Weed can be a miracle cure for lots of things—including a “brutal” dinner with Trump, according to Woody Harrelson. But weed, and more specifically CBD, has not been proven to be a cure for cancer, says the FDA. And Bill Nye the science guy says weed “smells." Read on.
FDA: Stop Saying CBD Can Cure Cancer
Four CBD companies were issued a letter from the Food and Drug Administration warning them to stop making claims that their products “prevent, diagnose, or cure cancer." The companies include Charlotte’s Web, Greenroads Health, Natural Alchemist, and a marketing and consulting company called That’s Natural! Specifically, the FDA says the companies were claiming that CBD “shrinks tumors” and “combats cancer cells.”
“We don’t let companies market products that deliberately prey on sick people with baseless claims that their substance can shrink or cure cancer and we’re not going to look the other way on enforcing these principles when it comes to marijuana-containing products,” said FDA commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb in a press release.
According to the National Cancer Institute, although cannabinoids have been studied for the relief of side effects like nausea, anxiety, and loss of appetite, "there is not enough evidence to recommend that patients inhale or ingest cannabis as a treatment for cancer-related symptoms or side effects of cancer therapy."
It’s HUG vs HUD Over in DC
Those wacky weed activists in DC are at it again. For their 4/20 protest a few months ago, nine protesters were arrested for handing out joints to members of Congress. This time, they’ve brought their latest pot giveaway protest to the steps of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
A group of DC growers who called themselves the Humane Urban Growers (HUG), handed out grams of weed while playing Peter Tosh’s “Legalize It” in front of the HUD building. The activists were protesting a 2014 memorandum on marijuana that says owners could evict tenants living in subsidized housing units who were found using marijuana. (Even in states where weed is legal, this rule still applies.)
Washington Seed-to-Sale Software Fiasco
Well, this just looks like a massive pain in the ass for a lot of Washington State pot businesses: the new seed-to-sale software that tracks pot in the state, from plant to final product, is having some issues. The Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board decided to switch vendors from BioTrack THC to a company called MJ Freeway, who runs similar tracking databases in Nevada and Pennsylvania.
But MJ Freeway recently announced that the software, which was supposed to be ready on Tuesday, is “not yet operational” and won’t be ready until January 1, 2018. The stop-gap system in place right now contains security risks, and some concerned pot store owners are stocking up on backup inventory.
Veterans Across the Political Spectrum Support Legalization
A survey by a prominent veterans group, the American Legion, found that 88 percent of self-identified “conservative” veterans and 90 percent of “liberals” support legalization. The survey also said that one in five veterans polled said they use marijuana to alleviate some kind of mental or physical pain.
In a recent video from the Cut, three veterans get high, trade war stories (it’s pretty rough to hear in some parts), and talk about the importance of using cannabis to treat their PTSD. “A life without weed, without cannabis, without marijuana, I would be an alcoholic,” says one veteran. Here’s the video:
Chris Christie Makes Dumb MMJ Opioid Comparison
A fellow Republican in Congress called out the New Jersey governor and chairman of Trump’s newly-formed opioid crisis commission for saying that expanding medical marijuana laws will have similar effects as opioid over-prescribing.
“It is shortsighted, it is inaccurate, and it is indefensible to suggest that the proliferation of medical cannabis —that is saving lives and improving quality of life for people—somehow is analogous to the plague of the opioid crisis,” Rep. Matt Gaetz (Florida) said in at press conference.
How Many Joints Does It Take to Get Through a Dinner with Trump?
You would think you would need a lot more, but apparently our man Woody Harrelson (who quit smoking weed back in March) said he only needed one joint, halfway through the dinner, to make it through the night.
“It was brutal,” Harrelson told Bill Maher, describing his 2002 dinner with the Donald in an interview. “I never met a more narcissistic man. He talked about himself the whole time.”
“So he’s changed a lot since then?” Maher quips. Hear the whole story here:
Bill Nye the Science Guy Thinks Weed Smells
“I don’t like the smell. I just don’t like it,” he said in an interview with NowThis. “One time in college I tried it, and I’m not good at smoking. I didn’t put in the hours to get good at smoking.” At least Nye understands the rigor that must go into the fine craft of weedsmanship (or perhaps he referring to Malcolm Gladwell’s tenuous 10,000 hours rule?).
And he recognizes the benefits that legalizing weed has brought to his home state of Washington in the form of tax revenue, too:
