Welcome back to The Week in Weed, your Friday look at what's happening in the world of legalized marijuana.
We start out west, where California may not wait for the feds to act on CBD. The state is in the process of legalizing the use of CBD and permitting the sale of hemp-derived CBD in food, beverages and cosmetics.
And it's not just the states who want in on legal CBD. Kroger is now selling CBD topicals (which are legal, unlike CBD-infused food, drink, cosmetics, etc.) in 17 states.
In New Mexico, lawmakers have added opioid addiction to the list of conditions allowing the use of medical marijuana. But is there any proof that medical cannabis can help to reduce opioid addiction? A study that gave a tentative "yes" as an answer to that question, has been expanded and now seems to indicate the answer is "no." For those of you brave enough to read the actual Stanford study, it's posted here.
But could marijuana help with treatment for metabolic disorders? UC Riverside has just received a grant for a three-year study to find out. Let's not make any predictions until all the data is in.
Will Delaware be the next state to legalize recreational cannabis? As we've reported before, a bill to do so is moving through the legislature, but the governor opposes it, so it's definitely not a sure thing.
In Alabama, a study group has been authorized by the governor to look into legalizing medical marijuana. While it's unlikely that any action will result in 2019, 2020 may be a big year in that regard.
Turning our attention to Europe, a committee of senators in France have agreed in principle to approve medical cannabis. Nothing's final yet, but indications are that this will happen. Meanwhile in Italy, despite a ruling against " cannabis light," the low THC market continues to flourish.
See you next week!
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