420 with CNW — 130-Plus NGOs Demand That Immigrants Be Included in Biden’s Cannabis Pardons

President Joseph Biden made plenty of promises while on the campaign trail, including his pledge to offer marijuana pardons. One of his more progressive statements, the promise was met with praise from drug reform activists across the country.

Last month, President Biden announced that he was taking steps to pardon everyone who had been federally convicted of simple marijuana possession offenses. The announcement was met with surprise as the Biden administration has been largely silent on cannabis reform despite Biden’s campaign promises.

Biden also instructed governors to issue similar pardons at the state level and stated that he would initiate an administrative review of marijuana’s scheduling at the federal level. This is the system of classification that classifies cannabis at the same level as dangerous drugs like heroin and cocaine. Biden noted that it made no sense that marijuana, which has been found to have a variety of medical applications, is considered to be more dangerous than fentanyl at the federal level.

A group of more than 130 organizations comprised of immigration and civil rights groups is now calling on the president to extend the cannabis possession pardon to every U.S. resident regardless of their immigration status. The group sent a letter to the White House urging the president to do more for people who live in America but aren’t lawful permanent residents or citizens. These individuals were specifically excluded from the pardon and will not have their simple cannabis possession offenses pardoned.

The group, led by the National Immigrant Justice Center and the National Immigration Project, wrote that Biden’s move to offer mass cannabis pardons was a “much-needed” step toward alleviating the harms caused by the decades-long war on drugs. However, they observed that that they were “grimly disappointed” by the president’s exclusion of immigrants as well as the lack of affirmative measures to ensure immigrants are protected from any immigration consequences that could arrive from receiving a cannabis conviction.

The group of more than 130 organizations focus on immigrant rights, human rights and racial justice issues. They stated that excluding immigrants from these cannabis reforms based on where they were born casts a shadow of doubt on the White House’s efforts to address criminal policies that have disproportionately affected Black and Brown communities.

The organizations asked the president to extend the cannabis possession pardons to all immigrants regardless of their immigration status and to ensure that these immigrants are protected from negative immigration outcomes following cannabis convictions.

Marijuana crime pardons are just one of the reforms that activists want to see implemented. Access to mainstream banking is also limited for marijuana companies, which is why solutions such as those provided by REZYFi Inc. are gaining traction within the cannabis industry. However, full access to banking services is the ideal situation for these state-legal businesses.

NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to REZYFi, Inc. are available in the company’s newsroom at https://cnw.fm/REZY

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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420 with CNW — Federal Judge Dismisses Suit Challenging Ban on Gun Rights for Medical Cannabis Patients

There are an estimated 3.6 million registered medical cannabis patients in the United States with slightly more than 700,000 residing in the state of Florida. But, despite the fact that dozens of states have legalized medical marijuana and launched legal markets, the drug is still illegal at the federal level.

This often leads to situations where businesses and customers abiding by state law are penalized by the federal government, which still considers cannabis to be illegal. One major example is the fact that cannabis businesses cannot access banking and financial services despite paying billions of dollars in taxes.

On the other end of the spectrum, recreational and medical cannabis customers have also found themselves running afoul of federal law despite consuming cannabis as per state law. For starters, the federal government has banned medical cannabis patients from purchasing and possessing firearms, a move that has been called unconstitutional because it is in direct violation of the second and fifth amendments.

Last week, a federal Florida judge dismissed a lawsuit from state agriculture commissioner Nikki Fried that challenged the federal government’s decision to prevent medical cannabis patients from legally accessing firearms.

Fried filed the lawsuit in April on the basis that the ban was unconstitutional and was optimistic about last week’s hearing, stating that her legal team had done a “compelling job” arguing the merits of the lawsuit before a federal judge. She filed the lawsuit alongside Florida medical marijuana patients who had been barred from purchasing firearms by the “unconstitutional and discriminatory” federal policy.

However, her lawsuit was dismissed by a U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida judge in a 22-page ruling. Judge Allen Windsor ruled that while medical cannabis patients were allowed to consume cannabis by state law, doing so was considered criminal at the federal level. As such, the judge ruled that there was a precedent for denying these individuals their right to bear arms.

He stated that a congressional rider meant to prevent the Department of Justice from using tax dollars to interfere with medical cannabis programs at the state level simply prevented prosecution. It did not, however, “bless the plaintiffs’ actions” forever, he said, arguing that purchasing and consuming medical cannabis was still a crime at the federal level whether or not the user was prosecuted.

With Fried’s lawsuit being thrown out, medical cannabis patients who are honest about their cannabis use when they fill out a background check form from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives will be prevented from purchasing firearms.

These inconsistencies between federal marijuana policy and state-level laws don’t just affect consumers. Even companies such as Flora Growth Corp. (NASDAQ: FLGC) find themselves having to navigate a complex legal maze in order to adhere to state laws while avoiding running afoul of federal policies.

NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to Flora Growth Corp. (NASDAQ: FLGC) are available in the company’s newsroom at https://cnw.fm/FLGC

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420 with CNW — Marijuana Consumers Opt for Concentrates as Product Prices Drop

Marijuana industry watchers as well as retail buyers indicate that cannabis concentrates are registering more sales across the industry, particularly in mature markets. Frequent marijuana users are also taking a greater liking to concentrates.

Brightfield Group, a Chicago-based cannabis analytics firm, says approximately 29% of all marijuana consumers admit that they have used cannabis concentrates at least once during the past half year. Two years prior, that figure stood at 22%. Bethany Gomez, the managing director of Brightfield Group, says such a jump is significant in a space of only two years.

Mature cannabis markets also registered an even bigger increase of people who say they’ve used cannabis concentrates at least once during the recent six months. In Massachusetts, for example, the percentage rose from 13% to 20%, while in Michigan, users increased to 26% from 20% two years earlier.

Gomez explains that as more people use marijuana daily, their level of tolerance for the substance also increases, and that partially explains why there is growth in the use of concentrates. At the moment, data collected by Brightfield indicates that daily users of cannabis stand at 64% of all marijuana users. This is a significant driver of the concentrates market, because a lot more people are willing to try more potent products as tolerance levels rise.

Another surprising factor driving up the sale of concentrates is the current level of inflation. Gomez explains that as the purchasing power of people is weakened with rising inflation, heavy marijuana users see concentrates as offering value for money since their effects are stronger than the effects of other products, such as cannabis flower.

The positive strides made in packaging and branding of the concentrates has also played a role in making more of these products attractive to consumers.

Several markets have also seen concentrate prices decrease due to the reduction in the wholesale prices of cannabis flower as production grows at a higher rate than the rate at which demand is growing. For example, wholesale prices of dry cannabis flower have declined to less than $1,000 a pound in Michigan. Such a drop means that the raw material for concentrates is priced lower, and therefore the finished product will also be priced more affordably. These price changes are luring more people to try these products.

Innovations in the equipment required to consume concentrates have also helped. In the past, a dab rig was mandatory for one to consume concentrates. However, these products can now be consumed in vape pens and other such simple equipment, thereby rendering concentrates more appealing to consumers who aren’t sophisticated enough to use complicated equipment such as dab rigs. All these innovations mean that companies such as American Cannabis Partners can sell their marijuana products to significantly more people without sacrificing profitability.

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CannabisNewsBreaks – Flora Growth Corp. (NASDAQ: FLGC) Partners with 357 Company to Launch Cannabis Division

Flora Growth (NASDAQ: FLGC), a leading all-outdoor cultivator and manufacturer of global cannabis products and brands, is working with the 357 Company to launch 357’s Canna Logistics division. The new division is an expansion beyond 357’s Hemp Logistics segment, which ships federally legal hemp within the United States. According to the announcement, the new division will focus on logistics management and shipping of cannabis and hemp between countries where cannabis has been legalized. 357 is working to expand into international shipping of cannabis, hemp and industrial hemp; the cannabis export/import industry is new and poses significant potential for shipments of nonindustrial products, including CBD isolates and oils.

International shipping can be complicated, and 357 is a pioneer in international cannabis shipping; the company looks to be one of the few companies with both experience in cannabis and international logistics. 357 is collaborating with Flora Growth to fulfill FLGC’s international logistics management needs as well as provide quality customer service with a single point of contact; the company is also committed to delivering cannabis in a timely, safe, and affordable manner. “357’s extensive experience in international freight forwarding, logistics management and operations at major cannabis multi-state operators, coupled with expertise in transport security and pharmaceutical and food delivery, provides the comprehensive knowledge and skill set for managing the complexities of international logistics in the highly regulated cannabis industry,” said Flora Growth chief commercial officer Jason Warnock in the press release. “We’re looking forward to growing together in this exciting new market space.”

To view the full press release, visit https://cnw.fm/mJP5q

About Flora Growth Corp.

Flora is building a connected, design-led collective of plant-based wellness and lifestyle brands that delivers the most compelling customer experiences in the world, one community at a time. As the operator of one of the largest outdoor cannabis cultivation facilities, Flora leverages natural, cost-effective cultivation practices to supply cannabis derivatives to its diverse business divisions of cosmetics, hemp textiles, and food and beverage. For more information about the company, please visit www.FloraGrowth.ca.

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CannabisNewsWire (CNW) is an information service that provides (1) access to our news aggregation and syndication servers, (2) CannabisNewsBreaks that summarize corporate news and information, (3) enhanced press release services, (4) social media distribution and optimization services, and (5) a full array of corporate communication solutions. As a multifaceted financial news and content distribution company with an extensive team of contributing journalists and writers, CNW is uniquely positioned to best serve private and public companies that desire to reach a wide audience of investors, consumers, journalists and the general public. CNW has an ever-growing distribution network of more than 5,000 key syndication outlets across the country. By cutting through the overload of information in today’s market, CNW brings its clients unparalleled visibility, recognition and brand awareness. CNW is where news, content and information converge.

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420 with CNW — Senior Living Facilities at Crossroads as Marijuana Laws Change

As more states legalize cannabis, residents of senior living communities are using the substance more and more, and this is putting the operators of those facilities in the spotlight regarding how they respond to this reality.

At the moment, marijuana is categorized as a schedule 1 substance, the same category as heroin, MDMA, LSD and cocaine. While President Joseph Biden instructed the attorney general and the health and human services department to review this categorization, the law is the law, and marijuana users are still regarded as criminals. Public opinion has changed sharply on this matter, and pressure is mounting to allow cannabis to be used medically and recreationally.

For senior living facilities, the legalization of marijuana in 37 states has created some leeway for the management at those facilities to come up with policies guiding the use of the substance. Some facilities have opted to do nothing and ask no questions about the use of marijuana by the residents in their communities. This group is taking a big risk because legal and other issues can arise when the facility doesn’t have any guidelines in place. For example, what would happen if a resident sued a neighbor in the community for using marijuana on the premises?

Other facilities, such as Silvarado, which operates senior living locations across several U.S. states from one coast to the other, have opted to allow their residents to use marijuana in states where the substance is legal. They say that anecdotal reports indicate that medical marijuana is of some help to patients with memory loss issues, such as Alzheimer’s.

Surveys also show that baby boomers are increasingly turning to cannabis for relief from various symptoms, including insomnia, chronic pain and anxiety. This means that senior living facilities will sooner or later have to consider what position to take with regard to marijuana use within their communities since more and more of their residents will be using or consider using marijuana, whether for recreational or medical purposes.

The executive order mandating the review of marijuana’s status in the Controlled Substances Act is one of the many steps and processes that may need to be performed before any changes can be made. The United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is likely to have a big say in any recommendations made at the conclusion of the review and how those recommendations are to be implemented. It may be several years before senior living communities and companies with interest in the marijuana industry, such as Advanced Container Technologies Inc. (OTC: ACTX), have a clear answer as to what policy direction is likely to emerge from the review process.

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420 with CNW — Colorado Rakes in Billions in Marijuana Sales a Decade After Legalization

Cannabis has proven to be one of the most resilient and profitable products on the market in recent years. Despite being barely more than a decade old, America’s state-legal cannabis industry has generated billions of dollars in revenue and created hundreds of thousands of job opportunities.

The industry’s rise has been so prolific that cannabis has been dubbed the fastest-growing industry in the United States. However, profits in the state-legal market haven’t been spread equally among participating markets, with some states seeing a lion’s share of the industry’s profits. Colorado, for instance, was among the first states in the cannabis industry to launch legal cannabis markets a decade ago.

Ten years later, the state reports that its marijuana industry has generated an astounding $13.4 billion in sales and provided the state with $2.2 billion in taxes. Brian Vicente, codirector of the campaign that pushed for the legalization of cannabis in Colorado, says that the industry has been an “unqualified success.”

Colorado’s move to legalize cannabis had a domino effect across the country, leading other state leaders to examine their own cannabis policies and launch cannabis markets. Mason Tvert, another codirector, stated that the passage of Amendment 64 inspired plenty of discussion on cannabis policies and caused both U.S. and foreign leaders to take another look at their marijuana policies. Seventeen states as well as the District of Columbia legalized cannabis in the years after Oregon and Washington State approved legalization initiatives, and Tvert says many states leveraged the campaign and policy playbook that activists had first used in Colorado.

Passing Amendment 64 was a herculean task for the activists and lawmakers behind the initiative. Vicente and Tver began building support for cannabis reform in the mid-2000s, running into consistent resistance and opposition. Their first attempt at passing a legalization initiative failed at the polls, with Vicente saying that the issue of cannabis legalization faced “robust and stern opposition” from nearly every level of the government.

Even so, the activists behind Amendment 64 credit lawmakers for implementing the bill once it was approved by voters. The amendment allowed Colorado to generate billions of dollars in revenue and created thousands of new jobs. More importantly, the taxes levied on cannabis sales have been used to fund public schools or have gone to Colorado’s marijuana fund, where it is then used to fund different programs in health education, healthcare, law enforcement, treatment programs and substance-abuse prevention.

All these achievements in Colorado and elsewhere in the country have been realized despite the industry lacking access to mainstream lending and instead turning to alternative financing sources such as REZYFi Inc. in a bid to bridge the funding gaps as they grow or expand.

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Zacks SCR Uses Lexaria Bioscience Corp. (NASDAQ: LEXX) HYPER-H21-4 Study to Support $15 Share Valuation

Lexaria’s HYPER-H21-4 human clinical study was a success, producing favorable results in treating hypertension when comparing the company’s patented DehydraTECH(TM) CBD with a placebo
According to a Zacks SCR report, the findings support their $15 share valuation of the company
Zacks expects Lexaria to penetrate global markets for hypertension, nicotine delivery and antiviral products
The hypertension drug market is expected to grow to over $34 billion through 2030, with North America anticipated to hold 35% of the market share

According to the World Health Organization (“WHO”), approximately 1.13 billion people worldwide suffer from hypertension (high blood pressure), with only one in five being treated or under control. The hypertension drug market size in 2021 was valued at $25,394 million and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 3.4% through 2030, resulting in an estimated value of $34,072 million. The North American market is expected to lead with more than 35% of the world market share (https://cnw.fm/H78Yx).

Lexaria Bioscience (NASDAQ: LEXX), a global innovator in drug delivery platforms, recently released impressive results from its fourth and most comprehensive hypertension study, HYPER-H21-4. The study, structured as a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled cross-over study, dosed 66 male and female volunteers between the ages of 40-70 with stage 1 or 2 hypertension, comparing the company’s patented DehydraTECH(TM) cannabidiol (“CBD”) against a placebo. The study showed patients receiving placebo doses trended toward increases in blood pressure (“BP”) during the period of the study compared to baseline, while the average BP measured by each of mean arterial BP, systolic BP and diastolic BP significantly decreased from baseline when dosed with DehydraTECH-CBD; and those decreases were maintained during the full 5 weeks of dosing – with no serious adverse events or hepatic changes occurring (https://cnw.fm/weVKO).

Lexaria’s DehydraTECH technology is designed specifically for formulating and delivering lipophilic (fat-soluble) drugs and active ingredients, increasing effectiveness and improving the way that active pharmaceutical ingredients (“APIs”) enter the bloodstream. In 2021, animal studies demonstrated that DehydraTECH elevated drug quantities across the blood-brain barrier by as much as 1,700%, which initiated further investigations and opened the possibilities for improved drug delivery.

The benefits of using Lexaria’s patented technology include the following:

Improves the speed of onset, with effects felt in minutes
Increases bioavailability by more effectively delivering the drug into the bloodstream
Increases brain absorption, with testing suggesting up to 10x improvement
Reduces drug administration costs with a higher ratio of drug delivery

Lexaria announced the enrollment for HYPER-H21-4 in an April 19 press release, and dosing began ahead of schedule, with completion on July 27, with no serious adverse events reported as a result of the dosing. The maximum dose levels in the study were roughly 5 mg/kg/day, which is significantly lower than maximum dose levels practiced for other regulator-approved pharmaceutical CBD applications., The company will use data from the study to support its Investigational New Drug (“IND”) application with the FDA.

According to a Zacks Small-Cap Research (“Zacks SCR”) report, the company’s next steps for the hypertension program will be to submit and receive clearance for an IND application, and the application and IND clearance will support the start of the Phase Ib study slated for 2023 (https://cnw.fm/MGc27). Longer term goals for the program are to find a partner who will advance the work to a registrational study and send it to the FDA for approval. While this is several years away, the data that has been released so far is supportive of further development.

Zacks SCR forecasts penetration by Lexaria into global markets for hypertension, nicotine delivery, and antiviral product categories. The Zacks SCR valuation of $15 per share assumes a 2024 regulatory approval and commercialization of DehydraTECH CBD in the United States and developed markets – a valuation maintained throughout the report.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.LexariaBioscience.com.

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420 with CNW — Biden Praises Cannabis Pardons While Emphasizing That Relief is Only for Possession Charges

Recently President Joseph Biden gave a speech on his administration’s actions to relieve student debt. At the end of his speech, the president talked about his clemency proclamation on marijuana, noting that he recognized the issue’s popularity, especially among young voters.

President Biden stated that he was keeping his promise that no individual should be jailed for possessing cannabis, emphasizing this pardon only applied for possession and adding that these records needed to be expunged. The clemency action, which only impacted resident/legal alien offenders and U.S. citizens who had committed federal marijuana possession offenses, has been criticized by advocates who argue that Biden should have expanded his proclamation to include individuals who sold cannabis.

The president has been discussing his marijuana relief decision this last month, stating at one point that he had changed the lives of thousands of individuals. Recently, he has also indicated that he is not willing to extend the relief to those with convictions related to the sale of cannabis. Activists with the Last Prisoner Project, Sensible Drug Policy and DCMJ have been protesting outside the White House to highlight this issue and request that the president release the thousands currently incarcerated in federal prisons for cannabis convictions that aren’t limited to simple possession.

In a recent interview with Pod Save America, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez stated that while the president’s proclamation needed to be applauded, the action was limited because it did not include noncitizens who made up a large portion of federal possession cases. Meanwhile, the Office of National Drug Control Policy praised the president’s move to issue a mass pardon and order that an administrative review of marijuana’s scheduling status be conducted. This comes after the president called attention to the fact that medical benefits of marijuana did exist, noting that they shouldn’t be ignored due to unrelated concerns about its use by the youth.

The Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Justice have announced that they are both committed to conducting the review as directed, with Health Secretary Xavier Becerra stating that officials would work quickly to conclude the analysis, as per the president’s directive. The review could cause marijuana to be placed in a lower schedule or be removed from the scheduling list completely, which would legalize the plant under federal law.

The Justice Department also issued a statement, noting that it would administer Biden’s proclamation swiftly and help restore civil, political and other rights to individuals convicted for the simple possession of cannabis.

As these systemic wrongs are corrected, the ultimate shift would be to end prohibition once and for all so that entities such as Flora Growth Corp. (NASDAQ: FLGC) don’t have to walk a tight rope between federal and state marijuana policies.

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420 with CNW — NIDA Director Says Drug War Resulted in Structurally Racist Systems

National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) director Nora Volkow isn’t one to mince her words, and her recent utterances about the effects of the failed war on drugs are stirring debate about how much longer the federal government can remain inactive on matters of ending cannabis prohibition.

During an interview by NIH Medline Plus Magazine, the NIDA director said that the criminalization of individuals who use drugs has had the effect of creating structurally racist systems which have allowed society to treat some sections of the population, especially Blacks, in a way that is worse than the way in which other segments of the population are treated. This candid admission from the top federal government official has attracted the attention of reform advocates, including Zachery Siegal, who tweeted that Volkow recognized and straight-up stated that criminalizing drug use is actually harmful to those who use drugs.

Volkow also mentioned that criminalizing addiction and jailing those dealing with addictions has far-reaching effects on those individuals. These effects can impact mental as well as physical health, disruption of families and inability to find suitable employment, as well as crushing the self-confidence of those impacted. The insurance system, the healthcare system and communities are all affected by the criminalization of drug use. Volkow also reiterated that the federal agency that she heads is working to address those issues.

In the interview, Volkow also discussed the upcoming rebranding of NIDA from the National Institute on Drug Abuse to the National Institute on Drug Addiction. She emphasized that the change was intended to move away from using a word with negative connotations (abuse) to one that recognizes the situation as a health problem (addiction).

The NIDA director stated that stigma surrounding drug use has penetrated every sphere of society. For example, people remain silent about substance-use problems because they fear going to jail or being shunned and blamed by the community. Insurers also aren’t willing to fund needed treatment, and healthcare systems don’t devote ample human and financial resources to the matter because they see it as an individual’s poor choice or a criminal matter.

It should be noted that Volkow saw a family member struggle with addiction, which prompted her to specialize in psychiatry research. Her acceptance of the NIDA job was motivated by her desire to contribute toward changing the way in which substance use and addiction are handled at a national and policy level. Volkow has been vocal on several occasions about the problems triggered by the current policies on drugs. Her agency has published notices indicating that funding is available for various drug-related programs, such as exploring various models of regulating marijuana.

The efforts of NIDA and other such progressive federal agencies are in their own way contributing to ending prohibition, and a time will come when companies in the cannabis space, such as Prime Harvest Inc., are legally recognized as legitimate businesses by the federal government.

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CannabisNewsBreaks – Advanced Container Technologies Inc.’s (ACTX) GrowPods Allow Farmers to Spice It Up

Advanced Container Technologies (OTC: ACTX) offers unique controlled environment farms, GrowPods, which can allow growers to start cultivating in-demand, high-margin specialty herbs and spices. The U.S. market for fresh culinary herbs is growing. According to the U.S. Agency for International Development, popularity of leafy plants such as basil, cilantro and parsley that add flavor, aroma or garnish, increased 10% to 12% annually from 2004 to 2014 and has continued to climb. However, domestic field production does not meet demand, resulting in importation of nearly $300 million worth of leafy plants each year. In addition, domestically produced and imported goods face mounting challenges, such as diseases, droughts and floods, foodborne illnesses, environmental impact and supply chain disruptions. “GrowPods allow farmers to cultivate high-margin, in-demand herbs, year-round, with reduced resource consumption and rapid harvest times,” said Doug Heldoorn, CEO of ACTX. “These highly efficient systems can not only provide farmers the ability to quickly enter new markets but can also provide a year-round income stream.”

To view the full press release, visit https://cnw.fm/qU5ET

About Advanced Container Technologies Inc.

Advanced Container Technologies is in the business of selling and distributing self-contained, automated, indoor “micro-farms” called Grow Pods, along with related equipment and supplies. Additionally, the company designs and sells patented proprietary medical-grade plastic containers, known as the Medtainer(R), that store and grind pharmaceuticals, herbs, teas and other solids or liquids. For more information, visit the company’s website at www.AdvancedContainerTechnologies.com.

NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to ACTX are available in the company’s newsroom at https://cnw.fm/ACTX

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