The rise of CBD has sparked interest in cultivating your own source of this potentially beneficial compound. CBD seeds, unlike THC-dominant marijuana seeds, offer a way to grow hemp plants rich in CBD. But before you grab a bag and start planting, here's a breakdown of what CBD seeds are and what to consider.
Understanding CBD Seeds
CBD seeds come from the cannabis sativa plant, specifically hemp varieties bred for high CBD content and low THC (typically below 0.3%). These seeds won't produce plants that get you high, but may offer access to CBD for potential wellness use.
Types of CBD Seeds
There are several varieties of CBD seeds available, each with its own characteristics:

• Feminized Seeds: These seeds are guaranteed to produce female plants, the ones that produce the flowers containing CBD.
• Autoflowering Seeds: These plants automatically switch from vegetative growth to flowering based on age, making them easier to manage for beginners.
• High-CBD Strains: These seeds are specifically bred to maximize CBD content.

Growing Considerations
Growing CBD from seeds requires research and knowledge. Here are some factors to keep in mind:

• Legality: Check your local laws regarding hemp cultivation. Licenses may be required.
• Climate: Choose seeds suited to your growing region's climate.
• Growing Environment: CBD plants can be grown indoors or outdoors, but require proper setup for light, ventilation, and nutrients.

Important Disclaimer
This information is for educational purposes only. It's crucial to consult your local laws and regulations before attempting to cultivate CBD seeds.
By understanding CBD seeds and the requirements for growing them, you can make informed decisions about whether this path is right for you. Remember, responsible cultivation starts with knowledge!
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This article was originally published on Cannabis.net and appears here with permission.
Migraine sufferers drop prescription drugs at record pace and switch to cannabis for headache pain!
Ask anyone who’s ever suffered from chronic migraines, and they can tell you that these headaches can rob you of quality of life. Migraines are by no means just any type of headache: they can result in symptoms such as irritability, nausea, and fatigue on top of the migraine pain. These symptoms, in turn, can be triggered by simple things such as lights, movements, and sound.
While some individuals experience acute migraines, there are many who suffer from chronic or long-lasting migraine episodes. These can last for several hours, making it impossible to continue with work and play. Migraines are also extremely common, affecting some 15% of the worldwide population.
Since there are so many different factors that can cause migraines, it can be difficult to treat. There are many things that can cause migraines, such as hormonal fluctuations (for women), alcohol use, lack of sleep, side effect of medications, and even genetics. There are a range of specialized pharmaceutical medications that have been developed to treat migraines, such as beta blockers and triptans such as eletriptan, sumatriptan, triptan, rizatriptan, and many more.
However, these migraine medications also may come with side effects. Triptans, in particular, are commonly associated with limb heaviness, fatigue, tightness in the jaw, chest, or throat, and myalgias.
That said, cannabis has been shown to be as effective as prescription medications without the side effects, or are even more effective!
The good news is that cannabis has been shown to be extremely beneficial for migraine sufferers. The human body has several endocannabinoid receptors, many of which are concentrated in the central nervous system as well as the brain. When you have a migraine and medicate with cannabis, the cannabinoids bind with these receptors to provide relief.
There are several studies that back up these claims, too.
In March 2024, the results of a study conducted by researchers from Yale School of Medicine was published. The investigators polled feedback from 1,373 patients at a tertiary headache clinic, with less than a third of them reporting that they are current cannabis users.
For the cannabis consumers, a majority said that it either improved symptoms or at least reduced the frequency of migraines. Meanwhile, 63% of respondents said that cannabis consumption also helped them decrease or completely eliminate their prescription medications for migraines. “This is the largest study to date to document cannabis product usage patterns and perceived benefits for migraine management in a clinical headache patient sample” concluded the study authors. “A majority of patients surveyed reported using cannabis products for migraine management and cited perceived improvements in migraine characteristics, clinical features, and associated risk factors” they added.

Other Studies Back Up Cannabis’ Safety And Efficacy For Migraines

Researchers from the University of California at San Diego published results of a clinical trial last February 2024. The trials involved analyzing the safety and efficacy of herbal cannabis for 92 patients who suffered from persistent migraines. The cannabis flower used for the trial contained both CBD and THC.
The patients were randomly given vaporized cannabis in various ratios, containing a range of THC and CBD, as well as placebo after they experienced migraines. They researchers found that out of the 4 cannabis chemotypes, the vaporized cannabis with both THC and CBD were the most effective.
“Vaporized 6% THC + 11% CBD cannabis flower was superior to placebo for pain relief, pain freedom, and MBS [most bothersome symptom] freedom at 2 hours as well as 24-hour sustained pain freedom and sustained MBS freedom and 48-hour sustained MBS freedom” said the authors. In addition, they found that the THC/CBD flower was more effective than placebo when it came to providing relief from photophobia, or light sensitivity, as well as sound sensitivity caused by migraines.
It's also good to note that the participants did not report any adverse side effects during the trial. “Future research should include multicenter studies and long-term studies of benefits and risks with repeated use” concluded the investigators.
There are also studies that validate the safety of cannabis in treating migraines. For one, let’s take a review conducted by investigators at the California Institute of Behavioral Neurosciences and Psychology. The investigators analyzed 9 recent studies which assessed more than 5,600 subjects.
“All the studies showed encouraging findings on the therapeutic effects of medicinal marijuana in migraine treatment. Additionally, medical marijuana is well-tolerated with fewer side effects and is safe to use in migraine patients” the authors reported.
“The studies demonstrated that medical marijuana has a significant clinical response by reducing the length and frequency of migraines. No severe adverse effects were noted. Due to its effectiveness and convenience, medical marijuana therapy may be helpful for patients suffering from migraines” they concluded.

Conclusion

Based on research, cannabis flower and other products that contain both THC and CBD are the most effective. However, cannabis isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution, and there is no standardized dosage recommendation for migraine patients just yet.
You may have to experiment with various products and doses to find one that works well for you. Be open and you might just find the perfect cannabis product for your medical needs.

TLDR: There has to be a plant in my yard poisoning the dogs and can't figure out what it is.
I am convinced there is some plant growing in my yard that is causing moderate intoxication in my dogs. First instance was last year in April. symptoms were: loss of coordination/balance, tremors, excessive salivation, lethargy, vomiting. We went to VEG and they took great care of us but they were convinced it's marijuana and I think the chances of that are slim considering we don't partake. Same symptoms occurred again this April in our other dog, thankfully much milder and VEG took care of us once more. We have an open case with ASPCA poison control. We live in Denver and I'm just at a loss...has anyone else experienced this or have any clue what plant this could be? So far, I've discovered green onion growing but we fenced that area off. There are tulips in other areas but fenced around them and the vet said they had to eat the bulb to really get intoxicated.
I've just sifted through some dog vomit because it's happened once again and I see several leaves but I can't tell what they are (they look like some sort of tree leaves to my untrained eye). We're seeking medical attention, but just wondering if anyone has dealt with this.
We have not gone on any walks recently, only throwing ball around in our fenced in yard.
UPDATE: She is doing much better and back to her normal self after 10 hours of rest last night. No toxins came back in the bloodwork/urine; however, I looked into a lot of suggestions here and I do think the "compost" idea might be it. Even though we don't intentionally compost, there are a couple apple trees back there and lots of leaves. Maybe the combination of old, fermented apples with the old leaves created a compost mix she consumed when likely trying to eat one of the apples. I did not find any apple in her emesis, but it's a possibility. Also looking into the Ivy and various flowers. Thank you so much to everyone for your feedback and suggestions!

I stumbled upon one of our old blog posts called "10 Plants That You Might Mistake for Marijuana," and if you're a nature person, you'll love it.
These five plants have the most convincingly similar-looking leaves to weed's fan leaves, IMO:

1. Spider Flower (Cleome hassleriana)
2. Kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus)
3. Chaste Tree (Vitex agnus-castus)
4. Japanese Maple (Acer palmatum)
5. Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus)

Can you think of any that I'm missing, and have you ever seen any of these leaves in the wild?

this is just a vent. i went into the ER last night with severe abdominal pain. unfortunately i had already been to the same ER a few days before for increased pain in my thoracic spine & pressure in my head, and they didn’t find anything.
much to my misfortune the same nurse that triaged me the first time was also there last night. he was nice to me the first time, i was actually happy to see him. he was very pissy while asking me questions, he did not seem happy to see me. and then he asks me if i take any drugs other than my oxycodone. i tell him the only other drug i take is medical marijuana, besides the other meds listed in my chart. he asks me when the last time i smoked was and i tell him today. he gets a real justified look on his face and goes “so…you know it’s still illegal to SMOKE marijuana in (my state), right??” it’s illegal to ignite flower in my state, you’re supposed to vaporize it. which for the record most patients don’t do and everyone knows that, but either way i can’t remember the last time i ignited flower. i smoke carts and dab. he was trying to lead me into telling on myself for whatever god forsaken reason.
do nurses not think people can have 2 separate issues close together that they genuinely need an ER for?? fucking hell it’s not like i come in all the time. it was twice in a few days and i hadn’t been any other time besides that in like 6 months, and not even to this ER.
i’m just tired of so called medical “professionals” preying on me when im at my most vulnerable. like i promise you i do not want to be here. i would do anything to go home but im in a lot of pain and im fucking scared so i’m here. you’re a fucking triage nurse, you have to see me for all of 5 minutes.
i did end up having pretty fucked up inflammation in my colon by the way. i was not in fact just there for no reason, just for funzies.

This is part 2 of my list for Virginia's post Furman execution roster. As mentioned in part 1's opening paragraph, character count limitations forced me into splitting my Virginia's execution roster into two separate posts. For the link to part 1, please click here.
59. Kevin Cardwell (1991-1998, lethal injection): Cardwell intercepted Anthony Brown, a 15 year old drug carrier, while he was at a bus stop. He lured Brown into his apartment and searched his belongings for any drugs. Brown was then dragged into the woods, shot to death, and stripped of the cocaine strapped to his legs.
60. Mark Sheppard (~1980s-1999, lethal injection): Sheppard and his accomplice Andre Graham were invited by their dealers, 40 year old Richard and 35 year old Rebecca Rosenbluth, over to their home to buy cocaine. However, an argument broke out during the transaction, and Sheppard shot the couple to death. The pair then drove away from the scene with the couple's car and a few undisclosed stolen items. Sheppard had a long history of violence that dated back to when he was 9 years old.
61. Tony Fry (1994-1999, lethal injection): Fry and his partner shot Leeland Jacobs, a 42 year old car salesman, while robbing his Ford Dealership. The pair tied Jacobs to a car they stole while he was still alive, and dragged him to death.
62. George Quesinberry Jr. (1989-1999, lethal injection): Quesinberry shot 63 year old Thomas Haynes while breaking into his office with an accomplice. When Haynes survived the initial shooting, Quesinberry hit him in the head with the gun and fractured his skull. The pair stole a total of $200 in the robbery.
63. David Fisher (~1970s(?)-1999, lethal injection): Fisher was paid $7,000 by an associate to kill 18 year old David Wilkey in retaliation for abandoning a murder scheme. Originally, Wilkey was part of a conspiracy to seduce and marry a young woman in order to kill her for an insurance policy, but backed out when he genuinely fell in love with the would be victim. He was tricked into going on a hunting trip with Fisher and shot to death by him. Fisher had 25 previous criminal convictions and was involved with organized crime. He was in the witness protection program at the time of Wilkey’s murder.
64. Carl Chichester (1991-1999, lethal injection): During a holdup of a Little Caesars, Chichester shot and killed the manager, 30 year old Timothy Rigney, for refusing to open the cash register. He and his two accomplices ran off with a total of $110.
65. Arthur Jenkins III (1991-1999, lethal injection): Jenkins and his teenage brother shot and killed their uncle, 72 year old Floyd, and their uncle's friend, 69 year old Lee Brinklow. They then stole their wallets and sacked Floyd's home for any money and valuables.
66. Eric Payne (~1980s-1999, lethal injection): Payne broke into the residences of two women, 61 year old Ruth Parham and 57 year old Sally Fazio, and raped them. Both women were beaten to death with a hammer, and he took money from their drawers and pocket books. He had a history of drug possessions and exposing himself to women.
67. Ronald Yeatts (1989-1999, lethal injection): Yeatts and an accomplice invaded 70 year old Ruby Dodson's home and stabbed her to death. The pair grabbed her purse during the burglary and divided up the money they found in it.
68. Tommy Strickler (1989-1999, lethal injection): Strickler and his partner kidnapped 19 year old Leann Whitlock from a mall and crushed her head with a 70 pound boulder. Whitlock's car and credit cards were stolen during the attack.
69. Marlon Williams (~1980s(?)-1999, lethal injection): Williams was paid $4,000 to murder 44 year old Helen Bedsole by his dealer, who was also her estranged husband. The couple were in the midst of a bitter divorce at the time, and the dealer wanted to both collect a life insurance policy and prevent Helen from dividing up their assets. He suck into the couple’s home, and shot and killed Helen in the kitchen. Williams had an extensive criminal history, which included cutting the throat of his ex girlfriend’s grandmother, 71 year old Virgina Parker, during a bungled attempt on her life.
70. Everett Mueller (1990-1999, lethal injection): 10 year old Charity Powers was dropped off at a skating ring by her mother. She was supposed to be picked up by her mother's friend, but they didn't show up due to failing asleep in their home. While Powers was waiting outside the ring in vain for her ride, she was abducted by Mueller. He raped the girl, slashed her throat, and dumped the body in a nearby forest.
71. Jason Joseph (1992-1999, lethal injection): While robbing a Subway with an accomplice, Joseph shot and killed one of the clerks, 22 year old Jeffrey Anderson.
72. Thomas Royal Jr. (~1991-1999, lethal injection): Royal and 3 other gang members fatally shot a police officer, 29 year old Kenneth Wallace, while he was sitting in his patrol car. Wallace was killed as part of the gang's campaign to target law enforcement agents. Royal and his fellow gang members were also suspected in the shooting of James Smith Jr. (age unknown), a Vietnam veteran, outside his trailer, but the charges were dropped from the lack of sufficient evidence.
73. Andre Graham (~1993-1999, lethal injection): Graham assisted the above mentioned Mark Sheppard in the Rosenbluth murders. He also shot and killed a waitress, 20 year old Sheryl Stack, and injured a 23 year old man while robbing a restaurant on his own, and is suspected in a total of 10 murders.
74. Douglas Thomas (1990-2000, lethal injection): The parents of Thomas' 14 year old girlfriend, 33 year old James and 33 year Kathy Wiseman, barred her from seeing him. In a bid to continue their relationship, Thomas and his girlfriend shot them to death in their home.
75. Steve Roach (1993-2000, lethal injection): Roach shot and killed 70 year old Mary Hughes on her doorstep and stole her credit card. He was caught on tape trying to use Hughes' stolen cards to pull money out of an ATM machine in North Carolina.
76. Lonnie Weeks Jr. (1993-2000, lethal injection): Weeks was pulled over by a state trooper, 50 year old Jose Cavazos, for speeding while driving a stolen car. In the confrontation that followed, he shot Cavazos dead after climbing out of the car, and fled the scene. He was captured hiding in a nearby motel after an hour long manhunt.
77. Michael Clagett (1994-2000, electric chair): Clagett's girlfriend was fired from her job as a hotel waitress by the management, and the couple decided to retaliate by robing the establishment. They shot and killed the owner Lam Van Son, a 41 year old Vietnamese refugee, a waitress, 31 year old Karen Rounds, two other employees, 31 year old Karen Rounds and 32 year old Wendell Parish Jr., and a customer Abdelaziz Gren, a 34 year old Moroccan immigrant, and took $400 in cash from the register. Van Son’s 3 year old son was sleeping in the backroom during the attack, but the couple left him unharmed.
78. Russel Burket (1993-2000, lethal injection): Burket snuck into the home of 30 year old Katherine Tafelski while her Navy SEALs husband was deployed overseas, and sexually assaulted her. Katherine and her 5 year old daughter Ashley were both beaten to death with a "rusty" crowbar.
79. Derek Barnabei (1993-2000, lethal injection): Barnabei seduced a fellow Old Dominion University student, 17 year old Sarah Wisnosky, into a relationship with him and kidnapped her. She was raped, partially strangled, beaten to death with a hammer, and dumped into a river near campus grounds. Due to him being of Italian ancestry, his death sentence and execution sparked outrage in Italy.
80. Bobby Ramdass (1992-2000, lethal injection): Ramdass was condemned for the shooting death of Mohammed Kayani, a 34 year old Pakistani immigrant working as a clerk, during a convenience store robbery. He also shot dead 19 year old Darrell Ferguson in an alley and wounded a cab driver in other robberies.
81. Christopher Goins (1994-2000, lethal injection): Goins broke into the home of his 14 year old girlfriend (who was 7 months pregnant with his child). He shot and killed her parents, 35 year old James and 29 year old Daphne Jones, and her siblings, 9 year old Nicole and 4 year old David. The girlfriend and her youngest sibling, 21 month old Kenya, were also shot in the attack. Both of them survived, but the unborn child was lost in the shooting.
82. Thomas Akers (1998-2001, lethal injection): Akers and his accomplice were driving with their friend, 24 year old Wesley Smith. When they pulled over on a road to urinate, they pounced on Smith. In the attack, he was strangled with a belt and beaten to death with a baseball bat. They pair then grabbed $200 from his wallet and dumped his body in a creek. While on death row, Akers demanded his execution and made threats against the judge who sentenced him if it wasn't carried out.
83. Christopher Beck (1995-2001, lethal injection): Out of anger for being fired, Beck invaded the house of his former employer, 52 year old William Miller. He waited for him and his two roommates, 54 year old Florence Marks and 34 year old David Kaplan, to return home and shot and stabbed them all to death. Marks was also raped in the attack. Although Beck claimed that he "only" staged a sexual assault on her, a medical examination confirmed that she was abused in that manner. Beck stole several guns, bicycles, and money in the robbery.
84. James Patterson (1987-2002, lethal injection): Patterson held his friend's mother, 56 year old Joyce Aldridge, in her home at knifepoint. Enraged that she only had a few coins in her purse, he raped Aldridge, stabbed her 3 times, and left her to die. When Aldridge managed to crawl to a phone to call her son for help, Patterson returned and stabbed her 14 more times. Although Aldridge's murder was left unsolved for years, Patterson was later imprisoned for raping an 18 year old girl, and DNA found at the murder was traced to his samples filed in the inmate database in 2000.
85. Daniel Zirkle (1999-2002, lethal injection): Zirkle's girlfriend broke off their relationship due to his violent behavior and filed protective orders against him. He was arrested for violating them and sentenced to a few months in jail. After his release, Zirkle went to his ex girlfriend's home without her permission to visit their daughter, 4 year old Christina. However, the ex girlfriend's other daughter, 14 year old Jessica Shifflett, blocked him from coming inside. He stabbed her to death and kidnapped Christina. He then drove Christina to the George Washington National Forest, slit her throat, and stabbed himself in a failed suicide attempt.
86. Walter Mickens Jr. (~1974-2002, lethal injection): Mickens ambushed and sodomized 17 year old Timothy Hall, and stabbed him 143 times. He stripped the boy of nearly all of his clothing, and left him to die in an abandoned apartment. A long time sexual predator and career criminal, Mickens had several robbery and sodomy convictions dating back to the 70s. One of his previous incidents involved breaking into an elementary school, and coercing a teacher of her purse by threatening the life of a 7 year old student. He also had a conviction for sexually assaulting a cellmate.
87. Aimal Kasi (1993-2002, lethal injection): In his efforts to fight against American foreign policy regarding Islamic nations, Kasi attacked the Langley CIA headquarters with a Type 56 assault rifle. He shot dead 2 CIA employees, 66 year old Lansing Bennett and 28 year old Frank Darling, and wounded 3 others. Kasi then fled to Afghanistan, but was lured into his native Pakistan to be captured in a joint FBI-CIA led operation, and extradited back to the United States to face trial.
88. Earl Bramblett (~1970s(?)-2003, electric chair): Bramblett had molested 11 year old Winter Hodges and feared that her parents, 41 year old William and 37 year old Teresa, were planning on reporting him to the police. In an attempt to prevent that from happening, he attacked the family in their home. Teresa was strangled, while William, Winter, and another daughter, 3 year old Anah, were shot dead. Bramblett then set the house on fire to destroy any evidence of the murders. He had several abuse allegations and was also suspected in the 1977 disappearances of two 14 year old girls, Tammy Akers and Angela Rader, that worked for him, but was never charged for any of them.
89. Bobby Swisher (1997-2003, lethal injection): Swisher abducted 22 year old Dawn Snyder from her flower shop at knife point and raped her. He slashed Snyder's throat and dumped her into a nearby river. Despite managing to swim back to shore, Snyder succumbed to her injuries on the river bank.
90. Brian Cherrix (1994-2004, lethal injection): Cherrix ambushed 23 year old Tessa Van Hart while she was trying to deliver a pizza. He sodomized and shot Van Hart twice in the head, and left the body in her car. The crime was left unsolved until Cherrix was arrested for shooting and wounded his brother two years later. In an attempt to secure leniency, Cherrix disclosed some details of Van Hart's murder, but tried pinning it on a deceased cousin. He only confessed when investigators learned that the cousin couldn't have possibly done it.
91. Dennis Orbe (1998-2004, lethal injection): Orbe fatally shot Richard Burnett, a 39 year old clerk, while robbing a grocery store, and seized $90 from the register.
92. Mark Bailey (1998-2004, lethal injection): Bailey shot and killed his wife, 22 year old Katherine, and their 2 year old son, Nathan, while they were laying in bed. He claimed to investigators that the murders were done out of anger for Katherine's alleged infidelity.
93. James Hudson (2002-2004, lethal injection): In a feud over a driveway, Hudson broke into the home of the Cole family (consisting of brothers, 64 year old Thomas and 56 year old Walter, and Thomas' wife, 64 year old Patsy) to confront them with a shotgun. He shot all three of the Coles dead and drove away from the scene. Hudson was captured after nearly a day long manhunt.
94. James Reid (1996-2004, lethal injection): Reid stabbed 87 year old Annie Lester 22 times with a pair of scissors, beat her with a can of milk, and strangled her with the cord of a heating pad. He left the body in her bedroom and fled her house. Although the evidence for his guilt was overwhelming (which included the blood on his clothes matched Lester's DNA, several of his fingerprints were discovered on the murder weapons, samples of his saliva were found on a cigarette butt in her house, and his handwriting was identical to the writing of a death threat sent to Lester), Reid's death sentence and execution was contested on the grounds of him allegedly having brain damage from a car accident, seizures, and alcoholism. The motivations behind Lester's murder remain unknown, but prosecutors suspected that it might have been part of a bungled robbery or rape attempt.
95. Dexter Vinson (1997-2006, lethal injection): Vinson attacked his ex girlfriend, 25 year old Angela Felton, near her home. Felton tried to escape by driving away, but he rammed her car with his, and forced her inside it. She was then dragged into a vacant house, raped, beaten, and stabbed in the face, neck, arms, buttocks, stomach, and vagina. The body was left in the house as Vinson fled the scene.
96. Brandon Hedrick (1997-2006, electric chair): Hendrick kidnapped a sex worker, 23 year old Lisa Crider, while he was cruising for prostitutes. Initially, Crider and Hendrick had engaged in paid consensual relations, but the situation turned violent when he robbed her of $50 at gunpoint. She was then raped, shot in the face, and dumped into a river.
97. Michael Lenz (~1990s-2006, lethal injection): While serving 29 years for a burglary and weapons possession conviction, Lenz stabbed a fellow inmate, 41 year old Brent Parker, to death. Both were part of a Nordic Neopaganism sect, and the killing was committed over Parker allegedly not expressing enough devotion to their deities. Parker was serving a life sentence for killing a friend during a drunken rage at the time of his own murder.
98. John Schmitt (1999-2006, lethal injection): During a holdup of a bank, Schmitt shot and killed the guard, 39 year old Shelton Dunning, and took $35,000 from the vaults.
99. Kevin Green (1998-2008, lethal injection): Green and his teenage nephew stormed a convenience store, and forced the owners, 68 year old Lawrence Vaughan and his wife, 53 year old Patricia, to hand over $9,000 in cash. They then shot the couple, killing Patricia and wounding Lawrence.
100. Robert Yarbrough (1997-2008, lethal injection): Yarbrough and his accomplice tied up 77 year old Cyril Hamby while robbing his grocery store. They subjected Hamby to beatings and nearly decapitated him with a pocket knife. The pair then stole beer, wine, cigarettes, and an undisclosed amount of money.
101. Kent Jackson (2000-2008, lethal injection): Jackson and an accomplice attacked 79 year old Beulah Kaiser in her apartment, and raped her. She was stabbed several times in the neck, beaten, and her cane was shoved down her throat after she was anally penetrated with it. A cigarette butt found at the crime scene was traced to the pair.
102. Christopher Emmett (2001-2008, lethal injection): Emmett was staying at a motel room with a coworker, 43 year old John Langley, while they were working on an out of town roofing job. The pair played cards until Langley went to bed. As he slept, Emmett bludgeoned him to death with a lamp, and stole $100 from his wallet. He used the stolen money to buy crack cocaine.
103. Edward Bell (~1990s-2008, lethal injection): While running away from officers trying to arrest him for a parole violation, Bell shot and killed one of his pursers, 32 year old Sergeant Ricky Timbrook. Bell had a long criminal record, which included several felony and misdemeanor convictions of assault, burglary, carrying conceal weapons, and was found to have stolen a car during the investigations of Timbrook's murder.
104. John Muhammad (~1999-2008, lethal injection): The so called “D.C. Sniper”, Muhammad shot and killed 17 random people between the ages of 21-76 with the help of a teenage accomplice in mostly sniper attacks. The killings took place in the national capital, hence the epithet, and across several states. Due to his affiliation with the Nation of Islam and the accomplice’s accounts of planning terrorist attacks and training camps, Muhammad’s murder spree are often considered to be acts of Islamic extremism in the media. However, experts believe that his real intentions was to kill his estranged wife using the sniper attacks as a mask. Muhammad had a long history of domestic violence, and had abducted his children from his estranged wife on numerous occasions. His accomplice had also accused him of sexual abuse a few years after his execution.
105. Larry Elliott (2001-2008, electric chair): Elliott, a former military counterintelligence agent, was in an online "sugar daddy" relationship with a much younger woman. At the woman's request, Elliott sent her over $450,000, which she used to pay for a home, credit card, car, breast enhancement surgery, and enrolling her children in a private school. The woman was also involved with a bitter custody dispute with her children's father, 30 year old Robert Finch. In an attempt to win the woman's devotion, Elliott shot and killed Finch in his home, and beat Finch's girlfriend, 25 year old Dana Thrall, to death with the butt of his gun.
106. Paul Powell (1999-2010, electric chair): Angry that his friend, 16 year old Stacie Reed, was in an interracial relationship, Powell made an attempt to rape her in her home. When she fought back, Powell stabbed her to death. He also tied up Stacie's 14 year old sister to be raped, stabbed, and strangled, and left the girl to die in the family's basement. The sister managed to survive with the timely arrival of their stepfather, who called the police and the paramedics to the scene. On the mistaken belief that the death penalty was off the table, Powell sent letters flaunting the lewd details of the murder to taunt the prosecutors, judge, and the victims’ family.
107. Darick Walker (~1996-2010, lethal injection): In 1996, Walker walked up to the door of 36 year old Stanley Beale, and angrily accused him of showing up at his home despite the fact that they were complete strangers. He then shot Beale dead in front of his children and girlfriend, and ran away from the scene. A year later, Walker forced himself into an apartment, and shot 34 year old Clarence Threat seven times while he was laying in bed with his girlfriend. Walker had a history of violence and frequently stole from his friends and family. In one reported incident, he kicked the stomach of a pregnant woman in an act of rage.
108. Teresa Lewis (2002-2010, lethal injection): Lewis conspired with two men that she had a sexual relationship with to kill her husband, 51 year old Julian, and her stepson, 25 year old Charles. Charles was about to be deployed to participate in the then upcoming invasion of Iraq, which gave him a $250,000 life insurance policy that Lewis wanted to collect from both him and his father. She let her accomplices inside their trailer, and shot Julian and Charles while they were sleeping. Charles was killed immediately, while Julian, who witnessed Lewis pay the attackers, survived long enough to notify the responders of his wife's involvement.
109. Jerry Jackson (2001-2011, lethal injection): Jackson broke into the apartment of 88 year old Ruth Phillips, and woke her up while he was rummaging through her room. Despite Phillips' pleas for her life, Jackson raped her and suffocated her to death with a pillow. He stole her car and a total of $60 in the break in, and spent the stolen money on marijuana.
110. Robert Gleason (2007+(?)-2013, electric chair): In 2007, Gleason shot and killed 54 year old Michael Jamerson, in order to prevent him from testifying about his drug trafficking activities, and was given a life sentence for the murder. While incarcerated, he tied up and strangled his cellmate, 63 year old Harvey Watson (who serving a life sentence for a mass shooting). Prison officials then transferred him to a high security prison to await trial for Watson’s murder, but he managed to strangle another inmate, 26 year old Aaron Cooper (who was serving 34 years for robbery), to death with the wire that separated their cages. Gleason demanded the death penalty, which was given to him by the courts. He also claimed that he committed several other killings before Jamerson, but his additional confessions currently remain unverifiable.
111. Alfredo Prieto (~1984-2015, lethal injection): Prieto was both a serial killer of young women and a member of the Pomona Northside street gang. His sexual crimes involved the abductions, rapes, and shooting deaths of at least 4 females, 24 year old Tina Jefferson, 22 year old Rachael Raver, 19 year old Stacey Siegrist, and 15 year old Yvette Woodruff. Raver and Siegrist’s partners, 22 year old Warren Fulton III and 21 year old Anthony Gianuzzi, were also murdered during their kidnappings. The other known victims, 27 year old Manuel Sermeno, and couple, 71 year old Lula and 65 year old Herbert Farley, were shot dead during robberies. In the home invasion that killed Woodruff, Prieto and his fellow gang members also abducted her 17 year old friend and the friend’s 33 year old mother. The mother and daughter pair were gang-raped, shot and stabbed together, but they managed to escape with their lives. Prieto was sentenced to death in both California and Virginia, but stayed in California’s San Quentin until his death warrant was signed in Virginia. He had also shot and injured 3 gang members over his suspicions of them sleeping with his wife, but was lightly sentenced due to the victims' gang affiliations.
112. Ricky Gray (~2005-2017, lethal injection): Gray and his similarly aged nephew murdered at least 9 people, which composed of a lone woman, 35 year old Treva Gray, and two entire families, the Harveys (consisting of parents, 49 year old Bryan and 39 year old Kathryn, and their daughters, 9 year old Stella and 4 year old Ruby), and the Baskerville-Tuckers (consisting of 21 year old Ashley, her 46 year old mother Mary, and Mary’s 55 year old husband Percyell) in a week long burglary spree. Almost all of the victims were tied up and gagged in their homes, and beaten to death with hammers or had their throats slit. Before she was killed by them with her parents, victim Ashley Baskerville had assisted Gray and his nephew in several of their robberies. The pair stole any items and valuables they could carry, and were reported to have taken money, computers, television sets, wedding rings, and even cookies. They were also linked to several non fatal assaults, one of which involved a 26 year old man being beaten into a coma.
113. William Morva (~2005-2017, lethal injection): Morva, a son of Hungarian immigrants, and an accomplice were arrested while trying rob a grocery store at gunpoint. While awaiting trial, he badly sprained his ankle and wrist in prison, and was transferred to the Montgomery Regional Hospital for treatment. He overpowered a deputy guarding him with a metal toilet-paper container, stole his gun, fatally shot Derrick McFarland, a 25 year old hospital security guard, and escaped. Morva then fled to Virginia Tech’s campus, and shot and killed 40 year old Eric Sutphin, one of the police officers chasing him.

Hemp drinks are big business in the United States and poised to grow even bigger. Thanks to the 2018 U.S. Farm Bill, hemp-based products are at least quasi-legal across the United States – and, unlike marijuana, they’re shippable across state lines.
Companies big and small are betting on hemp-derived drinks becoming the next big thing for health-conscious, smoke-wary consumers.
Bernuth’s Pharos Brands was one of 30 hemp-derived THC beverage companies at the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America’s January expo at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
According to the Hemp Beverage Alliance, hemp drink companies took up as much as 10% of the floor.
“We’re killing it here,” Bernuth told MJBizMagazine from the bustling convention hall.
Things went so well that she’s banking on contributing to a movement as well as running a successful business.
“We want to mainstream this,” she said. “We feel hemp beverages are an essential piece of destigmatizing THC.”
But when the first can of Pharos seltzer is sold in stores this spring with 2.5 milligrams of hemp-sourced THC, it won’t be sold in Montana, where Bernuth lives and where Pharos is produced.
That’s because Montana law requires any end product with more than 0.3% THC to be sold at a state-licensed marijuana dispensary.
Such rules don’t exist on the other side of the Dakotas in Minnesota, where a 2022 state law specifically allows products with low doses of hemp-derived THC to be sold through mainstream retail outlets such as supermarkets and convenience stores.
In a familiar theme, states around the country offer similar patchworks of conflicting rules.
At least, that’s the case for now.
The federal law that has allowed a hemp-derived product market worth billions to emerge almost overnight could soon change – and dramatically.
Intoxicating hemp market From drinks to gummies or smokable flower, the country’s appetite for psychoactive products sourced from hemp is enormous.
And what economist Beau Whitney estimates “conservatively” as a $28.4 billion market barely existed before the 2018 Farm Bill accidentally legalized it.
That Farm Bill, which legalized the production of hemp across the United States, was intended to be a boon for long-suffering producers of low-THC cannabis intended to be spun into fabric, pressed into oil for fuel or processed into health foods.
Hemp is also a source of CBD, or cannabidiol, which can be converted into psychoactive delta-8 THC, hence the boom in delta-8-infused products.
The latest evolution is hemp-derived delta-9 THC.
Operators with enough hemp also could extract sufficient delta-9 THC to produce and ship gummies and other infused products that are functionally identical to state-regulated marijuana across the U.S.
It’s conventional wisdom that federal lawmakers did not intend to create this new market when they legalized hemp production nationwide with the 2018 Farm Bill.
Since then, businesses including Pharos have existed in a state of uncertainty that some argue is – if you can believe it – even more confusing than the regulated marijuana industry.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has publicly declared that hemp-derived THC has “serious health risks,” and the Drug Enforcement Administration has hinted it doesn’t consider certain hemp extracts legal.
However, federal regulators have so far taken limited enforcement action. Only companies selling products marketed with unproven medical claims or marketed with packaging similar to mainstream snack or beverage brands have drawn negative attention – and then usually nothing more serious than a cease-and-desist letter.
But it’s also understood this uneasy status quo is temporary.
Depending on when Congress passes the next Farm Bill – and exactly what’s in it – the ground could shift under Bernuth’s business and the hemp-derived cannabinoid sector yet again.
The problem is, nobody knows when that might be – nor what will come next.
“Overall, the federal government is quite unpredictable,” said Michelle Bodian, the New York-based co-chair of the Vicente law firm’s Hemp and Cannabinoids Department as well as the Hemp Beverage Alliance’s general counsel.
“The longer things drag out, the more opportunity there is for issues to come to the forefront,” she added.
“It’s obviously hard to predict where those issues are going to land – in hemp’s favor or against.”
Farm Bill provisions One of the biggest and most complex measures that Congress produces, the Farm Bill is an $867 billion behemoth that covers corn subsidies, food stamps, conservation projects and, now, CBD, delta-8 THC and delta-9 THC extracted from hemp.
In theory, Congress must renew the Farm Bill every five years, when the spending allowances run out.
The 2018 Farm Bill’s provisions started running out at the end of September 2023, when Congress gave itself the first in a series of extensions.
Promises that a draft Farm Bill would soon emerge followed the first extension, but as of early February, there was still no draft bill and no timeline for when proposals would appear.
Put another way: It remains an open question whether the 118th Congress will pass a Farm Bill in 2024 at all.
If and when a new Farm Bill passes, it’s also unclear whether lawmakers will choose to wrestle with the hemp-derived cannabinoid market they accidentally unleased.
Farm Bill timeline Neither the U.S. Senate agriculture committee, chaired by Michigan Democrat Debbie Stabenow and Arkansas Republican John Boozman, nor their colleagues in the House Committee on Agriculture, chaired by Pennsylvania Republican Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson, responded to MJBizMagazine’s requests for comment.
In January, Thompson expressed hope that he’d be able to draft a bill and pass it through his committee in March, an optimistic timeline that hemp lobbyists considered unrealistic at press time.
Some influential lawmakers, such as Oklahoma Republican Rep. Frank Lucas, believed to be the only “active farmer” in Congress, say that Congress will absolutely pass a Farm Bill in 2024 – and that it won’t be a major departure from the 2018 version.
That is what the American Trade Association of Cannabis and Hemp is banking on, said Chris Lindsey, the group’s director of state advocacy and public policy.
“This is more about clarifying what Congress did than it is about going in and changing the laws and creating some new regulatory framework,” Lindsey told MJBizMagazine.
But with Congress still fumbling basic tasks such as a long-term federal budget, other observers are planning for 2024 to turn into 2025 with no new Farm Bill in sight.
“I wouldn’t say I’m confident (for a 2024 passage). I’m hopeful,” said Jonathan Miller, co-founder and general counsel for the U.S. Hemp Roundtable, which lobbies federal lawmakers and counts among its members prominent cannabis companies including Cronos Group and Curaleaf Holdings.
Miller believes the best window to pass a Farm Bill is the lame-duck session between the November 2024 general election and January 2025, when the next Congress – and, potentially, next president – is inaugurated.
That tiny window could, of course, slam shut depending on the election’s outcome.
Regardless of when, there’s “no consensus” for what federal lawmakers want to do, Miller said.
Hemp in the Farm Bill Most industry observers believe that Congress will seriously consider redefining what qualifies as “hemp.”
A legal definition rather than a botanical one, hemp currently refers to cannabis sativa plants with 0.3% THC or less by dry weight.
There appears to be support for raising the THC limit to 1% – a proposition that appeared in stand-alone legislation proposed in 2022 by U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree of Maine.
But what about regulating CBD, which the FDA has been on notice to do for years?
And what about clarifying the federal legality of hemp-derived THC and the alphabet soup of THC derivatives that have appeared?
It seems as if the status of hemp-derived cannabinoids is anyone’s guess, though it is likely that federal lawmakers will be reluctant to interfere with state regulations.
That would be just fine for companies in places such as Kentucky and Texas, where the lack of regulated medical marijuana programs creates intense demand for a viable alternative.
The hemp market is booming under loose rules that nonetheless call for basic guardrails such as age restrictions and product-safety guarantees.
Lack of action won’t be welcome news to companies such as those trying to operate in Arkansas, where a strict ban on hemp-derived competitors to a fledging medical marijuana industry is being challenged in federal court.
As for Bernuth, she knows at least two things to be true: Hemp-derived THC is too big for the federal government to kill off entirely, and the market needs regulations such as age verification and product-safety standards.
If that means Pharos needs a unique product label to comply with laws in every state where Bernuth wants to distribute the product, she is willing to do that.
And if the rules change even more, she’s willing to adapt.
“Every business has to be flexible, so we’re definitely being as flexible as possible,” Bernuth said.
For now, the opportunity presented by hemp-derived cannabinoid drinks is too sweet to pass up.
https://mjbizdaily.com/hemp-derived-thc-producers-wary-of-us-farm-bill/

Based on consumer and marketplace trends, the future of mainstream over-the-counter (OTC) Delta 9 THC consumption appears to be low-dose federally-legal hemp-derived THC products. We have seen this happening en masse and in real time with the dramatic proliferation of hemp-derived Delta-9 THC (’Hemp D9’) beverages being sold on a very large scale across the United States. This has caused mainstream investment groups, CPG companies, and alcohol distributors/producers to sinificantly enter the fray, and to capitalize on the legal opportunities.
I have personally been involved in establishing the distribution of such beverages in mainstream venues such as sporting events, festivals, concert venues, c-stores, thousands of liquor stores, and the like. It is widely believed that these low dose Hemp D9 beverages are here to stay, and for good reason – beer, wine, and spirit sales have dipped across the country for several consecutive quarters.
And this trend is indicative of modern consumer desires. The notion is that such Hemp D9 beverages (along with other sorts of beverages containing other ingredients such as kratom, kava, etc.) will fill the void in sales, and address this sales gap by selling the sorts of products that modern consumers wish to consume, or at least try.
This concept is further bolstered by the fact that the federal government is on a path to reschedule marijuana from the most restrictive category (Schedule I) to a far less restrictive category – Schedule III. While this process will take some time (as a technical matter) and could get delayed or procedurally paused by a new President with different policies, attention will continue to focus on federally legal and already de-scheduled Hemp D9. Frankly, the move to Schedule III could have the effect of rendering our current adult-use marijuana system null and void, and could force all such state-licensed marijuana sector operators to go back to a medical marijuana licensing system and scheme (ideally with a 'severe pain' catchall in each state, which is tantamount to quasi-adult use anyway, and which lowers the presently prohibitive and industry-killing excessive sin taxes on such products in the adult use marketplace, and allows for higher dose cannabis products – but that is another story for another day). If these existing marijuana sector operators even want a chance to be complaint with the requirements of operating a Schedule III compound business, they will necessarily have to operate under the existing Schedule III medical supply chain rules and regulations.
What is the practical impact of all of this? It makes low dose OTC Hemp D9 products the new adult use; more on that topic and the future of a Schedule III cannabis industry in a later article. However, all of this conjecture hinges on the maintenance of the present Farm Bill hemp provisions, which currently make such Hemp D9 products legal, and these products can legitmately be compliant with the .3% Delta 9 THC threshold - especially beverages. In other words, these sorts of products are expressly legal, and not subject to Controlled Substances Act scheduling. Despite an article that was recently published, which seems to indicate that there is no present intent to kill the so-called ‘intoxicating’ hemp line of products, the battle is far from over. Various government policy groups, many funded by MSO groups who seemingly refuse to do what their shareholders want – sell more products! – and who refuse to embrace the tenets of the mainstream CPG industry, continue to push against the present Farm Bill language and are actively seeking to undermine the current language. I have reached out to two MSO groups for comment on this issue, but have not gotten a reply by the time of this publication. It seems odd to me that certain larger MSO groups fail to see that Hemp D9 products are in fact a lifeline if and/or when they fail to comply with the rigorous standards that are generally applicable to a Schedule III compound producesellemarketemanufacturer. To put it simply, it is not a given that any state-licensed marijuana sector business will qualify to become approved under the applicable medical supply chain standards, or that the federal government would even entertain such an approval – again, more on that in a subsequent article. If nothing else, the current hemp language is their backup plan, but many apparently fail to see this.
This is not to say that all MSOs and large-scale marijuana sector interests feel this way. In fact, I currently serve (and have served) as a strategic advisor to many such MSOs and large-scale marijuana sector companies and they have embraced this strategy; and they see the writing on the wall; and they want to have a backup plan under any circumstance. But several of these imterests seek to redefine 'hemp' to exclude any sort of so-called ‘intoxicating’ compounds and/or drive all such compounds into the economically challenged, less-than-mainstream, overtaxed, intrastate, closed-loop dispensary system. Various market and consumer studies have shown that many cannabis consumers do not want to walk into dispensaries…but they will walk into a convenience store or a liquor store. These companies already have a lifeline - the current Farm Bill language. Why they would not want to avail themselves of mainstream distribution is beyond me, but once again, I digress.
Under any circumstance, it is certain that large scale CPG producers/sellers, the alcohol industry, and the like will now assert themselves on Capitol Hill regarding the Farm Bill in order to amintain the status quo language — and for obvious reasons. And it is time to provide some vision and leadership – especially given the looming medical Schedule III pathway. If nothing else, it is a backup plan for the marijuana sector – a lifeline. To survive, the current loud voices in the marijuana sector should exhibit broader vision, and a to desire to adapt to the existing CPG marketplace; yet many seek to eradicate the low dose Hemp D9 products from this burgeoning mainstream marketplace.
As these mainstream interests enter the public policy discussion regarding the Farm Bill, and as they actively lobby to maintain the current Farm Bill language - especially for the sorts of products I describe herein, this will have the indirect effect of saving the marijuana sector in the long term. And reagrding the Farm Bill, it is important to note that here are other less-nuclear ways to address the apparent concerns regarding THCa flower and purely non-hemp-derived synthetic cannabinoid products without cutting off this vital pathway and emerging market; after all seventeen states have passed laws allowing for sale of a baord array of hemp derived products.
And as they proceed, it is essential that these mainstream interests support state-level consumer safety measures for the production, sale, and labeling of said products, and to ensure that these products do not get into the hands of children. Numerous states have already passed such legislation/regulation and could serve as a model for a uniform standard, as I have previously discussed
Moreover, organizations such as the Cannabis Beverage Association, the Hemp Beverage Alliance , the U.S Hemp Roundtable, and the American Healthy Alternatives Association (among many others) push for this sort of fundamental regulation on a daily basis, and have established such baseline tenets. In short, it must be shown that industry operators want this, support this, and will ‘do the right thing.’
In closing, the time has come to weigh those things, and it is only time that will tell how all of this shakes out, but it is a fascinating time to be at the center of the world’s most exciting industry.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthoban/2024/05/03/the-cannabis-crossroads-how-schedule-iii-and-the-farm-bill-intersect/?sh=7a1cc55f2e8f

Main complaint: About two years ago, I began to experience a slight tingling feeling in my left leg, at the front of my left thigh and hinging down into my groin, whenever I was trying to get to sleep (i'm a side-sleeper). Massaging it, changing positions etc. didn't ease it, but over time, it stopped on its own. However, now it's started again and much worse than before. Not only is the tingling intensifying regardless of position, but it's happening throughout the day now and pressing down around the area with my thumb produces pain. A couple of nights ago, the tingling radiated right down my leg. It was only when I got up, walked around a bit to let the dog out, and massaged Rapigel in it that it eventually eased enough for me to doze off.
Last night, though, nothing was helping and no position was a better one - sensations alternating between tingling, random sharp zap-like pains, and numbness were going down both legs. Not even a pillow between or under the knees eased it. I had to resort to vaping flower and only then did the ‘volume turn on’ enough for me to sleep.
It is not as intense during the day, but still noticeable and limiting how long I can comfortably stand or sit.
Some background information: I fractured my coccyx five years ago and have had ongoing lower back pain since, primarily around the sacroiliac joint and iliac crest. I had an injection for bursitis in my left hip a few months ago but it doesn't seem to have lasted. I also experience widespread pain and fatigue that was attributed to fibromyalgia in 2014, and I am on the hypermobility spectrum, but I am also wondering what else might be going on and will be seeking a review. Also, for as long as i’ve known, my hips and pelvis have popped whenever i’ve extended or twisted around.
An MRI of my SI joints in 2022 showed no erosion or signs of sacroiliitis (edit: but it did find tarlov cysts within the central canal at S3-4), but one imaging report remarked mild osteoarthritis. A lumbar CT showed normal findings from T12-L1 to L3-L4. L4-L5 and L5-S1 showed a "mild broad-based disc bulge" and mild subarticular sclerosis in the SI joints, but I don't know fully what this means nor why it did not show in the MRI.
I enjoy pilates as a regular exercise routine, but right now i'm finding it harder and harder to stick with it as it only seems to cause further pain and injury. Specifically, the thigh/groin tingling has returned since starting regular exercise, as well as shin splints (?!).
Please let me know if there's anything i've missed re: history/investigations. I would really appreciate some opinions on where to go from here as being in constant pain along with lack of quality sleep is really testing my resolve.
Country: Australia Age: 39 Sex: F Race: Caucasian Smoker: No (quit in 2022) Medications: Mirtazapine, topiramate, dienogest, pantoprazole, nizatidine, low-dose naltrexone, medicinal marijuana (oils daily, flower as needed)

The global cannabis market size was valued at USD 43.72 billion in 2022. The market is anticipated to expand from USD 57.18 billion in 2023 to USD 444.34 billion by 2030, exhibiting a CAGR of 34.03% over the forecast period. The surge is driven by the increasing recognition of the product considering its therapeutic applications and legitimate medicinal benefits.
Information Source-
https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/industry-reports/cannabis-marijuana-market-100219
Segmentation:
Flowers/Buds Segment to Gain Notable Traction Impelled by Growing Consumption
On the basis of type, the market is fragmented into flowers/buds and concentrates. The flowers/buds segment is poised to record lucrative growth throughout the study period. The rise is driven by the surging consumption of the product across the globe.
Recreational Marijuana Segment to Register Lucrative Growth Propelled by Mind-Altering Effect
By application, the market is subdivided into medical, recreational, and industrial hemp. The recreational segment is slated to depict substantial expansion over the projected period. The surge is propelled by the trend of marijuana decriminalization and legalization.
THC-dominant Segment to Record Appreciable Surge Owing to Strong Demand from Consumers
Based on component, the market is segmented into THC-dominant, CBD-dominant, and balanced THC and CBD. The THC-dominant segment is set to register considerable growth over the estimated period. The expansion is driven by the rising usage of the product for recreational activities.
Based on geography, the market has been studied across North America, Asia Pacific, Europe, and the rest of the world.
Report Coverage:
The report provides an in-depth analysis of the key trends impelling the global business scenario throughout the forecast period. It further gives an insight into the major factors boosting industry expansion over the estimated period. Additional aspects of the report include an account of the pivotal steps undertaken by leading market players for strengthening the positions of their businesses.
Drivers and Restraints:
Escalation in Market Value Driven by Rising Availability of Hemp-infused Edibles
One of the vital factors driving the cannabis market growth is the rising availability of hemp-infused edibles. The industry expansion is further propelled by surging innovation and packaging-related modifications. However, the use of marijuana as a medicine has side effects such as cognitive impairment. This may restrain the market expansion to some extent.
Regional Insights:
North America to Lead Impelled by Soaring Usage of Marijuana-infused Products
The surging deployment of marijuana-infused products is expected to drive North America cannabis market share. The region is touted to exhibit commendable expansion over the study period. The Europe market is estimated to register substantial growth over the forecast period. The rise is driven by progressive legislation and the rising usage of medical marijuana.
Competitive Landscape:
Leading Companies Forge Partnerships to Strengthen Market Footing
Major market participants are formulating and adopting a series of initiatives for strengthening their industry positions. These include merger agreements, acquisitions, and the launch of new products. Additional factors comprise an escalation in research initiatives and growing participation in trade conferences.
Key Industry Development:
February 2023 – Canadian firm Aurora Cannabis Inc., and MedReleaf Australia announced the rollout of a new medical cannabis brand CraftPlant for patients in the Australian market. The brand constitutes three new products for doctors for prescription – HiVolt, Navana, and Greendae.
List of Key Players Mentioned in the Report:

• Aurora Cannabis Inc. (Canada)
• Tilary, Inc. (Canada)
• Canopy Growth Corporation (Canada)
• CannTrust Holdings Inc. (Canada)
• VIVO Cannabis Inc. (Canada)
• Cronos Group Inc. (Canada)
• Jazz Pharmaceuticals (Ireland)
• OrganiGram Holdings (Canada)
• Lexaria Corp. (Canada)
• ABcann Medicinals, Inc. (Canada)

Wednesday, April 24, 2024
Between 2020 and 2023, the number of companies owing excise debt increased from 68 to 213, accounting for a threefold increase in outstanding debt from $52.4-million to $192.7-million. Without swift action from the federal government, there soon may not be a legal market left to tax, says Organigram CEO Beena Goldenberg. With thousands of job losses since marijuana’s legalization in 2018, cannabis companies large and small closing their doors due to an increasingly burdensome tax regime, and growing levels of unpaid federal debt, cannabis stakeholders say without urgent action, there may soon no longer be an industry to tax.
Leading up to the tabling of the 2024 federal budget on April 16, cannabis industry stakeholders were lobbying the federal government to adjust the excise tax, which they say has hampered the industry from turning a profit more than half a decade since legalization, causing more than 4,000 job losses and leading hundreds of companies to owe millions of dollars in tax debt to the federal government.
But post budget, with little relief on offer, Paul McCarthy, president of the Cannabis Council of Canada, said disappointment in the lack of action from the federal government is shared across the industry “writ-large,” pointing to statements from the CEOs of Tilray Brands and Canopy Growth.
Paul McCarthy, president of the Cannabis Council of Canada, says the federal government’s lack of excise relief in the 2024 budget has left the industry ‘bewildered.’ Photograph courtesy of LinkedIn McCarthy said that disappointment is coupled with a growing sense of frustration as the government seems to be ignoring not only the industry’s calls, but also the collective recommendations from the House of Commons Finance Committee, the federal Competition Bureau, and the final report of Health Canada’s expert Cannabis Act review panel.
All three have recommended changes to the federal excise tax, suggesting that the rate be adjusted to a flat 10 per cent per gram sold.
Canada’s current federal excise tax amounts to $1 per gram of cannabis sold, or 10 per cent of the per-gram price, whichever is more. The government determined the rate based on an expectation of an average wholesale price of $10 per gram. The majority of that tax—75 per cent—is shared with provinces and territories, except for Manitoba, which opted out of the federal cannabis excise tax. The remaining 25 per cent goes to the federal government.
However, McCarthy explained that dried flower is sold on the legal market for as little as $1.80 per gram to compete with the illicit market, meaning the $1 per gram excise amounts to a more than 30 per cent tax on most products.
Despite that price compression, prices on the illicit market remain 20 per cent lower, according to a Deloitte study.
McCarthy said it’s understandable that neither industry nor the government would have gotten things perfect “right out of the gate.” But he said the industry has adapted, and is still waiting for the government to do the same.
“We know so much more now, and this [excise tax] issue isn’t new,” McCarthy said. “[The government] has to ask itself why the vast majority of licensed producers at this stage of the game are still unprofitable.”
McCarthy said that since 2019, the cannabis industry has been in a constant state of retrenchment with regular layoffs and offloading of assets, but the issue is no longer one of supply versus demand. While “a lot of people clamouring to get involved” post-legalization in 2018 had led to an overbuilt sector with supply far exceeding demand, the industry recognized and dealt with that issue fairly quickly, he said.
“The issue now is that this sector is overtaxed and overburdened by the current regulatory regime, and it’s killing the industry,” McCarthy said, explaining that he is referring to both the current excise tax and regulatory burdens imposed on the industry.
“The industry isn’t just hurting, it’s being suffocated,” McCarthy said, adding that despite the mounting evidence, he believes a combination of ignorance of the industry and an overabundance of caution is leading to inaction by the federal government.
“I think there’s still a negative stigma attached to it because it’s cannabis,” McCarthy said, adding that he believes the government hasn’t sufficiently shifted from viewing it as an illicit substance to a legal consumer product.
“From a purely economic standpoint, if there were another sector of the economy in this kind of position, the government would be tripping over itself to take action,” McCarthy explained. “It just leaves us kind of bewildered as to why, and I can only make the assumption it’s because it’s cannabis; who else needs to say what before somebody takes action?”
Beena Goldenberg, CEO of Organigram Holdings, said changing the excise tax to a 10 per cent ad valorem rate—a fixed percentage based on the value of the good being sold—would have a “night and day” impact on an industry still struggling to turn a profit five years post legalization.
Organigram CEO Beena Goldenberg says while her company is fortunate to have enough funding to remain up to date on its tax payments, it’s still struggling to compete as more consumers return to the illicit market. Photograph courtesy of Beena Goldenberg In the 2022 budget, the federal government introduced a measure to allow smaller licensed producers to pay their excise duties quarterly. Budget 2023 extended that measure to all producers; however, even then, most companies were already behind on paying those duties beyond a financial quarter.
In 2022, 41 per cent of companies that filed for protection with the Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA) were from the cannabis industry, and cannabis companies also made up 12 per cent of those granted CCAA protection in 2023. The CCAA is available only to Canadian firms with debts exceeding $5-million.
Between 2020 and 2023, the number of companies owing excise debt increased from 68 to 213, accounting for a threefold jump in outstanding debt from $52.4-million to $192.7-million.
Over the last year, Alberta-based cannabis producer Ogen and British Columbia’s Tantalus Labs have closed due to the unhealthy state of the industry, Goldenberg said, noting that the burdensome excise tax regime is making it challenging for small, medium, and even larger companies like hers to turn a profit.
As reported by MJBizDaily on April 8, according to data provided by the Canada Revenue Agency, at least 123 federal cannabis business licenses were either cancelled or pending cancellation in 2023, accounting for 58 per cent of all cancellations since 2018.
Goldenberg explained that many companies are choosing to withhold paying excise duties in order to continue paying employees and keep their doors open, and while the CRA has begun garnishing payments from licensed producers that are behind on those duties, she warned that, without relief, there may no longer be an industry to collect taxes from.
“We’re an industry struggling to be profitable, and we really need to see some changes to help the industry survive,” Goldenberg said, noting that a healthier, profitable industry would mean companies could not only begin repaying those debts, but also begin paying income tax on profits.
On the other hand, Goldenberg said that without relief, she fears the pendulum will swing back toward an illicit market that doesn’t have to pay any taxes, or abide by any health regulations and restrictions to keep their products out of the reach of children.
“Consumers are seeing lower prices fill the illicit market, and [the legal market] can’t compete anymore; we can’t just keep burning cash,” Goldenberg said, explaining that to safeguard the public health objectives of legalization and the move away from the illicit market, the legal market needs to become profitable.
To do that, Goldenberg said the federal government should treat the industry similar to how it taxes and regulates alcohol and tobacco. In comparison, per unit of consumption, the tax on cannabis is six times higher than the tax on beer, and nine times higher than wine.
However, adjusting how much excise tax the industry pays isn’t the only change that Goldenberg said could have a significant impact, also pointing to the difference in when those duties are paid.
Producers have to pay the excise tax when they package the product to receive the legally required excise stamps that must be affixed to the packaging, explained Goldenberg. However, those producers must then wait up to 60 days for payment from wholesalers. Instead, she said the CRA should renegotiate those terms to align with the alcohol industry, wherein provincial boards collect duties from the wholesalers’ payments.
To do so, Goldenberg said excise stamps should also be made digital as is done with alcohol products. She said this would significantly improve companies’ cash flow, and reduce and simplify supply-chain costs.
Finally, Goldenberg said that, unlike alcohol and tobacco, cannabis producers are charged an annual 2.3 per cent tax (or regulatory fee) on gross revenue over $1-million by Health Canada—a rate she said is also based on an early assumption post-legalization that the industry would be highly profitable.
McCarthy told The Hill Times that while the industry doesn’t expect to see any new relief on the excise tax before at least the fall federal economic statement, many of the other suggestions—including Health Canada payments and changes to the excise stamp—could be made through legislation before then.
“We’re certainly not holding our breath, but we’re trying to be optimistic,” McCarthy said.
In response to a request for comment, a Finance Department official told The Hill Times the federal government would continue to “monitor the sector” and that it recognizes the need to “ensure that the existing excise duty framework is as fair and as current as possible.”
https://www.hilltimes.com/story/2024/04/24/overtaxed-and-overburdened-cannabis-industry-suffocating-under-regulatory-regime-as-feds-take-puff-past-excise-relief-in-budget/419276/

Female cannabis seeds are sought after by home growers for their ability to minimize the risk of male plants, maximizing the yield of resinous female flowers. Whether for medical or recreational use, selecting female cannabis seeds is essential for achieving optimal harvests and desired effects. Female cannabis seeds are here for the long haul.
Throughout history, female cannabis seeds have played a pivotal role in the cultivation of marijuana. Dating back centuries, ancient civilizations recognized the value of female plants for their ability to produce potent flowers rich in medicinal and psychoactive compounds. In traditional medicine, female cannabis plants were revered for their therapeutic properties, used to alleviate a myriad of ailments ranging from pain and inflammation to anxiety and insomnia.
Moreover, female plants were essential for religious and spiritual ceremonies, symbolizing fertility, abundance, and divine connection. Today, the significance of female cannabis seeds persists as modern growers harness their genetic potential to cultivate robust plants with desired cannabinoid-levels and profiles.
Here, cannabis seed maker and breeder, Rick Campanella, aka MrSoul, discusses launching a seed company with an emphasis on female cannabis seeds: https://youtu.be/h00U2qLO7NA?si=Jv375TXqWq88kZSn

I just recently got a med card and started vaporizing flower. I got it because I have constant headaches, fatigue, potential POTS (still being tested), sleep problem, memory problems, depression, anxiety, and inability to exercise without extreme dizziness. This was caused by a mix of COVID (it did some sort of damage to me, I am currently in the process of diagnosis and treatment at Cleveland clinic), concussion, and Lyme disease (got a positive blood test, was successfuly treated, so maybe this isn't contributing to the problem). Basically, I was in great physical and mental shape before the COVID, but after I got it, my entire mental and physical function was destroyed. I'll get to the medical marijuana soon. I just thought this might be important context. I was prescribed two different drugs by the Cleveland clinic and both of them made me sicker. The main thing I wanted was to be able to exercise, which I believed would manage the other symptoms. Someone told me about medical marijuana, so I got the card and tried it. Okay, here's where I'm at right now. As of the last week, I can do strenuous exercise again with zero issues. That was a massive improvement. Headaches are less frequent. Dizziness is gone. HOWEVER, the marijuana is causing side effects I do not like. This is what I want to ask about. I feel foggy, heavy, and like I'm retaining water. My mood is kind of flat. The worst side effect is a feeling like an itch inside my head and in my teeth. The other side effects I can live with. The itch is awful. For context, ginko tea also causes me the itch. Here are my questions. 1. Are these side effects inherent to marijuana, or is this likely a result of previous illness being exacerbated by marijuana? 2. Are the side effects a necessary trade off that I have to live with, or should they decrease with time? 3. I am currently using as low of doses as possible. I am not sure if the side effects are more like a "hangover" or like withdrawal. Should I try to take even less, or should I try to build up a tolerance? 4. Relating to that, any dose that actually gives me symptom relief also makes me feel a little wonky. Not like absolutely baked, but definitely noticeable. Is that pretty much how it goes, or will I eventually acclimate to it and be able to get symptom relief without feeling weird?