For years, humanity’s main defense against chronic pain has been opioids. However, opioid addiction has quickly become a major issue in America with 450,000 people dying from overdoses involving prescription and illicit opioids from 1999 to 2018. On April 17, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”) called on patients living with chronic and acute pain to comment on their perspectives on the benefits and harms of opioid use as well as their experiences with other non-opioid and non-pharmacological treatments for pain.

By the time the June 16 deadline had passed, the CDC had received hundreds of comments about medical marijuana and thousands of comments related to kratom, a lesser-known herb that has shown promise as a pain reliever. The CDC had stated that it is looking for input on individual stakeholder’s values and preferences related to pain management options. “Through this opportunity, the CDC is seeking stakeholders’ perspectives on and experiences with pain and pain management, including but not limited to, the benefits and harms of opioid use.”

“CDC invites input specifically on topics focused on using or prescribing opioid pain medications, non-opioid medications, or non-pharmacological treatments (e.g. exercise therapy or cognitive behavioral therapy).” And, although the April 17 notice did not specifically reference kratom and medical cannabis, there were numerous comments from individuals who had used them for pain management with some success. Over 1,000 people talked about kratom, more than 200 discussed either ‘marijuana’ or ‘cannabis’ and about 70 talked about CBD.

“I suffer from rheumatoid arthritis and have had 15 skin cancer removals and didn’t receive pain meds for any of those surgeries! I wouldn’t have made it without cannabis. I have never had any side effects nor does it slow me down. It actually helps ease the pain which enables me to do more physical activities! It’s much safer than alcohol and I don’t understand why the U.S. hasn’t legalized it other than politics,” says one anonymous commenter.

Another individual who suffers from chronic pain says that they use cannabis to relieve nerve and muscle pain. “I use cannabis to relieve nerve pain effectively and it doesn’t cause me as much impairment as opioids and other medication I was prescribed for the injury.”

According to NORML Deputy Director Paul Armentano, an estimated one in ten Americans suffers from chronic pain conditions that are “unresponsive to conventional pain treatments such as NSAIDs and opioids. Because of this unmet need, and because many conventional analgesics possess the risk of serious side effects, including overdose death, it is understandable that many patients are seeking alternative treatment regiments such as cannabis.”

Industry watchers believe that sector players like Green Growth Brands Inc. (CSE: GGB) (OTCQB: GGBXF) will be hoping that the CDC uses the responses as a guide to shaping how it views marijuana and other substances that people use to manage their pain.

“The CDC’s call for public comments is a unique opportunity for this agency to hear directly from these tens of thousands of patients who are therapeutically benefiting from cannabis and in many cases, substituting it in place of more dangerous opioids.”

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CNW420 spotlights the latest developments in the rapidly evolving cannabis industry through the release of two informative articles each business day. Our concise, informative content serves as a gateway for investors interested in the legalized cannabis sector and provides updates on how regulatory developments may impact financial markets. Articles are released each business day at 4:20 a.m. and 4:20 p.m. Eastern – our tribute to the time synonymous with cannabis culture. If marijuana and the burgeoning industry surrounding it are on your radar, CNW420 is for you! Check back daily to stay up-to-date on the latest milestones in the fast -changing world of cannabis.

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Last week, Governor John Bel Edwards signed a bill that will allow Louisiana residents to get medical marijuana for any debilitating condition their doctors see fit. Sponsored by Rep. Larry Bagley, the medical marijuana expansion bill significantly expands beyond the 14 specific medical conditions that qualify patients for medical cannabis. As of August 1, patients will be able to purchase medical marijuana as long as they have a condition deemed by their doctor as debilitating.

Originally, the marijuana expansion bill would only have added traumatic brain injuries and concussions as qualifying conditions. However, it was amended in committee to include several other medical conditions as well as language stipulating that cannabis can be recommended for any medical condition that a doctor “considers debilitating to an individual patient and is qualified through his or her medical education and training to treat.”

“This is a common-sense legislation that provides physicians, not lawmakers, the ability and discretion to decide what treatment options are best for patients. Just as doctors are entrusted to make decisions with regard to the supervised use of opiates and other medicines, many of which pose far greater risks to patients than cannabis, the law should provide doctors with similar flexibility when it comes to recommending cannabis therapy to a bona fide patient,” says National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) Deputy Director Paul Armentano.

Rep. Bagley had introduced a House-passed bill alongside the expansion legislation to allow delivery services, but he voluntarily withdrew it from Senate committee consideration. He stated that he believed the marijuana expansion bill would already allow cannabis products to be delivered to qualifying patients like other traditional pharmaceuticals. Whether regulators will agree with his interpretation of the law is unclear.

The governor also signed legislation that would protect banks, credit unions and other financial institutions that work with cannabis businesses from being penalized by state regulators as well as a bill to provide immunity from prosecution to doctors who recommend medical marijuana to their patients and “any facility that is licensed by the Louisiana Department of Health that has patients in its care using medical cannabis.”

Once the cannabis expansion bill takes effect, Louisiana will join a handful of states such as Maine, California, and Virginia that have enacted similar measures granting licensed doctors the ability to recommend medical cannabis as a treatment to any patient they believe has a qualifying condition.

Analysts say companies like Green Growth Brands Inc. (CSE: GGB) (OTCQB: GGBXF) would like to see the U.S. federal government also take more progressive steps on matters of marijuana.

About CNW420

CNW420 spotlights the latest developments in the rapidly evolving cannabis industry through the release of two informative articles each business day. Our concise, informative content serves as a gateway for investors interested in the legalized cannabis sector and provides updates on how regulatory developments may impact financial markets. Articles are released each business day at 4:20 a.m. and 4:20 p.m. Eastern – our tribute to the time synonymous with cannabis culture. If marijuana and the burgeoning industry surrounding it are on your radar, CNW420 is for you! Check back daily to stay up-to-date on the latest milestones in the fast -changing world of cannabis.

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Since the 2018 Farm Bill legalized the cultivation and sale of industrial hemp and its extracts, the CBD industry has been steadily growing. Effective against a wide range of ailments and most importantly, devoid of cannabis’ infamous high, cannabidiol has quickly become the go-to ingredient for people who have lost faith in pharmaceuticals. However, the industry is barely regulated, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) has repeatedly called for stakeholders to provide reliable scientific data, especially on the effects of long term use on the liver.

A group of CBD brands is doing just that. They have sponsored a study to determine any potential liver toxicity and the safety of CBD, and the study will be carried out by Colorado-based clinical research company ValidCare. Slated to commence this July, the clinical study, which was designed with heavy input from a branch of the FDA, is being interpreted as a critical step in providing the agency with scientific data that will guide its efforts to regulate CBD.

The study is officially sponsored by CBD American Shaman, Boulder Botanicals, CBDistillery, Charlotte’s Web Holdings, Columbia Care, Hempfusion, and Kannaway. Each brand donated at least $100,000 for the study, and they will each have the opportunity to invite their consumers to become participants in the study. It was scheduled to start last March but the coronavirus pandemic and the civil unrest currently sweeping through the U.S. pushed the schedule several months ahead.

1,000 subjects will be observed and their liver health monitored from July through September. They will be required to take CBD orally for 60 days before the study then they will record their experiences in journals for the course of 30 days. Additionally, they will also provide blood samples that will be screened under four liver function tests.

“As the market share leader, anchored in science, sponsoring ValidCare’s study made strategic sense for us. This research will provide important clinical data to guide our entire industry while also showing the FDA we’ve heard their requests and are answering their questions with precise data,” says Deanie Elsner, Chief Executive Officer for Charlotte’s Web.

Ever since CBD products hit the shelves, the FDA has been apprehensive and has warned consumers that most of these products may not be safe. The research carried out by ValidCare will provide crucial data on CBD’s effect on the liver and it will inform the FDA on how to move forward with regulating CBD.

It is widely believed that the entire cannabis industry, including Green Growth Brands Inc. (CSE: GGB) (OTCQB: GGBXF), will be keen to see the results from this first of a kind study into cannabidiol.

About CNW420

CNW420 spotlights the latest developments in the rapidly evolving cannabis industry through the release of two informative articles each business day. Our concise, informative content serves as a gateway for investors interested in the legalized cannabis sector and provides updates on how regulatory developments may impact financial markets. Articles are released each business day at 4:20 a.m. and 4:20 p.m. Eastern – our tribute to the time synonymous with cannabis culture. If marijuana and the burgeoning industry surrounding it are on your radar, CNW420 is for you! Check back daily to stay up-to-date on the latest milestones in the fast -changing world of cannabis.

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