SXSWORLD

3 4 SXS W O R L D | M A R C H 1 4 , 2 0 1 9 | SXSW.COM From long-time marijuana legaliza- tion advocates like Willie Nelson to more recent arrivals like former U.S. House Speaker (and SXSW 2019 Convergence Keynote speaker) John Boehner, diverse voices are proclaiming that the time for legal cannabis has arrived. At ballot boxes and statehouses around the country, 2018 was already a bust-out year for legalization, and proponents believe 2019 will be even more weed-forward. Currently, 10 states and the District of Columbia have legalized recre- ational marijuana, while 33 have approved medical cannabis. Even stalwart conservative states such as Oklahoma and Utah have recently green-lighted medical marijuana. Yet, while American legislators recently approved the 2018 Farm Bill legalizing hemp as a crop (but not marijuana itself), the country still doesn't have a cohesive fed- eral policy. That impedes not only health research and criminal-jus- tice reform, but also essentially hands over a white-hot multibil- lion-dollar industry to countries like Canada, which legalized mari- juana last year. "The United States has been a leader in so many different things, but today, sadly the U.S. is so woefully behind in its compassion and care with cannabis," says Kevin Murphy, CEO of Acreage Holdings, the largest U.S. cannabis operator. He will join Speaker Boehner for their Keynote Conversation. However, Murphy adds: "I believe, sooner, rather than later, legaliza- tion in the US is coming. I believe that it's going to take place through the STATES Act. Too many people in this country want it, and — with respect to medicinal cannabis — unfortunately, too many people need it." What does all this mean for the United States? Several develop- ments are coming to the forefront. The latest research, much of it conducted outside the U.S. by legal necessity, indicates that "whole plant" cannabis (not isolated-can- nabinoid products such as CBD) can be more effective for pain than even the strongest opioid compounds, such as fentanyl. Dr. Sue Sisley, Principal Investigator at Arizona's Scottsdale Research Institute, is an internist, psychiatrist and leading cannabis researcher. She says that she was surprised at these recent findings. "Only now are we starting to see early data — not randomized, con- trolled trials yet, but early survey data and now observational studies, especially looking at cannabis as a substitute for opioids," says Sisley, who oversees the only FDA-approved randomized controlled trial, which examines the safety and efficacy of whole-plant marijuana to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in combat veterans. She is also studying cannabis to relieve breakthrough pain in cancer patients. Legal Cannabis Makes Gains But Roadblocks Remain By Shermakaye Bass continued on p.36

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