Cannabis Countdown: Top 10 Marijuana Industry News Stories of the Week

Welcome to the Cannabis Countdown. In this week’s rendition, we’ll recap and countdown the top 10 marijuana industry news stories for the week of September 16th – 22nd, 2019.

Without further ado, let’s get started.

10. U.S. House to Vote on Cannabis Banking Bill Next Week

More big cannabis news is coming out of the U.S. House of Representatives.

A bipartisan bill that would allow access to financial services for cannabis businesses — called the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act — will be voted on as early as Wednesday, September 25, House leadership has confirmed.

READ FULL CANNABIS BANKING ARTICLE HERE

9. Cannabis Product Not the Culprit in Ontario Teen’s Vaping-Related Illness

The teen who was hospitalized with a severe vaping-related respiratory illness in London, Ontario, did not use a cannabis-related product, the region’s medical officer of health told CBC News.

“This person was not using those products” that include tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). The person was vaping fairly heavily with a nicotine-based product.”

READ FULL ONTARIO VAPING ARTICLE HERE

8. OSC Alleges 3 Executives Committed Fraud in Canadian Cannabis Case

The Ontario Securities Commission (OSC) alleges that three men, including the former CEO of publicly traded cannabis seller Wayland Group Corp., committed fraud at a separate pot company.

In the regulator’s first fraud case in the cannabis industry, the OSC alleges that Benjamin Ward, Peter Strang and Silvio Serrano were responsible for misleading statements while raising millions of dollars from Canadian and U.S. investors for a company called Canadian Cannabis Corp.

READ FULL OSC ARTICLE HERE

7. Mexico has Over a Month to Legalize Recreational Cannabis

With a court-ordered deadline to legalize recreational cannabis in Mexico approaching next month, parliamentarians have no fewer than 10 proposed laws to scrutinize.

It is anyone’s guess which one will come out on top.

READ FULL MEXICO ARTICLE HERE

6. Beverage Companies are Simply Bubbling with CBD and THC Infusion Plans and Partnerships

The incoming legalization of cannabis derivative products in Canada this October has many companies working frantically in production and partnerships to corner this emerging market.

The most high-profile partnership is the deal between Molson Coors TAP and HEXO Corp. HEXO HEXO.

READ FULL CANNABIS BEVERAGE ARTICLE HERE

Source: Shutterstock

5. FDA Discloses Criminal Probe into Vaping Health Crisis

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has launched a criminal investigation into the vaping health crisis, bringing added scrutiny to the state-legal marijuana industry and potentially exposing companies to federal legal action.

“The industry should be worried,” said Washington DC-based cannabis attorney Emily Leongini, who worked for the FDA for nearly six years.

READ FULL FDA VAPING ARTICLE HERE

4. Vapes Spiked with Synthetic Drugs Show Dark Side of CBD Craze

Jay Jenkins says he hesitated when a buddy suggested they vape CBD. “It’ll relax you,” the friend assured.

The vapor that Jenkins inhaled didn’t relax him. After two puffs, he ended up in a coma.

READ FULL SPIKED VAPES ARTICLE HERE

3. U.S. to Spend $3 Million to Find out if CBD Can Relieve Pain

The U.S. government will spend $3 million to find out if marijuana can relieve pain, but none of the money will be used to study the part of the plant that gets people high.

Nine research grants announced Thursday are for work on CBD, the trendy ingredient showing up in cosmetics and foods, and hundreds of less familiar chemicals.

READ FULL CBD RESEARCH ARTICLE HERE

2. Pushing for U.S. Cannabis Reform? Forget Social Media, Here’s How You Can Help

It’s Time to End Federal Cannabis Prohibition in the U.S.

Here’s how you can get involved to help push Cannabis Reform over the line.

READ FULL CANNABIS REFORM ARTICLE HERE

1. Vaping Bad: Were 2 Wisconsin Brothers the Walter Whites of THC Oils?

As the authorities work to understand the spate of vaping-related lung illnesses, a small-town drug bust offers a closer look at the vast black market for vaping supplies.

They found boxes of vaping cartridges labelled with flavours like strawberry and peaches and cream. An additional 98,000 cartridges lay empty. Fifty-seven Mason jars nearby contained a substance that resembled dark honey: THC-laced liquid used for vaping, a practice that is now at the heart of a major public health scare sweeping the country.

READ FULL VAPING BAD ARTICLE HERE

Image Sourced from PIxabay