The Dime: 7/10/2020

Written by Sonia Case

Following important cannabis news articles every day can be a real burn-out, we know. That’s why the Emerald rolls up a chronicle of the headiest news hits, and passes them to you at the end of each week. We Bring You: The Digital Dime.

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Oil Day Err Day

Make sure to call your mom today and wish her a happy 710! Oil Day, also known as 710 (because it takes place on July 10th) is a relatively new holiday taking the cannabis community by storm. On this day, makers and consumers come together to celebrate the joy, innovation and convenience of cannabis concentrates.

According to Leafly, the 710 holiday started around 2013 because “high-THC consumers wanted their own 420 time of day and date.” They settled on 710 because it’s “OIL” upside down and then backwards. While Oil Day can involve, “dripping globs of resin and $1000 dab rigs,” let’s also use this time to reflect on how awesome cannabis extracts are in general. From CBD topicals for joint pain to anti-seizure tinctures for epileptic kids, oils are pretty dang wonderful. 

Dr. Shrooms

This Wednesday, July 8th, Oregon officials announced that legalizing psilocybin for therapeutic use will be on Oregon’s November ballot. Psilocybin activists collected over 130,000 valid signatures from registered voters, far surpassing the 112,020 signature minimum to qualify. 

The measure, IP 34, could make Oregon the first jurisdiction in the U.S. to legalize the use of psilocybin, a psychedelic chemical derived from “magic mushrooms” for therapeutic use. As it stands, there aren’t any specific limitations on who could receive the therapy. 

Tom Eckert, a licensed psychotherapist and co-chief petitioner for the initiative, expressed his joy in a press release stating that he is, “thrilled that Oregon voters have come together to tackle mental health and depression by qualifying this ballot measure for the November election.”

Vibing and Thriving 

Illinois’ recreational cannabis industry is doing well. In fact, it’s doing so well that last month, the state once again set a record for monthly cannabis sales. According to The Daily Herald, dispensaries in Illinois sold over $47.6 million in cannabis products. Illinois has been setting new monthly cannabis sales records since adult-use first became legal in the state on January 1st, 2020. This is awesome news for the likes of Illinois’ Restore, Reinvest, Renew program which receives 25% of cannabis tax revenue to provide relief to communities most affected by the War on Drugs. 

Next Stop: The Anti-Inflammation Station 

A new study published in Frontiers in Pharmacology last month, indicates that cannabis may help reduce lung inflammation and respiratory symptoms caused by illnesses like COVID-19. Researchers at the University of South Carolina have been using THC to try to treat mice with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and assess the effect on their inflammation. 

According to their research, it looks like THC was successful in slowing the inflammation and generally prevented further lung damage in the mice. While this is still a very new study and the only subjects are still mice, this is a very encouraging study for general cannabis research, and maybe even for COVID-19 patients.