WeedLife News Network

Both tea and cannabis have a rich history dating thousands of years, with their origins tracing back to China and Central Asia, respectively. It was with the help of colonizers that both these cultivable plants spread to different parts of the world and became highly prized commodities.  

Drinking tea has many health benefits thanks to its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, which may help reduce the risk of diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular disease. Similarly, many studies have shown cannabis consumption can help relieve chronic pain and manage stress.

Many companies have recently started pairing tea with cannabis to deliver multiple benefits in one approachable product.

CBD is one of the many naturally occurring chemical compounds, known as cannabinoids, contained in the cannabis plant.

The compound has been linked to health benefits such as aiding in managing stress, anxiety, and depression, reducing chronic pain, and as a possible treatment for epilepsy and seizures.

When I lived and worked in Mexico City, illegal drugs were shunned by the “gente decente” (decent people) in virtually all classes.

Being known as a drug user carried a very bad stigma. At the time, I had the unfortunate luck of having my name be Pacheco, which in Mexico was used as slang equivalent to “stoner” in the U.S. Asking somebody, “Eres muy Pacheco?” meant, “Are you really stoned?” However, even joking about smoking marijuana or other drugs was generally frowned upon.

Therefore, I have been very interested in seeing Mexico inch closer and closer to legalizing marijuana as a recreational drug.

On March 10, Mexico’s lower house of Congress voted in favor of medical, industrial and recreational legalization of marijuana. The bill, which would allow adults over 18 to possess up to 28 grams of marijuana, now goes to Mexico’s Senate, which is not expected to begin debate on it until September. Political experts in Mexico are predicting that the Senate will pass this bill and send it to Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO), who is expected to sign the bill into law.

HempFlax saw its profits before tax skyrocket 616 per cent in 2020 to €659,000, as demand grew for its construction materials and CBD.

The EU’s biggest hemp grower, headquartered in Holland, saw full year revenues up 43 per cent to €14.5m in 2020, with EBITDA increasing 63 per cent to €1.8m.

The numbers were in part driven by a 1,089 per cent increase in sales of the group’s construction materials, arising from its May 2020 acquisition of Thermo Natur, a German manufacturer of nature fibre insulation.

The group also saw a 43 per cent increase in sales of CBD – a compound found in hemp that is legal for consumption, and often used for pain relief or relief from anxiety or depression.

2 Marijuana Stocks To Watch As More Momentum Enters The Cannabis Sector

With marijuana stocks finally catching a wave of upward momentum investors want to know how long this will last. Now there is no way to be 100 percent certain how long this momentum will last. However with earnings soon to be reported by various cannabis companies some marijuana stocks may continue to rise. Shareholders have been waiting to see a rise in trading ever since mid-February when many cannabis stocks started to drop in the market.

While it’s important to have a fixed standard of intoxication for cannabis, we should not simply put up a number arbitrarily.

Researchers in Australia found that you can be stoned for up to 10 hours depending on the means and the potency of the cannabis you consume.

Impairment is important because it will be the indicator that determine whether people can drive or not. Currently there are no real standards for the duration of intoxication mainly because cannabis impairment differs from person to person.

Photo by Alex Moiseev via Unsplash

For example, depending on your tolerance levels, a high could last you as little as an hour. Yet the prevalence of THC would be high. Therefore, the presence of THC does not indicate intoxication, but due to the lagging nature of law reform, the “presence of THC” could be more than enough to revoke one’s license.

When it comes to the growing cannabis industry, everyone wants the best product. And this means, producers are constantly finding ways to up their game. One of the latest trends in the cannabis world? Fresh frozen cannabis, and using cold to boost cannabis flowers and create concentrates like live resin.

When it comes to cannabis extracts, some of the most popular right now are delta-8 THC and delta-10 THC, two alternate versions of THC that provide users with slightly different benefits. Delta-8 THC actually causes less anxiety, promotes a clear-headed high, and comes with less psychoactive effects than standard delta-9. Interested in trying this alternate version? We’ve got some of the best delta-8 THC deals out there for you to check it out today!

When it comes to new products within a vastly growing industry, rife with massive amounts of competition, it can be expected that different techniques will be developed and used to increase efficacy of products. Sometimes these won’t be more than gimmicks – ways to increase interest from buyers without providing a real benefit. And sometimes, these techniques will truly be beneficial, offering a higher-level product. Such seems to be the case with fresh frozen cannabis.

What is fresh frozen cannabis?

How is a harvest usually done? Ever since cannabis began being planted as a crop, the standard harvesting method has been to air dry the cannabis. The basics involve hanging the plants out after they’ve reached their full potential, and taking off the leaves. Then the plants are put in a dark room, with the right temperature and humidity, for several weeks, or until the plants dry out to a desirable level. Many will then put the plants in a sealable container that can be opened at intervals to let air in and out. As stated, this is a basic process, followed by large-scale farmers, as well as home-cultivators.

If all of that sounds about right, the inclusion of using cold is a slightly different method, that can help boost the overall final product. So, what is it? It’s essentially a different method of harvesting, or rather, a new method to be employed in the harvesting process. In the fresh frozen process, the cannabis plants are cut, and all leaves, branches and stems are removed, but no curing is done.

Healthcare professionals should engage older adults in cannabis discussions given that some people are using weed to self-treat different conditions without first seeking medical input or advice, suggests a new U.S. study.

Published online this week in the American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, investigators from the University of Texas at Austin explored the health-related characteristics, cannabis use patterns and marijuana sources of medical and non-medical weed users 50 and older.

The initial thought was medical users are more likely than non-medical users to have physical and mental health problems, use healthcare services, discuss their drug use with a healthcare professional and use weed more frequently. To see if that was, indeed, the case, researchers looked at 17,685 people based on data from the 2018 and 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health.

The study determined the rate of past-year cannabis use was 8.9 per cent, 18.5 per cent of whom reported medical use, notes the study. Medical use sought to address, among other conditions, chronic pain, depression and arthritis.

Medical use of cannabis was associated with lower odds of alcohol use disorder, but higher odds of discussing drug use with healthcare professionals (four times higher than recreational users) and buying cannabis at a dispensary.

Gradually and steadily, all cannabinoids like CBD, THC 8, CBG, CBN, etc., are getting the attention they deserve. Though studies are still at the early stages, all of these compounds have shown promising medicinal benefits.

We all know THC 8 has blown the market, and marijuana users turn towards Delta 8 THC. Known as the little sister of THC 9, it is famously known for giving a smooth high.

Some benefits of high quality THC Delta 8 are boosts energy levels, great for appetite, mellow and clear-headed, providing you with high, relieves pain and inflammation.

It does not make you feel overwhelmed, chaotic and paranoid unlike, THC 9. If you are consuming THC 8 for the first time or are just a regular user, you should know the factors that enhance and reduce the longevity of THC 8. It depends on many factors which are different for each person. let us see what those factors are-

 Factors that affect the longevity of delta 8 THC

1.     

Earlier this month, Mexico’s push to legalize recreational cannabis was halted after Senate Majority Leader Ricardo Monreal said that is attempting to extend the Supreme Court’s deadline to change the current law.

This development was not well received by the market as Mexico was on the verge of becoming the third country to legalize recreational cannabis. So far this year, we have seen a spike in the number of viewers that are closely following the Mexican cannabis market, and this is an opportunity that we have been bullish on.

Large-scale Canadian Licensed Producers (LPs) such as Canopy Growth Corporation (WEED.TO) (CGC) and Aurora Cannabis Inc. (ACB.TO) (ACB) claim to be levered the Mexican cannabis market and we will monitor how the industry advances from here.

If you read a lot of mainstream media, you probably believe that the American entrepreneur is dead, undone by big-box retail and online behemoths like Amazon, that entrepreneurial energy and innovation have disappeared into a maze of international trade agreements and a haze of opioid addiction and despair. You might think a nation that once prided itself on small business is now nothing but a playground for hedge funds and billionaires to squeeze every last penny out of the working men and women of this country. And while much of that may be true, it’s not the whole story. Not by a long shot. 

I consult with small businesses and regional entrepreneurs every day, and I’m here to tell you they’re alive and well. Many are already successful in other businesses but want to get into the weed game. This is a diverse group of people representing all races and classes but have one thing in common: a deep belief that they can do it. Some are new to owning and operating a business but they have skills and motivation. They see themselves as good leaders, maybe better than the ones they report to now. And they’re willing and able to take the risks necessary to make it in the cannabis industry. They don’t want to be MSOs. Not one of them wants global domination. What they do want is to own and operate cannabis companies and contribute to their own community. They want longevity, not exits. 

Interested cannabis entrepreneurs are looking for guidance, but have their own vision and know the impact they wish to have in their town or city. This is the American dream in action and the global cannabis industry is lighting a fire underneath these emerging business leaders. 

I’m excited to discover that my fellow American entrepreneurs are as active and innovative as ever. I have clients all over the country, like a dynamic Black woman entrepreneur in Atlantic City who has been successful in the senior care industry and now wants to own a weed shop. Or, real estate developers in New Jersey who are building a regional, vertically integrated facility in Massachusetts. Another group in Mississippi started by two brothers have had success in other industries and want to bring this medicine to their state. They all want to make money, sure, but they’re just as motivated to be pillars in the community. These are not hedge funds, VCs, consulting firms, or holding companies. These are independent entrepreneurs and they want in. 

The longer it takes for the Senate to approve the SAFE Banking Act, the longer it takes for traditional financial institutions to render their services to businesses in the cannabis industry.

Marijuana businesses have been operating on an all-cash basis for years now. No thanks to the federal government’s ancient policies that make accessing the services of banks and lenders impossible for hemp-based companies. This circumstance makes the cannabis industry a target of crime.

In 2017, a beacon of hope appeared in the form of a bill called the SAFE Banking Act, though the edict has not been authorized, despite passing the house several times. This begs the question, “How long before the Senate approves the SAFE Banking Act?”.

Photo by Hillary Kladke/Getty Images

The SAFE Banking Act and Its Origin

The Secure and Fair Engagement Banking (SAFE) Act was originally sponsored by Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon and Rep. Ed Perlmutter of Colorado in 2017. Since this initial introduction, it has been introduced eight more times to the House.

2020 is a year we’ll never forget. How could we? If 2020 was a story, then the COVID-19 pandemic would be the main antagonist. It upended everything, reorienting the economy, business operations, and our own livelihoods.

A bipartisan group of lawmakers from both houses of Congress reintroduced on Thursday the Marijuana Data Collection Act, a bill that would require the federal government to study the effects of legal cannabis. The measure, which was previously introduced by a bipartisan group of lawmakers in 2018 and again in 2019, is sponsored by Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey, Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, Democratic Rep. Sylvia Garcia of Texas, and Rep. Don Young, a Republican from Alaska.

“As more and more states legalize and regulate marijuana, we must take a thorough examination at how different laws and policies in different states have been implemented, what works, what doesn’t, and what can be replicated elsewhere,” Menendez said in a statement on the legislation.  “It’s important to understand how communities and people are ultimately impacted by marijuana legalization and its effect on local economies, public health, criminal justice, employment, and our nation’s battle with opioid and other drug addiction.  Having this data at our fingertips and making it available to the public will help drive public policy decisions and dispel any misconceptions about marijuana legalization.”

The bill would require the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Attorney General, the Secretary of Labor, and relevant state health agencies to enter a ten-year arrangement with the National Academy of Sciences to conduct a study on the effects of legalized state marijuana programs every two years. The research would evaluate the effects of legal recreational and medical cannabis programs on state economies, public health, criminal justice, and employment. 

“Congress and the American people need reliable facts on the impact of states’ legal marijuana programs.  We need independent data on how these programs impact state budgets, the public health, and employment,” said Garcia. “This is especially important amid the pandemic, that’s been filled for many with isolation, depression, and financial stress that has led to an alarming rise in opioid deaths—especially among communities of color.”

Marijuana Data Collection Act Puts Medical Marijuana Under The Microscope

At times, marijuana stocks have the ability to be the best-performing stocks in the market. They can catch fire — no pun intended — on headlines or reports and scorch higher. During some of these runs, it’s not odd to see the stocks double or triple in value over a short period of time.

A high level of short interest also helps spark a nice move. In other words, bears put on a number bets to the downside, shorting these stocks as they look for a big move lower. Oftentimes, these bears get exactly what they’re looking for, as marijuana stocks tend to be a volatile bunch.

However, sometimes these bets backfire.

Here are three strategies for cannabis companies to avoid drawn out regulatory investigations and to decrease the risk of facing regulatory penalties. Those penalties could include significant fines, license suspension or, in a worst-case scenario, license revocation.

1. Develop an expertise in your company’s security measures

Often, what causes a cannabis company trouble are the “unknown unknowns” of the business operation or, another way to put it, the “blind spots.” While it is easy to observe strategic errors in a competitor, a company generally has trouble seeing its own until it’s too late, which can be costly. To counter this, get another set of eyes on the operation with an objective viewpoint.

Reliable security experts can:

More needs to be learned about what drives behavioural strategies used by different cultures to combat cannabis consumption, intoxication and related harms to enhance the protection of those who use the drug, a U.S. study suggests.

Researchers at the University of New Mexico explored the cannabis protective behavioural strategies (PBS) used by five different countries — namely the U.S., Argentina, Uruguay, Spain and the Netherlands — by seeking input from 1,175 colleges students from those jurisdictions who reported past-month weed use.

In essence, cannabis PBS are behaviours used before, during, after, and/or instead of cannabis use to reduce consumption, intoxication and related harms, explains the study published online in pre-proof on Apr. 28.

Cannabis PBS has “been identified to play an important role for harm reduction in adolescent and young adult users,” according to a Swiss study published last month.

With 135 tons of food seed and a growing amount of hemp fiber imported every year, Sweden has the basis for a strong national hemp industry, stakeholders suggest. But the market can thrive and benefit Swedish companies only if hemp gains wider recognition and rules become clear.

Swedish and international experts will gather online Wednesday, May 5, to talk hemp and soil health, carbon neutral hemp building materials, bio-based textiles and food as they explore the potential for hemp during a one-day event, “Industrial Hemp for a Bio-based and Fossil Free Future.” Organizers said the event will especially showcase the potential for hemp in Swedish agriculture. Registration for the event is free.

Status of hemp

It is legal to grow certified hemp varieties in Sweden under permitting by the Swedish Board of Agriculture. But businesses have suffered raids and other hassles with law enforcement authorities that reflect a lingering ignorance that is holding back the sector in Scandinavia’s biggest market of 10 million consumers.

Hemp barely registers in Swedish agriculture, and the sector has survived only because of court cases that went against the government. Most notable, hemp farmer Ulf Hammarsten received damages from the Swedish state after his hemp crop was repeatedly destroyed by authorities. EU officials found in Hammarsten’s favor in 2003, ruling that national legislation prohibiting the cultivation and possession of industrial hemp was incompatible with the “common organization of markets” under EU law.

150 hemp operators

Modern-era records that date to 2004 show 150 hectares were under hemp in Sweden that year. By 2007, hemp fields had grown to 829 hectares, but then started to decline. A total of 170 hectares were cultivated in 2020, according to government statistics, with estimates that there are about 150 hemp operators in Sweden, most of which are small family businesses

It is fair to say the legal cannabis industry has exploded over the past two decades, ever since the state of California got the ball rolling in 1996 by legalizing medical cannabis, followed quickly by Colorado.

Since then, we’ve seen a total of 36 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands all approve comprehensive, fully legal medical cannabis programs.

Colorado was one of the first states to decriminalize cannabis in 1975, then establish legal medical and recreational cannabis programs in 2000 and 2012.

As the nation’s first legal retail market, Colorado has made itself a hub for legal cannabis in both the U.S. and the world, with some of the most influential, creative, and innovative cannabis brands and entrepreneurs residing there.

The legalized cannabis industry has generated hundreds of millions of dollars a year for Colorado. That’s a massive industry for most small countries, let alone a state with a population of 5.8 million.