1 in 10 HS seniors uses delta-8 THC • Congress members push for updates on cannabis research bill • NY lawmakers release cannabis proposals for budget • & more …

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University of Southern California researchers conducted a study that measured the prevalence of delta-8 THC and cannabis use among 12th graders. 

Researchers analyzed data from the Monitoring the Future Study survey from February to June 2023, focusing on high school seniors in 27 U.S. states. 

Results showed that at least 11% of more than 2,100 high school seniors reported using delta-8 THC products, and 30.4% self-reported cannabis within the past year. Consumption of delta-8 products was greater in areas where cannabis isn’t legal, or where rules don’t exist to regulate the products — like the South and Midwest, researchers highlighted.

“11% is a lot of people – that’s at least one or two students in every average-sized high school class who may be using delta-8. We don’t know enough about these drugs, but we see that they are already extremely accessible to teens,” Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), said in a statement. 

“Cannabis use in general has been associated with negative impacts on the adolescent brain, so we must pay attention to the kinds of cannabis products teens are using, educate young people about potential risks, and ensure that treatment for cannabis use disorder and adequate mental health care is provided to those who need it.”

This research was published in JAMA.

Reps. Earl Blumenauer and Andy Harris wrote a letter to the Dept. of Health and Human Services(HHS) remedy the “ineffective implementation” of the Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research Expansion Act.

Specifically, the language of the bill required that HHS send to Congress a report on federal barriers hindering cannabis research.

“We are deeply troubled by recent reporting that the Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research Expansion Act is not being implemented in line with congressional intent. It is unacceptable that researchers continue to face harmful barriers to cannabis research after Congress expressly removed obstacles to research into this substance,” the lawmakers wrote.

Blumenauer and Harris added that more than 150 research applications are pending with the FDA and that “many more researchers are excluded” through the DEA’s process, which has “not been adequately updated.”

“Congress has yet to receive a report on the potential therapeutic effects of cannabis and barriers to research on state- or locally legalized marijuana despite the law mandating this report be sent a year after enactment,” the lawmakers wrote. 

The letter asks what caused HHS to miss the deadline, and the timeline for submission. 

Cannabis Wire reached out to HHS for an update on this report and we were told in February by an HHS spokesperson that “the report is currently in progress and will be shared with Congress once finalized.”

This week, both the Senate and Assembly released their respective budget proposals. These legislative packages essentially represent each chamber’s response to Gov. Kathy Hochul’s proposed budget, and mark the beginning of three-way negotiations that will culminate in a final budget.

As Cannabis Wire previously reported, the two main cannabis proposals in Hochul’s budget focus on taxes and enforcement. 

Hochul’s proposal repeals the potency tax on cannabis and replaces it with a 9% wholesale excise tax. The Assembly is proposing a 7% tax, and the Senate is proposing a phased tax starting at 5% until 2028, 7% until 2031, and finally 9% starting in 2031. Also, the Senate is proposing repealing the tax on medical cannabis.

On enforcement, the Senate said it added to Hochul’s proposal “language that would strengthen the ability of enforcement agencies to take actions against property owners allowing illicit cannabis stores on their property, make it easier for local governments to utilize the process to seek closing orders against illicit stores in the courts, expand the hours administrative inspections can happen, and makes technical changes to the proposal to give localities the ability to create their own administrative cannabis enforcement local laws.”

Both the Senate and the Assembly aim to provide some relief to cannabis farmers. The Assembly proposes $80 million for a “cannabis rescue and relief fund.” 

The fund will be “used to offset any or all cannabis related expenses incurred by cultivators and processors that experienced a substantial financial hardship within the cannabis industry with priority given to such cultivators.”

The Senate also proposes a relief fund, at $40 million, and adds a “cannabis farmer loan program” at $60 million, as well as a “cannabis farmer refundable tax credit.”