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An issue that has constantly plagued athletes, regular gym-goers or even normal folks is the problem of pain and inflammation associated with muscle recovery. When the muscle is really exercised during workout sessions or pushed to the limit during regular sports activity or daily routine tasks, a lot of tension and ache around the area being stressed occurs which results in inflammation that causes soreness and pain. The inflammation and soreness are the body’s mechanism of initiating and promoting healing around the affected region.

To avoid muscle damage, reduce the pain, and manage the excess inflammation, numerous means have been used over time ranging from the use of ice baths to the use of analgesics such as NSAIDs and opioids. The goal of such modes of treatment however can also be achieved with cannabis or CBD to be more precise. Cannabis has long been posited to be of immense benefits medicinally and one of such ways with promise is the use of CBD to assist muscle recovery.

What is CBD?

Cannabidiol (CBD) is a non-psychoactive cannabinoid that is present in the cannabis plant alongside numerous numbers of other cannabinoids. CBD is special among the cannabinoids present in cannabis because it interacts with the CB1 and CB2 cannabinoid receptors without psychoactive effects in the endocannabinoid system. CBD has been incorporated into oils and lotions by producers in the industry which has seen it being applied by numerous therapists for relief of pain and to manage inflammation.

It has also been shown that CBD might have the potential to play a significant role in dealing with the edema, hyperalgesia and numerous other medical  conditions. Extensive works of research are still ongoing to fully ascertain just how much of an impact the use of CBD can have in dealing with these health conditions.

If there’s one area where society has had some difficulty adapting to a space where cannabis products are legal and readily available it’s that many people still don’t have a grip on how to properly use edibles.

Marijuana has been legal now in some parts of the United States for around two decades. It all began with the legalization of a reasonably liberal medical marijuana program in California back in 1996 and progressed into a scene where adult residents in 11 states now have the freedom to purchase cannabis in the same way they might beer.

It’s a concept that is preventing thousands of people from going to jail every year as a result of personal marijuana possession. It also boosts local and state economies, creates thousands of new jobs and helps put the food on the tables for around 211,000 families nationwide. But are there any downsides to marijuana legalization that should be considered?

Marijuana legalization itself seems to be working out in most of the states where this new way of life has taken hold. There are often concerns that legalizing the leaf will create a situation that will increase youth consumption, addiction rates and, in some exceptional cases, launch society into a downward spiral of apocalyptic decline. But the reality is, none of this seems to be happening.

Some anti-legalization folks say it is still too early to tell what kinds of blights to society are coming on the heels of legalization, but in places where weed has been legal for several years, all seems relatively good in the neighborhood. Even former Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper, a man who once opposed the legalization of marijuana, admits that your children are probably safe from legal weed. “We haven’t seen a big spike in consumption,” he said during an interview in 2018 with Rolling Stone. “The only increase in consumption is among senior citizens.

Kiwis want their kush according to a new national poll. Commissioned by supporters of the 'Yes' vote, the survey showed that 48 percent of New Zealanders support recreational use while 43 percent are against it. Medicinal marijuana is legal in the country. 

Voters will officially go to the polls on September 19 to make their decision as part of a referendum during a national election. 

For many watchdogs in the country, it's not an issue of if New Zealand will fully legalize, it's when. 

"Despite almost 55 years of prohibition, it is New Zealand's most widely used illicit drug,' New Zealand Drug Foundation chief executive Ross Bell told The Daily Mail, adding that cannabis was "a reality in New Zealand."

The government is gearing up

Behind the scenes, the New Zealand government has worked on a plan for legalization should the referendum pass. The model includes regulating and taxing the drug. Citizens 20 and up would be able to consume the drug at home or at cannabis cafes.

Professor Raphael Mechoulam, also known as the “father of cannabis research,” revealed his latest discovery, cannabidiolic acid methyl ester (EPM301), only a few months ago. The introduction of this new, patented compound (synthetic, fully stable acid-based cannabinoid molecules) caused a wave of excitement around the future of medicinal cannabis.

Marijuana legalization in Idaho had to bear the brunt of the coronavirus pandemic. The lockdown forced the state to suspend its medical marijuana campaign. The group responsible for the campaign, the ICC (or the Idaho Cannabis Coalition), failed to collect the required signatures before the May 1 deadline. However, a recent federal court ruling for a separate initiative in the state might have sparked some hopes.

Marijuana legalization hopes rise again in Idaho

The ICC had collected 40,000 signatures when it dropped its campaign. The total required by the deadline was 55,057, which wouldn’t have been a hard task if the pandemic hadn’t happened. Recently, as reported by Marijuana Moment, a federal court in the state permitted Reclaim Idaho to collect signatures to support a school funding initiative in the state. Through this ruling, from July 9, they can now collect signatures in person and electronically for 48 days.

It has also given hopes to the ICC, which feels it can work around the ruling for its medical marijuana initiative as well. “We are in the process of working with the local medical marijuana campaign to assess whether Judge Winmill’s order provides a route for the medical marijuana initiative to still qualify for the November ballot,” Tamar Todd told Marijuana Moment. Todd is the legal director for the New Approach political action committee, which supports marijuana legalization efforts.

Marijuana Moment also reported that the group is confident of gaining the difference in signatures if allowed an extension. Both recreational and medical cannabis are illegal in Idaho. If passed, this ruling will allow Idaho to put medical cannabis on the ballot for voters’ approval. The measure specifies that medical cannabis patients with qualifying conditions can receive recommendations from physicians. Individuals will also be eligible to possess up to four ounces of marijuana and grow up to six plants.

Legalization picking up steam again

The marijuana industry has been in distress for a while now. The launch of Cannabis 2.0 products and state legalization were the only hope for the sector’s recovery. However, the pandemic hit, and the launch of products was delayed. At the same time, the sudden lockdown and quarantines challenged legalization campaigns. Many states had to suspend their efforts for 2020 legalization. Some of the unlucky ones were North Dakota, Florida, and New York. Meanwhile, Arizona, Nebraska, and Montana have successfully submitted the required signatures for their campaigns.

A landmark court hearing is set to decide whether the NHS should cover the cost of a patient’s cannabis medicine.

Charlotte Caldwell, whose son Billy relies upon medicinal cannabis to keep him alive, has a landmark court hearing in Belfast Crown Court on September 7, 2020 to decide whether the NHS will cover the cost of his cannabis medication. This case could have groundbreaking implications for Billy and other UK patients who rely on medicinal cannabis.

Billy, who suffers from severe childhood epilepsy, helped change the laws concerning medicinal cannabis two years ago after a successful media campaign. However, since medicinal cannabis was downgraded to allow for it to be prescribed, Billy’s original NHS prescription was withdrawn. The result was that Billy can now only get his medicine privately.

A life changing court case

Before gaining access to medicinal cannabis four years ago Billy suffered hundreds of attacks throughout the day and night.

“I was told by doctors that we had exhausted all options. My heart was shattered. I remember lying in bed holding a drugged up Billy counting his seizures in an attempt to stay awake,” recalls Charlotte. “Billy would be turning blue and suffocating. I was holding him, not knowing if I fell asleep whether he would still be alive the next day.”

New Jersey medical cannabis companies are developing delivery plans in order to better serve their customers who can’t easily get to dispensaries themselves as the state gears up for the next phase in medical legalization. 

Home delivery legalization in New Jersey dates back to before the COVID-19 pandemic made progressive changes to cannabis business necessary. Jake Honig’s law, passed last summer after requests by medical marijuana patients in the state, expanded access to cannabis patients, raised purchase limits, and legalized delivery so that sick patients wouldn’t have to wait in line when they need medicine.

Currently, of the nine medical cannabis companies in the state that are active and in business, four are planning to begin delivering cannabis. Those four companies are waiting to hear back from the Department of Health on whether or not their plans are approved. Many of the companies hoping to develop a legal cannabis business are excited about the range of how far they can deliver and the prospects of the new venture. 

“We are, as a group, allowed to deliver anywhere in the state that you have a registered patient,” said Devra Karlebach, CEO of GTI cannabis company. “A lot of it will depend on the demand as well.”

However, some dispensaries are opting not to try and get approved at this time, claiming the program may not really be worth it due to all the current setbacks. 

But prosecutors and police say it won’t change how they handle suspected marijuana cases.

The military makes no confusion about its views on marijuana. Despite widespread legalization and rising positive marijuana drug tests for Army soldiers, military service members who confess to consuming cannabis just once are barred from re-enlisting under current law.

But late last Thursday the House Armed Services Committee approved an amendment to its USD$740.5 billion defense policy bill that could grant a second chance to those troops. Rep. Ruben Gallego submitted a proposal alongside the bill that would create a one-time reenlistment waiver for former service members who admitted to cannabis use. Approval would be granted on a case-by-case basis under the provision.

“Smoking pot just once shouldn’t prevent a patriotic American from fighting for our country,” Gallego said in a release. “We need to finally exercise some common sense when it comes to our marijuana policies, and I’m glad my amendment will lead us in that direction.”

Gallego, a Marine Corps combat veteran who served in Iraq, has submitted this proposal for the past couple years. The rider was approved in the 2019 defense spending House bill, but was removed in reconciliation with Senate defense bill.

At the time, Gallego said a conversation with a constituent inspired the provision. After studying in law school, the constituent went to reenlist in the Marine Corps and admitted to using cannabis. The recruiter told him to either lie about smoking marijuana or else forget being reenlisted.

The gigantic Planet 13 dispensary in Las Vegas was conceived as a tourist destination as much as a store.

It calls its 112,000-square-foot facility a “Cannabis Entertainment Complex,” offering “an unparalleled customer experience focused on unique interactive entertainment.” These include laser-light displays, electronic lotus flowers controlled by customers and an “aerial orb show.”  And — oh, yeah — you can buy weed there, too. The web site also telegraphs Planet 13’s ambition “to operate ultra-high-end dispensaries in tier-one markets nationwide.”

Plans like that are on hold industry-wide. Of course, Planet 13 was conceived well before the COVID-19 pandemic struck. Once it did, the company had to quickly shift resources from its “showroom” and toward the more mundane tasks of delivering weed or distributing it curbside. 

In March, Nevada authorities ordered dispensaries to close their shops to the public and offer delivery only. Planet 13 hurriedly increased its delivery fleet from five cars to a 30. 

Dispensaries could open their doors again in May, but that didn’t do much to bring customers back. In a conference call with investors last month, Planet 13 executives reported that, at $100,000 a day, sales were only half of what they had been before the lockdown. It marked a huge improvement over the $10,000 the store was generating daily in March, but with the pandemic now worsening again, things won’t get back to “normal” for a long time yet. 

While the unity task force pushed Biden farther left on cannabis policy, the former Vice President still doesn’t support ending prohibition.

Joe Biden will not change his mind on cannabis anytime soon. A task force formed between Biden and Bernie Sanders, which had prior heated discussions on cannabis, agreed on multiple criminal justice priorities, but marijuana legalization was not among them.

Instead, the official policy recommendations (released Wednesday) for Biden as he embarks on winning the general election as the presumptive Democrat presidential nominee represents a reiteration of his previous cannabis views. He believes in cannabis decriminalization, not legalization. The recommendations, however, supply more details about specific marijuana polices Biden could pursue if elected President.

“Democrats will decriminalize marijuana use and reschedule it through executive action on the federal level,” the document reads. “We will support legalization of medical marijuana, and believe states should be able to make their own decisions about recreational use.”

The task force also recommended it would not launch federal prosecution for matters legal at the state level. The statement is an obvious reference to current Attorney General William Barr, who was accused of inappropriately using Justice Department funds to target the legal cannabis industry.

After months of controversy, scientists are settling on the idea that the anti-inflammatory properties of major cannabinoids can be used to treat Covid-19.

One of the most promising statistics related to the coronavirus pandemic is that the number of deaths is decreasing, which is due in large part to a better understanding of how to treat the illness at its various stages.

Recent reports indicate that an infected host undergoes a cytokine explosion, a burst of immune-system proteins that cause a host of inflammatory symptoms in the lungs. In severe cases, this immune response can be so potent that it can become deadly to its host.

Major cannabinoids THC and CBD have been identified for their anti-inflammatory properties in the past, but doubt had been cast on their ability to treat the disease due to concerns of increased viral loads.

However, a new study from researchers at the University of Nebraska and the Texas Biomedical Research Institute is further solidifying cannabis as a strong treatment option, and in particular its mom-marketed derivative CBD.

According to a newly released study those who are 60 years of age or older who have a history of marijuana use generally have a lower body mass index (BMI) than those who do not have a history of marijuana use. Those with a history of marijuana use are also more likely to exercise regularly. All of this is according to a study published in the American Journal of Health and Behavior. The study is titled Exercise intervention outcomes with cannabis users and nonusers aged 60 and older.

For the study researchers studied differences in BMI as well as exercise patterns in 164 people: 28 of these were regular cannabis consumers, while 136 were matched controls who have not used marijuana. An 8-week exercise intervention trial was conducted.

According to the researchers: “Results of this analysis indicated that compared to older adult non-users, older adult cannabis users had lower BMI at the beginning of an exercise intervention study, engaged in more weekly exercise days during the intervention, and were engaging in more exercise-related activities at the conclusion of the intervention. Although preliminary, these findings suggest that it may be easier for older adults who endorse using cannabis to increase and maintain their exercise behavior, potentially because cannabis users have lower body weight than their non-using peers. At minimum, the evidence suggests that cannabis use does not hinder older adults’ ability to engage in physical activity, to participate in a supervised exercise program, or to increase their fitness as a result of physical activity.”

The study’s full abstract can be found below:

Objectives: Cannabis use is increasing among older adults. We examined whether cannabis use impacted results of an intervention to increase physical activity in sedentary adults aged 60 and over. Methods: We measured differences in body mass index (BMI), exercise behavior, and cardiovascular fitness between older adult cannabis users (N = 28) and nonusers (N = 136) participating in an exercise intervention trial. Results: BMI of cannabis users was significantly lower than non-users (p = .007). Cannabis users reported .70 more days of exercise on the Stanford 7-Day Physical Activity Recall than non-users at the 8-week timepoint (p = .068) and were 4.1 points higher on the exercise subscale of the Community Healthy Activities Model Program for Seniors at 16-weeks (p = .045). Neither baseline nor post-intervention fitness differed by cannabis use status, and cardiovascular fitness improved after intervention in the full sample. Conclusion: These preliminary data suggest that current cannabis use status is not associated with a negative impact on fitness and efforts to increase exercise in sedentary older adults. Future studies should collect more detailed information on patterns and forms of cannabis use to understand their potential health effects for older adults.

Law 360 reported that the Massachusetts’ Cannabis Control Commission handed down hefty fines to three cannabis companies doing business in the state. 4Front Ventures Corp. (FFNTF) and Garden remedies were fined for using pesticides on plants, while Acreage Holdings Inc. (OTC:ACRGF) was fined for failing to disclose its relationship with two license holders.

4Front Ventures

4Front Ventures fined $350,000 settlement over pesticides used at its Georgetown, Massachusetts, facility. According to Law360, the settlement included a statement that 4Front Ventures admitted hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, and other pesticides were used at the facility, which is not approved for use on marijuana. The commission reportedly said that the company received test results that showed the plants contained a banned pesticide in June or July 2019 but didn’t alert the commission until August. Company CEO Leo Gontmakher said the company has made changes to ensure the violations do not happen again. “Patients were protected and no one was harmed,” Gontmakher said.

Garden Remedies

A $200,000 settlement was reached with cannabis company Garden Remedies over its Fitchburg, Massachusetts, facility. Like 4Front, Garden Remedies also noted in its settlement that it acknowledged using unapproved pesticides and altering its financial records to hide the purchase.

Company CEO Karen Munkacy said in a statement that the company has fired the employees involved in the falsified documents and ended its relationship with the vendor that provided the pesticides in question.

“While the product we used is permitted to be used in cannabis cultivation in many other states and is not an externally applied pesticide that puts anyone in danger, it is not permitted in Massachusetts and the situation was mishandled,” Munkacy said. “The company and I will continue to strive to ensure that ethical and regulatory violations never again occur.”

The country is slowly reopening, causing a lot of anxiety for those who feel uncertain about their health and future.

The coronavirus is here to stay. Despite rising cases all over the country, and the opening, closing and re-opening of some businesses, large parts of the U.S. are moving forward with the economy. This is daunting for many of us who aren’t sure how to move forward with our lives while under constant threat of the virus.

It’s logical to be afraid of this new phase of the virus, and to want to be safe from harm in the face of these stressful times. Here are 5 coping methods you can use if you start to feel too overwhelmed by the spread of the virus.

Take it slow

If you’re anxious about going back to “normal,” take things slow. Don’t throw yourself out into the world and try to take on more than you can. Test your limits and do what makes you feel safe and comfortable, whether that’s going back to your office while wearing a mask or simply browsing a bookstore.

Tackle negative emotions with positive behaviors

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Cannabis was already a challenging marketplace driven by regulatory requirements and gray areas on both the federal and state level. Then the pandemic hit in 2020, upending PR and marketing planning for businesses large and small. All the PR efforts that may have been effective last year or even at the beginning of this year have very likely stopped working due to everything that’s going on. With everything is in constant flux, how can cannabis businesses effectively reach their desired target audiences, let alone determine the right messaging? It’s a delicate balancing act even at the best of times, but it can be done by following a few key guidelines. Here are five tips for maximizing your PR efforts in today’s world.

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