Articles, news and information around the cannabis sector

Is Japan’s medical cannabis bill in parliament a sign of a cultural change?

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 23rd November 2023

Japan may very soon ban hexahydrocannabihexol (HHCH) and other synthetic cannabinoid derivatives in the wake of the country’s first medical cannabis regulation bill passing its initial parliamentary scrutiny ...

Skinny Rebel without a cause? ASA rules on UK drink’s name, not CBD health claim

Written by Freddie Dawson | 21st September 2023

The UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) does not appear to be especially concerned about the potential for mentioning the presence of CBD in a product being a health claim. The ASA recently made a ruling...

Responsibility to the community: Hawaii’s hemp industry reacts to Maui wildfires

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 24th August 2023

Hawaii’s cannabis sector was not immune to the devastation and death brought by the Maui wildfires, which killed at least 114 people earlier this month ...

A blogger’s farewell – or how I got the inside dope on the cannabis industry

Written by Aidan Semmens | 10th August 2023

After the obvious opening question, “Have you ever used cannabis?” came the follow-up: “Do you think it did you any harm?” To which my honest answer was: “Yes. It got me hooked on tobacco” ...

Sustainability versus waste and pollution – it’s the green growing issue we all face

Written by Freddie Dawson | 3rd August 2023

Together with climate change, sustainability, waste and environmental pollution – issues which are all inextricably interlinked – add up to arguably the big issue of our times ...

Social media giant softens slightly in its cautious approach to CBD advertising

Written by Freddie Dawson | 20th July 2023

The company behind Facebook, Instagram and other social media platforms has joined Twitter and Google in updating its advertising policies on CBD products ...

What troubles the doctor about cannabis programs is just what appeals to patients

Written by CannIntelligence | 13th July 2023

Patients don’t want cannabis to become just another prescription drug – while their doctors want it to be more closely studied, tested and regulated before they are happy to prescribe it ...

Is the EU really quite as strongly opposed to recreational cannabis as it appears?

Written by Freddie Dawson | 6th July 2023

Anticipation of internal opposition, rather than fear of future EU resistance, may have led to Germany’s climb-down on recreational cannabis ...

Cannabis use may cut smoking – but what harm could lie in using both together?

Written by CannIntelligence | 22nd June 2023

US cannabis users are three times more likely to be cigarette smokers than those who don’t use cannabis, but this statistic is an example of the “gateway drug fallacy” ...

Are Africa’s cannabis dreams dying or is there hope they can still come true?

Written by CannIntelligence | 16th June 2023

Legalisation of cannabis cultivation was met with initial excitement in many African countries, such as Malawi, where it offered new economic hopes in a poor agrarian economy ...

A question of Czechs and balances – the most compelling legal saga now showing

Written by Freddie Dawson | 8th June 2023

The Czech government is still knee deep in trying to create a recreational cannabis market, but it looks like tightening up enforcement on tangential areas is no longer as much of a concern ...

Researchers’ direst warnings on oral CBD should be taken with a lethal dose of salt

Written by CannIntelligence | 25th May 2023

Researchers at the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently published a review on the toxicity of orally-consumed CBD, largely echoing worries outlined in other safety reviews. So how worried should we be? ...

Another left-field throw as Czechs keep us guessing on cannabinoids policy

Written by Freddie Dawson | 18th May 2023

The Czech Republic has taken another interesting U-turn, announcing then almost at once retracting a ban on CBD foods – but what might it all mean for recreational cannabis, or IHDCs? ...

How will legalising recreational use affect Germany’s medical cannabis market?

Written by Lorraine Mullaney | 11th May 2023

German recreational legalisation – despite being watered down – will still heavily impact, but not completely eliminate, the country’s medical cannabis market ...

As drinkers move away from alcohol, how far can cannabis drinks penetrate?

Written by CannIntelligence | 4th May 2023

Increasing numbers of consumers are shifting away from alcohol in favour of healthier and lower-alcoholic options, which many have perceived as an opportunity for cannabinoid-containing drinks ...

The pay and the pain – study reveals little about the real value of medical cannabis

Written by CannIntelligence | 20th April 2023

A new study of the relationship between opioids and cannabis via payments to doctors in US states offers little towards understanding the potential of cannabis as a substitute for opioids ...

Germany’s promised bright dawn for cannabis falls short of expectations

Written by Freddie Dawson | 13th April 2023

Germany’s newly presented recreational cannabis plan may be good news if you’re a German consumer sick of black-market dealings, but it offers poor fare for those on the business end ...

Cannabis good, or cannabis bad? However you see it, we’ve got a stat for that

Written by Aidan Semmens | 6th April 2023

While statistics are vital to understanding our world, they are often misunderstood – and that can be important when it comes to forming opinions and laws on controversial issues such as cannabis ...

Yellow card offence – but comments are a long way from being a dismissal of CBD

Written by CannIntelligence | 22nd March 2023

Comments by the chair of the UK Committee on Toxicity (COT) about reactions to CBD have stirred up a hornet’s nest – but the furore suggests a misunderstanding of what he actually said ...

Spannabis: a celebration of the cannabis sector despite lingering uncertainties

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 14th March 2023

Business representatives and scientists from across the globe gathered in Barcelona last week for a series of international events dedicated to the world of legal cannabis ...

Oklahoma voters show the path to legal recreational cannabis isn’t always easy

Written by Freddie Dawson | 8th March 2023

The march to recreational cannabis legalisation in the US is by no means a straight line upwards, as the recent ballot result in Oklahoma shows ...

Tamarind Intelligence – analysis and data trusted by governments and beyond

Written by CannIntelligence | 2nd March 2023

Tamarind Intelligence data continues to be an invaluable tool used by governments and NGOs around the world, contributing to a wide number of government and supra-national projects ...

Another poll finds huge popular support for US legalisation – but who is listening?

Written by Freddie Dawson | 16th February 2023

Another poll weighted to be nationally representative of US voters has shown strong support for legalising adult use of recreational cannabis – and broad backing for including social equity measures ...

Could a smart rapper help smokable hemp seriously disrupt Big Tobacco?

Written by Freddie Dawson | 9th February 2023

Could the involvement of Snoop Dogg help a Californian companyt to “disrupt tobacco’s nearly $1tn industry with hemp cigarettes, smoking paper and other alternatives to nicotine tobacco”? ...

If teenage cannabis use is rising, that has nothing to do with adult legalisation

Written by CannIntelligence | 2nd February 2023

While youth cannabis use is increasing in the US, contextual data show this trend is not associated with the creation of legal cannabis markets ...

How did we do? CannIntelligence’s 2022 predictions measured against events

Written by Freddie Dawson | 18th January 2023

CannIntelligence predicted that 2022 would be the year of intoxicating hemp-derived cannabinoids (IHDCs) and that has proven to be the case. But’s not been plain sailing for cannabis or CBD ...

Much-needed research into SCRAs’ huge medical potential faces high barriers

Written by Freddie Dawson | 12th January 2023

The recreational reputation of synthetic cannabinoids – synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists (SCRAs) – precedes them, leading to restrictions on use and even research ...

Of headaches, pirates and the rise in cannabis against tobacco smoking

Written by Aidan Semmens | 5th January 2023

Correlation is not causation, but it’s tempting to see a meaningful pattern in figures showing that US adults (particularly the younger ones) are smoking less tobacco and using more cannabis ...

Pain, pot and placebos – flawed study fails to reveal their true relationship

Written by CannIntelligence | 22nd December 2022

Despite what its authors claim, a new and widely reported study fails to establish that the analgesic properties of cannabis can be largely attributable to the placebo effect ...

Cannabis and dopamine – potential good news for bipolar disorder sufferers

Written by CannIntelligence | 13th December 2022

New research suggests that the effect of cannabis on dopamine may help to treat certain symptoms of bipolar disorder, with a reduced tendency to engage in risky behaviours and some improvement in cognitive ability ...

Simon the brand-builder demonstrates confidence in future of cannabis drinks

Written by Lorraine Mullaney | 7th December 2022

Cannabis-infused drinks have been the subject of industry debate and speculation as they raise many challenges – from regulatory hurdles to dosage issues and taste formulation – but is it just a case of "when",...

Re-election of Florida governor DeSantis could hit Green Thumb’s Circle K deal

Written by CannIntelligence | 24th November 2022

The re-election of Florida’s Republican governor Ron DeSantis raises doubts over a deal between the convenience and fuel retailer Circle-K and Green Thumb Industries to roll out a series of small medical cannabis dispensaries ...

How will the EU’s proposed new rules on batteries affect cannabinoid vapes?

Written by Dmytro Korchahin | 17th November 2022

The upcoming revision of the regulation of batteries in the EU may well have a profound effect the industry, with safety, sustainability and the environment all coming under the lawmakers' microscope ...

CannIntelligence meets the stars at the World CBD awards in Barcelona

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 16th November 2022

CannIntelligence was among the participants at the recent World CBD Awards show in Barcelona. Check out our red carpet video for a fuller flavour of what happened on the night ...

Bullish GVB Biopharma bucks the US trend for falling hemp production

Written by Freddie Dawson | 10th November 2022

News from 22nd Century Group provides an interesting contrast to the current US trend for falling hemp acreagres and cutbacks ...

How far will Biden and state governors go on pardons for cannabis offenders?

Written by Freddie Dawson | 3rd November 2022

It looks like at least two state governors have taken up US president Joe Biden’s urging of them to back up his recent pardon of all non-violent cannabis possession offences ...

What is attracting the American right to put cash and effort behind psychedelics?

Written by Freddie Dawson | 19th October 2022

It is not only cannabis that is attracting what might be thought unexpected investment and support from traditionally conservative, right-wing supporters and lobbyists in the US ...

Vaping and weed – gateway to confusion between correlation and causation

Written by CannIntelligence | 13th October 2022

Another study has confused correlation and causation when it comes to youth vaping and the supposed gateway effect – this time linking vaping and later cannabis use ...

Cannabis may help against opioids – but this latest study doesn’t tell us much

Written by CannIntelligence | 6th October 2022

Reducing opioid dependence is a primary goal of medical cannabis programmes, but there remains a need for rigorous science when making decisions about the interaction between cannabis and opioid use for pain ...

Opposite sides attract, as Navajo oppose any bid to decriminalise use of peyote

Written by Freddie Dawson | 22nd September 2022

Drug legalisation as an issue truly does bring together some strange bedfellows – like the Navajo Nation and drug prohibitionists ...

How will open access to federally funded research affect US cannabis science?

Written by CannIntelligence | 14th September 2022

The Biden Administration recently released a memorandum requiring research receiving federal funds to be made available to the public without charge. But what effect will this have on cannabis research? ...

Coming together over cannabis: is support becoming a bipartisan issue?

Written by Freddie Dawson | 8th September 2022

Once mainly the purview of fringe leftists, support for cannabis continues to become more of a bipartisan issue ...

Could cannabis help improve outcomes for patients badly afflicted by Covid?

Written by CannIntelligence | 18th August 2022

A study published this month provides further evidence that cannabis could be helpful in treating severe late-stage Covid-19 ...

Trouble in Lima – hemp bill’s chances tied up in Peru’s congressional crisis

Written by Freddie Dawson | 10th August 2022

New legislation has been put forward in Peru to establish a framework for the production and commercialisation of hemp – but what are its chances of passing in a period of political turmoil? ...

In a world of wide-boys and no-hopers, who should have a licence to sell weed?

Written by Freddie Dawson | 4th August 2022

It’s difficult to get a licence to operate in the cannabis field in the US if you’ve been convicted of selling cannabis before it was legal. Yet such restrictions do little to protect the market...

Are psychedelics set to follow cannabis into mainstream medical acceptance?

Written by Lorraine Mullaney | 21st July 2022

Psychedelics are having another moment in the spotlight. But is the heightened awareness just hype, or have these once-taboo substances been permanently rehabilitated? ...

Cannabis or marijuana? Why it matters what name you (and the law) know it by

Written by Freddie Dawson | 13th July 2022

There is quite a bit of baggage in how reference is made to the Cannabis sativa plant – as demonstrated by what's behind a new change to the law in the US state of Washington...

No magic solution: EFSA ingestible CBD safety concerns won’t be resolved quickly

Written by Freddie Dawson | 1st July 2022

It looks like there will be no easy or quick solutions to addressing the data gaps the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) requires to reach a conclusion on the safety of CBD as an ingestible...

Why the long pause? Companies question Efsa’s insistence on filling ‘data gap’

Written by Freddie Dawson | 23rd June 2022

In trying to be overly cautious on novel foods, has the European Food Safety Authority inadvertently added an extra risk to public health? ...

Lack of quality science on cannabis and pain leaves room for fake news and myth

Written by Barnaby Page | 16th June 2022

“It’s a myth that cannabis relieves pain,” declared the Daily Mail. But that is not what the study it was reporting said at all ...

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