is not yet at full capacity. We hope these rules are promulgated as quickly as possible so even more patients will be able to find relief.”

According to the state government, more than 30,000 patients have registered to participate in the medical cannabis program, with more than 10,000 having received ID cards and purchased cannabis at a dispensary. Nearly 1,000 physicians have registered for the program, with more than half of those having been certified.