The Israeli government has reportedly issued seven new medical cannabis cultivation licences in a move that will triple the country’s annual production capacity.

Brlev Agricultural Crops, Elpis Flora, Medical Cannabis Growing, Natali Buskila, Rami Sela, S. Sydan and Shavit Agro are the seven firms given the green light to commence cultivation. They will be able to supply pharmacies across the country by the end of 2019, according to local reports.

The Israeli medicinal cannabis industry will be overhauled on Sunday, when new regulations come into effect. The idea is to stop marijuana produces selling direct to patients, requiring them to supply pharmacies that serve as middlemen instead.

Next month, Israeli marijuana producers must sell 10% of their output through the pharmacies. This figure has to increase by 10% each month and by January 2020 all cannabis must meet GMP standards and go through the official supply channels.

Producers and patients have lambasted the change, as it will mean prices must increase to ensure the pharmacies earn a health margin. Yet the government has added a sweetener by promising to prioritise medical cannabis export licences for the producers that fall in line quickest with the new regulations.

It claims the new supply chain will ensure higher standards of safety and quality, and it knows how desperate producers are to commence exports.

Yet patients fear supply shortages, as growers are forced to adhere to stricter standards in a short period of time, causing a logjam in the production process. Israeli President Reuven Rivlin has convened an emergency meeting to discuss the matter next week, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will also be involved.

Rivlin decided to act after watching videos featuring impassioned pleas from parents struggling to obtain the CBD oil needed to treat their children’s conditions.

Moshe Bar Siman Tov, director general at the Israeli Ministry of Health, said that supply shortages will soon be a thing of the past as more producers come on stream.

Country music star Willie Nelson is expanding his line of hemp products to cater to pets with a new line of specialized CBD products for dogs, cats and horses. 

The longtime pot advocate already has a cannabis company that sells many different products from pre-rolled joints to edibles, but now Nelson and his wife Annie are releasing a range tailored specifically for pets. 

Willie’s Rescue, which debuted this weekend in Las Vegas, features a line-up of hemp products for internal and external use in dogs, cats, and horses designed to “positively impact the lives of companion animals,” according to Vice President of Brands at GCH, which owns Nelson’s company.

“As longtime animal advocates and pet owners, our family believes that the hemp plant has benefited our own animals. We want you and your best friends to experience the potential benefits of hemp. That’s why we created Willie’s Rescue and are donating a portion of each sale to help find loving homes for animals in need,” Willie and Annie said in a statement.

The company also added that veteran experts in pet care worked on the development of the products, expected to be launched in early 2020. Cannabis oils are used to treat stress, nausea, and anxiety in dogs, although there is some disagreement among veterinarians whether it’s safe for our furry friends.

In spite of this, Willie’s Rescue noted that pet and animal CBD products are a rapidly growing industry predicted to reach a value of $125 million by 2022. A portion of the sales of Willie’s Rescue products will be donated to animal welfare organizations in the country.

Aside from Willie’s Reserve – Nelson’s cannabis business, the Texas music legend owns a brand of hemp CBD products – Willie’s Remedy. The company introduced a CBD-infused whole-bean coffee earlier this year, followed by a hemp oil tincture and is slated to release other products in the coming months. 

“Hemp production in America was stifled for so long, but it could now make all the difference for small independent farmers. Hemp isn’t just good for our farmers and our economy, it’s good for our soil, our environment – and our health,” Nelson said when the brand was launched, highlighting once again the singer’s unwavering support for American farmers and preserving nature.

Five years after Washington launched its pioneering legal marijuana market, officials are proposing an overhaul of the state’s industry rules, with plans for boosting minority ownership of cannabis businesses, paving the way for home deliveries of medical cannabis and letting the smallest growers increase the size of their operations to become more competitive.

Liquor and Cannabis Board Director Rick Garza detailed the proposals — part of what the board calls “Cannabis 2.0” — in an interview with The Associated Press. It’s an effort to picture what the legal marijuana market will look like over the next five years, after spending the past five years largely regulating by reaction as the difficulties of building an industry from infancy absorbed the agency’s attention.

“We’ve typically been so challenged with the issues of the day we haven’t been looking out long-term to determine what the future looks like,” Garza said.

The board has been freeing up its bandwidth by coordinating with other agencies to share the responsibility of regulating the market, such as having the Department of Ecology oversee the certification of marijuana testing labs and the Department of Financial Institutions examine the sometimes complicated ownership structures of licensed cannabis businesses.

One big-picture issue the board could rethink is whether to abandon the state’s seed-to-sale marijuana tracking program, which has long been beset by software issues, sometimes grinding business to a halt, in favor of a system where businesses report their transactions to the board and are then audited. Another is whether to prepare to allow marijuana exports, as Oregon did this year, in the event the federal government approves it.

For the next session of the Legislature, the board has proposed two bills. One would create what some critics describe as a long-overdue “social equity” program, encouraging greater ownership of marijuana businesses by minorities, women and military veterans. Part of the rationale of legalizing marijuana in Washington state in 2012 was to remedy the disproportionate effect the drug war has had on people of color, but minority ownership of cannabis businesses in the state remains paltry.

While Washington is not currently issuing any more marijuana licenses, 11 of the more than 500 retailers have surrendered their licenses, Garza said. Under the board’s proposal, those could be reissued, or, if cities or counties agree to increase the number of marijuana shops within their boundaries, new licenses could be granted — this time, to participants in the social equity program.

Businesses would be eligible if they are owned by a woman, minority or veteran, or if a majority of its ownership group are members of a “protected class” under state anti-discrimination law. Applicants would be barred from consideration if any owner already has a majority share of another cannabis retail license.

The legislation would also create a technical assistance program run by the Department of Commerce that would provide grants totaling at least $100,000 per year to help minority-, woman- or veteran-owned businesses navigate the licensing process, receive compliance and financial training, and buy equipment, software or facilities.

The Washington CannaBusiness Association, an industry group, said it agrees there is a need for a social equity program, and it’s been working on its own version.

“We think there’s an opportunity to go even beyond” what the board is proposing, said spokesman Aaron Pickus.

Another legislative proposal would allow struggling “tier one” producers — the smallest size, limited to 2,000 square feet (186 square meters) of plants — to sell medical-grade product directly to the state’s 36,000 registered marijuana patients. The patients have long complained that they have a hard time finding medical-grade cannabis, which must go through additional testing for pesticides and heavy metals, in retail stores, and Garza said the proposal could help the patients while giving the growers an incentive to offer more medically compliant product.

The tier-one growers could sell to patients onsite, with other growers at indoor farmers-market-style locations, or by delivery, Garza said. Local jurisdictions would have to approve, and to avoid competition with other licensed retailers, the growers or farmers markets would have to be at least 3 miles (4.8 km) away from established retailers.

Any proposal to allow delivery or sales by small growers is certain to be controversial, as other retailers might object to additional competition. Garza said the board will consider industry feedback.

“There’s going to be real concerns by retailers out there,” he said. “If we’re going to do that, we’ve got to be cautious.”

Even more significantly for the smallest growers, the board wants to allow them to expand, first to 5,000 square feet (465 square meters) and then possibly to 8,000 square feet (743 square meters). Those producers have long complained the tier-one licenses, designed to ensure craft growers have a place in the market, are so restrictive that they can’t succeed. Though they must make similar investments in security, insurance and product tracking as the largest growers, they are allowed to grow and sell only tiny fraction of what the largest growers produce.

Paige Berger, CEO of Hygge Farms in Onalaska, said she’s excited about the board’s proposal. She initially obtained a tier-one license because she didn’t have enough money to invest in a larger operation. Now, she said, she’s hamstrung by her limited size: She can only produce enough marijuana to have product in 10 licensed cannabis shops.

“I can’t get out there and expand my brand to what I think it could do,” Berger said.

There are over a hundred described cannabinoids in the cannabis plant, the most well known of which are THC and CBD. Another cannabinoid that is currently getting more attention for medicinal and health benefits is the cannabinoid CBN, or cannabinol. Reports have suggested that CBN may have beneficial properties including antibacterial or antifungal effects and can aid in the treatment of cancers, psoriasis, glaucoma, arthritis, ALS, and other diseases. However, the science behind these claims is currently in the elementary stages, and many more studies are needed before the actual effects of CBN on human health can be elucidated and proven. In this article, we will review some of the preliminary studies leading to these claims to highlight some of the areas in which researchers are currently exploring regarding the potential for CBN.

What is CBN?

CBN, or cannabinol, is not produced directly in the cannabis plant but is actually a derivative of the cannabinoid THC. As THC ages or is exposed to light is undergoes a chemical transition that leads to the formation of CBN. This means that cannabis which is stored for longer periods will have higher levels of CBN. The chemical structure of CBN varies, and there are 7 different subtypes. Chemical analysis of CBN have found it to be an agonist of the body’s CB-2 receptors, and thus is likely to have immunosuppressive properties without any psychoactive effects, similar to CBD. However, some studies have claimed it may work synergistically with THC to increase the euphoric highs and sedative effects from cannabis smoking, although this remains to be proven conclusively and no mechanistic explanation has yet been offered.

Health claims made for CBN

Increasingly, cannabis products are being made available that include CBN in addition to THC or CBD under the assumption that it has added benefits in the treatment of certain health conditions. However, unlike THC or CBD, no synthetic versions have been patented by pharmaceutical companies, indicating that the available science supporting these claims is lacking. As no synthetic versions are available for study, it is currently impossible to link any mechanistic or quantitative data to the perceived effects. The studies which have been done on CBN have shown some promise however in the following areas:

Antibacterial and Antifungal Effects – A 2009 study found that one of the products of the breakdown of CBN had “moderate antimicrobial activity” in regards to the bacteria Mycobacterium intracellulare which causes infections in immunosuppressed patients, such as those with AIDS. It also showed “good” Staphylococcus aureus activity (the cause of many upper respiratory and skin Staph infections). Lastly, it exhibited good antifungal activity against Candida albicans, a fungus that often affects cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy and those on immunosuppressive drugs. At this time, no other studies have been completed to collaborate these claims.

Anticonvulsants effects – A 1973 study looked at the anticonvulsant effects of cannabinoids in seizures induced in rats through electroshocks. It was found that THC, CBD, and CBN all had anticonvulsant effects in the rats. The effects, however, were more pronounced with THC and CBD than with CBN. Further studies have shown cannabis to be an effective treatment for some types of seizures, however, no other studies are currently available on the role that CBN plays in regards to other cannabinoids in the plant.

Cancer – Very little information is currently available regarding the cancer-fighting properties of CBN, although in studies it has been indicated that it may assist in the cancer-fighting abilities of chemotherapy drugs such as Ara-C. A 1975 study found that mice treated with CBN had reduced tumor size and increased survival time over control in the treatment of a type of tumor known as Lewis Lung Adenocarcinoma. This effect has not yet been replicated in other types of cancer for CBN, and more studies are needed before any conclusions can be made. It may, however, be useful in the treatment of the symptoms associated with cancer treatment by acting as an appetite stimulant. A 2012 study in rats found that CBN “significantly” increased appetite and food consumption, while CBD reduced it.

ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s Disease – ALS is a degenerative motor neuron disease for which there is usually no known cause, and currently no cure. A 2005 study using mice found that CBN administered subcutaneously was effective in delaying the onset of disease. However, no decrease in overall mortality rates was observed. No human trials have yet been published, according to our research.

Sleep-Aid – Claims have been made regarding the sleep-aiding properties of CBN, and now it is included in some cannabis edibles marketed as sleep aids. This is most likely based on the user-hypothesis that indica strains have a higher proportion of CBN (a theory which is largely unfounded). This theory was originally advanced by a 1973 study which concluded that CBN increased the effectiveness of THC in aiding in sleep. However, no subsequent studies have been done to collaborate this claim, and the original study was not well designed and has been largely questioned.

Glaucoma– CBN has been thought to aid in decreasing intraocular pressure in patients suffering from glaucoma, as was briefly mentioned in a 2007 review although no comprehensive studies have been undertaken.

Arthritis – CBD has been shown to reduce inflammation and pain associated with rheumatoid arthritis through interaction with the CB-2 receptors in the peripheral nervous system. Similar action is suspected with CBN, and a 2016 review indicated that it has been shown to reduce symptoms of collagen-induced arthritis in mice. However, no controlled clinical trials have been completed to confirm or refute this claim.

Other findings regarding CBN

Bronchodilator effects – A study conducted in 1983 looked at the bronchodilator effects of different cannabinoids abundant in the cannabis plant. Bronchodilators are helpful in the treatment of asthma and other respiratory issues. It was concluded that THC is an effective bronchodilator, however, both CBD and CBN were not.

Testosterone Levels – It has been claimed that cannabis consumption reduces testosterone levels in men, and in a 1976 study involving extracted mice testicles it was found that CBN decreased plasma testosterone levels. However, this study has not been repeated in vivo nor in humans.

The evidence for the medicinal and health benefits of the cannabis is growing rapidly, and controlled clinical trials involving THC and CBD are leading to more widespread acceptance in the scientific community. At this time, however, the same cannot be said for cannabinol, or CBN. Although there are some preliminary studies that have introduced some room for optimism, none of the currently available science is strong enough to make conclusions for or against the compound’s effect on human health or in the treatment of any diseases.