Despite hypothetical fears, much is known about medical cannabis
Regarding Senate Bill 73 (Medical Cannabis Act), the Utah Medical Association recently tweeted that none of their practicing docs "are complaining about (its) stance" against the bill. However, even in the medical community, opinions are as varied as the beautiful landscape of our state. A number of groups have come out against SB73 based on what "could" happen, or about "unintended consequences that may accompany" the bill. The arguments against medical marijuana are largely based on hypotheticals and what-ifs.
Fortunately, Utah isn't the first state to tackle this issue. Nearly half the states in our nation have medical cannabis laws and we can leverage their experience. So what could we expect from passing SB73?
• We know we will have a reduction in opioid deaths.
Approximately 2.5 million opioid prescriptions we're written in Utah last year. Not pills, but bottles. Approximately 80,000 Utahns take opioids on a regular basis. And over 600 people die each year from drug overdoses. According to a journal of the American Medical Association, states with medical cannabis laws have seen their opioid overdose death rate go down 25 percent to 30 percent. In Utah, this means that SB73 has the potential to save nearly 200 lives per year, a number comparable to our annual traffic mortality rate of 250.
• We know there will not be any overdoses on medical cannabis
The amount of marijuana needed to overdose is so high, that there has never been a documented overdose in the entire world. Contrast this with even over-the-counter medications like Tylenol, caffeine and aspirin, all of which have significant numbers of overdoses. And, importantly, contrast this with the nearly 40,000 U.S. drug overdose deaths, with between 20,000 and 25,000 of these deaths from prescription drugs. Zero people have ever died from marijuana overdoses.
• We know that medical cannabis has not been associated with a higher rate of illicit use in teenagers.
• We know that medical cannabis has not been associated with higher traffic fatality rates.
• We know that SB73 will help reduce the $30 million-plus that Utah spends each year on hospitalizations from opioid overdoses, neonatal abstinence syndrome and drug-dependent mothers.
• We know that SB73 will finally offer thousands of Utahns and their families now being ravaged by the scourge of addiction to opioids a non-addictive and non-fatal alternative.
The benefits that we know our state will receive through SB73 are being overshadowed by hypothetical "mays" and "coulds." While we should all rightfully be concerned with what may happen in our state, we should make our decision on SB73 based on what has happened in other states. Thank you.
Michael Holmstrom, M.D., is an orthopedic surgeon and president of the Utah State Orthopedic Society. This op-ed represents his view and is not an official position of the society.
http://420intel.com/articles/2016/02/14 ... l-cannabis
News in English 2016
Alueen säännöt
Politiikka ja media
Tämä alue on tarkoitettu kannabis- ja päihdepolitiikasta keskusteluun.
Alue on erittäin tiukasti moderoitu; lue ohjeet ennen kirjoittamista. Alueelle kuulumattomat keskustelut siirretään Tuhkakuppiin.
Kirjoita viestisi asialliseen ulkoasuun. Ylläpidolla on oikeus muuttaa epäasiallisen viestin sisältöä tai poistaa viesti.
Politiikka ja media
Tämä alue on tarkoitettu kannabis- ja päihdepolitiikasta keskusteluun.
Alue on erittäin tiukasti moderoitu; lue ohjeet ennen kirjoittamista. Alueelle kuulumattomat keskustelut siirretään Tuhkakuppiin.
Kirjoita viestisi asialliseen ulkoasuun. Ylläpidolla on oikeus muuttaa epäasiallisen viestin sisältöä tai poistaa viesti.
Re: News in English 2016
Banks Don't Want to Work With the Legal Marijuana Industry. Can This Start-Up Convince Them?
The cash-only marijuana industry has long posed problems for banks, until now.
Although selling marijuana is now legal in 24 states and the District of Columbia, doing business as a legal marijuana company is a logistical nightmare. That's because marijuana is still federally illegal, and banks open themselves up to potential seizure by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. if they take money that is the result of a federally illegal act.
Despite the fact that President Obama has given financial institutions the green light to serve the legal cannabis industry (so long as they monitor closely for potential money-laundering and other violations), most banks won't work with the $6.7 billion marijuana industry. The result is that 70 percent of cannabis companies don't have a bank account. The few banks that do take on marijuana clients do not advertise what they're doing.
Enter Hypur, a startup in Scottsdale, Arizona, that for the past year has been quietly convincing banks that it is safe and profitable to work with cannabis businesses. Hypur, which was founded by a team of banking compliance and software entrepreneurs in 2014, has successfully helped about five banks in Colorado serve a number of cannabis businesses in the state. Hypur would not reveal which banks, citing nondisclosure agreements.
The startup's secret sauce is a software platform that audits a cannabis company in its entirety, shifting through documents and state licenses, financial statements, tax returns, property leases, and more, to ensure it is legal and legitimate. The software connects to the cannabis company's point-of-sale system as well as the state's seed-to-sale system, which follows marijuana plants from the grow house until they're sold to a customer, to monitor the business and ensure compliance.
One of the greatest hurdles for banks that do want to do work with this lucrative market is to make sure businesses are compliant under state law. It can take up to 20 hours for a banker to do a single marijuana business's paperwork while other businesses can get a bank account set up within an hour, says André Herrera, executive vice president and co-founder of Hypur. Michael Sinnwell, chief operating officer and co-founder of Hypur, adds, "That's one of the biggest things--banks spend a lot of time chasing paper and we're eliminating the paper-chasing."
After Hypur has collected all the licenses and documents and has proved the company is legally operating in the state, the system creates automated notifications and red-flag triggers for when a license or lease will expire to make sure the client does not fall out of compliance. Banks using Hypur are granted access to granular financial information coming from each dispensary's point-of-sale system (Hypur is integrated into POS software like Flowhub and BioTrack THC and marketplace platforms like Tradiv). Not only can banks on the platform assure bank regulators like the FDIC that everything is above board, Hypur breaks down the provenance of every dollar coming into a cannabis bank account, says Sinnwell.
"Here's where the money came from and here's how much cash you should expect coming through your door at any given point. We allow banks to know a given transaction is a legitimate transaction between a consumer and that merchant," Sinnwell says. "We call it Know Your Customer's Customer. Banks know their customer but now they have an idea of their customer's customer to make sure it's not laundered funds."
The ability to know you customer's customer is a big deal in the banking world. Once a Hypur customer gives a cannabis business an account, that business is encouraged to have its customers download Hypur's mobile payment app. The app, which is about to finish beta testing, hosts a direct bank-to-bank electronic transaction, meaning a customer pays directly from their bank account to the cannabis business's bank account. The bank can follow each transaction coming in and follow the product going out of the business.
"Our goal is to eliminate cash," Sinnwell says. Cash is not only a pain to deal with and keep safe; it also poses danger to the merchant and the merchant's employees. Money also walks. Cash businesses tend to lose 10 percent due to theft. Lastly, businesses that are cash only are inconvenient to customers.
While 30 percent of cannabis companies have a bank account, no cannabis company can accept debit or credit cards because companies like Visa and Mastercard will not give the industry merchant accounts until federal law changes. For this reason, an entire cottage industry of armed cash pickup and delivery companies has emerged in states like California, Colorado, Oregon, and Washington to bring millions in cash to entrepreneur's homes, private vaults, or banks or local federal reserve branches (some banks prefer to bring the cash straight to their federal account) for the ones with bank accounts.
Hypur's platform and app allows banks to see each dollar come into a business's account and match with a customer and product. When a cannabis client's armored truck pulls up to a bank, the bank knows exactly how much is coming and where each bill came from.
According to Hypur, it monitors hundreds of millions of dollars of transactions a month. The company, which raised $6 million from investors, doesn't serve only the cannabis industry. It also serves any cash-intensive business, like gun and ammunition shops, payday lenders, off-track betting parlors, and pawn shops. Sinnwell says that the Hypur platform provides effective tools to companies that are struggling for credibility and acceptance by financial institutions.
"Once the data and information starts to flow and banks can know a business isn't laundering funds, that's when the industry blooms," he says. "The biggest thing for regulators is to know that all of this cash is accounted for."
http://420intel.com/articles/2016/02/16 ... vince-them
The cash-only marijuana industry has long posed problems for banks, until now.
Although selling marijuana is now legal in 24 states and the District of Columbia, doing business as a legal marijuana company is a logistical nightmare. That's because marijuana is still federally illegal, and banks open themselves up to potential seizure by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. if they take money that is the result of a federally illegal act.
Despite the fact that President Obama has given financial institutions the green light to serve the legal cannabis industry (so long as they monitor closely for potential money-laundering and other violations), most banks won't work with the $6.7 billion marijuana industry. The result is that 70 percent of cannabis companies don't have a bank account. The few banks that do take on marijuana clients do not advertise what they're doing.
Enter Hypur, a startup in Scottsdale, Arizona, that for the past year has been quietly convincing banks that it is safe and profitable to work with cannabis businesses. Hypur, which was founded by a team of banking compliance and software entrepreneurs in 2014, has successfully helped about five banks in Colorado serve a number of cannabis businesses in the state. Hypur would not reveal which banks, citing nondisclosure agreements.
The startup's secret sauce is a software platform that audits a cannabis company in its entirety, shifting through documents and state licenses, financial statements, tax returns, property leases, and more, to ensure it is legal and legitimate. The software connects to the cannabis company's point-of-sale system as well as the state's seed-to-sale system, which follows marijuana plants from the grow house until they're sold to a customer, to monitor the business and ensure compliance.
One of the greatest hurdles for banks that do want to do work with this lucrative market is to make sure businesses are compliant under state law. It can take up to 20 hours for a banker to do a single marijuana business's paperwork while other businesses can get a bank account set up within an hour, says André Herrera, executive vice president and co-founder of Hypur. Michael Sinnwell, chief operating officer and co-founder of Hypur, adds, "That's one of the biggest things--banks spend a lot of time chasing paper and we're eliminating the paper-chasing."
After Hypur has collected all the licenses and documents and has proved the company is legally operating in the state, the system creates automated notifications and red-flag triggers for when a license or lease will expire to make sure the client does not fall out of compliance. Banks using Hypur are granted access to granular financial information coming from each dispensary's point-of-sale system (Hypur is integrated into POS software like Flowhub and BioTrack THC and marketplace platforms like Tradiv). Not only can banks on the platform assure bank regulators like the FDIC that everything is above board, Hypur breaks down the provenance of every dollar coming into a cannabis bank account, says Sinnwell.
"Here's where the money came from and here's how much cash you should expect coming through your door at any given point. We allow banks to know a given transaction is a legitimate transaction between a consumer and that merchant," Sinnwell says. "We call it Know Your Customer's Customer. Banks know their customer but now they have an idea of their customer's customer to make sure it's not laundered funds."
The ability to know you customer's customer is a big deal in the banking world. Once a Hypur customer gives a cannabis business an account, that business is encouraged to have its customers download Hypur's mobile payment app. The app, which is about to finish beta testing, hosts a direct bank-to-bank electronic transaction, meaning a customer pays directly from their bank account to the cannabis business's bank account. The bank can follow each transaction coming in and follow the product going out of the business.
"Our goal is to eliminate cash," Sinnwell says. Cash is not only a pain to deal with and keep safe; it also poses danger to the merchant and the merchant's employees. Money also walks. Cash businesses tend to lose 10 percent due to theft. Lastly, businesses that are cash only are inconvenient to customers.
While 30 percent of cannabis companies have a bank account, no cannabis company can accept debit or credit cards because companies like Visa and Mastercard will not give the industry merchant accounts until federal law changes. For this reason, an entire cottage industry of armed cash pickup and delivery companies has emerged in states like California, Colorado, Oregon, and Washington to bring millions in cash to entrepreneur's homes, private vaults, or banks or local federal reserve branches (some banks prefer to bring the cash straight to their federal account) for the ones with bank accounts.
Hypur's platform and app allows banks to see each dollar come into a business's account and match with a customer and product. When a cannabis client's armored truck pulls up to a bank, the bank knows exactly how much is coming and where each bill came from.
According to Hypur, it monitors hundreds of millions of dollars of transactions a month. The company, which raised $6 million from investors, doesn't serve only the cannabis industry. It also serves any cash-intensive business, like gun and ammunition shops, payday lenders, off-track betting parlors, and pawn shops. Sinnwell says that the Hypur platform provides effective tools to companies that are struggling for credibility and acceptance by financial institutions.
"Once the data and information starts to flow and banks can know a business isn't laundering funds, that's when the industry blooms," he says. "The biggest thing for regulators is to know that all of this cash is accounted for."
http://420intel.com/articles/2016/02/16 ... vince-them
Re: News in English 2016
AKT1 Gene Could Help Identify Psychosis, Memory Loss Risk In Marijuana Users
Researchers have identified a gene which can be used to predict how susceptible a young person is to the mind-altering effects of smoking marijuana, an increasing concern as the cultural movement shifts toward legalization. Around one percent of cannabis users develop psychosis. It is known that smoking cannabis daily doubles an individual's risk of developing a psychotic disorder, but it has been difficult to establish who is most vulnerable.
Previous research has found a link between the AKT1 gene and people who have gone on to develop psychosis. In the new study, Celia Morgan, Professor of Psychopharmacology at the University of Exeter and Professor Val Curran and her team at University College London found that young people with variation in the 'AKT1' gene experienced visual distortions, paranoia and other psychotic-like symptoms more strongly when they were under the influence of cannabis.
Researchers have previously found a high prevalence of one variant of the AKT1 genotype in cannabis users who went on to develop psychosis as a result of their use. This is the first research that shows the link between the same gene and the effects of smoked cannabis in healthy young people. The study involved 442 young cannabis users who were tested while under the influence of the drug, and while sober. The researchers measured the extent of the symptoms of intoxication and effect on memory loss and compared it to results seven days later when the young people were drug free. They found that those who with this variation in the AKT1 geneotpye were more likely to experience a psychotic response.
As part of the study, researchers gained permission from the Home Office to analyse the cannabis samples for their make-up and strength. Samples were dropped off at a police station and analyzed by the forensic science service.
Professor Morgan said, "These findings are the first to demonstrate that people with this AKT1 genotype are far more likely to experience strong effects from smoking cannabis, even if they are otherwise healthy. To find that having this gene variant means that you are more prone to mind-altering affects of cannabis when you don't have psychosis gives us a clue as to how it increases risk in healthy people. Putting yourself repeatedly in a psychotic or paranoid state might be one reason why these people could go on to develop psychosis when they might not have done otherwise."
The new paper in Translational Psychiatry also shows that female cannabis smokers are potentially more susceptible to short-term memory loss than males.
"Animal studies have found that males have more of the receptors that cannabis works on in parts of the brain important in short term memory, such as the prefrontal cortex. We need further research in this area, but our findings indicate that men could be less sensitive to the memory impairing effects of cannabis than females," added Professor Morgan.
http://420intel.com/articles/2016/02/17 ... uana-users
Researchers have identified a gene which can be used to predict how susceptible a young person is to the mind-altering effects of smoking marijuana, an increasing concern as the cultural movement shifts toward legalization. Around one percent of cannabis users develop psychosis. It is known that smoking cannabis daily doubles an individual's risk of developing a psychotic disorder, but it has been difficult to establish who is most vulnerable.
Previous research has found a link between the AKT1 gene and people who have gone on to develop psychosis. In the new study, Celia Morgan, Professor of Psychopharmacology at the University of Exeter and Professor Val Curran and her team at University College London found that young people with variation in the 'AKT1' gene experienced visual distortions, paranoia and other psychotic-like symptoms more strongly when they were under the influence of cannabis.
Researchers have previously found a high prevalence of one variant of the AKT1 genotype in cannabis users who went on to develop psychosis as a result of their use. This is the first research that shows the link between the same gene and the effects of smoked cannabis in healthy young people. The study involved 442 young cannabis users who were tested while under the influence of the drug, and while sober. The researchers measured the extent of the symptoms of intoxication and effect on memory loss and compared it to results seven days later when the young people were drug free. They found that those who with this variation in the AKT1 geneotpye were more likely to experience a psychotic response.
As part of the study, researchers gained permission from the Home Office to analyse the cannabis samples for their make-up and strength. Samples were dropped off at a police station and analyzed by the forensic science service.
Professor Morgan said, "These findings are the first to demonstrate that people with this AKT1 genotype are far more likely to experience strong effects from smoking cannabis, even if they are otherwise healthy. To find that having this gene variant means that you are more prone to mind-altering affects of cannabis when you don't have psychosis gives us a clue as to how it increases risk in healthy people. Putting yourself repeatedly in a psychotic or paranoid state might be one reason why these people could go on to develop psychosis when they might not have done otherwise."
The new paper in Translational Psychiatry also shows that female cannabis smokers are potentially more susceptible to short-term memory loss than males.
"Animal studies have found that males have more of the receptors that cannabis works on in parts of the brain important in short term memory, such as the prefrontal cortex. We need further research in this area, but our findings indicate that men could be less sensitive to the memory impairing effects of cannabis than females," added Professor Morgan.
http://420intel.com/articles/2016/02/17 ... uana-users
Re: News in English 2016
Neurologist Answers Questions on Medical Cannabis
This weekend, neurologist Ethan Russo with non-profit organization Pain BC, took to Reddit for an online question and answer session on medical cannabis.
The interview offered those the chance to ask Russo, also author of Handbook of Psychotropic Herbs and co-editor of Cannabis and Cannabinoids: Pharmacology, Toxicology and Therapeutic Potential, questions about medical cannabis and its use in pain management.
Over the course of the session, Russo touched on issues like CBD strain strength, cannabis’s interaction with opiates and potential birth defects due to use by pregnant mothers.
Russo advised readers that, in his opinion, the healthiest method to take cannabis was oral or oromucosal (applied directly to the mouth or throat).
“Vaporization reduces, but does not eliminate potentially toxic by-products (polyaromatic hydrocarbons, ammonia, etc.),” Russo wrote.
Russo also said cannabis is best at treating pain that stems from systematic and degenerative nervous system issues, but can also be used well on other types of pain.
“Cannabis shines in treating neuropathic pain,” Russo said. “It is also very good in cancer pain. CBD strains would be especially applicable to arthritic conditions.”
Russo cautioned that, in his medical opinion, cannabis isn’t effective for treating acute, localized pain, like toothaches or broken legs.
In response to a question about using cannabis to treat traumatic brain injuries, Russo said the disorder, which produces migraine-like headaches, dizziness, nausea, memory problems and emotional issues, is a complex problem.
“It is my experience as a neurologist that very low doses of cannabis help with various symptoms,” Russo said. “Additionally, both THC and CBD produce neuroprotective effects that could be helpful. Anecdotally, some football players with chronic traumatic encephalopathy report benefit, as well.”
Russo pointed out that no formal studies have been done on TBI using cannabis.
A reoccurring talking point for opponents of cannabis is the perception that it causes psychosis in users. Russo said that it’s a complicated topic and more research needs to be done to disprove the idea completely.
“THC is associated with triggering psychosis in susceptible people, but there is no proof that it will cause it de novo, or else there would have been an explosion of cases starting in the 1960s,” Russo wrote. “Interestingly, cannabidiol is very helpful in treating such symptoms.”
Russo said marijuana compares favourably to other painkillers, but more work needs to be done to look at the plant’s place in chronic pain treatment.
“Paracetamol (acetaminophen) is a pretty weak painkiller and is dangerous in high chronic dosing,” wrote Russo, looking at other common painkillers. “Ibuprofen and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs have their place, but lead to ulcers, intestinal bleeding and other serious side effects.”
According to Russo, cannabis’s benefits can also lead to dependency. The neurologist said, while cannabis is less addictive than cigarettes, alcohol, opioids, amphetamines or cocaine, users can still develop chronic use and find they’re unable to stop using despite their own desire to.
“The figure in the literature is that 9 per cent of people who start cannabis will develop dependency, but at least in the USA, these figures are skewed by the fact that over 50 per cent of people in treatment for cannabis dependence are there by court order,” Russo wrote. “Concentrates, and oils are much more likely to produce tolerance and other problems. The faster a drug gets in (e.g, inhalation) the more rapidly it reaches the brain, producing greater intoxication and the possibility of reinforcement.”
On the subject of side effects related to cannabis, Russo said there is no evidence for cannabis producing birth defects.
“There have been a couple of studies showing slight decreases in birth weight, but these are not always well controlled for other substance use, prenatal care, nutrition, etc.” Russo said.
Russo encouraged readers to investigate Pain BC, a non-profit focused on helping those living with with debilitating chronic.
Those interested in donating to Pain BC can visit their website.
http://420intel.com/articles/2016/02/17 ... l-cannabis
This weekend, neurologist Ethan Russo with non-profit organization Pain BC, took to Reddit for an online question and answer session on medical cannabis.
The interview offered those the chance to ask Russo, also author of Handbook of Psychotropic Herbs and co-editor of Cannabis and Cannabinoids: Pharmacology, Toxicology and Therapeutic Potential, questions about medical cannabis and its use in pain management.
Over the course of the session, Russo touched on issues like CBD strain strength, cannabis’s interaction with opiates and potential birth defects due to use by pregnant mothers.
Russo advised readers that, in his opinion, the healthiest method to take cannabis was oral or oromucosal (applied directly to the mouth or throat).
“Vaporization reduces, but does not eliminate potentially toxic by-products (polyaromatic hydrocarbons, ammonia, etc.),” Russo wrote.
Russo also said cannabis is best at treating pain that stems from systematic and degenerative nervous system issues, but can also be used well on other types of pain.
“Cannabis shines in treating neuropathic pain,” Russo said. “It is also very good in cancer pain. CBD strains would be especially applicable to arthritic conditions.”
Russo cautioned that, in his medical opinion, cannabis isn’t effective for treating acute, localized pain, like toothaches or broken legs.
In response to a question about using cannabis to treat traumatic brain injuries, Russo said the disorder, which produces migraine-like headaches, dizziness, nausea, memory problems and emotional issues, is a complex problem.
“It is my experience as a neurologist that very low doses of cannabis help with various symptoms,” Russo said. “Additionally, both THC and CBD produce neuroprotective effects that could be helpful. Anecdotally, some football players with chronic traumatic encephalopathy report benefit, as well.”
Russo pointed out that no formal studies have been done on TBI using cannabis.
A reoccurring talking point for opponents of cannabis is the perception that it causes psychosis in users. Russo said that it’s a complicated topic and more research needs to be done to disprove the idea completely.
“THC is associated with triggering psychosis in susceptible people, but there is no proof that it will cause it de novo, or else there would have been an explosion of cases starting in the 1960s,” Russo wrote. “Interestingly, cannabidiol is very helpful in treating such symptoms.”
Russo said marijuana compares favourably to other painkillers, but more work needs to be done to look at the plant’s place in chronic pain treatment.
“Paracetamol (acetaminophen) is a pretty weak painkiller and is dangerous in high chronic dosing,” wrote Russo, looking at other common painkillers. “Ibuprofen and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs have their place, but lead to ulcers, intestinal bleeding and other serious side effects.”
According to Russo, cannabis’s benefits can also lead to dependency. The neurologist said, while cannabis is less addictive than cigarettes, alcohol, opioids, amphetamines or cocaine, users can still develop chronic use and find they’re unable to stop using despite their own desire to.
“The figure in the literature is that 9 per cent of people who start cannabis will develop dependency, but at least in the USA, these figures are skewed by the fact that over 50 per cent of people in treatment for cannabis dependence are there by court order,” Russo wrote. “Concentrates, and oils are much more likely to produce tolerance and other problems. The faster a drug gets in (e.g, inhalation) the more rapidly it reaches the brain, producing greater intoxication and the possibility of reinforcement.”
On the subject of side effects related to cannabis, Russo said there is no evidence for cannabis producing birth defects.
“There have been a couple of studies showing slight decreases in birth weight, but these are not always well controlled for other substance use, prenatal care, nutrition, etc.” Russo said.
Russo encouraged readers to investigate Pain BC, a non-profit focused on helping those living with with debilitating chronic.
Those interested in donating to Pain BC can visit their website.
http://420intel.com/articles/2016/02/17 ... l-cannabis
Re: News in English 2016
What We Know About Cannabis and Cancer
After years of denial, the National Institute of Drug Abuse has finally admitted that marijuana does kill certain cancer cells – including those cells in brain tumors. Marijuana has also been found to reduce the size of other tumors, which is not completely possible with cancer chemotherapy/radiation therapies.
The possibility of marijuana-based anticancer treatment has been around since the mid-1970s, which was coined by a study that reported potential antitumor (Lewis lung adenocarcinoma) properties of marijuana components such as cannabinol, delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol (delta9-THC), and delta8-tetrahydrocannabinol (delta8-THC).
Invivo and invitro tumor model studies have shown that cannabinoids cause tumor shrinkage by arresting the cell cycle, preventing cell survival mechanisms, and activating programmed cell death (apoptosis) in the tumor cells. These actions are elicited by influencing vital cell-signaling pathways, including proapoptotic pathways, in addition to hormone and growth-factor receptor modulation.
One notable study has reported some important anti-tumorigenic mechanisms of cannabinoids – such as inhibition of cell migration, tumor angiogenesis, cell migration and adhesion, invasion of extracellular matrix and related structures and metastatic processes. Unlike conventional anticancer therapy, cannabinoids elicit these actions without harming normal cells.
The available research evidence points out that active principles of marijuana can kill the cancer cells by inducing apoptosis and autophagy mechanisms in addition to the above said molecular mechanisms. In the pre-clinical studies, it has been shown that THC and CBD, as complimentary treatment therapy with radiotherapy, can effectively treat high-grade glioma, which is the deadliest form of brain cancer. As reported in the study, a low dose of THC and CBD is as effective as a high dose in killing cancer cells. Therefore, the risk of unwanted side effects can be eliminated. We already know that radiotherapy cannot completely eliminate cancer cells. THC and CBD can act synergistically and eliminate cancer cells by two main pathways, namely by inducing apoptosis in the cancer cells or by autophagy mechanisms.
Apoptosis – A programmed cell death process by which a cell commits suicide upon aging, exposure to physical, chemical or biological insults etc. A typical cancer cell evades apoptosis and survives indefinitely.
Autophagy – A normal cellular degradation pathway to clear destructed or damaged cells to maintain normal cell functioning, new cell formation, and cell turnover. In cancer cells, defects in autophagy function can help the malignant cells to survive for prolonged period. Induction of autophagy and cancer cell destruction can be achieved by eliciting stress (ER-stress/endoplasmic stress) in cancer cells.
The study found that cannabinoids exposed cancer cells are more sensitized to the effects of radiation. Likewise, chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy can make the cancer cells sensitive to THC and CBD. Other recent studies have reported similar results.
One such study that investigated the anti-cancer benefits of cannabinoids in two human glioma cell lines has confirmed the anticancer effects of THC and CBD are dose-dependent, as any like therapeutic drugs. Meaning, it can be both cytotoxic (killing cancer cells) and cytostatic (preventing tumor cell growth).
Purified THC and CBD molecules bind to cannabinoid receptors 1 & 2 and activate several intracellular signaling pathways that regulate cellular proliferation. THC has higher affinity to CBD-1 & 2 receptors, while CBD has little affinity; however, the latter antagonize binding of other molecules with these receptors. Hence, the occurrence of THC-mediated adverse events can be minimized.
It is still unclear whether the action of cannabinoids is entirely based on their respective receptor binding action and specific binding affinities. Due to heterogeneity in the intrinsic proteins that are impacted by the cannabinoids, the drug’s effect can be both independent and dependent of receptors.
In cancer cell lines AKT over-activation has been reported, which is believed to be the cause of cellular proliferation (uncontrolled cell growth) and enhanced drug resistance (evasion of sensitivity to treatment medications). AKT is a kinase-pathway that is predominantly involved in the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway that regulates vital cellular processes including cell growth, proliferation and survival, neovascularization (blood supply to tumors), invasion and cell migration. Although these pathways are an attractive target for anti-cancer medications, the resistance is still common due to constantly evolving/mutating nature of the cancer cells. Hence, it is important to target the cancer cells holistically by inhibiting tumorigenesis, angiogenesis and metastasis – all of which can be achieved by cannabinoids.
In laboratory studies, cannabinoids downregulate AKT over-activation in cancer cell lines and exert cancer-killing action by ER-stress pathway activation. In this study, the elicitation of cannabinoids-induced ER-stress response was observed (expression of stress genes such as TRB3 and p8) and analyzed by microarray studies.
ER-stress pathway is a protective form of stress that can be activated as a result of physiological and pathological insults. In cancer cells, excessive ER-stress can turn-on the cell’s pro-apoptotic signaling pathways and triggers cell death, which is quite uncommon with conventional anti-cancer therapies.
The available research evidences point out the irrefutable involvement of cannabinoids on key intracellular signaling pathways such as MAPK, the PI3-kinase/AKT pathway, ER-stress pathways, etc – which are the vital regulatory pathways of cell cycle, tumorigenesis, and metastasis.
To achieve maximum clinical benefits and cancer remission, cannabinoids can beemployed as a combined therapy with radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy such as Temozolomide.
In the same study, the researchers have found that cannabinoid treatment has increased the cells’ sensitivity to radiation and can aid tumor suppression. It is believed that cannabinoids can interfere and delay the post-irradiation DNA repairing mechanisms, and make the radiated cells commit suicide (apoptosis as a result of physical insult or irradiation). Although the complete anti-tumoral mechanism of action of cannabinoids is not yet fully understood, it is believed that the cannabinoid-induced apoptosis depends on increased generation of free radicals or reactive oxygen species that can lead to ER-stress, caspase cascade activation (apoptosis inducer) in the glioma cells and eventual cell death.
Notably, radiation therapy along with cannabinoids has induced autophagy in the glioma cells invitro.
You may worry about undergoing radiation therapy and/or chemotherapy, as it can cause vomiting or nausea, pain, loss of appetite, etc. Several studies have claimed that marijuana’s bioactive constituents can normalize radiation therapy and chemotherapy-induced appetite, reduce nausea and vomiting, pain, inflammation and neurological problems such as numbness, tingling, and muscle weakness without causing serious side effects.
Cancer is an extremely complex disease and cancer cells possess the unique ability to change often, adapt or mutate in extreme environments – which help the cells to become resistant and survive through conventional therapies. Combining cannabis-based treatment with conventional anti-cancer approaches can be a multi-pronged attack on treatment-evading cancer cells to achieve complete remission and treatment success.
These findings can pave the way for a new treatment strategy for glioma patients.
http://420intel.com/articles/2016/02/16 ... and-cancer
After years of denial, the National Institute of Drug Abuse has finally admitted that marijuana does kill certain cancer cells – including those cells in brain tumors. Marijuana has also been found to reduce the size of other tumors, which is not completely possible with cancer chemotherapy/radiation therapies.
The possibility of marijuana-based anticancer treatment has been around since the mid-1970s, which was coined by a study that reported potential antitumor (Lewis lung adenocarcinoma) properties of marijuana components such as cannabinol, delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol (delta9-THC), and delta8-tetrahydrocannabinol (delta8-THC).
Invivo and invitro tumor model studies have shown that cannabinoids cause tumor shrinkage by arresting the cell cycle, preventing cell survival mechanisms, and activating programmed cell death (apoptosis) in the tumor cells. These actions are elicited by influencing vital cell-signaling pathways, including proapoptotic pathways, in addition to hormone and growth-factor receptor modulation.
One notable study has reported some important anti-tumorigenic mechanisms of cannabinoids – such as inhibition of cell migration, tumor angiogenesis, cell migration and adhesion, invasion of extracellular matrix and related structures and metastatic processes. Unlike conventional anticancer therapy, cannabinoids elicit these actions without harming normal cells.
The available research evidence points out that active principles of marijuana can kill the cancer cells by inducing apoptosis and autophagy mechanisms in addition to the above said molecular mechanisms. In the pre-clinical studies, it has been shown that THC and CBD, as complimentary treatment therapy with radiotherapy, can effectively treat high-grade glioma, which is the deadliest form of brain cancer. As reported in the study, a low dose of THC and CBD is as effective as a high dose in killing cancer cells. Therefore, the risk of unwanted side effects can be eliminated. We already know that radiotherapy cannot completely eliminate cancer cells. THC and CBD can act synergistically and eliminate cancer cells by two main pathways, namely by inducing apoptosis in the cancer cells or by autophagy mechanisms.
Apoptosis – A programmed cell death process by which a cell commits suicide upon aging, exposure to physical, chemical or biological insults etc. A typical cancer cell evades apoptosis and survives indefinitely.
Autophagy – A normal cellular degradation pathway to clear destructed or damaged cells to maintain normal cell functioning, new cell formation, and cell turnover. In cancer cells, defects in autophagy function can help the malignant cells to survive for prolonged period. Induction of autophagy and cancer cell destruction can be achieved by eliciting stress (ER-stress/endoplasmic stress) in cancer cells.
The study found that cannabinoids exposed cancer cells are more sensitized to the effects of radiation. Likewise, chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy can make the cancer cells sensitive to THC and CBD. Other recent studies have reported similar results.
One such study that investigated the anti-cancer benefits of cannabinoids in two human glioma cell lines has confirmed the anticancer effects of THC and CBD are dose-dependent, as any like therapeutic drugs. Meaning, it can be both cytotoxic (killing cancer cells) and cytostatic (preventing tumor cell growth).
Purified THC and CBD molecules bind to cannabinoid receptors 1 & 2 and activate several intracellular signaling pathways that regulate cellular proliferation. THC has higher affinity to CBD-1 & 2 receptors, while CBD has little affinity; however, the latter antagonize binding of other molecules with these receptors. Hence, the occurrence of THC-mediated adverse events can be minimized.
It is still unclear whether the action of cannabinoids is entirely based on their respective receptor binding action and specific binding affinities. Due to heterogeneity in the intrinsic proteins that are impacted by the cannabinoids, the drug’s effect can be both independent and dependent of receptors.
In cancer cell lines AKT over-activation has been reported, which is believed to be the cause of cellular proliferation (uncontrolled cell growth) and enhanced drug resistance (evasion of sensitivity to treatment medications). AKT is a kinase-pathway that is predominantly involved in the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway that regulates vital cellular processes including cell growth, proliferation and survival, neovascularization (blood supply to tumors), invasion and cell migration. Although these pathways are an attractive target for anti-cancer medications, the resistance is still common due to constantly evolving/mutating nature of the cancer cells. Hence, it is important to target the cancer cells holistically by inhibiting tumorigenesis, angiogenesis and metastasis – all of which can be achieved by cannabinoids.
In laboratory studies, cannabinoids downregulate AKT over-activation in cancer cell lines and exert cancer-killing action by ER-stress pathway activation. In this study, the elicitation of cannabinoids-induced ER-stress response was observed (expression of stress genes such as TRB3 and p8) and analyzed by microarray studies.
ER-stress pathway is a protective form of stress that can be activated as a result of physiological and pathological insults. In cancer cells, excessive ER-stress can turn-on the cell’s pro-apoptotic signaling pathways and triggers cell death, which is quite uncommon with conventional anti-cancer therapies.
The available research evidences point out the irrefutable involvement of cannabinoids on key intracellular signaling pathways such as MAPK, the PI3-kinase/AKT pathway, ER-stress pathways, etc – which are the vital regulatory pathways of cell cycle, tumorigenesis, and metastasis.
To achieve maximum clinical benefits and cancer remission, cannabinoids can beemployed as a combined therapy with radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy such as Temozolomide.
In the same study, the researchers have found that cannabinoid treatment has increased the cells’ sensitivity to radiation and can aid tumor suppression. It is believed that cannabinoids can interfere and delay the post-irradiation DNA repairing mechanisms, and make the radiated cells commit suicide (apoptosis as a result of physical insult or irradiation). Although the complete anti-tumoral mechanism of action of cannabinoids is not yet fully understood, it is believed that the cannabinoid-induced apoptosis depends on increased generation of free radicals or reactive oxygen species that can lead to ER-stress, caspase cascade activation (apoptosis inducer) in the glioma cells and eventual cell death.
Notably, radiation therapy along with cannabinoids has induced autophagy in the glioma cells invitro.
You may worry about undergoing radiation therapy and/or chemotherapy, as it can cause vomiting or nausea, pain, loss of appetite, etc. Several studies have claimed that marijuana’s bioactive constituents can normalize radiation therapy and chemotherapy-induced appetite, reduce nausea and vomiting, pain, inflammation and neurological problems such as numbness, tingling, and muscle weakness without causing serious side effects.
Cancer is an extremely complex disease and cancer cells possess the unique ability to change often, adapt or mutate in extreme environments – which help the cells to become resistant and survive through conventional therapies. Combining cannabis-based treatment with conventional anti-cancer approaches can be a multi-pronged attack on treatment-evading cancer cells to achieve complete remission and treatment success.
These findings can pave the way for a new treatment strategy for glioma patients.
http://420intel.com/articles/2016/02/16 ... and-cancer
Re: News in English 2016
Jesus Healed Sick People With Marijuana, Researchers Discover
Historical and scientific research suggests that Jesus Christ may have been an avid marijuana user, and experts say he may have also used the plant to heal sick people.
Experts suggest that cannabis may have been a key ingredient in the “anointing oil” used by Jesus and his followers in rituals for healing.
Naturalnews.com reports:
From the original High Times article:
“Christ” is the Greek translation of the Hebrew “Messiah.” In modern English, this term would be translated as the “anointed one.” The title “Christ” was only placed upon he who had “God’s unction upon him.”
This holy anointing oil, as described in the original Hebrew version of the recipe in Exodus (30:22-23), contained over six pounds of kaneh-bosem, a substance identified by respected etymologists, linguists, anthropologists, botanists and other researchers as cannabis, extracted into about six quarts of olive oil, along with a variety of other fragrant herbs. The ancient anointed ones were literally drenched in this potent mixture.
Kaneh-bosem = cannabis?
Kaneh-bosem certainly does sound like the modern day term cannabis, and there is little doubt that hemp was widely used by the Hebrew culture in those times.
As reported by High Times, Carl P. Ruck, professor of classical mythology at Boston University, wrote:
“There can be little doubt about a role for cannabis in Judaic religion…. There is no way that so important a plant as a fiber source for textiles and nutritive oils and one so easy to grow would have gone unnoticed… the mere harvesting of it would have induced an entheogenic reaction.”
Ritual and medicinal use of cannabis
Entheogen – a term coined by Professor Ruck – refers to any substance used to induce spiritual experiences. The use of entheogens such as cannabis, peyote and psilocybin mushrooms has been linked to the formation of nearly all the world’s religions, so it’s perhaps no surprise that cannabis likely played a role in the birth of Christianity.
It’s easy to understand the role, considering the near-miraculous healing properties of the plant. We are now beginning to rediscover the myriad medicinal uses for cannabis – remedies that have been known for thousands of years, but which have been forgotten amidst the government-created anti-marijuana hysteria that has existed in the United States for more than half a century.
Fortunately, those attitudes are changing now, and the Christ–cannabis connection debate is perhaps an example of an overdue reexamination of some of our collective beliefs that have been clouded by propaganda.
What would Jesus do?
Those familiar with the history of the outlawing of marijuana in the U.S. are well aware that this was a direct result of pressure by corporate interests. Then later, of course, the failed War on Drugs went into full swing, and punishing marijuana users and dealers became big business for law enforcement and run-for-profit prisons.
Cannabis and the hemp plant in general offer us a cheap, effective and renewable source of a great number of beneficial products – some with almost miraculous properties – but since there is little profit in it for Big Pharma and other big business interests, the progress toward legalization has been slow and met with bitter opposition every inch of the way.
One might wonder, what would Jesus think about that?
From The Guardian:
Quoting the New Testament, Mr Bennett argues that Jesus anointed his disciples with the oil and encouraged them to do the same with other followers. This could have been responsible for healing eye and skin diseases referred to in the Gospels.
“If cannabis was one of the main ingredients of the ancient anointing oil _ [sic] and receiving this oil is what made Jesus the Christ and his followers Christians, then persecuting those who use cannabis could be considered anti-Christ,” Mr Bennett concludes.
http://420intel.com/articles/2016/02/17 ... s-discover
Historical and scientific research suggests that Jesus Christ may have been an avid marijuana user, and experts say he may have also used the plant to heal sick people.
Experts suggest that cannabis may have been a key ingredient in the “anointing oil” used by Jesus and his followers in rituals for healing.
Naturalnews.com reports:
From the original High Times article:
“Christ” is the Greek translation of the Hebrew “Messiah.” In modern English, this term would be translated as the “anointed one.” The title “Christ” was only placed upon he who had “God’s unction upon him.”
This holy anointing oil, as described in the original Hebrew version of the recipe in Exodus (30:22-23), contained over six pounds of kaneh-bosem, a substance identified by respected etymologists, linguists, anthropologists, botanists and other researchers as cannabis, extracted into about six quarts of olive oil, along with a variety of other fragrant herbs. The ancient anointed ones were literally drenched in this potent mixture.
Kaneh-bosem = cannabis?
Kaneh-bosem certainly does sound like the modern day term cannabis, and there is little doubt that hemp was widely used by the Hebrew culture in those times.
As reported by High Times, Carl P. Ruck, professor of classical mythology at Boston University, wrote:
“There can be little doubt about a role for cannabis in Judaic religion…. There is no way that so important a plant as a fiber source for textiles and nutritive oils and one so easy to grow would have gone unnoticed… the mere harvesting of it would have induced an entheogenic reaction.”
Ritual and medicinal use of cannabis
Entheogen – a term coined by Professor Ruck – refers to any substance used to induce spiritual experiences. The use of entheogens such as cannabis, peyote and psilocybin mushrooms has been linked to the formation of nearly all the world’s religions, so it’s perhaps no surprise that cannabis likely played a role in the birth of Christianity.
It’s easy to understand the role, considering the near-miraculous healing properties of the plant. We are now beginning to rediscover the myriad medicinal uses for cannabis – remedies that have been known for thousands of years, but which have been forgotten amidst the government-created anti-marijuana hysteria that has existed in the United States for more than half a century.
Fortunately, those attitudes are changing now, and the Christ–cannabis connection debate is perhaps an example of an overdue reexamination of some of our collective beliefs that have been clouded by propaganda.
What would Jesus do?
Those familiar with the history of the outlawing of marijuana in the U.S. are well aware that this was a direct result of pressure by corporate interests. Then later, of course, the failed War on Drugs went into full swing, and punishing marijuana users and dealers became big business for law enforcement and run-for-profit prisons.
Cannabis and the hemp plant in general offer us a cheap, effective and renewable source of a great number of beneficial products – some with almost miraculous properties – but since there is little profit in it for Big Pharma and other big business interests, the progress toward legalization has been slow and met with bitter opposition every inch of the way.
One might wonder, what would Jesus think about that?
From The Guardian:
Quoting the New Testament, Mr Bennett argues that Jesus anointed his disciples with the oil and encouraged them to do the same with other followers. This could have been responsible for healing eye and skin diseases referred to in the Gospels.
“If cannabis was one of the main ingredients of the ancient anointing oil _ [sic] and receiving this oil is what made Jesus the Christ and his followers Christians, then persecuting those who use cannabis could be considered anti-Christ,” Mr Bennett concludes.
http://420intel.com/articles/2016/02/17 ... s-discover
Re: News in English 2016
Hillary Clinton’s biggest campaign donor supports marijuana legalization
Hillary Clinton may not seem as adamant about marijuana legalization as her opponent Bernie Sanders, but the money behind her campaign sure is.
Despite her ties to pharmaceutical and private prison lobbyists, the largest contributor to Hillary Clinton’s current presidential campaign is billionaire philanthropist and influential marijuana law reform advocate George Soros, reports Extract.
According to numbers from theCenter for Responsive Politics, Soros’ private investment firm has already donated over $7 million to Clinton’s 2016 campaign committee and super PACs.
Soros has built a reputation as one of the most influential supporters of marijuana legalization. He has spent more than $200 million on cannabis legalization efforts since 1994, and also donates millions annually to legalization advocacy groups such as the Drug Policy Alliance, American Civil Liberties Union, and the Marijuana Policy Project.
“He’s played a historic role in the evolution of drug policy reform from a movement that was at the fringe of U.S. politics to one that is in the mainstream,” Ethan Nadelmann, the director of Drug Policy Alliance, told Forbes.
http://420intel.com/articles/2016/02/17 ... galization
Hillary Clinton may not seem as adamant about marijuana legalization as her opponent Bernie Sanders, but the money behind her campaign sure is.
Despite her ties to pharmaceutical and private prison lobbyists, the largest contributor to Hillary Clinton’s current presidential campaign is billionaire philanthropist and influential marijuana law reform advocate George Soros, reports Extract.
According to numbers from theCenter for Responsive Politics, Soros’ private investment firm has already donated over $7 million to Clinton’s 2016 campaign committee and super PACs.
Soros has built a reputation as one of the most influential supporters of marijuana legalization. He has spent more than $200 million on cannabis legalization efforts since 1994, and also donates millions annually to legalization advocacy groups such as the Drug Policy Alliance, American Civil Liberties Union, and the Marijuana Policy Project.
“He’s played a historic role in the evolution of drug policy reform from a movement that was at the fringe of U.S. politics to one that is in the mainstream,” Ethan Nadelmann, the director of Drug Policy Alliance, told Forbes.
http://420intel.com/articles/2016/02/17 ... galization
Re: News in English 2016
Study: Marijuana doesn’t cause anxiety, depression
New research published Wednesday in the journal JAMA Psychiatry found that using marijuana as an adult is not associated with a variety of mood and anxiety disorders, including depression and bipolar disorder.
This is a challenge to some previous research that has shown that marijuana use is associated with depression and anxiety.
The researchers examined the records of nearly 35,000 U.S. adults who participated in the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions. They examined the prevalence of marijuana use among the study participants in 2001 and 2002, then checked on the participants’ rates of mental-health problems three years later in 2004 and 2005.
After controlling for a variety of confounding factors, such as socio-demographic characteristics, family history and environment, and past and present psychiatric disorders, the study found that “cannabis use was not associated with increased risk for developing mood or anxiety disorders.”
Don’t break out the celebratory blunt just yet, though. The study did find an association between marijuana use and later substance-use disorders, such as abuse of and dependence on alcohol, tobacco, marijuana and other drugs. But this isn’t necessarily surprising: It’s fairly obvious that if you use a substance, you’re putting yourself at risk of a substance-use disorder.
People who use one drug often use others — think of the classic beer-and-cigarette combo. This is as true of marijuana as it is of, say, alcohol. “The findings concerning cannabis raise the question of whether alcohol use also contributes to the risk of subsequent substance use disorders,” lead author Mark Olfson of Columbia University said in an email. But that issue is beyond the scope of the current study, he added.
The findings on mental health are more interesting, given the conflicting picture portrayed by previous research. But Dr. Olfson and his colleagues think some prior evidence of links between marijuana and psychiatric disorders could be due more to confounding factors than anything else.
Dr. Olfson’s research is “a strike against the hypothesis that cannabis uses causes mood and anxiety disorders,” said Keith Humphreys, an addiction and mental-health specialist at Stanford University, in an email. He notes, however, that the new study does not address a previously observed link between heavy marijuana use and schizophrenia. But, he added, the causality of that connection is far from clear. “I don’t know if we will ever know because it’s just hard to predict rare events, and schizophrenia is rare,” he said.
The new study adds to prior research discrediting the connection between marijuana and common mental-health disorders. And it’s important, because much of the federal government’s current literature on marijuana includes claims about links between marijuana and depression that are inaccurate in light of the latest findings.
For instance, the Drug Enforcement Administration makes these claims in its official fact sheet on marijuana. And in its 2014 publication, “The Dangers and Consequences of Marijuana Abuse,” the DEA mentions “depression” no fewer than 14 times, claiming that pot is linked to depression among teens, adults and even dogs.
Given that these documents are used to inform policy at the federal level and below, it is crucial that they reflect the best, most accurate research. This is especially true given the rapidly changing marijuana-policy landscape today.
http://420intel.com/articles/2016/02/18 ... depression
New research published Wednesday in the journal JAMA Psychiatry found that using marijuana as an adult is not associated with a variety of mood and anxiety disorders, including depression and bipolar disorder.
This is a challenge to some previous research that has shown that marijuana use is associated with depression and anxiety.
The researchers examined the records of nearly 35,000 U.S. adults who participated in the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions. They examined the prevalence of marijuana use among the study participants in 2001 and 2002, then checked on the participants’ rates of mental-health problems three years later in 2004 and 2005.
After controlling for a variety of confounding factors, such as socio-demographic characteristics, family history and environment, and past and present psychiatric disorders, the study found that “cannabis use was not associated with increased risk for developing mood or anxiety disorders.”
Don’t break out the celebratory blunt just yet, though. The study did find an association between marijuana use and later substance-use disorders, such as abuse of and dependence on alcohol, tobacco, marijuana and other drugs. But this isn’t necessarily surprising: It’s fairly obvious that if you use a substance, you’re putting yourself at risk of a substance-use disorder.
People who use one drug often use others — think of the classic beer-and-cigarette combo. This is as true of marijuana as it is of, say, alcohol. “The findings concerning cannabis raise the question of whether alcohol use also contributes to the risk of subsequent substance use disorders,” lead author Mark Olfson of Columbia University said in an email. But that issue is beyond the scope of the current study, he added.
The findings on mental health are more interesting, given the conflicting picture portrayed by previous research. But Dr. Olfson and his colleagues think some prior evidence of links between marijuana and psychiatric disorders could be due more to confounding factors than anything else.
Dr. Olfson’s research is “a strike against the hypothesis that cannabis uses causes mood and anxiety disorders,” said Keith Humphreys, an addiction and mental-health specialist at Stanford University, in an email. He notes, however, that the new study does not address a previously observed link between heavy marijuana use and schizophrenia. But, he added, the causality of that connection is far from clear. “I don’t know if we will ever know because it’s just hard to predict rare events, and schizophrenia is rare,” he said.
The new study adds to prior research discrediting the connection between marijuana and common mental-health disorders. And it’s important, because much of the federal government’s current literature on marijuana includes claims about links between marijuana and depression that are inaccurate in light of the latest findings.
For instance, the Drug Enforcement Administration makes these claims in its official fact sheet on marijuana. And in its 2014 publication, “The Dangers and Consequences of Marijuana Abuse,” the DEA mentions “depression” no fewer than 14 times, claiming that pot is linked to depression among teens, adults and even dogs.
Given that these documents are used to inform policy at the federal level and below, it is crucial that they reflect the best, most accurate research. This is especially true given the rapidly changing marijuana-policy landscape today.
http://420intel.com/articles/2016/02/18 ... depression
Re: News in English 2016
Study: No Increase In Prevalence Of Marijuana Use Disorders
A report published last fall claiming that an estimated three in ten consumers of cannabis suffer from a ‘use disorder’ has been dismissed in a new study published in JAMA Psychiatry.
Investigators at the Washington School of Medicine in St. Louis assessed trends in marijuana use and the prevalence of marijuana use disorders during the years 2002 to 2013. Researchers determined that the self-reported use of cannabis by adults increased an estimated 19 percent, but that reports of cannabis-related problems actually declined during this same period.
“We’re certainly seeing some increases in marijuana use,” the lead researcher of the new study said. “But our survey didn’t notice any increase in marijuana-related problems. Certainly, some people are having problems so we should remain vigilant, but the sky is not falling.”
Separate evaluations of self-reported marijuana use by young people have determined that rates of cannabis use by high-school students is significantly lower today than it was 15 years ago.
http://420intel.com/articles/2016/02/18 ... -disorders
A report published last fall claiming that an estimated three in ten consumers of cannabis suffer from a ‘use disorder’ has been dismissed in a new study published in JAMA Psychiatry.
Investigators at the Washington School of Medicine in St. Louis assessed trends in marijuana use and the prevalence of marijuana use disorders during the years 2002 to 2013. Researchers determined that the self-reported use of cannabis by adults increased an estimated 19 percent, but that reports of cannabis-related problems actually declined during this same period.
“We’re certainly seeing some increases in marijuana use,” the lead researcher of the new study said. “But our survey didn’t notice any increase in marijuana-related problems. Certainly, some people are having problems so we should remain vigilant, but the sky is not falling.”
Separate evaluations of self-reported marijuana use by young people have determined that rates of cannabis use by high-school students is significantly lower today than it was 15 years ago.
http://420intel.com/articles/2016/02/18 ... -disorders
Re: News in English 2016
Can Cannabis Improve Your Workout?
Cannabis won’t make you a nervous, miserable wreck. That’s the conclusion of a study published Thursday in the journal JAMA Psychiatry that failed to find a connection between mood disorders and cannabis use in adults. Researchers looked at about 35,000 U.S. adults, examining their cannabis use and, three years later, looking at their rates of mental illness. The conclusion: “Cannabis use was not associated with increased risk for developing mood or anxiety disorders.” Case closed? Not quite. Some other recent studies suggest such a connection might exist, though none has established a causal connection. Expect the back-and-forth to go on for a while. (Research would, of course, be easier if the federal government simply rescheduled cannabis, but you already know that.) The study did find an association between cannabis use and substance-use disorders, however, so there's still good reason to consume responsibly.
Are more people using cannabis? Probably, but not as many as we thought. A study back in Octobersaid the number of people using cannabis more than doubled from 2001 to 2013, but a new report raises doubts. Instead of an increase in consumption, researchers wrote in the journal JAMA Psychiatry, it’s more likely the observed spike reflects simply an increased willingness by survey respondents to acknowledge their use. The update hinges on the fact that the initial survey was based on face-to-face interviewers with researchers. As society has become more accepting of cannabis, the new study found, respondents were less likely to conceal their use of the drug. Controlling for the difference, researchers revised the initial study’s estimate and found that cannabis use between 2001 and 2013 increased by a far more modest 19 percent.
Can cannabis help with your cardio? Believe it or not, yes. The little available research we have suggests cannabis is an “ergolytic,” meaning it decreases work capacity and cardiac output. But there’s more to a workout than peak horsepower. Iñigo San Millán, a director of sports performance at the University of Colorado, says cannabis can take the mind off pain and help athletes stay in the zone during tough workouts. It can also reduce stress and promote sleep, he says, making it a promising post-workout recovery aid. There are downsides, of course — cannabis can slow reaction times and may temporarily increase heartrate — but Clifford Drusinky, an elite triathlete, swears by the 20 milligrams of THC he eats in a cannabis-infused energy bar every morning: “Marijuana relaxes me and allows me to go into a controlled, meditational place,” he says. “When I get high, I train smarter and I focus on form.”
So maybe we should let athletes use it. The Super Bowl gave a whole bunch of former footballplayers a chance to talk about how physically demanding (read: tragically devastating) the sport can be. It also let them tear into the NFL and its continued prohibition of cannabis, arguably one of the most promising treatments for a number of football-related injuries. Cannabidiol (CBD), for example, can help protect and even heal the brain. That could be big in a league where 96 percent of players, according to a 2015 study, show signs of chronic traumatic brain injury. Medical marijuana could help manage the pain of chronic traumatic encephalopathy and even slow the disease’s progression. It could also be far safer to players than prescription painkillers and other dangerous drugs. Nevertheless, NFL players even in legal states face fines and other penalties if they test positive for cannabis.
Elizabeth Warren is on board. The senator from Massachusetts urged the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to consider cannabis as an alternative to painkillers, arguing that legalization could help end America’s opioid epidemic. Cannabis, after all, is effective at treating pain, it’s safe (aside from a few “non-serious” side effects), and it’s less likely to be used alongside alcohol or other painkillers. All that saves lives: States with medical marijuana laws have a 24.8 percent lower rate of opioid overdose deaths compared to states without medical marijuana, a 2014 study found. Another study last year noticed a 15 to 35 percent drop in substance abuse admissions — and a similar drop in opiate overdose deaths — in areas where dispensaries exist.
No breathalyzer for cannabis yet. Blame it on the molecules. NPR explains why it’s so much more difficult to design a breathalyzer for THC than it is for alcohol, and it mostly boils down to this: THC dissolves in fat, and booze dissolves in water. When you drink, alcohol saturates your body evenly, so the percentage in your breath is a good indicator of the percentage in your blood. But THC, being fat-soluble, collects in fatty tissues over time. The upshot? Alcohol behaves much more predictably and uniformly from person to person than THC, making it easier to test for and to correlate with impairment level. Despite efforts to develop a cannabis breathalyzer or saliva test, nothing so far has stuck. Play it safe and drive sober.
“This is your brain on drugs”? Not quite. Two separate studies this month fired back against the stupid-stoner stereotype and found no evidence adolescent marijuana use leads to a decline in intelligence. But it’s clear there’s still a lot to learn about the effects of cannabis on young brains. Another study found that participants who smoked cannabis daily as teenagers hadlower verbal memory scores than those who used cannabis less frequently or began at a later age. Despite the apparent connection, however, the study found that past cannabis use did not appear to affect participants’ other cognitive functions.
It actually might help your head. Cannabis has long been used for the treatment of migraines, and a University of Colorado study published last month backs the practice up with data. Of 121 adult participants, about 85 percent reported having fewer migraines per month when using cannabis. The average number of migraines fell from 10.4 per month to 4.6, and only 2 percent saw an increase in migraine frequency. It’s still not clear exactly how cannabis curbs the headaches, but it’s increasingly clear that it does.
Scientists are homing in on genetic differences in cannabis users. Researchers at the University of Exeter and University College London identified a gene they say predicts how susceptible cannabis users are to developing mental illness. Doctors have been probing the connection between cannabis and psychosis for some time, but they’ve struggled to understand how one affects the other. The study found that young people with a particular variant of the AKT1 gene were more likely to demonstrate “psychotic-like” effects after using cannabis. Scientists had already established a link between the AKT1 gene and psychosis, but this was the first that showed a link between the gene and psychotic effects of cannabis. The researchers stressed psychosis was extremely rare, affecting only about 1 percent of users.
What’s going on in that bong? Is all that gurgling actually making your toke any healthier? We at Leafly weren’t too sure, so we found out. What did we find out? Nobody else is too sure, either. Filtering smoke through water does seem to remove a lot of the bad things in smoke, but it also removes a lot of the desirable cannabinoids. Dig into the research and there’s evidence both ways. The conclusion? While your bong might give you nice smooth hits, it ultimately may not be any healthier than a joint.
And finally, remember that DEA agent who warned medical cannabis might lead to stoned bunnies? Turns out there’s no scientific evidence for that. The DEA finally replied to a Freedom of Information Act Request about the claim by acknowledging that “no responsive records were located.” Are we relieved? Yes. Heartbroken? That, too. Stoned bunnies sound freaking adorable. But in case you’re wondering, scientists have tried to get rabbits high. Because science.
http://420intel.com/articles/2016/02/19 ... ur-workout
Cannabis won’t make you a nervous, miserable wreck. That’s the conclusion of a study published Thursday in the journal JAMA Psychiatry that failed to find a connection between mood disorders and cannabis use in adults. Researchers looked at about 35,000 U.S. adults, examining their cannabis use and, three years later, looking at their rates of mental illness. The conclusion: “Cannabis use was not associated with increased risk for developing mood or anxiety disorders.” Case closed? Not quite. Some other recent studies suggest such a connection might exist, though none has established a causal connection. Expect the back-and-forth to go on for a while. (Research would, of course, be easier if the federal government simply rescheduled cannabis, but you already know that.) The study did find an association between cannabis use and substance-use disorders, however, so there's still good reason to consume responsibly.
Are more people using cannabis? Probably, but not as many as we thought. A study back in Octobersaid the number of people using cannabis more than doubled from 2001 to 2013, but a new report raises doubts. Instead of an increase in consumption, researchers wrote in the journal JAMA Psychiatry, it’s more likely the observed spike reflects simply an increased willingness by survey respondents to acknowledge their use. The update hinges on the fact that the initial survey was based on face-to-face interviewers with researchers. As society has become more accepting of cannabis, the new study found, respondents were less likely to conceal their use of the drug. Controlling for the difference, researchers revised the initial study’s estimate and found that cannabis use between 2001 and 2013 increased by a far more modest 19 percent.
Can cannabis help with your cardio? Believe it or not, yes. The little available research we have suggests cannabis is an “ergolytic,” meaning it decreases work capacity and cardiac output. But there’s more to a workout than peak horsepower. Iñigo San Millán, a director of sports performance at the University of Colorado, says cannabis can take the mind off pain and help athletes stay in the zone during tough workouts. It can also reduce stress and promote sleep, he says, making it a promising post-workout recovery aid. There are downsides, of course — cannabis can slow reaction times and may temporarily increase heartrate — but Clifford Drusinky, an elite triathlete, swears by the 20 milligrams of THC he eats in a cannabis-infused energy bar every morning: “Marijuana relaxes me and allows me to go into a controlled, meditational place,” he says. “When I get high, I train smarter and I focus on form.”
So maybe we should let athletes use it. The Super Bowl gave a whole bunch of former footballplayers a chance to talk about how physically demanding (read: tragically devastating) the sport can be. It also let them tear into the NFL and its continued prohibition of cannabis, arguably one of the most promising treatments for a number of football-related injuries. Cannabidiol (CBD), for example, can help protect and even heal the brain. That could be big in a league where 96 percent of players, according to a 2015 study, show signs of chronic traumatic brain injury. Medical marijuana could help manage the pain of chronic traumatic encephalopathy and even slow the disease’s progression. It could also be far safer to players than prescription painkillers and other dangerous drugs. Nevertheless, NFL players even in legal states face fines and other penalties if they test positive for cannabis.
Elizabeth Warren is on board. The senator from Massachusetts urged the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to consider cannabis as an alternative to painkillers, arguing that legalization could help end America’s opioid epidemic. Cannabis, after all, is effective at treating pain, it’s safe (aside from a few “non-serious” side effects), and it’s less likely to be used alongside alcohol or other painkillers. All that saves lives: States with medical marijuana laws have a 24.8 percent lower rate of opioid overdose deaths compared to states without medical marijuana, a 2014 study found. Another study last year noticed a 15 to 35 percent drop in substance abuse admissions — and a similar drop in opiate overdose deaths — in areas where dispensaries exist.
No breathalyzer for cannabis yet. Blame it on the molecules. NPR explains why it’s so much more difficult to design a breathalyzer for THC than it is for alcohol, and it mostly boils down to this: THC dissolves in fat, and booze dissolves in water. When you drink, alcohol saturates your body evenly, so the percentage in your breath is a good indicator of the percentage in your blood. But THC, being fat-soluble, collects in fatty tissues over time. The upshot? Alcohol behaves much more predictably and uniformly from person to person than THC, making it easier to test for and to correlate with impairment level. Despite efforts to develop a cannabis breathalyzer or saliva test, nothing so far has stuck. Play it safe and drive sober.
“This is your brain on drugs”? Not quite. Two separate studies this month fired back against the stupid-stoner stereotype and found no evidence adolescent marijuana use leads to a decline in intelligence. But it’s clear there’s still a lot to learn about the effects of cannabis on young brains. Another study found that participants who smoked cannabis daily as teenagers hadlower verbal memory scores than those who used cannabis less frequently or began at a later age. Despite the apparent connection, however, the study found that past cannabis use did not appear to affect participants’ other cognitive functions.
It actually might help your head. Cannabis has long been used for the treatment of migraines, and a University of Colorado study published last month backs the practice up with data. Of 121 adult participants, about 85 percent reported having fewer migraines per month when using cannabis. The average number of migraines fell from 10.4 per month to 4.6, and only 2 percent saw an increase in migraine frequency. It’s still not clear exactly how cannabis curbs the headaches, but it’s increasingly clear that it does.
Scientists are homing in on genetic differences in cannabis users. Researchers at the University of Exeter and University College London identified a gene they say predicts how susceptible cannabis users are to developing mental illness. Doctors have been probing the connection between cannabis and psychosis for some time, but they’ve struggled to understand how one affects the other. The study found that young people with a particular variant of the AKT1 gene were more likely to demonstrate “psychotic-like” effects after using cannabis. Scientists had already established a link between the AKT1 gene and psychosis, but this was the first that showed a link between the gene and psychotic effects of cannabis. The researchers stressed psychosis was extremely rare, affecting only about 1 percent of users.
What’s going on in that bong? Is all that gurgling actually making your toke any healthier? We at Leafly weren’t too sure, so we found out. What did we find out? Nobody else is too sure, either. Filtering smoke through water does seem to remove a lot of the bad things in smoke, but it also removes a lot of the desirable cannabinoids. Dig into the research and there’s evidence both ways. The conclusion? While your bong might give you nice smooth hits, it ultimately may not be any healthier than a joint.
And finally, remember that DEA agent who warned medical cannabis might lead to stoned bunnies? Turns out there’s no scientific evidence for that. The DEA finally replied to a Freedom of Information Act Request about the claim by acknowledging that “no responsive records were located.” Are we relieved? Yes. Heartbroken? That, too. Stoned bunnies sound freaking adorable. But in case you’re wondering, scientists have tried to get rabbits high. Because science.
http://420intel.com/articles/2016/02/19 ... ur-workout
Re: News in English 2016
This Gene May Predict How You React To Marijuana
We've long known that pot can affect different people in various ways -- some smokers only experience a slight "buzz" while others can become paranoid or even hallucinate.
Now, a team of researchers in the U.K. has found a way to identify which cannabis users are more at risk of developing such strong reactions.
A variation of the gene called "AKT1" is linked to people being more susceptible to the mind-altering effects of cannabis than otherwise, according to a provocative new study published in the journal Translational Psychiatry on Tuesday.
While some previous studies suggest only around 1-5 percent of cannabis users end up developing psychosis, it's the AKT1 gene variant that may put those users more at risk, study lead author Dr. Celia Morgan, professor of psychopharmacology at England's University of Exeter, told The Huffington Post.
"We know relatively little about what makes certain people vulnerable to developing psychosis from smoking cannabis but this research suggests one piece in the puzzle might be this genetic difference," she said. "Cannabis and its extracts are being increasingly recognized for their medical uses so this is another reason why it is key to keep trying to find ways of predicting who will experience negative effects from its use."
For the study, the researchers tested 442 marijuana users for psychotic-like symptoms while they were high and then again about a week later when they were sober. The researchers measured the extent of the symptoms and effects on memory loss and compared results.
They found that the study participants with a certain variant of the AKT1 gene had a much stronger reaction to cannabis -- including symptoms like paranoia, magical thinking and visual distortions -- than their counterparts.
We were surprised to find more memory impairment in women. Study lead author Dr. Celia Morgan
The researchers also noticed that women were more likely to have a short-term memory impairment from cannabis.
"We were surprised to find more memory impairment in women," Morgan said. "The AKT1 finding was what one would predict from previous work that found that people who had psychosis from smoking cannabis were more likely to have this variant of the gene. So that was not so much of a surprise."
The researchers concluded that genetics must play a key role in the unusual link between cannabis and psychosis.
"Our finding that psychotic-like symptoms when young people are 'stoned' are predicted by AKT1 variants is an exciting breakthrough as this acute reaction is thought to be a marker of a person’s risk of developing psychosis from smoking the drug," said Dr. Valerie Curran, professor of psychopharmacology at University College London and a co-author of the study, in a statement.
The new study could be used to help develop a way to identify those at-risk cannabis-users, or possibly help in the development of drugs that might target the AKT1 gene variant, Morgan told HuffPost.
"There is definitely a link between smoking cannabis and psychosis although most people that smoke cannabis are very unlikely to develop psychosis," she said. "Much more work is needed to be able to fully profile risk in people and this is likely to be a large number of genes."
http://420intel.com/articles/2016/02/19 ... -marijuana
We've long known that pot can affect different people in various ways -- some smokers only experience a slight "buzz" while others can become paranoid or even hallucinate.
Now, a team of researchers in the U.K. has found a way to identify which cannabis users are more at risk of developing such strong reactions.
A variation of the gene called "AKT1" is linked to people being more susceptible to the mind-altering effects of cannabis than otherwise, according to a provocative new study published in the journal Translational Psychiatry on Tuesday.
While some previous studies suggest only around 1-5 percent of cannabis users end up developing psychosis, it's the AKT1 gene variant that may put those users more at risk, study lead author Dr. Celia Morgan, professor of psychopharmacology at England's University of Exeter, told The Huffington Post.
"We know relatively little about what makes certain people vulnerable to developing psychosis from smoking cannabis but this research suggests one piece in the puzzle might be this genetic difference," she said. "Cannabis and its extracts are being increasingly recognized for their medical uses so this is another reason why it is key to keep trying to find ways of predicting who will experience negative effects from its use."
For the study, the researchers tested 442 marijuana users for psychotic-like symptoms while they were high and then again about a week later when they were sober. The researchers measured the extent of the symptoms and effects on memory loss and compared results.
They found that the study participants with a certain variant of the AKT1 gene had a much stronger reaction to cannabis -- including symptoms like paranoia, magical thinking and visual distortions -- than their counterparts.
We were surprised to find more memory impairment in women. Study lead author Dr. Celia Morgan
The researchers also noticed that women were more likely to have a short-term memory impairment from cannabis.
"We were surprised to find more memory impairment in women," Morgan said. "The AKT1 finding was what one would predict from previous work that found that people who had psychosis from smoking cannabis were more likely to have this variant of the gene. So that was not so much of a surprise."
The researchers concluded that genetics must play a key role in the unusual link between cannabis and psychosis.
"Our finding that psychotic-like symptoms when young people are 'stoned' are predicted by AKT1 variants is an exciting breakthrough as this acute reaction is thought to be a marker of a person’s risk of developing psychosis from smoking the drug," said Dr. Valerie Curran, professor of psychopharmacology at University College London and a co-author of the study, in a statement.
The new study could be used to help develop a way to identify those at-risk cannabis-users, or possibly help in the development of drugs that might target the AKT1 gene variant, Morgan told HuffPost.
"There is definitely a link between smoking cannabis and psychosis although most people that smoke cannabis are very unlikely to develop psychosis," she said. "Much more work is needed to be able to fully profile risk in people and this is likely to be a large number of genes."
http://420intel.com/articles/2016/02/19 ... -marijuana
Re: News in English 2016
Coffee Pot: What Happens When You Mix Marijuana & Caffeine?
You can now add coffee to the growing list of foods and drinks that are available as products infused with marijuana.
Several companies have started selling cannabis-laced coffee, claiming to give users an added "buzz" to their cup of joe.
But what happens when you combine two psychoactive substances: marijuana and caffeine?
The effects of using these two substances in combination have not been heavily researched, said Dr. Scott Krakower, the assistant unit chief of psychiatry at Zucker Hillside Hospital in New Hyde Park, New York. But using two drugs in combination can always potentially be a problem, he said.
There is some evidence from lab and animal studies that suggests that taken together, caffeine and marijuana "would mix, neuro-chemically," Krakower told Live Science. In other words, they would have different effects when used together then you'd expect from looking at the effects that each compound has when used alone.
For example, it appears that the combination of caffeine and THC (the compound in marijuana responsible for its psychoactive effects) may worsen a person's working memory, Krakower said. This is counterintuitive, as other research suggests that caffeine may contain cognitive-enhancing properties, he said. There seems to be some sort of compounding when the two chemicals are taken together that works against you, he said.
There's also the issue of taking a stimulant (caffeine) and a depressant (marijuana) at the same time, he said.
The combination of the two will likely make the user feel wired and tired at the same time, he said. But taking caffeine with marijuana would not cancel out the high induced by the drug, he noted. And it would be a mistake to think that someone could get high and then sober up, thanks to the caffeine, Krakower said.
The potentially harmful cognitive effects of the combination are concerning, he said.
Much more research is needed into the subject, however, Krakower added. [The Drug Talk: 7 New Tips for Today's Parents]
With the legalization of marijuana in some states, edible products are growing in popularity. Some experts are concerned that these products may lead users to consume more THC than they intend to, because the onset of the drug's effects are slower when it is ingested as opposed to smoked — as they wait, users may eat more, to feel an effect.
In addition, labels on products containing THC may not be accurate. In a 2015 study published in JAMA, researchers found that only 13 out of 75 edible marijuana products had labels that accurately listed the product's levels of THC.
http://www.livescience.com/53757-mariju ... offee.html
You can now add coffee to the growing list of foods and drinks that are available as products infused with marijuana.
Several companies have started selling cannabis-laced coffee, claiming to give users an added "buzz" to their cup of joe.
But what happens when you combine two psychoactive substances: marijuana and caffeine?
The effects of using these two substances in combination have not been heavily researched, said Dr. Scott Krakower, the assistant unit chief of psychiatry at Zucker Hillside Hospital in New Hyde Park, New York. But using two drugs in combination can always potentially be a problem, he said.
There is some evidence from lab and animal studies that suggests that taken together, caffeine and marijuana "would mix, neuro-chemically," Krakower told Live Science. In other words, they would have different effects when used together then you'd expect from looking at the effects that each compound has when used alone.
For example, it appears that the combination of caffeine and THC (the compound in marijuana responsible for its psychoactive effects) may worsen a person's working memory, Krakower said. This is counterintuitive, as other research suggests that caffeine may contain cognitive-enhancing properties, he said. There seems to be some sort of compounding when the two chemicals are taken together that works against you, he said.
There's also the issue of taking a stimulant (caffeine) and a depressant (marijuana) at the same time, he said.
The combination of the two will likely make the user feel wired and tired at the same time, he said. But taking caffeine with marijuana would not cancel out the high induced by the drug, he noted. And it would be a mistake to think that someone could get high and then sober up, thanks to the caffeine, Krakower said.
The potentially harmful cognitive effects of the combination are concerning, he said.
Much more research is needed into the subject, however, Krakower added. [The Drug Talk: 7 New Tips for Today's Parents]
With the legalization of marijuana in some states, edible products are growing in popularity. Some experts are concerned that these products may lead users to consume more THC than they intend to, because the onset of the drug's effects are slower when it is ingested as opposed to smoked — as they wait, users may eat more, to feel an effect.
In addition, labels on products containing THC may not be accurate. In a 2015 study published in JAMA, researchers found that only 13 out of 75 edible marijuana products had labels that accurately listed the product's levels of THC.
http://www.livescience.com/53757-mariju ... offee.html
Re: News in English 2016
The UK's first step towards the Legalization of Cannabis
Tim Farron MP, the leader of the Liberal Democrats party is the first party political leader to publicly call for the legalisation of cannabis for recreational users.
“The War on Drugs is Over”
Following the example set by a growing number of States in America, the recreational use of cannabis is following on from the successful legalization of cannabis for medical use.
New findings suggest the link between the use of marijuana and mental illness may not be as prevalent as first thought.
Take for example a recent study published in the JAMA Psychiatry Journal by Dr. Mark Olfson of the Columbia University Medical Centre and New York State’s Psychiatric Institute, which found that rather than causing mental illnesses, marijuana users were more likely to drink more alcohol rather than develop mood or anxiety disorders.
Its good for the Economy too
Taking the money away from the Black Markets and putting it into the hands of the Treasury, the legalization of cannabis can play a major role in reducing the national debt.
According to the CIBC World Markets, Canada already benefits from a whooping $5 Billion a year injection of cash in tax revenues from the legal sale of marijuana.
Looking at the bigger picture, the legalization of cannabis can make a massive and positive impact on society. Freeing the police to concentrate on serious crimes other than the possession and supply of a naturally grown plant, revolutions are possible in the field of medicine and industry.
Run from the Cure
According to Rick Simpson, cannabis cures Cancer and the legalization of cannabis will free sufferers of many ailments to treat themselves without having to reply on a profit driven pharmaceutical industry to supply drugs with harmful side effects.
With a thousand and one uses, (fuel, rope, paper, clothing, paint, oil, ink) even the Hemp plant can be used to make a wealth of products which can revolutionize industry in the same manner it can revolutionize medicine and society.
All the indications now point to the inevitability of the legalization of cannabis. The scaremongering of the dangers of cannabis use has been proved wrong by any professional body who looks into the issue. The financial benefit to the economy is undeniable and the argument against recreational cannabis use is being lost. People have used cannabis both recreationally and as a medicine for millennium. The prohibition of cannabis will surely be consigned to the history books, just as the prohibition of alcohol has been.
http://420intel.com/articles/2016/02/21 ... n-cannabis
Tim Farron MP, the leader of the Liberal Democrats party is the first party political leader to publicly call for the legalisation of cannabis for recreational users.
“The War on Drugs is Over”
Following the example set by a growing number of States in America, the recreational use of cannabis is following on from the successful legalization of cannabis for medical use.
New findings suggest the link between the use of marijuana and mental illness may not be as prevalent as first thought.
Take for example a recent study published in the JAMA Psychiatry Journal by Dr. Mark Olfson of the Columbia University Medical Centre and New York State’s Psychiatric Institute, which found that rather than causing mental illnesses, marijuana users were more likely to drink more alcohol rather than develop mood or anxiety disorders.
Its good for the Economy too
Taking the money away from the Black Markets and putting it into the hands of the Treasury, the legalization of cannabis can play a major role in reducing the national debt.
According to the CIBC World Markets, Canada already benefits from a whooping $5 Billion a year injection of cash in tax revenues from the legal sale of marijuana.
Looking at the bigger picture, the legalization of cannabis can make a massive and positive impact on society. Freeing the police to concentrate on serious crimes other than the possession and supply of a naturally grown plant, revolutions are possible in the field of medicine and industry.
Run from the Cure
According to Rick Simpson, cannabis cures Cancer and the legalization of cannabis will free sufferers of many ailments to treat themselves without having to reply on a profit driven pharmaceutical industry to supply drugs with harmful side effects.
With a thousand and one uses, (fuel, rope, paper, clothing, paint, oil, ink) even the Hemp plant can be used to make a wealth of products which can revolutionize industry in the same manner it can revolutionize medicine and society.
All the indications now point to the inevitability of the legalization of cannabis. The scaremongering of the dangers of cannabis use has been proved wrong by any professional body who looks into the issue. The financial benefit to the economy is undeniable and the argument against recreational cannabis use is being lost. People have used cannabis both recreationally and as a medicine for millennium. The prohibition of cannabis will surely be consigned to the history books, just as the prohibition of alcohol has been.
http://420intel.com/articles/2016/02/21 ... n-cannabis
Re: News in English 2016
The road to legalization: Marijuana as medicine
The uses of marijuana on both a medical and industrial level exemplify the unscientific and impractical nature of cannabis prohibition. Classified as a Schedule I drug, federal law considers cannabis to have no medical use and to have a high potential for addiction. Yet, this classification seems to have no bases in reality. While marijuana remains illegal in the eyes of the federal government, 23 states have legalized marijuana for medical use, along with the District of Columbia and Guam.
The medical aspects of marijuana have been used by humans for centuries, even being considered a reputable medicine in the United States until the 20thcentury. The majority of criticism toward cannabis as medicine comes from the lack of research that many claim plague the field. However, this lack of research stems in its entirety from the illegality of marijuana. In fact, because of the federal classification of cannabis, the only research that could have been done on the plant in the last 80 years was to find any harmful aspects of the substance.
This pseudoscientific outlook on marijuana has contributed to the skepticism about medical cannabis. However, since the dawn of legalization at a state level, the federal government has eased enforcement on the drug in legal states.
Unlike the United States, research on the subject of medical marijuana has been a booming field in one unlikely country: Israel. Since the 1960s, the chemical aspects of marijuana have been studied by scientists such as Dr. Raphael Mechoulam, who is considered to be the father of medical marijuana. While the research in the United States has been stifled by draconian legislation, Israel holds a much more scientific attitude about the plant.
By discovering chemical compounds such as THC, and the endocannabinoid system in the brain, Mechoulam revolutionized our understandings about marijuana. Furthermore, the country has had great success in using marijuana to treat PTSD. Although general use is still illegal in Israel, the country has led the world in implementing medical marijuana, even going so far as to approve its use in 1992.
While Israel leads the way, the United States has begun to follow suit. In 2009, President Obama said he would not interfere with state medical marijuana laws. This has not only given rise to more research on marijuana but also changes attitudes toward the legitimacy of marijuana as medicine. Yet, even with this new attitude on cannabis, only 6 percent of studies on the plant in the United States contribute to medical research.
While more research must be done in this particular field, numerous studies have been published on the effectiveness of marijuana in treating a variety of ailments. From glaucoma to eating disorders, cannabis has been shown to be an effective treatment for both symptom relief and overall treatment.
However, the most astounding use of cannabis seems to be its relief ofneuropathic pain — chronic pain caused by damaging of nerve fibers. The majority of treatments used to curb neuropathic pain revolve around opioid based drugs such as morphine, oxycodone and dilaudid. However, these drugs have not only proven to be ineffective at treating this sort of pain but also have a plethora of dangers on their own. In the United States, 44 people will die today of a prescription pain killer overdose. On the other hand, there are no recorded cases of death from a marijuana overdose.
Much of the criticism toward the use of marijuana as a medical treatment comes from the negative effects of smoking in general, often comparing cannabis to the dreaded tobacco plant. However, this argument holds little legitimacy. Smoking cannabis is nowhere near the only way to consume the substance. In fact, the use of marijuana pills, oils, vapors and edibles have been used as effective alternatives to smoking.
Furthermore, the comparison of marijuana to tobacco seems to be null and void, considering that marijuana has proven effective in reversing the carcinogenic effects of tobacco and even increasing lung capacity.
The labeling of marijuana as a highly addictive substance seems to be exaggerated or, at worst, completely untrue. Marijuana itself has no physically additive properties, following below even caffeine in some recent studies. Although discontinuing frequent marijuana use can lead to mild withdrawal symptoms, they are in no way as extreme as legal substances such as alcohol - which has been attributed to fatal withdrawal symptoms.
The classification of marijuana as a Schedule I drug along with the resistance of legal research over the past century only exemplify the lies and misinformation that has been essential in maintaining the illegality of cannabis. As new research continues to unfold and public perception towards cannabis changes, the only logical route is legalization.
As marijuana becomes legal in both medical and recreational markets in the United States, the positive effects of legal marijuana are proving that the archaic, draconian polices held by the federal government are both ineffective and deviated from reality.
http://420intel.com/articles/2016/02/21 ... a-medicine
The uses of marijuana on both a medical and industrial level exemplify the unscientific and impractical nature of cannabis prohibition. Classified as a Schedule I drug, federal law considers cannabis to have no medical use and to have a high potential for addiction. Yet, this classification seems to have no bases in reality. While marijuana remains illegal in the eyes of the federal government, 23 states have legalized marijuana for medical use, along with the District of Columbia and Guam.
The medical aspects of marijuana have been used by humans for centuries, even being considered a reputable medicine in the United States until the 20thcentury. The majority of criticism toward cannabis as medicine comes from the lack of research that many claim plague the field. However, this lack of research stems in its entirety from the illegality of marijuana. In fact, because of the federal classification of cannabis, the only research that could have been done on the plant in the last 80 years was to find any harmful aspects of the substance.
This pseudoscientific outlook on marijuana has contributed to the skepticism about medical cannabis. However, since the dawn of legalization at a state level, the federal government has eased enforcement on the drug in legal states.
Unlike the United States, research on the subject of medical marijuana has been a booming field in one unlikely country: Israel. Since the 1960s, the chemical aspects of marijuana have been studied by scientists such as Dr. Raphael Mechoulam, who is considered to be the father of medical marijuana. While the research in the United States has been stifled by draconian legislation, Israel holds a much more scientific attitude about the plant.
By discovering chemical compounds such as THC, and the endocannabinoid system in the brain, Mechoulam revolutionized our understandings about marijuana. Furthermore, the country has had great success in using marijuana to treat PTSD. Although general use is still illegal in Israel, the country has led the world in implementing medical marijuana, even going so far as to approve its use in 1992.
While Israel leads the way, the United States has begun to follow suit. In 2009, President Obama said he would not interfere with state medical marijuana laws. This has not only given rise to more research on marijuana but also changes attitudes toward the legitimacy of marijuana as medicine. Yet, even with this new attitude on cannabis, only 6 percent of studies on the plant in the United States contribute to medical research.
While more research must be done in this particular field, numerous studies have been published on the effectiveness of marijuana in treating a variety of ailments. From glaucoma to eating disorders, cannabis has been shown to be an effective treatment for both symptom relief and overall treatment.
However, the most astounding use of cannabis seems to be its relief ofneuropathic pain — chronic pain caused by damaging of nerve fibers. The majority of treatments used to curb neuropathic pain revolve around opioid based drugs such as morphine, oxycodone and dilaudid. However, these drugs have not only proven to be ineffective at treating this sort of pain but also have a plethora of dangers on their own. In the United States, 44 people will die today of a prescription pain killer overdose. On the other hand, there are no recorded cases of death from a marijuana overdose.
Much of the criticism toward the use of marijuana as a medical treatment comes from the negative effects of smoking in general, often comparing cannabis to the dreaded tobacco plant. However, this argument holds little legitimacy. Smoking cannabis is nowhere near the only way to consume the substance. In fact, the use of marijuana pills, oils, vapors and edibles have been used as effective alternatives to smoking.
Furthermore, the comparison of marijuana to tobacco seems to be null and void, considering that marijuana has proven effective in reversing the carcinogenic effects of tobacco and even increasing lung capacity.
The labeling of marijuana as a highly addictive substance seems to be exaggerated or, at worst, completely untrue. Marijuana itself has no physically additive properties, following below even caffeine in some recent studies. Although discontinuing frequent marijuana use can lead to mild withdrawal symptoms, they are in no way as extreme as legal substances such as alcohol - which has been attributed to fatal withdrawal symptoms.
The classification of marijuana as a Schedule I drug along with the resistance of legal research over the past century only exemplify the lies and misinformation that has been essential in maintaining the illegality of cannabis. As new research continues to unfold and public perception towards cannabis changes, the only logical route is legalization.
As marijuana becomes legal in both medical and recreational markets in the United States, the positive effects of legal marijuana are proving that the archaic, draconian polices held by the federal government are both ineffective and deviated from reality.
http://420intel.com/articles/2016/02/21 ... a-medicine
Re: News in English 2016
Hemp Hearts are the New Super Food
Hemp hearts, hemp nuts, or hemp seed has been keeping much of the world heart-healthy for hundreds of years. According to research conducted by the National Center of Biotechnology Information and funded by the Canadian Institutes for Health Research, in 2010, hemp seed has the potential to beneficially influence heart disease.
Besides the benefits to the human heart, hemp seed is now categorized as a super food due to the 21amino acids, including the 9 essential amino acids, and high levels of Zinc, magnesium, calcium, phosphorous, iron, and fiber. Add one very rare form of omega-6, known as gamma linoleic acid (GLA), and many ills of today could be combated nicely with this king of super foods. According to the American Cancer Society, research has proven that people with cancer, diabetes and skin allergies do not make enough natural GLA. Protein is another leading nutrient as the list below shows:
Amount of Protein in Popular Nuts and Seeds: (Based on a one ounce serving)
Hemp seeds – 10.3g
Pumpkin seeds – 6.9g
Almonds – 6g
Sunflower seeds – 5.8g
Flax seeds – 5.1g
Brazil nuts – 4g
Pine nuts – 3.8g
If you still aren’t convinced of the overlooked nutritional value of hemp seed, here is a breakdown of a few of the phytonutrients in every 100 grams of contained minerals and vitamins:
Magnesium – 483mg
Phosphorus – 1160mg
Potassium – 859mg
Calcium – 145mg
Vitamin B3 – 2.8mg
Vitamin B6 – .12mg
Vitamin D – 22.77 IU mg
High blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, and coronary heart disease have proven to be lessened by the GLA content of hemp seed when tested on animals and humans. The fact that the United States is conducting limited testing could be due to the fact that hemp growing is still illegal in the country. Most of the discovery on the positive attributes of hemp seed has been through studies performed in Finland, Germany, Britain, and Canada.
The list of benefits stuffed into this amazing little seeds could improve other medical conditions such as regulating hormones, reducing arthritis and joint pain, increasing metabolism, improving digestive health, and promote healthy layers of skin. The ingredients are all present and ready to take action. All we need now is the proof of scientific testing and easy availability.
Hemp seed contains none of the psychotropic action that is well known of its botanical cousin, Cannabis. The outer shell is removed to expose the soft nutty substance that constitutes the actual hemp seed. While the outer shell could contain traces of THC from environmental conditions, it falls below the .3 percent allowable dry weight basis.
http://420intel.com/articles/2016/02/20 ... super-food
Hemp hearts, hemp nuts, or hemp seed has been keeping much of the world heart-healthy for hundreds of years. According to research conducted by the National Center of Biotechnology Information and funded by the Canadian Institutes for Health Research, in 2010, hemp seed has the potential to beneficially influence heart disease.
Besides the benefits to the human heart, hemp seed is now categorized as a super food due to the 21amino acids, including the 9 essential amino acids, and high levels of Zinc, magnesium, calcium, phosphorous, iron, and fiber. Add one very rare form of omega-6, known as gamma linoleic acid (GLA), and many ills of today could be combated nicely with this king of super foods. According to the American Cancer Society, research has proven that people with cancer, diabetes and skin allergies do not make enough natural GLA. Protein is another leading nutrient as the list below shows:
Amount of Protein in Popular Nuts and Seeds: (Based on a one ounce serving)
Hemp seeds – 10.3g
Pumpkin seeds – 6.9g
Almonds – 6g
Sunflower seeds – 5.8g
Flax seeds – 5.1g
Brazil nuts – 4g
Pine nuts – 3.8g
If you still aren’t convinced of the overlooked nutritional value of hemp seed, here is a breakdown of a few of the phytonutrients in every 100 grams of contained minerals and vitamins:
Magnesium – 483mg
Phosphorus – 1160mg
Potassium – 859mg
Calcium – 145mg
Vitamin B3 – 2.8mg
Vitamin B6 – .12mg
Vitamin D – 22.77 IU mg
High blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, and coronary heart disease have proven to be lessened by the GLA content of hemp seed when tested on animals and humans. The fact that the United States is conducting limited testing could be due to the fact that hemp growing is still illegal in the country. Most of the discovery on the positive attributes of hemp seed has been through studies performed in Finland, Germany, Britain, and Canada.
The list of benefits stuffed into this amazing little seeds could improve other medical conditions such as regulating hormones, reducing arthritis and joint pain, increasing metabolism, improving digestive health, and promote healthy layers of skin. The ingredients are all present and ready to take action. All we need now is the proof of scientific testing and easy availability.
Hemp seed contains none of the psychotropic action that is well known of its botanical cousin, Cannabis. The outer shell is removed to expose the soft nutty substance that constitutes the actual hemp seed. While the outer shell could contain traces of THC from environmental conditions, it falls below the .3 percent allowable dry weight basis.
http://420intel.com/articles/2016/02/20 ... super-food
Re: News in English 2016
Marijuana smokers 5 times likely to turn into alcoholics
Adults who smoke marijuana -- the most commonly used psychoactive drug or medicine -- are five times more likely to develop an alcohol use disorder (AUD) -- alcohol abuse or dependence -- compared with adults who do not smoke it, warns a study.
For those people already battling an alcohol use disorder, using marijuana is likely to aggravate their dependency.
Adult drinkers who did not use marijuana were significantly more likely to be in recovery from alcohol us using marijuana is likely to aggravate their dependency. e disorders three years later.
"Our results suggest that cannabis use appears to be associated with an increased vulnerability to developing an alcohol use disorder, even among those without any history of this," said Renee Goodwin, associate professor at the University of Columbia in New York, US.
"Marijuana use also appears to increase the likelihood that an existing alcohol use disorder will continue over time," she added.
The results, published online in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence, showed that adults who had used marijuana in the first assessment and again over the research following three years (23 percent) were five times more likely to develop an alcohol use problem, compared with those who had not used marijuana (five percent).
The researchers analysed 27,461 adults who first used marijuana at a time when they had no lifetime history of alcohol use disorders.
http://420intel.com/articles/2016/02/21 ... alcoholics
Adults who smoke marijuana -- the most commonly used psychoactive drug or medicine -- are five times more likely to develop an alcohol use disorder (AUD) -- alcohol abuse or dependence -- compared with adults who do not smoke it, warns a study.
For those people already battling an alcohol use disorder, using marijuana is likely to aggravate their dependency.
Adult drinkers who did not use marijuana were significantly more likely to be in recovery from alcohol us using marijuana is likely to aggravate their dependency. e disorders three years later.
"Our results suggest that cannabis use appears to be associated with an increased vulnerability to developing an alcohol use disorder, even among those without any history of this," said Renee Goodwin, associate professor at the University of Columbia in New York, US.
"Marijuana use also appears to increase the likelihood that an existing alcohol use disorder will continue over time," she added.
The results, published online in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence, showed that adults who had used marijuana in the first assessment and again over the research following three years (23 percent) were five times more likely to develop an alcohol use problem, compared with those who had not used marijuana (five percent).
The researchers analysed 27,461 adults who first used marijuana at a time when they had no lifetime history of alcohol use disorders.
http://420intel.com/articles/2016/02/21 ... alcoholics
Re: News in English 2016
Opioid Overdoses Down 25% Thanks To Medical Marijuana
The effects of legal medical marijuana are starting to show great things, as deaths related to overdoses of legally prescribed opioids are down 25%.
Minds reports:
A study put out by the Journal of the American Medical Association in 2014 made an interesting discovery. In every state that had legalized medical marijuana between 1999 and 2010 (13 states in all), there was a 25% reduction in deaths related to the overdose of legally prescribed opioids.
“The difference is quite striking,” said study co-author Colleen Barry, a health policy researcher at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore. She notes that the trend became visible in every state a year after the pot was legalized.
The study suggests that because patients that are experiencing chronic pain can substitute or suppliment marijuana for their pain pills, they are able to take smaller (or no) doses of the pills and are less likely to experience an overdose.
Barry says that it is “basically impossible” to die from an overdose on weed and suggests the substitution is the most likely reason for the reduction in deaths.
There is opposition, however. Dr. Andrew Kolodny, chief medical officer at Phoenix House thinks it is less likely related to the marijuana substituting for pain pills, but more likely a progressive push, in general, to treat addiction. “You don’t have primary care doctors in these states [prescribing]marijuana instead of Vicodin,” he said.
He believes that states that legalize medical marijuana are also more likely to actively treat and help prevent addiction and that it is a more likely scenario for the decrease in overdose deaths.
Whatever the reason, it’s great news and the prohibition of this medicinal plant is at its end, enabling further study.
http://thenationalmarijuananews.com/201 ... marijuana/
The effects of legal medical marijuana are starting to show great things, as deaths related to overdoses of legally prescribed opioids are down 25%.
Minds reports:
A study put out by the Journal of the American Medical Association in 2014 made an interesting discovery. In every state that had legalized medical marijuana between 1999 and 2010 (13 states in all), there was a 25% reduction in deaths related to the overdose of legally prescribed opioids.
“The difference is quite striking,” said study co-author Colleen Barry, a health policy researcher at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore. She notes that the trend became visible in every state a year after the pot was legalized.
The study suggests that because patients that are experiencing chronic pain can substitute or suppliment marijuana for their pain pills, they are able to take smaller (or no) doses of the pills and are less likely to experience an overdose.
Barry says that it is “basically impossible” to die from an overdose on weed and suggests the substitution is the most likely reason for the reduction in deaths.
There is opposition, however. Dr. Andrew Kolodny, chief medical officer at Phoenix House thinks it is less likely related to the marijuana substituting for pain pills, but more likely a progressive push, in general, to treat addiction. “You don’t have primary care doctors in these states [prescribing]marijuana instead of Vicodin,” he said.
He believes that states that legalize medical marijuana are also more likely to actively treat and help prevent addiction and that it is a more likely scenario for the decrease in overdose deaths.
Whatever the reason, it’s great news and the prohibition of this medicinal plant is at its end, enabling further study.
http://thenationalmarijuananews.com/201 ... marijuana/
Re: News in English 2016
Marijuana For Dogs
reason.com reports:
CBD, or cannabidiol, is a chemical found in the marijuana plant, and many people believe it has medicinal benefits. CBD has recently become readily available in states with medical marijuana laws—and now some companies are putting it in dog treats.
CBD has no psychoactive effects, so dogs that take CBD don’t get high. But pet owners say that it eases anxiety and helps with the symptoms of cancer and epilepsy.
“Dogs take it for things like hip dysplasia, mobility pain, and aging,” says Julianna Carella, founder of the company Treatibles.
“I’ve been surprised how many people around here know about it,” says Heidi Hill, who is the owner of the Holistic Houndpet store in Berkeley, California, which sells CBD dog treats.
Since the federal government still considers marijuana in Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, these companies operate with some legal uncertainty.
For more, click above to watch the video.
https://youtu.be/KlOvyqZoPN8
http://thenationalmarijuananews.com/201 ... -for-dogs/
reason.com reports:
CBD, or cannabidiol, is a chemical found in the marijuana plant, and many people believe it has medicinal benefits. CBD has recently become readily available in states with medical marijuana laws—and now some companies are putting it in dog treats.
CBD has no psychoactive effects, so dogs that take CBD don’t get high. But pet owners say that it eases anxiety and helps with the symptoms of cancer and epilepsy.
“Dogs take it for things like hip dysplasia, mobility pain, and aging,” says Julianna Carella, founder of the company Treatibles.
“I’ve been surprised how many people around here know about it,” says Heidi Hill, who is the owner of the Holistic Houndpet store in Berkeley, California, which sells CBD dog treats.
Since the federal government still considers marijuana in Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, these companies operate with some legal uncertainty.
For more, click above to watch the video.
https://youtu.be/KlOvyqZoPN8
http://thenationalmarijuananews.com/201 ... -for-dogs/
Re: News in English 2016
High Numbers: Are More People Really Smoking Pot?
Marijuana use may not be rising as quickly as thought — more people may simply be willing to admit to it, new research suggests.
The widespread relaxation of marijuana laws in the U.S. may have reduced the stigma of smoking pot, the researchers reported today (Feb. 10) in the journal JAMA Psychiatry.
"Because use of marijuana has become more socially acceptable, people may now be more willing to disclose its use to an interviewer than they were in 2002," the researchers wrote in the study. [11 Odd Facts About Marijuana]
The new study comes on the heels of an October 2015 study, in which researchers said they found that marijuana use had more than doubled in the U.S. over the decade between 2003 and 2013, and that the percentage of people who have a "marijuana use disorder" had also skyrocketed. People are considered to have such a disorder if, for example, their marijuana use interferes with their work or family life.
However, that previous study used data from the National Epidemiologic Survey of Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC), a survey in which people were asked about their drug use during face-to-face interviews with researchers. Past studies of drug use had found large discrepancies between the results of the NESARC and the results of another drug-use study called the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), which draws its data from anonymous Internet responses.
In the new study, the researchers wanted to see if that different methodology changed the estimates of marijuana use.
They found that marijuana use increased by a modest 19 percent, according to the data from the NSDUH, with 10.5 percent of people admitting to marijuana use in 2002, compared with 12.5 percent in 2013. The total percentage of people who met the criteria for having a marijuana use disorder remained flat, but the fraction of pot users who met the criteria for a marijuana use disorder declined over the decade, the new study found.
Social changes
The researchers said they suspect the discrepancy between the two surveys is largely due to changes in attitudes toward marijuana that made the participants in the 2003 NESARC survey much less likely than those in later surveys to disclose their pot use.
Other factors also point to the idea that NESARC respondents in the later surveys were more honest about their drug use, the researchers said. For example, U.S. Census workers conducted the NESARC interviews that took place between 2002 and 2003, whereas workers for a private corporation conducted the interviews in the 2012 to 2013 NESARC survey.
"It is possible that individuals are less likely to disclose illegal behaviors to government employees than to private sector interviewers," the researchers wrote.
http://www.livescience.com/53665-mariju ... st-popular
Marijuana use may not be rising as quickly as thought — more people may simply be willing to admit to it, new research suggests.
The widespread relaxation of marijuana laws in the U.S. may have reduced the stigma of smoking pot, the researchers reported today (Feb. 10) in the journal JAMA Psychiatry.
"Because use of marijuana has become more socially acceptable, people may now be more willing to disclose its use to an interviewer than they were in 2002," the researchers wrote in the study. [11 Odd Facts About Marijuana]
The new study comes on the heels of an October 2015 study, in which researchers said they found that marijuana use had more than doubled in the U.S. over the decade between 2003 and 2013, and that the percentage of people who have a "marijuana use disorder" had also skyrocketed. People are considered to have such a disorder if, for example, their marijuana use interferes with their work or family life.
However, that previous study used data from the National Epidemiologic Survey of Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC), a survey in which people were asked about their drug use during face-to-face interviews with researchers. Past studies of drug use had found large discrepancies between the results of the NESARC and the results of another drug-use study called the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), which draws its data from anonymous Internet responses.
In the new study, the researchers wanted to see if that different methodology changed the estimates of marijuana use.
They found that marijuana use increased by a modest 19 percent, according to the data from the NSDUH, with 10.5 percent of people admitting to marijuana use in 2002, compared with 12.5 percent in 2013. The total percentage of people who met the criteria for having a marijuana use disorder remained flat, but the fraction of pot users who met the criteria for a marijuana use disorder declined over the decade, the new study found.
Social changes
The researchers said they suspect the discrepancy between the two surveys is largely due to changes in attitudes toward marijuana that made the participants in the 2003 NESARC survey much less likely than those in later surveys to disclose their pot use.
Other factors also point to the idea that NESARC respondents in the later surveys were more honest about their drug use, the researchers said. For example, U.S. Census workers conducted the NESARC interviews that took place between 2002 and 2003, whereas workers for a private corporation conducted the interviews in the 2012 to 2013 NESARC survey.
"It is possible that individuals are less likely to disclose illegal behaviors to government employees than to private sector interviewers," the researchers wrote.
http://www.livescience.com/53665-mariju ... st-popular
Re: News in English 2016
Benefits Of Raw Juicing Marijuana
Cannabis has been proven to be extremely helpful in the process of fighting serious diseases and chronic pains, but did you know raw juicing marijuana can be very beneficial to your health as well?
Did you know that marijuana is a vegetable? Yup – its true.
The marijuana plant’s leaves and buds are actually loaded with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer compounds. These compounds are known as cannabidiols (CBD) and they make marijuana, cannabis, or whatever you want to call it, a superfood.
Don’t Get Dazed And Confused
But when heated, all of that goodness evaporates – it goes up in smoke and is blown away. Instead, be blown away by the health benefits of juicing the raw marijuana plant.
When heated the psychoactive compound – tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) – is released from the plant. Most people don’t want medicine to get “high” though. Our bodies were made to receive cannabidiols and the plant does not need to be heated to get these healing properties.
We have cannabinoid receptors built-in to our bodies. Getting CBD into your body can normalize functional systems like cell communication and immune functions. This means that the systems that make up your body, from cells to organs, will talk to each other better, have a better understanding of what’s going on, and help to clean things up.
Whole Lotta Love
It’s like a good relationship – both people should talk to each other and work with each other to keep the house clean.
And with cannabinoid receptors in our brains and pretty much no other way to get cannabidiol, marijuana seems to be the perfect medicine to ensure our bodies are working at peak performance. Major league sports would disagree.
CBDs bridge the gap of neurotransmission in the central nervous system by providing a two-way system of communication that completes a positive “feedback loop” says Dr. William Courtney, a medical marijuana expert and founder of Cannabis International. This is instead of a one-way transmission which promotes chronic inflammation.
CBDs mimic the body’s natural two-way communications system.
Stairway To Heaven
“The endogenous cannabinoid system acts as a modulator in fine-tuning a lot of these systems, and if something is deranged biochemically in a person’s body, it may well be that a cannabinoid system can bring things back into balance.” – Dr. Ethan Russo, a Seattle area physician, Senior Advisor to GW Pharmaceuticals.
Juicing marijuana ensures you’ll get the healing benefits of the plant without the high. No smoking, no high, and you can ingest higher doses of the drug, which will inevitably have your system running more smoothly and you feeling better. Juicing the plant also offers versatility: you can add other fruits and veggies to make delicious juices and incorporate cannabis into your diet.
Communication Breakdown
Smoking promotes inflammation which leads to infection and potential dysfunction or communication breakdowns in your body. While lots of doctors suggest vaporizing over smoking, most promote edibles over vaporizing. But you still need to heat up the drug to make edibles. That’s why, medically speaking, juicing the plant works best.
4 Health Benefits To Juicing Marijuana
Dr. Courtney and others are working hard to legalize the drug and work it into mainstream diets. They’ve found that using cannabis as a food (instead of a smokeable) it can help prevent, diminish, and fix:
Autoimmune Disorders
Cellular Dysfunction
Chronic Inflammationv
Cancer Cells
Of course, be sure to talk to a doctor – not a dealer – when expressing interest in the drug. It is only currently legal in Colorado, Washington, Alaska, and Oregon, but it has been allowed for medical use in 23 other states.
Source: http://rawforbeauty.com/blog/the-amazin ... eaves.html
http://thenationalmarijuananews.com/201 ... marijuana/
Cannabis has been proven to be extremely helpful in the process of fighting serious diseases and chronic pains, but did you know raw juicing marijuana can be very beneficial to your health as well?
Did you know that marijuana is a vegetable? Yup – its true.
The marijuana plant’s leaves and buds are actually loaded with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer compounds. These compounds are known as cannabidiols (CBD) and they make marijuana, cannabis, or whatever you want to call it, a superfood.
Don’t Get Dazed And Confused
But when heated, all of that goodness evaporates – it goes up in smoke and is blown away. Instead, be blown away by the health benefits of juicing the raw marijuana plant.
When heated the psychoactive compound – tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) – is released from the plant. Most people don’t want medicine to get “high” though. Our bodies were made to receive cannabidiols and the plant does not need to be heated to get these healing properties.
We have cannabinoid receptors built-in to our bodies. Getting CBD into your body can normalize functional systems like cell communication and immune functions. This means that the systems that make up your body, from cells to organs, will talk to each other better, have a better understanding of what’s going on, and help to clean things up.
Whole Lotta Love
It’s like a good relationship – both people should talk to each other and work with each other to keep the house clean.
And with cannabinoid receptors in our brains and pretty much no other way to get cannabidiol, marijuana seems to be the perfect medicine to ensure our bodies are working at peak performance. Major league sports would disagree.
CBDs bridge the gap of neurotransmission in the central nervous system by providing a two-way system of communication that completes a positive “feedback loop” says Dr. William Courtney, a medical marijuana expert and founder of Cannabis International. This is instead of a one-way transmission which promotes chronic inflammation.
CBDs mimic the body’s natural two-way communications system.
Stairway To Heaven
“The endogenous cannabinoid system acts as a modulator in fine-tuning a lot of these systems, and if something is deranged biochemically in a person’s body, it may well be that a cannabinoid system can bring things back into balance.” – Dr. Ethan Russo, a Seattle area physician, Senior Advisor to GW Pharmaceuticals.
Juicing marijuana ensures you’ll get the healing benefits of the plant without the high. No smoking, no high, and you can ingest higher doses of the drug, which will inevitably have your system running more smoothly and you feeling better. Juicing the plant also offers versatility: you can add other fruits and veggies to make delicious juices and incorporate cannabis into your diet.
Communication Breakdown
Smoking promotes inflammation which leads to infection and potential dysfunction or communication breakdowns in your body. While lots of doctors suggest vaporizing over smoking, most promote edibles over vaporizing. But you still need to heat up the drug to make edibles. That’s why, medically speaking, juicing the plant works best.
4 Health Benefits To Juicing Marijuana
Dr. Courtney and others are working hard to legalize the drug and work it into mainstream diets. They’ve found that using cannabis as a food (instead of a smokeable) it can help prevent, diminish, and fix:
Autoimmune Disorders
Cellular Dysfunction
Chronic Inflammationv
Cancer Cells
Of course, be sure to talk to a doctor – not a dealer – when expressing interest in the drug. It is only currently legal in Colorado, Washington, Alaska, and Oregon, but it has been allowed for medical use in 23 other states.
Source: http://rawforbeauty.com/blog/the-amazin ... eaves.html
http://thenationalmarijuananews.com/201 ... marijuana/
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