420 with CNW – The Global Cannabis Market is Expected to Be Worth $66.3B by 2025

The global legal cannabis market size is predicted to reach $66.3 billion by the end of 2025. This market is expected to grow at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 23.9 percent within the years covered in the forecast. The increasing legalization of marijuana and the demand for medicinal marijuana is expected to be the key driver of this market growth.

In the coming years, the growing demand for cannabis products in the treatment of various health conditions, such as Alzheimer’s, cancer, Parkinson’s, arthritis, and several neurological conditions is expected to boost the demand for marijuana as a pharmaceutical product.

Additionally, many countries and jurisdictions have legalized marijuana either for recreational or medicinal purposes. This has had a major adverse effect on the black market of marijuana in those areas, and this is a plus for the legal industry that will see the market expand at the predicted pace. The desire for governments to earn from the legal industry is another factor that will contribute to further legalization and expansion of the marijuana market.

Regionally, the demand for marijuana products is likely to be largely driven by the huge market in the U.S. and Canada, especially for medical marijuana. In contrast, the stringent regulations and rules imposed on the cultivation and sale of medical marijuana in Europe may dampen the growth of the industry on the European continent even if markets like Germany offer great promise.

At the moment, Israel is playing a pivotal role of sharing its technological prowess and cannabis knowledge with other parts of the world. As these markets, such as Thailand the U.K, open and grow, the global market will benefit from these potentially major players in the industry.

The report also points out that in 2018, the cannabis market in the U.S. was valued at $11.9bn and it is expected to grow at a compounded annual growth rate of 24.1 percent for the duration of the forecast in the report till the end of 2025.

Cannabis buds or dried flower took the lion’s share of the global marijuana market in 2018 because it accounted for more than half of all the sales recorded in the industry. This segment is expected to grow at a CAGR of 20.6 percent during the forecast period.

Analysts strongly feel that this bullish outlook for the global marijuana industry will spur industry players like TransCanna Holdings Inc. (CSE: TCAN) (FRA: TH8) and Therma Bright Inc. (TSX.V: THRM) (OTC: THRBF) to ramp up their own growth plans in order to cash in on the global growth of the industry.

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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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420 with CNW – Bipartisan Senators Table Cannabis and CBD Research Bill

A bipartisan group of senators introduced legislation on Thursday (June 27) intended to facilitate federally-approved research into cannabis and its derivatives, such as cannabidiol (CBD).

The first section of the bill centers on the process through which research institutions can apply to the federal government for authorization to conduct marijuana research. If the bill passes in its current form, the U.S. attorney general would have a maximum of 60 days within which to approve the applications for cannabis research or request the applicant to avail more information.

The first section of the bill also creates a mechanism through which research organizations can get expedited approval if they want a larger quantity of Schedule I drugs, such as marijuana, for their research activities. Currently, the approval process takes a very long time and virtually renders research a near impossibility.

This section of the bill also deals with the process through which entities can apply to become manufacturers of research-grade marijuana products. At the moment, the University of Mississippi has the only federally-approved manufacturing facility across the U.S. The bill seeks to impose a 60-day deadline on the Department of Justice to approve manufacturing applications or ask the applicant to provide supplemental information.

The second section of the draft legislation focuses on the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) and how it approves drugs derived from marijuana. To encourage innovation in this area, the bill seeks to allow any accredited medical or osteopathic institutions, schools, practitioners and manufacturers who have been registered to have access to Schedule I drugs to start growing their own marijuana for research purposes.

The bill also has a provision which gives the Drug Enforcement Administration authority to scrutinize and approve applicants who wish to manufacture any approved drug that is derived from marijuana. These approved manufacturers would also be permitted to import any marijuana products that they deem necessary for doing cannabis research.

Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI), one of the sponsors of this bill, commented that there is a lot of anecdotal evidence about the therapeutic benefits of marijuana and its derivatives, but the country cannot rely on anecdotal evidence to make policies about the treatment of health conditions. He added that the bill is intended to remove the barriers that make it difficult for the needed research to be conducted to ascertain the truth in the claims regarding marijuana’s medicinal effects.

The 22-page bill has been endorsed by a number of mainstream medical associations, such as the American Medical Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Society of Addiction Medicine and American Psychological Association. Several pro-marijuana advocacy groups, such as NORML and Americans for Safe Access have also voiced their support for this draft legislation.

Marijuana industry analysts think that the entire cannabis industry, including players like Therma Bright Inc. (TSX.V: THRM) (OTC: THRBF) and The Supreme Cannabis Company Inc. (TSX.V: FIRE) (OTCQX: SPRWF), will be keeping its fingers crossed hoping to see this bill become law.

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420 with CNW – How Marijuana Legalization Law in Illinois Differs from All Others

If, as is widely expected, Gov. Pritzker signs a bill that was passed to legalize recreational cannabis in Illinois, the state’s legalization law will be different from all others in several aspects.

First, Illinois will have defied the odds to legalize adult-use marijuana legislatively. All the other ten states have done so through voter initiatives. Lawmakers in New Jersey and New York at one time seemed poised to pass bills legalizing recreational marijuana but intraparty disagreements have torpedoed those plans.

Another way in which Illinois’ law is unique is that it contains provisions which are aimed at promoting social equity in the marijuana industry. The law creates a Cannabis Business Development Fund through which minorities will be supported to join the legal industry. $12million has been earmarked for this fund and a fraction of the fees levied on players in the cannabis industry will go to this fund as well.

Additionally, licensing fees will be lowered for applicants from minority communities who wish to start recreational marijuana businesses. Loans will also be given to these “equity” applicants at low interest rates. This will address the longstanding difficulty that members of these communities have always had when it comes to accessing business loans.

The law also stipulates that at least eight community colleges should offer marijuana business education programs by September 2020. A minimum of five of those colleges should enroll at least half of their students from low-income communities since those are the primary beneficiaries of this provision in the law.

Another unique feature of the Illinois law is that 25 percent of the sales tax levied on recreational marijuana sales as well as 25 percent of all other fees levied in the industry will go towards funding a “Restore, Reinvent and Renew” program through which grants will be given for the purpose of combating violence and revitalizing the communities most affected by the war on drugs.

The lawmakers in Illinois didn’t just talk about social justice and equity; they went all out and formulated a law which spells out exactly how these ideals will be brought to life in the state. This law is certainly going to be a model from which other jurisdictions borrow ideas when formulating their own laws.

One has no choice but to believe that the entire marijuana industry, including Therma Bright Inc. (TSX.V: THRM) (OTC: THRBF) and The Supreme Cannabis Company Inc. (TSX.V: FIRE) (OTCQX: SPRWF), are likely to be pleased by this cannabis news coming out of Illinois.

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420 with CNW – First Cannabis Charity Launches in Canada

Hope for Health, a Toronto-based charity, has been launched as the first cannabis charity registered by the Canadian government. The charity is registered in the category of organizations whose intention is the “advancement of education.”

Hope for Health says it aims to enable patients to manage their health effectively while also giving them the autonomy to choose which cannabis products and cannabis producers to deal with.

The charity kick-started its operations amidst fears that medical marijuana patients are getting reduced attention as more attention is directed towards the recreational market. This is seen in the rising medical marijuana product prices. Access points for medical cannabis are also reducing while a new excise tax on marijuana prices has also been imposed on medical marijuana products. This excise tax can only be waived on the product price if the company selling medical marijuana products opts to absorb that cost.

To alleviate this increased cost of medical marijuana products, Hope for Health has decided to avail a renewable monthly stipend to patients who meet the eligibility criteria of the charity. This stipend is conditioned upon the patient purchasing their medical marijuana products from one of the 170 producers licensed by the Canadian federal government.

Hope for Health intends to take on at least 150 patients during its first year of operation. More patients will be onboarded each year and the number will vary depending on the resources available as well as the level of interest displayed by patients.

The charity doesn’t only have its eyes on patients. Hope for Health plans to create and disseminate educational materials to health care professionals about the medicinal benefits of marijuana. This will be done in conjunction with creating partnerships with research organizations, academic institutions and medical associations.

Hope for Charity is the brainchild of Auxly Cannabis Group, an entity that provides financing to cannabis cultivators. Auxly Cannabis Group has committed itself to availing funding that they are calling “a cornerstone donation.” The funds will be used to get the charity on its feet.

Hugo Alves, the director of Hope for Health, remarked that the idea of the charity was conceived three years ago. The founders felt that every entity which had reaped from the cannabis industry in the country would rally around the idea and support its operations.

The founders also strongly felt that the leadership and management of the charity should be independent if Hope for Health is to retain its appeal to all players in the industry. To this end, they selected Dr. Jenna Valleriana as the Executive Director of the charity.

Dr. Valleriana is a respected cannabis policy expert who heads the National Institute for Cannabis Health and Education. She recently published a cannabis education toolkit which was used by two other organizations to design digital tools aimed at educating students and parents about marijuana.

TransCanna Holdings Inc. (CSE: TCAN) (FRA: TH8) and Therma Bright Inc. (TSX.V: THRM) (OTC: THRBF) commend the people behind Hope for Health and wish them all the best in their noble undertaking.

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420 with CNW – Missouri Puts Final Touches to Medical Marijuana Rules

Voters in Missouri approved a ballot measure which legalized medical marijuana in 2018. In March this year, the Department of Health and Senior Services released draft rules for the medical marijuana program and invited public comment on those rules. Last week, the department completed making changes to the draft rules based on the feedback received and they published the revised draft rules on the department’s website on Friday.

The rules cover 11 broad aspects of the medical cannabis program. These include rules covering patients and caregivers participating in the program, cultivation facility license procedures and requirements, testing facilities, seed to sale marijuana tracking and the rules governing medical marijuana manufacturing facilities.

The Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) will start receiving patient applications based on these rules on July 4 while applications from businesses which want licenses will be received starting August 3. The application forms are now available on the website and all interested parties can access and fill those forms.

DHSS will then start scoring the business applications and complete this exercise on December 31 this year, after which business licenses will be issued to the successful applicants in 2020.

The medical marijuana program has attracted a lot of interest from the business community, and the state expects to generate millions of dollars in taxes and fees from the industry.

However, the actual earnings are likely to fall short of what has been predicted. Economics professors at Missouri University crunched the numbers and concluded that the number of eligible patients in the state would be less than initially expected. The professors estimated that in 2022, the medical marijuana program is likely to raise about $3.4 million in taxes and fees, a figure which is much lower than the $24 million predicted by the people behind the initiative which saw the approval of the ballot measure legalizing medical marijuana.

In the meantime, 510 applications have been pre-filled and are due to be submitted. Those applications have generated more than $3.67 million in application fees. From these applications, 60 cultivation facilities, 86 manufacturing facilities and 192 medical marijuana dispensaries will be selected. The state will license 24 dispensaries for each of the eight congressional districts.

These draft rules will also be subject to public comment and a public hearing will be organized in July. TransCanna Holdings Inc. (CSE: TCAN) and Therma Bright Inc. (TSX.V: THRM) (OTC: THRBF) applaud the authorities in Missouri for systematically implementing the roadmap to the commercialization of the medical marijuana program.

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420 with CNW – State Statistics Reveal Less than 50 Percent of Ohio Patients Have Purchased Medical Marijuana

Medical marijuana was legalized in Ohio in 2016 and sales only started this year. Figures coming in from the state show that only 15,339 of the patients who hold medical marijuana cards have so far visited a dispensary and purchased medicinal marijuana products. Several factors can explain why just 49 percent of the cardholders have bought medical marijuana.

First, very few medical marijuana dispensaries have opened their doors to patients. Out of 56 dispensary licenses which were issued, just a paltry 15 establishments have started operating. These few dispensaries aren’t evenly distributed across the state, and this may explain why few patients have visited them and bought products.

Secondly, the price of the available products is still too high for many patients. The high prices may be resulting from the limited competition between the few dispensaries which have opened. Additionally, not many growers and processors are currently operating in the state. Prices are expected to reduce as more growers and processors come on board to supply the dispensaries in the state.

The state agencies involved in regulating the medical marijuana program also released other statistics related to the program.

For example, out of the 31,075 patients registered on the medical marijuana program, 171 have a diagnosis for a terminal illness, such as cancer. This could suggest that these people are taking medical marijuana to deal with pain.

The medical marijuana register also has 2,109 people registered as caregivers. Caregivers buy and administer medical cannabis to minors or people whose illness is so severe that they cannot buy and administer the medical marijuana by themselves.

In terms of sales, $5.8 million has been recorded as the revenue earned by medical marijuana businesses in the first four months of 2019. This is way below the potential of the industry since Ohio is ranked 7^th in the country in terms of its population and GDP.

In total, 750 pounds of marijuana plant material were sold by the medical cannabis dispensaries in the past four months. 3,610 units of manufactured cannabis products, such as oils and tinctures, were also sold.

Larger volumes of products are expected to be sold as medical marijuana becomes more readily available and as more people qualify for medical cannabis cards after more qualifying conditions were added to the initial list of 21 qualifying conditions.

TransCanna Holdings Inc. (CSE: TCAN) and Therma Bright Inc. (TSX.V: THRM) (OTC: THRBF) encourage all the entities that have received medical cannabis licenses to start operations quickly so that they can contribute to the growth of the medical marijuana industry in Ohio.

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420 with CNW – New Hampshire Senate Okays Medical Marijuana Home Cultivation

House Bill 364, a proposed law that seeks to allow patients taking medical cannabis to grow marijuana at home, has been approved by the senate in New Hampshire. The vote was close, but the bill sailed through 14-10.

Under the proposed legislation, patients who have been enrolled on the medical marijuana program of the state can have 12 medical marijuana seedlings, 3 young plants and 3 mature plants for their own use.

Currently, New Hampshire has 7,000 registered patients in the medical cannabis program. These patients have been compelled to get all their medical marijuana from just four Alternative Treatment Centers operating in the state.

The small number of retail outlets has resulted in high medical cannabis product prices, and many patients who cannot afford those products have resorted to using prescription opioids and other potentially harmful alternatives since medical marijuana isn’t covered by most insurance companies.

Activists have welcomed the bill saying that it will give patients a viable alternative to the expensive medical marijuana available at Alternative Treatment Centers.

There was resistance to the bill in the senate, and several changes were made in order to accommodate the concerns of the dissenting voices. For example, the bill initially had a provision which would allow a medical cannabis patient to gift marijuana to another patient who is registered to use medical cannabis in the state.

This provision was removed because there were concerns that such gifting would open the way to medical marijuana getting to the wrong people, such as criminal gangs selling marijuana on the black market.

Despite the changes, some senators, such as Sen. James Gray, are still adamant that legalizing home grows isn’t a good move. He said that the state has a rigorous system in place to make sure that the licensed cultivators only supply their products to the state-approved retailers. Allowing home grows creates a regulatory nightmare because it will be hard to monitor the plants grown by each patient who chooses to grow medical marijuana, Gray added.

Now that the bill has received senate approval, it now heads back to the House of Representatives where it had initially been approved and sent to the senate. The bill is coming back to the House so that the lawmakers there can consider the changes made by senate.

If the lawmakers in the House of Representatives pass the bill in its current form, then it will be sent to the desk of Gov. Sununu for a final decision on whether it becomes law.

TransCanna Holdings Inc. (CSE: TCAN) and Therma Bright Inc. (TSX.V: THRM) (OTC: THRBF) sympathize with the patients and call upon the authorities to pass the bill quickly so that those who cannot afford the medical cannabis in Alternative Treatment Centers can grow their own.

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420 with CNW – Epileptic Dogs Get Fewer Seizures When Given CBD Oil, Study Finds

A new study whose results were published in the journal Pet Behavior Science indicates that dogs with epilepsy have less frequent seizures if treated using CBD oil.

The study was small because it only followed three dogs over a period of two months while those dogs were treated with CBD oil. The research suggests that dogs respond to cannabis treatment in the same way that humans do.

The age and breed of the dogs studied varied. For example, one dog was a Labrador Retriever aged 3. This dog used to suffer an average of one epileptic seizure every month. A Papillion (aged 11) was also in the study. This particular dog suffered seizures every 2 or 3 months. The third dog was a Chihuahua aged 10. It usually suffered about two seizures every year.

During the study, the dogs were given CBD oil on an empty stomach twice each day. The findings released were based on the reports provided by the dog owners during the study period.

Two of those dog owners reported that their dogs improved during the time when they were given CBD oil. However, the owner of the Papillion reported that the dog didn’t exhibit any changes in its condition.

More specifically, the Labrador Retriever’s owner said that the dog barked less during the day and slept longer at night. The dog was also less excited when compared to other dogs that didn’t receive the CBD oil treatment. Overall, the owner was convinced that the dog improved after taking the CBD oil.

Similarly, the owner of the Chihuahua reported that the dog was less aggressive towards familiar people (the owner’s kids, for example) during the time when it was receiving CBD oil. The seizure-like behavior also reduced slightly during treatment.

The researchers revealed that it wasn’t clear whether CBD oil works in the same way to treat epilepsy in dogs as it does in humans. They opined that it is possible that by alleviating anxiety, CBD oil could reduce the frequency of epileptic seizures in both humans and dogs.

They called for more research to understand the neurobiological mechanisms through which CBD oil treatments triggered therapeutic effects.

There is a growing body of research showing that dogs can be treated effectively for various conditions using CBD oil. For example, one study last year found that CBD oil can trigger improvements in the symptoms of osteoarthritis in dogs.

Therma Bright, Inc. (TSX.V: THRM) (OTC: THRBF) and TransCanna Holdings Inc. (CSE: TCAN) urge all dog owners to use these research findings as a basis to talk to vets about alternative treatments for their dogs instead of being restricted to the conventional treatments alone.

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420 with CNW – California’s Cannabis Home Delivery Policy Faces Legal Challenge

Recently, California passed a rule to allow the statewide delivery of cannabis. However, a legal battle between the state and 25 cities is brewing after the cities went to court to have that rule overturned.

When California legalized marijuana, local governments were given the right to decide whether cannabis businesses and sales would be permitted in their jurisdictions and the conditions under which such operations could be permitted.

Many local governments exercised their right and opted to ban recreational cannabis from their jurisdictions. The new rule allowing cannabis retailers to deliver cannabis to “any address” within the state has angered the local authorities and 25 of them have gone to court over the matter since the rule would, in effect, render their position to ban cannabis ineffective.

At the core of this lawsuit is a desire to determine whether it is the state regulators in charge, or the local authorities where marijuana is cultivated and sold.

Marijuana companies and consumers advocated for the passing of the rule allowing the delivery of cannabis in the state because there were large “marijuana deserts” created by the action of local authorities that banned marijuana in their jurisdictions.

Those “deserts” made it difficult for people, especially frail patients, in those areas to access cannabis and yet the products were legal in the state.

Prop 64, the law under which cannabis became legal in California, indicates that cannabis can be delivered anywhere in the state by employees of a licensed cannabis retail business.

The cities that have gone to court therefore seem to be interested in establishing whether that provision overrides their power to restrict cannabis businesses from operating within their jurisdictions.

The state insists that the delivery rule is merely reinforcing what is already in the law while the cities argue that cannabis businesses are trying to circumvent the ban imposed by local governments. The cities insist that the deliveries should only be to the areas where the local governments have consented to the operation of cannabis businesses in their areas.

Currently, California is the largest cannabis market within the U.S., but many residents have been finding it hard to buy marijuana because of the ban imposed by several local authorities. This case is therefore going to be a landmark one since the ruling may make a definitive determination of how the cannabis industry in the state will operate.

The Green Organic Dutchman (TSX: TGOD) (OTCQX: TGODF), Therma Bright, Inc. (TSX.V: THRM) (OTC: THRBF) and the entire marijuana industry are watching with bated breath to see how the court will rule on this latest source of friction between the state and the local governments.

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420 with CNW – Colorado House Bill Could Make Marijuana Consumption Lounges Legal

Recreational marijuana has been legal in Colorado since 2012, but the people who buy legal pot have been having a hard time finding where they can consume their purchase. This is now set to change if a bill that has been approved by a House Committee eventually gets the nod from the entire State Assembly and Senate.

Under current law, recreational cannabis can only be consumed in private residences and private establishments. The ban on public and open consumption of cannabis remains in place even if the law legalizing recreational cannabis intended to regard recreational cannabis in the same way that alcohol is treated by the law.

In the past, all efforts to create a system by which the social consumption of marijuana could be licensed have failed. However, the sponsors of HB 1230 feel that the time may now be right for an enabling to law to be enacted so that businesses can get licenses for the social consumption of marijuana on their premises.

Representative Jonathan Singer, the sponsor of the bill, says that his intention is to fix two major issues in the law.

First, his bill will provide more clarity about the meaning of “open and public” so that cannabis businesses and consumers can know the limits of where cannabis consumption is allowed or not. Currently, marijuana seems to be in no man’s land on this issue, he added.

By defining what “open and public” means, it will be possible to license premises where tourists and residents can consume recreational marijuana. This is especially important because many people who live in rented premises cannot consume recreational cannabis at home because the landlords don’t permit its consumption on the premises.

HB 1230 seeks to create two kinds of licenses that businesses can apply for in order have cannabis users consume their stuff in the premises.

The first kind of license will enable consumption lounges and other public places to have a limited amount of cannabis that people can buy and consume while in the premises.

The second type of license wouldn’t allow on-site cannabis sales, but people can come in with their own cannabis and consume it from those premises.

However, any business that is licensed to sell or facilitate the consumption of alcohol wouldn’t be eligible for any of the cannabis social consumption licenses. Under the proposed law, local authorities would also have the right to decide whether to permit or ban cannabis consumption lounges and other such facilities within their jurisdictions.

Now that the bill has passed the first hurdle in the Business Affairs and Labor Committee of the House, it now heads to the House Finance Committee. The Green Organic Dutchman (TSX: TGOD) (OTCQX: TGODF) and Therma Bright, Inc. (TSX.V: THRM) (OTC: THRBF) hope that this bill is enacted into law so that the dilemma of where people can consume legal weed in Colorado can be solved sooner rather than later.

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