In an unusual rebuke to Colorado’s powerful cannabis industry, lawmakers in the state have introduced legislation to limit marijuana concentrates and medical marijuana in a move to curb teen use and overconsumption of high-potency cannabis. The bill, vehemently opposed by marijuana businesses, would not cap THC levels but rather impose strict new rules on packaging in individual doses no larger than 0.1 grams. It would also limit access to medical cannabis for patients between the ages of 18 and 20 to 2 grams of concentrate per day, down from 40 grams. The proposal comes amid growing concerns about teen use of pot and an alarming spike in the number of psychotic episodes among young people, linked to high-THC pot products. Of all legal marijuana states, only Vermont has a potency cap.
Meanwhile, the town of Weed, in northern California, is trying to cash in on its name by becoming a destination for weed consumers. That makes it an outlier among the state’s smaller towns and cities, 70 percent of which have opted out of allowing marijuana dispensaries. Although most major cities in the state permit the sale of cannabis, smaller and more conservative municipalities bar the drug from being sold—a pattern repeated in many legal states that reflects a not-in-my-backyard attitude on the local level.
And finally, advertising is a powerful tool for companies selling CBD products: a new study finds that 72 percent of patients with fibromyalgia deliberately substitute CBD for conventional medications, including opioids, despite the dearth of evidence show showing that such products may be helpful. The FDA and other agencies are starting to crack down on false advertising for CBD products, as manufacturers falsely claim that what they sell can help with conditions ranging from cancer to Alzheimer’s and even COVID-19.