WeedLife News Network

At the end of May, President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. would withdraw from the World Health Organization (WHO). The announcement came on the heels of a Trump threat to permanently cut off all U.S. funding for the organization (the U.S. is the largest individual national contributor) because of a supposedly “China-centric influence.”

But beyond squabbles about politics or supposed “foreign” influence, what will this decision have, if any, on the international or domestic cannabis industry?

A Brief History of The WHO and Cannabis

In a nutshell, the WHO is the health arm of the United Nations (UN). It is by definition, an intergovernmental organization created in the aftermath of WWII in 1948 to foster international responses to global health threats. The WHO has, as its primary function, a global coordinating role in developing international public health policy and coordinating global responses to epidemics and pandemics, as well as other diseases. Their responses to diseases, beyond the current crisis, include those for SARS and ebola, as well as smallpox, polio, and measles.

The WHO, named in the three global narcotics control treaties that are now up to sixty years old next year, also has the authority to make scheduling determinations. And that currently is where the friction, if not the debate, lies when it comes to cannabis.

The WHO And Cannabis Reform

Despite expanding reform on a country-by-country basis over the last five years, the WHO has not budged on considering reclassification, although the entity has considered the question for the last three years. Indeed, the WHO recommended that cannabis be rescheduled in 2019, but delayed the vote yet again in early March 2020, about a week before declaring COVID-19 a global pandemic. The decision about the reclassification of the plant as well as the cannabinoids within it, is expected to happen this December. The outcome is widely expected to change THC at least to a legitimate (Schedule II) drug and potentially deschedule hemp. 

It’s well-known smoking cigarettes during pregnancy can increase the risk of harm to the baby and is best avoided.

But in our research, published today in the Medical Journal of Australia, we show using cannabis during pregnancy is also associated with poorer outcomes for babies.

Are pregnant women using cannabis?

While we don’t have data on how common cannabis use is during pregnancy, results from the 2016 Australian National Drug Strategy Household Survey showed 10 per cent to 20 per cent of women of reproductive age had used cannabis during the preceding 12 months. Recent literature from overseas shows the number of women who become pregnant while using cannabis increased by as much as double from 2002 to 2017.

This is likely driven in large part by the legalization of cannabis in many parts of the world. In turn, increasing social and medical acceptance of its use has led to an overall perception cannabis is a safe drug.

In places where cannabis is legal, cannabis dispensaries sometimes promote it for the treatment of nausea and vomiting in pregnancy. But there are no studies evaluating whether it’s effective in this context, let alone whether it’s safe.

It’s well-known smoking cigarettes during pregnancy can increase the risk of harm to the baby and is best avoided.

But in our research, published today in the Medical Journal of Australia, we show using cannabis during pregnancy is also associated with poorer outcomes for babies.

Are pregnant women using cannabis?

While we don’t have data on how common cannabis use is during pregnancy, results from the 2016 Australian National Drug Strategy Household Survey showed 10 per cent to 20 per cent of women of reproductive age had used cannabis during the preceding 12 months. Recent literature from overseas shows the number of women who become pregnant while using cannabis increased by as much as double from 2002 to 2017.

This is likely driven in large part by the legalization of cannabis in many parts of the world. In turn, increasing social and medical acceptance of its use has led to an overall perception cannabis is a safe drug.

In places where cannabis is legal, cannabis dispensaries sometimes promote it for the treatment of nausea and vomiting in pregnancy. But there are no studies evaluating whether it’s effective in this context, let alone whether it’s safe.

On Monday, Compassionate Care by Design opened the first drive-thru medical marijuana dispensary in Southwest Michigan.

Drivers could pull into the location off Stadium Drive to pick up their marijuana prescription, just like picking up a prescription at a drive-thru pharmacy, said store manager Vanessa McKenzie.

McKenzie said this concept is to provide customers with safety, security and convenience.

"They can come through here. They can place an order, they can do a pre-order, then pull up, and grab their medicine like you’re visiting a CVS pharmacy pick up," said McKenzie.

Compassionate Care by Design has three locations in Kalamazoo County, and offers curbside pickup at the the location off Sage in Kalamazoo.

We soon got used to cooking and eating exotic proteins and grains like chickpeas, couscous and quinoa. Now, attention has turned to hemp in the search for other productive, environmentally friendly food crops.

Hemp has had a slightly shady image, which is undeserved. It’s a type of cannabis plant but "industrial" hemp has miniscule levels of the psychoactive THC component – officially less than 0.35 per cent.

The legal impediment to growing hemp for food has largely been removed, though to the annoyance of growers, they still have to apply for a licence to cultivate it.

Hemp’s small oily seeds are high in protein and the fibre from its stalks can be used for an astonishing range of goods from concrete to clothing.

Its environmental credentials may be second to none. It absorbs four times more carbon dioxide than the same acreage in trees, and it matures quickly. So in sunny New Zealand, between October and March, it is possible to harvest hemp in rotation with another crop.

It’s another step towards lessening our dependency on the pharmacological use of opioids and opioid-derivatives.

Medical professionals and researchers throughout the U.S. are seeking to steer patients away from opioids and other severely addictive medications. The University of New Mexico released a study in May, published in the scientific journal Life, with positive long-term results in the expanded use of hemp oil to treat chronic neuropathic pain. 

Researchers seek to rely on increasingly natural and organic ways to treat chronic pain.  The biggest takeaway from this UNM study is the increased efficacy of hemp oil, which  means an opportunity to move away from dependence on the pharmacological use of opioids and opioid-derivatives. 

Conventional pharmacological drugs are ranking high as one of the leading forms of causing preventable deaths, and conventional medical errors are the third leading cause of death in the U.S..

“Cannabis plants with low THC are still psychoactive, but tend to result in less psychedelic experiences, while still offering profound and often immediate relief from symptoms such as pain, anxiety, and depression,” says co-researcher Dr. Jacob Miguel Vigil, an associate professor in the UNM Psychology Department. 

In the last decade, we’ve learned a lot about how cannabis affects digestion. Thanks to the numerous studies that have been done over the years, we’ve gotten valuable insight on how this ultra-beneficial plant can be used to treat a range of diseases and conditions. Although a lot of anecdotal evidence and multiple studies exist on the topic, we’ve still only scratched the surface of unlocking its full potential.

But before we delve into what it can treat, how exactly does cannabis affect our digestive system? Like many of our body’s processes, including our mood, sleep, immune function and reproduction, the regulation of our digestion, appetite, and metabolism are done by the endocannabinoid system (ECS_. To understand how cannabis affects our digestion, the ECS is a crucial part of the puzzle.

Active compounds in cannabis, called phytocannabinoids such as THC and CBD, interact with the body through the ECS via cannabinoid receptors (CB1 and CB2) that are distributed throughout the digestive system and in regions of the brain that are considered essential for the gut-brain axis. It takes the phrase ‘going with your gut’ to a whole new level.

Both CB1 and CB2 receptors can be found in the digestive tract, with the former of the two the more abundant. The ECS plays a number of roles in digestion, including regulating stomach acidity, motility (the speed in which matter passes through the intestines), satiety, inflammation, pain, as well as visceral sensation, which affects our ability to perceive bodily organs. High levels of endocannabinoids are found throughout our digestive system and also contribute to stimulating our appetite.

Hunger pangs aren’t actually generated in the stomach but in the brain. When our stomach is empty, the hormone ghrelin is released, which stimulates the GI tract’s vagus nerves, which then travel up to the brain along the gut-brain axis to reach the brain’s hypothalmus, where hunger pangs originate.

In the last decade, we’ve learned a lot about how cannabis affects digestion. Thanks to the numerous studies that have been done over the years, we’ve gotten valuable insight on how this ultra-beneficial plant can be used to treat a range of diseases and conditions. Although a lot of anecdotal evidence and multiple studies exist on the topic, we’ve still only scratched the surface of unlocking its full potential.

But before we delve into what it can treat, how exactly does cannabis affect our digestive system? Like many of our body’s processes, including our mood, sleep, immune function and reproduction, the regulation of our digestion, appetite, and metabolism are done by the endocannabinoid system (ECS_. To understand how cannabis affects our digestion, the ECS is a crucial part of the puzzle.

Active compounds in cannabis, called phytocannabinoids such as THC and CBD, interact with the body through the ECS via cannabinoid receptors (CB1 and CB2) that are distributed throughout the digestive system and in regions of the brain that are considered essential for the gut-brain axis. It takes the phrase ‘going with your gut’ to a whole new level.

Both CB1 and CB2 receptors can be found in the digestive tract, with the former of the two the more abundant. The ECS plays a number of roles in digestion, including regulating stomach acidity, motility (the speed in which matter passes through the intestines), satiety, inflammation, pain, as well as visceral sensation, which affects our ability to perceive bodily organs. High levels of endocannabinoids are found throughout our digestive system and also contribute to stimulating our appetite.

Hunger pangs aren’t actually generated in the stomach but in the brain. When our stomach is empty, the hormone ghrelin is released, which stimulates the GI tract’s vagus nerves, which then travel up to the brain along the gut-brain axis to reach the brain’s hypothalmus, where hunger pangs originate.

Relief appears to be available for cannabis companies

The cannabis industry rarely looks to the federal government for support. Yet the raft of fiscal relief addressing COVID-19 has caused some in the industry to wonder what options, if any, might be available for them.

Fresh research is out that suggests oil extract derived from hemp may bolster your levels of the so-called “good cholesterol.” 

The study comes courtesy from researchers at The Center for Applied Health Sciences in Ohio and Lindenwood University in Missouri who sought to determine “the effects of a commercially available, GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) by independent conclusion, CBD-containing hemp oil extract on stress resilience, perceived recovery, mood, affect, body composition, and clinical safety markers in healthy human subjects.”

They did so by conducting a double-blind study involving “65 overweight, but otherwise healthy men and women” who ingested Hemp Oil Extract or a placebo every day for “six weeks while continuing to follow their normal diet and physical activity patterns.” 

The Results of The Study

The results showed that, among those in the hemp group, “HDL cholesterol significantly improved.” HDL cholesterol, which stands for “High-density lipoprotein,” is recognized in the medical community as the “good cholesterol” because “it helps remove other forms of cholesterol from your bloodstream” and is “associated with a lower risk of heart disease,” according to the Mayo Clinic. 

The researchers said that no other significant interactions were observed in either group. 

Budding weed entrepreneurs will have to wait at least another month to learn if they’ve won one of 75 coveted dispensary licenses from the state.

The licenses were supposed to be awarded May 1, but Gov. JB Pritzker signed an executive order at the end of April indefinitely suspending the decision, citing difficulties related to the coronavirus pandemic and glitches in processing the applications.

Originally, all 75 licenses were to be awarded at the same time, but now some applicants could be awarded a license next month while others will have to wait until at least early August.

Former state Sen. Toi Hutchinson, who oversees the state cannabis program, told the Cook County Cannabis Commission the delay is necessary to make sure licenses are issued correctly and to avoid lawsuits that may arise from applicants that lose out. Hutchinson acknowledged the delay hurts those waiting on the decision.

“My biggest worry is that any delay … makes it very hard for the people, who are the entire intent of this, to weather,” Hutchinson said.

In response to stay-at-home orders and nighttime police curfews, three marijuana nonprofits are finding creative ways to fulfill their missions. In an exclusive story with Green Entrepreneur, all have agreed to reveal their strategies for successfully managing the stresses of the pandemic and protests during these unprecedented times. 

#1 Last Prisoner Project (LPP)

Andrew and Steve DeAngelo founded the Last Prisoner Project alongside other industry leaders to help those imprisoned for cannabis-related charges. LPP’s mission is to “get every cannabis-charged prisoner out of prison,” says Andrew DeAngelo, longtime cannabis advocate and co-founder of Harborside Health Center

Freedom and rehabilitation

LPP advocates for and educates about marijuana incarceration, pushing to improve living conditions for prisoners and helping them reintegrate into society by supplying access to an apartment, job, and professional training courses.

Their service programs include pro bono legal services, including efforts to secure prisoners’ release and executive clemency to expunge their records. This is often a complex problem, requiring support from the governor or the federal level, according to DeAngelo.

Once prisoners are out of jail, LPP offers further guidance with re-entry programs where they can find help.

Senators spent Friday scrutinizing a 60-page piece of legislation proposed by Gov. Albert Bryan that would revise the Virgin Islands Cannabis Use Act, but after eight hours of debate the lawmakers were divided as to whether the measure was ready.

Meeting as the Committee of the Whole, the Senate discussed the bill that would expand the medical marijuana program approved by the Senate and signed into law by Bryan a year and a half ago. The new bill proposes amendments to the existing act to provide better regulation, and generate tax revenue that could alleviate the impending insolvency of the Government Employee Retirement System.

Sen. Kurt Vialet said when the original act was passed by the previous Legislature and signed into law, it was under the assumption that those who needed medical cannabis would be supplied access, but the cannabis board that had 12 months to come up with policies to regulate the industry failed to do so, asking for an extension in December. This has caused senators to feel pressure to not let the process drag on.

But some committee members have been skeptical of the enhanced bill since the governor first unveiled it in December. Friday’s hearing demonstrated at least some senators remain on the fence and certain testifiers who were proponents of the bill also showed hesitation.

Barbara LaRonde, president of the V.I. National Organization for the Reformation of Marijuana Laws testified, that the legislation should be examined for social inequities and specifically address the community hardest hit by the war on drugs.

To ensure you have the best experience during your first dispensary trip, make sure you understand this short list of things a person needs to know before visiting.  

People have a tendency to get a bit excited when the concept of legal weed comes alive in their state. Hey, we can’t say that we blame them. It’s not every day that a plant still considered as dangerous as heroin and LSD in the eyes of the federal government gets the green light to be sold in a retail environment similar to beer. It’s a big deal, we don’t care who you are, especially considering the checkered, eight-decades long history of cannabis prohibition in the United States.  

We’ve watched curious cannabis enthusiasts plot entire vacations around legal marijuana, traveling thousands of miles just to get in on the weed action that their home state may not be progressive enough to have. We’ve also seen some of these people get to a dispensary and be turned away or have bad experiences because they didn’t necessarily understand all of the rules associated with these places before making their journey. To keep that misfortune from happening to you, we have assembled a shortlist of 4 things a person needs to know before visiting a weed store.  

To ensure you have the best experience during your first dispensary trip, make sure you understand this short list of things a person needs to know before visiting.  

People have a tendency to get a bit excited when the concept of legal weed comes alive in their state. Hey, we can’t say that we blame them. It’s not every day that a plant still considered as dangerous as heroin and LSD in the eyes of the federal government gets the green light to be sold in a retail environment similar to beer. It’s a big deal, we don’t care who you are, especially considering the checkered, eight-decades long history of cannabis prohibition in the United States.  

But some business owners tell 41 Action News they were caught off guard by an additional hurdle imposed by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, which oversees the industry, before growers can put seeds in the ground.

After each of the 338 medical marijuana license holders is verified by the state, they have to go through an additional verification process.

"Once those 338 were were chosen by merit, then the department of health did a verification process where they go through the application with a license holders then they prove that everything they put on the application was accurate, correct and conforms to the department’s rules," MoCannTrade spokesman Jack Cardetti said.

But there's a final step, called a commencement inspection, before cultivators, manufacturers and dispensaries can start up "where they actually come on site, look at your facility, make sure it has all the security that you said it was going to have, make sure it has all the promises that were made in the application were followed through on," Cardetti said.

Only two of 60 cultivators have made it through that process so far near St. Louis.

But some business owners tell 41 Action News they were caught off guard by an additional hurdle imposed by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, which oversees the industry, before growers can put seeds in the ground.

After each of the 338 medical marijuana license holders is verified by the state, they have to go through an additional verification process.

"Once those 338 were were chosen by merit, then the department of health did a verification process where they go through the application with a license holders then they prove that everything they put on the application was accurate, correct and conforms to the department’s rules," MoCannTrade spokesman Jack Cardetti said.

But there's a final step, called a commencement inspection, before cultivators, manufacturers and dispensaries can start up "where they actually come on site, look at your facility, make sure it has all the security that you said it was going to have, make sure it has all the promises that were made in the application were followed through on," Cardetti said.

Only two of 60 cultivators have made it through that process so far near St. Louis.

Preparing edibles doesn’t have to be that complicated, especially when using ingredients you likely already have in your kitchen.

Preparing edibles is usually a process that takes some time and work. Unlike lighting a joint and reaping instant benefits, edibles demand a lot of care. If your edibles taste awful (here’s how to make them taste less like weed), you’ve just wasted a good amount of cannabis, which is not fun. Fortunately, we have some tips for you so this doesn’t happen.

In order to prepare edibles, it’s important to start off slowly. Cooking tends to be a trial and error process; once you add cannabis into the mix, it’s even more personal and less accurate. Before preparing any edible, you must decarboxylate. If you skip this step, your brownies are going to taste just like raw cannabis (read as: they’re gonna suck).

With the rise in baking and cooking that many of us have been experiencing in lockdown, it’s a great time to experiment with making your own edibles.

Cannabutter

Photo by ponce_photography via Pixabay

Current recommendations for anxiety patients is to utilize high-CBD, low-THC marijuana strains for the best results.

On the surface, using marijuana to treat anxiety symptoms seems like an obvious treatment option. Smoking a joint or eating an edible would result in relaxing times on the couch, maybe scrolling Netflix until another puff helps you fall asleep. This belief is pervasive: According to a 2017 national survey, about 47% of Americans believe marijuana helps manage anxiety.

Used effectively, marijuana can certainly benefit anxiety patients. A 2018 study in the Journal of Affective Disorders reported that about 90% of participants experienced reduction in symptoms of anxiety, stress, and depression in the short term. Repeated use, however, did not cause any long-term decrease in baseline symptoms and could increase depression over time.

At high doses, however, some studies show that marijuana can worsen anxiety. This is due to tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the cannabinoid that causes marijuana’s psychoactive effect. THC makes your heart beat faster and leads to racing thoughts, both of which can exacerbate anxiety. Sometimes, you hear someone with anxiety smoking a joint at a party, thinking it will relieve symptoms. Instead it causes them to feel worse and reject cannabis as therapeutic.

A 2015 review concluded that “current evidence indicates CBD has considerable potential as a treatment for multiple anxiety disorders.” This, in part, explain why new emphasis exists on CBD for anxiety patients in recent years. Higher doses of CBD work effectively in reducing anxiety symptoms, the review found, without any of the negative side effects associated with THC.

Despite all that's gone on in 2020, it's important not to lose sight of the fact that we're now less than five months away from Election Day. We'll see voters choose who'll be president of the United States for the next four years, and could even witness the current political makeup of Congress shift.

But one of the more interesting stories for 2020 is going to be which states "go green."

Currently, two-thirds of all states have legalized medical marijuana, with 11 of those states allowing for the consumption and/or sale of adult-use marijuana. With Election Day approaching, a dozen states have at least one ballot initiative devoted to cannabis, three states of which are guaranteed to have residents voting on those measures in November.

While there are a handful of states that look like near-certainties to legalize marijuana in November, there are just as many surprising disappointments. The following four states, which on the surface would look to have a good shot at legalizing adult-use cannabis in 2020, will have to wait until next year, or perhaps even 2022, to get their chance to go green.

We’re all geared up to enjoy summer after months in quarantine. And while Vitamin D is great, sunburns, bug bites and overheating can be a total buzzkill. Here’s how cannabis and CBD can help.

It’s finally (almost) here: sweet, sweet, summertime! Summer is a season that’s meant to be enjoyed. From spending more time outdoors thanks to longer days, to glorious weather that makes you want to jump in the pool or drive to the beach (while taking precautions, of course), there’s a lot to love about this time of year.

But then… there’s also the other side of the seasonal debate. Summer also means extreme heat, sunburn, and bug bites, which can be a downer.  

If you want to enjoy the summer as much as possible, cannabis and CBD can help. Here’s how.

Sunburn

Photo by Charles McQuillan/Stringer/Getty Images