This week’s newsletter covers the plight of California’s legacy craft cannabis growers, new research on medical marijuana’s role in addressing the global opioid crisis, a myth-busting look at psychedelics in ancient Greece, expanded free CBD access in São Paulo, and harrowing accounts from migrant workers caught in cannabis farm raids.
Noteworthy Read
Legacy Small Cannabis Growers Left Behind (The Nation)
After legalization in 2016, legacy small cannabis growers in Humboldt County, California are being squeezed out by high permitting and compliance costs, heavy excise taxes, regulatory complexity, and aggressive competition from large, corporate growers—many have lost farmland or exited the market entirely.
More Noteworthy Reading
From Farm to Bedside: Medical Marijuana’s Potential in Global Health (PubMed)
This review examines how medicinal cannabis could help address global health inequities and reduce opioid‐related harms, exploring successful models in the U.S. and Africa but noting regulatory, access, and quality barriers that still hinder wide adoption.
Read more
View more in Drug Interactions
Mythbusting in Ancient Greece: Scant Evidence for the Idea that the Eleusinian Mysteries Used Psychedelics (The Microdose)
The article challenges common claims that the Eleusinian Mysteries in ancient Greece involved psychedelic substances, arguing that the available historical, textual, and archaeological evidence does not sufficiently support that interpretation.
Read more
View more in Psychedelics
Free Cannabidiol in São Paulo: See How the Work Will Be and the List of Diseases (Sechat)
São Paulo’s city government is expanding access to free CBD treatments through its public health network, covering over 30 conditions including Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia, and sleep disorders.
Migrants Apprehended in Marijuana Farm Raids Recount Living Nightmare (Reuters)
During large‐scale immigration raids at marijuana farms in Southern California, several migrant workers—some longtime residents with no criminal records—describe brutal treatment, unsafe detention conditions, and family separation.
A heartfelt thank you to the CBD brands whose generous support makes it possible for Project CBD to bring you the latest plant medicine research and journalism each week — we couldn’t do this work without you.
