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☆ California's cannabis firms band together to address credit woes
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 16 (Reuters) - A coalition of cannabis firms, representing about 45% sales volume in California, on Tuesday started an effort to address credit issues that have plagued the state's legal cannabis market. Cannabis operators including Kiva Sales & Service, Lowell Farms, Nabis, Sunderstorm launched Financial Stability for California Cannabis (FSCC) and issued a public letter in support of Assembly Bill 766. The bill, dubbed "The Cannabis Credit Protection Act", seeks to establish regulatory safeguards around cannabis sales made on credit. Most U.S. banks do not service cannabis companies as marijuana remains federally illegal, despite several states like California legalizing its medicinal and recreational use, leaving the industry largely cash-based and capital-limited. The lack of capital means that the cannabis sales across the supply chain are largely made on credit terms with license holders agreeing to pay for goods and services at a specified later date.

☆ Exotic turtles have been poached to near-extinction in Asia, but in Hong Kong, these species thrive
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Scientists in Hong Kong are trying to save three species of turtles, CNN reports. Meanwhile, the Golden coin turtle, a striped turtle once considered an integral part of Chinese folk medicine, can go for hundreds of American dollars, CNN reported. "The situation has come to a point where it cannot be worse," Sung told CNN. The researchers told CNN that each species' population is now in the hundreds, with the Golden coin turtle being the rarest of all, with only around 100 in Hong Kong. Experts told CNN that since 2015, authorities, including the city's police and local wildlife organizations, seized thousands of illegally hunted turtles.

☆ These strange-looking turtles in Hong Kong could soon be extinct
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Hong Kong CNN —One of the world’s most densely populated cities might seem an unlikely refuge for endangered wildlife. While in Hong Kong, the unlikeliness of the setting has enabled them to fly largely under poachers’ radar. Professor Sung Yik-hei with a Big-headed turtle at a lab at Lingnan University in Hong Kong on April 13, 2023. Courtesy Sung Yik-hei Professor Sung Yik-hei monitors an area near a river in Hong Kong on April 13, 2023. A few hundred are left in Hong Kong, and perhaps even fewer in its other homes of Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam.

☆ Cannabis stocks light up after a group of lawmakers again seeks to protect banks that work with legal marijuana businesses
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Carla Mozée | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Cannabis stocks jumped Thursday as lawmakers sought again to pass a bill to protect banks that work with legal pot firms. The SAFE Banking Act of 2023 was refiled by Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate. The Secure and Fair Enforcement, or SAFE, Banking Act was refiled late Wednesday by House and Senate lawmakers from both the Democratic and Republican parties. They say the proposal is aimed at dealing with safety concerns stemming from legal cannabis businesses being locked out of banking services. Merkley said there's now a path for the first time for the SAFE Banking Act to move through the Senate Banking Committee and to a Senate floor vote.

☆ Tangaraju Suppiah: Singapore executes man for trafficking two pounds of cannabis
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Heather Chen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Tangaraju Suppiah, a 46-year-old Singaporean, was hanged early on Wednesday in Changi Prison and the family have received a death certificate, his sister Leelavathy Suppiah told CNN. Tangaraju was first sentenced to death in 2018 for “abetting the trafficking of more than one kilogram of cannabis (1,017.9 grams),” according to a statement from the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB). The court found he was in phone communication with two other men caught trying to smuggle cannabis into Singapore. “As is the case for many people currently on death row in Singapore, Tangaraju was forced to represent himself to seek a review of the Court of Appeal’s decision to uphold his conviction. Singapore has a strong reputation as a rule of law country so this concerning omission is not normal,” Perrett added.

☆ Kids under 6 ingesting illicit substances rose after Covid-19 outbreak, study shows
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Madeline Holcombe | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —The outbreak of Covid-19 presented many dangers for children, and a new study suggests increased illicit substance ingestions were among them. Those numbers grew by 1.8% more per month than they did before the pandemic, the study said. The results could be skewed if health care providers were on the lookout for ingestions, Dodington added. There was no association between medicinal or recreational cannabis legalization and the rate of cannabis ingestion encounters, according to the study. Safer storageIngesting drugs and alcohol are particularly dangerous for young children, Dodington said.

☆ Recreational marijuana use: CNN medical analyst urges caution
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Katia Hetter | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Using marijuana can cause impaired thinking and interfere with someone’s ability to learn, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. The trend toward legalizing marijuana must be accompanied by public education of the health risks, CNN Medical Analyst Dr. Leana Wen said. To be clear, there are many reasons to support policy changes of decriminalizing marijuana, including to rectify the decades-long injustices of disproportionately incarcerating minority individuals for marijuana possession. As many as 3 in 10 people who use marijuana have marijuana use disorder, according to the CDC. If an adult is using marijuana once in a while, and not while driving, it’s probably not going to have lasting consequences.

REUTERS/Nadja Wohlleben/File PhotoApril 20 (Reuters) - From cannabis-infused flowers to edible weed gummies, marijuana companies are pulling out all the stops as they eye bumper sales on April 20 - a day referred to as "4/20" in weed culture. Industry insiders expect highest single-day sales ever for the cannabis sector on Thursday even as the industry faces increased scrutiny from lawmakers in the United States. 4/20, derived from a trope for smoking marijuana, typically sees cannabis companies such as High Tide, Canopy Growth (WEED.TO), and Trulieve Cannabis Corp (TRUL.CD) amp up promotions, throwing in exclusive deals and discounts to lure customers. Wholesale cannabis platform Leaflink expects sales of infused flowers and pre-rolled joints to jump 500%-1,000% compared to 2022. According to seasonality data from cannabis data firm BDSA, cannabis retailers see more sales on Thursdays than on Wednesdays and Tuesdays.

☆ Germany waters down plan to legalise cannabis after talks with Brussels
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Acquiring and possessing up to 25 grams of recreational cannabis for personal consumption would also be made legal. Now we have to go new ways," Health Minister Karl Lauterbach said. Wednesday's announcement comes after Berlin held talks with the European Commission on a cornerstone paper the German government issued in October. The ministries involved in drafting the legislation - health, justice and agriculture - did not give a timeline for the plan. Many European countries, including Germany, have already legalised cannabis for limited medicinal purposes.

[1/5] A woman works inside a cannabis shop, at Khaosan Road, one of the favourite tourist spots in Bangkok, Thailand, March 29, 2023. Thousands of cannabis shops and businesses have sprung up, especially in Bangkok and tourist spots, since Thailand became the first Southeast Asian country to decriminalise the drug. A deluge of marijuana smuggled in from abroad has swamped Thailand, driving down wholesale prices and hurting growers, the industry members said. He did not comment on the scale of smuggled cannabis in the market or its impact on farmers. "A lot of cannabis that's coming in from the U.S. is going to dispensaries in Bangkok or Phuket or Pattaya," she said.

☆ The next big thing in Big Tech career path is an AI-based 'bilingual' job skillset
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-02 | by ( Eric Rosenbaum | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Microsoft unveiled new versions of its Bing internet-search engine and Edge browser powered by the newest technology from ChatGPT maker OpenAI. But the biggest one of all may be next, he says, through the combination of artificial intelligence and branches of science involved in medicine. But the opportunity won't translate into achievement without a new form of collaboration between the classic big tech talent and the medical field. One of her portfolio companies, Insitro, was founded by Stanford AI researcher Daphne Koller (Koller co-founder edtech company Coursera). "There is lots of exciting big talent opportunities coming from big tech and big cap pharma," she said.

☆ EU backs use of Novo Nordisk's weight loss drug in adolescents
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

March 31 (Reuters) - The European Medicines Agency said on Friday its committee has recommended expanding the use of Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk's (NOVOb.CO) weight loss drug in adolescents aged 12 years and older. Novo's Wegovy, a semaglutide-based drug, activates GLP-1, a hormone that triggers the feeling of fullness in the body after eating. It has been approved in the U.S. and European Union for treatment of obesity in adults. The company did not indicate a timeline for its plans to launch the drug, already available in Denmark and Norway, in other EU countries. Earlier this year, the American Academy of Pediatrics also recommended use of weight-loss drugs in children aged 12 years or older.

☆ Novo Nordisk suspended from UK lobby group
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( Natalie Grover | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ABPI's statement linked to a website of a self-regulatory body run by the association that pointed to a complaint alleging that Novo Nordisk had sponsored courses on weight management on LinkedIn for health professionals, without making clear the company's involvement. The move amounted to "bribing health professionals with an inducement to prescribe," the complaint alleged. In response, Novo said that it had agreed to provide sponsorship to ensure that health professionals would receive training from a reputable provider, but that it had supported the activity at "arms length". Novo is the market leader in the rapidly growing area of weight loss through medicinal treatment rather than only dieting or exercising. Novo has since developed a more effective obesity treatment called Wegovy, which has been in great demand globally and is being lined up for its UK launch.

☆ Mexican president floats banning use of medicinal fentanyl
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MEXICO CITY, March 15 (Reuters) - Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Wednesday proposed putting an end to medicinal use of fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid blamed for rising U.S. drug overdose deaths which has fed tensions between his country and the U.S. Lopez Obrador has vigorously rejected such suggestions, and argues his government is reducing the threat posed by the drug, saying it has seized more illegal fentanyl than "ever before." During a regular news conference, he said he would ask medical experts to analyze the possibility of "substituting fentanyl for medical uses with other painkillers." Earlier this week, Mexico said it was not a production hub for fentanyl, saying the drug and its ingredients largely come from Asia. Reporting by Mexico City Newsroom Editing by Marguerita ChoyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Argentina makes headway in establishing a cannabis export industry
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"The industry has incredible potential," said Gabriel Gimenez, director of the ARICCAME cannabis agency created in January this year, last week. Argentina is looking to build its domestic medical cannabis market and generate foreign currency through exports. In Santa Fe province, the medical cannabis research and development center (CIDCam), which has over 200 cannabis plants of various varieties, is expecting a second harvest this month. Pablo Fazio, president of the Argentine Chamber of Cannabis (ARGENCANN) and Pampa Hemp's co-founder, said demand could ignite a new domestic industry for products made from the raw material. The chamber comprises some 200 private firms either directly or indirectly linked to the industrial hemp and medical cannabis business.

☆ EU regulator recommends against approval for Merck's COVID pill for adults
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Companies Merck & Co Inc FollowFeb 24 (Reuters) - The European Union's drug regulator said on Friday its Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use has advised against market authorisation of the COVID-19 pill from Merck & Co Inc (MRK.N) for treatment in adults. Merck and its partner Ridgeback Biotherapeutics said they will appeal the decision and request a re-examination of the committee's opinion. "The CHMP's recommendation does not reflect the compelling data" from one of the company's late-stage trial and real-world studies, Dean Li, head of Merck's research division, said. In December, a large study had shown that the drug sped up recovery but did not reduce hospitalisation or death rate in higher-risk vaccinated adults. The regulator's recommendation against Merck's COVID-19 pill comes days after the company said Lagevrio was not effective at cutting the risk of coronavirus infections in people living with someone infected with the virus.

☆ Paraguay marijuana festival sets high hopes for legalization
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Cesar Olmedo | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/12] Visitors gather near marijuana plants as farmers host a harvest festival to showcase farms that have been converted to produce medicinal cannabis, in Aguerito, Paraguay February 19, 2023. REUTERS/Cesar OlmedoAGUERITO, Paraguay, Feb 21 (Reuters) - A marijuana harvest festival in a region of Paraguay usually known for drug trafficking has sparked hopes from local farmers that legalization could follow that will allow them to grow the plant for medicinal use. They hope the festival will catch the eye of lawmakers, encouraging them to back new legislation to help small farms. Paraguay is already a major global producer of illegally-sold cannabis, exporting largely to neighboring Brazil and other South American countries. Just a handful of labs import cannabis into Paraguay for legal medicinal use, but sell it at exorbitant prices, said Jorge Rolon, the farmers' legal adviser.

☆ Uzbekistan says 18 children die after consuming India-made syrup
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEW DELHI, Dec 28 (Reuters) - Uzbekistan's health ministry has said at least 18 children have died after consuming a medicinal syrup manufactured by Indian drugmaker Marion Biotech Pvt Ltd. The ministry said 18 out of 21 children who took the Doc-1 Max syrup while suffering from an acute respiratory disease died after consuming it. The syrup was imported into Uzbekistan by Quramax Medical LLC, the ministry said in its statement released on Tuesday. An Indian government source said the health ministry was looking into the matter. The Uzbek health ministry said it had dismissed seven employees for negligence for not analysing the deaths in a timely manner and not taking the necessary measures.

☆ Oil funds and a Turkey ETF were 2022 market winners, but Russia and crypto tanked
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( Paul R. La Monica | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —Oil stocks skyrocketed in 2022, so it’s no surprise funds that track the energy sector were Wall Street winners this year. The iShares MSCI Turkey exchange-traded fund had more than doubled as of December 19, according to data from Morningstar Direct. The Turkish economy has slowed recently as unemployment has risen, but the instability has not hurt Turkish stocks. Other US and international oil funds and ETFs were also at the top of Morningstar Direct’s list. (Morningstar Direct provided CNN Business with a ranking of the best and worst mutual funds and ETFs for 2022, excluding so-called leveraged funds that make outsized bets on stock market indexes.)

Pharmacists and parents across the country are contending with empty shelves as they search for children’s pain relief medications amid the ongoing spread of RSV, flu and Covid. CVS and Walgreens each announced on Monday that they are limiting the number of children's pain relief medications customers can buy: CVS to two, and Walgreens to six. Courtesy Chantel JablonskiCaswell said shortages of children’s Tylenol and ibuprofen and their generic versions started a month or two ago. Johnson & Johnson Motrin brand children's pain relievers at a Stop & Shop store in Dobbs Ferry, N.Y., on Jan. 23, 2022. Khan said “this is probably the worst” shortage of children’s medicine he’s seen, surpassing even peak Covid.

Hong Kong CNN —An unprecedented wave of Covid cases in China has sparked panic buying of fever medicines, pain killers, and even home remedies such as canned peaches, leading to shortages online and in stores. Canned yellow peaches, considered a particularly nutritious delicacy in many parts of China, have been snapped up by people looking for ways to fight Covid. Its sudden surge in popularity prompted Dalian Leasun Food, one of the country’s largest canned food manufacturers, to clarify in a Weibo post that canned yellow peaches don’t have any medicinal effect. “Canned yellow peaches ≠ medicines!” the company said in the post published Friday. The drug shortage has spread from mainland China to Hong Kong, a special administrative region which has a separate system of local government.

☆ Factbox: Brittney Griner, U.S. basketball star caught up in Russia crisis
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] U.S. basketball player Brittney Griner, who was detained at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport and later charged with illegal possession of cannabis, stands inside a defendants' cage before a court hearing in Khimki outside Moscow, Russia August 4, 2022. REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina/Pool/File PhotoDec 8 (Reuters) - A U.S. official said on Thursday that U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner, who had been jailed in Russia in charges of possessing and smuggling illegal drugs, was now in U.S. custody. Russia said she had been traded for Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer jailed in the United States. Brittney Griner, 32, is a double Olympic champion and seven-times All-Star player in the U.S. Women's National Basketball Association (WBNA). Known as "BG" to basketball fans, she has played for UMMC Ekaterinburg in Russia during the WNBA winter off-season since 2014.

☆ Canada exports rose in October helped by weak dollar
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Ismail Shakil | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Exports rose 1.5%, helped by higher exports of medicinal products as well as gold bars and coins to the United States, Statscan said. "Canada's merchandise trade surplus widened in October, with a weaker Canadian dollar providing a helping hand. When expressed in U.S. dollars, Canadian exports were down 1.3% in October, and imports decreased 2.2%, Statscan said. Exports of farm, fishing and intermediate food products rose 10.2% in October to a record-high C$5.5 billion, helped by canola and wheat. The Canadian dollar was trading at 1.3625 to the greenback, or 73.39 U.S. cents, down 0.3% on the day.

☆ World’s heaviest flying bird uses plants to self-medicate, scientists say
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( Hafsa Khalil | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Published in Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution scientific journal on Wednesday, the study reveals that the great bustards ate an abundance of corn poppies (Papaver rhoeas) and purple viper’s bugloss (Echium plantagineum). In humans, corn poppies have been used for their medicinal properties as a sedative and pain relief while purple viper’s bugloss can be toxic if consumed. Both plants were highly effective in killing or inhibiting the effects of the protozoa and nematodes, according to the study. The purple viper’s bugloss showed moderate defensive action against the fungi. “We normally associate self-medication in species like primates, so to see researchers studying endangered birds is brilliant,” Rose told CNN.

Voters in Maryland approved Question 4, which legalizes marijuana use for adults over the age of 21. Proponents said the measure will improve the economy and benefit Maryland residents. 2022 General EmbedsBallot measure detailsMaryland's Question 4 will add the Marijuana Legalization Amendment to the Maryland state constitution. The bill also requires state lawmakers to pass laws for the "use, distribution, possession, regulation, and taxation" of marijuana in Maryland, according to the measure text and Ballotpedia. Supporters argued the measure will improve the economy, benefit Maryland residents, and allow law enforcement to focus on combatting violent crime.

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