Welcome back to Weed Wednesday, your weekly dose of pot news. Wondering what this is about? Click. Looking for our previous marijuana coverage? Click. Got a question or tip? Email me at [email protected].
First, let's look at the state of the state: Washington state has now licensed 209 growers, 172 processors (many processors are also growers) and 56 stores. Five stores have been licensed in Spokane County and one is operating in next-door Stevens County. Find all the open stores, their hours and links to more information on this map (scroll down to "Find a retail location").
Satori now has edibles and Green Star is temporarily sold out as of yesterday.
Statewide sales have totaled more than $12 million since they started in early July, generating about $3 million in taxes. August 15 — the first day of Seattle Hempfest — marked the most sales in a single day at $859,924.
A researcher at Washington State University says women may be more sensitive to the pain-relieving qualities of cannabis and quicker to develop a tolerance to THC. Men may be more likely to get the munchies. This is building on her previous work we told you about in May.
In Colorado in July, recreational marijuana outsold medical by about $1 million for the first time since the creation of the recreational market, reports The Cannabist.
Elsewhere, Illinois is taking marijuana business applications, Philadelphia will decriminalize possession, Michigan's Republicans are getting behind medical marijuana and Oregon (where recreational pot will be on this fall's ballot) has ordered nine medical dispensaries to shut down.
In L.A., the dispensary Buds & Roses is selling two strains named after the very creepy Kevin Smith-helmed horror movie "Tusk", which comes out Sept. 19. The strains, "Mr. Tusk" and "White Walrus", are "surprisingly complex, in keeping with the spirit of the film,” a marketing strategist for the film company told the New York Times.
The NFL is getting closer to a new drug policy, which could include an increased amount of THC allowed in players' systems before triggered disciplinary actions. The issue has been an ongoing one in the league, where Mother Jones reports at least six players received harsher punishments for marijuana than the suspension given to Ray Rice after video footage showed him dragging his then-fiancée out of an elevator. (He's since been suspended indefinitely by the league and released by his team.)
New research from University of Michigan scientists shows the number of college students who've tried pot is at a three-decade high reports MLive, the website for a group of Michigan newspapers. And a new study in a British health journal shows teenagers who smoke marijuana are 60 percent less likely to finish high school and college than those who never use. See a full breakdown of the data from the Washington Post.
